Spring 2012/Pasadena
ET543
H. J. Lee
ET543: THE THEOLOGY AND ETHICS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Hak Joon Lee.
DESCRIPTION: As a Baptist pastor and more, Martin Luther King, Jr. has been an
iconic figure in modern American history, one whose influence reaches well
beyond the nation. His vision of the beloved community is still frequently
cited and appealed to by many. The aim of the course is to study King's key
theological and ethical motifs and the distinctive characteristics of his
spiritual formation and public ministry in shaping our own ministerial and
public leadership in today's religious, cultural and political contexts. In
particular, the course focuses on King's communal and political spirituality
and ethics as they are related to his ideas of God, the beloved community,
humanity, love, justice, and the mission of the church, exploring his enduring
relevance and legacy in the global era.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Many people confess that the study of King
has been for them both inspirational and instrumental in developing a holistic
spiritual and ministerial identity. Hearing his sermons and speeches, reading
his books, and learning about his social movements, they become more
community-oriented, committed to nonviolence, peace, and justice. The
examination of King's theology and ethics will help students in preparing and
expanding their Kingdom ministry in a time of fragmentation, confusion, and
growing social tensions.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Students will appreciate King's spirituality in pursuit of deepening their
own spirituality and identity as Christian leaders.
- Students will deepen the theological grounding of their own ethics.
- Students will be able to apply the insights of King's theology and ethics
(most notably, the vision of the beloved community, nonviolence, love-justice
dialectic) to their own ministry.
- Students will learn about public theology through the historical example
of King in articulating the public meaning and significance of their Christian
ministries and discipleship.
COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.
Lecture and dialogue will be combined with some small-group discussions.
REQUIRED READING:
- Cone, James. Martin and Malcolm and America. Orbis, 1991.
ISBN: 978-0883448243 Pub. Price: $24.00 [approx. 200 pages].
- King, Martin Luther, Jr. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of
Martin Luther King, Jr. Edited by James M. Washington. New York:
HarperCollins, 1990. ISBN: 978-0060646912. Pub. price: $23.99 [approx. 500
pages].
- Lee, Hak Joon. We Will Get to the Promised Land: Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s Communal-Political Spirituality. Pilgrim Press, 2006. $25.00
[approx. 150 pages].
- ________. The Great World House: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Global
Ethics. Pilgrim Press, 2011 [approx. 100 pages].
- Marsh, Charles. The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice,
from the Civil Rights Movement to Today. Perseus Books, 2006. ISBN:
978-0765304452. Pub. price: $17.95 [approx. 200 pages].
- Robinson, Jo Ann Gibson. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who
Started It. Edited by David Garrow. University of Tennessee Press, 1987.
ISBN: 978-0870495274. Pub. price: $18.95 [approx. 100 pages].
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Baldwin, Lewis V. To Make the Wounded Whole: The Cultural Legacy
of Martin Luther King, Jr. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992. ISBN:
9780800625436. Pub. price: $23.00 [344 pages].
- ________. There is a Balm in Gilead: The Cultural Roots of Martin Luther
King, Jr. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991. ISBN: 9780800654567. Pub. price:
$26.00 [352 pages].
- King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. Fortress, 2010. ISBN:
978-0800697402. Pub. price: $20.00.
- ______. Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? Boston: Beacon
Press, 1967. ISBN: 978080700076-2. Pub. price: $24.95 [256 pages].
- Fluker, Walter E. They Looked for a City: A Comparative Analysis of the
Ideal of Community in the Thought of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King,
Jr. University Press of America, 1989. ISBN: 9780819172634. Pub. price:
$55.00 [281pages].
- Long, Michael G. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Creative Living. Chalice
Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780827204966. Pub. price: $20.00 [144 pages].
- Paris, Peter. The Social Teachings of the Black Churches.
Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985. ISBN: 9780800618056. Pub. price: $18.00 [162
pages].
- ________. The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common
Moral Discourse. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995. ISBN: 9780800618056. Pub.
price: $19.00 [208 pages].
- Ward, Brian and Tony Badger, eds. The Making of Martin Luther King, Jr.
and the Civil Rights Movement. Palgrave Macmillan, 1996. ISBN:
9781403996541. Pub. price: $31.00 [224 pages].
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
- Regular attendance and active class participation (10%)
- Three take-home essay exams (45%)
- One research paper (15 double-spaced pages) (45%)
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective; counts toward emphasis in Christian
Ethics.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (January 2012)