Fall 2018/Houston

ET517

Kaemingk

ET517: POLITICS AND THE GLOBAL CHURCH (4 Units: 160 hours). Matthew Kaemingk.

DESCRIPTION: This course will provide students with an introduction to the important voices and debates surrounding the topic of faith, politics, and cultural diversity in the global church.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) gain a greater understanding for the complex global challenges and opportunities facing the church in increasingly diverse political contexts. (2) be able to thoughtfully interact with a wide range of theological approaches to political life (including: Anabaptist, Catholic, Conservative, Liberationist, Progressive, and Reformed); (3) be able to critically analyze a variety of modern political ideologies (nationalism, conservatism, socialism, liberalism, etc.) from a theological perspective; (4) be able to articulate their own theological approach to politics and pluralism in a careful, biblical, and civil manner.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets for four Saturdays 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.

REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pages required.

Black, Amy ed. Five Views on the Church and Politics. Zondervan, 2015. ISBN: 978-0310517924, Pub. Price $19.99 [150 pp.].

Koyzis, David. Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830827268, Pub. Price $27.00 [267 pp.].

Scott, Peter and William Cavanaugh, The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology. Blackwell Publishing, 2007. ISBN:978-1405157445, Pub Price $61.95 (Available on eReserves) [200 pp.]

Soper, J. Christopher and Stephen V. Monsma. The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Five Democracies. Third Edition. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017, ISBN: 978-1442250437, Pub. Price $34.95 [150 pp.].

Global Dialogue Project. Students will choose two books in global public theology and put them in dialogue for a final paper. Book list:

Chow, Alexander. Chinese Public Theology. Oxford University Press, 2018. ISBN:978-0198808695, Pub Price $85.00. [1-168 pp.].

Cone, James. God of the Oppressed. Orbis Books, 1997. ISBN:978-1570751585, Pub. Price $22.00 [170 pp.].

De Gruchy, John. Christianity, Art, and Transformation: Theological Aesthetics in the Struggle for Justice. Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0521089500, Pub. Price $45.42. [212 pp.]

Ellul, Jacques. Anarchy and Christianity. Wipf & Stock, 2011. ISBN:978-1606089712, Pub. Price $17.00 [114 pp.].

Gutierrez, Gustavo, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation (15th Anniversary Edition) Orbis, 1988. ISBN: 978-0883445426, Pub. Price $24.00 [140 pp.].

Katongole, Emmanuel. The Sacrifice of Africa: A Political Theology for Africa. Eerdmans, 2010. ISBN:978-0802862686, Pub Price $16.00 [197 pp.].

Kuyper, Abraham. Lectures on Calvinism. Eerdmans, 1997. ISBN:978-0802816078, Pub. Price $18.00 [135 pp.]. Plus two articles given by professor.

Pui-Lan, Kwok. Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology. Westminster John Knox Press, 2005. ISBN:978-0664228835, Pub. Price $30.00 [256 pp.].

Stackhouse, Max. God and Globalization: Vol 4 Globalization and Grace. Continuum, 2007. ISBN:978-0567114822, Pub Price $32.56 [229 pp.]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Class time [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1,2,3,4]. [30 hours].
2. Reading, 1,200 pages. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4]. [80 hours].
3. Three reading quizzes (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4]. [10 hours].
4. Three presentations (25%). Brief presentations on specific political perspectives. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4]. [10 DLA hours].
5. Final exam (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, and 4]. [10 hours].
6. Final paper (30%): students will put multiple global/theological perspectives in dialogue and apply those perspectives to their own context (10 pages). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2, 4]. [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C1 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015). Option to meet the TH5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.

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.