Spring 2014/Pasadena

ST503

Kärkkäinen

ST503: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 3: ECCLESIOLOGY AND ESCHATOLOGY (4 Units). Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen.


DESCRIPTION: This course discusses Christian beliefs about ecclesiology and eschatology. The topics include the church, its nature as expressed in various ecclesial traditions, ministry and mission, sacraments/ordinances, as well as various approaches to the last things: parousia, death, resurrection, new creation, judgment, millennium, heaven and hell. A contemporary Evangelical theology will be construed in dialogue with ecumenical and contextual/intercultural perspectives and in light of the religious plurality of the contemporary world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) a basic understanding of issues in their traditional and contemporary expressions; (2) an ability to reflect theologically upon the course topics; (3) skills towards developing one’s own theology in critical dialogue with various views; (4) an acquaintance with a range of cultural, contextual, and religious matters that shape our understanding of theological issues; (5) an appreciation of ecumenical and cultural diversity.

COURSE FORMAT: Meets once a week for three-hour sessions of lecture, discussion & student presentations.

REQUIRED READING: Selections from the following texts:

Course Reader (Moltmann, Pannenberg, and others, as well as a number of entries from Global Dictionary of Theology, ed. Dyrness & Kärkkäinen; available at Moodle website).

Grenz, S.J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000 (selections). ISBN: 978-0802847553, Pub. Price $40.00 (required in all three systematics courses taught by Dr. Kärkkäinen).

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. An Introduction to Ecclesiology. InterVarsity Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830826889, Pub. Price $20.00.

Schwartz, H. Eschatology. Eerdmans, 2000 (selections). ISBN: 978-0802847331, Pub. Price $36.00.

Missional Church/Missional Ecclesiology: CHOOSE ONE:

Frost, M. & Hirsch, A. The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church. Hendrickson, 2003. ISBN: 978-1565636590, Pub. Price $19.95 [256 pp.].

Gelder C. van, ed. Confident Witness. (Gospel and Culture Series.) Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN: 978-0802846556, Pub. Price $29.00 [332 pp.].

Guder, D.L. & Barrett, L., eds. Missional Church. Eerdmans, 1998. ISBN: 978-0802843500, Pub. Price $28.00 [288 pp.].

Hirsch, A. The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. Brazos, 2009. ISBN: 978-1587431647, Pub. Price $19.99 [304 pp.].

Roxburgh, A. Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood. Baker, 2011. ISBN: 978-0801072314, Pub. Price $16.99 [196 pp.].

Roxburgh, A. & Boren, S.M. Introducing the Missional Church: What It Is, Why It Matters, How to Become One. Baker, 2009. ISBN: 978-0801072123, Pub. Price $17.99 [200 pp.].

Van Gelder, C. The Essence of the Church: A Community Created by the Spirit. Baker, 2000. ISBN: 978-0801090967, Pub. Price $20.00 [208 pp.].

Van Gelder, C. & Zscheile, D.J. The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation. Baker Acad., 2011. ISBN: 978-0801039133, Pub. Price $19.99 [208 pp.].

A text on a special topic: CHOOSE ONE from either A or B.

A.  Ecclesiology

Braaten, C.E. & Jenson, R.W. The Ecumenical Future. Eerdmans, 2004. ISBN: 978-0802826718, Pub. Price $24.00. [245 pp.].

Basden, P. & Dockery, S.D. eds. The People of God: Essays on the Believers’ Church. Wipf & Stock, 2009. ISBN: 978-1606088944, Pub. Price $40.00 [367 pp.].

Callen, B.L. Radical Christianity: The Believers Church Tradition in Christianity’s History and Future. Evangel Publishing House, 1999. ISBN: 978-0916035631, Pub. Price $14.95 [221 pp.].

George, T. Pilgrims on the Sawdust Trail: Evangelical Ecumenism. Baker, 2004. ISBN: 978-0801027642, Pub. Price $19.99 [240 pp.].

Gibbs, E. & Bolger, R.K. Emerging Churches. Baker, 2006. ISBN: 978-0801027154, Pub. Price $19.99 [352 pp.].

Harper, B. & Metzger, P.L. Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction. Baker, 2009, ISBN: 978-1587431739, Pub. Price $21.80 [352 pp.].

Hauerwas, S. & Willimon, W.H. Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony. Abingdon, 1989. ISBN: 978-0687361595, Pub. Price $17.00 [175 pp.].

Husbands, M. & Treier, D.L., ed. The Community of the Word: Toward an Evangelical Ecclesiology. InterVarsity Press, 2005, ISBN: 978-0830827978, Pub. Price $23.00 [293 pp.].

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Toward a Pneumatological Theology:Pentecostal and Ecumenical Perspectives on Ecclesiology, Soteriology, and Theology of Mission. Ed. Amos Yong. UPA, 2002. ISBN: 978-0761823896, Pub. Price $65.50 [316 pp.].

Moltmann, Jürgen. The Church in the Power of the Spirit. SCM Press, 1977. ISBN: 978-0800628215, Pub. Price $25.00 [430 pp.].

Newbigin, L. The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society. Eerdmans, 1989. ISBN: 978-0802804266, Pub. Price $24.00 [264 pp.].

Pannenberg, W. Systematic Theology. Vol. 3. Eerdmans, 1997. ISBN: 978-0802864567, Pub. Price $55.00 [ecclesiology or sacraments].

Rausch, T. Towards a Truly Catholic Church: An Ecclesiology for the Third Millennium. Liturgical Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0814651872, Pub. Price $24.95 [248 pp.].

Stackhouse, J.G., ed. Evangelical Ecclesiology: Reality or Illusion? Baker 2003. ISBN: 978-0801026539, Pub. Price $24.00 [240 pp.].

Thomas, J.C. Toward a Pentecostal Ecclesiology: The Church and the Fivefold Gospel. CPT Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1935931003, Pub. Price $17.99 [310 pp.].

Volf, M. After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of God. Eerdmans, 1998. ISBN: 978-0802844408, Pub. Price $32.00 [326 pp.].

B.  Eschatology

Bauckham, R. & Hart, T. Hope Against Hope: Christian Eschatology at the Turn of the Millennium. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN: 978-0802843913, Pub. Price $20.00 [247 pp.].

Bloesch, D. The Last Things: Resurrection, Judgment, Glory. ISBN: 978-0830827572, Pub. Price $20.00 [336 pp.].

Clouse, R.G., ed. The Meaning of Millennium: Four Views. InterVarsity Press, 1977. ISBN: 978-0877847946, Pub. Price $17.00 [224 pp.].

Fudge, E.W. & Peterson, R.A. Two Views of Hell. InterVarsity Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0830822553, Pub. Price $17.00 [228 pp.].

Grenz, S.J. The Millennial Maze. InterVarsity Press, 1994. ISBN: 978-0830817573, Pub. Price $18.00 [239 pp.].

Moltmann, J. The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology. Augsburg Books, 2004. ISBN: 978-0800636661, Pub. Price $25.00 [selections].

Pannenberg, W. Systematic Theology. Vol. 3. Eerdmans, 2009. ISBN: 978-0802864567, Pub. Price $55.00 [eschatology].

A. contextual/intercultural/interreligious text (sections relevant for the course): CHOOSE ONE:

Barr, W. Constructive Christian Theology in the Worldwide Church. Eerdmans, 1997. ISBN: 978-0802841438, Pub. Price $10.50 [553 pp.]. ***OUT OF PRINT.

Boff, L. Ecclesiogenesis: The Base Communities Reinvent the Church. Orbis, 1986. ISBN: 978-0883442142, Pub. Price $22.00 [115 pp.].

Evans, J. We Have Been Believers: An African American Systematic Theology. Fortress, 1993. ISBN: 978-0800626723, Pub. Price $20.00 [192 pp.].

Fiorenza, E.S. Discipleship of Equals: Critical Feminist Ekklesia-logy of Liberation. Crossroad, 1993. ISBN: 978-0824512446, Pub. Price $29.95 [384 pp.].

González, J. Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective. Abingdon, 1990. ISBN: 978-0687230679, Pub. Price $20.00 [184 pp.].

Parratt, J. Reinventing Christianity: African Theology Today. Eerdmans, 1995. ISBN: 978-0802841131, Pub. Price $21.00 [228 pp.].

Parsons, S.F., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0521663809, Pub. Price $30.99 [188 pp.].

Russell, L.M. Church in the Round: Feminist Interpretation of the Church. WJKP, 1993. ISBN: 978-0664250706, Pub. Price $29.95 [256 pp.].

Ward, P. Religion and Community. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0198752592, Pub. Price $40.00 [376 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING (the syllabus lists many more on specific topics):

Haight, Roger. Christian Community in History: Comparative Ecclesiology. Vol. 2. Continuum, 2005. ISBN: 978-0826416308, Pub. Price $65.00 [528 pp.].

The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology. Ed. Walls, J. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0199735884, Pub. Price $55.00 [704 pp.].

The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church. Ed. G. Mannion & L.S. Mudge. Routledge, 2008. ISBN: 978-0415567688, Pub. Price $50.00 [684 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 1,200 pages of required reading and 12 pages of critical responses (30%).

  2. A research paper [10 pp.] (40%).

  3. FINAL project: “My theological statement,” [5 pp.] (20%).

  4. 1 or 2 quizzes (10%).

PREREQUISITES: None. Yet at least one course in biblical studies and in historical theology/church history as well as philosophical theology are strongly recommended.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Systematic Theology “C” (STC).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.