Fuller Online
ST588: Summer 2009
Dyrness & Peacore/Duerksen 

THIS ECD IS FOR SUMMER 2009 QUARTER ONLY!

This if for the online course beginning June 22, 2009

If you are viewing this after that time it serves as a SAMPLE ONLY

 

ST588: THEOLOGY OF AFRICA, ASIA, AND LATIN AMERICA. (4-units) 

William Dyrness, Professor of Theology and Culture

Linda Peacore,  Adjunct Instructor in Theology

Online Facilitation by Darren Duerksen, Adjunct Instructor in Theology

DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to introduce students to theological reflection going on outside of North America as this develops against the backdrop of the indigenous religious context. The focus will be on major philosophical and religious traditions and the interaction of Christianity with these traditions. The emphasis will be on a comparative study which makes use of social science methods and develops a biblical and critical perspective. This course will survey theological reflection in three major areas of the world: Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. For each area lectures will first focus on the major religious traditions of the region and then study the rise of local theologies in those contexts. Lectures and readings will cover selected topics being discussed by theologians (both formal and informal) from these regions. Finally an attempt will be made to interact with these materials from the perspective of western theology.


LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will analyze the variety of theological responses of churches outside the west, evaluate in depth the contextual and cultural issues of specific areas they will choose, and experience the struggle of these areas through contextual examples of art and literature.

 

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:

Ministry is now carried out in a world perspective in which cross-cultural issues are unavoidable. Since the Church outside of North America is now larger than that in the West, and since much creative thinking emanates from these churches, responsible ministry today requires the development of critical listening skills.


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 live Internet “chats,” and web-based research. Lectures for each lesson will be available online.


REQUIRED READING/VIEWING (A):

·          Barr, William R. ed. Constructive Theology in the Worldwide Church. Eerdmans, 1997.

·          Dyrness, William A. Learning About Theology from the Third World. Zondervan, 1990.

·          Jenkins, Philip. The Next Christendom. Oxford University Press, 2002.

·          Ngewa, Samuel; Mark Shaw; and Tite Tienou, eds. Issues in African Christian Theology. East African Educational Publishers, 1998.

·          Ngugi, James.  The River Between.  Heinemann, 1990.

·          The Motorcycle Diaries (Spanish film, d. Walter Salles)

 

RECOMMENDED READING (B):

·          Bañuelas, ed. Maestizo Christianity: Theology from the Latino Perspective. Orbis, 1995.

·          Bediako, Kwame. Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion. Orbis, 1995.

·          Dyrness William A., V-M. Karkkainen, J. F. Martinez, and S. Chan eds,. Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church. Downers Grove, Ill. : IVP Academic, 2008.

·          Gifford, Paul. Ghana's New Christianity: Pentecostalism in a Globalizing African Economy. London: Hurst, 2003.

·          Parker, Cristian. Popular Religion and Modernization in Latin America. Orbis, 1993.

·          Peterson, Douglas. Not by Might Nor by Power: A Pentecostal Theology of Social Concern in Latin America. Penguin, 1996.

·          Ramachandra, Vinoth. The Recovery of Mission: Beyond the Pluralist Paradigm. Eerdmans, 1996.

·          Yung, Hwa. Mangoes or Bananas? The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology. Regnum/Oxford, 1997.


ASSIGNMENTS:

1.        Weekly threaded discussions (25%) and journaling, (10%)

2.        Grading will be based in equal part on three short (4-6 pp.) reviews comparing articles from two continents from required anthologies in "A" of required texts;   (15%)

3.        A longer (15-20 pp.) paper focusing on one of the three areas discussed in class and interacting with one of the texts listed under "B" of the recommended texts. The reviews can focus on a particular issue raised in the books, but in general should cover the relation of Christian theology to indigenous religious traditions, and should reflect a knowledge of the larger argument of the book. The longer project will be a comparative study of a Christian belief or practice and a corresponding belief of the indigenous religious tradition. This project should make use of the required reading (and any other sources available). Depth and quality of class participation will be factors in evaluation, and this will be reflected in grading of the Threaded Discussions (50%)


PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets requirement in Globalization (GLBL) for M.A. degrees; Ministry Focus Elective in MA in Global Leadership program

FINAL EXAMINATION: No.

 

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification.

 

Updated April 2009