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.

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.

Class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions of lectures, discussions, & student presentations.

Grenz, S.J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000, pp. 1-242

Jewett, P.K. & Shuster, M. Who We Are: Our Dignity as Human. Eerdmans, 1996 (relevant sections).

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. The Doctrine of God. A Global Introduction. Baker, 2004.

_______. An Introduction to the Theology of Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2003 (relevant sections).

Special topic, choose one:

Bacote, L.C. et al., ed. Evangelicals & Scripture: Tradition, Authority & Hermeneutics. IVP, 2004.

Beilby, J.K. & P. R. Eddy. Divine Foreknowledge. Four Views. InterVarsity Press, 2001.

Bouma-Prediger, S. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. IVP, 2001

Fiddes, P. Participating in God: A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity. Westminster John Knox, 2001.

Kimel, A.F., ed. Speaking the God: Holy Trinity & the Challenge of Feminism. Eerdmans, 1992.

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Trinity and Religious Pluralism. Ashgate, 2004.

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.

Shuster, M. The Fall and Sin. What We Have Become as Sinners. Eerdmans, 2003.

Volf, M. Exclusion and Embrace. Abingdon, 1996.

A contextual/intercultural/interreligious 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.

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Trinity and Religious Pluralism. Ashgate, 2004.

Parratt, J. Reinventing Christianity: African Theology Today. Eerdmans, 1995.

Parsons, S.F. ed. The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002.

(1) 1,200 pages of required reading. (2) 15 pages of reading responses. (3) A research paper, 10 pp. (4) Student presentations. (5) Final exam: topics will be given at the beginning of the course.