Fall 2017/Fuller Live!

Houston, and Pasadena

TC581

Taylor

TC581: WORSHIP, THEOLOGY, AND THE ARTS TOUCHSTONE (4 Units: 160 Hours). W. David O. Taylor.

DESCRIPTION: This course is the introductory course for all students entering Worship, Theology, and the Arts (WTA) concentrations at the master’s level. This course introduces the students in the WTA concentration to a methodology that will undergird their theological study of both Christian worship and the arts. That methodology involves the exegesis of “works of art” both within and without the context of the church. Beginning with the question of terms and starting points for such a complex topic, this course explores each subject in turn: 1) worship and the arts; 2) theology and the arts; 3) the arts and aesthetics; 4) the arts and the vocation of artists; 5) the exegesis of works of art; and 6) the mission of the church in light of the study of Worship, Theology and the Arts.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: A student successfully completing this course will (1) be able to articulate a clear understanding of worship, theology and the arts; (2) obtain the beginning of a biblical, historical and contemporary perspective on worship, theology and the arts; (3) discern the ways in which context orients our understanding of worship, theology and the arts; (4) demonstrate an understanding of the course’s hermeneutical model; and (5) complete an in-depth application of this hermeneutic model to one particular artistic expression or element of Christian worship in a specific cultural context.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. 10 hours of DLAs will be accomplished through online posts. It will have some lectures by the professor, discussions of course material, and interaction and reflection on the experience of various art forms.

REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pp. required.

Begbie, Jeremy, ed. Beholding the Glory: Incarnation Through the Arts. Baker Academic, 2000. ISBN: 978-0801022449, Pub. Price $22.00 [150 pp.].

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801038747, Pub. Price $24.99 [90 pp.]

Taylor, W. David O., ed., For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts. Baker, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801071911, Pub. Price $18.00 [125 pp.]

Taylor, W. David O. The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation and the Liturgical Arts. Eerdmans, 2017. ISBN: 978-0802874481, Pub. Price $30.00 [75 pp.]

Torrance, James B. Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace. IVP Academic, 1996. ISBN: 978-0830818952, Pub. Price $17.00 [50 pp.]

Witvliet, John D. The Biblical Psalms in Christian Worship: A Brief Introduction & Guide to Resources. Eerdmans, 2007. ISBN: 978-0802807670, Pub. Price $21.00 [30 pp.]

Course Reader (includes selections from Flannery O’Connor, Pope John Paul II, Deborah Haynes, Cecilia González-Andrieu, Gesa E. Thiessen, John de Gruchy, Ruth Meyers, Walter Brueggemann, Trevor Hart, Robin Jensen, John of Damascus, Frederick Buechner, Mary Charles Murray, and others.) [680 pp.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. COURSE reading, 1,200 pages. [60 hours].

  2. DLA’s (Distributed Learning Activities). Write a 500-750-word outline, for use in a small group, of the study a topic in EITHER worship and the arts OR theology and the arts. This could include a focus on the context of the church or on the context of the public square. (This assignment is pass/fail but still worth 5% of your grade/5 points.) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 and #4]. [10 hours].
  3. Eight 250-300-word online responses to course readings + responses to classmates’ posts (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-2] [16 hours]
  4. Ten reports on weekly exercises (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-3] [1 hour]
  5. A 750-1,000-word critical review of Beholding the Glory (in conversation with the supplemental readings on theology and the arts) (15 points; 15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [10 hours].
  6. A 1,000-1,250-word report of a conversation with an artist (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2-3] [5 hours].

  7. A 2,000-2,500-word synthesis paper approved by the instructor providing an in-depth application of the hermeneutic model learned in class to one particular artistic expression or element of Christian worship in a specific cultural context (25 points; 25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #4 and #5] [28 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH5 or C2 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.

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.

For your convenience, order these texts online through the Archives Bookshop.