Winter 2006/Pasadena
TC500
Drane
TC500: THEOLOGY AND CULTURE. John Drane.
DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to contemporary culture and the
challenges and opportunities it presents in relation to effective Christian
ministry and mission.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (a) understand the nature
of cultural change in Western societies; (b) reflect on methodological issues
raised by various Christian attitudes to culture; (c) develop appropriate
apologetic tools for contextualizing faith in postmodern culture, with
particular reference to the rise of New Spirituality.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Christians need to know how to contextualize the
Gospel in new circumstances while remaining faithful to the inherited
tradition. This course offers theological reflection on that task, together
with practical tools for doing it.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions and will
generally have an interactive format incorporating plenaries, presentations,
discussions, and other forms of experiential interaction.
REQUIRED READING:
- Drane, John. Cultural Change and Biblical Faith. Paternoster
Press, 2000.
- Drane, John. Do Christians Know How to be Spiritual? The Rise of New
Spirituality and the Mission of the Church. Darton, Longman & Todd,
2005.
- Lynch, Gordon. Understanding Theology and Popular Culture.
Routledge, 2005.
- Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture [1951]. HarperSanFrancisco,
2001.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Anderson, Walter Truett. The Next Enlightenment. St. Martins
Press, 2003.
- Chidester, David. Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular
Culture. University of California Press, 2005.
- Detweiler, Craig and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of Meanings. Baker
Academic, 2003.
- Drane, John. The McDonaldization of the Church. Smyth & Helwys,
2001.
- Mazur, E. and K. McCarthy. God in the Details: American Religion in
Popular Culture. Routledge, 2001.
ASSIGNMENTS: Attendance: Students who miss more than three class meetings will
not receive a passing grade. Written work: (a) a personal course journal,
including two book reviews; (b) a project offering theological insights into an
aspect of culture chosen by the student and given advance approval in writing
by the professor. This may be in any medium (written, visual, dramatic,
digital, etc.). Both pieces must be completed to obtain a grade, and each
counts for 50% of the final grade.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective. Required course for the MA in Theology
(Theology and Arts format); may meet requirements in the Concentration in
Worship, Theology, and the Arts in the MDiv and in the MA in Worship, Theology,
and the Arts.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.