Winter 2007/Pasadena
ET533
Dufault-Hunter

ET533: CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP IN A SECULAR SOCIETY. Erin Dufault-Hunter.


DESCRIPTION: Too often in the public sphere, as well as in churches, discussions of social issues--such as family values, the role of government, race relations, and economics--betray a simplistic understanding or degenerate into name-calling. As Christians, we must approach moral questions seriously and thoughtfully, informed by secular knowledge but also shaped by our call to be followers of Jesus Christ. In this course, we wrestle with the complexity of these social problems, discuss the role of the faith community as a witness to hope in actions large and small, and practice discernment as we read, discuss, and explore ethics together.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: First, students will gain tools for analyzing how our interpretation of history, participation in popular culture, and personal experience shape our perceptions of social issues. Second, we will reflect on how our Christian faith should temper our confidence in commonly held assumptions and guide us in our beliefs and practice. Third, students will engage in an opportunity for service and learning with classmates in order to better understand how the church can practically address social issues. Fourth, through honest discussion and shared experience, students can develop an appreciation for the diversity of the body of Christ, practice respectful disagreement within it, and recognize our overlapping concerns as members of it.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: We are each invited to work by the power of the Spirit for the coming of his kingdom. In addition, many of us serve as leaders in communities and churches and in that capacity facilitate discussion of and responses to these social issues.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet twice a week for two-hour sessions that will consist of interactive lectures and occasional small group meetings.

REQUIRED READING:

Bass, Dorothy, ed. Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for a Searching People. Jossey-Bass, 1998.

Emerson, Michael, and Christian Smith. Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. Oxford, 2000.

Frost, Michael. Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture. Hendrickson/Strand, 2006.

McNeil, Donald, et al. Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life. Doubleday/Image, 1983.

Miles, Carrie A. The Redemption of Love: Rescuing Marriage and Sexuality from the Economics of a Fallen World. Brazos Press: 2006.

Wallis, Jim. God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. HarperCollins, 2005. OR
Hertzke, Allen. Freeing God's Children: The Unlikely Alliance for Global Human Rights. Rowman & Littlefield, 2004.
Wink, Walter. The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium. Galilee Trade, 1999.

Course reader.

RECOMMENDED READING:
De La Torre, Miguel. Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins. Orbis, 2004.

De Young, Curtiss Paul, Michel Emerson, George Yancey, Karen Chai Kim. United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation as an Answer to the Problem of Race. Oxford: 2003.

Niebuhr, Reinhold. Moral Man, Immoral Society. Continuum, 2004 or previous edition.

Yoder, John Howard. Christian Witness to the State. Herald Press, 2001 or previous edition.

ASSIGNMENTS: Quizzes on the readings (25%); two short papers based on the readings (each 20% of final grade); and one final project (25%). Course also requires collaboration with a small group, which will develop a short presentation to the class based on volunteer work done during the quarter (10%).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Christian Ethics (ETH).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.