Fall 2013/Pasadena

ET543

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: (1) students will appreciate King’s spirituality in pursuit of deepening their own spirituality and identity as Christian leaders; (2) students will deepen the theological grounding of their own ethics; (3) 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; (4) 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 once weekly for three 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 [200 pp.].

King, Martin Luther, Jr. A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. Edited by James M. Washington. HarperCollins, 1990. ISBN: 978-0060646912, Pub. Price $23.99 [500 pp.].

Lee, Hak Joon. We Will Get to the Promised Land:Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Communal-Political Spirituality. Pilgrim Press, 2006. Pub. Price $25.00 [150 pp.].

________. The Great World House: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Global Ethics. Pilgrim Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0829818219, Pub. Price $25.00 [100 pp.].

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 [200 pp.].

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 [100 pp.].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Baldwin, Lewis V. To Make the Wounded Whole: The Cultural Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Fortress, 1992. ISBN: 978-0800625436, Pub. Price $23.00 [344 pp.].

________. There is a Balm in Gilead: The Cultural Roots of Martin Luther King, Jr. Fortress, 1991. ISBN: 978-0800654567, Pub. Price $26.00 [352 pp.].

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. Fortress, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800697402, Pub. Price $20.00 [192 pp.].

______. Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? Beacon Press, 1967. ISBN: 978-0807000762, Pub. Price $24.95 [256 pp.].

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: 978-0819172634, Pub. Price $55.00 [281pp.].

Long, Michael G. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Creative Living. Chalice Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0827204966, Pub. Price $20.00 [144 pp.].

Paris, Peter. The Social Teachings of the Black Churches. Fortress, 1985. ISBN: 978-0800618056. Pub. Price $18.00 [162 pp.].

________. The Spirituality of African Peoples: The Search for a Common Moral Discourse. Fortress, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800618056. Pub. Price $19.00 [208 pp.].

Ward, Brian and Tony Badger, eds. The Making of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Palgrave Macmillan, 1996. ISBN: 978-1403996541. Pub. Price $31.00 [224 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Regular attendance and active class participation (10%).

2. Three take-home essay exams (45%).

3. One research paper (15 double-spaced pages) (45%).

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective; counts toward emphasis in Christian Ethics.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.