Winter 2009/Pasadena
ST501
Brown
ST501: SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 1: THEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. Colin Brown.
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to provide a resource for Christian
thought, life, and ministry by examining Christian beliefs about revelation,
reason, and faith; the nature and authority of Scripture; the existence of God
and the way we think about divine attributes; the Holy Trinity; creation and
providence; human beings as the image of God; the fall and sin.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students completing this course will have examined the
topics noted in the Description in light of classical and contemporary thought.
(2) They will have reviewed different interpretations of Scripture and its
application to these topics. (3) They will have been encouraged to develop a
method for identifying and addressing theological questions and to think for
themselves. (4) They will have completed assignments which stress the
importance of precise writing, logical expression, and the value of preserving
written records. (5) They will have been challenged by the cross-cultural
component of the course which includes writing a book report on a book chosen
from a list of non-western writers.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Students are encouraged to think for themselves
theologically on fundamental issues of Christian life and ministry as they
affect their own tradition and other traditions.
COURSE FORMAT: The class meets twice weekly for two-hour sessions of lectures
and discussion.
REQUIRED READING: Course Syllabus.
RECOMMENDED READING: There is no set textbook. Students are encouraged to read
widely from a variety of primary and secondary texts. Selected works will be
placed on reserve in McAlister Library. Further details of literature are given
in the Course Syllabus. The following are recommended:
- Brown, C. Christianity and Western Thought. Vol. 1: From
the Ancient World to the Age of Enlightenment. InterVarsity Press, 1990.
- _______. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology.
4 vols. Zondervan, 1986.
- _______. "Trinity and Incarnation: In Search of Contemporary Orthodoxy."
Ex Auditu 7 (1991): 83-100.
- Clines, D. J. A. "Humanity as the Image of God in Man." In On the Way to
the Postmodern. Sheffield Academic Press, 1998, 2:447-97.
- Cooper, John W. Body, Soul and Life Everlasting. Eerdmans, 2000.
- Ferguson, S. B., and Wright, D. F., eds. New Dictionary of Theology.
InterVarsity Press, 1988.
- Jewett, Paul K., with Marguerite Shuster. Who We Are: Our Dignity as
Human. A Neo-Evangelical Theology. Eerdmans, 1996.
- Lane, Anthony N.S., ed. The Unseen World: Christian Reflections on
Angels, Demons and the Heavenly Realm. Baker, 1996.
- Moreland, J. P., and S. B. Rae. Body & Soul: Human Nature & the
Crisis in Ethics. InterVarsity, 2000.
- Schaff, P. The Creeds of Christendom. 3 vols. 1877; reprint ed.
Baker, 1983, and later reprints.
- Swinburne, Richard. The Evolution of the Soul. Rev. ed. Clarendon
Press, 1977.
- _________. Providence and the Problem of Evil. Clarendon Press,
1998.
- Van Till, Howard J., et. al., Portraits of Creation: Biblical and
Scientific Perspectives on the World's Formation. Eerdmans, 1990.
ASSIGNMENTS: Submission of course notes and an essay. The notes are to include
coverage of topics treated in the course, critical comments on three topics
chosen by the student, and a six-page report on a book dealing with ethnic and
cultural issues. Titles for the book report are listed in the syllabus.
Students completing their Systematic Theology courses may choose to write a
Credo in lieu of these assignments.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Systematic Theology
"a" (STA).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (10/08)