Summer 2017/Fuller Online
IS503
Musa
IS503: PRACTICES OF MISSION (4 Units: 160 hours). David Musa.
DESCRIPTION: Christian practices constitute the Christian life. The combined Christian practices of vocational formation, worship, community, and mission facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into the vocational coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS503 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian mission as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (witness, mercy, reconciliation, advocacy, creation care, friendship, inculturation, and inter-religious dialogue) in order to form students who demonstrate capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will have demonstrated capacities to critically reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of mission; (2) Students will have demonstrated through participation in local contexts the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of mission (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of mission; (4) Students will articulate how practices of mission impact their response to the Central Integration Question (CIQ) and will identify exercises, habits, and disciplines to embody these practices within their sociocultural context.
COURSE FORMAT: This course meets ten weeks online (which includes required synchronous and/or asynchronous participation in vocation and formation groups) for a total of 40 instructional hours. 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: 800 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent time in viewing.
Bevans, Stephen B., and Roger P. Schroeder. Prophetic Dialogue: Reflections on Christian Mission Today. Orbis, 2011. ISBN: 978-1570759116, $35.00 [156 pp. assigned].
Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative: IVP Academic. 2006, ISBN: 978-0830825714, Pub. Price $45.00 [200 pp. assigned].
Biblical Texts [50 pp. assigned]: Exodus 1 - 34; Deut. 4-6; II Cor. 5-6; I Peter 1-3; Psalm 146; Matt. 28;
John 1:1-17
Vos, Beverly, “The Spiritual Disciplines and Christian Ministry” Evangelical Review of Theology 36: 2, 100 -114. 2012. [14 pp. assigned]. Available on eReserves
Roxburgh, Alan, “Practices of Missional of People” Journal of Missiological Practice. 2013.
[10 pp. assigned]. Available on eReserves
CORE PRACTICES
Witness
Muck, Terry and Frances S. Adeney. Christianity Encountering World Religions: The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-first Century. Baker Academic, 2009. ISBN: 978-0801026607, Pub. Price $30.00 [138 pp. assigned].
Bosch David J. “Evangelism: Theological Currents and Cross-Currents Today”, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 11, No.3. 1988. [pp. 98 – 103 assigned]. Available on eReserves.
Mercy
Mother Theresa: http://youtu.be/Th2QzJwy8tl (10 pp. Equivalent) Available on eReserves
Reconciliation
Katongole, Emmanuel and Chris Rice, Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision For Justice, Peace and Healing. IVP Books, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830834518, Pub. Price $17.00, [pp. 11 – 123 assigned]. Available on eReserves.
Inter-religious Dialogue
McConnell, “Missional Principles and Guidelines For Interfaith Dialogue” Evangelical Faith Dialogue 1, No.1, (Winter 2010), 3-5 [2 pp. assigned]. Available on eReserves
Inculturation
Peacock, Michael, Gailyn Van Rheenen and Douglas McConnell, “Contextualization,” Chapter 12 in The Changing Face of World Mission:Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends, Baker Academic. [pp. 321–348 assigned]. Available on eReserves.
Friendship
Lee, T. J. “Different Bridge, Different Story” in Reconciling Race, Fuller Magazine, Issue #4, 2015. http://fullermag.com/different-bridge-different-story/[2 pp. assigned]. Available on eReserves.
Creation Care
Wright, Christopher J.H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative: IVP Academic, 2006. ISBN: 978-0830825714, Pub. Price $45.00, [pp. 393 – 453 assigned].
Our Father’s World: https://youtu.be/NkhRbfdO5lw Available on eReserves
Climate Change, Faith and Fact, http://youto.be /alqFTYLc_4 Available on eReserves
Advocacy
Sloane Andrew, “Justifying Advocacy: A Biblical and Theological Rationale for Speaking the Truth to Power on behalf of the Vulnerable” in Evangelical Review of Theology 36. No.2. April 2012. [pp. 176 -186 assigned]. Available on eReserves.
Note: Supplementary Reading: Articles, videos, etc. related to class discussions may be assigned as necessary.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
800 pages reading and videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [40 hours].
Online and Vocation Formation Group (VFG) Participation: Students will participate in active learning to foster understanding of and capacity for engaging in theologically-informed reflection in the online classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [32 hours+8 hours].
Directed Exercises and Integrative Reflection: Student will participate in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom over the course of the quarter related to the core practices of the course and reflect on these experiences in a way that integrates experience with course content (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2 and #3]. [15 hours].
Four fieldwork activities and reflections (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [8 hours + 8 hours = 16 hours].
Autobiography related to practices of mission (5%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [2 hours].
Final Integrative Assignment: Integration paper that reflects theologically on the practices of this course and their implications for the student’s response to the CIQ and the exercises, habits, and disciplines in their current Rule of Life (2,500 words total) (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [25 hours].
CPA (Commentators, Practitioners, and Advocates) (Scriptural analysis reflecting mission practices) exercises (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [22 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None. Recommended in first year of study.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integrative requirement in the 120 MDiv Program and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.