Winter 2004/Pasadena
PH504
Wheeler
PH504: COSMOVISIÓN CRISTIANA Y RETOS CONTEMPORÁNEOS. David L.
Wheeler.
DESCRIPTION:
- Everyone has a basic outlook, or perspective on the world, more or
less self-conscious, comprehensive and coherent. One's "worldview" has a major
impact on specific beliefs, values and actions. Our global culture is bringing
many worldviews into contact, conflict and competition. Competing worldviews
meet within as well as around the church. Many of these worldviews
present severe challenges to Christian faith. In this course we address
questions such as: What constitutes a world view? How are world views formed,
nurtured and promoted? What is the relationship between worldviews and specific
beliefs and values? In particular, how do various worldviews interface with the
claims of the Christian Gospel --growing from that Gospel, promoting it,
resisting it, deflecting it, supplanting it? We will explore faithful responses
to proponents of worldviews incompatible with the Gospel, and see our own faith
in a new light as we do so.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- This course will aid the pastor, the evangelist, the teacher, the
counselor to be sensitive to basic assumptions--conscious and unconscious--that
form people's values and affect their responses to faith.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions consisting of
lectures and discussion both as a class and in small groups.
REQUIRED READING:
- Escobar, Samuel. Postmodernidad y la iglesia. IINDEF,
2000.
- Fowler, James W. Stages of Faith. HarperSanFrancisco, 1981.
- Hong, In Sik. ¿Una iglesia postmoderna? Kairos,
2001.
- Kuhn, Thomas S. Estructura de las revoluciones científicas.
Fondo de Cultura Económica, U.S.A., 1995.
- Ropero, Alfonso. Filosofía y cristianismo. CLIE,
1997.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Take-home midterm.
- Topical research project (12-15 pages) chosen in consultation with
professor.
- In-class final.
PREREQUISITES:
- Spanish.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Meets M.Div. core requirement in Philosophical Theology (PHIL).
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Yes.