This Duke Divinity+ course is for all those who seek to cultivate their interior lives and to develop a way of thinking about ethics inspired by Christian tradition. In this course, renowned theologian Stanley Hauerwas reflects on the significance of specific virtues for understanding what it means to be a Christian. He examines the meaning and significance of four key virtues—kindness, hope, humility, and generosity—and their importance to living a good life.
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Further, you will consider the practical aspects of living a virtuous life. We will discuss the challenges to living the virtues, and examine how they can be cultivated by incorporating contemplative practices in your everyday life.
Week 1 draws on baptism as our initiation into a new story and way of being in the world. In Week 1, you will explore the virtue of kindness through the character of God, reflected in how we treat ourselves and others. Week 2 focuses on hope. In Week 3, you will explore the virtue of humility, and reflecting on the paradox that trying to be humble often ends in pride. Finally, Week 4 closes with an exploration of generosity, demonstrating how different virtues reveal the God who is unrelentingly generous.
What you'll learn
- Apply the distinctiveness and narrative shape of Christian convictions and the process by which character is formed to your own life.
- Explain the role virtues play in Christian discipleship.
Syllabus
Course Introduction and Kindness
Welcome to the first session of this course, in which we explore the importance of kindness to a life of Christian virtue. We will dive into the importance of baptism in Christianity, and how it is a catalyst for a life of virtue. Next, we will explore the concept of virtue as a habit. We will discuss the meaning of virtue, its difference from mere moral behavior, and why it is constituted by habits. We will also examine how the cultivation of habits shape our character.
Hope
This week you will learn how the virtue of hope—learning to rest in God’s providence when the future is not clear—allows one to live in the present moment without succumbing to suffering and despair. We will study Romans 5, in which St. Paul details how and why Christian hope draws its inspiration from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will discuss how Christian hope helps us build our character with eyes toward eternity, and we will examine the virtues in action through the lives and writings of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Finally, we will discover how hope is a virtue that is lived out in our personal and political contexts.
Humility
This week, you will learn how the virtue of humility leads to the self-knowledge necessary to understand ourselves as relational beings. Hauerwas traces the history of humility, and explains why it is seemingly a paradox. He emphasizes that humility is the key to a scriptural understanding of the world. You will read excerpts of homilies from Archbishop Óscar Romero that illuminate the connection between humility and the church’s faithful witness to the Gospel. Finally, you will apply what you have learned in a formation exercise that dares you to see humor as a practice of humility.
Generosity
This week, you will learn the virtue of generosity. Hauerwas explains that generosity is a selfless posture that is practiced in relationships. Although people think of generosity as the virtue of giving, Hauerwas explained that the Christian concept of generosity is best understood through receptivity. In pursuing a relationship with God, human beings come to know that their very existence is a gift that in turn encourages us to receive gifts with humility and joy. In this lesson, you will see how generosity overlaps with other virtues you have learned about in this course. And at the end of this week, you will apply these lessons on generosity by giving a blessing to someone.
