03Dm802/01: Applied Theology

03DM802/01: APPLIED THEOLOGY

Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte, North Carolina

July 20-24, 2015

Mark E. Ross, Ph.D Visiting Professor

Professor of Systematic Theology Erskine Theological Seminary Columbia, South Carolina

I. Catalog Description A theological approach to moral problems and social issues in contemporary society (social ethics) and/or to personal spiritual growth and renewal (personal ethics).

II. Course Overview This course is an advanced seminar in ethics. Part of the course (about 20%) will focus on issues in the philosophical and theological foundations of ethics. The majority of the course will be spent in applying the Ten Commandments to specific issues of our times. The principal aim of the course is to equip students to apply Biblical truth to pressing, ethical concerns of individual and social life, and to give advanced pastoral leadership to churches, denominations, and communities on ethical issues. The course assumes that persons attaining a doctoral degree in ministry should be able to provide advanced leadership in both church and community. Hence, the requirements for this course will include presentations addressed to both church and community. Successful completion of this course should enable the student to:

1. Love the law of God more deeply. 2. Become doers of the word and not hearers only. 3. Understand the confusion of morality that exists among people today. 4. Think more clearly about ethical issues. 5. Help others to see the necessary objectivity of moral values against the background of society’s irrational relativism and subjectivism in moral thinking. 6. Relate Biblical principles to some pressing ethical issues of our day. 7. Communicate clearly the application of Biblical truth to these ethical issues.

III. Required Reading The following books and article (c. 1600 pp. total) are required reading for the course. You need not bring the books to class, but should have a Bible and a copy of the Westminster Larger Catechism with you. A signed statement indicating that you have completed all the assigned readings must be submitted by the final due date in order to receive credit for this portion of the course. You should also reference these books in the written assignments. An additional 400 pages of reading should also be completed in connection with your research paper. If you have read and are thoroughly familiar with any of the books below, you may substitute other works for the equivalent amount of reading with permission from your professor.

A. Books 1. Budziszewski, J. What We Can’t Not Know. Revised edition. Ignatius Press, 2011. 2. Gagnon, Robert A. J. and Dan O. Via, Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views. Fortress Press, 2009. 3. Gergis, Sherif and Ryan T. Anderson and Robert P. George. What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense. Encounter Books, 2012. 4. Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man. Any edition. 5. Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. Any edition. Read Books I-III only. 6. McDowell, Sean and John Stonestreet. Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for Marriage. Baker Books, 2014. 7. Murray, John. Principles of Conduct. Eerdmans, 1991. 8. Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-first Century. B&H Academic, 2010. 9. Westminster Larger Catechism. Any edition. Needed for class room access.

B. Articles 1. Arthur Allen Leff, “Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural Law.” Duke Law Journal, Volume 1979, pp. 1229-1249. Available online: http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=3810&context=fss_papers 2. McBrayer, Justin P. “Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts,” The New York Times, March 2, 2015. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/why-our-children-dont-think- there-are-moral-facts/?_r=1

C. Additional research 1. For the research paper, you should complete an additional 400 pages of reading on the topics of one or both of your papers.

IV. Assignments and Evaluation

1. Completion of all reading – 10% of final grade.

You must submit a signed statement that you have completed all the assigned reading. A form is provided below. If you complete only a portion, please indicate what you have read and the total pages completed. You will receive partial credit for the work you have completed. Please complete the reading of Budziszewski, Leff, Lewis, and McBrayer prior to class. The remainder of the reading may be completed by October 31, 2015. 2. Two short papers (3 pages). Be prepared to read from these papers in class if requested – 5% for each.

a. A short paper on the objectivity of moral laws. On the basis of your reading in Budziszewski, Leff, Lewis, and McBrayer prepare a three page paper (not more!) on the objectivity of moral laws. This paper may be incorporated into the longer paper dealing with the validity of the ten commandments for today. The grading of this paper will be solely on the basis of completion. It is due the first day of class.

b. A presentation on a specific ethical issue. Prepare a three page paper (not more!) dealing with a specific ethical issue as it might arise in a pastoral setting (e.g., a church member comes to you struggling with a decision over divorce, in vitro fertilization utilizing an egg or sperm donor, homosexuality, guilt from killing in war, or something else). Show how this issue should be understood, evaluated, and addressed in the light of one or more of the ten commandments. This paper may be incorporated into your longer paper dealing with a specific ethical issue. The grading of this paper will be solely on the basis of completion. It is due the first day of class.

3. A position paper of about ten pages (2500 words) – 30% of final grade.

You have been invited to address your local Rotary Club on the subject, “The Ten Commandments: Are They Still Valid for Society Today?” This is your opportunity to say something significant and thought-provoking to a mixed audience (Christian and non-Christian) of leaders in your community. Using what you have gained from the course and the readings, give an answer to the assigned question. You need not discuss all ten commandments in the paper. You may, in fact, choose just one if you please, and address a specific moral issue as it might confront a community (for example, gay marriage); but the paper should provide some argument for the objectivity of the moral law, and for the ten commandments viewed as an example of the moral law. If you do choose to address one issue, it must be a different issue than the one addressed in your research paper. Additional research may be utilized but it is not required for this paper.

4. A research paper of about fifteen pages (3500-4000 words) – 50% of final grade.

The paper is to deal with an ethical issue of your choosing. It should be done in case study fashion, giving a brief (250 words maximum) presentation of the case as it might arise in a pastoral setting, then arguing for a Biblical response, interacting with the readings and discussions in this course, and the additional research you have done. Give appropriate documentation for this interaction. Be sure to identify one or more of the ten commandments which govern the situation, show the application you are making, and justify that application as the one demanded by the commandment(s). At least 5 additional sources beyond the assigned readings should be consulted in your research, utilized and footnoted in the paper, and included in the bibliography. Be sure to use scholarly sources. Normally they would be available in print, though you may access the sources online. Wikipedia is not an acceptable source (though it can be a useful guide to scholarly sources).

5. Form and deadline for long papers. All papers must be submitted in both hard and digital copy. They should be double-spaced, in 12 point font, using footnotes (not endnotes), in a standard academic form. Your report on completion of the reading assignments should be attached to your research paper, following the bibliography for the paper. The two long papers must be submitted to Tari Williamson in the D.Min. office at RTS by October 31, 2015. Digital copies of the papers should be emailed both to Tari Williamson and to me at [email protected]. 03DM802/01: APPLIED THEOLOGY Reformed Theological Seminary

July 20-24, 2015

Completion of Reading Assignment

Name: (please print or type) ______

Date submitted: ______

Circle as appropriate:

I have completed all reading assignments: Yes No

If No, please indicate how much reading you have completed:

Assigned reading pages completed

Budziszewski, What We Can’t Not Know ______Gagnon and Via, Homosexuality and the Bible ______Gergis, Anderson, and George, What is Marriage? ______Leff, “Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural Law” ______Lewis, The Abolition of Man ______Lewis, Mere Christianity (Books I-III) ______McBrayer, “Why Our Children Don’t Think. . .” ______McDowell and Stonestreet, Same-Sex Marriage ______Murray, Principles of Conduct ______Rooker, The Ten Commandments ______

Additional research (abbreviate author, title – at least five are required*)

*1. ______*2. ______*3. ______*4. ______*5. ______6. ______7. ______8. ______9. ______10. ______

Signed: ______DMin* Student Learning Outcomes Rubric Mini-Justification In order to measure the success of the DMin curriculum, RTS has defined the Strong following as the intended outcomes of the student learning process. Each course Moderate contributes to these overall outcomes. This rubric shows the contribution of this Minimal course to the DMin outcomes. None

1. Ten commandments and Biblical/ Significant knowledge of biblical and theological related texts are carefully Theological foundations for pastoral ministry. (This includes Strong studied. Foundations: interaction with Biblical texts, as well as awareness of Reformed Theology.) 2. Larger Catechism closely examined.

1. Emphasis will be on Historical/ Significant knowledge of historical and contemporary applications, Contemporary contemporary practices of pastoral ministry. Moderate though there will be some Practices: discussion of how the church has applied the commandments across its history. 1. Major emphasis of the course Integration: Ability to reflect upon and integrate theology and is providing a practice, as well as implementation in a Strong Biblical/theological response contemporary pastoral setting. to the issues that are commonly faced in pastoral ministry 1. Each topic examined will Sanctification: Demonstrates a love for the Triune God that include some discussion of aids in the student’s sanctification. Moderate the personal applications to be made of the commandments.