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University of Creation Spirituality
Doctor of Ministry Degree/Certificate Program

August, 2003 Intensive
Week 1: August 4 - 8

Seminar: Deep Ecumenism - # 60010

Instructor: Matthew Fox, Ph.D.

Faculty Bio: Matthew Fox is the founding president of the University of Creation Spirituality, co-director of the Master of Liberal Arts Program, Naropa University, Oakland, and author of 24 books including, The Reinvention of Work, Original Blessing, One River, Many Wells and A Spirituality Named Compassion. His book, Coming of the Cosmic Christ, first put a name to “deep ecumenism” and his books on work and on evil (Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh) utilized deep ecumenism as a basic methodology. Great creation mystics he has published and interpreted such as Meister Eckhart and Thomas Aquinas also speak to deep ecumenism.

Course Description:Our time of peril to the earth and peril to our species, so much of the danger deriving from our species, call for a return of wisdom on a planetary scale. How can we bring this about? One sure way is to release the spiritual wisdom from all of the world’s spiritual traditions. This would be deep ecumenism. One way to develop deep ecumenism is to agree on some basic issues that need addressing and then visit our spiritual traditions to see what they have to offer. We will do this in the present course by our common readings, our discussions, and the writing of papers. While one required text (One River) is generic, the other required books touch on areas such as Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, African American, Islam, that are often ignored.

Required Reading:

Matthew Fox, One River, Many Wells: Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths.  *

For other required readings, choose any four from those below:

  1. Tao te Ching (any translation, though Steven Mitchell is highly recommended) (Taoism).
  2. Thich Naht Hahn (any book, for example, Being Peace; or Living Buddha, Living Christ, etc.) OR any book by Pema Chodrin, eg.When Things Fall Apart, (Buddhist).
  3. Vedas or Upanishads or Bhaghava Gita or Hinduism (any translation).
  4. Thomas Cahill, How The Irish Saved Civilization. (Celtic)
  5. Daniel Matt, The Essential Kabbalah (Jewish).
  6. John Merkle, The Genesis of Faith: The Depth Theology of Abraham Joshua Heschel (Jewish).
  7. Richards, Let The Circle Be Unbroken (African American).
  8. Howard Thurman (any one of his books) (African American).
  9. Daniel Ladinsky, The Gift: Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master.
Pre-Class Writing Assignment:       5-8 pages
  1. Interact in depth with, One River, Many Wells.
  2. Taking the last chapter of One River, Many Wells, do you agree or disagree that we have in these 18 themes (chapters) a potential launching pad for a new mythology that can awaken our species.
Post-Class Writing Assignment:       5-15 pages
  1. From your readings and class participation, which spiritual tradition most surprised you for its depth and inspiration to action?
  2. Develop further one theme from One River, Many Wells or create a new one.
  3. How does this class assist, challenge, develop your efforts to reinvent the work of your profession at this time?
  4. Report on the four areas of spiritual traditions you chose to read from.

    *Please bring this required book to class.

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