School of Christian Living First Spring Term

Forgive Us Our Sins . . .

When Jesus was on the cross, he prayed for those who were tormenting him, saying, “Forgive them, Father, for they don’t know what they are doing.” In this class we will look at extraordinary acts of forgiveness as a way to understanding what forgiveness is and isn’t; and practice forgiving our enemies, forgiving our loved ones, forgiving God, and accepting forgiveness for our own failings and weaknesses.

Led by Deborah Sokolove, who is an artist and author and serves as the director of the Luce Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary, where she is also professor of art and worship.

Plato NOW!
Why a 2,500-year-old philosophy matters to you

“The most wretched of all human beings . . . is the one who has a tyrannic soul and doesn’t live out a private life but by some misfortune is given the occasion to become a tyrant.”– Socrates, The Republic

Some things never change . . .

Together we’ll explore crucial elements of Plato’s philosophy, as taught by his mentor, Socrates. Reading will be light, though we’ll read a few passages from the Dialogues together. Rather than “learn Plato’s philosophy,” our goal is to be philosophers in the manner of Socrates and Plato. Following their lead in discussing topics such as tyranny, love, justice, virtue, and the soul, we hope to experience the same exciting and transformative insights that set the course of Western civilization – and paved the way for Christianity.

“It’s all in Plato, all in Plato: Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools?”– Digory Kirke, from The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Led by:

John Morris, who has a master’s degree in philosophy. His essays, poems, and stories have appeared in more than 90 journals in the U.S. and Great Britain. A collection of short fiction was published last year by No Record Press. He teaches at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD.

Marcia Sprague, who is an attorney and a former math and French teacher. Her interest in teaching this class stems from her introduction to the Socratic method through her legal education and practice. It also is rooted in her experience in teaching geometry.