Winter 2019/Pasadena
ST563
Mouw & van der Kooi
ST563: CREATION, PROVIDENCE, AND KINGDOM DISCERNMENT (4 Units: 161 hours). Richard J. Mouw & Cornelis van der Kooi.
DESCRIPTION: This course will focus on the ways in which theologians, especially those in the Reformed-Presbyterian tradition, haveunderstood and debated about God's unfolding purposes in history: in creating the world, in the workings of divine providence in our fallen creation, and in the calling of Christians to discern andalign ourselves with, the goals of the coming Kingdom in our present patterns of discipleship.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to (1) define and contrast various theological approaches to divine providence; (2) develop a basic familiarity with how history has been read theologically by a selection of Reformed theologians including perspectives from those on the margins; (3) evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the resources some theologians have identified to be used for discerning God’s actions in history; (4) critically assess diverse theologies that have challenged traditional understandings of where and how God is at work in the world; (5) explain the tension that exists between the freedom of the human being and God’s interaction in the world.
COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.
REQUIRED READING: 1,100 total pages required.
Berkhof, Hendrikus.Christ the Meaning of History. Wipf & Stock, 2004. [or John Knox Press, 1966.] ISBN: 978-1592446384, Pub. Price $27.00. [192 pp. assigned.]
Berkouwer, G. C. The Providence of God. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1952. ISBN: 978-0802848147, Pub. Price $29.50. [138 pp. assigned]
Boesak, Allan.Farewell to Innocence: A Socio-Ethical Study on Black Theology and Black Power. Wipf & Stock, 2015. [or Orbis Books, 1977.] ISBN: 978-1498226400, Pub. Price $25.00. [152 pp. assigned.]
Schreiner, Susan E.The Theater of His Glory: Nature and the Natural Order in the Thought of John Calvin. The Labyrinth Press, 1991. [or Baker Academic, 1995.] ISBN: 978-0801020049, Pub. Price $18.99. [122 pp. assigned.]
van der Kooi, Cornelis.“Ways of Knowing.” In As in a Mirror: John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God: A Diptych. Brill, 2005. 21-116.ISBN: 978-1429426985. Available as an e-Book through the Fuller Library. [91 pp.]
Course Reader (available on Canvas):
Bavinck, Herman. “Revelation and History,” and “Revelation and Culture.” In The Philosophy of Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1953. 113-141, 242-269. [57 pp.]
Cone, James H.“The Meaning of Revelation,” and “Church, World, and Eschatology in Black Theology.” In A Black Theology of Liberation. 40th Anniversary ed. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2010. 40-54, 129-143. ISBN: 9781570758959. [30 pp.]
Cone, James. “Theology's Great Sin: Silence in the Face of White Supremacy.”Black Theology2, no. 2 (2004): 139-52. [14 pp.]
Costas, Orlando E.“God’s Redemptive Mission to the World,” and “The Church’s Calling.” In The Church and Its Mission: A Shattering Critique from the Third World. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House. 1974. 3-17, 37-57. ISBN: 9780842302753. [35 pp.]
Gutiérrez, Gustavo. “God’s Revelation and Proclamation in History,” and “The Historical Power of the Poor.” InThe Power of the Poor in History. Trans. by Robert R Barr. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. 1983. 3-22, 75-107. ISBN: 978-0883443880. [53 pp.]
Hauerwas, Stanley. “How to be Theologically Ironic.” InThe Work of Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2015. 147-169. 9780802871909. [22 pp.]
Hoang, Bethany H. and Kristen Deede Johnson. “Introduction,” “Engage the Whole Story,” “Persevere in Hope,” and “Conclusion: Abide in Jesus.” InThe Justice Calling: Where Passion Meets Perseverance. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press. 2016. 1-36, 165-194. ISBN: 978-1587433993. [66 pp.]
Smith, Kay Higuera, Jayachitra Lalitha, and L. Daniel Hawk, eds. “Introduction.”In Evangelical Postcolonial Conversations: Global Awakenings in Theology and Praxis. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. 2014. 13-44. ISBN: 978-0830896318. [31 pp.]
van der Kooi, Cornelis and Gijsbert van den Brink.“Creation and Divine Providence.” In Christian Dogmatics: An Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 2017. 233-244. ISBN: 9780802872654. [12 pp.]
van der Kooi, Cornelis.“Ways of Knowing.” In As in a Mirror: John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God: A Diptych. Brill, 2005. 75-86.ISBN: 978-1429426985. [12 pp.]
Warrior, Robert Allen. “A Native American Perspective: Canaanites, Cowboys, and Indians.” In Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World. Edited by Rasiah S. Sugirtharajah. 3rd Ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books. 2006. 235-241. ISBN: 978-1570756863. [7 pp.]
Wolterstorff, Nicholas.“World-Formative Christianity,” “The Rich and the Poor,” and “Justice and Worship: The Tragedy of Liturgy in Protestantism.” In Until Justice and Peace Embrace. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1983. 3-22, 73-98, 146-161. ISBN: 978-0802819802. [62 pp.]
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM Programs (Fall 2015).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.