Fall 2019/Fuller Online

TC550

Dailey

TC550: THEOLOGY OF SPORT AND FITNESS (4 Units: 160 hours). Erik Dailey.

DESCRIPTION: From the Olympics, to the World Cup, to the weekly golf outing, sport captivates and enthralls. Few aspects of human culture have been so consistently present throughout history as sport. It has a pull on our lives, whether we are participants or spectators, which is often impossible to describe. It is no wonder then that discussion of sport has entered into religious and theological conversations. Running alongside sport is the recent surge of fitness and fitness culture, which are showing a tremendous influence on how we live our lives and perceive human thriving. This course will look at sport and fitness historically, ethically, culturally, and theologically—with detailed attention to the place of the body—all through a Christian lens. Where is God in these activities? What is God up to when we pursue sport and fitness?

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will be able to (1) show a general knowledge of the Church’s varied relationship with sport throughout history, (2) demonstrate working definitions of play and sport in the Christian context, and apply them as theoretical foundations for building a theology of sport, (3) engage with contemporary theories about the human body and its relationship to God, (4) see the role sport and fitness have played in their own lives, faith formation, and church activities (for good or bad), (5) explicate a general theology of sport and fitness that is in conversation with historic Christian doctrine, utilizes theories of play, sport, and embodiment, and takes the pursuits of sport and fitness seriously, finding their proper place and role in the life of the church.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: TC courses introduce students to an aspect of culture along with one or more interpretive method(s) for both understanding it and engaging with it theologically; they seek to implement the SOT PLO, "Students will have demonstrated academic capacities appropriate to an area of focus in a theological discipline or to interdisciplinary theological study."

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.

REQUIRED READING: Approximately 1,400 pages (including course reader selections).

Dailey, Erik W. The Fit Shall Inherit the Earth: A Theology of Sport and Fitness. Pickwick, 2018. ISBN: 978-1532649257, Pub. Price $25.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [130 pages assigned]

Ellis, Robert. The Games People Play: Theology, Religion, and Sport. Wipf and Stock, 2014. ISBN: 978-1608998906, Pub. Price $39.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [168 pages assigned]

Gumbrecht, Hans Ulrich. In Praise of Athletic Beauty. Belknap Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0674021723, Pub. Price $28.50 [256 pages assigned]

Harvey, Lincoln. A Brief Theology of Sport. Cascade Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-1625646170, Pub. Price $19.00 [121 pages assigned]

Johnston, Robert K. The Christian at Play. Wipf and Stock, 1997. ISBN: 978-1579100520, Pub. Price $22.00 [93 pages assigned]

Kyle, Donald G. Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, second edition. Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. ISBN: 978-1118613566, Pub. Price $46.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [164 pages].

Murphy, Nancey. Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? Cambridge UP, 2006. ISBN: 978-0521676762, Pub. Price $31.99. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [166 pages assigned]

Course Reader

Adogame, Afe. “Editorial: Religion and Sport, Past, Present and Future.” Studies in World

Christianity 21, no. 3 (2015): 193–200. [8 pages assigned]

Blazer, Annie. Playing for God: Evangelical Women and the Unintended Consequences of Sports

Ministry. New York: New York University Press, 2015. [26 pages assigned]

Brock, Brian. “Discipline, Sport, and the Religion of Winners: Paul on Running to Win the Prize,” Studies in Christian Ethics, 2014. [16 pages assigned]

Callois, Roger. Man, Play and Games. U of Illinois Press, 2001. [34 pages assigned].

Dailey, Erik W. “Contemplating a Doughnut: Analyzing Current Food Theologies through a Fellowship Hour Treat,” Theology Today 75 (2019): 482-493. [11 pages assigned]

Griffith, R. Marie. Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity, University of California Press, 2004. [40 pages assigned].

Huffman, Landon T. and Goodman, Ed. “Striving Together: A Call for Redemptive Sport Competition,” The Other Journal, 2016 [10 pages assigned]

Hyland, Drew. Philosophy of Sport. Paragon House, 1998. [105 pages assigned].

Linville, Greg. Christmanship: A Theology of Competition and Sport. Oliver House, 2014. [15 pages assigned].

Pfitzner, Victor C., “Was Paul a Sports Enthusiast? Realism and Rhetoric in Pauline Athletic Metaphors,” in Watson and Parker, Sports and Christianity, Routledge, 2013. [23 pages assigned]

Treat, Jeremy R. “More Than a Game: A Theology of Sport,” Themelios 40.3, 2015. [11 pages assigned].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Class participation, including participation in class discussions online. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-5]. [40 hours].
  2. 1,400 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-5]. [80 hours].
  3. 800 word paper that talks about student’s own personal history with sports and/or fitness—for good or bad. How have these played a role in your life? Have they had any interaction with your faith? This paper will be ungraded, but proper writing form is still expected. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 3]. [3 hours].
  4. 800 word paper that compares and contrasts the understandings of play found in Caillois, Gadamer, and Johnston. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1]. [5 hours].
  5. 800 word paper responding to Murphy’s Bodies and Souls or Spirited Bodies? How does Murphy’s thesis inform your own understanding of the body? (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 4]. [5 hours].
  6. Maintain a food journal for seven days, recording all foods eaten and their approximate calorie amount. Write a 200-word synopsis of your experience and what you discovered. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 4]. [3 hours].
  7. Final Paper (choose one of the following): 3000 word paper that compares and contrasts the theologies of sport and fitness found in two of the following: Ellis, Harvey, Pope John Paul II, or Dailey, and that incorporates ideas from other required readings. Summarize their points, and, using your own background and experiences, offer criticism and synthesis for your own theology of sport and fitness. OR 3000 word proposal for a fitness ministry at your church (one that you have attended or your internship church). Outline the theological underpinnings for this ministry, how the ministry will be presented to the congregation, and the hurdles that must be overcome (or the groundwork that must be done) in order to implement it and see it thrive. Describe the both the roles of the pastor(s) and laity involved. OR 3000 word research paper that investigates one specific area of sport, fitness, and theology that interests you. Examine and enter into conversation with at least 2 other scholars who have written on the topic. (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 5]. [24 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C2 or TH5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Option to meet the C2 requirement in the 80 MATM Program (Fall 2015).

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. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.