Summer 2008/Pasadena
Two-week Intensive: July 7-18
DP502
Heitzenrater

DP502: UNITED METHODIST DOCTRINE. Richard P. Heitzenrater.


DESCRIPTION: This course is an examination of the formation, development, and current expressions of United Methodist doctrine (teachings of the church) and theology (critical and constructive reflections on those teachings).

LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course is designed to help students learn the development of Methodist doctrine from the eighteenth century to the present. As a result of taking this course, the student will understand the current doctrinal standards of the United Methodist Church and be able to reflect that doctrinal heritage in preaching, teaching, and ministering within the context of current theological reflection in the Christian community.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Completion of this course is required for ordination in the United Methodist Church. The course is also designed to enable personal theological formation that will help equip the student for mission and ministry.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet daily for four-hour sessions of lecture and discussion, five days per week for two weeks.

REQUIRED READING:

Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. United Methodist Publishing House, 2004.

Heitzenrater, Richard P. The Elusive Mr. Wesley. Nashville: Abingdon, 2003.

Langford, Thomas A. Practical Divinity. Vol. 1. Nashville: Abingdon, 1998.

Maddox, Randy L. Responsible Grace: John Wesley's Practical Theology. Nashville: Kingswood, 1994.

Outler, Albert C., and Richard P. Heitzenrater, eds. John Wesley's Sermons: An Anthology. Nashville: Abingdon, 1991.

RECOMMENDED READING:
Abraham, William J. Waking from Doctrinal Amnesia. Nashville: Abingdon, 1995.

Gunter, Stephen W., et al. Wesley and the Quadrilateral. Nashville: Abingdon, 1997.

Heitzenrater, Richard P. The Poor and the People Called Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon, 2002.

Jones, Scott. Methodist Doctrine: The Extreme Center. Nashville: Abingdon. 2002.

Langford, Thomas A. Doctrine and Theology in the United Methodist Church. Nashville: Abingdon. 1991.

Maddox, Randy. Rethinking Wesley's Theology for Contemporary Methodism. Nashville: Kingswood, 1998.

Meeks, M. Douglas. What Should Methodists Teach? Wesleyan Tradition in Modern Diversity. Nashville: Kingswood, 1990.

Outler, Albert C. Theology in the Wesleyan Spirit. Discipleship Resources, 1975.

Runyan, Theodore. The New Creation: John Wesley's Theology Today. Nashville: Abingdon, 1998.

ASSIGNMENTS: Class attendance and participation are required (10% of grade). Students should read Part II of the Book of Discipline before the class begins. Assignments from the required textbooks will constitute most of the reading for the term. Students are encouraged to choose additional reading from the Recommended Reading list and will be asked to report on one selection during the class (20%). There will be an hour exam (30%) on the first Friday and a final exam at the end (40%), based on assigned readings and class lectures.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. (Fulfills United Methodist disciplinary requirement in Doctrine for ordination.)

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (4/08)