Fuller Online
ST523: Winter
2008
Kärkkäinen
THIS ECD IS
FOR WINTER 2008 QUARTER ONLY!
If you are viewing this after
JANUARY 2008 it serves as a SAMPLE ONLY
ST523: THEOLOGICAL CHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS
PLURALITY (4 units).
Veli-Matti
Kärkkäinen, Professor of Systematic Theology.
DESCRIPTION:
Technically
known as "theology of religions," this course introduces the student
to various approaches to how Christianity relates to other religions and
religious pluralisms. Catholic and Protestant, including Evangelical, responses
will be critically discussed. Studying theology of religions entails some
knowledge of living faiths; therefore, through reading and case-studies, issues
related to Islam-, Hindu-, and Buddhist - Christian encounter will also be
studied.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The course objectives
are to:
·
Understand
that plurality of religions and an ideology of pluralism as a challenge to
Christian theology and mission in the new millennium.
·
Gain
basic knowledge of and perspectives on the ways Christian theology in general
and Evangelical theology in particular have responded to the challenge of
pluralism
·
Begin
to study other religions from the viewpoint of Christian Theology.
·
Demonstrate
awareness that religious plurality is a core issue for practitioners and
academicians in theological and missiological
education.
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 material and each other through journaling, threaded
discussions, and web-based research. Lectures for each lesson will be available
online.
REQUIRED
·
Kärkkäinen, V.-M. An
Introduction to Theology of Religions. InterVarsity,
2003 (relevant sections).
·
________.
The Trinity and Religious Pluralism. Ashgate,
2004.
·
Knitter,
P. Introducing Theologies of Religions. Orbis,
2002.
·
McDermott,
G. R. Can Evangelicals Learn from World Religions? InterVarsity
Press, 2001
·
Netland, H. Encountering Religious
Pluralism. InterVarsity Press, 2001 (relevant
sections).
·
Tennett, T. C. Christianity at the Religious
Roundtable. Baker, 2002.
RECOMMENDED
A scholarly introduction to a living faith of
student's choice.
·
Chapman,
C. The Cross & Crescent: Responding to the Challenge of Islam. InterVarsity, 2004
·
Corduan, W. Tapestry of Faiths: The Common
Threads between Christianity & World Religions. InterVarsity
Press, 2002
·
Imbach, J. Three Faces of Jesus: How Jews,
Christians and Muslims See Him. Templegate, 1993.
·
Kaplan,
S. Different Paths, Different Summits: A Model for Religious Pluralism. Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
·
Kung,
H. Christianity and World Religions: Paths of Dialogue with Islam, Hinduism
and Buddhism. Orbis, 1993.
·
Mortensen,
V., ed. Theology and the Religions: A Dialogue. Eerdmans,
2003.
·
Parry,
R. & C. Partride, eds. Universal Salvation:
The Current Debate. Eerdmans, 2004.
·
Ramachandra, V. Faiths in
Conflict: Christian Integrity in a Multicultural World. IVP, 2000.
·
Serretti, M.,
·
Summer,
G. The First and the Last: The Claims of Jesus Christ and the Claims of
Other Religious Traditions. Eerdmans, 2004.
·
Tiessen, Terrance L. Who Can Be Saved?
Reassessing Salvation in Christ and World Religions. InterVarsity
Press, 2004.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1.
Weekly
threaded discussions (25%) and journaling, (10%)
2.
1,200
pages of required reading.
3.
Reading
responses: 15 pages (15%).
4.
A
research paper: 10 pages (40%).
5.
Student
presentations in the class (10%).
PREREQUISITES:
None.
RELATIONSHIP
TO CURRICULUM: Meets the requirement
in Globalization (GLBL) for SOT M.A. degrees. Ministry Focus Elective in MA in
Global Leadership degree.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
Updated October 2007