Theology for All

FAQ’s

2026 Courses

Spring 2026

June

‍City on a Hill: The American Revolution, the Constitution, and the Anglican Tradition 

‍ ‍ ‍·      Saturday, June 27, 2026, 10:00 am-4:30 pm, in person only, at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Nashua NH

‍ ·       Cost: $45.00—includes lunch and snacks

‍ ‍·       Presenter: The Rev. Dr. Steve Bragaw

‍ ‍·       For everyone—No prior experience or knowledge required

This summer we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. One major point of contention at many periods of our history and especially today is what was the role religion in general and the Anglican tradition in particular play in the American Revolution and the formation of our constitutional system?

The answer is tricky: it mattered a great deal, but not necessarily in the way people understand it now.

Religion in general, and the Anglican tradition in particular, were deeply ingrained in the instigation of the American Revolution and in the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The lives of faith, and experience with the Book of Common Prayer, were deeply influential especially to James Madison, John Marshall, and George Washington.  This connection is not however a triumphalist narrative: the roots are deep but are not at all what those who assert themselves today as “Christian Nationalists” think they are.

In this public theology seminar and workshop, we will examine these connections between religion and the American Revolution, discussing the role of religion in the founding of our country, and in the Revolution and the formation of the Constitution. We will conclude in the present, looking at the tensions, tragedies, and hopes embedded in a vision of America as a “City on a Hill.”

Participants are invited to come with discerning hearts, open minds, and your own copy of the Book of Common Prayer, if you have one

Scholarship assistance is available: contact the Rev. Kathy Boss at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.

‍ About the Presenter:

‍‍ The Rev. Dr. Steve Bragaw is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Virginia, and the Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in New Kent VA, a 348 year old parish that hosted the wedding of George and Martha Washington. A 2023 graduate of the Virginia Theological Seminary, he was awarded the Episcopal Preaching Foundation Award for Excellence in Preaching. Before answering the call to the priesthood, Steve was a Professor in the Department of Politics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington Virginia, where he taught American politics and constitutional law. A native of Connecticut and a graduate of Wesleyan University, Steve earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Virginia.

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Full Year - Fall 2026 and Spring 2027

Introduction to the Old Testament

• The course meets in person on one Saturday per month (September 19, October 17, November 21, December 19, January 23, February 13, March 13, April 17, May 22, June 26) 9:30 AM-12:30 PM (with optional Morning Prayer at 9 AM and Eucharist at 12:30). Students do readings and assignments between monthly class gatherings.

• Cost: $600.00

• Instructor: The Rev. Stephen Rugg, MDiv, STL

Description: This Theology for All Course gives an opportunity for students to join with students in the SFM Priest Certificate and Lay Preacher Certificate. However, completion of this course does not qualify a student to participate in either of the certificate programs. For more information about the discernment process in the Diocese of New Hampshire, please see https://www.nhepiscopal.org/exploring-gods-call

Introduction to the Old Testament will acquaint students with key texts that comprise the canonical Old Testament and foster critical skills for interpretation. As we approach those texts, we’ll examine three fundamental areas of interpretive significance: the world behind the text, the world of the text, and the world in front of the text (the historical, literary, and reader's perspectives). Discussions will assist students to make connections between the Old and New Testaments, as well as engage with the enduring philosophical, ethical, and theological questions that the texts raise.

About the Presenter:

The Rev. Steve Rugg loves living and ministering in rural New Hampshire where we can cultivate a spirituality of ordinary life. He lives on a small farm with his wife and son and

serves as a parish priest in the diocese. He is also a biblical scholar and enjoys teaching the Scriptures at the School for Ministry. He holds a Master of Divinity, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (New Testament), and is ABD (all but dissertation) on his PhD in New Testament in New Testament and Early Christianities at Boston College.

Registration link coming soon

Fall 2026

Community Engagement

• 7 Weeks—Mondays 9/14, 9/21, 9/28, 10/5, 10/19, 10/26 and a final meeting TBD in November, 12:15-1:45pm, by Zoom

• No cost - $200

• Instructor: The Rev. Leah Torrey, MDiv

Description: Using Jesus’ life as a guide, this course will explore the best practices and theory of community engagement, values-centered social change, and community-based leadership. Designed with both beginner and experienced practitioners in mind, this curriculum encourages participants to vibrantly imagine the world as it could be, as well as covering practical skills that assist in the unfurling of that world. Over seven weeks together, we will cover topics including but not limited to:

-community organizing theory

-asset-based community development

-values-centered relationship building

-social change models

-public discipleship

About the Instructor:

As Director of Special Initiatives at Duke University Chapel, the Rev. Leah Torrey is responsible for the design and implementation of programs that center storytelling and wrestling with questions that ask members of the Duke and Durham community: who have you been, who are you now, who do you hope to be? In other words, she designed and oversees a collection of programs under the initiative Say the Thing. The Rev. Torrey joined the Chapel after many years of working at Dartmouth College as the assistant director of social impact leadership at the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact, and before that as the multi-faith advisor and Episcopal assistant chaplain at the Dartmouth Tucker Center for Spiritual and Ethical Living. Prior to working in higher education, she was a community organizer and worked for close to a decade on creating systemic change and building grassroots power in poor and rural communities both in the United States in and Eastern Europe. She earned a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College.

Registration link coming soon

A Season of Creation

• 4 Mondays September 14 - October 5, 7 pm - 8 pm (9/14 & 21 & 28 10/5), Zoom

• No cost - all materials provided

• Instructor: Deb Baker 

Description: A Season of Creation formation program, from the School for Ministry of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire and An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice, facilitated by Deb Baker. We'll meet via Zoom weekly for four weeks between Sept. 1 and October 4 (the exact days/times will be determined once people sign up). All materials provided. Between sessions, there will be brief readings and a daily contemplative practice of praying with and reflecting on a short passage from scripture or tradition. 

Here's what we'll explore together.

1. Week 1: What does the bible say about creation? 

2. Week 2: What does tradition (especially church teaching, theology, mystics) say about creation? 

3. Week 3: What do we have to say to/about creation given what we've learned and prayed about for the first two weeks? (with options to write/collage/doodle/color)

4. Week 4: How then shall we live? (including a brief exploration of what the bible and tradition say about justice and concrete things we can do to help bring about justice for all of creation). Also available if you want to celebrate the Season of Creation with your household (with activities for all ages): a Season of Creation to Go Guide written to accompany this program.

Theology and Ethics

• 8 weeks September 16 - November 18, 7 pm - 8 pm (9/16 & 23 & 30 10/7 & 21 & 28, 11/4 & 18), Zoom

• No tuition, but you must purchase: Norman Wizba’s “Way of Love: Recoving the Heart of Christianity” (Cascade books, 2025).

• Instructor: The Rev. Joseph S. Pagano, PhD 

Description: In the Fall of 2026, we will read and discuss Norman Wirzba’s Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity (Cascade Books, 2025). The format of the class meetings will include introductions by the instructor and seminar style discussions. The only assignments are to read the book and to participate in the discussions (no quizzes, tests, papers, etc.) All are welcome, from the complete novice to the advanced student!