Winter 2012/Pasadena
ET501
H. J. Lee
ET501: CHRISTIAN ETHICS. Hak Joon Lee.
DESCRIPTION: A foundational course in Christian ethics that studies core
Christian ethical vision, values, and convictions (telos, norms, and virtues)
shaping and guiding Christian moral agency, decisions, and ecclesial practices.
Taking the doctrines of the Trinity and covenant as its theological foundation,
the course discusses the methods of ethical decisions, authority of Scripture,
formation of moral agency, norms of love and justice, together with the issues
of economic, racial, and ecological justice, sanctity of life, sexual
faithfulness, violence and peacemaking with a special attention to global,
pluralistic contexts of Christian ministry today.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Christian life is life in the triune
God--guided and empowered by the Spirit in conformity to Jesus Christ for the
glory of the Father. Christian ethics is concerned with the authenticity of
such a life both in personal and communal realms. The question of how to
discern and follow the will of the triune God in our personal and communal life
is indispensable to all Christians for their spiritual life, just as it is
central to the discipline of Christian ethics. Through this exploration of
Christian ethics, students will grow in their relationship with the triune God,
develop mature Christian moral imaginations, refine their skills of ethical
discernment, deepen their sense of vocational and ministerial identity, and
help others to understand and follow God's will in their own personal and
social contexts.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will demonstrate that they
- understand core Christian moral convictions, vision, values, virtues of
Christian faith (the kingdom of God, covenant, love and justice, human dignity,
nonviolence, etc.);
- have learned the basic skills of critical moral description, analysis, and
ethical reasoning;
- understand and can assess different ethical views and assumptions besides
their own;
- have gained competence in teaching Christian ethics in their own particular
social contexts and in articulating their moral convictions in the public realm
in conversations with others;
- have learned how to identify and apply core Christian vision, values, and
virtues to major contemporary ethical issues.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions for
discussion and lecture.
REQUIRED READING:
- De La Torre, Miguel A. Christian Ethics from the Margins. Orbis,
2004. ISBN: 978-1570755514. Pub. price: $24.00 [250 pages].
- Lee, Hak Joon. We Will Get to the Promised Land. Pilgrim
Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0829815269. Pub. price: $25.00 [Approx. 200
pages].
- Fee, Gordon. Paul, the Spirit, the People of God. Hendrickson, 1996;
repr. Baker Academic, 2007. ISBN: 978-0801046247. Pub. price: $14.99
[Approx. 100 pages].
- Hollinger, Dennis. Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex
World. Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801025631. $26.99.
- Stassen, Glen, and David Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in
Contemporary Context. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830826681.
Pub. price: $35.00 [Approx. 400 pages].
- Course Packet (accessible electronically) [Approx. 100 pages].
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Allen, Joseph L. Love and Conflict: A Covenantal Model of
Christian Ethics. University Press of America, 1995. ISBN: 978-0687228065.
$54.00.
- Brueggemann, Walter. The Covenanted Self. Fortress Press,
1999. ISBN: 0800631765. Pub. price: $19.00 [Approx. 100 pages].
- Clark, David K., and Robert V. Rakestraw. Readings in Christian
Ethics. Vols. 1-2. Baker Academic, 1996. ISBN: 978-0801020568. $36.00.
- Migliore, Daniel. Faith Seeking Understanding. Eerdmans, 2004. ISBN:
9780802827876. $28.00.
- Niebuhr, H. R. The Responsible Self. Westminster/John Knox, 1963.
ISBN: 978-0664221522. $30.00.
- Smedes, Lewis. Mere Morality: What God Expects from Ordinary
People. Eerdmans, 1989. ISBN: 978-0802802576. $20.00.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
- Attendance, completion of weekly assigned readings before class, and
participation in discussions (10%).
- Two take-home essay exams on assigned texts and lectures (30%).
- Two half-hour in-class essay quizzes on assigned texts and lectures (20%).
- A final term paper on a case study (40%).
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in Christian Ethics
(ETH); meets MAT program requirement and Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for
other MA degrees.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (Revised November 4, 2011)