Audit

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Audit

Applicants wishing to audit a class must complete the audit application and be officially registered as audit students. Audit students do not take exams or submit work and they do not receive grades or academic credit. Limited classes are available for auditing and only as space allows.

The audit fee for courses at McAfee is $150 per course.  There is also a facility/technology fee per semester charged as follows:  1-8 credit hours = $28 per credit hour; 9 or more credit hours = $250

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Requirements

Spring 2027 Auditing Options

Below are some of our auditing options for the Fall!  To see more, please see the course schedule!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer THET 709

A reading-intensive seminar course examining the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), the German theologian-ethicist whose resistance to the Nazi regime cost him his life. Biographical material will be considered in tandem with the evolution of Bonhoeffer¹s thinking and writing. Essays and books from each stage of his brief career will be considered.

Preaching THPT 506

This course introduces the principles and disciplines of effective preaching. It offers the tools for the fresh, ongoing interpretation of scripture into the lives of listeners. Students will study cultural and congregational factors in the preaching event, methods for interpreting texts, the process of sermon development, and the practical issues of oral communication.

Bible & Popular Culture-THOT 701/THNT 701

This course develops skills for analyzing contemporary culture, biblical literature, and the intersection between the two. Participants will engage biblical allusion and interpretation in a variety of genres, including, but not limited to: film, television, music, literature, art, political rhetoric, and the like. The course will also enable participants to engage popular culture in teaching the Bible in either church or academic settings.

Trauma Stewardship THPT 647

This course prepares students to provide pastoral care and counseling to individuals, families, and communities impacted by trauma. It provides a general introduction to the nature of trauma, its impact on mental, physical, and pastoral intervention models for working with traumatized persons. Students will learn to identify the signs of trauma exposure response and to identify self-care and coping strategies that will sustain pastoral caregivers’ work with trauma survivors.

Listening as an Act of Justice THPT 656

This course examines the practice of spiritual companioning, centered around the concept of “Just Listening” as a transformative approach at the personal, interpersonal and societal levels. Students will engage with a cyclical framework that moves through seven aspects of deep listening – Belovedness, Present, Proximate, Grounded, Unknow(n), Discovery and Beloved Community – placing spirituality as central in the formation of compassionate and just communities. By engaging in practical theology and cultural inquiry, students will examine how a spirituality of Just Listening equips persons to shift from “othering” systems of objectification toward reanimating personhood, community and belonging.

Emotional Intelligence in Ministry & Leadership THPT 502

This course will enable students to understand and make use of dreams as a resource for pastoral care. Students will learn and integrate psychological, Biblical, theological, and spiritual perspectives on interpreting dreams. Learners will explore in depth their own experiences with dreams. Students will develop and practice skills to use dreams effectively in their work of ministry.

Theology After the Holocaust (and Modern Genocide) THTP 708

This course is a critical consideration of the moral, religious, and theological implications of Nazi Germany’s “war against the Jews” –the intentional and calculated destruction of some 6 million European Jews (accompanied by the enormous suffering and losses experienced by other “undesirable” groups), which is referred to as the Shoah, or Holocaust. The course considers the psychological and social worldviews of those “victimized,” “the executioners,” and the “bystanders.” Contemporary Jewish and Christian theologies are analyzed to understand the challenges of this tragic history on both religious communities.

Mission Methodology & Practice THPT 608

This course will introduce students to emerging concepts in mission methodology and practice in areas of cross-cultural living and communication, sustainability, assets-based community development, and faith-sharing. This course will include visits to sites in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

  • Taught by Dr. Rob Nash, online, on Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30pm EST

Church, State, and American Religion THCH 603

As perennial as any issue in the study of American history, the relationship of the United States and Christianity continues to foster lively debate. This course explores the history of church-state relations in the United States. Students will survey pivotal Supreme Course decisions and evaluate modern-day arguments regarding the proper relationship of religion and government.

Dementia, Disabilities, & Differences THPT 656

A “hypercognitive” society problematizes persons living with dementia and other cognitive disabilities. Facing a rising aging population, coupled with an increased awareness of diverse abilities, ministers and persons of faith must cultivate an informed understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and theological assertions surrounding dementia, disabilities, and differences. Students will confront not only personal attitudes and biases towards persons with dementia and other cognitive disabilities, but also explore a better understanding of ableism as a destructive challenge to the Imago Dei. Students will study what is meant by dementia, disabilities, and differences, and examine responses, services, and ethics surrounding related disabilities.  This class will engage theological reflection, spiritual practices, and appropriate ministerial responses.

Preaching Special Occasions, Sacred Moments, and Difficult Times: Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Funerals, Protests, Community Celebrations, etc. THPT 800

Designed for all students whose vocation will include preaching, this course will expand the student’s comprehension of the preaching task and will give particular focus to the development and application of homiletical skills. The course includes a strong component of guided classroom preaching, discussion, and response. This course is structured to address special events that affect the common life of a congregation.  These occasions include family celebrations such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day; seasons of the church year such as Advent and Lent; and national and world events that impact us politically, ethically, and culturally.  This class will help the student to prepare sermons that speak an appropriate and much-needed word of hope, encouragement, celebration, or conviction, depending on the occasion.

  • Taught by Dr. Otis Moss, III, blended on campus and online, on Tuesdays, 1:15-4:30pm EST

Ministry Reimagined: Creative & Practical Methods for Entrepreneurial Ministry THPT 800

Church attendance has been on a steady decline for some time, with Covid-19 accelerating that trend. No longer do the traditional methods work as well for the church as they have in the past, and while this is concerning it is also an invitation to reimagine ministry. We are called to go beyond church walls and into our communities, loving our neighbors and meeting people where they are. This requires a creative mindset, calling on fresh areas of ministry skills and
professional proficiencies. To do so, we require practical steps that support our creative callings into entrepreneurial expressions, redemptive work, and apostleship. This course seeks to introduce students to entrepreneurial ministry, encourage creative new expressions of pastoral work, and to embrace engagement as the new form of evaluating discipleship.

Called to Care, Prepared to Act: A Toolkit of Compassionate Accountability for Successful Pastoral Care with Mental Health and Addiction Issues THPT 800

  • Taught by Dr. Matthew Duvall, online, on Tuesdays, 6:45-9:00pm EST

Non-Degree, for Credit

Applicants who wish to enroll in one or more Masters level courses at McAfee School of Theology and receive Master’s level academic credit, without pursuing a degree or graduate certificate program, should apply as a non-degree, for credit student. Non-degree, for credit students complete the same required course work and hours as degree or certificate seeking students for a required course.

Applicants must have met the individual course prerequisite requirement(s). If the applicant wishes to apply to a Theology degree or certificate program in the future, courses taken as a non-degree student will be evaluated according to the requirements of the curriculum current at the time of application.

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