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.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND 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.

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.

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.

Laderman, Gary. Sacred Matters: Celebrity Worship, Sexual Ecstasies, The Living Dead and Other Signs of Religion in the United States. New Press, 2009. 224 pp.

Detweiler, Craig, and Barry Taylor. A Matrix of Meanings. Baker Academic, 2003. 351 pp.

Taylor, Mrk C. About Religion: Economies of Faith in Virtual Culture. University of Chicago Press, 1999. 304 pp.

Cobb, Kelton. The Blackwell Guide to Theology and Popular Culutre. Wiley-Blackwell, 2005. 352 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.

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.

1. Weekly threaded discussions on culture/theology (25%)

2. A personal course journal (15%)

3. Two 2-page book reviews (20%)

4. 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%)