DESCRIPTION: A study of the concept of the kingdom of God in the teachings of
the historical Jesus and the Gospels, as well as in Paul, John, and the General
Epistles. Emphasis will be laid on not only the nature of kingdom as
represented across the spectrum of NT writings but also its reception (its
articulation in modern theological discourse and application within the
contemporary church).
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The kingdom of God was a central thematic
in the teachings of Jesus. Although the term surfaces with relative infrequency
in the remaining portion of the canon, its conceptual framework is both assumed
throughout and indeed transformed to meet the diverse contexts in which the NT
collection took shape. A holistic and canonical understanding of the kingdom is
prerequisite to holistic ministry and mission.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Having successfully completed this course, students will
have demonstrated the ability to (1) describe the deployment of the
kingdom metaphor through representative NT writings, relating it to each book's
central concerns; (2) work with the New Testament materials relevant to
the kingdom of God in a synthetic way that takes seriously the particularity of
these materials and the potential of a coordinated New Testament witness to the
kingdom of God; (3) exhibit the relationship between exegesis and
theological interpretation of New Testament texts concerned with the kingdom of
God; (4) convey the ongoing significance of the witness of Jesus and early
Christian writers to the kingdom of God for critical reflection on theological
discourse and ecclesial practices.
COURSE FORMAT: This course is concerned with the practice of New Testament
theology, which necessarily involves sociocultural and canonical interests. As
a result, the course will require exegetical and theological work with biblical
texts. The course meets daily for two weeks for four-hour sessions of lecture
and discussion.
REQUIRED READING: