Spring 2009/Pasadena
TC500
Taylor
TC500: THEOLOGY AND CULTURE. Barry Taylor.
DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to contemporary culture, its
philosophies and practices, and the challenges and opportunities it presents to
effective Christian ministry and mission.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (a) gain an understanding of the nature of
cultural change in Western societies; (b) reflect on methodological issues
raised by various Christian attitudes and responses to culture; (c) develop
theological and missional tools for contextualizing faith in contemporary
culture.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: A significant challenge for many Christians today is
to know how to contextualize the Gospel in new circumstances and situations
while remaining faithful to the inherited tradition. This course offers both
practical and theological means to achieve that task.
COURSE FORMAT: Ten weekly classes. Each week, students and the instructor will
interact with the material and each other through journaling, threaded
discussions, web-based research, and presentations.
REQUIRED READING: Approximately 1,200 pages from the required texts:
- Anderson, Ray S. An Emergent Theology of Emerging Churches.
InterVarsity Press, 2006. 236 pp.
- Carter, Craig A. Rethinking Christ & Culture: A Post-Christendom
Perspective. Brazos, 2006. 220 pp.
- Detweiler, Craig, and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of Meanings. Baker
Academic, 2003. 351 pp.
- Drane, John. Cultural Change and Biblical Faith. Darton,
Paternoster, 2000. 182 pp.
- Gray, Ann and Jim McGuigan. Studying Culture: An Introductory
Reader. St. Martins Press, 1997. 356 pp.
- Tickle, Phyllis. The Great Emergence. Baker Books, 2008. 176
pp.
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Chidester, David. Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular
Culture. University of California Press, 2005. 294 pp.
- Lynch, Gordon. Understanding Theology and Popular Culture.
Routledge, 2005. 236 pp.
- Mazur, E., and K. McCarthy. God in the Details: American Religion in
Popular Culture. Routledge, 2001. 326 pp.
- Sarup, Madan. Identity, Culture and the Postmodern World. University
of Georgia Press, 1996, 189 pp.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Weekly threaded discussions on culture/theology (25%).
- A personal course journal (15%).
- Two 2-page book reviews (20%).
- A project offering theological insights into an aspect of contemporary
culture to be chosen by the student and given advance approval in writing by
the professor. This may be in any medium (written - 15 pages, visual, dramatic,
digital, etc.) (40%).
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; meets the MACL in Integrative Studies requirement for an
interdisciplinary course (IDPL); meets the culture (CULT) requirement in
Cultural Literacy for MA programs.
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (2/09)