Learning Beyond the Walls

Yale Divinity School Introductory Courses

Introduction to Christian Ethics

This course is an introduction to Christian moral norms, ideals, and practices, and to some classical and contemporary disputes over their substance and application. Drawing upon a variety of historical and contemporary sources, we will ask what difference Christian commitments make for assessing the ends that human beings pursue, the actions we permit and prohibit, and the traits of character we praise, tolerate, and admonish. We will consider the ways in which Christian moral thinking is shaped by the Hebrew Bible and New Testament before considering interlocking questions concerning the ethics of the use of force, the economy, property, prison abolition, immigration, families, disabilities, environmental justice, and food.

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Foundations of Christian Worship

Foundations of Christian Worship is the core introductory course of the program in liturgical studies at Yale. The course focuses on theological and historical approaches to the study of Christian worship, with attention paid to cultural context as well as contemporary issues. Foundations of Christian Worship, as the gateway course to the program in liturgical studies, should be taken prior to all other liturgy courses. The course is especially recommended for students preparing for ordination and/or other forms of worship leadership, and is an essential course for all students interested in graduate work in liturgical or ritual studies.

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Hebrew Bible Interpretation 1

An introduction to the contents of the Hebrew Bible (Pentateuch and Historical Books) and to the methods of its interpretation. The course focuses on the development of ancient Israelite biblical literature and religion in its historical and cultural context as well as on the theological appropriation of the Hebrew Bible for contemporary communities of faith. The course aims to make students aware of the contents of the Hebrew Bible, the history and development of ancient Israel’s literature and religion, the methods of biblical interpretation, and ways of interpreting the Hebrew Bible for modern communities of faith. Area I.

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History of Early Modern Christianity: Reformation to Enlightenment

Early Modern Christianity introduces students to the rapidly changing world of early modern Christianity, a period that ranges from the Reformation to the Enlightenment and the Trans-Atlantic worlds of the eighteenth century. This course  engages in conversations about the complex relationships between legacies of the Early Modern Period and contemporary events.

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Letters of Paul

Whether you’ve been studying Paul’s letters for years or are merely curious about what Christian scriptures are, this course will provide you with information to deepen your understanding of the ancient contexts and present-day controversies about these texts. See the syllabus for this course.

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Old Testament (Pentateuch and Historical Books) Part I

An introduction to the contents of the Old Testament (Pentateuch and Historical Books) and to the methods of its interpretation. The course focuses on the development of ancient Israelite biblical literature and religion in its historical and cultural context as well as on the theological appropriation of the Old Testament for contemporary communities of faith. The course aims to make students aware of the contents of the Old Testament, the history and development of ancient Israel’s literature and religion, the methods of biblical interpretation, and ways of interpreting the Old Testament for modern communities of faith.

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Old Testament (Prophetic Books and Writings) Part 2

Part 2 of this course introduces students to critical study of the Prophetic Books and Writings (Psalms, Wisdom) of the Old Testament and introduces students to exegetical method.

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Yale Divinity School Public Lectures

Center for Continuing Education Lectures

The Center for Continuing Education hosts lectures to enable and enrich ministry, lay learning, and individuals, who are looking for personal and professional enrichment.

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Bainton Lecture Series

The Roland Bainton Lectureship, inaugurated in 1988, represents the two foci of the late Roland Bainton, who served on the YDS faculty for 42 years: church history and the church’s witness to peace and justice.

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Bartlett Lecture Series

The Bartlett Lectureship was created in 1986 with a gift from the Rev. Robert M. Bartlett ’24 B.D. and his wife, Sue Bartlett. The initial purpose of the lectureship was to foster knowledge and appreciation of the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and their contribution to the religious, intellectual, and political life of America, and to promote understanding of the history and culture of modern China. The scope of the lectureship was subsequently expanded to include democracy, human rights, and world peace.

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Beecher Lectures

The Lyman Beecher Lectureship was founded in 1871 by a gift from Henry W. Sage of Brooklyn, NY, as a memorial to the great divine whose name it bears, to sponsor an annual series of lectures on a topic appropriate to the work of the ministry. The income of this fund is used for an annual series of lectures on a topic appropriate to the work of ministry.

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Ensign Lectures

The Loring Sabin Ensign Lectureship in Contemporary Interpretation of Religious Issues was founded in 1994 by church members and other friends to honor Loring S. Ensign, M.Div. 1951, for his twenty-five years of service as pastor of the Southport Congregational Church (Connecticut).

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Lifelong Learning

Access recordings of lifelong learning events from Yale Divinity School and the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.

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Parks-King Lecture Series

The Parks-King Lecture is held annually at Yale Divinity School and commemorates two civil rights leaders, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. The series was established in 1983 through the efforts of the Yale Black Seminarians. The lecture brings the contributions of African American scholars, social theorists, pastors, and social activists to YDS and to the larger Yale and New Haven community.

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Pitt Lecture Series

The Louis Wetherbee Pitt Lectureship was established as a memorial to Dr. Pitt and his wife, Blanche Parmelee Pitt, by his family to provide for lectures by distinguished preachers and world Christians. This lecture is given every second year at Berkeley Divinity School, alternating with the Francis X. Cheney Lectureship.

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Shaffer Lecture Series

The Shaffer Lectureship was established in 1929 by a gift from John C. Shaffer of Chicago, as a memorial to his son, Kent Shaffer, Ph.D. 1907, to provide lectures on the life, character, and teachings of Jesus. This series is given every second year, alternating with the Nathaniel W. Taylor lecture series.

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Sorensen Lecture Series

The Margaret Lindquist Sorensen Lectureship was established in 1978 by a gift from her son, Dr. Andrew A. Sorensen, B.D. 1962, to provide an annual lecture on politics and ethics.

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Dwight H. Terry Lectureship

The Dwight H. Terry Lectureship, also known as the Terry Lectures, was established at Yale University in 1905 by a gift from Dwight H. Terry of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Its purpose is to engage both scholars and the public in a consideration of religion from a humanitarian point of view, in the light of modern science and philosophy. The subject matter has historically been similar to that of the Gifford Lectures in Scotland, and several lecturers have participated in both series.

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Transformational Leadership Program

The Transformational Leadership program at Yale Divinity School offers intensive, two-day weekend courses taught by leaders in church and society. Guest speakers give a public address as part of their participation in the program. Many of those addresses are available on this video playlist.

Transformational Leadership guest speakers

Yale Center for Faith and Culture: Theology of Joy Interviews

The Theology of Joy and the Good Life project sought to restore joy to the center for Christian reflection on the nature of the good life and to restore the question of the good life to the core of Christian theology, the world’s colleges and universities, and our most significant global conversations. The Theology of Joy and the Good Life projects was made possible by the John Templeton Foundation with additional support from the McDonald Agape Foundation.

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Andover Newton Lectures

Convocation Lectures

Named Lectures

Summer Study

Watch the Keynote Addresses and Workshops from Summer Study 2021, Summer Study 2022, Summer Study 2024 and Summer Study 2025.

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A Journey Through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion

A Journey Through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion – a free, online course by YDS faculty member Bruce Gordon offered through Coursera.

A Journey Through Western Christianity: from Persecuted Faith to Global Religion(link is external)

Podcasts

Chapter Verse & Season podcast

Life of the World podcast by Yale Center for Faith and Culture

The Quadcast podcast

The Leader’s Way podcast

Yale University Online Courses

Religion and Ecology: Restoring the Earth Community

Enroll in these free courses from Yale and Coursera to understand the ecological teachings and practices of religious traditions across the planet here.

Open Yale Courses

Open Yale Courses (OYC) provides lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses to the public free of charge via the Internet. The courses span the full range of liberal arts disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, and physical and biological sciences.

Open Yale Courses

Yale Coursera Courses

Coursea offers free, world-class courses online. Below are links to just a sampling of the Yale courses available on their site:

Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School
andovernewton.yale.edu

Devotional Series (with new series each Advent and Lent.) 
Each Advent and Lent, Andover Newton offers a new devotional series, creating contemplative opportunities to reflect on the season. (Drop-down on the left with previous years.)

Lecture Series
Watch the Bauer-Broholm (faith at work) and Simpson-Hewett (congregational history) lectures and the Woodbury Leadership Workshop here.

  • The Bauer-Broholm Lectures from previous years. This series focuses on “Faith at Work” with a drop-down to past lectures on the left. 
  • The Woodbury Leadership Workshop with a focus on faith and leadership with a drop-down to past lectures on the left. 
  • The Simpson-Hewett Lecture with a focus on Congregational History with a drop-down to past lectures on the left. 

Pulpit Supply Program 
Need pulpit supply? Your church can host a YDS student to preach, pray and preside of worship services through the Andover Newton Pulpit Supply Program. 

Thriving Congregations Workbook 
Churches going through a time of transition or discernment may benefit from the resources in the Thriving Congregations Workbook. 

Resources in response to Mass Shootings 

Berkeley Divinity School
berkeleydivinity.yale.edu

Online Courses and Workshops
Empowering clergy and lay leaders from all denominations to deepen their spiritual lives and enhance their ministry.

The Leader’s Way Podcast
Conversations at the intersection of leadership, ministry, and spirituality.

The Leader’s Way Certificate Program
Residential and online immersion for ministry leaders from all denominations who feel called to become innovators, change-agents, and radiant witnesses to the Gospel. 

Virtual Curacy
The two-year Virtual Curacy program is designed to address the critical shortage of mentorship and traditional curacy opportunities for newly ordained Episcopal clergy.

Center for Continuing Education
divinity.yale.edu/learning-at-yds/center-for-continuing-education

The Center for Continuing Education provides opportunities and resources for theological education and enrichment through various programs including: Yale Bible Study , Yale Youth Ministry Institute , YDS Summer Study and more. Find details on our webpage here.

Chapter Verse & Season Podcast  
We offer a podcast to support theological enrichment, sermon preparation and Biblical text exploration.

Center for Faith and Culture
faith.yale.edu

Life Worth Living Book 
Your life is too important to be guided by anything less than what matters most. Around the world and across human history, the same questions have challenged us: what should we hope for? How should we live? How do we respond to suffering? How do we flourish? Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz have gathered responses to these and other questions and reflected on the different answers that have informed various faiths and cultures. They have led students through these findings in one of Yale University’s most popular courses. Now, they have written this book to help you respond to these questions in the context of your own life. Sign up to receive a free discussion guide as a companion to the bestselling book. 

The Hunger for Home  
The Hunger for Home small-group study is designed to guide your community in exploring new questions about the bread that feeds us, who we welcome to our tables, and much more. Sign up now for six videos and a PDF discussion guide for group leaders. 

Let Me Ask You a Question 
Disarmingly honest questions. Sign up now and immediately receive a 7-part video curriculum designed to lead you through Matthew Croasmun’s book, “Let Me Ask You a Question.” Explore the questions Jesus asks in the Gospels and uses them as conversation starters for dialogues with Jesus—for yourself and your community. 

Life of the World Podcast 
Life of the World podcast by Yale Center for Faith and Culture.

Public Faith for Troubled Times 
A deep expression of public theology and a commitment to the Christian tradition and contemporary pluralistic engagement, Miroslav’s book A Public Faith offers biblical grounding and theological reflection for Christians who recognize both the difficulty and demands of living out their faith in public today. In this series, developed and produced by the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, Miroslav Volf walks through a chapter-by-chapter discussion of how followers of Christ should serve the common good.”

Center for Public Theology and Public Policy
theologyandpolicy.yale.edu

The Center for Public Theology and Public Policy is preparing a new generation of moral leaders to be active participants in creating a just society and cultivates research at the intersection of theology and public policy. 

Past Public Events

Spring 2024 National Conference

White Poverty by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Book

Jonathan Edwards Center
edwards.yale.edu

The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University offers the collected articles and writing of Jonathan Edwards, research and more.

Office of Vocation and Leadership
divinity.yale.edu/learning-at-yds/vocational-formation

Internship Programs
Interns are available for work in church and nonprofit organizations. Learn more on the website and contact the Office of Vocation and Leadership for details at (203) 436-5703.

Reimagining Church Initiative 
Reimagining Church is a new initiative at Yale Divinity School, inviting churches to consider their present ministry, the needs for vital churches in a post-pandemic world, and the options that are before them for envisioning new directions in ministry.

Yale Divinity Alumni/ae
divinity.yale.edu/alumni

Alumni Email Address Setup 

Yale Divinity Library
web.library.yale.edu/divinity

web.library.yale.edu/divinity/alumni

Yale Divinity School
divinity.yale.edu

The Quadcast podcast 
Listen to podcasts produced by YDS faculty, students, and alumni.