“In an increasingly secularized culture, the lines around many moral issues have grown blurry beyond recognition.” If you agree with this statement (or even if you disagree) you might want to consider signing up for “Difficult Problems in Contemporary Moral Theology.”
Sacred Heart Major Seminary is offering the new, online course “Difficult Problems in Contemporary Moral Theology” starting this Sunday, June 2. It runs through Saturday, July 13. The cost for the course is only $10.
The course is led by Dr. Oana Gotia and members of the faculty of Sacred Heart Major Seminary (SHMS). The self-paced, online course will explore the variety of difficult problems Catholics and other Christians face today in contemporary moral theology. It will also provide insights to help better understand how to navigate the pressing issues of our time.
As with other online courses offered by SHMS, the course consists of six modules:
#1: Passions & Desires (Dr. Oana Gotia)
#2: Love & Sexuality (Dr. Oana Gotia)
#3: Life & Death (Fr. Peter Ryan)
#4: Social Justice: Catholic Perspective (Fr. Tim Laboe)
#5: The Church: Mother? Teacher? (Dr. Robert Fastiggi)
#6: Grace for Our Actions (Dr. Oana Gotia)
The Modules
In the fist module Dr. Gotia will discuss the role of passions, desires, reason, and virtues in our choices to attain our human good. Problems such as emotivism, rationalism, and whether our body and emotions are evil will be covered.
Dr. Gotia continues the discussion in the second module. In this module she discusses God’s original plan on love and sexuality. She focuses on our inherent goodness and the dignity of our sexuated bodies. She also covers problems such as toxic masculinity and radical feminism, contraception, gender fluidity.
In the third module, Fr. Peter Ryan discusses our life as a gift from God and the dignity of the person from conception to natural death. Of particular note, he discusses the question of suffering and its meaning. He also covers problems such as abortion, eugenics, euthanasia, transhumanism.
In module four, Fr. Tim Laboe discusses the human dignity of the person as imago Dei. He also takes a look at the centrality of the family, solidarity, and subsidiarity in the light of Christ, as the New Man. And he discusses the problems of individualism, utilitarianism, racism, and totalitarianism.
Dr. Robert Fastiggi is the lecturer in module five. He delves into the question of why man needs the light of the Magisterium and the nourishing the ecclesial community to make good choices. He also discusses the problems of relativism, the antagonism between doctrine and the pastoral work of the Church, and justice vs mercy.
Dr. Gotia wraps things up in module six. In this module she addresses how man’s freedom works in collaboration with God’s graces – how God makes us more human through His gifts. She also discusses the problem of human freedom in antagonism with divine grace as part of our decision making.
Structure
Each module will include:
- Lecture Video (~20 minutes)
- Lectio Divina Exercise (~10 minutes)
- Personal Assessment Quiz (~5 minutes)
- Supplemental Reading Material
As the description of the course states, “This non-credit course is being offered online using the seminary’s learning-management system, Canvas. Upon signing up for the course, students will receive a username and password for accessing the online class.
“The class will be conducted online giving students the freedom to engage with the material and complete course tasks around their own schedule. The class will consist of six modules which can be completed according to the individual’s own pace.
“The goal of the course is not to deliver a high level of rigor or stress, but instead engage Catholics who want to learn more about their faith.
“Consider this a personal study or retreat experience, done at your own pace. This is an opportunity to grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord and with others.”
Click on the link above or click Here for more information and to register for the course.
