www.alkalimah.org

Mission Statement

The Kalima E-learning Theology Program at the University of Balamand is a unique Arabic program for theological education, organized and administered by Professors at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology. It makes qualitative theological formation accessible to all Arabic speaking people, regardless
of their place of residence. Those Church-committed Christians who would like to pursue theological education without being able to attend a theological school are now eligible to acquire a theological academic formation through Kalima. This program is committed to equip students with basic knowledge in the main
fields of theological and pastoral studies. The mission of the program is accomplished in a professional, dynamic and original learning process, which technically operates through the Moodle e-learning platform.

Program Objectives

Kalima seeks to:
1. Assist students in understanding the theory and praxis (practice) of the Orthodox Faith.
2. Sensitize students about engagement and research in the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Christian faith through courses that reflect timely discussions and current issues.
3. Equip students with academic and pastoral skills and tools to develop innovative ways of understanding and communicating the fundamentals of Christianity.
4. Provide students with an opportunity for interacting with scholars specialized in the various fields of Orthodox Theology.
5. Form students to be engaged in the life and pastoral work in their parish, whether in teaching, preaching or serving.
6. Help students living in the Orthodox Antiochian Diaspora to remain closely associated with their Mother Church.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the program, the students will be able to:
a. Discuss theological concerns of the Church, after receiving in the program a deeper investigation of various theological fields.
b. Interpret Holy Scriptures using specific modern interpretation tools.
c. Discern important phases in Church History, and critically review documented events.
d. Discern the hallmarks of Orthodox theology, being informed about its background and the historical and cultural circumstances that shaped its wording.
e. Become involved in theological discussions within the context of the parish life, and defend the various aspects of the Holy Faith against heresies.
f. Teach Christian Education in the parish Sunday School or in various elementary, middle, and high schools.
g. Act as Pastoral Assistants, helping their priests in various pastoral duties within the parish.
h. Write short articles in local papers and parish bulletins.
i. Utilize the human and material resources of St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology.
j. Know and interact with a net of Arabic-speaking students who graduate from the Kalima Program.

Curriculum Description

The curriculum of the Kalima program for theological education contains 12 courses divided into 6 semesters, with 2 courses in each semester. These courses cover the main fields in Orthodox Theology (Holy Scripture, Dogmatics, Patristics, Liturgical Theology, Church History, Pastoral Studies, and Canon
Law), with both the academic approach and pastoral priority. Each course is presented over 14 study weeks, on average of one lecture per week.

At the end of the study cycle, and after successfully completing all of the courses (as well as fulfilling all of the requirements of the curriculum), students will receive a certificate from the administration of the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology. However, this certificate of completion of the Kalima program is
not an official degree, and is not equivalent to any state acknowledged university degree. In order for one to attain a Theological degree, he/she must enroll and complete a degree program at the Institute of Theology as a regular student.

Registration

• Applicants to the Kalima program must fill out the form posted on the program’s webpage.
• Each registered student must follow the two offered courses in each semester, until he/she finishes all of the courses in the curriculum after three years.
• The registration fees can be paid by electronic payment available on the website.

Rules and Regulations

• Each student registered in one or more courses of the program, agrees to respect and comply with all applicable bylaws and regulations.
• The student must follow the lessons published weekly, and must not fail to enter the program and read the material. A repeated absence for more than two weeks makes the student subject to dropping that course, and accordingly, to lose access to following lessons.
• In every course, the student undergoes a weekly quiz concerning the previous lessons. Furthermore, he/she must take a midterm and final exam. The grades of all quizzes, midterms and finals will provide the final grade in the course.
• The student should complete all assignments related to the lessons given by the professor. His/her work will be evaluated by the professor according to the policy set at the beginning of the course.
• A grade that is less than 60 means that the student did not succeed in the course.
• If the student fails in one course, he/she must pass the exam in the second session. In the result of failure in the second session, he/she must repeat the course when it is offered again.
• The student can drop a course at any time. In that case, he/she will not be reimbursed the registration fee of that course. If he/she later chooses to take the course, from which he/she once withdrew, he/she will have to pay the fee again.

Course offering

First Year

Second Year

Third Year

Course Descriptions

KLMA 204 INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY AND ORDER (TYPICON) OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

A general introduction to Christian worship, its roots, sources and history, with a special focus on the services which are practiced in the parishes, such as the daily prayers and the Eucharist. It also deals with the sacraments, their practice, and their importance in the life of the Church and the parish.

KLMA 211 GOSPELS – ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - REVELATION

This course offers an exegesis of selected passages from the New Testament covering the four gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Book of Revelation. Texts are chosen, when possible, from liturgical readings and are presented to the students as examples of New Testament exegesis by pointing to some exegetical methods which can be used in the parishes and within youth groups.

KLMA 212 EPISTLES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

This course offers an exegesis of selected passages from the Epistles of the New Testament, and particularly from the Pauline Corpus, with the purpose of highlighting the main theological issues and spiritual value. The historical and present complicated debates of Low and High Criticism are within the scope of this course. It also traces the development in perspectives resulting from the changing circumstances that necessitated the writing of the epistles.

KLMA 220 EXEGESIS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

This course offers an exegesis of selected passages from the Old Testament covering the books of the Law, Prophets, Wisdom Literature and Psalms. Texts are chosen from liturgical readings and are presented to the students as examples of biblical exegesis by pointing to some exegetical methods which can be used in the parishes and within youth groups.

KLMA 230 THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN DOGMAS

This course aims at clarifying the status of Dogma in the Church by highlighting the close connection between doctrine and Life in Christ. It deals with the most important Christian doctrines such as the Mystery of the Holy ‎Trinity, Christology, Creation, Salvation, Ecclesiology and Christian Eschatology. The course takes into consideration the elaboration of these ‎issues in the Ecumenical Councils and in the writings of the Fathers, their history, with a special emphasis on their role in the life of ‎the Church, its liturgy, and the faith of the community.‎

KLMA 235 INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS

This course sheds light on the main ethical aspects of faith in Christ, with emphasis on the Orthodox vision of man. The course deals with the impact of this Orthodox anthropology on the behavior of church followers regarding important social issues such as family, work, and politics. The course also deals with the problems of bioethics, which present a great challenge to Christianity in this day and age, especially cloning, euthanasia, and abortion. These issues will be discussed from a Christian point of view.

KLMA 236 THE CHURCH AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE MODERN WORLD

The course provides a discussion of the most important theories and ideologies prevailing in the modern world concerning politics, economics, religion, and philosophy while attempting to elaborate a position towards them from the point of view of the Christian faith rooted in tradition and open to modernity.

KLMA 240 IMPORTANT LANDMARKS IN CHURCH HISTORY

This course is designed to introduce students to important periods, institutions, personalities, religious and theological expressions of church life from the apostolic period until modern times. Special emphasis is given to the history of the Church of Antioch.

KLMA 255 PATROLOGY

The course presents a view on the position of the fathers and their status in the mind and the life of the Church. It also presents the frameworks in which the Church’s theology emerged and developed in addition to all issues and problems that occupied the Church over the first three centuries. It also deals with
researching the fathers’ contributions in Church issues and all other regulatory and theological fields…etc. Of course it addresses the educational, intellectual, cultural and religious backgrounds of selected fathers and how their contributions were influenced by these backgrounds and their status in the life of the Church.

KLMA 282 PASTORAL CARE

The course is an introduction to the theology of priesthood. It discusses the leadership role of priests and pastoral assistants in a parish setting. It presents an introduction to parish administration, with an emphasis on various pastoral ministries such as teaching, social care, and family ministries.

KLMA 283 CANON LAW

This course introduces the student to the Canon Law, its development throughout history as well as to their interpretation by the Church. The course accomplishes the first part by concentrating on the Canon Law in the Church of Antioch. In addition, it deals also canons regarding marriage and divorce as they are used nowadays in the Antiochian Church.

KLMA 293 CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER RELIGIONS (COMPARATIVE RELIGION)

This course discusses the Christian position towards other religions. It deals with dialogue of religions, taking into consideration actual discussion about this topic in different places in the world. This course emphasizes the importance of Christian Witness in openness and love.

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