Summer 2013/Texas
ET501
Christian
ET501: CHRISTIAN ETHICS. Charles W. Christian.
DESCRIPTION: This introduction to Christian ethics aims to identify and compare fundamental assumptions that shape how Christians practice their Christian discipleship. The course seeks to assist in living out the Christian life in consistent growth in grace and discipleship. The Bible – specifically the Sermon on the Mount – will guide students into an introduction to foundational principles of ethics, with a focus upon how being a Christian shapes the study and application of ethics in community. Students will also begin applying Christian approaches to ethics in areas such as race, sex, economics, war, and care, while also exploring implications for the role of ministry leaders in communicating and applying Christian ethics in the context of the Church’s relationship to the world.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The Kingdom of God, which is the central component of the life and work of Jesus Christ, teaches and celebrates its distinctiveness from other kingdoms and ways of living. Christians are called to teach and to live out this distinctive role of “Christ follower” not only as a means of personal discipleship, but also as a means of serving as witness to God’s love for all people and for all of creation. We will study how theologically informed faith is integrated into the context of the Community of faith (the Church) and its relationship to the world at large.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of my study in ET501: 1) I will have developed a holistic approach to a consistent Christian ethical system that is shaped by biblical exegesis, my theological convictions, my specific socio-cultural context, and the concrete practices of churches; 2) I will have increased my critical reading and listening skills, particularly the ability to identify the main arguments in a variety of ethical systems, and important assumptions and data that support them, in order to develop pastoral sensitivity to ethical issues across various cultural and religious groups; 3) I will have increased my skill for teaching and modeling mutually respectful dialogue on a variety of issues involving “right and wrong” in my place of ministry, with ethical reasoning and viewpoints different from my own.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet over four weekends (Fridays 6:00-9:00PM, Saturdays 8:00AM-12:30PM), and will include lectures, readings, case studies, and discussion.
REQUIRED READING:
Lee, Hak Joon. The Great World House: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Global Ethics. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press. ISBN: 978-0829818215, Pub. Price: $25.00 [256 pp.]
Wells, Samuel. Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-1441212887. Pub. Price $24.00 ($13.20, Kindle). [240 pp.]
Stassen, Glen and David Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830826681. Pub. price $35.00 [538 pp.]
Students will also choose one of the following books:
Baker-Fletcher, Garth Kasimu. Dirty Hands: Christian Ethics in a Morally Ambiguous World. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000. ISBN: 978-0800630782, Pub. Price $17.00 [156 pp.]
Batstone, David. Saving the Corporate Soul – and Who Knows? – Maybe Your Own. New York: Jossey Bass, 2003. ISBN: 978-0787964801, Pub. Price $26.95 [250 pp.]
Heyer, Kristen. Kinship Across Borders: A Christian Ethics of Immigration. Georgetown University Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-1589019300, Pub price $29.95 [208 pp.]
King, Jr., Martin Luther. Why We Can’t Wait. Boston: Beacon Press, 2011 (reissue of 1963 ed.). ISBN: 978-0807001127, Pub. Price $14.00 [256 pp.]
Lebacz, Karen and Joe Driskill. Ethics and Spiritual Care. Nashville: Abingdon, 2000. ISBN: 978-0687071562, Pub. Price $21.00 [174 pp.]
Marsh, Charles and John Perkins. Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community. Downers Grove: IVP, 2009. ISBN: 978-0830834532, Pub. Price $15.00 [140 pp.]
Sanders, Cheryl. Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People. Fortress Press, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800629175, Pub. Price: $18.00[152 pp.]
Sider, Ronald J. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005. ISBN: 978-0849945304, Pub. Price $15.99 [368 pp.]
Smedes, Lewis. Sex for Christians: The Limits and Liberties of Sexual Living. Eerdmans, 1994. ISBN: 978-0802807434, Pub. Price: $20.00 [244 pp.]
Stassen, Glen, ed. Just Peacemaking: The New Paradigm for the Ethics of Peace and War. Pilgrim Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0829817935, Pub. Price $18.00 [224 pp.]
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Two reading/lecture quizzes (20% of grade);
One Case Study assignment (20% of grade);
Formal book review, 3 to 5 pages (20% of grade);
Ethics article, 7 to 10 pages maximum length, double-spaced (written, 30% of final grade; presentation, 10% of final grade).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Christian Ethics (ETH); meets MAT program requirement and Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for other MA degrees.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None. (Final article presentation).