Winter 2020/Fuller Online

IS502

Oden

IS502: PRACTICES OF COMMUNITY (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 vocation coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS502 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian community as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (hospitality, forgiveness, promise-keeping, truth-telling, gratitude, and testimony) 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 community. (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 community. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of community. (4) Students will have articulated how community practices 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 community, 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: 1000 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent time in viewing.

*available as an e-book on Kindle and/or through the Fuller Library

• Biblical Text [at least 50 pp.]
• Banks, Robert. Paul’s Idea of Community, 3rd ed. Baker Academics, 2020. ISBN: 978-1540961754, Pub. Price $26.00 [160 pp assigned].*
• Cassian, John. The Conferences. Paulist Press, 1997. ISBN: 978-0809104840, Pub. Price $54.95 [selected sections ~160pp] available free online at http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3508.htm
• Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. Rev. Ed. IVP, 2015. ISBN: 978-0830846054, Pub. Price $24.00. [30 pp assigned]*
• Chinula, Donald M. Building King's Beloved Community: Foundations for Pastoral Care and Counseling with the Oppressed. Wipf & Stock, 2009. ISBN: 978-1608991433, Pub. Price $18.00. [70 pp assigned].
• Huckins, Jon. Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community. The House Studio, 2012. ISBN: 978-0834128873, Pub. Price $12.99. [132 pp assigned].*
• Pohl, Christine. Living into Community: Cultivating Practices That Sustain Us. Eerdmans, 2011. ISBN: 978-0802849854, Pub. Price $20.00. [178 pp. assigned]. *
• Robert, Dana L., Faithful Friendships: Embracing Diversity in Christian Community. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2019. ISBN: 9780802825711. Pub. Price $19.00. [190 pages assigned] *

Hospitality

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

Huckins, Jon. Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community.

Pohl, Christine. Living into Community.

Robert, Dana. Faithful Friendships

Truth-Telling

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

Pohl, Christine. Living into Community.

Chinula, Building King's Beloved Community

Promise-Keeping

Cassian, John. The Conferences.

Pohl, Christine. Living into Community.

Chinula, Building King's Beloved Community

Forgiveness

Cassian, John. The Conferences.

Robert, Dana. Faithful Friendships

Chinula, Building King's Beloved Community

Gratitude

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

Huckins, Jon. Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community.

Pohl, Christine. Living into Community.

Robert, Dana. Faithful Friendships

Christian Formation

Cassian, John. The Conferences.

Huckins, Jon. Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community.

Robert, Dana. Faithful Friendships

Chinula, Building King's Beloved Community

Testimony

Robert, Dana. Faithful Friendships

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

Huckins, Jon. Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community.

Chinula, Building King's Beloved Community

Group Spiritual Direction

Cassian, John. The Conferences.

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.

Huckins, Jon. Thin Places: Six Postures for Creating and Practicing Missional Community.

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 [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [15 hours].
2. 1050 pages reading and videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [53 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. Note: VFGs may include required 90 minute synchronous video sessions (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3]. [35 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: Student will participate in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom over the course of the quarter related to the core practices of the course and reflect on these experiences in a way that integrates experience with course content. (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2] [20 hours].
6. Autobiography related to practices of community of 300+ words or 5 minute video. (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 a developing Rule of Life. (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [20 hours].

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

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integration requirement in the 120 MDiv 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.