Foundry Highlights

At Candler School of Theology, public lectures and sermons from the world’s most renowned scholars help us learn how to think about important topics of faith. Foundry Highlights curates short synopsis videos of these events to create soundbites for us to think more deeply on these subjects.

Colored Orneriness as Critical Companion in U.S. Democracy by Dr. Emilie Townes

In her presentation for the 2020 Anna Julia Cooper Lecture, Dr. Emilie Townes explores what she calls “colored orneriness” as a moral ideal that can provide a critical prophetic lens for black communities and churches in the U.S. that suffer and resist relentless systemic oppression.

Black Joy in the Mo(u)rning by Dr. M. Brandon McCormack

Dr. Michael Brandon McCormack uses Psalm 30:5 to juxtapose the experience of Black Joy with Black Death to emphasize the resilience of Black Faith in this sermon from February 2020.

Archived Short Courses

Short courses designed for your church or community.

Courses in the Community are 4-12 week classes taught by the Candler faculty and neighboring partners. To view our current courses please visit the Courses tab.

The Old Testament can seem strange, even disturbing, for many Christians. How do we make sense of texts that portray God as wrathful? Why does the Old Testament contain so much violence? What do we do with all of its strange laws and rituals? How do we handle places in the Old Testament where individuals seem to be treated unjustly based on their gender, ethnicity, or social status? Drawing on biblical scholarship and pastoral insights, this course offers strategies for reading and responding to the Old Testament in ways that are both faithful and constructive. Emphasis will be placed on how this sacred text, despite its oddities, can inform Christian life and faith today.

Taught by Candler Old Testament professor Ryan Bonfiglio, this four-week course examines the relationship between science and faith. Rather than seeing them as bitter rivals, the course provides a framework for understanding how science and faith can relate to one another on more friendly terms. Topics addressed include creationism and the Big Bang, evolution, and miracles.