Learn for Life Library
The Center for Lifelong Learning values:
- Biblical understanding, rooted in Scripture
- Historical knowledge from various contexts as a means of continual learning
- Personal awareness for both individual people and whole communities
- Professional development with a practical component
- Spiritual growth and transformative experiences
We are confident you will be enriched by these resources.
Cultivating Ideas Faculty Webinar Series
Enjoy some of the most compelling, fresh ideas from Austin Seminary faculty members as they share insights they have been cultivating in teaching, writing, and ministry.
Find the complete 2023-2024 series here.
External resources based on theological values held by the Center for Lifelong Learning:
Theology of Race - Psalm 139:14 (“fearfully and wonderfully made”)
In Scripture, diversity is dictated and demonstrated not as a problem to be solved but a song to be sung. Diversity is a biblical principle and testifies to God’s creativity. As there is a troubling history of race in the United States, along with myopic conversations around Critical Race Theory and Christian Nationalism, we want to produce resources that articulate diversity as a biblical witness of the church (Acts 11:19-26).
Theology of Place (Land) – Genesis 12:1-9 (“The Promised Land”)
The history of colonialism and imperialism is rooted deeply in the painful memories of Indigenous and Latinx peoples, as well as the various diasporas that migrated to the United States by choice or by voice. In the Old Testament, land is depicted as a resource to be stewarded and the litmus test of a community of faith was demonstrated in how they treated the land. We want to examine areas of agricultural, political, ecological, and economic justice as it relates to land.
Theology of Grace (HESED) – John 1:14, Ephesians 2:8-9
Dr. King once said, “Every Good Friday must eventually give way to the triumphant beat of Easter Drums.” In order to get to the Good News of the Gospel, we must not avoid the bad news. We value truth-telling that leads to restorative justice. We want to embrace the principles of atonement (addressing/fixing what was broken), forgiveness (through individual, communal, and generational responsibility—Nehemiah 9), and reconciliation (restored/rebuilt relationships/communities).
Theology of Space (on the Land) – Isaiah 54:2
Combining the previous frameworks of race, place, and grace, Theology of Space is forward facing—how will we live together: in chaos or community? Programs and resources that model how to lead inclusive, “tent enlarging, rope lengthening” communities that have a mindset of abundance, not scarcity. We want to help people lead in today’s context not with complacency and despair but with compassion and courage.