Fall 2013/Fuller Online
ST502
Kärkkäinen
ST502: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 2: CHRISTOLOGY AND SOTERIOLOGY. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen.
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide a theological understanding of Christian beliefs about Christ, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Topics include biblical and historical developments of Christological and pneumatological traditions, their contemporary and contextual/intercultural varieties, various approaches to election, atonement, salvation, forgiveness, healing, Spirit-baptism, as well reconciliation of communities. An evangelical theology will be constructed in dialogue with ecumenical and intercultural perspectives, and in light of the church’s mission to other religions.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: An essential part of preparation for Christian ministry is to learn to think theologically through issues of faith and ministry.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) a basic understanding of issues in their traditional and contemporary expressions; (2) an ability to reflect theologically upon the topics for this course; (3) skills towards developing one’s own theology in critical dialogue with various views; (4) an acquaintance with a range of cultural and contextual matters that shape our understanding of theological issues; (5) an appreciation of ecumenical and cultural diversity.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will be conducted online using a 10-week lesson program aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. Each week, students and the instructor will interact with the material and each other through journaling, threaded discussions, presentations, and web-based research. Lectures for each lesson will be available online.
REQUIRED READING:
Green, J. B., and M. D. Baker. Recovering the Scandal of the Cross. InterVarsity Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0830815715, Pub. Price $17.00 [232 pp.].
Grenz, S. J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN: 978-0802847553, Pub. Price $40.00 [pp. 243-460 assigned].
Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in International, Ecumenical, and Historical Perspective. Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801024481, Pub. Price $26.00 [208 pp.].
________.Christology: A Global Introduction. Baker Academic, 2003. ISBN: 978-0801026218, Pub. Price $28.00 [304 pp.].
_____. One with God: Salvation as Deification and Justification. Liturgical Press, 2004. ISBN: 0814629717, Pub. Price $16.95 [144 pp.]. OR Shults, F. L., and Sandage, S. J. The Faces of Forgiveness. Baker, 2003. ISBN: 978-0801026249, Pub. Price $26.00 [272 pp.]. OR Blue, K. Authority to Heal. InterVarsity Press, 1987. ISBN: 978-0830817009, Pub. Price $15.00 [168 pp.].
Choose ONE contextual/intercultural/interreligious text from below or of your choice (200 pp.):
Comblin, J. The Holy Spirit and Liberation. Wipf & Stock, 2004. ISBN: 978-1592445622, Pub. Price $26.00 [232 pp.].
Cone, J. H. A Black Theology of Liberation. 2nd ed. Orbis, 1986. ISBN: 978-0883446850, Pub. Price $22.00 [200 pp.].
Imbach, J. Three Faces of Jesus: How Jews, Christians and Muslims See Him, 2nd ed. Templegate, 1993. ISBN: 978-0872431942, Pub. Price $12.95 [151 pp.].
Kärkkäinen, V.-M. An Introduction to the Theology of Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830825721, Pub. Price $29.00 [372 pp.].
Küster, Volker. The Many Faces of Jesus: An Intercultural Christology. Orbis, 2001. ISBN: 978-1570753541, Pub. Price $29.00 [250 pp.].
Parsons, S. F., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0521663274, Pub. Price $85.00 [288 pp.].
Ramachandra, V. The Recovery of Mission: Beyond the Pluralist Paradigm. Wipf & Stock, 2002. ISBN: 978-1592440641, Pub. Price $31.00 [308 pp.].
Summer, G. The First and the Last: The Claims of Jesus Christ and the Claims of Other Religious Traditions. Eerdmans, 2004. ISBN: 978-0802863348, Pub. Price $23.00 [225 pp.].
Tiessen, T. L. Who Can Be Saved? Reassessing Salvation in Christ and World Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0830827473, Pub. Price $28.00 [511 pp.].
Yong, A. Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions. Baker, 2003. ISBN: 978-0801026126, Pub. Price $39.98 [208 pp.].
RECOMMENDED READING: The syllabus lists a number of sources for various topics.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Weekly threaded discussions (25%) and journaling (10%) based on lectures and readings.
1,200 pages of required reading and reading responses, 10 pages (25%)
A research paper of 10 pages (40%)
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Systematic Theology “B” (STB).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.