Reading and participating in online discussions, or lack thereof, may have a positive or negative effect on the final grade of up to five points.

Transcription

1 5560 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP, Spring Term, 2012, Online Harding School of Theology Prof. Mark E. Powell, Ijams Administration Building 209 Office phone: Course description Explores Christian worship from the perspectives of biblical, historical, theological, and social-scientific studies. A theological understanding of Christian worship is developed, and contemporary issues and trends are analyzed in light of Christian theology. This course contributes to the following M.Div. outcomes: Be able to integrate the scriptures and theological tradition with diverse contemporary cultural contexts. Evidence a love for God and others and a personal commitment to spiritual formation. Required textbooks David Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992). James F. White, A Brief History of Christian Worship (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993). Leanne Van Dyk, ed., A More Profound Alleluia (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004). John Mark Hicks, Johnny Melton, and Bobby Valentine, A Gathered People (Abilene, TX: Leafwood Press, 2007). Darryl Tippens, That s Why We Sing (Abilene, TX: Leafwood Press, 2007). Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2011). Textbooks are available through our book services on campus. You can order them by (bdavid@hst.edu), phone ( or ), or fax ( ). Scanned copies of the additional readings will be sent, upon request, by Bob Turner, Circulation Librarian. Contact Bob at rjturner@hst.edu, and list each reading that you are requesting. Requirements and grading 1. Online discussion (10%) 2. Three worship reflections (10%) 4. Mid-term exam (25%) 5. Final exam (25%) 6. Research paper (30%) Grading scale: (A), (B), (C), (D), 69 and below (F) Reading and participating in online discussions, or lack thereof, may have a positive or negative effect on the final grade of up to five points. 1

2 All late assignments will receive one point off per day late (excluding Sundays) for the first three days; then three points off per day late, up to 20 points total. Academic dishonesty in all its forms is inconsistent with Christian faith and practice, and will result in penalties which could include a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, dismissal from the course, and even dismissal from the school. This course adheres to university guidelines regarding workload requirements per credit hour. Students with disabilities It is the policy of Harding University to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal and state law. Any student with a disability who needs accommodation should inform the instructor at the beginning of the course. Students with disabilities are also encouraged to contact Steve McLeod, the Associate Dean, at Library resources If you have not taken Advanced Theological Research (5990) or took it more than a year ago, go to the HST Web site ( for information concerning library services to students. Under the Library Resources tab you will find a link to and instructions for searching the HST online catalog (called Quest). There are also instructions for using the following databases available through the library: OCLC FirstSearch, EBSCOhost, Infotrac, and Religious and Theological Abstracts. Contact the library for passwords to these databases. Also available are the research guides distributed in course These annotated bibliographies list basic tools you will find helpful in your research. Course schedule I. INTRODUCTION Module 1 (Jan ) Introduction to the study of Christian worship II. WORSHIP IN THEOLOGICAL STUDY Module 2 (Jan ) Worship in the Old Testament (1) Peterson, Introduction and chaps. 1-5 Module 3 (Jan. 30-Feb. 3) Worship in the New Testament (1) Peterson, chaps and Epilogue Module 4 (Feb. 6-10) Worship in the early and medieval church (1) White, Preface and chaps. 1-3 (2) Pliny, Letters At: 2

3 (3) Didache 7-16 At: (4) Justin Martyr, The First Apology At: Module 5 (Feb ) (1) White, chaps. 4-6 Worship in the Reformation and modern church Module 6 (Feb ) Worship in contemporary Christian theology (1) Van Dyk, pp Module 7 (Feb. 27-Mar. 2) Worship in the social sciences (1) Van Dyk, pp (2) Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (New York: Basic Books, 1973), chap. 4. Mar. 5-9 Mar Study week Spring Break Mar Mid-term exam (1) Term paper prospectus due (2) Work on worship reflections III. REFLECTING ON CORPORATE WORSHIP Module 8 (Mar ) Hearing the Word in worship (1) Hicks, Melton, and Valentine, Introduction, chaps. 1, 3, 4. Module 9 (Apr. 2-6) The table in worship (1) Hicks, Melton, and Valentine, chaps. 5-7, Epilogue. Module 10 (Apr. 9-13) (1) Tippens Module 11 (Apr ) Music in worship Prayer and giving in worship; Planning corporate worship Apr No class. Work on worship reflections (1) Worship reflections due. IV. CURRENT TRENDS IN WORSHIP Module 12 (Apr. 30-May 4) Worship and church renewal (1) Vickers 3

4 (2) Research paper due May 10 Take-home final exam due Course procedures This course will use Moodle as its online environment. If you have not used Moodle or need a refresher course, tutorials can be found at Christian Worship (CW) will utilize the Discussions feature of Moodle, not Assignments and Quizzes, so pay special attention to the Discussions tutorial to insure you are able to properly post and respond to postings in the Discussions forum. You may reach CW by: 1. Going to https;//elearning.harding.edu 2. Log in with your Harding username and password. Or 3. Go to Pipeline ( a. You will need your username and password to access your courses. If you do not have your username and password, please contact Dr. Steve McLeod, Associate Dean, at smcleod@harding.edu or You will see CW listed in your course listings. Click on the course title. a. If you do not see CW listed, please contact Dr. McLeod to verify your enrollment. b. If you have verified your enrollment but still do not see your course, please contact Harding Moodle support at elearning@harding.edu, , or Please include your phone number, if available. 5. You should now be in your course. The Moodle online Tech Support (see orange box on right side of Moodle home page) is helpful for any questions you may have about using Moodle. If the Moodle Tech Support is unable to help you, contact Harding Moodle support. Please do not contact the professor about issues regarding technical support. The course is divided into 12 modules. The first week of class will be used to learn Moodle, get to know one another, and begin thinking about the material in the course. Each module includes online notes and questions for discussion. Beginning with Module 2, each student must contribute to class discussion at least three times each week. Each student should respond to one of the questions for discussion by Wednesday of each week. Next, you should respond to two other posts by Friday of each week. In order to receive credit, each post must be (1) on time (before midnight each Wednesday and Friday), (2) on topic, (3) at least 100 words, and (4) of sufficient quality. All students are expected to keep the class discussion within the class. We want the discussion to be as open as possible, but do remember that whatever you post can be read by all class members. 4

5 Mid-term exam The mid-term exam must be administered by a proctor who is not an employee or relative of the student. The student is responsible for sending an to the professor (mpowell@harding.edu) with the proctor s name and address, as well as a brief statement regarding the proctor s relationship to the student. Research paper Students are required to submit a research paper, pages in length, on any significant topic relating to Christian worship. A good paper will: present and defend the student s position on the worship topic. reflect an awareness of how contemporary culture influences the worship topic. make use of materials from the course as well as additional outside resources. follow Turabian s Manual. Papers may be penalized up to ten points for style. Students are encouraged, but not required, to submit a prospectus that includes (1) a statement of the topic to be investigated, and (2) a preliminary bibliography, by Mar. 23. A hard copy of the research paper is due in the professor s office by Friday, May 4 at 4:00 p.m. If the paper is sent by mail, the postmark must be no later than May 4 and should be mailed to the professor at 1000 Cherry Road, Memphis, Tennessee The paper should be bound by a paper clip in the top left-hand corner. A scanned copy of the paper, with the professor s comments, will be returned to the student by . Worship reflections Students are required to attend and observe three Christian worship services and submit three worship reflections, each approximately 3 pages in length. The following criteria should be observed for selecting services for this requirement: One service should be in a church of the student s own religious tradition. For many students of HST, this will be a Church of Christ. One service should be in a church outside the student s own religious tradition that could be characterized as low church. Examples of low churches include Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, Baptist Churches, Presbyterian Churches, and evangelical churches. One service should be in a church outside the student s own religious tradition that could be characterized as high church. Examples of high churches include Roman Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Episcopal Churches, and Lutheran Churches. The first part of each paper (2 pages) should carefully describe the details of the service, including the arrangement of the worship space, the order of the service, who led the service, what the congregation did during the service, and special materials or aids used in the service. The second part of each paper (1 page) should critically assess the service in light of course material and the two other services the student attended. A hard copy of the worship reflections is due on Friday, Apr. 27. See details under Research paper above for instructions for submitting the worship reflections. 5