{"id":209,"date":"2012-03-01T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2012-03-01T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/practicalmattersjournal.ecdsdev.org\/?p=209"},"modified":"2015-09-01T16:18:54","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T20:18:54","slug":"exploring-conflict-and-peacebuilding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pmcleanup.ecdsdev.org\/2012\/03\/01\/exploring-conflict-and-peacebuilding\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Conflict and Peacebuilding through Sacred Space: A Course on World Religions"},"content":{"rendered":"
Download PDF:\u00a0Exploring Conflict and Peacebuilding<\/a><\/h5>\n
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Exploring World Religions through the Lens of Sacred Space<\/h3>\n

\u201cSacred Space in World Religions\u201d is a course taught at Candler School of Theology as a summer intensive. In it, we take advantage of the intensive summer school schedule, as well as the rich resources of the city of Atlanta, to explore religious architecture in four major world religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Using worship spaces as the focal point not only allows us to make use of a common touchstone for comparing and contrasting different religious traditions and practices, but also sharpens our awareness of the impact of space on our own religious practices.<\/p>\n

The course is designed specifically for Christians in a graduate theological program, the majority of whom are in preparation for church ministry. The intent, therefore, is to prepare church leaders for the contemporary United States context, a milieu both increasingly pluralistic and technologically fluid. Christian ministry best suited for this context is ministry that can find common touchstones for inter-faith dialogue and cross-community collaboration while remaining deeply and reflectively rooted in a particular tradition and identity. Christian ministry that can embody its faith commitments in the way it exercises stewardship of its resources, including buildings and grounds, is ministry able to flourish in this context.<\/p>\n

The following learning goals shape the course design:<\/p>\n