Fall 2013/Pasadena
CH549
Thompson
CH549: PRESBYTERIAN CREEDS. John L. Thompson.
DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to enable students to enter into the theological ethos of the Presbyterian tradition. Reformed theology, culture, and tradition will be studied in its historical context and applied to the contemporary church. Special attention will be given to the Reformed confessions.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: TheBook of Confessions has at least two functions in the Presbyterian church. First, together with the Book of Order, it comprises the constitution, which governs the church’s life and mission. Second and more importantly, it is a touchstone for the church’s theology, which in turn is the basis for the life and mission of the church. Students preparing for ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) need to be familiar with and appreciative of their creedal tradition in order to discern their calling within the Reformed tradition and the PC(USA) in particular, as well as to be formed by the wisdom (and aware of the mistakes) of the church’s past.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who successfully complete CH549 will have demonstrated (1) a basic knowledge of the theological beliefs of the Reformed tradition, particularly with respect to the theology and history of the confessions of the PC(USA); (2) an ability to understand and articulate doctrinal statements, including their own personal statement of faith of the sort required for candidacy and ordination in the PC(USA); and (3) an ability to interpret the contemporary and pastoral significance of the Reformed tradition and to evaluate theological and ministerial issues in the light of Reformed theology and Presbyterian confessions.
COURSE FORMAT: Class will meet once a week for ten weeks, but each two-hour class is accompanied by two additional hours of recorded course material. Live and pre-recorded sessions include lectures, discussion of readings, and case studies, along with live small-group exercises. It is recommended that students read all of the Book of Confessions—Study Edition prior to the first class! Questions about course requirements or format may be directed to the instructor (jthomps@fuller.edu); the course syllabus is available at http://documents.fuller.edu/sot/faculty/thompson_john/CH549syllabus.pdf
REQUIRED READING:
Book of Confessions—Study Edition. Westminster John Knox, 1999. ISBN: 978-0664500122, Pub. Price $19.95 [340 pp. assigned].
The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): Part I, Book of Confessions. The Office of the General Assembly, 1991. (This is the usual edition without annotations, which must be used during the final exam). E-text available at http://www.pcusa.org/get/resources/resource/1423/
Allen, R. Michael. Reformed Theology. T.& T. Clark, 2010. ISBN: 978-0567034304, Pub. Price $29.95 [180 pp. assigned]
Small, Joseph D., ed. Conversations with the Confessions: Dialogue in the Reformed Tradition. Geneva Press, 2005. ISBN: 978-0664502485, Pub. Price $29.95 [115-225 pp. assigned].
And one or more of the following (300 pp. total):
Calvin, J. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Westminster (2 vols.), 1960 or Eerdmans (1 vol.), 1994; or The Comprehensive Calvin Collection. CD-ROM. Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1988.
Donnelly, J. P.; F. A. James III; and J. C. McClelland, eds. The Peter Martyr Reader. Truman State University Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0943549750, Pub. Price $24.95.
McKee, Elsie Anne, ed. John Calvin: Writings on Pastoral Piety. Paulist Press, 2002. ISBN: 978-0809140466, Pub. Price $26.95.
McKim, Donald K., ed. The Cambridge Companion to John Calvin. Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0521016728, Pub. Price $32.99.
Selected Theological Statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assemblies (1956-1998). Presbyterian Distribution Service, 1999. ISBN: 7042098010, Pub. Price $12.95.
RECOMMENDED READING: A list of recommended books can be found in the course syllabus, available on the instructor’s web page, http://documents.fuller.edu/sot/faculty/thompson_john
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Assigned readings (~1000 pp. with reading log), class participation and attendance, 20%.
Eight one-page credal/doctrinal reflections on assigned topics or loci, 20%.
Eight one-page response papers to case studies, along with self-critique, 20%.
Personal statement of faith, due by week ten, 20%.
Final examination, essay format, 20%.
PREREQUISITES: Elective, but required for ordination by some Presbyteries.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: None, but the course is not recommended for first-year seminarians, and students who have not completed either STA-B-C or CHA-B-C should consult with the instructor before enrolling.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.