FYSM 226 - Radic Christian Ideal:Poverty

Institution:

Trinity College

Subject:

Description:

"Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come follow me." (Luke 18:22) The exact role of poverty in Christian thought has been a vexing and unresolved problem for the past two millenia. The seemingly clear sense of a number of New Testament passages needed to be balanced against the practical exigencies of life in community, and beginning shortly after the apostolic period these passages were often idealized, spiritualized, or even ignored. However, at various times since, a number of men and women have embraced a near literal interpretation of the gospel call to poverty. In this seminar, we will examine the lives and thought of three such: St. Francis of Assisi (1185-1226), Dorothy Day (1897-1980), and Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997). Our goal is not to determine whether their interpretation of the gospels is correct, but simply to understand their understanding of the gospels and to analyze its ramifications in their lives and thought. The heart of the seminar will be a close reading and analysis (in both discussion and writing) of original source material and critical biographies. Where possible, this will be supplemented by meetings with members of the groups each of these people founded: the Franciscan Friars, the Catholic Worker movement, and the Daughters of Charity. Further, because of the centrality of personal contact with the poor in the thinking of all three, seminar participants will be working regularly as a group at community homeless shelters or soup kitchens. 1.00 units, Seminar

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.Trincoll.edu

Phone Number:

(860) 297-2000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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