Spring 2015/Pasadena

ET501

Lee

ET501: CHRISTIAN ETHICS (4 Units: 160 hours). Seung Woo Lee.

DESCRIPTION: A foundational course in Christian ethics that studies Christian vision, values, and convictions shaping moral agency, decisions, and practices. Seeking a holistic Christian ethics that aids personal spiritual-moral growth, ecclesial practices, and the enhancement of social justice to serve the triune God who revealed in Jesus Christ as Lord in all of life and ministry, the course studies different methods of ethical reasoning, 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 and pluralistic contexts of Christian ministry today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will demonstrate that they (1) understand core Christian moral convictions, vision, values, virtues of Christian faith (e.g., the kingdom of God, the Ten Commandments, covenant, the Sermon on the Mount, the sanctifying work of the Spirit, 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: This class meets twice weekly for two hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion.

REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pp. of required reading.

De La Torre, Miguel A. Christian Ethics from the Margins. Orbis, 2004. ISBN: 978-1570755514, Pub. Price $24.00 [240 pp. assigned].

Hollinger, Dennis. Choosing the Good: Christian Ethics in a Complex World. Baker Academic, 2002. ISBN: 978-0801025631, Pub. Price $26.99 [156 pp. assigned].

King, Martin Luther, Jr. Strength to Love. Fortress Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800697402, Pub. Price $24.00 [164 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].

Wright, Christopher J.H. Old Testament Ethics for the People of God (part I). IVP Academic, 2011. ISBN: 978-0830839612, Price $35.00 [140 pp. assigned].

Course Packet (available on eReserves) [approx. 100 pp. assigned].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Horsley, Richard. Covenant Economics: A Biblical Vision of Justice for All.Westminster John Knox Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0664233952, Pub. Price $25.00.

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

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

Moltmann, Jürgen. Ethics of Hope. Fortress Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0800698584. Pub. Price $29.00.

Niebuhr, H. Richard. The Responsible Self. Westminster John Knox Press, 1999. ISBN: 978-0664221522, Pub. Price $30.00.

Sanders, Cheryl. Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People: A Path to African American Social Transformation. Fortress, 1995. ISBN: 978-0800629175, Pub. Price $18.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Attendance and participation in discussions (10%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-5].
2. 1,200 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 3, and 4]. [65 hours].
3. Two 1,000-1,250 word critical reflection papers on the readings (30%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 2 and 3]. [15 hours].
4. Two in-class essay exams on assigned texts and lectures (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 1, 2, 3, and 5]. [10 hours].
5. A 3,000 word research paper on assigned topics (40%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome # 2, 3, 4 and 5]. [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C4 or TH5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets ETH in the 144 MDiv Program. Meets MAT program requirement and Seminary Core Requirement (SCR) for other MA degrees (Winter 2010). Requirement in Christian Ethics emphasis and Just Peacemaking emphasis.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.