Philosophy of Teaching:
Sitting in the first day of theology class in graduate school, I listened to the professor as she borrowed from Karl Barth, insisting that theology must be done with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. This professor also claimed that anyone who thinks about God and God’s relationship to the world deserves the title “theologian.” When it was my turn to say why I was taking the course, the words “I want to teach this course someday” came out before my mind had time to catch up. Now here I am, teaching and doing theology in conversation with the student theologians who fill my courses.
Barth’s image of practicing theology and the conviction that most of us are in fact theologians directs how I proceed in and outside the classroom. I am passionate about strengthening students’ knowledge of Christian tradition (including the biblical text, doctrine, and practice). At the same time, I am committed to approaching this material from the perspective of personal, communal and contemporary relevance. Religious autobiographies, journals, and racial identity timelines are as integral to understanding theology as are lessons of doctrine. I share the goal with my colleagues in the department that my students will inspect their own beliefs and values, but also that they will leave my courses convinced that religion matters, if not to them personally, then to family members, neighbors, and indeed, to millions across the globe.
But as my students are quick to point out, religion matters not only in positive, healing ways, but also all-too-often in harmful, destructive, dehumanizing ways. As a Christian practitioner who teaches theology, it is imperative that I address these religious realities head-on. My courses demand critical engagement of the patriarchal, racist, anti-Semitic, exclusionary history and practices of Christianity. We explore the heterodox and ambiguous legacy of this complex religious tradition, and wrestle with whether and how it might be possible to live faithfully within such a tradition. As with all our religion courses, there is no expectation that my students stand within a particular religious tradition, but I do expect that we will together consider these questions from the perspective of those committed to the tradition. I count myself privileged to have a vocation where these conversations about ultimate questions come regularly. I also am convinced that what I learn from my students and colleagues enriches not only my continuing work in theology but also my life as well. I look forward to many more years of conversation with people at Hamline.
Professor Thompson lives in St. Paul with her husband, Neal Peterson, and her daughters, Linnea and Annika Thompson Peterson.
Courses Taught:
First Year Seminar Deciphering The DaVinci Code
1300 Introduction to Theology
1400 Christian Ethics
3150 Religion and Literature
3300 Reformers and Revolutionaries in the Ancient and Medieval World
3350 African American Religious Thought
3400 Contemporary Issues in Christian Ethics
3410 Feminist/Womanist Approaches to Christian Ethics
3900/5900 Junior/Senior Colloquium
