Winter 2007/Pasadena
Five-week Intensive: Feb. 5-March 9
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.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will
- understand the nature of cultural change in Western societies;
- reflect on methodological issues raised by various Christian attitudes to
culture;
- develop appropriate apologetic tools for contextualizing faith in
postmodern culture, with particular reference to the rise of New
Spirituality.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Christians in the West 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 twice weekly for three-hour sessions for
five weeks. Classes will generally have an interactive format incorporating
plenaries, presentations, discussions, and other forms of experiential
interaction.
REQUIRED READING:
- Anderson, Ray S. An Emergent Theology of Emerging Churches.
InterVarsity Press, 2006.
- 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.
- Murray, Stuart. Post-Christendom. Paternoster 2004.
- Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture [1951]. HarperSanFrancisco,
2001.
- Ritzer, George. McDonaldization: The Reader. 2nd ed. Pine Forge,
2006.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- 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.
- Oswalt, Conrad. Secular Steeples. Trinity Press International,
2003.
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
contemporary culture to be chosen by the student. 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.