ST625 GOD THE FATHER, THE CREATOR TRINITY SCHOOL FOR MINISTRY, AMBRIDGE, PA ONLINE, FALL 2012
THE REV. JAMES R. A. MERRICK, B.A., M.A., T.HM. [email protected]
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom: Enlighten by your Holy Spirit those who teach and those who learn, that, rejoicing in the knowledge of your truth, they may worship you and serve you from generation to generation: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen - The Collect for Education, American BCP 1979
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION Description: This class uses the Bible and major theologians and philosophers to equip students to proclaim God the Father, the Creator, to contemporary society. It includes discussions of divine revelation, the person and work of God the Father, the Trinity, creation, humanity, the fall, providence and civil society. An evangelical Anglican position is developed and defended from secular criticism using the 39 Articles and contemporary authors, and applied to Christian ministry.
Objectives: GOAL 1: Have a basic understanding of theology as a discipline
GOAL 2: Have a sense for how theology relates to ministry and the Christian life and is important for the church’s mission
GOAL 3: Understand the different levels of normativity or authority in theology, chiefly scripture and creeds/dogmas
GOAL 4: Know the biblical and traditional material for theological topics covered in this course
GOAL 5: Learn to think theologically about the Bible and contemporary issues
Overview and Instructions: Statement on Online Courses Online courses are not easier than on-site courses; they merely provide more flexibility, in which case, they may be more difficult if you are not a disciplined person. You can expect to spend 10 hours a week in lectures, readings, and assignments.
How to Succeed in this Course This is a class in systematic theology. Systematic theology is about synthesis, it’s about putting things together, making connections between different aspects of Christian teaching and belief as well as with cultural ideas, and trying to have a sense for the whole of Christian teaching as it bears upon contemporary culture.
Accordingly, you will need to think in this class (not to say that you don’t think in other classes!). What I mean is that here the goal is not merely to understand some facts or principles, but to demonstrate an ability to integrate the doctrines covered here with other theological disciplines (e.g., biblical studies, historical theology, apologetics, liturgics, spiritual formation, etc.) and cultural assumptions or values.
Highest marks will be given for students who can show (a) a high level of understanding of the material; (b) an ability to relate that understanding to other material, both covered in this course and from either other courses or from outside reading/knowledge; (c) present thoughts well.
Communicating with your Instructor I am available for any assistance you might need, whether in regards to comprehension of the material or the completion of assignments. Email should be the primary means of communication. If you have a question requiring a discussion that exceeds the capacity of email, email first, nevertheless, and we can arrange a phone call.
Use email judiciously; treat it like you would an office appointment.
Lectures Lectures will be available as an audio file capable of being either streamed or downloaded from the Edvance360 module. There will be PowerPoint slides to go along with the lectures. If you do not have Microsoft PowerPoint, you can download a free viewer here: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=13
Readings You should read the listed required readings before listening to the lectures. Some readings will come from textbooks, some from the web, and others will be posted on Edvance360. You will need a FREE version of Adobe Acrobat to read the latter; it is available here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
Quizzes (10% of Grade, 1% each) Quizzes serve two purposes: (1) they help you make sure you are grasping basic information important in this course; (2) they help your professor check whether you are keeping up with the course and are grasping the basic information discussed.
Quizzes will be entirely objective (true/false, multiple choice, matching, multiple answer, fill in the blank). They will ask about major ideas, who said them, major events in theological history, creeds, and biblical references. They will cover lecture materials and readings in Edvance module.
Dogmatic Outlines (50% of Grade, 5% each) You will write an outline for each of the ten theological topics we cover. Outlines should be 3-5 pages, double-spaced. The outlines should be clearly broken down into the following parts: First, a brief (1-2 sentences) explanation of what the doctrine concerns. Second, a list and brief explanation of possible problems, issues, or objections. Third, your own articulation of the doctrine and answer to the problems. Interaction with readings, scripture, and lectures with full citation is imperative.
Dogmatic Discussion (40% of Grade) At the beginning of the year, you will submit a list of 3 possible topics to do further research on and report to the class. Your professor will assign you one of your 3 choices and you will prepare a 2,000-2,500 word essay to post on the discussion forum in Edvance360. You will be required to follow-up on 2 of your fellow students’ posts on topics other than the one you wrote on, as well as keep up on ensuing conversation on your post. This will be in place of your dogmatic outline for that week.
Late Assignments In the event you suspect you cannot submit an assignment on time, contact me before the deadline and explain. Assignments submitted 7 days late, without prior permission will receive a zero.
II. TEXTBOOKS Required: Alister E. McGrath, The Christian Theology Reader, 4th edn. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2011). ISBN: 978-0-470-65484-2, $59.95.
Alister McGrath, A Passion for Truth: The Intellectual Coherence of Evangelicalism (Downers Grove: IVP, 1999). ISBN: 978- 0830815913, $23.00 John Rogers, Essential Truths for Christians: A Commentary on the Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles and an Introduction to Systematic Theology (Blue Bell, PA: Classical Anglican Press, 2011). ISBN 978- 1-893-29353-3, $24.95
John Stott, Evangelical Truth: A Personal Plea for Unity, Integrity and Faithfulness, Rev. edn. (Downer’s Grove: IVP, 2005). 978-0-830- 83303-0, $16.00.
Recommended for Further Study/Resources:
GENERAL REFERENCE F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone (eds), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3d ed. (Oxford University Press, 2005)
G. R. Evans (ed), The First Theologians (Blackwell, 2004)
_____ (ed), The Medieval Theologians (Blackwell, 2001)
David Ford (ed), The Modern Theologians, 3rd ed (Blackwell, 2005)
Colin Gunton (ed), The Cambridge Companion to Christian Doctrine (Cambridge University Press, 1997)
Stanley Hauerwas and Samuel Wells (eds), The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics, 2d edn. (Blackwell, 2011)
Carter Lindberg (ed), The Reformation Theologians (Blackwell, 2001)
James Livingston et. al., Modern Christian Thought, 2d ed., 2 vols. (Fortress, 2006)
Oliver O’Donovan, On the Thirty-Nine Articles: Conversations with Tudor Christianity, 2d edn. (SCM, 2011)
Norman Tanner (ed), Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, 2 vols (Georgetown University Press, 1990)
Graham Ward (ed), The Postmodern God: A Theological Reader (Blackwell, 1997)
John Webster and George Schner (eds), Theology after Liberalism: A Reader (Blackwell, 2000)
John Webster et al. (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (Oxford University Press, 2009) MAJOR WORKS OF THEOLOGY Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 5 vols. (Christian Classics, 1981)
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Theo-Drama, 5 vols. (Ignatius)
Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, 14 vols. (Hendrickson, 2010)
_____, Dogmatics in Outline (Harper, 1959).
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 vols (Westminster/John Knox, 1960)
Richard Hooker, Of Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (Belknap, 1977)
Peter Lombard, Sentences, 4 vols (PIMS)
Friedrich Schleiermacher, The Christian Faith (T&T Clark, 1999)
PROLEGOMENA Anselm, Proslogion
Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology: An Introduction (Eerdmans, 1963)
William Dyrness, Poetic Theology: God and the Poetics of Everyday Life (Eerdmans, 2011)
Kevin Vanhoozer, Is There a Meaning in this Text? The Bible, the Reader and the Morality of Literary Knowledge (Zondervan, 1998)
_____. The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Doctrine (Westminster John Knox, 2005)
REVELATION/SCRIPTURE William Abraham, Canon and Criterion (Oxford University Press, 2002)
_____. Crossing the Threshold of Divine Revelation (Eerdmans, 2006)
Tony Clark, Divine Revelation and Human Practice: Responsive and Imaginative Participation (Cascade, 2008)
Yves Congar, Tradition and traditions (Macmillan, 1967)
Kevin Vanhoozer, Remythologizing Theology (Cambridge University Press, 2012)
John Webster, Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
Telford Work, Living and Active: Scripture in the Economy of Salvation (Eerdmans, 2001)
N.T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today (New York: HarperOne, 2011)
TRINITY/GOD Augustine, The Trinity, 2d edn. (New City Press, 2012)
Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology (Cambridge University Press, 2006)
Gilles Emery, The Trinity: An Introduction to the Catholic Doctrine on the Triune God (Catholic University Press of America, 2011)
Gilles Emery and Matthew Levering (eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2011)
David Bentley Hart, The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth (Eerdmans, 2004)
William Hill, The Three-Personed God: The Trinity as a Mystery of Salvation (CUA, 1982)
Stephen Holmes, The Quest for the Trinity: The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History, and Modernity (IVP, 2012)
Alvin Plantinga, God and Other Minds (Cornell University Press, 1990)
T. F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith (T&T Clark, 2000) _____. The Christian Doctrine of God: One Being, Three Persons (T&T Clark, 2001)
CREATION Augustine, On Genesis (New City Press, 2004)
Conor Cunningham, Darwin’s Pious Idea: Why Ultra-Darwinists and Creationists Both Get It Wrong (Eerdmans, 2010)
Robert Grosseteste, On the Six Days of Creation (Oxford University Press, 1999)
Simon Oliver, Philosophy, God and Motion (Routledge, 2005)
Joseph Ratzinger, “In the Beginning…” (Eerdmans, 1995)
Kathryn Tanner, God and Creation in Christian Theology (Fortress, 2004)
PROVIDENCE AND EVIL Brian Davies, The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil (Continuum, 2006)
Tomáš Halík, Patience with God (DoubleDay, 2009)
Alvin Plantinga, God, Freedom, and Evil (Eerdmans, 1978)
John Swinton, Raging with Compassion: Pastoral Responses to the Problem of Evil (Eerdmans, 2007)
N.T. Wright, Evil and the Justice of God (IVP, 2009)
ANTHROPOLOGY John Cooper, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate (Eerdmans, 2000)
Joel Green, Body, Soul, and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible (Baker, 2008)
Nancy Murphy, Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? (Cambridge University Press, 2006)
HARMARTIOLOGY Augustine, Selected Writings on Grace and Pelagianism (New City Press, 2011)
Ian McFarland, In Adam’s Fall: A Mediation on the Christian Doctrine of Original Sin (Blackwell, 2011)
Derek Nelson, What’s Wrong with Sin? (Continuum, 2009)
John Owen, Temptation and Sin, The Works of John Owen, vol. 6 (Banner of Truth, 1966)
Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (Eerdmans, 1995)
CELIBACY, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY Augustine, Marriage and Virginity (New City Press, 2005) John Chrysostom, On Marriage and Family (SVS, 1986)
David McCarthy, Sex and Love in the Home (SCM, 2001)
Christopher Roberts, Creation and Covenant: The Significance of Sexual Difference in the Moral Theology of Marriage (T&T Clark, 2008)
WORK AND REST John Hughes, The End of Work: Theological Critiques of Capitalism (Blackwell, 2007)
Armand Larive, After Sunday: A Theology of Work (Continuum, 2004)
Pope Leo XII “Rerum Novarum” (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l -xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html)
Pope John Paul II “Laborem Excercens” (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents /hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html)
Miroslav Volf, Work in the Spirit: Toward a Theology of Work (Wipf and Stock, 2001)
SOCIAL AND CIVIL ENGAGEMENT Luke Bretherton, Christianity and Contemporary Politics (Blackwell, 2009)
Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon, Resident Aliens: A Provocative Christian Assessment of Culture and Ministry for People Who Know That Something Is Wrong (Abingdon, 1989)
Michael Kirwan, Political Theology (Fortress, 2009)
Charles Matthewes, A Theology of Public Life (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
John Milbank, Theology and Social Theory, 2d edn. (Blackwell, 2006)
Oliver O’Donovan, The Desire of the Nations: Rediscovering the Roots of Political Theology (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
_____, Common Objects of Love (Eerdmans, 2009)
John Howard Yoder, The Politics of Jesus (Eerdmans, 1994)
_____, Body Politic: Five Practices of the Christian Community before the Watching World (Herald, 2001)
CONTEMPORARY CULTURE Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, new edn (Verso, 2006)
Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality (Anchor, 1967)
Michael Buckley, At the Origins of Modern Atheism (Yale University Press, 1990)
William Cavanaugh, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire (Eerdmans, 2008)
Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (Duke University Press, 1990)
Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue, 3d edn. (University of Notre Dame, 2007)
Charles Matthewes, Republic of Grace: Augustinian Thoughts for Dark Times (Eerdmans, 2010)
Vincent Miller, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture (Continuum, 2005)
Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, 2d edn. (Beacon, 2001)
Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self (Harvard University Press, 1992)
_____, A Secular Age (Harvard University Press, 2007)
Stephen Toumlin, Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity (University of Chicago Press, 1992)
III. COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1: The Who, What, Why, and How of Theology READING: 1. McGrath, 1.1-4 2. Augustine, De Doctrina Christiana (selection) (on Edvance) 3. John Calvin, Institutes (brief selection) (on Edvance) 4. John Webster, “Biblical Reasoning” (on Edvance) 5. Paul Griffiths “From Curiosity to Studiousness” (video) (http://vimeo.com/12324813) 6. Rowan Williams “Theological Integrity” (on Edvance)
Week 2: God’s Existence and Humanity’s Irreligion DUE: Quiz 1 READING: 1. McGrath, 1.7-9, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 26, and 37; 9.2-3 2. Alvin Plantinga “Evolution vs. Naturalism” (on Edvance) 3. Immanuel Kant on the 5 Proofs for the Existence of God (on Edvance) 4. Friedrich Schleiermacher on Religion (selection) (on Edvance) 5. David Bentley Hart, “Christ and Nothing” (http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/12/christ-and- nothing-28)
Week 3: Prolegomena: On Theological Knowledge, Its Sources and Norms DUE: Quiz 2 READING: 1. McGrath, 1.23; 2.1-30, 34, 38, 50, 51 2. Articles VI, VII, VIII, and XXXIV + Rogers commentary 3. Kevin Vanhoozer “First Theology” (on Edvance) 4. N.T. Wright “How Can the Bible Be Authoritative?” (http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm) 5. Rowan Williams, “Lossky, the via negativa, and the Foundations of Theology” (on Edvance)
Week 4: Revelation: God’s Communicative Presence DUE: Dogmatic Outline of Prolegomena READING: 1. McGrath, 1.10 2. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics §§4, 7 (selections) (on Edvance) 3. Stott, pp. 35-66
Week 5: Theology Proper: The Holy Blessed Trinity DUE: Quiz 3; Dogmatic Outline of Revelation READING: 1. McGrath, 3.1, 3, 9, 11-13, 20, 22, 26, 28, 31, 35-36, 41-45 2. Article I + Rogers’ commentary 3. Peter Lombard, Sentences (selection) (on Edvance) 4. Gilles Emery, Doctrinal Synthesis (on Edvance) 5. Colin Gunton “The Triune Lord” (on Edvance)
Week 6: Theology Proper 2: The Being and Character of God DUE: Quiz 4; Dogmatic Outline of the Trinity READING: 1. McGrath, 1.14-15, 20-25, 27, 29-34; 3.26, 32, 39 and 43; 3.7-8, 24, 32 2. John Webster, “Life In and Of Himself” (on Edvance) 3. Thomas Weinandy, Does God Suffer? (http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/does-god- suffer-6) 4. Stephen Holmes “The Attributes of God (on Edvance)
Week 7: Cosmology: God as Creator DUE: Dogmatic Outline of Attributes of God READING: 1. McGrath, 3.4-6, 25, 34 2. Francis of Assisi “Canticle of Creation” (http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/archive/stfrancis/stf_c anticle_of_the_sun.htm) 3. Augustine, “Literal Commentary on Genesis” (selection) (on Edvance) 4. St. John of Damascus on Divine Images (on Edvance) 5. Thomas Aquinas on angels (on Edvance) 6. John Walton on biblical cosmology (on Edvance)
Week 8: Cosmology 2: God as Governor (Providence, Prayer, and Evil) DUE: Quiz 5; Dogmatic Outline of Creation READING: 1. McGrath, 3.2, 6, 14, 21, 25, 30, 33, 38; 6.2 2. Richard Hooker on divine law (on Edvance) 3. David Bentley Hart, “Providence and Causality” (on Edvance) 4. Alvin Plantinga on the Problem of Evil, Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEc4nLzdlc0) and Part 2 (http://youtu.be/NIsPnaTRv_E) (20 mins total for both)
Week 9: Anthropology: God’s Fellowship with Humanity DUE: Quiz 6; Dogmatic Outline of Providence and Prayer READING: 1. McGrath, 6.1, 4-5, 7, 10, 14, 23, 50-51, 55-57 2. Article X + Rogers’ commentary on it 3. Kevin Vanhoozer, “Human Being, Individual and Social” (on Edvance) 4. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, §58 (selection) (on Edvance)
Week 10: Harmartiology: Humanity’s Alienation from God DUE: Quiz 7; Dogmatic Outline of Anthropology READING: 1. McGrath, 6.2-3, 6, 8-9, 13, 18-21, 41, 47, 53-54 2. Article IX + Rogers’ commentary 3. Martin Luther on the bondage of the will (selection) (on Edvance) 4. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics §§17, 60 (selection) (on Edvance)
Week 11: The Estates: Celibacy, Marriage, Family, Work, and Rest DUE: Quiz 8; Dogmatic Outline of Harmartiology READING: 1. Gregory of Nyssa “On Virginity” (selection) (on Edvance) 2. Augustine, “Of Holy Virginity” and “On the Good of Marriage” (selections) (on Edvance) 3. Eugene Rogers, Jr, “Same-Sex Complementarity” (http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-04/same- sex-complementarity) 4. Pope John Paul II, “Laborem Exercens” (selection) (on Edvance)
Week 12: The City of God: Social and Civil Engagement DUE: Quiz 9; Dogmatic Outline of Sexuality and Service READING: 1. Articles XXXVII-XXXIX + Rogers’ commentary on them 2. John Calvin on two kingdoms (on Edvance) 3. John Locke on separation of church and state (on Edvance) 4. Stanley Hauerwas, “The Politics of the Church and the Humanity of God” (http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/06/19/3528 056.htm) 5. David Bentley Hart, “Charity and Patriotism” (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2010/10/charity- and-patriotism-further-reflections/david-b-hart) 6. Rowan Williams, “Relations between Church and State Today” (http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/2009 /relations-between-the-church-and-state-today-what-is-the- role-of-the-christian-citizen)
Week 13: Xianity & Pluralism, Naturalism, Materialism, & Consumerism DUE: Quiz 10; Dogmatic Outline of Citizenship and Witness READING: 1. McGrath, 9.1, 6-9, 11-13 2. McGrath, Passion, chs. 4-5 3. Reinard Hütter, “Pornography and Acedia” (on Edvance) 4. William Cavanaugh, “Detachment and Attachment” (on Edvance) 5. Conor Cunningham “Theology Must Save Science from Naturalism” (http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/05/22/3508 607.htm)