Summer 2019/ Pasadena

HT501

Bennett

HT501: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AND CHRIST IN ITS THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION (4 Units: 160 hours). Thomas Andrew Bennett

DESCRIPTION: HT501 is a survey of systematic and philosophical theology that focuses especially on the doctrine of God, The Trinity, Christology (comprising the person and work of Christ), and the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. The course reflects the historic Christian church's development of trinitarian and Christological theology and creeds in its dialogue with its opponents and with its cultural context. Related topics and themes to be addressed may include the development and articulation of the Christian doctrine of God including the divine perfections and nature, as well as the doctrine of the Trinity; the development and articulation of the person and work of Christ; and Pneumatology, the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who complete HT501 will demonstrate: (1) a basic critical theological knowledge of the conceptual and normative dimensions of the doctrines of God and Christ as those and other selected doctrines emerged in the early church and developed to this day; (2) a basic competence in interpreting historic and contemporary perorations of these doctrines and an ability to evaluate these theological issues and their historical and contemporary development; and (3) a critical and sympathetic appreciation for the breadth, unity, and diversity of the Christian church.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets daily as a two-week intensive for four hour sessions for a total of 40 instructional hours in the classroom for lecture and discussion.

REQUIRED READING: 1,100 pages

Electronic Course Reader (available through eReserves and online sources accessed through Canvas course website) includes essays and excerpts from historical and contemporary theology, including but not limited to: Augustine, Athanasius, Aquinas, Irenaeus, the Cappadocian Fathers, John Zizioulas, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jürgen Moltmann, James Cone, et. al. [180 pp.].

Crisp, Oliver. Divinity and Humanity: The Incarnation Reconsidered. Cambridge, 2007. ISBN: 978-0521695350, Pub. Price $36.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [106 pp. assigned].

Evans, James. We Have Been Believers: An African-American Systematic Theology. 2^nd Edition. Fortress Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0800698782, Pub. Price $29.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [77 pp. assigned].

Johnson, Elizabeth. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. 25^th Anniversary Ed. Crossroad, 2017. ISBN: 978-0824522070, Pub. Price $35.95. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [68 pp. assigned].

Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. Christ and Reconciliation: A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World, vol. 1. Eerdmans, 2013. ISBN: 978-0802868534, Pub. Price $40.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [103 pp. assigned].

_______________________. Trinity and Revelation: A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World, vol. 2. Eerdmans, 2014. ISBN: 978-0802868541, Pub. Price $40.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [84 pp. assigned].

_______________________. Spirit and Salvation: A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World, vol. 4. Eerdmans, 2016. ISBN: 978-0802868565, Pub. Price $40.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [111 pp. assigned].

Lee, Sang Hyun. From a Liminal Place: An Asian American Theology. Fortress, 2010. ISBN: 978-0800696689, Pub. Price $29.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library [60 pp. assigned].

Plantinga, Richard J. An Introduction to Christian Theology. Cambridge, 2010. ISBN: 978-0521690379, Pub. Price $37.99 [311 pp. assigned].

RECOMMENDED READING: Please see course syllabus for list of recommended reading.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1,100 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1 and 2] [70 hours].

One theological textual analysis. (20% of grade) (1,250 words) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 2 and 3] [8 hours].
One quiz (20% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome 1] [2 hours].
One Rough Draft (10% of grade) (~833+ words) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [10 hours].
2,500-word research paper on a theological topic of the student’s choosing that falls within the purview of the course. (50% of grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-3] [30 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH1 or TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015). Option to meet the TH1 requirement in the 80 MATM and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the STA requirement in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: No.