DESCRIPTION:

This class aims to design a theology of evangelism that acquires an appreciation for and a selective appropriation of our media culture. The class will provide a creative environment to discern the communication patterns in the biblical text and learn from contemporary technologies of communication. What does it mean to be witnesses to the Kingdom of God? How are we to understand Christ and culture? Why should we become competent viewers of images? How has the proliferation of images irreversibly changed how people learn? Can evangelism survive and thrive in popular culture? What are the probing questions intrinsic to the Gospel that challenge the hegemony of media culture? These crucial queries inform the nexus of evangelism and media culture to be considered in this course.

1. Reflecting on the inescapable influence of media culture that impacts church communications.

2. Developing a thoughtful theological framework for practicing evangelism in our culture.

3. Identifying ways that inventive evangelism can be authentically Gospel and visually stimulating.

The course will meet once a week for three-hour sessions for ten weeks. The class will be in seminar style, utilizing presentation, student work groups, field trips, guest panelists, media exhibits, and discussion. The class will invite a variety of perspectives on practices of evangelism and the habits of media.

Brueggemann, W. Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism. Abingdon, 1993.

Kellner, D. Media Culture. Routledge, 1995.

Romanowski, W. Pop Culture Wars. InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Stephens, M. The Rise of the Image, The Fall of the Word. Oxford, 1998.

1. Student oral presentation (20% of grade).

2. 3-5 page paper reflecting on a particular media experience/notebook on popular culture (30% of grade).

3. 10-12 page paper developing a theology of evangelism in context of a media culture
   (50% of grade).

4. 1000 pages reading.

None.

Meets M. Div. core requirement in Evangelism (MIN 3).

None.