Spring 2018/Fuller Online

IS501

Yee

IS501: PRACTICES OF WORSHIP (4 Units: 160 hours). Russell Yee.

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. IS501 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian worship and prayer as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (Sabbath-keeping, confession, praise, communion, enacting the prophetic, gathering & sending, prayer, and reading & proclaiming the Word) 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 worship and prayer. (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 worship and prayer. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of worship and prayer. (4) Students will have articulated how practices of worship and prayer 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 for a total of 40 instructional hours (which includes 8 hours of required synchronous and/or asynchronous participation in Vocation and Formation groups). 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: 1,000 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent in viewing.

A. The Holy Bible, assigned passages [c. 50 pp.]

B. Smith, James K. A. You are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. Brazos Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1587433801. Price $19.99 [c. 175 of 224 pp.]

C. Selections from the curated class list of YouTube videos on worship; and/or from James F. Caccamo, Todd Johnson, and Lester Ruth. Living Worship: A Multimedia Resource for Students and Leaders. Brazos Press, 2006. ASIN: 1587432951, Pub. Price $27.99 [10 hr. assigned viewing].

D. Peterson, David. Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. IVP Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830826971, Pub. Price $28.00 [c. 200 of 317 pp.].

E. Yee, Russell. Worship on the Way. Judson Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0817017071, Pub. Price $17.99 [c. 100 of 233 pp.].

F. Any one of the following books on spiritual disciplines (student’s choice, c. 200 pp.):

- Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us. IVP Books, rev. ed. 2015. ISBN 978-0830846054, Pub. Price $22.00 [293 pp.].

- Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth. Any ed., e.g., HarperSanFrancisco, 1998. ISBN: 978-0060628390, Pub. Price $25.99 [228 pp.].

- Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. Any ed., e.g., HarperOne, 1999. ISBN: 978-0060694425, Pub. Price $15.99 [288 pp.].

G. Selections from eReserves [35 pp.] including these C. S. Lewis essays: “A Word About Praising” (Praise); “The Weight of Glory” (Praise, Gathering & Sending); “Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer” (Prayer); and “On Church Music” (Praise).

I. One feature film of the student’s choice directly or closely related to a Core Practice (from this list or another relevant feature film by approval) [c. 2 hours]:

- Sabbath-Keeping: Chariots of Fire (1981)

- Confession: Dead Man Walking (1995); The Visitor (2008); I Confess (1953)

- Praise: Joyful Noise (2012); Sister Act/2 (1992/ 3)

- Gathering & Sending: The Apostle (1997)

- Communion: Babette’s Feast (1987)

- Prayer: Shadowlands (1985 BBC version, not 1993 Winger/Hopkins); Ponette (1996);
God on Trial (2008)

- Enacting the Prophetic: Selma (2014); Amazing Grace (2006); The Hiding Place (1975); Romero (1989); The Mission (1986)

- Reading & Proclaiming the Word: A Man Called Peter (1955)

J. Possibly some other short articles in relation to Vocation and Formation groups.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Students will participate in Vocation and Formation Groups (VFG) and complete the related exercises and assignments to foster understanding of and capacity for engaging in theologically-informed reflection. (12%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [16 hours].
Students will view/listen to the weekly class video/audio lecture segments [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, and 4]. [10 hours]
Students will read 1,000 pages (with some in equivalent video viewing), including 50 pages of biblical text. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [50 hours].
Students will respond to the weekly prompt on Canvas and participate in three online Forums (13%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, and 4]. [16 hours].
Using the Worship Autobiography worksheet provided, students will reflect on their own worship formation journeys, posting a 250-word reflection in an online forum and responding to each other with two 50-word reflections (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [5 hours].
Using guidelines provided, students will visit and engage four different worship settings and write a 1,250-word reflection on the experiences (18%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [10 hours visiting + 6 hours writing].
Students will each use their chosen feature film to develop a full lesson plan focused on the associated Core Practice and suitable for church ministry use (6%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 3]. [6 hours].
For the remaining Core Practices, students will use the worksheet and prompts provided to engage, reflect, and create sample practices suitable for church ministry use, utilizing instruction, participation, presentation, discussion, and case studies) (21%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3]. [21 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 outcomes #1, 3, and 4]. [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: IS500 encouraged. Recommended in first year of study.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integration requirement in the 120 MDiv and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.