Fall 2005/Pasadena
ET824/524
Stassen
ET824/524: JESUS AND THE MORAL LIFE. Glen Stassen.
DESCRIPTION: This is a seminar for doctoral students and open to a limited
number of master's level students. The seminar's thesis is that Christian
ethics would be significantly stronger if it paid attention to the way of Jesus
Christ. Surprisingly, most ethicists do not concretely do so. Yet increasingly
interesting resources are at hand. Our objectives are: (1) to increase
knowledge of resources in a sample of canonical exegetical approaches,
historical Jesus approaches, and Christian ethicists whose writing is
strengthened by their methodologically successful attention to Jesus; (2) to
detect Christian ethicists' methodological assumptions that either block or
enhance their ability to write ethics that learns constructively from Jesus;
(3) to write a constructive essay that combines accurate interpretation of the
way of Jesus with a critical ethical method.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Surprisingly, many churches teach, preach, and practice
without much concrete attention to the way of Jesus, instead emphasizing
general inspiration, or doctrine, or exegesis of other aspects of biblical
literature. The result often is a church ripe for co-optation by secular
ideologies and accommodation to secular culture rather than being
transformative. The same is true of much teaching of Christian ethics. Our
objective is to recover a transformative vision in a way that is faithful to
Jesus Christ, fully Lord and fully Savior.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions. At each
meeting two students will present their critical assessment for Christian
ethics of a major book; all seminar participants will be expected weekly to
have read one of the books being discussed in order to engage actively in
discussion.
REQUIRED READING: There are no textbooks required for purchase. Masters level
students will read a minimum of 1,500 pages chosen from a list of texts in
three categories: (I) the problem, (II) New Testament Studies, and (III)
Christian and Theological Ethics.
I. The Problem:
- Gustafson, James. Christ and the Moral Life. University of Chicago
Press or Harper & Row, 1968.
On reserve: Troeltsch, Ernst. The Social
Teaching of the Christian Churches. Vol. 1. Beacon, 1981, pp. 39-58.
John Yoder's essay, "Jesus and Power," in Durnbaugh, Donald F., ed. On
Earth Peace. Brethren Press, 1978, pp. 365-72.
Optional: James
Gustafson, Can Ethics Be Christian? University of Chicago Press, 1975.
- Stassen, Glen, D. M. Yeager, and John Yoder. Authentic Transformation: A
New Vision of Christ and Culture. Abingdon, 1996.
Essays on reserve:
"Reassessing Christ and Culture," in Journal of the Society of Christian
Ethics 23/1 (Spring/Summer 2003): 101-68.
Recommended: H. Richard
Niebuhr, Christ and Culture. HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.
II. New
Testament Studies:
- Wright, N.T., Jesus and the Victory of God. Fortress, 1996, 147-663;
And see (on reserve): Hays, Richard. "Victory over Violence: The
Significance of N. T. Wright's Jesus for New Testament Ethics," in Newman, C.
C. ed., Jesus and the Restoration of Israel. InterVarsity Press, 1999.
- Freyne, Sean. Jesus, A Jewish Galilean. T&T Clark, 2004.
And Borg,
Marcus. Conflict, Holiness, and Politics in the Teaching of Jesus. Trinity,
1998.
- Watts, Rikki. Isaiah's New Exodus in Mark. Baker, 2000.
Or Myers,
Ched. Binding the Strong Man. Orbis, 1997.
Or Herzog, William, II.
Jesus, Justice, and the Reign of God. Westminster John Knox,
2000.
III. Christian Ethics:
- Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus. Eerdmans, 1994.
Essays
on reserve: Klassen and Stassen in the Wisdom of the Cross. Eerdmans,
1999.
- Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Ethics. Fortress, 1996.
On reserve:
Stassen, Glen. "Healing the Rift Between the Sermon on the Mount and Christian
Ethics," Studies in Christian Ethics (Fall 2005).
- Spohn, William. Go and Do Likewise. Continuum, 1999.
Recommended:
Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Sex, Gender, & Christian Ethics. Cambridge
University Press, 1996.
- Verhey, Allen. Remembering Jesus: Christian Community, Scripture, and the
Moral Life. Eerdmans, 2002.
- Wink, Walter. Engaging the Powers. Fortress, 1992.
Recommended:
Wink, Walter. Naming the Powers. Fortress, 1984.
ASSIGNMENTS: (1) Weekly reading; (2) Seminar presentations assessing assigned
books; (3) Major paper assessing either a contribution of studies of the
Synoptics to a dimension of Christian ethics or the use of Jesus in the ethical
method of one Christian ethicist. (Assignments for master's level students will
be negotiated.)
PREREQUISITES: For master's level students: NS500 New Testament 1: Gospels; two
prior courses in Christian ethics, one in Christian philosophy, and two in
theology; and permission of the instructor.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: For master's level students: elective.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.