Religion/Theological Studies (RELT) < Loma Linda University

Courses

RELT 100. The Bible: An Introduction. 3 Units.

Introduces and explores one of the world’s most influential books and considers its enduring relevance for today. Acquaints students from various backgrounds with its origins, major characters, stories, themes, and core values.

RELT 107. Introduction to World Religions. 1 Unit.

Introduces the history, beliefs, and practices of some major world religions, with an eye toward skills that are relevant to the practice of culturally competent health care.

RELT 108. Jesus, Health, and Wholeness. 1 Unit.

Examines Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry and how this has impacted the history and philosophy of Loma Linda University as a Seventh-day Adventist health sciences institution. Acquaints students with the concepts of wholeness and whole-person care.

RELT 199. Topics in Theological Studies. 1-3 Units.

Selected topics in theological studies. May be repeated for a maximum of 3 units when a different topic is offered.

RELT 200. The Mission and Message of Jesus. 3 Units.

Explores the nature and purpose of Jesus’ ministry and interprets the meaning of his words and deeds to discover the implications of his mission and message for today.

RELT 404. New Testament Writings. 2 Units.

Interprets selected letters and passages of the New Testament, with a view to their theological and practical significance for today.

RELT 406. Adventist Beliefs and Life. 3 Units.

Fundamental tenets of Seventh-day Adventist faith and the lifestyle that such faith engenders.

RELT 415. Christian Theology and Popular Culture. 2 Units.

Examines concepts and practices in popular culture from a Christian perspective.

RELT 416. God and Human Suffering. 2 Units.

Suffering and evil in relation to the creative and redemptive purposes of God for this world.

RELT 423. Loma Linda Perspectives. 2 Units.

History and philosophy of Loma Linda University as a Christian health-sciences institution that fosters human wholeness.

RELT 436. Adventist Heritage and Health. 2 Units.

Origin and development of Seventh-day Adventist interest in health, from the background of nineteenth-century medicine and health reform to the present.

RELT 437. Current Issues in Adventism. 2 Units.

Selected theological, ethical, and organizational questions of current interest in Adventism, with the goal of preparation for active involvement in the life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Recommended for students with a Seventh-day Adventist background.

RELT 440. World Religions. 2 Units.

Surveys the origins, beliefs, and contemporary practices of the world's major religious systems. Gives attention to the interaction between specific religions and their cultures; and to similarities, differences, and potential for understanding among the religions.

RELT 464. Paul's Message in Romans. 2 Units.

Chapter-by-chapter interpretation of Paul's most influential letter, in which the good news of God's salvation is applied to the issues of Christian life and community.

RELT 470. Visions of Healing in Biblical Prophecy. 2 Units.

Exploration of the visionary accounts of biblical books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Revelation. Content may vary from quarter to quarter.

RELT 477. Biblical Thought and Today's World. 2 Units.

Integration of various aspects of biblical thought with the issues and world views faced by those in a health care environment. Content may vary from quarter to quarter. May be repeated for additional credit when content is different.

RELT 499. Directed Study. 1-3 Units.

Individual arrangements for students to study under the guidance of a faculty member. May include readings, literature reviews, written papers, or other special projects. Minimum of thirty hours required for each unit of credit.

RELT 500. Biblical Hermeneutics. 3 Units.

Explores the principles of interpreting the Bible in relationship to real-life situations.

RELT 501. Religion and Society. 3 Units.

The impact of religion on society. Definitions, theories, and typologies of "religion." The role of religion in biblical times. Christianity's relationship with other religions throughout the centuries. Controversial cases.

RELT 502. Religion and Society. 3 Units.

The impact of society on religion. Definitions, theories, and typologies of "society." Social constructions of meaning. The significance of societies in shaping Christianity. Premodern, modern, and postmodern worldviews. Globalization and religion.

RELT 503. Religion and Society. 3 Units.

The interactions of religion and society. Theories and typologies of the interactions of religion and society. Personal devotion and social change. Influential leaders and transforming movements. Controversial cases.

RELT 504. Daniel and the Prophetic Tradition. 3 Units.

Examines the message from the Book of Daniel and the Old Testament prophetic tradition of which Daniel is a part.

RELT 505. Seventh-day Adventist History. 3 Units.

Explores the values and practices that shape the Seventh-day Adventist community, with special attention to the life and ministry of Ellen G. White.

RELT 506. Seventh-day Adventist Beliefs. 3 Units.

Studies the fundamental tenets of Seventh-day Adventist faith and the lifestyle that such faith engenders.

RELT 507. The Saga of Adventists and Health Care: Cornflakes, Baby Fae, and the Healing of the Nations. 3 Units.

Examines how a biblically based, apocalyptic-believing, countercultural religion changed America's breakfasts, established Protestantism's largest international network of hospitals, and challenged the grip of multinational tobacco companies.

RELT 508. Contemporary Christian Theology. 3 Units.

Presents principal issues, figures, and movements in Christian thought during the past century. Includes: relationships between history and biblical interpretation, theology and philosophy, and religion and science. Considers the growing prominence of Evangelical, Eastern orthodox, postmodern, and "contextual" theologies. Illuminates the characteristic ways in which the central elements of Christian faith provide lasting continuity and continually stimulate reflection.

RELT 509. Biblical Perspectives in Religion and Health. 3 Units.

Explores issues related to health, illness, and suffering from theological and biblical perspectives.

RELT 510. Global Theology. 3 Units.

Offers critical reflections of dominant Western theological discourse and explores other theological voices from African American, womanist, Asian, African, and South American perspectives.

RELT 515. Faith and Flourishing. 3 Units.

Focuses on major Christian perspectives that have been offered and debated, ranging from models of cultural withdrawal to cultural engagement and transformation. Gives attention to contemporary articulations of various positions and their philosophical and theological assumptions, beginning with a critical examination of the typology made popular by H. Richard Niebuhr in his classic study, Christ and Culture.
Cross-listing: RELE 515.

RELT 518. Adventist Heritage and Health. 1 Unit.

Studies the fundamental beliefs and values that led Seventh-day Adventists to become involved in health care, with particular emphasis on the spiritual story and principles leading to the founding of Loma Linda University.

RELT 520. Church History. 3 Units.

Traces Christianity's inception with the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; through the first critical 300 years of Christianity; evolving into the pre-Reformation and Reformation; and culminating in the Christian Church of the twenty-first century.

RELT 526. Creation and Cosmology. 3 Units.

Explores the similarities and contrasts between biblical and scientific views of the world, with special attention to biblical Creation accounts in their historical context.

RELT 527. The Bible and Ecology. 3 Units.

Explores the ecology crisis, factory farming, and the extinction of countless species within the context of the Bible's message of promise and hope for nonhuman creation.

RELT 530. Spirituality and Clinical Psychology. 3 Units.

Examines the positive resources of both religion and spirituality in the lives of clients, as well as the ways in which they can become linked to psychopathology. Outlines the spiritual aspects of the therapeutic relationship, including the use of spiritual interventions as an aspect of psychotherapy.
Cross-listing: RELR 530.

RELT 534. Anthropology of Mission. 3 Units.

Studies Christian mission, applying the findings of anthropology as they relate to cultural change. Processes of religious development, means of diffusion, factors affecting religious acculturation, and analysis of programs intended to effect changes in religion.

RELT 534A. Service Learning Practicum–International Project. 1 Unit.

Loma Linda University-sponsored international mission trip, facilitated by the SIMS Program. Students engage in service activities, maintain a reflective journal while on the trip, and submit a final report summarizing the social-learning experience upon return.
Prerequisite: RELT 534.

RELT 534B. Service Learning Practicum–USA Project. 1 Unit.

Loma Linda University-sponsored national mission trip, facilitated by SIMS Program. Students engage in service activities, maintain a reflective journal while on the trip, and submit a final report summarizing the social-learning experience upon return.
Prerequisite or concurrent: RELT 534.

RELT 539. Christian Understanding of God and Humanity. 3 Units.

Studies the nature and attributes of God, with special emphasis on God's relation to the world; and the essential dynamics of human existence in light of the central biblical motifs of creature, image of God, and sin.

RELT 540. World Religions and Human Health. 3 Units.

Studies the history, beliefs, and practices of major religions of the world, with an emphasis on theological and ethical issues in the practice of health care ministry.

RELT 555. The Adventist Experience. 3 Units.

Introduces the beliefs and values that shape the Seventh-day Adventist community.

RELT 557. Theology of Human Suffering. 3 Units.

Suffering and evil in relation to the creative and redemptive purposes of God for this world. Focus on formation of student's theology of human suffering.

RELT 558. Old Testament Thought. 3 Units.

Introduces the literature and key theological themes of the Old Testament. Content may vary from quarter to quarter.

RELT 559. New Testament Thought. 3 Units.

Introduces the literature and key theological themes of the New Testament. Content may vary from quarter to quarter.

RELT 560. Jesus the Revealer: The Message of the Gospel of John. 3 Units.

A study of Jesus as revealer and healer, the basis for the Loma Linda mission, 'To make man whole.'.

RELT 563. Health Care, Humanity, and God. 3 Units.

Focuses on the centrality of the health professions to the mission of the church, and the ways in which these professions manifest God's saving work and exemplify the ministry of Christ.

RELT 564. Apostle of Hope: The Life, Letters, and Legacy of Paul. 3 Units.

A study of the legacy of "the second most influential" person in human history.

RELT 565. Vision of Healing: The Message of the Book of Revelation. 3 Units.

A study of Revelation's description of the end of suffering and God's vision for healing a broken world.

RELT 570. Philosophy of Mind: Bodies, Minds, Souls. 3 Units.

Explores the following questions: What is a mind? How does the mind relate to the brain and to the world? Are minds free or casually determined? How do minds affect bodies? Could minds exist in different kinds of bodies? Do minds survive death? Discusses answers and arguments that have been offered by philosophers, theologians, and cognitive scientists; as well as the implications of these answers for ethics and theology.

RELT 574. Love and Sex in the Bible. 3 Units.

Studies Scripture on the reality, nature, and challenges of love—both divine and human; and key biblical passages on the goodness, meaning, and distortions of human sexuality.

RELT 615. Seminar in Philosophy of Religion. 3 Units.

Examines the concept of God, arguments for the existence of God, the relationship of faith and reason, and the nature of religious language.

RELT 617. Seminar in Religion and the Sciences. 3 Units.

Explores the interface between religion and the sciences—with attention to the religious origins of modern science, the similarities and contrasts between scientific and religious inquiry, and the particular challenges that the sciences pose for religious belief.

RELT 699. Directed Study. 1-6 Units.

RELT 700. History of Medicine in the Ancient World. 2 Units.

Offers a comprehensive survey of ancient medicine and health care in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean regions, emphasizing beliefs about the body, health, illness, disease, and religion.

RELT 706. Adventist Beliefs and Life. 2 Units.

Fundamental tenets of Seventh-day Adventist faith, and the lifestyle that such faith engenders.

RELT 707. Medicine, Humanity, and God. 2 Units.

Role of the practitioner of medicine as a co-worker with God in the healing of humankind.

RELT 716. God and Human Suffering. 2 Units.

Suffering and evil in relation to the creative and redemptive purposes of God for this world.

RELT 717. Christian Beliefs and Life. 2 Units.

Introduces basic Christian beliefs and life.

RELT 718. Adventist Heritage and Health. 2 Units.

RELT 726. Jesus. 2 Units.

Studies Jesus as healer and teacher, prophet and reformer, Son of God and Savior.

RELT 734. Foundations for International Health-Care Missions. 2 Units.

Discusses approaches to meeting health-care needs of international community both short-term and in career medical ministry. Examines historical, biblical, theological, and practical foundations of mission service from school of religion and global-health physician faculty perspectives.

RELT 740. World Religions and Human Health. 2,3 Units.

Studies of the history, beliefs, and practices of eight major world religions, with an emphasis on theological and ethical issues that are relevant to the practice of culturally competent health care. Gives attention to the interaction between specific religions and their cultures and to similarities, differences, and potential for understanding among religions. Third unit covers two additional world religions.

RELT 764. Paul's Message in Romans. 2 Units.

Chapter-by-chapter interpretation of Paul's most influential letter, in which the good news of God's salvation is applied to the issues of Christian life and community.

RELT 767. Apostle of Hope: The Life, Letters, and Legacy of Paul. 2 Units.

A study of the legacy of "the second most influential" person in human history.