Summer 2014/Fuller Online
ST501
Oden
ST501: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1: THEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY (4 Units: 120 hours). Patrick Oden.
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide a theological understanding of Christian beliefs about revelation and Scripture, the triune God, creation and providence, human beings as the image of God, and the fall, evil, and sin. Corollary current issues, such as human beings as male and female, ecology, and the relationship of Christian faith to other religions will be discussed. On the basis of biblical and historical developments, a contemporary Evangelical theology will be constructed in dialogue with ecumenical, contextual/intercultural, and interreligious perspectives.
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 course topics; (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: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. 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: 1,200 pages of reading required from the following texts:
Grenz, S.J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000. ISBN: 978-0802847553, Pub. Price $40.00 [1-242 pp. assigned].
Kärkkäinen, V.-M. The Doctrine of God. Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801027529, Pub. Price $30.00 [301 pp. assigned].
Oden, Patrick, “The Transformative Church: Substantiating New Models of Ecclesiality with the Holistic Theology of Jürgen Moltmann,” PhD Dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2013. PDF provided free on Moodle [relevant sections assigned].
Wood, Laurence W. Theology as History and Hermeneutics: A Post-Critical Conversation with Contemporary Theology. Emeth Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0975543559, Pub. Price $31.00 [276 pp.].
Special topic, choose ONE:
Bacote, L.C., et al., ed. Evangelicals & Scripture: Tradition, Authority & Hermeneutics. InterVarsity Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0830827756, Pub. Price $23.00 [245 pp.].
Beilby, J.K. & P.R. Eddy. Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views. InterVarsity Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0830826520, Pub. Price $20.00 [221 pp.].
Bouma-Prediger, S. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801036958, Pub. Price $25.00 [240 pp.].
Fiddes, P. Participating in God: A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity. Westminster John Knox, 2000. ISBN: 978-0664223359, Pub. Price $30.00 [322 pp.].
Jewett, P.K. & Shuster, M. Who We Are: Our Dignity as Human. Eerdmans, 1996. ISBN: 978-0802840752, Pub. Price $46.50 [502 pp.].
McKim, D.K. The Bible in Theology & Preaching. Wipf & Stock, 1999. ISBN: 978-1579102449, Pub. Price $26.00 [250 pp.].
Moltmann, J. The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God. Fortress Press, 1993. ISBN: 978-0800628253, Pub. Price $23.00 [276 pp.].
Murphy, N. Bodies and Souls or Spirited Bodies?, Cambridge, 2006. ISBN: 978-0521676762, Pub. Price $28.00 [164 pp.].
Pinnock, C. Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God’s Openness. Baker, 2001. ISBN: 978-0801022906,Pub. Price $ 24.00 [218 pp.].
Plantinga, C. Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. Eerdmans, 1995. ISBN: 978-0802842183, Pub. Price $22.00 [216 pp.].
Sanders, J. The God Who Risks: A Theology of Providence. 2nd. ed. InterVarsity Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0830828371, Pub. Price $27.00 [384 pp.].
Schwarz, H. Creation. Eerdmans, 2002. ISBN: 978-0802860668, Pub. Price $30.00 [266 pp.].
Shuster, M. The Fall and Sin: What We Have Become as Sinners. Eerdmans, 2003. ISBN: 978-0802809940, Pub. Price $30.00 [280 pp.].
Volf, M. Exclusion and Embrace, Abingdon, 1996. ISBN: 978-0687002825, Pub. Price $28.00 [192 pp.].
A contextual/intercultural/interreligious study (relevant sections) choose ONE:
Boff, L. Trinity and Society. Orbis, 1988. ISBN: 978-1597521383, Pub. Price $30.00 [288 pp.].
Cone, J.H. God of the Oppressed. Orbis, 1997. ISBN: 978-1570751585, Pub. Price $20.00 [300 pp.].
Evans, J. We Have Been Believers: An African American Systematic Theology. Fortress, 1992.. ISBN: 978-0800626723, Pub. Price $20.00 [192 pp.].
Gonzáles, J. Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective. Abingdon, 1990. ISBN: 978-0687230679, Pub. Price $20.00 [186 pp.].
Johnson, E. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. Continuum, 1992. ISBN: 978-0824519254, Pub. Price $29.95 [344 pp.].
Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Trinity and Religious Pluralism. Ashgate, 2004. ISBN: 978-0754636465, Pub. Price $39.95 [197 pp.].
Kapolyo, J. M. The Human Condition: Christian Perspectives through African Eyes. InterVarsity Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0830833023, Pub. Price $16.00 [170 pp.].
Lee, Sang Hyun. From a Liminal Place: An Asian American Theology. Fortress Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800696689, Pub. Price $24.00 [200 pp.].
McDermott, G. R. Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions? InterVarsity Press, 2001. ISBN: 978-0830822744, Pub. Price $19.00 [233 pp.].
Oden, P. How Long? The Trek through the Wilderness. Barclay Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-1594980237, Pub. Price $20.00 [268 pp.].
Parratt, J. Reinventing Christianity: African Theology Today. Eerdmans, 1995. ISBN: 978-0802841131, Pub. Price $22.50 [228 pp.].
Parsons, S.F., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0521663274, Pub. Price $99.00 [288 pp.].
Tennent, T.C. Christianity at the Religious Roundtable. Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801026027, Pub. Price $26.00 [270 pp.].
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
1,250 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 and #4] [63 hours].
Weekly reading response forums [4 x 250 words for 10 weeks] (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2, #3, and #5] [45 hours]
One research paper on a chosen theme [10 pages] (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2 and #3] [42 hours]
FINAL project: “My theological statement,” [5 pages] (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [10 hours]
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Systematic Theology “a” (STA); meets program requirement for MATM or MAT.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.