Winter 2014/Pasadena

ET501

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 (1) understand core Christian moral convictions, vision, values, virtues of Christian faith (the kingdom of God, covenant, love and justice, human dignity, nonviolence, etc.); (2) have learned the basic skills of critical moral description, analysis, and ethical reasoning; (3) understand and can assess different ethical views and assumptions besides their own; (4) 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; (5) 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 [220 pp.].

Lee, Hak Joon. We Will Get to the Promised Land. Pilgrim Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0829815269, Pub. Price $25.00 [200 pp. assigned].

Gorman, Michael. Inhabiting the Cruciform God. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009. ISBN: 978-0802862655, Pub. Price $24.00 [120 pp. assigned].

Hollinger, Dennis. Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World.Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801025631, Pub. Price $26.99 [120 pp. assigned].

Stassen, Glen, and David Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. InterVarsity Press, 2003. ISBN: 978-0830826681, Pub. Price $35.00 [400 pp. assigned].

Course Packet (accessible electronically) [Approx. 150 pages].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Allen, Joseph L. Love and Conflict: A Covenantal Model of Christian Ethics. University Press of America, 1995. ISBN: 978-0687228065, Pub. Price $54.00.

Brueggemann, Walter. The Covenanted Self. Fortress Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0800631765, 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, Pub. Price $36.00.

Migliore, Daniel. Faith Seeking Understanding. Eerdmans, 2004. ISBN: 9780802827876, Pub. Price $28.00.

Niebuhr, H. R. The Responsible Self. Westminster/John Knox, 1963. ISBN: 978-0664221522, Pub. Price $30.00.

Smedes, Lewis. Mere Morality:What God Expects from Ordinary People. Eerdmans, 1989. ISBN: 978-0802802576, Pub. Price $20.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Attendance, completion of weekly assigned readings before class, and participation in discussions (10%).

  2. Two take-home essay exams on assigned texts and lectures: each essay 4.5 pages, double spaced (30%).

  3. Two half-hour in-class essay quizzes on assigned texts and lectures (20%).

  4. A final term paper: 12 pages, double spaced (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.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.