DESCRIPTION:

A central theme of the Scriptures is the mission of God as it relates to the present and coming Kingdom of God. By this is meant the sovereign, living God exercising absolute reign in and through history, and establishing a covenant relationship with the People of God redeemed and called to be God's instruments among and for the nations. This means continuity with the Old Testament expectation and New Testament fulfillment. This also means Jesus Christ is the "hinge of history," the Great Commission is the culmination of Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom of God, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the climactic event that creates the Church and completes the Christ event. From Pentecost onward the mission of the Church has to be viewed eschatologically because the glorious appearing of the Kingdom at our Lord's coming marks the end of the Church's mission. There is no separate "theology of mission" distinct from a theology of the Spirit and the Church, as developed in Pauline theology of mission.

• Develop a missiological hermeneutic that will be applied to Scripture;

• re-read the Bible in order to understand the nature of God's mission in Scripture;

• allow biblical understanding and mission practice to influence one another;

• develop practical missions application based on biblical theology of mission.

The class will be conducted on the Internet using a 10-week lesson program aligned with Fuller's academic calendar. Each week students and the instructor will interact with the material through Bible reading and summarization, outside reading and reports, coupled with class lectures and discussion following the sequence of the syllabus using threaded discussions and live Internet "chats." Students will also undertake journal exercises and web-based research.

1. The Bible (Several books of the Bible may be read. Minimum: 50 chapters, equivalent of 100 pp.) Students will choose 5 consecutive chapters from 10 assigned sections in the Bible as follows: Pentateuch, Historical Books, Poetic Books, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Gospels, Gospels Again, the Book of Acts, Pauline Literature, and General Epistles.

2. Glasser, Arthur F., Dean S. Gilliland, Charles E. Van Engen, and Shawn Redford. 2003. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God's Mission in the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. ISBN: 9780801026263 0801026261; Publisher Retail Price: USD 30.00.

3. Five Required Texts to be Read in This Order:

a. Choose either (1) or (2)

   (1) Kaiser, Walter. 2000. Mission in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. ISBN: 9780801022289 0801022282; Publisher Retail Price: USD 13.99.

   (2) Wright, Christopher J. H. 2006. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. ISBN: 9780830825714 0830825711; Publisher Retail Price: USD 40.00. Part I (pp. 29-70), and Part III (pp. 189-392).

b. Briscoe, Jill, Tom Armstrong, and Florence Davis. 1983. Jonah and the Worm. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. ISBN: 9780840752895 084075289X; Publisher Retail Price: USD 5.95.

c. Montgomery, Helen Barrett. 1920. The Bible and Mission (Chapters 1 & 2). Edited and Reprinted (provided via download in class).

d. David Bosch. 1991. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis. ISBN: 0883447193; Price: USD $32.00. (Reading is limited to Part I, pp 1-180).

e. Newbigin, Lesslie. 1995. Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans. ISBN: 9780802808295 0802808298; Publisher Retail Price: USD 18.00.

1. Supplemental Readings in the Syllabus include required and recommended readings. The recommended readings are for the students' own self-study, enrichment, and resourcing--particularly to help students prepare for writing the paper--and for greater understanding of the course material.

1. Weekly Threaded Discussions, Journaling, Web research.

2. A Summary Paragraph describing the mission of God as depicted in each book of the Bible, drawn from chapters selected in various books of the Bible.

3. Six Book Reviews following the instructions given in the syllabus and in class: one report for each of the books read.

4. One 12-page (minimum) to 16-page (maximum) Research Paper that traces a Biblical theme of missiological significance through the Old and New Testaments. The theme will be selected by the student and related to the student's pilgrimage in ministry and to the mission of the People of God touching the nations. The paper must show extensive interaction with the books read, should develop the missiological meaning of the theme chosen, and demonstrate the missiological implications for ministry in the student's particular context.