ET533
Stassen
ET533: CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP IN A SECULAR SOCIETY. Glen Stassen.
DESCRIPTION:
- A study of urgent ethical issues in the church's ministry to
persons caught in the cross-pressures of secular society, with concentration on
Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship, family ethics, the economic debate
and welfare reform, racism, nationalism, Christian community, and an
authentically transformationist understanding of the church's mission in the
world.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- Persons of compassion see serious problems in how our society is
shaping people, but we do not all see the same causes of what is wrong.
Christians know we are called to be faithful disciples in this society, and to
make disciples who do the teachings of Jesus. How can we understand and
practice discipleship in this society?
COURSE FORMAT:
- Lectures, discussion, some small-group work.
REQUIRED READING:
- Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Cost of Discipleship Macmillan, pp.
37-220.
- Clapp, Rodney. Families at the Crossroads. InterVarsity Press.
- Copeland, Warren. And the Poor Get Welfare. Abingdon.
- Hauerwas, Stanley and William Willimon. Resident Aliens. Abingdon.
- Sojourners magazine. America's Original Sin. Sojourners.
- Stassen, Glen, Diane Yeager, and John. H. Yoder. Authentic
Transformation. Abingdon.
- Yoder, John Howard. Body Politics. Discipleship Resources.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Reading assigned texts; class participation; optional service
project; scheduled brief-essay quizzes and short reflection papers; a paper of
about 10 pages, double-spaced.
PREREQUISITES:
- None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Meets M.Div. core requirement in Ethics (ETH).
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- None.