DESCRIPTION:

Theology and Ecology of the Family is a course designed to explore and to establish foundational assumptions of a biblical and theological nature which can serve the student as a critical basis for marriage and family ministry. Theological perspectives on marriage and family will be presented so as to interact with the social and behavioral sciences at each critical phase in an attempt to work out an integrated and coherent model. Visiting lecturers will be invited to make presentations related to the sociological, psychological, and therapeutic aspects of the course.

The objectives of the course are to enable each student to define the family from a biblical and sociological perspective; to equip the student with a conceptual model of family eco-systems both as a preventative and therapeutic approach to ministry; and to prepare the student to intercept and augment the ecological systems in which persons live as family, including the church as a family of families.

The course will meet twice each week for two-hour sessions of lecture/discussion.

Students will be expected to read a minimum of 1,000 pages, including:

Anderson, Ray S. and Dennis B. Guernsey. On Being Family. Eerdmans, 1986.

Balswick, Jack and Judy Balswick. The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home. Baker, 1989.

Clapp, Rodney. Families at the Crossroads. InterVarsity, 1993.

Garland, Diana and Richard Garland. Beyond Companionship. Westminster, 1986.

Hauerwas, Stanley. A Community of Character. University of Notre Dame, 1981.

Collected Readings for Theology and Ecology of the Family. ST566 (photocopied packet).

Students who have not taken the course ST512 Theological Anthropology, are encouraged to read the book On Being Human, by Ray S. Anderson.

There will be no set midterm or final exam. Students will select a topic from the course curriculum and prepare a final research or position paper. Students who wish to achieve an A level grade must read a minimum of 1,200 pages of reading and write a major paper of 25 to 35 pages, typed and double spaced. Teaching assistants will be available for tutorial group sessions each week, and will read, evaluate, and grade the papers.

None.

Elective.

None.