DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to enable students to enter into the theological ethos of the Presbyterian tradition. Reformed theology, culture, and tradition will be studied in its historical context and applied to the contemporary church. Special attention will be given to the Reformed confessions.

The Book of Confessions has at least two functions within the Presbyterian church. First, together with the Book of Order, it comprises the constitution which governs the life and mission of the church. More importantly, however, it serves as a touchstone for the theology of the church which, in turn, is the basis for the life and mission of the church. As students prepare for ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), this course will allow them to explore its theological foundation as well as their own relationship to it.

Class will meet for four hours daily for nine days. Sessions include lectures, discussion of readings, case-studies, and small-group exercises. Because this is an intensive course, it is extremely desirable that students read all of the Book of Confessions--Study Edition (450 pp.) prior to the first class! Students who have any question about the course requirements or format should contact the instructor (jthomps@fuller.edu). A .pdf copy of the syllabus is available on the instructor's web page:< http://www.fuller.edu/sot/faculty/thompson_john>.

Book of Confessions--Study Edition. Westminster/John Knox, 1999.

The Constitution of the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): Part I, Book of Confessions. The Office of the General Assembly, 1991. (This is the usual edition without annotations that is to be used during the final examination. Also available as a .pdf file at < http://www.pcusa.org/oga/publications/boc.pdf>.)

And one of the following:

Calvin, J. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Westminster (2 vols.), 1960 or Eerdmans (1 vol.), 1994; or The Comprehensive Calvin Collection. CD-ROM. Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1988.

Donnelly, J. P.; F. A. James III; and J. C. McClelland, eds. The Peter Martyr Reader. Kirksville, MO: Truman State University Press, 1999.

McKee, Elsie Anne, ed. John Calvin: Writings on Pastoral Piety. Paulist Press, 2002.

McKim, Donald K., ed. The Cambridge Companion to John Calvin. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004.

Selected Theological Statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assemblies (1956-1998). Presbyterian Distribution Service, 1999.

A list of recommended books can be found in the course syllabus, available on the instructor's web page: < http://www.fuller.edu/sot/faculty/thompson_john>.

(1) Assigned readings (800 pp.), class participation, timely and full attendance. (2) Seven (daily, written, one-page) creedal/doctrinal reflections on assigned topics or loci. (3) Seven (daily, written, one-page) response papers to case-studies, along with self-critique. (4) Personal creed, due after the end of the course. (5) Final examination, essay format.

None, but the course is not designed for first-year seminarians. Students who have not completed the STA-B-C and/or CHA-B-C should consult with the instructor before enrolling.