Spring 2014/Sacramento

EV523

Thacker

EV523: EVANGELISM AND MEDIA CULTURE (4 Units). Kimberly Thacker.

DESCRIPTION: The widespread prevalence of media in contemporary culture deeply impacts people's receptivity to the good news of Jesus, both in terms of its content and our means of sharing. This course will examine the various ways that media pervades our culture and churches today, such as learning styles, life goals and values, and expectations for communication. We will explore the meaning of evangelism and conversion, the relationship between Christianity and culture, ways to analyze popular culture in order to ascertain people's worldview and values, historical and contemporary strategies for evangelism, secular reactions to Christian evangelism, and ideas for empowering believers to witness more effectively to those around them. We will seek to creatively learn from and selectively appropriate contemporary media and to respond to the needs and questions created by a media culture in order to share Jesus understandably and relevantly to the people around us.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) an understanding of the biblical meaning of evangelism and conversion, the development of evangelism in church history and today, and various theological perspectives on evangelism and conversion; (2) an understanding of different aspects of evangelism and of different paradigms, methods, and strategies; discussion of application; (3) an understanding of the multiple impacts of the predominance of media in contemporary culture and its impact on evangelism and ministry today; (4) increased ability to analyze cultural, local, and church or ministry contexts to determine and implement potential outreach activities, strategies, and motivation; and (5) an increased passion for evangelism and confidence in personal ability to share about faith in Jesus.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet over four Saturday sessions totaling 30 classroom hours. The classes will include lecture, interactive class discussion, and guided small group discussions. Class will meet during exam week.

REQUIRED READING: 1500 pages (following books required plus one from recommended list)

Clark, Lynn Schofield, ed. Religion, Media, and the Marketplace. Rutgers University Press, 2007. ISBN: 978-0813540184, Pub. Price $29.95 [352 pp. - read part]

Everts, Don and Doug Schaupp. I Once Was Lost. InterVarsity Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830836086, Pub. Price $15.00 [134 pp.]

Jones, Scott J. The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Witness and Discipleship. Abingdon Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0687046140, Pub. Price $22.99 [224 pp.]

Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. 20^thAnniversary Ed. Penguin Books, 2005. ISBN: 978-0143036531, Pub. Price $16.00 [208 pp.]

Schultze, Quentin J., Ed. Understanding Evangelical Media: The Changing Face of Christian Communication. InterVarsity, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830828821, Pub. Price $27.00 [347 pp. – read part]

Further articles distributed through moodle in class will complete the length and diversity requirements.

RECOMMENDED READING: For a list of recommended reading, please see the course syllabus.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: Students are expected to

1. Attend class, participate in class small group discussions, fulfill class preparation assignments for presentations and discussions, read required texts (approximately 1500 pgs) and submit a reading log. (25%).
2. Complete two short papers (4-5 pgs. each). (20% each; 40% total).
3. Complete a final project (10-12 pgs.). (35%).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Evangelism (MIN 3) and the culture (CULT) requirement in Cultural Literacy MA programs.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.