Summer 2007/Pasadena
Two-week Intensive: July 30-August 10
PM542
Bridger

PM542: LEARNING FROM ANGLICANISM: THE RELEVANCE OF ANGLICAN THOUGHT, EXPERIENCE AND WORSHIP TODAY. Francis Bridger.


DESCRIPTION: This course is aimed at all those who are interested in learning from the experience of Anglicans in the fields of worship, pastoral ministry, theology, mission and spirituality. It is open to Anglicans and non-Anglicans alike. In an increasingly globalized Christianity, the worldwide Anglican Communion offers examples of theological and cultural engagement which connect with contemporary faith and life across denominations and cultures.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The purpose of this course is to enable students to make ministerial, experiential and theological connections with their own life of faith and service to God. By the end of the course, students will have (a) experienced and reflected on Anglican styles of worship, especially the use of liturgy, as a prism through which to view their own experience of worship; (b) engaged with Anglican theology and method as a tool for ministry; (c) gained a brief overview of Anglican history with special reference to the Episcopal Church in the USA; (d) studied selected Anglican spiritual writers through the ages with a view to drawing out themes relevant to contemporary Christian spiritual life; (e) reflected upon the relevance, theology, and practice of Anglican pastoral ministry and mission; (f) engaged with the challenges facing contemporary global Christianity using the example of the Anglican Communion as a learning paradigm.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: As a worldwide Church that is both catholic and reformed, Anglicanism offers unique perspectives on contemporary issues of faith, life and ministry. This course aims at enabling participants to draw upon these perspectives in order to develop their own experience as reflective practitioners in ministry, irrespective of denomination.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet daily for four hours for two weeks. Learning methods will include lecture, discussion groups, team presentations to class, experience of liturgical worship, pastoral case studies, video (where appropriate) and analysis of selected Anglican texts. There will be considerable emphasis on experiential and reflective learning alongside traditional academic approaches.

REQUIRED READING:

Avis, P. The Anglican Understanding of the Church: An Introduction. SPCK, 2000.

_______. Anglicanism and the Christian Church. T & T Clark, 2002.

Bunting, I. Celebrating the Anglican Way. Hodder & Stoughton, 1996.

Further reading required for essay assignments will be indicated in the course syllabus.

ASSIGNMENTS:
  1. Attendance at all classes (10% of final grade).

  2. A four-page reflection on personal learning submitted by Friday 17 August (10% of final grade).

  3. Two essays of 3000 words each submitted by Monday September 10 (35% of final grade per essay). One of these essays will focus upon practical ministry.

  4. A written test in class on Monday August 6 (10% of final grade).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Pastoral Ministry and Theology (MIN 6).

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.