Christ the King's Sunday morning adult education classes feature presentations by parishioners and guest experts in fields such as theology, literature, Scripture, and church history. These sessions take place each Sunday from 9:45am - 10:45am in the West Wing of the Parish Center. Please contact jon.stotts@ctk-nashville.org for details. 

Jamaican-born literary artist and historian Olive Senior (1941 -    ) is among Caribbean literature’s leading voices. Her writings, though composed in English, remain heavily influenced by the region’s patois and draw heavily upon the oral storytelling traditions. In the genres of prose and poetry, Senior presents a critique of the political and cultural ties that continue to bind Jamaica to a British colonial past. Her protagonists find themselves divided between the resulting two worlds of assimilation and preservation, and as the characters assume this posture of division, Senior reveals the ways colonialism fractures the grammar of the Gospels. From Senior’s canon we shall read and discuss “The Pain Tree,” “Flying,” “Bright Thursdays,” and “Confirmation Day.” The lecturer for the series is Victor Judge, assistant dean for academic affairs and lecturer in literature and religion at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

READ "Confirmation Day" FOR JUNE 26 (PDF)

READ "BRIGHT THURSDAYS" FOR JUNE 19 (PDF)

Read "Flying" for June 12 (PDF)

Read "The Pain Tree" for June 5 (PDF)

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Revisiting Laudato 'Si
 
Presented by Matthew Groves
May 15, 22, & 29
9:45am in the CKS School Library

Beginning on May 15, scientist and CTK parishioner Matthew Groves will help us to revisit Laudato 'Si in light of the current climate crisis. Described by NPR as a "one man science-religion reconciliation committee," Matthew has extensive experience in making scientific findings comprehensible to Christian audiences. Find out more about his work at https://www.matthewdgroves.com/.

DOWNLOAD WEEK 1 HANDOUT (PDF)

“I know I should pray more, and I’m not sure where to start.”

“I try to pray every day, and I wonder if there are other things I can do that might deepen my connection to God.”

“I have a solid spiritual practice, and I’m also interested in hearing what others have experienced.”

Do any of these statements ring true for you? Are you wondering how to welcome this Lent as a spiritual springtime of reawakening and growth? Featuring voices from our own community, Christ the King's "Growing Your Spiritual Practice" series is meant to help people at any stage of their faith journey deepen their spiritual practice. Join us in the school library from 9:45am-10:45am each Sunday in Lent. Contact Jon Stotts at jon.stotts@ctk-nashville.org for more information. 

"What are your favorite / most impactful books on spirituality and prayer?"

Sr. Anne Catherine, O.P
He Leadeth Me--Fr. Walter Ciszek
Interior Freedom--Jacques Philippe
The Confessions--St. Augustine
Seven Story Mountain--Thomas Merton
Story of a Soul--St. Therese of Lisieux

Carolyn Goddard
Man’s Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
Much Ado about Nothing - William Shakespeare
Understanding the Old Testament - Bernhard W. Anderson
Markings - Dag Hammarskjold
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Awareness - Anthony de Mello
Shaped by the Word - M. Robert Mulholland, Jr. 
Mark’s Story of Jesus - Werner H. Kelber
Devotion - Mary Oliver
The Easter Mysteries - Beatrice Bruteau

Jon Stotts
Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Martin Laird, Into the Silent Land
C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
Michael Casey, Strangers to the City
Joseph Girzone, Joshua
Nikos Kazantzakis, Saint Francis
David Bentley Hart, That All Shall Be Saved

 Fr. Dexter Brewer
Hermann Hesse:  Siddhartha
Johannes Metz: Poverty of Spirit
C.S. Lewis: The Screwtape Letters
Anthony DeMello: The Song of the Bird
Frederick Buechner: Telling the Truth
Tomas Halik: Night of the Confessor

Richard Rodgers
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
Seven Story Mountain - Thomas Merton
Reaching out - Henri Nouwen
Soul Making - Alan Jones
Awareness - Anthony de Mello
Open Mind, Open Heart - Thomas Keating
Everything Belongs - Richard Rohr
Cloud of the Unknowing
Revelation of Love - Julian of Norwich
Dark Night of the Soul - Gerald May

What does the good news of Jesus Christ mean to those on the underside of history? 

Black liberation theology emerged in the mid-20th century as Black clergy and theologians reflected on God's biblical promise to bring liberty to captives in light of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. In honor of Black history month, this series examined Black liberation theology and its relevance to our Catholic context by engaging the work of Dr. James Cone, widely considered to be the founder of Black liberation theology. All are welcome.
 

An Analysis of W.H. Auden's For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio,
presented by Victor Judge

Sunday, December 5, 12, & 19

The modern British poet, dramatist, critic, librettist and teacher, Wystan Hugh Auden (1907 –1973) emigrated in 1939 to the United States where he would compose the most explicitly Biblical poem in his vocation. Employing the conventions of the classical Greek theatre and medieval religious drama, Auden presents his perspective on the Nativity through a succession of dramatic monologues spoken by the characters represented in Scriptures. The Biblical events, however, are narrated in modern diction and are depicted as occurring in the contemporary world against the backdrop of the Second World War. In our reading of For the Time Being, we shall study how Auden collapses chronology and grafts the Scriptural narrative onto the historical-present tense. The lectures will be delivered on Sunday, December 5, 12, and 19, by Victor Judge, assistant dean for academic affairs and lecturer in literature and religion at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Copies of Auden’s poem will be provided for the members of the class.

Download auden's poem (pdf) 

Non-Violent Love in a Violent Society:
An Introductory Discussion

sunday, September 12
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

Join other parishioners for a preliminary discussion of the role of non-violence in Catholic life. Small group discussions, personal reflections, and a basic presentation of the principles of non-violent Christian love will prepare us as a group to learn from the sessions that follow in this series.

The Lamb of God: 
Jesus’s Call to Non-Violent Discipleship

sunday, September 19
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

In all four gospels, Jesus offers himself as an example of non-violent love, and he instructs his disciples to renounce violence in all cases. Does Jesus actually expect modern Christians to actually follow his example? In this second session of our fall adult education series, we will examine the case for non-violence in the gospels.

Blessing Those Who Curse Us:

Nonviolence as Participation in God’s Creative Love

Sunday, September 26
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

Is there any more difficult commandment than to love our enemies? In this third introductory exploration of nonviolence, we will examine nonviolent Christian love as the alternative to two extreme reactions to evil. Instead of responding to violence with more violence, or passively accepting the necessity of violence in our lives, families, and communities, Jesus offers an example of creative and intelligent nonviolent resistance for us to follow. Join us on Sunday, November 26 for an active discussion of nonviolent alternatives to evil. All are welcome!

Ending Violence Against Women By Educating Men

Vanessa Johnson, AMEND Together

sunday, october 3
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

Nearly 1 in 3 women have been subjected to physical violence by an intimate partner. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. What does it take to slow this cycle of violence? Join us on Sunday, October 3 as we learn from AMEND Together how to challenge a culture that supports violence, how to cultivate healthy masculinity, and how to change the future for women and girls in Nashville.

Empowering Survivors of Domestic Violence

Cathy Gurley, You Have the Power

sunday, october 10
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

There were 73,568 recorded cases of domestic violence in 2018. 71% of these victims were female. People stay in abusive relationships for many reasons, especially for their own safety and that of their children. How can our community reduce the violence that happens behind doors? How can we help survivors? Join us as we learn from Cathy Gurley, CEO of You Have the Power, a nonprofit that empowers those victimized by crime through education, advocacy, and understanding. 

PART 2 OF Ending Violence Against Women By Educating Men

Vanessa Johnson, AMEND Together

sunday, october 17
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

Nearly 20 people per minute (mostly women) are physically abused by an intimate partner (mostly men) in the United States. The seeds of this violence are planted in childhood and young adulthood. What can our community do to teach our future men how to meet their needs without violence? Join us on October 17 as we continue to learn from AMEND Together's Vanessa Johnson.

The Catholic Church Chooses Gospel Nonviolence

Marie Dennis, Pax Christi International

sunday, october 24
9:45-10:45am
Celebration Room

The vision and practice of active nonviolence at the heart of the Catholic Church is necessary for the Church's long-term vocation of healing and reconciling both people and the planet. How does active nonviolence link individual  to local community to global family? Join us as we learn more about nonviolence as a spirituality, a way of life and a program of societal action, from Marie Dennis, senior advisor to the secretary general of Pax Christi International, the global Catholic peace movement. 

Marie Dennis will be presenting via Zoom. Join other parishioners in the Celebration Room, or join the conversation from home by registering below.

Marie Dennis is senior advisor to the secretary general of Pax Christi International, the global Catholic peace movement, and a member of the executive committee of Pax Christi’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. She was co-president of Pax Christi International from 2007 to 2019. 

Marie worked for the Maryknoll Missioners from 1989 to 2012, including 15 years as director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. She holds a master’s degree in moral theology from Washington Theological Union and honorary doctorates from Trinity Washington University and Alvernia University.  She is author or co-author of seven books, editor of Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel Nonviolence (Orbis Books, 2017) and co-editor of Advancing Nonviolence in the Church and the World (Pax Christi International 2020).

Marie was named Person of the Year by the National Catholic Reporter in 2016. She serves on the steering committee of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network and has previously served on the national boards of JustFaith Ministries, the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Sojourners magazine, the Center of Concern, the Jubilee USA Network, the Washington Office on Latin America and several other organizations.  She has lectured at many universities and conferences over the past 40 years on topics ranging from Catholic social teaching to U.S. foreign policy, just peace and nonviolence, the global economy, climate change and ecological integrity, migration and the nuclear arms race. She has presented during events and conferences at the Vatican, the United Nations and the U.S. Congress and served on the Vatican’s COVID 19 Commission.

Marie was a founder of the ecumenical Center for New Creation, dedicated to education and action for social justice and peace; the Washington (DC) Area Community Investment Fund, which makes loans for affordable housing and small businesses in low-income communities; the Jubilee USA campaign for cancellation of overwhelming and unjust debt of  impoverished countries; and Assisi Community, a  small, intentional Catholic community in Washington DC. Marie is a lay woman, a secular Franciscan, a mother of six and a grandmother of nine. She strives to live simply and lightly on the earth, as well as to work for social transformation. Before moving to Assisi Community in 1987, where she continues to live, Marie and her family lived on and worked a 65 acre organic farm in Virginia.

 

The Human Cost is Too High: Ending the Death Penalty

Stacy Rector, Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty

Sunday, october 31
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

The moral inadmissibility of the death penalty is now a settled issue in official Catholic teaching. The death penalty is costly, unfairly applied, creates more victims, ensnares the innocent, and puts murder victims’ families through a painfully, protracted process with an average of 28 years between sentencing and execution in Tennessee. How do we advocate for a change in these ineffective and immoral policies? Join Stacy Rector, executive director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, for a conversation about honoring life by ending the death penalty.

Putting It All Together:
Supporting a Culture of Non-Violent Christian Love

Sunday, november 7
9:45-10:45am
West Wing

Building on our 2020 fall and 2021 spring anti-racism education series, the education working group developed an upcoming August series entitled "Learning from Our Neighbors." Featuring interviews from local ministers and advocacy groups, the goal of this series was to provide our parishioners with a sense of how other faith communities are addressing racial injustice.

9:45am-10:45am, Sunday, August 15
 

The first session featured representatives from Workers' Dignity, a local advocacy group that supports those who are directly impacted by injustice, particularly low-wage workers, BIPOC and working class folks, and immigrants, and Tennessee Justice Center, a non-profit that helps vulnerable TN families access basic necessities of life.

7:00pm - 8:30pm, Thursday, August 19
 

The second session featured representatives from Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, the Islamic Center of Nashville, and the Temple - Congregation Ohabai Sholom.
 

9:45am - 10:45am, Sunday, August 22
 

The Pale Caste
Presented by Victor Judge
10:30am-11:30am on June 6, 13, 20, & 27

In her novel Passing, published in 1929, Harlem Renaissance writer Nella Larsen (1891-1964) explores the fluidity of racial identity that resonates today. According to scholar Emily Bernard, Passing is a “meditation on the inextricable relationship between whiteness and blackness and the impossibility of self-invention in a society in which nuance and ambiguity are considered fatal threats to the social order—a social order in which race is a function of law, history, and politics.” The primary question that emerges from the pages of Larsen’s novel is: Where does race reside— in blood, ancestry, or emotion, and why do any efforts to quantify race ultimately prove absurd? During the month of June, we shall examine how Larsen incarnates this question in Passing. The lecturer for the course will be Victor Judge who serves as the assistant dean for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.

Join the zoom session

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

Our Church After Covid

In Fratelli Tutti, his latest encyclical, Pope Francis tells us that we cannot go back to living the way we did before the pandemic. What does this mean for Christ the King parish? In a series of three sessions, parishioners and educators Bob O'Gorman and Paul Dokecki will help us examine what it means to be church after Covid-19. 

Fufilled in Your Hearing:
How Jesus Read the Bible

Presented by Ricky Shinall, M.D., Ph.D
Sunday, January 17, 24, and 31

Almost a quarter of the gospels consists in quotations from the Old Testament, many of them on the lips of Jesus. What can we learn about biblical interpretation from how Jesus interpreted and used these texts? How did the early Christians read the Old Testament? Do we read it in the same way? In this Sunday morning adult education Zoom series, CTK parishioner and biblical scholar Ricky Shinall will help us answer these questions over the course of three weeks by examining Jesus's own use of the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets.

Loving God in the Dark:
An Introduction to the Theology of
Pseudo-Dionysius

Presented by Jacob Abell, Vanderbilt PhD candidate
November 8, 15, and 22

Download the 11/8 presentation slides

Watch Part 2:

Watch Part 1:

Past Anti-Racism Sessions Dignity and rights of Workers Series