Winter 2015/Fuller Online

ET501

Fox

 

ET501: CHRISTIAN ETHICS (4 Units: 160 hours). Bethany McKinney Fox.

 

DESCRIPTION: Following Jesus in our contemporary context is complex. We often face decisions and questions that the writers of Scripture did not address. This introduction to Christian ethics aims to equip students to develop a concrete method to approach ethical decisions grounded in the teachings of Jesus and the Old and New Testaments. As followers of Jesus, we take his life as a model for our own. Yet we live in a radically different context than Jesus, and sincere believers often disagree about how to follow his model today. Examination of scriptures, focusing especially the Sermon on the Mount, helps us understand God’s central concerns and provides a good starting point for understanding divergent theological convictions and their evidence in our ethics. The course offers an opportunity to reflect together on the current challenges we face as disciples in all aspects of our lives, from the intimate spheres of sexuality and family to politics and social justice.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of participation in this course, students will be able to: (1) articulate how the Bible (Old and New Testaments) informs Christian ethics both on the whole and in relation to specific moral issues; (2) thoughtfully understand and dialogue with ethical positions and reasoning that differ from their own; (3) identify ways specific practices contribute to the moral formation of individuals, churches, and communities, including being able to identify practices that contribute to their own formation as competent moral agents; and(4) apply the perspectives, insights, and information they have learned to everyday practices, issues, structures, and relationships in their own ministry context, life, and vocation.

 

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 1,000 pp. of required reading.

Hauerwas, Stanley (author), John Berkman, Michael G. Cartwright (eds.). The Hauerwas Reader. Duke University Press Books, 2001. ISBN: 978-0822326915, Pub. Price $32.95 [200 pp. assigned].

Smedes, Lewis B. Mere Morality: What God Expects from Ordinary People. Eerdmans, 1989. ISBN: 978-0802802576, Pub. Price $22.00 [294 pp.].

Stassen, Glen H. & David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830826681, Pub. Price $40.00 [300 pp. assigned].

Other articles to be accessed electronically [approx. 75 pp. assigned].

Students must choose ONE additional work from the following, according to their interest:

Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Theological Bioethics: Participation, Justice, and Change. Georgetown University Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-1589010758, Pub. Price $29.95 [254 pp.].

De La Torre, Miguel A. Christian Ethics from the Margins. Orbis, 2004. ISBN: 978-1570755514, Pub. Price $24.00 [220 pp.].

Eiesland, Nancy L. The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability. Abingdon, 1994. ISBN: 978-0687108015, Pub. Price $19.99 [139 pp.].

Salter McNeil, Brenda and Rick Richardson. The Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change. InterVarsity, 2009. ISBN: 978-0830837229, Pub. Price $15.00 [200 pp.].

Stassen, Glen H. Just Peacemaking: The New Paradigm for the Ethics of Peace and War. Pilgrim Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0829817935, Pub. Price $18.00 [210 pp.].

Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus. Eerdmans, 1994. ISBN: 978-0802807342, Pub. Price $24.00 [247 pp.].

 

RECOMMENDED READING: A list of recommended reading will be available in the syllabus.

 

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Audio files, videos, forum-based direct learning activities. [10 hours].

  2. 250-word weekly forum posts (15%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 and 2] [10 hours].

  3. 250-word weekly replies (15%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 and 2] [10 hours].

  4. Approximately 1,000 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3.] [60 hours].

  5. Directed Learning Assignment: Reflecting and Journaling on the Sermon on the Mount (7.5%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 4.] [30 minutes each week = 5 hours total].

  6. Directed Learning Assignment: Field Trip, Interview, and video/audio post about experiences/insights (7.5%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2, 3, and 4.] [10 hours].

  7. Presentation of congregational/ministry-based case study, and responses to others throughout the quarter (10%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #3 and 4.] [10 hours].

  8. Group project on parallel track reading (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [20 hours total (12 hours writing; 8 hours interacting/planning together)].

  9. Issue Exploration Paper, 2,500 words, double-spaced (25%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4.] [25 hours].

 

PREREQUISITES: None.

 

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C4 or TH5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets ETH in the 144 MDiv Program. Meets MAT program requirement and Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for other MA degrees (Winter 2010). Required course in the Christian Ethics or Just Peacemaking emphases.

 

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.