Fall 2003/Pasadena
ST501
Kärkkäinen
ST501: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1: THEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. Veli-Matti
Kärkkäinen.
DESCRIPTION:
- This course is designed to provide a foundational understanding of
Christian beliefs about revelation and Scripture, the triune God, creation and
providence, human beings as the image of God, and the fall, evil, and sin.
Corollary current issues, such as human beings as male and female, sexuality,
race, suffering, ecology, and the relationship of Christian faith to other
religions will be discussed. On the basis of biblical and historical
developments, a contemporary Evangelical theology will be constructed in
dialogue with ecumenical, contextual/intercultural, and interreligious
perspectives.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- An essential part of preparation for Christian ministry is learning
to think theologically through issues of faith and ministry and help student to
begin to develop his or her own theology as well as cultivate sensitivity to
ecumenical, cross-cultural, and interreligious issues.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The class will meet once a week for a three-hour session of
lectures, discussions, and occasional student presentations.
REQUIRED READING:
- Grenz, S. J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans,
2000, pp. 1-242
- Jewett, P. K. with M. Shuster. Who We Are: Our Dignity as Human.
Eerdmans, 1996.
- Kärkkäinen, V.-M. God in Global Perspective. Baker, 2004
(forthcoming; photocopy).
- __________. An Introduction to the Theology of Religions.
InterVarsity Press, 2003.
- Special topic, choose one:
- Beilby, J. K.& Eddy, P. R. Divine Foreknowledge.
Four Views. InterVarsity Press, 2001.
- Bouma-Prediger, S. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for
Creation Care. IVP, 2001
- Brown, W. et al., eds., Whatever Happened to the Soul? Fortress,
1998.
- Erickson, M. God the Father Almighty. Baker, 1998.
- Fiddes, P. Participating in God: A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity.
Westminster John Knox, 2001.
- Ganssle, B. E., ed. God & Time. Four Views. InterVarsity Press,
2001.
- McKim, D. K. The Bible in Theology & Preaching. Abingdon,
1985/Wipf & Stock, 1999
- Pinnock, C. Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God's Openness. Baker,
2001.
- Plantinga, A. Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin.
Eerdmans, 1996.
- Sanders, J. The God Who Risks: A Theology of Providence.
InterVarsity Press, 1998.
- Schwarz, H. Creation. Eerdmans, 2002.
- Volf, M. Exclusion and Embrace. Abingdon, 1996.
- A contextual and/or intercultural study (relevant sections)
choose one:
- Barr, W. R. Constructive Christian Theology in the
Worldwide Church. Eerdmans, 1997.
- Boff, L. Trinity and Society. Orbis, 1988.
- Cone, J. H. God of the Oppressed. Orbis, 1997.
- Elwood, J. E., ed. Asian Christian Theology: Emerging Themes.
Westminster, 1980
- Evans, J. We Have Been Believers: An African American Systematic
Theology. Fortress, 1992.
- Fulljames, P. God and Creation in Intercultural Perspective. Peter
Lang, 1993.
- Gonzáles, J. Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic
Perspective. Abingdon, 1990.
- Parratt, J. Reinventing Christianity: African Theology Today.
Eerdmans, 1995.
- Parsons, S. F. ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology.
Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- (1) 1,200 pages of required reading. (2) Reading responses. (3) A
research paper, 10 pages. (4) Student presentations. (5) Final exam:
topics will be given at the beginning of the course.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets M.Div. core requirement in Systematic
Theology "A" (STA).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.