Fuller Online
MB500: Winter 2009
Lingenfelter/Christopher
THIS ECD IS
FOR WINTER 2009 QUARTER ONLY!
If you are viewing this after
January 2009 it serves as a SAMPLE ONLY
MB500: CULTURE AND
TRANSFORMATION (4 units)
Online Facilitation by
Carol Christopher, Adjunct Instructor in Intercultural Studies.
DESCRIPTION:
In a world shrunk by jet air travel,
television, education, music, and internet connections, understanding culture
(what it is, how it works, and how to study it) is increasingly crucial to
church and mission ministries. These forces for globalization are not neutral,
nor are the counter forces of tradition. At the same time, the emergence of
World Christianity and the explosion of the church in the southern hemisphere
has dramatically shifted the focus of mission. The course will explore
questions of culture, globalization and partnership for mission in the 21st
Century. Students will learn to use some basic tools for exegeting
a culture and understand how to become effective partners with the Majority
World church. Through the analysis of case studies students will explore how
Christianity and its social expressions in the church may transform or fail to
transform people and their communities.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the
course students will be able to
·
Explain
the essential characteristics of incarnational
ministry;
·
Describe
their cultural bias through profiles of basic values and the social games of
family and church;
·
Evaluate
a ministry organization with reference to its effective “practice of power” for
spiritual, social or economic transformation;
·
Propose
action steps on how to partner with Majority World Christians for ministry that
transforms people and communities.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will be conducted on the Internet
using a 10-week lesson program aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. Each
week students and the instructor will interact with the course material through
journaling, threaded discussions, and web-based research.
REQUIRED
·
Gupta,
Paul R. and Sherwood G. Lingenfelter. Breaking
Tradition to Accomplish Vision: Training Leaders for a Church Planting Movement.
·
Harrison,
Lawrence E. and Samuel P. Huntington. Culture Matters: How Values Shape
Human Progress. Basic Books
·
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. and
Marvin K. Mayers. Ministering Cross-Culturally: An
Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships.
Baker Book House,
·
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Transforming
Culture: A Challenge for Christian Mission. Baker Book House,
·
Linthicum,
Robert. Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in
Your Community, Intervarsity Press,
·
The
film Amazing Grace (2007).
RECOMMENDED
·
Peter
Berger and Samuel P. Huntington. Many Globalizations: Cultural Diversity in
the Contemporary World.
·
Sanneh, Lamin. Whose
Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West. Wm.B.Eerdmans,
ASSIGNMENTS:
1.
Each
student will be required to work in a team with their small group online to
write a 6500-8750 word major paper of a “transformational” ministry.
2.
Prepare
a 1500-2000 word self-assessment paper.
3.
Two 500-750 word reflections on selected assigned
reading in Harrison and Huntington and in Linthicum.
Each student will be required to do a Basic
Values Questionnaire and a questionnaire on the social game of one’s family and
church life. These questionnaires will be part of course resource materials.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATION TO CURRICULUM: Required course for the MA Cross-cultural
Studies (MA-CCS) program. Meets GLBL requirement. Ministry Focus Elective in MA
in Global Leadership degree.
FINAL EXAM: None.
Updated June, 2008