DESCRIPTION: This is a seminar for doctoral students and open to a limited number of master's level students. The seminar's thesis is that Christian ethics would be significantly stronger if it paid attention to the way of Jesus Christ. Surprisingly, most ethicists do not concretely do so. Yet increasingly interesting resources are at hand. Our objectives are: (1) to increase knowledge of resources in a sample of canonical exegetical approaches, historical Jesus approaches, and Christian ethicists whose writing is strengthened by their methodologically successful attention to Jesus; (2) to detect Christian ethicists' methodological assumptions that either block or enhance their ability to write ethics that learns constructively from Jesus; (3) to write a constructive essay that combines accurate interpretation of the way of Jesus with a critical ethical method.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Surprisingly, many churches teach, preach, and practice without much concrete attention to the way of Jesus, instead emphasizing general inspiration, or doctrine, or exegesis of other aspects of biblical literature. The result often is a church ripe for co-optation by secular ideologies and accommodation to secular culture rather than being transformative. The same is true of much teaching of Christian ethics. Our objective is to recover a transformative vision in a way that is faithful to Jesus Christ, fully Lord and fully Savior.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions. At each meeting two students will present their critical assessment for Christian ethics of a major book; all seminar participants will be expected weekly to have read one of the books being discussed in order to engage actively in discussion.

REQUIRED READING: There are no textbooks required for purchase. Masters level students will read a minimum of 1,500 pages chosen from a list of texts in three categories: (I) the problem, (II) New Testament Studies, and (III) Christian and Theological Ethics.

I. The Problem:

1. Gustafson, James. Christ and the Moral Life. University of Chicago Press or Harper & Row, 1968.
   On reserve: Troeltsch, Ernst. The Social Teaching of the Christian Churches. Vol. 1. Beacon, 1981, pp. 39-58.
   John Yoder's essay, "Jesus and Power," in Durnbaugh, Donald F., ed. On Earth Peace. Brethren Press, 1978, pp. 365-72.
   Optional: James Gustafson, Can Ethics Be Christian? University of Chicago Press, 1975.

2. Stassen, Glen, D. M. Yeager, and John Yoder. Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture. Abingdon, 1996.
   Essays on reserve: "Reassessing Christ and Culture," in Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics 23/1 (Spring/Summer 2003): 101-68.
   Recommended: H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture. HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.

1. Wright, N.T., Jesus and the Victory of God. Fortress, 1996, 147-663;
   And see (on reserve): Hays, Richard. "Victory over Violence: The Significance of N. T. Wright's Jesus for New Testament Ethics," in Newman, C. C. ed., Jesus and the Restoration of Israel. InterVarsity Press, 1999.

2. Freyne, Sean. Jesus, A Jewish Galilean. T&T Clark, 2004.
   And Borg, Marcus. Conflict, Holiness, and Politics in the Teaching of Jesus. Trinity, 1998.

3. Watts, Rikki. Isaiah's New Exodus in Mark. Baker, 2000.
   Or Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man. Orbis, 1997.
   Or Herzog, William, II. Jesus, Justice, and the Reign of God. Westminster John Knox, 2000.

1. Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus. Eerdmans, 1994.
   Essays on reserve: Klassen and Stassen in the Wisdom of the Cross. Eerdmans, 1999.

2. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Ethics. Fortress, 1996.
   On reserve: Stassen, Glen. "Healing the Rift Between the Sermon on the Mount and Christian Ethics," Studies in Christian Ethics (Fall 2005).

3. Spohn, William. Go and Do Likewise. Continuum, 1999.
   Recommended: Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Sex, Gender, & Christian Ethics. Cambridge University Press, 1996.

4. Verhey, Allen. Remembering Jesus: Christian Community, Scripture, and the Moral Life. Eerdmans, 2002.

5. Wink, Walter. Engaging the Powers. Fortress, 1992.
   Recommended: Wink, Walter. Naming the Powers. Fortress, 1984.