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 (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 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, as well as some off-campus activities.

REQUIRED READING:

Anderson, Ray S. An Emergent Theology of Emerging Churches. InterVarsity Press, 2006.

Carter, Craig A. Rethinking Christ & Culture: A Post-Christendom Perspective. Brazos, 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.

Murray, Stuart. Church after Christendom. Paternoster, 2005.

Ritzer, George. McDonaldization: The Reader. 2nd ed. Pine Forge, 2006.

Weston, Paul. Lesslie Newbigin, Missionary Theologian: A Reader. Eerdmans, 2006.

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.

Lynch, Gordon. Understanding Theology and Popular Culture. Routledge, 2005.

Mazur, E., and K. McCarthy. God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture. Routledge, 2001.

Oswalt, Conrad. Secular Steeples. Trinity Press International, 2003.

• 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.