Winter 2011/Pasadena
ET501
P. Sensenig

ET501: CHRISTIAN ETHICS. Peter Sensenig.


DESCRIPTION: The focus of the course will be the drama of God's action in the world, at the center of which is the in-breaking Reign of God through Jesus Christ. We will seek to understand our own participation in this story as it relates to issues of violence and peacemaking, sanctity of life, other faiths, sexual faithfulness, justice (economic, racial, and ecological), and witness to the world. We will also identify and compare fundamental assumptions that shape how Christians practice discipleship, seeking a method that aids repentance and correction, and growth in wholeness and commitment to serve Jesus Christ as Lord in all of life and ministry.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: God is shaping communities who faithfully follow Jesus as a witness to the Reign of God. Christian ministers teach Christians to be disciples and to make disciples, equipping persons to be followers of Christ rather than unaware captives of competing stories. This means seeing all of our lives as participation in God's action in the world, which requires constant transformation by the Holy Spirit as Christian communities and individuals.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) be able to identify and relate their understanding of the Christian narrative, as well as the variables shaping their understanding, to that of various ethicists (tested by regular Moodle postings); (2) demonstrate an understanding of how to relate Scripture to ethical problems, the importance of practices within the church, and the practical meaning of the Sermon on the Mount according to course readings (tested by three in-class essays); (3) articulate a Christian response to Islam and other faiths that incorporates insights from the course (tested by a short paper); and (4) relate the Christian narrative to practices of following Jesus within their congregations (tested by a final paper).

COURSE FORMAT: Lectures, discussion, and online responses. Class will meet twice a week for two-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Cavanaugh, William. Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. Eerdmans, 2008. 103 pages. ISBN: 0802845614. Pub.price: $12.00.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. Fortress, 2010. 192 pages. ISBN: 0800697405. Pub.price: $20.00.

Stassen, Glen, and David Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. InterVarsity Press, 2003. 538 pages. ISBN: 0830826688. Pub.price: $35.00.

Yoder, John Howard. Body Politics. Herald, 2001. 88 pages. ISBN: 0836191609. Pub.price: $14.99.

Other materials from Course Reader.
Students will also choose one of the following parallel reading tracks:
  1. Sanders, Cheryl. Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People. Fortress, 1995. 152 pages. ISBN: 0800629175. Pub.price: $18.00. And Thurman, Howard. Jesus and the Disinherited. Beacon, 1996. 124 pages. ISBN: 0807010294. Pub.price: $15.00.

  2. Stassen, Glen, ed. Just Peacemaking: The New Paradigm for the Ethics of Peace and War. Pilgrim, 2008. 224 pages. ISBN: 082981793X. Pub.price: $18.00. Or Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Love Your Enemies. Fortress, 1994. 268 pages. ISBN: 0800627008. Pub.price: $22.00.

  3. Hollenbach, David. The Common Good and Christian Ethics. Cambridge, 2002. 288 pages. ISBN: 0521894514. Pub.price: $32.99.

  4. De La Torre, Miguel. Christian Ethics from the Margins. Orbis, 2004. 280 pages. ISBN: 1570755515. Pub.price: $24.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: Regular Moodle postings (20%). Three half-hour in-class essays (30%). Response Paper (10%). Final paper on suggested topics (40%).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Christian Ethics (ETH); meets MAT program requirement; and meets Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for other MA degrees.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Optional makeup for one of the in-class essays.

This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (revised November 9, 2010)