DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to provide a foundational understanding of Christian beliefs about Christ, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Topics include biblical and historical developments of Christological and pneumatological traditions, their contemporary and contextual/intercultural varieties, various approaches to election, atonement, salvation, healing, and Spirit-baptism. On the basis of biblical and historical developments, a contemporary Evangelical theology will be constructed in dialogue with ecumenical and contextual/intercultural perspectives.

An essential part of preparation for Christian ministry is to learn to think theologically through issues of faith and ministry. The student is encouraged to develop his/her own theology and cultivate ecumenical, cultural, and interreligious sensitivity toward other traditions.

Daily four-hour sessions for two weeks, with lectures, discussions, and some student presentations.

Green, J. B. and M. D. Baker. Recovering the Scandal of the Cross. InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Grenz, S. J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000, pp. 243-460.

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Pneumatology. The Holy Spirit in International, Ecumenical, and Historical Perspectives. Baker Academic, 2002.

_______________. Christology. A Global Introduction. Baker Academic, 2003.

_______________. One with God: Salvation as Deification and Justification (photocopy).

Shults, F. L. & Sandage, S. J. The Faces of Forgiveness. Baker, 2003.
OR Blue, K. Authority to Heal. InterVarsity Press, 1987.

Choose one contextual/intercultural/interreligious text from below or of your choice (150 pp.):

Barr, W. R. Constructive Christian Theology in the Worldwide Church. Eerdmans, 1997.

Comblin, J. The Holy Spirit and Liberation. Orbis, 1989.

Cone, J. H. A Black Theology of Liberation. 2nd ed. Orbis, 1986.

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. An Introduction to the Theology of Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2003.

Küster, Volker. The Many Faces of Jesus. An Intercultural Christology. Orbis, 2001.

Parsons, S. F., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge, 2002.

Pope-Levison, P. and J. R. Levison. Jesus in Global Contexts. Westminster, 1992.

Ramachandra, V. The Recovery of Mission: Beyond the Pluralist Paradigm. Paternoster, 1996.

Tiessen, Terrance L. Who Can Be Saved?: Reassessing Salvation in Christ and World Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2004.

Yong, A. Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions. Baker, 2003.

Moltmann, Jürgen. The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation. Fortress, 1992.

Pannenberg, W. Systematic Theology. Vol. 2. Eerdmans, 1991.

Pinnock, C. A Flame of Love: A Theology of the Holy Spirit. InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Schwartz, H. Christology. Eerdmans, 1998 (especially recommended).

(1) 1,200 pages of required reading. (2) Reading responses: about 15 pages. (3) A research paper, 10 pages (4) Take-home final exam; topics will be given in the beginning of the course.