Spring 2012/Pasadena
SP823/523
Johnson
SP823/523: CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY AND PASTORAL MINISTRY. Todd E. Johnson.
DESCRIPTION: This is a doctoral level seminar, open at the 500-level to a
limited number of advanced master's level students by special permission. This
seminar will introduce the student to the academic study of Christian
Spirituality through the lens of Pastoral Ministry. The student will explore
methodologies involved in the historical and theological study of Christian
Spirituality. The student will apply these methods to specific individuals and
movements and their understanding and lived expression of ministry. In
particular the student will explore topics of vocation, giftedness, and
ministries to the Christian community and through the Christian community to
the world. Specifically, the methods of discerning gifts and resources,
individually and corporately, and their application to specific social
locations will be used as points of comparison for models of Christian
Spirituality.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Learning from the lived experiences and
thoughtful reflection of the women and men of the Christian churches provides a
rich resource for contemporary Christian life and ministry. The application of
what are generally called "spiritual" texts is not always obvious and clear,
however. This seminar explores the appropriate methods of interpreting
spiritual writings and traditions for their application in life today. It
invites a critical reading of spiritual texts and careful appropriation of
these resources, attending to contexts and intentions of both the source and
receiver.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the conclusion of this seminar the student will
- be able to articulate a biblical and historical survey of life in the
Spirit through the eras of Christian Spirituality;
- have a working knowledge of the theological paradigms of Christian
Spirituality;
- be able to compare and contrast the contemplative/mystical traditions to
the active/embodied traditions in light of spiritual practices and social
orientations;
- have an in-depth knowledge of one particular individual or spiritual
movement;
- develop one's own understanding of the relationship between spirituality
and ministry appropriate to one's ecclesial tradition;
- be able to articulate a method of spiritual discernment appropriate for
one's ecclesial tradition.
COURSE FORMAT: The seminar will meet weekly for three-hour sessions. It will
have some lectures by the professor, but will be mostly seminar presentations
and discussions.
REQUIRED READING:
- Course Reader.
- Cone, James. The Spirituals and the Blues: An Interpretation. Orbis,
1992. ISBN: 9780883448434. List Price: $16.00.
- Cunningham, Lawrence, and Keith Egan. Christian Spirituality: Themes
from the Tradition. Paulist Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780809136605. List Price:
$18.95.
- Gutierrez, Gustavo. Spiritual Writings. Orbis, 2011. ISBN:
9781570759475. List Price: $20.00.
- Hide, Kerrie. Gifted Origins to Graced Fulfillment: The Soteriology of
Julian of Norwich. Michael Glazier, 2001. ISBN: 9780814650936. List Price:
$24.95.
- Louth, Andrew. The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition. 2nd
ed. Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780199291403. List Price: $55.00.
(First edition acceptable.)
- Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality and History: Questions of Interpretation
and Method. Rev. ed. Orbis, 1995. ISBN: 9781570752036. List price:
$27.00.
- Sheldrake, Philip. Spirituality and Theology: Christian Living and the
Doctrine of God. Darton, Longman & Todd, 2011. ISBN: 9780232521887.
List price: $34.00.
- Schneider, Sandra. With Oil in Their Lamps: Faith, Feminism, and the
Future. Paulist Press, 2000. ISBN: 9780809139668. List Price: $7.95.
- Swanson, John-Julian. The Complete Julian of Norwich. Paraclete
Press, 2009. ISBN: 9781557256393. List Price: $29.99.
RECOMMENDED READING (Books that provide helpful supplemental material to our
course):
- Collins, Kenneth, ed. Exploring Christian Spirituality: An
Ecumenical Reader. Baker, 2000. ISBN: 9780801022333. List Price: $34.00.
- Howard, Evan. The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality.
Brazos Press, 2008. ISBN: 9781587430381. List Price: $39.99.
- Jantzen, Grace. Power, Gender and Christian Mysticism. Cambridge
University Press, 1996. ISBN: 9780521479264. List Price: $48.00.
- Jones, Cheslyn, Geoffrey Wainwright, and Edward Yarnold, eds. The Study
of Spirituality. Oxford University Press, 1986. ISBN: 9780195041705. List
Price: $59.95.
- McGinn, Bernard. Foundations of Mysticism. Crossroad, 1997. ISBN:
9780824514044. List Price: $49.95.
- McIntosh, Mark. Mystical Theology. Blackwell, 1998. ISBN:
9781557869074. List Price: $57.95.
- Senn, Frank, ed. Protestant Spiritual Traditions. Wipf and Stock.
2001. ISBN: 9781579105518. List Price: $28.00.
- Scorgie, Glen, ed. Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Zondervan,
2011. ISBN: 9780310290667. List Price: $39.99
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT: There are four sets of assignments in this
seminar:
- Completion of assigned readings, attendance and participation in our class
discussions, and completion of short response papers to our readings (20%).
- A presentation on a particular individual or spiritual movement (30%).
- A syllabus outlining a course in Christian Spirituality or a course in
ministry with a developed section on Christian Spirituality (10%).
- A final paper in which the student offers the historical context of a
mystical text (including the author's life and thought), as well as a
theological interpretation of the text using a methodology examined in class
(40%).
- Assignments will be adjusted in both scope and length for master's
level students.
PREREQUISITES: For master's level students: permission of the instructor.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective; required for Practical Theology doctoral
students.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (January 2012)