Spring 2019/Phoenix

EV525

Anderson

EV525: CONTEMPORARY CULTURE AND EVANGELISM (4 units: 160 hours). Larry Anderson.

DESCRIPTION: This is a course in practical theology that will explore ways to share the gospel understandably and relevantly with people in our contemporary culture. We will examine 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, and ideas for empowering believers to witness more effectively to those around them. There will be a concentration on understanding postmodern culture and discussing ways to contextualize, communicate, and validate the gospel within it because post modernity is becoming the predominant cultural atmosphere in America as well as strongly influencing many other areas of the world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) an understanding of the biblical meaning, historical development, and various theological perspectives of evangelism and conversion from a praxis-theory-praxis approach; (2) ability to apply different paradigms, methods and strategies of evangelism within ministry including congregational formation, spiritual formation and missional formation; (3) increased ability to analyze cultural, local, and church or ministry contexts to determine and implement potential outreach activities, strategies, and motivation; (4) an understanding of contemporary culture and its impact on evangelism in culture, church, ministry, and personal relation-ships today; (5) an increased passion for evangelism, exploration of evangelism within my role in Christian ministry, and confidence in personal ability to share about faith in Jesus.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. It will be a combination of lecture, discussion, small groups and media.

REQUIRED READING: 1430 total number of pages required.

Hirsch, Alan. The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church. Brazos Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1587433863, Pub. Price $21.99 [240 pp. assigned]. Available in digital form from Amazon.

Hunter, James Davidson. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0199730803, Pub. Price $32.95 [368 pp.]. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library. Also available in digital form from Amazon.

Keller, Timothy. Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical. Viking, 2016. ISBN: 978-0525954156, Pub. Price $27.00 [336 pp.]. Available in digital form from Amazon.

Lyons, Gabe and Kinnaman, David. Good Faith: Being a Christian When Society Thinks You’re Irrelevant and Extreme. Baker Books, 2016. ISBN: 978-0801013171, Pub. Price $19.99 [278 pp.]. Available in digital form from Amazon.

Smith, Gordon T. Transforming Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801032479, Pub. Price $24.00 [224 pp.]. Available in digital form from Amazon.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Keller, Timothy. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters. Penguin Books, 2011. ISBN: 978-1594485497, Pub. Price $16.00 [240 pp.].

Whitehead, James D. and Evelyn Eaton Whitehead. Method in Ministry: Theological Reflection and Christian Ministry. Rev. ed. Sheed & Ward, 1995. ISBN: 978-1556128066, Pub. Price $20.95 [154 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Class attendance (10%). [30 hours].
  2. Assigned reading (20%). [85 hours].
  3. Utilizing the framework of practical theology, write a 5/6 page paper on the student’s personal theology and understanding of evangelism (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1] [15 hours of DLAs].
  4. Review two of the assigned books analyzing their understanding of current culture and effectiveness of evangelical practices (3 pages each) (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3-5] [15 hours].
  5. Write one major paper (1,800-2,000 words) due at the end the course applying required course reading and content to your ministry context (25%.) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-5] [15 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C2 or C3 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Option to meet the C2 or EVG requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2018). Meets MDiv core requirement in General Ministry (MIN 1) or Evangelism (MIN 3); also meets the MACL in Integrative Studies requirement for an interdisciplinary course (IDPL).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.