Winter 2020/Fuller Online

IS501

Oden

IS501: PRACTICES OF WORSHIP (4 Units: 160 hours). Patrick Oden.

DESCRIPTION: Christian practices constitute the Christian life. The combined Christian practices of vocational formation, worship, community, and mission facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into the vocational coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS501 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian worship and prayer as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (Sabbath-keeping, confession, praise, communion, enacting the prophetic, gathering & sending, prayer, and reading & proclaiming the Word) in order to form students who demonstrate capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will have demonstrated capacities to critically reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of worship and prayer. (2) Students will have demonstrated through participation in local contexts the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of worship and prayer. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of worship and prayer. (4) Students will have articulated how practices of worship and prayer impact their response to the Central Integration Question (CIQ) and will identify exercises, habits, and disciplines to embody these practices within their sociocultural context.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will provide students with further opportunity to develop and/or master skills in integrating theological and missiological content with life experience and context through engaging a variety of spiritual practices related to the practice of worship, which is consistent with the SOT/SIS PLO “Students will have demonstrated capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.” (MDiv, MAT, MATM, MAICS). The emphases on integration in this course provides introduction to the MAICS learning outcome related to critical thinking and integration (MAICS). This course may also contribute to various learning outcomes in the MAGL related to integrating theology and praxis in ministry and mission, and related to spiritual formation (MAGL).

COURSE FORMAT: This course meets ten weeks online (which includes required synchronous and/or asynchronous participation in vocation and formation groups) for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING/VIEWING: 1100 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent in viewing.

Costen, Melva Wilson. African American Worship, 2nd edition. Abington, 2007. ISBN: 978-0687646227, Pub. Price $19.99. Available on Kindle. [140 pp.]. [8 hours]

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide: Expanding Horizons, Deepening Practices. Eerdmans, 2007. ISBN: 978-0802828538, Pub. Price $24.00. Available on Kindle [200 pp.]. [10 hours]

Moltmann, Jürgen. The Living God and the Fullness of Life. WJK, 2015. ISBN: 978-0664261610, Pub. Price $30.00. Available on Kindle and as an e-book from the Fuller Library [200 pp.]. [10 hours].

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory. Kregel, 2006. ISBN: 978-0825435782, Pub. Price: $39.99. Available on Kindle [200 pp. of reading]. [10 hours].

The Holy Bible. CEB, NRSV, and TNIV translations are acceptable [50 pp.]. [3 hours].

Additional readings and videos drawn from contemporary and historical resources accessible through online links or provided through e-reserve. [11 hours].

CORE PRACTICES:

Sabbath-Keeping

Moltmann, Jürgen, The Living God

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Selected texts from the Philokalia, v. 2

Confession

Moltmann, Jürgen, The Living God

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide.

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Praise

Moltmann, Jürgen. The Living God

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide.

Gathering & Sending

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide.

Reading & Proclaiming the Word

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide.

Prayer

Coakley, Sarah “Living into the Mystery of the Holy Trinity: The Trinity, Prayer, and Sexuality”

Moltmann, Jürgen, The Living God

Communion

Moltmann, Jürgen, The Living God

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide.

Enacting the Prophetic.

Moltmann, Jürgen, The Living God

Ross, Allen. Recalling the Hope of Glory.

Farhadian, Charles E. ed. Christian Worship Worldwide.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Bolsinger, Tod E. It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian: How the Community of God Transforms Lives. Brazos, 2004. ISBN: 978-1587430893.

Coakley, Sarah. The New Asceticism. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN: 978-1441103222.

Jennings, Theodore W. The Liturgy of Liberation: The Confession and Forgiveness of Sins. Exploration Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0687221721.

Maynard-Reid, Pedrito U. Diverse Worship: African-American, Caribbean & Hispanic Perspectives. InterVarsity Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0830815791.

Pearce, Michelle. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Christians with Depression. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2016. ISBN: 9781599474922

Pierson, Mark. The Art of Curating Worship: Reshaping the Role of Worship Leader. Sparkhouse, 2010. ISBN: 978-1451400847.

Simpson, Amy. Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and The Church’s Mission. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2013. ISBN: 9780830843046

Van Opstal, Sandra Maria. The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World. IVP, 2016. ISBN: 978-0830841295.

White, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship. 3rd ed. Abingdon, 2000. ISBN: 978-0687091096.

Yee, Russell. Worship on the Way: Exploring Asian North American Christian Experience. Judson Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0817017071.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Weekly material in the form of lectures and videos, intended to construct an integrative (Biblical, historical, theological, pastoral) perspective on each discipline text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [15 hours].
2. 1100 pages reading and videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [52 hours].
3. Online and Vocation Formation Group (VFG) Participation: Students will participate in active learning to foster understanding of and capacity for engaging in theologically-informed reflection in the online classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [32 hours+8 hours].
4. Online Forum Interaction: for each practice, students will post weekly 250+ word reading integration posts and responses (30% of final grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [15 hours].
5. Directed Exercises and Integrative Reflection During the course of the quarter you will engage in 15 hours of solitude and reflect on your experience(s) in a way that integrates with course content. (15%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2 and #3] [20 hours].
6. Autobiography (300+ word post or a 5 minute video): Students will create an autobiography related to practices of worship and prayer (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [2 hours].
7. Final Integrative Assignment Integration paper that reflects theologically on the practices of this course and their implications for the student’s response to the CIQ and the exercises, habits, and disciplines in their current Rule of Life. (100 word CIQ response + 2,500+ words total Integration paper and Rule of Life (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [16 hours].

PREREQUISITES: IS500 encouraged. Recommended in first year of study.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integrative requirement in the 120 MDiv Program and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).

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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.