Christopher T. Holmes, Ph.D.

This is a new class that I offered during the Spring 2018 semester. It seeks to integrate a close reading of Paul's letters informed by concepts emerging from local theology. The class included six hours of field education working with an Episcopalian church "without walls" in downtown Atlanta serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness.

This represents a totally reworked syllabus for the Spring 2018 semester of a traditional class that I offered in Spring 2017. This was the first time offering the course in a hybrid format with online video lectures, discussion forums, and reading worksheets online/out of class to ensure maximal student engagement during the in-class portion of the course. The course drew on New Testament Theology to help students consider interpretative and practical questions related to the relevance of the New Testament for contemporary readers.

For the Fall 2017 semester, I was asked to develop and teach a fully online version of the Foundations of New Testament course at McAfee School of Theology. For this course, I maximized the time devoted to discussion forums, utilized several short online video lectures from other scholars, and created dozens of short "Before you read" lectures and several other topical lectures. These can be viewed here.

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Course Description: The Foundations of New Testament course aims to develop and deepen a sound acquaintance with the writings of the New Testament. This includes (1) the contents, style, and substance of each writing; (2) the theological, historical, and literary issues that other readers of these writings have wrestled with; and (3) the historical, social, cultural, and political contexts in which they were written. This course provides an opportunity to read the New Testament in its entirety, and therefore it places a premium on a close engagement with the writings of the New Testament themselves. In addition, the course creates a space for informed interaction with the conclusions of other interpreters and with scholarly discussion of these writings.

In this one semester introduction to New Testament Greek, I utilized a "flipped classroom" model, providing online lectures to be viewed outside of class so that we could have more time to work through the exercises and address questions/concerns in our class time.

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Description: This course provides an introduction to the elements of Hellenistic Greek with emphasis upon the mastery of forms, basic vocabulary, and syntax. Students will read and translate select portions of the New Testament and the Septuagint. This course also introduces students to print and digital resources that can be used for the study of Greek and for other aspects of Christian ministry.

This is the syllabus for the course that I offered at McAfee School of Theology during the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters.

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Course Description: The Foundations of New Testament course provides a panoramic view of the diverse genres, voices, and theological perspectives in the New Testament within the social and historical context of the ancient Mediterranean world. Course lectures, readings, and discussions introduce students to different interpretations and some of the perennial critical questions related to the New Testament compositions. While you need not agree with all of those interpretations and questions, you are asked to critically engage them as you explore and articulate your own informed interpretations.

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I offered this course at Candler School of Theology during the Fall 2012 semester.

Course Description: Readings in Biblical Greek is a one-semester course designed to increase the student’s knowledge of Koine Greek vocabulary, grammar, and syntax through weekly readings, periodic exams, and interpreative analysis. This course surveys different texts and compositions of “biblical Greek” taken from the New Testament, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, and other early Christian writings. Though not the only way to read through these corpora of Greek, the approach taken in this course is thematic, namely the course readings center around the themes of creation, re-creation, and new creation. In addition to reading and translating Greek passages, students will also be introduced various critical methods and resources aiding interpretation.

Religion or “religious happenings” seem to be everywhere, even in our post-modern world. Religion appears in places where we might expect it—in the private lives of participants, as well as in designated spaces for worship around the world. The appearance and influence of religion is not confined to these spheres alone, however. It also appears in public spaces, political discourse, and media outlets. Religion effects politics and economics, both at the national and global level. Religious happenings occur in connection not only with traditional “world religions” (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and the like), but also in more unexpected ways, such as through consumer culture, sporting events, and national holidays. This course provides students with an introduction into the academic study of religion. It explores principles for the study of religion, including how scholars define, describe, compare, and analyze religion. It offers a first step in understanding religion’s diverse forms and its pervasive influence (both positive and negative) and an entry into why such understanding is vital for becoming global citizens.