Spring 2004/Pasadena
NS521
Matson
NS521: NEW TESTAMENT ETHICS. David L. Matson.
DESCRIPTION:
- This course engages the student in a study of that branch of New
Testament Theology concerned with Christian life and ethics. More specifically,
the course attempts to help the student develop a theological framework for
Christian ethics that employs a critical and responsible use of the New
Testament documents in conjunction with other sources of theological authority.
How those sources combine to produce a coherent Christian worldview on any
number of critical issues facing Christians today will be the ultimate aim of
the course.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- This course helps Christians develop the necessary exegetical and
hermeneutical skills for interpreting New Testament texts that bear heavily on
certain "cutting edge" issues facing today's church (e.g., homosexuality,
anti-Judaism, abortion, divorce, war and peace). Unfortunately, many of these
issues are settled more often by cultural assumptions and biblical
proof-texting than by a carefully conceived theological method that takes
seriously both the unity and diversity of the New Testament writings. Learning
to use these texts responsibly in the process of moral and ethical discernment
will be one of the chief values of the course.
COURSE FORMAT:
- This course relies heavily on the student's grasp of the assigned
readings to inform and guide classroom discussion and interaction. Lectures
will augment the assigned readings, offering both clarification and critique.
Student participation is critical in a course that seeks to model the kind of
ethical decision-making process so badly needed in the church today. The course
will meet weekly for three and one-half hour sessions.
REQUIRED READING:
- Furnish, Victor Paul. The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected
Issues. 2nd ed., revised. Nashville: Abingdon, 1985.
- Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary
Introduction to New Testament Ethics. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1996.
- Johnson, Luke Timothy. Scripture and Discernment: Decision Making in the
Church. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.
- Stone, Howard W. and James O. Duke. How to Think Theologically.
Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- A written mid-term examination covering the first half of the course
(25%).
- A 12-15 page exegetical paper on a New Testament text whose meaning (or
range of meanings) weighs heavily in ethical construction (35%).
- A small group project highlighting the role of Christian community in the
process of theological and ethical discernment (10%).
- A final examination measuring the student's overall grasp of the course
(30%).
PREREQUISITES:
- NS500, NS501.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Meets M.Div. core requirement in New Testament Theology (NTT).
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Yes.