DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide a theological understanding of Christian beliefs about Christ, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Topics include biblical and historical developments of Christological and pneumatological traditions, their contemporary and contextual/intercultural varieties, various approaches to election, atonement, salvation, forgiveness, healing, Spirit-baptism, as well reconciliation of communities. An Evangelical theology will be constructed in dialogue with ecumenical and intercultural perspectives, and in light of the church's mission to other religions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated (1) a basic understanding of issues in their traditional and contemporary expressions; (2) an ability to reflect theologically upon the topics for this course; (3) skills towards developing one's own theology in critical dialogue with various views; (4) an acquaintance with a range of cultural and contextual matters that shape our understanding of theological issues (5) an appreciation of ecumenical and cultural diversity.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: An essential part of preparation for Christian ministry is to learn to think theologically through issues of faith and ministry.

COURSE FORMAT: Class meets twice a week for two hours of lecture, discussion & student presentations.

REQUIRED READING:

Green, J. B. and M. D. Baker. Recovering the Scandal of the Cross. InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Grenz, S. J. Theology for the Community of God. Eerdmans, 2000, pp. 243-460.

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. Pneumatology. The Holy Spirit in International, Ecumenical, and Historical Perspectives. Baker Academic, 2002.

__________. Christology. A Global Introduction. Baker Academic, 2003.

__________. One with God: Salvation as Deification and Justification. Liturgical Press, 2004.

Shults, F. L. & Sandage, S. J. The Faces of Forgiveness. Baker, 2003.
OR Blue, K. Authority to Heal. InterVarsity Press, 1987.

Choose one contextual/intercultural/interreligious text from below or of your choice (200 pp.):

Comblin, J. The Holy Spirit and Liberation. Orbis, 1989.

Cone, J. H. A Black Theology of Liberation. 2nd ed. Orbis, 1986.

Imbach, J. Three Faces of Jesus: How Jews, Christians and Muslims See Him. Templegate, 1993.

Kärkkäinen, V.-M. An Introduction to the Theology of Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2003.

Küster, Volker. The Many Faces of Jesus. An Intercultural Christology. Orbis, 2001.

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

Ramachandra, V. The Recovery of Mission: Beyond the Pluralist Paradigm. Paternoster, 1996.

Serretti, M., ed. The Uniqueness and Universality of Jesus Christ: In Dialogue with the Religions. Eerdmans, 2004.

Summer, G. The First and the Last: The Claims of Jesus Christ and the Claims of Other Religious Traditions. Eerdmans, 2004.

Tiessen, Terrance L. Who Can Be Saved?: Reassessing Salvation in Christ and World Religions. InterVarsity Press, 2004 (substitutes also for either Shults or Blue above).

Yong, A. Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions. Baker, 2003.