DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on the nature of Pauline theology and introduces students to selected theological issues in the Pauline epistles.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Given the importance of the apostle Paul's voice within the New Testament canon and in the history of Christian tradition, an acquaintance with key issues in Pauline theology will equip students for faithful preaching and teaching in varied contexts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated the ability (1) to work with the Pauline epistles in a synthetic way that takes seriously the particularity of these materials and the potential of their coordinated witness to the subject of Pauline theology; (2) to identify potential resolutions to key challenges related to the task of defining and articulating a Pauline theology; (3) to demonstrate the relationship between exegesis of the Pauline epistles and theological reflection on those texts and their place in New Testament Theology; and (4) to reflect critically on the contextual nature of Pauline theology.

COURSE FORMAT: Lectures and discussion of the Pauline epistles and assigned secondary readings. The course will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Course reader.

Bassler, Jouette M. Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007. 96 pp. ISBN: 0664227414. $19.95.

Gorman, Michael J. Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul & His Letters. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004. 592 pp. (esp. pp. 1-145). ISBN: 0802839347. $40.00.

Wright, N. T. Paul: In Fresh Perspective. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005. 174 pp. ISBN: 0800663578. $18.00.

One of the following four books:

Cosgrove, Charles H., Herold Weiss, and K. K. (Khiok-Khng) Yeo. Cross-Cultural Paul: Journeys to Others, Journeys to Ourselves. Grand Rapids and Cambridge: Eerdmans, 2005. 276 pp. ISBN: 0802828434. $26.00.

Gatumu, Kabiro wa. The Pauline Concept of Supernatural Powers: A Reading from the African Worldview. Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2008. 326 pp. ISBN: 9781606084724. $38.00.

Kirk, J. R. Daniel. Jesus Have I Loved, but Paul? A Narrative Approach to the Problem of Pauline Christianity. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012. 224 pp. ISBN: 9780801039102. $21.99.

Thompson, James W. Moral Formation according to Paul: The Context and Coherence of Pauline Ethics. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011. 256 pp. ISBN: 9780801039027. $24.99.