No Place Like Home? Theologies of Community, Exile, and Belonging

This course in comparative ecclesiology examines the concept of community, concentrating primarily on Christianity and Islam. Drawing on scripture, premodern classical texts, contemporary ecclesiology, rites of initiation, and lived practice, students explore themes of home, hospitality, exile, and what it means to belong. The course compares Christian and Muslim visions of the Church/umma, practices of inclusion and exclusion, and theological responses to migration, diaspora, and marginalization. Through close reading and comparative analysis, the course asks how religious traditions shape identities, boundaries, and possibilities for belonging in a fractured world. For graduate students and advanced undergraduates.