COURSE DESCRIPTION: An in-depth analysis of selected topics related to missions and evangelism. Such topics may include historical movements, methods, and cross- cultural techniques employed in the spread of the gospel. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic of study differs. This semester will focus on pluralism, post- modernism, and post-Christian America. (Prerequisite may be taken concurrently: EMS 205). COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of this course, the student will: 1. Be able to articulate the exclusivity of Jesus Christ in light of challenges from pluralistic and postmodern thinking. 2. Understand the post-Christian nature of America and the challenges for evangelism. 3. Be able to properly contextualize the gospel in evangelism and missions situations. 4. Understand current issues in global missions.

REQUIRED TEXTS (see the reading schedule below): Coy, Terry. Facing the Change: Challenges and Opportunities for an American Missiology. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing, 2013. 515 pgs. ISBN: 9781629020778

Coy, Terry. “Cling to Authority.” Article will be available for download on Blackboard.

Hesselgrave, David J. Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Key Questions in Christian Missions Today. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2005. 368 pgs. ISBN: 0825427703

Payne, J.D. Evangelism: A Biblical Response to Today’s Questions. Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica Publishing, 2011. 174 pgs. ISBN: 9781606570098

Raley, Matthew. The Diversity Culture. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2009. 175 pgs. 9780825435799

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: A. READING QUIZZES (20%): A quiz will be administered via BlackBoard each week to determine the student’s comprehension and mastery of the required reading assignments (see schedule below). You must complete all the reading assignments and quiz for that week one hour before coming to class.

B. FORMAL BOOK REVIEW OF RALEY’S THE DIVERSITY CULTURE (20%): In lieu of a mid-term exam, students are required to read and write a formal book review of Raley’s book, The Diversity Culture. Reviews must be written in conformity with the guidelines spelled out in the syllabus below. During Week 11, we will have a discussion of the book. Active participation is required. Due Oct 22 by 11:59 pm (Upload to Blackboard).

C. Additional Research Paper (20%). Graduate students are required to write a research paper between 15-20 pages on a contemporary issue in evangelism and/or missions. Possible topics include: Evangelism in a postmodern context; missions and world religions; prayer and missions; spiritual warfare in missions; contextualization; and so on. Topic must be approved by the professor. Paper is due by Week 12 (Nov. 5).

D. A Personal Position Paper (2o%): Students are required to write an 8-10 page

1 personal position paper that addresses the following: the exclusive claims of Christ, the relationship of Christology to pluralism, the validity and extent of contextualization in missions and evangelism, and ministry (evangelism, church planting, and missions) in post-Christian America. Evaluation will be according to the Personal Position Paper Grading Rubric available on Blackboard under the Assignments tab. During Week 16 (Dec. 3), students will present and discuss their papers in class. Due by 11:59 on Nov. 19th. (Upload to Blackboard).

E. Final Exam (20%): A final exam covering all the material for the course will take place during exam week. Attendance policies: Absences: Since class participation is vital to learning, absences should be taken only when absolutely necessary. More than seven (7) absences for two-day-per week classes, and more than three (3) absences for block classes will result in a grade of “F” for the courses. The professor and the Vice President of Academic Affairs must approve all exceptions to this policy. Proportionate absences apply to all other terms (J-Term, summer classes, language term, etc.). Students are responsible for all absences due to illness or any other reason. Granting of excused absences is permitted at the discretion of the professor.

Tardies: Missing more than fifteen (15) minutes at the beginning or end of a class period is considered one absence. Three instances of tardiness of fifteen minutes or less equals one absence. The tardy student is responsible for notifying the professor of his/her presence in writing at the end of class. Students who wish to depart early should clear it with the professor.

Grading scale: A 97-100 4.0 grade points per semester hour A- 93-96 3.7 grade points per semester hour B+ 91-92 3.3 grade points per semester hour B 88-90 3.0 grade points per semester hour B- 86-87 2.7 grade points per semester hour C+ 83-85 2.3 grade points per semester hour C 80-82 2.0 grade points per semester hour C- 78-79 1.7 grade points per semester hour D+ 75-77 1.3 grade points per semester hour D 72-74 1.0 grade point per semester hour D- 70-71 0.7 grade points per semester hour F 0-69 0.0 grade points per semester hour

Incomplete Grades: Students requesting a grade of Incomplete (I) must understand that incomplete grades may be given only upon approval of the faculty member involved. An “I” may be assigned only when a student is currently passing a course and in situations involving extended illness, serious injury, death in the family, or employment or government reassignment, not student neglect.

Students are responsible for contacting their professors prior to the end of the semester, plus filing the appropriate completed and approved academic request form with the Registrar’s

2 Office. The “I” must be removed (by completing the remaining course requirements) no later than 60 calendar days after the grade was assigned, or the “I” will become an “F.”

Institutional policies:

Academic Honesty: Absolute truth is an essential belief and basis of behavior for those who believe in a God who cannot lie and forbids falsehood. Academic honesty is the application of the principle of truth in the classroom setting. Academic honesty includes the basic premise that all work submitted by students must be their own and any ideas derived or copied from elsewhere must be carefully documented.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: • cheating of any kind, • submitting, without proper approval, work originally prepared by the student for another course, • plagiarism, which is the submitting of work prepared by someone else as if it were his own, and • failing to credit sources properly in written work.

Learning Disabilities: In order to ensure full class participation, any student with a disabling condition requiring special accommodations (e.g., tape recorders, special adaptive equipment, special note-taking or test-taking needs) is strongly encouraged to contact the instructor at the beginning of the course or if a student has a learning disability, please inform the professor so assistance can be provided.

Auditing and Sit-in Students: Any student may enroll in a course as an Auditor or Sit-in as long as the class is below capacity. A student’s permanent transcript will reflect which courses have been completed as audits. Sit-in students are not given grades by professors and their transcripts will not reflect enrollment in the course. Taking tests and participation in course activities are afforded to credit students in the syllabus and is at the discretion of the professor.

Distance education: (One requirement in your distance education course should include a more specific assignment or task which will involve the student’s use of Wallace Library’s resources in a way that can be evaluated.)

General: Students participating in courses through Distance Education, whether with or without live interaction, must complete the academic requirements for those courses with the integrity and commitment necessary to participate in and benefit from all of the exercises provided by the professor for learning the subject matter of the course. Therefore credit for Distance Education courses is the same as credit for courses taken on campus.

3 Library: Distance education students can access information about Criswell College’s Wallace Library at http://www.criswell.edu/current_students/library/. The Wallace Library manual is available at http://www.criswell.edu/current_students/library/library_handbook/.

Student Life: Students needing educational support or services should contact the Student Life Office (SLO) at 214-818-1332 or [email protected].

Video and Other Intellectual Property Rights: Unless otherwise specifically instructed in writing by the professor, students must neither materially nor digitally reproduce materials from any course offered by Criswell College for or with the significant possibility of distribution.

READING ASSIGNMENTS AND COURSE OUTLINE (C=Coy; H=Hesselgrave; P=Payne; R=Raley)

WEEK 1 – Aug. 20 Course Introduction: Overview of syllabus and assignments. Discussion of topics, issues, and definitions.

WEEK 2 – Aug. 27 What is the Gospel? Assignments: 1. Read C Introduction; H Preface, 23-51; P Preface, Introduction, Ch. 1-8, 27. 2. Complete Quiz #1.

WEEK 3 – Sept. 3 The Centrality of Jesus Christ: His exclusivity Assignments: 1. Read C pp. 81-150; H 53-80; P Ch. 9-12. 2. Complete Quiz #2.

WEEK 4 – Sept. 10 The Centrality of Jesus Christ: Christological confusion Assignments: 1. Read C pp. 29-45; P Ch. 13 2. Complete Quiz #3.

WEEK 5 – Sept. 17 The Centrality of Jesus Christ: Christological confusion Assignments: 1. Read H 81-115 2. Complete Quiz #4.

WEEK 6 – Sept. 24 The Centrality of Jesus Christ: Christological confusion and modern spiritualities Assignments: 1. Read C pp. 45-79 2. Complete Quiz #5.

WEEK 7 – Oct. 1 The Centrality of Jesus Christ: The gospel and postmodernity Assignments: 1. Read Coy “Cling to Authority.” Download from Blackboard; R pp. 9-68. 2. Complete Quiz #6.

WEEK 8 – Oct. 8 Telling the Story: Contextualization and cultural engagement Assignments: 4 1. Read C pp. 297-323; H 243-277 2. Complete Quiz #7. WEEK 9 – Oct. 15 Telling the Story: Contextualization, evangelism, and preaching Assignments: 1. Read C pp. 325-341, 367-391; P Ch. 15, 17-25, 28-33, Epilogue. 2. Complete Quiz #8

WEEK 10 – Oct. 22 Telling the Story: Contextualization, missions, and church planting Assignments: 1. Read C pp. 343-365; 2. Complete Quiz #9. 3. Book report on Raley, The Diversity Culture due by 11:59 AM. Upload to Blackboard under assignments tab.

WEEK 11 – Oct. 29 Telling the Story: Contextualization from the margins Assignments: 1. Read C 153-293, 393-430 2. Discussion of Raley, The Diversity Culture, pp. 71-166. 3. Complete Quiz #10.

WEEK 12 – Nov. 5 Strategies, Methods, and the Future: Christianity and the Global South Assignments: 1. Read H 117-139 2. Complete Quiz #11 3. Additional Research Paper due by 11:59 PM. Upload to Blackboard.

WEEK 13 – Nov. 12 Strategies, Methods, and the Future: What should a missionary do? Assignments: 1. Read H 141-165; 203-241 2. Complete Quiz #12

WEEK 14 – Nov. 19 Strategies, Methods, and the Future: Prayer and spiritual warfare Assignments: 1. Read H 167-201; 279-314; 315-356; P Ch. 16 2. Complete Quiz #13 3. Personal Position Papers due by 11:59 PM. Upload to Blackboard.

Nov. 23-27 Fall Break & Thanksgiving Holiday!

WEEK 15 – Dec. 3 Discussion of papers and Review of Final Exam

WEEK 16 – Dec. 10 FINAL EXAM

Elements of a Book Review (with thanks to Dr. Ken Keathley and Fred Grissom)

The book reviews should be styled after the reviews found in scholarly journals. Each review should contain the following elements. Page numbers refer to double- spaced typed pages. The total length of a review should be 5-7 pages.

5 (1) Bibliographic entry. At the beginning of the review, you should specifically identify the book being reviewed. The most efficient way to do this is by including a bibliographic entry for the book.

(2) Biographical sketch. You should include a brief, not more than 1/2 page, biographical sketch of the author. The purpose of this is to demonstrate the author's competence or incompetence for writing the book. You should include information about where he was educated, where he teaches, what other books he has written, and anything else about him, which is relevant to a critical judgment of the book. Sometimes church affiliation is relevant because it can be an indicator of possible bias on the part of an author. Our library has a number of sources of biographical information about authors. Biographical information is just like any other kind of information. If you get it from a source, including the book jacket, you must identify it by a parenthetical notation. If you quote from the material, put quotation marks around it.

(3) Summary. This section should be relatively brief, 2 or 3 pages and should concentrate on describing the contents of the book. A frequent problem with book reviews is that students make the summary much too long, making the review seem like a friend's account of a movie he went to the night before. Do not try to include all the details. Concentrate on giving a clear indication of the principal concerns of the book and the major conclusions of the author.

Use specific details only to illustrate your general comments. Caution: What I am asking for is a summary of the book and the author's conclusions, not a précis of the subject matter the book contains. For example, if you review Lightner’s, The Death Christ Died, you are not just reviewing a certain theology of the atonement, but a book about that particular viewpoint. The focus of the summary should be the book itself and the author's conclusions. It is not necessary to write “Wells says,” or “Erickson argues,” or some similar phrase in every sentence, but your summary should indicate throughout that what you are reviewing is a book and an author's conclusions. Beware of the trap of treating an author's arguments as facts. One of the reasons for doing book reviews is to sharpen critical skills.

(4) Critical Evaluation. The critique is by far the most important part of the review. It should be at least half the length of the entire review. Just as students often make the summary too long, they make the evaluation too short. Sometimes they are not only short, but very shallow: “This is a good book. It was easy to read . . .” Your evaluation should reflect some serious thought about the strengths and weaknesses of the book, what the book did or didn't do for you, and whether or not what it did was what it intended to do. Students often complain that they cannot evaluate a book because they do not know as much about the subject as the author. Although that is true, all students can describe their reactions to a book, and can assess its value for them. The contents of the evaluation will, of course, vary with the book being reviewed, but often some or all of the following areas should be treated: a) Purpose. Attempt to assess the degree to which the author fulfilled his purpose. Sometimes this assessment may also involve describing some apparent purpose that is different from the stated purpose.

6 b) Value. Saying a book is “good,” or “bad,” is very vague. Try to be specific about what the book’s value is. Not all good books are good for the same reasons, or for the same purpose. Precision about its value will help potential readers of the book make an intelligent decision about whether it would be worth their time to read it. c) Strengths and weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses are, of course, relevant factors in assessing value. Sometimes, however, there are particular elements, which should be highlighted. d) Bias. Every book is written from a particular perspective. That perspective is the author’s “bias.” When that bias leads to a distortion of facts, a slanted approach to an issue, or an unwillingness to deal with some relevant aspects, the book is said to be “biased.” When reading a book always be aware of the powerful influence of perspective, and make some assessment of the author’s bias. (Note: Remember that readers also have a bias and can be misled by that perspective into making biased judgments of a book. e) Audience. Not all books are intended for the same audience. Some are more popular than others; some are intended only for serious scholars. Delineating the audience that might profit from reading the book is a valuable service a reviewer can perform. f) Extrapolations. Often a book will stimulate new ideas or cause a reader to make connections that he had not thought of before. A discussion of such connections and ideas, even though they may be somewhat tangential, is in order in a critical evaluation. Be careful though, and do not go too far afield. The fact that a book is bound in a red cover does not warrant a discussion of the dangers of totalitarian communism or the virtues of Anselm’s views of the atonement. g) Miscellaneous. Do not be limited by this brief list in deciding what to include in your evaluation. There are other items that might be included. Use your imagination and creativity. (5) General Remarks: a) Other Reviews. It is permissible, sometimes even advisable, to consult other reviews of a book. Our library has several periodicals that contain reviews of books in theology. Feel free to consult them. If you get an idea from them that you use in your evaluation, be sure to credit the source. More than likely your professor has read that review, also, and will detect plagiarism! This should be done in a parenthetical note. Too much dependence on other reviews is not good; it robs you of the opportunity of evaluating the book using your own resources. Examples. If you need to see what a good book review looks like, read some of the ones in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society or the Evangelical Quarterly. Remember, however, that often these reviews are much shorter than yours will be. Also, not all of them are equally good. b) Style. Reviews should be written in clear, grammatical English prose. I had much rather read a well written five-page review than a verbose and obtuse seven-page review.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 7 Ashford, Bruce, ed. Theology and Practice of Mission: God, the Church, and the Nations. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2011.

Bauckham, Richard. Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003.

______. The Church Between Temple and Mosque. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1966.

Bevans, Stephen B. Models of Contextual Theology. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 2002.

Bosch, David Jacobus. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1991.

Corduan, Winfried. A Tapestry of Faiths: The Common Threads Between Christianity & World Religions. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2002.

Green, Michael. Evangelism in the Early Church. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2003.

Griffith, Sidney H. The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque: Christians and Muslims in the World of Islam. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton, 2008.

Hesselgrave, David J. Planting Churches Cross-Culturally: A Guide for Home and Foreign Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1980.

______. Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally: An Introduction to Missionary Communication. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1990.

Hesselgrave, David J., and Edward Rommen. Contextualization: Meanings, Methods, and Models. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2000.

Hick, John. An Interpretation of Religion: Human Responses to the Transcendent. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University, 1989.

Hick, John and Brian Hebblethwaite, eds. Christianity and Other Religions: Selected Readings. Oxford: OneWorld, 2001.

Hick, John, Clark H. Pinnock, R. Douglas Geivett, and W. Gary Phillips. Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World. ed. Dennis L. Okholm, and Timothy R. Phillips. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.

Hiebert, Paul G., and Eloise Hiebert Meneses. Incarnational Ministry: Planting Churches in Band, Tribal, Peasant, and Urban Societies. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1995.

Jenkins, Philip. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. New York: Oxford University, 2002.

______. The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. New York: Oxford University, 2006.

______. The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia- and How it Died. New York: HarperOne, 2008.

Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Transforming Culture: A Challenge for Christian Mission. Grand Rapids, M: Baker, 1992.

8 Lingenfelter, Sherwood G., and Marvin Keene Mayers. Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker, 1986.

Livingstone, Greg. Planting Churches in Muslim Cities: A Team Approach. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1993.

McRainey, Will. The Art of Personal Evangelism. Nashville: B & H Publishing, 2003.

Moreau, A. Scott, Gary Corwin, and Gary B. McGee. Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004.

Moreau, A. Scott, Harold Netland, A., Charles Edward van Engen, and David Burnett. Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2000.

Netland, Harold A. Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith & Mission. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001. Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1989.

Newman, Randy. Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004.

Nicholls, Bruce J. Contextualization: A Theology of Gospel and Culture. Vancouver, British Columbia: Regent College, 2003.

Nickel, Gordon D. Peaceable Witness Among Muslims. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1999.

Ott, Craig, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy C. Tennent. Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Ott, Craig, and Gene Wilson. Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011.

Packer, J. I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008.

John Parratt, ed. An Introduction to Third World Theologies. New York: Cambridge University, 2004.

Pikkert, Peter. Protestant Missionaries to the Middle East: Ambassadors of Christ Or Culture? Hamilton, Ontario: WEC Canada, 2008.

Robert, Dana Lee. Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion. Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

Robinson, George G. Striking the Match: How God is Using Ordinary People to Change the World Through Short-Term Missions. Franklin, Tenn.: E3 Resources, 2008.

Sanneh, Lamin T. Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1989.

______. Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity. New York: Oxford University, 2008.

Sanneh, Lamin T., and Joel A. Carpenter. The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World. New York: Oxford University, 2005. 9 Schreiter, Robert J. Constructing Local Theologies. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1985.

Stiles, J. Mack. Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014.

Tennent, Timothy C. Christianity At the Religious Roundtable: Evangelicalism in Conversation With Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.

______. Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church is Influencing the Way We Think About and Discuss Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007.

______. “Followers of Jesus (Isa) in Islamic Mosques: A Closer Examination of C-5 “High Spectrum” Contextualization.” International Journal of Frontier Mission 23:3 (2006): 101– 15.

Tucker, Ruth A. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004.

Wimber, John. Power Evangelism. Ventura, CA: Regal, 2009.

Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006.

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