$Summer 2019/Online

IS501

Taylor

IS501: PRACTICES OF WORSHIP (4 Units: 160 hours). W. David O. Taylor.

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 (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/VIEWING: 1,000 pp. of required reading and/or the equivalent in viewing.

The Holy Bible. CEB, NRSV, and TNIV translations are acceptable. [75 pp. assigned].

Course Reader. Found on eReserves through our course Canvas site. [198 pp. assigned].

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship. Baker Academic, 2014. ISBN: 978-0801026980, Pub. Price $36.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [100 pp.]

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Harper One, 2009. ISBN: 978-0800683252, Pub. Price $14.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [100 pp. assigned].

Smith, James K. A. You are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. Brazos Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1587433801. Price $19.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [224 pp.]

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801038747, Pub. Price $24.99 [150 pp.]

Peterson, Eugene. Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer. HarperOne, 1991. ISBN: 978-0060665128, Pub. Price $13.99 [140 pp.]

CORE PRACTICES (secondary readings to be found on eReserves):

Sabbath-Keeping

Olson, Dennis, “Sacred Time: The Sabbath and Christian Worship,” in Carol Bechtel, ed. Touching the Altar. Eerdmans, 2008, pp. 2-32. In eReserves.

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God, ch. 11.

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect, ch. 12

Confession

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Harper One, 2009, pp.110-122.

Peterson, Eugene. Answering God, chs. 1-3.

Praise

Ford, David and Daniel Hardy. Living in Praise: Worshipping and Knowing God. Baker, 2005, pp. 1-59. In eReserves.

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God, ch. 2.

Gathering and Sending

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect, chs. 3-4, 8.

Peterson, Eugene. Answering God, chs. 4-5.

Reading and Proclaiming the Word

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God, ch. 7.

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect, chs. 1-2, 5.

“Ten Tips for Reading Scripture in Public Worship.” Online article found at:

http://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/ten-tips-for-reading-scripture-in-public-worship (7 pp.)

Prayer

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Harper One, 2009, pp. 76-89.

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God, ch. 8.

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect, ch. 9.

Peterson, Eugene. Answering God, ch. 6.

Communion

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Harper One, 2009, pp.17-75.

Block, Daniel I. For the Glory of God, pp. 155-167.

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect, chs. 6-7.

Enacting the Prophetic

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Harper One, 2009, pp. 90-100.

Peterson, Eugene. Answering God, chs. 7-10.

Keeping the Liturgical Calendar

Olsen, The Wisdom of the Seasons, ch. 2 (27 pgs) In eReserves.

Webber, Ancient-Future Time, chs. 5-8 (46 pgs) In eReserves.

Gross, Living the Christian Year, chs. 7-8 (37 pgs) In eReserves.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Reading: 1,000 pages reading and videos, including at least 75 pages of biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [57 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 classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (20%). [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. (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [25 hours].
Four “fieldwork” activities and reflections (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [16 hours].
Autobiography: Students will create an autobiography related to practices of worship and prayer (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) (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: IS500 encouraged. 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.