Fall 2015/Fuller Online

MT500

Mainiero

MT500: BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF MISSION (4 Units: 165 Hours). Andy Mainiero.

DESCRIPTION: During the past fifty years, Christian thinkers have examined and evaluated the theological presuppositions that underlie the thought and practice of Christian mission. The discipline that reflects biblically, theologically, philosophically, contextually, and missionally on these presuppositions is known as Biblical Theology of Mission. In this course students will have an opportunity to learn from past mission thinkers and practitioners; hear from one another; and reflect personally on what God’s mission means for the mission of Christians and Christian churches in the rapidly changing, complex global city/village of the twenty-first century. Students will be introduced to a multi-disciplinary and hermeneutical approach to missiological reflection whereby biblical, historical, personal and contextual reflection are brought together in an integrated understanding of mission, focused on a specific issue of Christian ministry in a particular context.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will: (1) apply a missiological hermeneutic to the Bible; (2) identify the broad contours of God’s mission as described in the Bible, (3) identify the fundamental components of a biblical theology of mission; and (4) synthesize biblical themes related to God’s mission and ministry praxis in writing and oral communication.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. 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. The course material and interaction is designed to guide each student in the development of a major paper in which the student analyzes and reflects on a biblical theme as it relates to participation in God’s mission in the student’s context of ministry or in relationship to a twenty-first century issue.

REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pp. of required reading.

The Bible (Read 5 consecutive chapters in 10 different books of the Bible).

Students will read 5 chapters each from the Pentateuch, Historical Writings, Poetic Literature, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Gospels, Acts, Pauline Literature, General Epistles and Revelation for a total of 50 chapters.

Glasser, Arthur, Van Engen, Charles, Gilliland, Dean, and Redford, Shawn. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God’s Mission in the Bible. Baker, 2003. ISBN: 978-0801026263, Pub. Price $30.00 [300 pp. assigned].

Goheen, Michael. A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story. Baker, 2011. ISBN: 978-0801031410, Pub. Price $22.99 [226 pp.]. OR Okoye, James Chukwuma. Israel and the Nations: A Mission Theology of the Old Testament. Orbis Books, 2006. ISBN: 978-1570756542, Pub. Price $28.00 [178 pp.].

Hiebert, Paul. Transforming Worldviews. Baker Academic, 2008. ISBN: 978-0801027055, Pub. Price $24.99 [368 pp.]; OR Newbign, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1989. ISBN: 978-0802804266, Pub. Price $25.00 [252 pp.]; OR Van Engen, C., Whiteman, Darrell, and J. Dudley Woodberry, eds. Paradigm Shifts in Christian Witness. Orbis, 2008. ISBN: 978-1570757716, Pub. Price $30.00 [166 pp.]; OR Robert,Dana. Gospel Bearers, Gender Barriers: Missionary Women in the TwentiethCentury. Orbis, 2002. ISBN: 978-1570754258, Pub. Price $25.00 [249 pp.].

Montgomery, Helen Barrett. The Bible and Missions. Nabu Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1172417995, Pub. Price $27.75 [chapters 1 & 2 assigned]; OR Briscoe, Jill, Armstrong, Tom and Davis, Florence. Jonah and the Worm. Thomas Nelson, 1983. ISBN: 978-0840752895, Pub. Price $7.00 [143 pp.], available at http://www.tellingthetruth.org/store/product/10a7c5d0-ff38-41fb-adb4-7b3127d8fb0c/Jonah_and_the_Worm.aspx; OR Moreau, Scott, Gary Corwin, and Gary McGee. Introducing World Mission: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. Baker, 2004. ISBN: 978-0801026485, Pub. Price $34.99 [pp. 11-136 and 265-314 assigned]; OR Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. InterVarsity Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830825714, Pub. Price $40.00 [pp. 29-70 and 189-392 assigned].

Van Engen, C. et al. Footprints of God. MARC, 1999. ISBN: 978-1610973342, Pub. Price $29.00 [264 pp.]; OR student selection of a missionary biography OR student selection related to final paper.

Wright, N. T. “How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?” Orig. pub. Vox Evangelica, 1999, v. 21, pp. 7-32. A link to this article will be provided in Moodle; there is no cost to the student [25 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. ASSigned readings (1,200 pp.) for the course [learning outcomes 2 and 3] [80 hours].

  2. Online participation including instructional content and group forums. Each two week module of the course will involve roughly 2 hours listening to class content, 1 hour of written forum posts and replies and 2 hours in creating and responding to forums posts related to the student’s chosen ministry context (25% of the final grade) [Learning outcomes 1,2,3 and 4] [40 hours total].

  3. A summary paragraph for each five consecutive chapters read from a book of the Bible, (10 total summary paragraphs) describing the mission of God as depicted in that book (10% of the final grade). [Learning outcomes 1,2 and 4] [5 hours].

  4. Five reading responses (1-2 pages) related to the course reading following the instructions given in the syllabus (35% of the final grade) [Learning outcomes 2, 3 and 4] [10 hours].

  5. One 12-page (minimum) to 15-page (maximum) double-spaced paper in which the student analyzes and reflects on a biblical theme related to a twenty-first century context or issue, tracing that theme/issue of missiological significance through the Old and New Testaments, examining two passages from each testament using and applying a missiological hermeneutic. The paper must show interaction with the books read and demonstrate the missiological implications for ministry in the student’s particular context or related to a chosen twenty-first century issue (30% of the final grade) [Learning outcomes 1,2, 3 and 4] [30 hours].

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: No assignments will be accepted after Friday of Exam Week. Grades are given only for completed work. Due to the integrational nature of the course, partial work is not accepted.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Core requirement for MAIS degree (Winter 2010). Meets 144 MDiv core requirement in Missions (MIN 8).

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.

For your convenience, order these texts online through the Archives Bookshop.