DESCRIPTION:

This seminar focuses on the character of God implicit in the message and proclamation of the Gospels and provides a format for students to discuss and wrestle with questions raised by study of those texts.

Students who faithfully complete the course should deepen their understanding of the character of God and of human relationship to God as expressed in the Gospels.

The course will be conducted as a seminar, with extensive preparation expected from students enrolled in it. Tuesdays will be devoted to a discussion and exegesis of Gospel texts; the instructor will give occasional lectures on various topics in keeping with the material under discussion. Thursdays will focus on reading and praying the Psalms, allow time for further discussion of various topics and selected reading, and incorporate various exercises in prayer and reflection. After the first few weeks, students will be encouraged and asked to conduct the opening devotional exercises in keeping with the material of the course for that day.

Since there is no one book devoted to the topic of this course, most of the secondary reading will be from articles and chapters in books, dictionaries, and periodicals. In addition, we will read some or all of the following works on the Psalms:

McCullough, Donald. The Trivialization of God. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1995.

Peterson, Eugene. Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989.

Brueggemann, Walter. The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1984.

Mays, James L. The Lord Reigns: A Theological Handbook to the Psalms. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1994.

Placher, William. The Domestication of Transcendence. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1996.

1. Students are expected to complete the assigned readings for class, to be faithful in attendance, and prepared to contribute to discussion.

2. Weekly written assignments on texts from the Gospels, with a view towards discovering the understanding of God articulated in those texts.

3. Occasional written assignments responding to reading and praying the Psalms and to interaction with the material discussed in class.

Permission of the professor is required for enrollment in the course.

Meets M. Div. core requirement in New Testament Theology (NTT).

No.