Fuller Online
EV525: Fall 2011
Thacker

EV525: CONTEMPORARY CULTURE AND EVANGELISM (4 units). Kimberly Thacker.

DESCRIPTION: This is a course in practical theology that will explore ways to share the gospel understandably and relevantly with people in our contemporary culture. We will examine the meaning of evangelism and conversion, the relationship between Christianity and culture, ways to analyze popular culture in order to ascertain people's worldview and values, historical and contemporary strategies for evangelism, and ideas for empowering believers to witness more effectively to those around them. There will be a concentration on understanding postmodern culture and discussing ways to contextualize, communicate, and validate the gospel within it because post modernity is becoming the predominant cultural atmosphere in America as well as strongly influencing many other areas of the world.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: All Christian ministry should incorporate sharing the good news of Christ and encouraging people to commit to following him, whether through direct evangelistic programs, worship services, training, encouragement and accountability, or representing the love of Christ through our lives and communities. Awareness of contemporary culture and attention to understanding culture is important both for evangelistic purposes and for Christian discipleship, as we reflect on how to minister to others and live ourselves as followers of Christ in our cultures.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) an understanding of the biblical meaning, historical development, and various theological perspectives of evangelism and conversion from a praxis-theory-praxis approach; (2) ability to apply different paradigms, methods and strategies of evangelism within ministry including congregational formation, spiritual formation and missional formation; (3) increased ability to analyze cultural, local, and church or ministry contexts to determine and implement potential outreach activities, strategies, and motivation; (4) an under-standing of contemporary culture and its impact on evangelism in culture, church, ministry, and personal relation-ships today; (5) an increased passion for evangelism, exploration of evangelism within my role in Christian ministry, and confidence in personal ability to share about faith in Jesus.

COURSE FORMAT: Conducted online, the ten weekly lessons align with Fuller's academic calendar. The course involves reading, writing, orientation to libraries and other resources, and interactive discussion. Each week students and the instructor will interact with the material through journaling, threaded discussions, and web-based research.

REQUIRED READING: Please read the following books plus your choice of ONE book from the recommended list.

: Coupland, Douglas. Life After God. New York: Pocket Books, 1994. ISBN: 0-671-87434-9. $15.; Detweiler, Craig, and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of Meanings. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003. ISBN: 0-8010-2417-X. $28.; Jones, Scott J. The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor. Nashville: Abingdon, 2003.
ISBN: 0-687-04614-9. $22.; Kinnaman, David, and Gabe Lyons. UnChristian. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007.
ISBN: 0-8010-7066-X. $19.; Miller, Donald. Blue Like Jazz. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003. ISBN 0-7852-6370-5. $20.
OR A Million Miles in A Thousand Years. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-4002-0266-9. $16.
OR Searching for God Knows What. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-4002-0275-1. $16.; Peace, Richard. Holy Conversation: Talking about God in Everyday Life. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8308-1119-2. $15.; Note: Further reading from articles and the Internet will fulfill required reading for diversity.