DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to provide a resource for Christian thought, life, and ministry by examining Christian beliefs about the identity of Jesus Christ, his redemptive death, and the fundamental questions of justification, sanctification, election, grace, and the life of faith.

The purpose of the course to assist students to think for themselves theologically by developing a method which seeks to identify the issues, examine what others have said about them, reexamine the teaching of Scripture, and give their own answers.

Lectures and discussion. The class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions. The syllabus and additional teaching material are available to registered students on the Fuller Pipeline. Guest faculty will discuss questions of ethnic and cultural diversity.

Students are encouraged to draw on a wide variety of books and articles, including the following:

Brown, C. That You May Believe: Miracles and Faith--Then and Now. Eerdmans, 1985. Reprint, Wipf & Stock, 1998.

________. Jesus in European Protestant Thought, 1778-1860. Labyrinth Press, 1985.

________. "Person of Christ." In G. W. Bromiley, ed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia 3 (1986): 781-801.

________. "Trinity and Incarnation: In Search of Contemporary Orthodoxy." Ex Auditu 7 (1991): 83-100.

________. "Historical Jesus, Quest of." In Joel B. Green, Scott McKnight, I. Howard Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. InterVarsity Press, 1992, pp. 326-341.

________, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 4 vols. Rev. ed. Zondervan, 1986.

________. "Christology and the Quest of the Historical Jesus." In D. Lewis and A. McGrath, eds., Doing Theology for the People of God. InterVarsity Press, 1996, 67-86.

Carroll, J. T. and J. B. Green et al. The Death of Jesus in Early Christianity. Hendrickson, 1995.

Cowdell, Scott. Is Jesus Unique? A Study of Recent Christology. Paulist Press, 1996.

Dunn, J. D. G. Christology in the Making. 2nd ed. Eerdmans, 1996.

Martin, R. P. and B. J. Dodd, eds. Where Christology Began: Essays on Philippians 2. Westminster John Knox, 1998.

Meier, J. P. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus. 2 vols. Doubleday, 1991, '94, '01.

Meyer, Marvin and Charles Hughes, eds. Jesus Then & Now: Images of Jesus in History and Christology. Trinity Press International, 2001.

Montague, G. T. The Holy Spirit: Growth of a Biblical Tradition. Paulist Press, 1976.

Newman, Carey C., ed. Jesus and the Restoration of Israel: A Critical Assessment of N.T. Wright's Jesus and the Victory of God. InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Schaff, P. The Creeds of Christendom. 3 vols. 1877. Reprint, Baker, 1983.

Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide. Fortress, 1998.

Midterm essay. Submission of course notes at the end of the quarter. The notes are to include coverage of topics treated in the course, critical comments on 3 topics chosen by the student, and a 6-page report on a book dealing with ethnic and cultural issues. The syllabus lists titles for the book report. Students completing their Systematic Theology courses may choose to write a Credo in lieu of these assignments.