Winter 2020/Pasadena

IS501

King

IS501: PRACTICES OF WORSHIP (4 Units: 160 hours). Roberta R. King

DESCRIPTION: Christian practices constitute the Christian life. The combined Christian practices of vocational formation, worship, community, and mission facilitate the integration of personal, spiritual, academic, and global formation into the vocational coherence of a Christian leader through reflection, relationships, and practices. IS501 is an integrative course that explores the identity and practices of Christian worship and prayer as a people called, gathered, and sent by God. Together, professor and students study and enact historic Christian disciplines necessitated by this distinctive identity (Sabbath-keeping, confession, praise, communion, enacting the prophetic, gathering & sending, prayer, and reading & proclaiming the Word) in order to form students who demonstrate capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will have demonstrated capacities to critically reflect on their current and past experiences of Christian practices of worship and prayer. (2) Students will have demonstrated through participation in local contexts the capacity to engage in activities and exercises related to Christian spiritual disciplines and practices of worship and prayer. (3) Students will have demonstrated capacities to engage scripture, tradition, and contemporary resources to reflect theologically on historic and personal practices of worship and prayer. (4) Students will have articulated how practices of worship and prayer impact their response to the Central Integration Question (CIQ) and will identify exercises, habits, and disciplines to embody these practices within their sociocultural context.

RELATIONSHIP TO PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES: This course will provide students with further opportunity to develop and/or master skills in integrating theological and missiological content with life experience and context through engaging a variety of spiritual practices related to the practice of worship, which is consistent with the SOT/SIS PLO “Students will have demonstrated capacities to cultivate a theologically reflective practice of Christian discipleship.” (MDiv, MAT, MATM, MAICS). The emphases on integration in this course provides introduction to the MAICS learning outcome related to critical thinking and integration (MAICS). This course may also contribute to various learning outcomes in the MAGL related to integrating theology and praxis in ministry and mission, and related to spiritual formation (MAGL).

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets twice weekly for two hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion.

Bradshaw, Paul. Two Ways of Praying. OSL Publications, 2008. ISBN: 9781878009593, Pub. Price $19.95 [100 pp.]. https://fuller.on.worldcat.org/oclc/277205656

Farhadian, Charles E. Christian Worship Worldwide: Expanding Horizons, Deepening Practices. Eerdmans,

2007. ISBN: 9780802828538, Pub. Price $24.00 [111 pp.]. Not available as an e-book. https://fuller.on.worldcat.org/oclc/85862361                                          

Howard, Evan B. Praying the Scriptures: A Field Guide for Your Spiritual Journey. IVP, 1999. ISBN: 9780830822010, Pub. Price $19.00 [48 pp.]. https://fuller.on.worldcat.org/oclc/40473724

Peterson, David. Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. IVP Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0830826971, Pub. Price $28.00 [100 pp.]. Available as an e-book, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fuller/detail.action?docID=2010699

Shigematsu, Ken. God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God.

Zondervan, 2013. ISBN: 978-0310499251, Pub. Price $17.99. [145 pp.]. Available as an e-book: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fuller/detail.action?docID=5607737                            

Smith, James K. A. You are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. Brazos Press, 2016.

ISBN: 9781587433801, Pub. Price $19.99 [190 pp.] Available as an e-book: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fuller/detail.action?docID=4633427

The Holy Bible. CEB, NRSV, and TNIV translations are acceptable [50 pp.].

Wright, NT. The Meal Jesus Gave Us, 2nd edition. Westminster/John Knox, 2015. ISBN: 978-0664261290, Pub Price $14.00 [96 pp.]. Available as an e-book: https://fuller.on.worldcat.org/oclc/930710724             

D. CORE PRACTICES:

1. Sabbath-Keeping

Olson, Dennis. “The Sabbath and Christian Worship.” In Bechtel, Carol M. Touching the Altar: the OldTestament for Christian Worship. Eerdmans, 2008. [pp. 1-32] E-Reserves.

Shigematsu, Ken. God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God. Zondervan, 2013. [Assigned Text].

2. Confession

Howard, Evan B. “Confession and Self-Examination” in Praying the Scriptures: A Field Guide for Your Spiritual Journey. IVP, 1999. [Assigned Text]

Smith, James K. A. “Confession” in You are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. Brazos Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1587433801. [Assigned Text]

3. Praise

Brueggemann, Walter. “Praise as a Constitutive Act,” in Israel’s Praise: Doxology agains Idolotry and

Ideology. Augsburg Fortress Press, 1988. [pp. 1-28]. E-Reserves.

Howard, Evan B. “Worship, Praise & Thanksgiving with the Scripture,” in Praying the Scriptures: A Field Guide for Your Spiritual Journey. IVP, 1999. [Assigned Text]

Witvliet, John Worship Seeking Understanding, 39-63, Chapter 2 Praise and Lament in the Psalms and in Liturgical Prayer, Baker Academic, 2003. E-Reserves.

4. Gathering & Sending

Dawn, Marva J. “What if We All were an Eye: A Sermon,” in A Royal Waste of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being Church in the World. Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1990. [pp. 169-177] E-Reserves.                                                                                   

Peterson, David. “Serving God in the assembly of his people” in Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. IVP Academic, 2002. [Assigned Text].

5. Reading & Proclaiming the Word

“Ten Tips for Reading Scripture in Public Worship.” Online article found at:

http://worship.calvin.edu/resources/resource-library/ten-tips-for-reading-scripture-in-public-worship

Peterson, Eugene H. “Scripture as Form: Following the Way of Jesus,” and “Scripture as Script: Playing our Part in Spirit.in Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. Grand Rapids: W.B.Eerdmans Publishing, 2009. [pp. 37-77].              E-Reserves.                           

6. Prayer

Bradshaw, Paul. Two Ways of Praying. OSL Publications, 2008. [Assigned Text]

Howard, Evan B. Praying the Scriptures: A Field Guide for Your Spiritual Journey. IVP, 1999. [Assigned Text].

Shigematsu, Ken. “Prayer: Deepening Your Friendship with God,” in God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God. Zondervan, 2013. [Assigned Text].

7. Communion

Wright, NT. The Meal Jesus Gave Us. 2nd edition. Westminster/John Knox, 2015. [Assigned Text].

8. Enacting the Prophetic

Farhadian, Charles E. Christian Worship Worldwide: Expanding Horizons, Deepening Practices.

E-RESERVES:

Brueggemann, Walter. “Praise as a Constitutive Act,” in Israel’s Praise: Doxology agains Idolotry and

Ideology. Augsburg Fortress Press, 1988. [pp. 1-28].

Dawn, Marva J. “What if We All were an Eye: A Sermon,” in A Royal Waste of Time: The Splendor of

Worshiping God and Being Church in the World. Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1990. [pp. 169-177]

Hawn, C. Michael. “Appendices B, C, D, E, F” in One Bread, One Body: Exploring Cultural Diversity in Worship. Bethesda: The Alban Institute, 2003. [pp. 184-201].

Olson, Dennis. “The Sabbath and Christian Worship.” In Bechtel, Carol M. Touching the Altar: the Old Testament for Christian Worship. Eerdmans, 2008. [pp. 1-32]

Peterson, Eugene H. “Scripture as Form: Following the Way of Jesus,” and “Scripture as Script: Playing our Part in Spirit.in Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. W.B.Eerdmans Publishing, 2009. [pp. 37-77].

Witvliet, John. “Praise and Lament in the Psalms in Liturgical Prayer” in Worship Seeking Understanding, Chapter 2 Baker Academic, 2003. [39-63].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. 1,000 pages reading and videos, including at least 50 pages of biblical text [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [50 hours].
  2. Classroom and Vocation Formation Group (VFG) Participation: Students will participate in active learning to foster understanding of and capacity for engaging in theologically-informed reflection in the online classroom and through participation in Vocation Formation Groups. (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #2, #3 and #4]. [32 hours+8 hours].
  3. Autobiography: Students will create an autobiography related to practices of worship and prayer (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1] [2 hours].
  4. Four fieldwork activities and reflections (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [8 hours + 8 hours = 16 hours].
  5. Directed Exercises and Integrative Reflection: Student will participate in disciplines and exercises outside of the classroom over the course of the quarter related to the core practices of the course and reflect on these experiences in a way that integrates experience with course content. (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2 and #3] [32 hours].
  6. Final Integrative Assignment: Integration paper that reflects theologically on the practices of this course and their implications for the student’s response to the CIQ and the exercises, habits, and disciplines in their current Rule of Life. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, #3, and #4]. [20 hours].

PREREQUISITES: IS500 encouraged. Recommended in first year of study.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets a core integration requirement in the 120 MDiv and the 80 MAT, 80 MATM, 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015).

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.