Winter 2008/Pasadena
ST588
Dyrness/Peacore
ST588: THEOLOGY OF AFRICA, ASIA, AND LATIN AMERICA. William Dyrness and Linda
Peacore.
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to introduce students to theological
reflection going on outside of North America as this develops against the
backdrop of the indigenous religious context. The focus will be on major
philosophical and religious traditions and the interaction of Christianity with
these traditions. The emphasis will be on a comparative study which makes use
of social science methods and develops a biblical and critical perspective.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Student will learn the variety of theological responses of
churches outside the west, understand in depth the contextual and cultural
issues of specific areas they will choose, and experience the struggle of these
areas through contextual examples of art and literature.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Ministry is now carried out in a world perspective in
which cross-cultural issues are unavoidable. Since the church outside of North
America is now larger than that in the West, and since much creative thinking
emanates from these churches, responsible ministry today requires the
development of critical listening skills.
COURSE FORMAT: Class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions. This course
will survey theological reflection in three major areas of the world: Asia,
Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. For each area lectures will first focus
on the major religious traditions of the region and then study the rise of
local theologies in those contexts. Lectures and readings will cover selected
topics being discussed by theologians (both formal and informal) from these
regions. Finally an attempt will be made to interact with these materials from
the perspective of western theology.
REQUIRED READING:
- Dyrness, William A. Learning about Theology from the Third
World. Zondervan, 1990.
- Jenkins, Philip. The New Faces of Christianity. Oxford University
Press, 2006.
- Thiong'o, Ngugi wa. The River Between. Heinemann, 1990 [1965].
- Course Reader.
- One text representing student's chosen area of focus and approved by
professor (see extended Recommended Reading list in course
syllabus).
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Barr, William R. ed. Constructive Theology in the Worldwide
Church. Eerdmans, 1997.
- Bediako, Kwame. Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western
Religion. Orbis, 1995.
- Gifford, Paul. Ghana's New Christianity: Pentecostalism in a Globalizing
African Economy. Indiana University Press, 2004.
- Jenkins, Philip. The Next Christendom. Oxford University Press,
2000.
- Karkkainen, Veli-Matti. The Trinity in Global Perspective.
Westminster, 2007.
- Peterson, Douglas. Not by Might Nor by Power: A Pentecostal Theology of
Social Concern in Latin America. Regnum, 1996.
- Ramachandra, Vinoth. The Recovery of Mission: Beyond the Pluralist
Paradigm. Eerdmans, 1996.
- Yung, Hwa. Mangoes or Bananas? The Quest for an Authentic Asian
Christian Theology. Regnum/Oxford, 1997.
ASSIGNMENTS: Grading will be based on three short (4-6 pp.) reviews comparing
articles from two continents (15% each [= 45%]) and a longer (15-20 pp.) paper
focusing on one of the three areas discussed in class of the student's choice
(50%). The reviews can focus on a particular issue raised in the books, but
should cover the relation of Christian theology to indigenous religious
traditions and reflect a knowledge of the larger argument of the book. The
longer project will be a comparative study of a Christian belief or practice
from the area chosen by the student and a corresponding belief of the
indigenous religious tradition. This project should draw on the required
reading (and other sources available). Class attendance and participation will
also be factors in evaluation (5%).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets requirement in Globalization (GLBL) for MA
degrees.
FINAL EXAMINATION: No.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (11/07)