Atlantic School of Theology TF 1000 Theological Foundations Fall 2014 Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell rfennell@astheology.ns.ca 902.425.3298 Facebook: Robert C. Fennell Office hours: Tuesdays 1:00 2:30 or by appointment; office #106 Course website: http://theologicalfoundations1000.wordpress.com/ Secondary website of interest: http://creedalandlovingit.wordpress.com/ Without love, all learning is but splendid ignorance. John Wesley, Scriptural Christianity 4.6 Course description An exploration of the questions, tasks, methods, and habits of Christian theology. Through a combination of lectures and seminar discussions, the course will investigate the substance and architecture of the ecumenical core of Christian doctrine in running conversation with a range of theological perspectives. Course Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able: 1) to identify and describe the major loci of Christian theology and their interrelationships; 2) to describe and employ accepted methods of reading and writing theology; 3) to access effectively library and other resources for theological studies; 4) to discern and discriminate between one s personal faith/theological positions and those of the wider Christian movement as a whole; 5) to think theologically about current events. Learning Outcomes This course seeks to contribute to the following learning outcomes identified by the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada (of which Atlantic School of Theology is a member school): 1. Religious Heritage: developing a comprehensive and discriminating understanding of the religious heritage 3. Capacity for Ministry: fostering theological reflection on and capacity for the practice of ministry in congregation, ecclesial and public contexts Abilities/Disabilities If you have abilities or disabilities that require modifications to the assessment process of other aspects of this course, please consult with Dr. Fennell as soon as possible.
Course Requirements and Mark Distribution (further details at end of syllabus) 10% full attendance and informed class participation 15% pre-writing (best 5) 15% quiz on theological terms (Dec 2 nd ) 20% midterm assessment (must be completed by Oct 28 th ) Choose one of: a. essay (1000 words) set questions or negotiated topic b. class presentation (10 min) set questions or negotiated topic c. written exam (1 hour; instructors questions) d. oral exam (20 min.) (instructors questions) 40% final assessment (must be completed by Dec 11 th ) Choose one of: a. essay (2000 words) set questions or negotiated topic b. class presentation (20 min) set questions or negotiated topic c. written exam (2 hours; instructors questions) d. oral exam (40 min.) (instructors questions) **NOTE : Between midterm and final assessments, at least 1 essay must be selected. Books This text may be available for purchase from the St. Mary s bookstore: REQUIRED McGrath, Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction, 5 th edition (London: Blackwell/Wiley, 2012) The following are on reserve in the AST Library: RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED D. McKim, Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996) Migliore, Daniel Faith Seeking Understanding, 2 nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004) Johnson, Elizabeth. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. (New York: Crossroad, 1993) Webster, John et al. The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) NOTE: Further readings will be posted at http://theologicalfoundations1000.wordpress.com/ Paper copies will be available in the Library on the Reserve Shelf. 2
Course Procedures Weekly schedule: Chapel services: Lecture and discussion: Tutorials: Reading and research: 11:45 a.m. Mon-Tues-Thurs-Fri : St Columba Chapel Tuesdays 9:00 11:30 a.m. to be arranged as needed plan for about 5-8 hours/week Classroom format: Most class sessions will be comprised of three parts: - a lecture - a discussion of readings - a discussion of a current event in light of the doctrinal material we are covering at that time. A link to a news story will be e-mailed and should be read ahead of time. Bearpits will also take place from time to time. In class discussions, please seek to focus on the topic(s) of the day in order to keep the course moving forward. As you engage in conversation with student colleagues and the instructor, feel free to be frank (but not combative). Assessment of your participation is attentive to the quality of your engagement rather than the precise content (although content is certainly important). Genuine searching and discernment are just as important as knowing something. Content (that is, the demonstration of your learning) is a more significant factor in the other forms of assessment. You are, of course, encouraged to continue the conversations beyond classroom times. Essay Guidelines Together with careful attention to the assigned readings, draw from what you have learned from lectures, library research, and discussions. Be sure to credit the words or ideas presented by student colleagues (or the instructor), just as you would credit the author of a book or article. Use the usual scholarly apparatus of footnotes and bibliography. The standard for academic style and writing in theology is the Chicago Manual of Style, also available in condensed form in Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Both are available in the AST Library reference section. Chicago is also available online via the AST Library website. Details for formatting your papers (footnotes, bibliography, etc.) are found in these books. ** N.B. It is AST policy to use inclusive language for human beings. Although the essays for this course are relatively brief, organization and content, as well as spelling and grammar, are still very important. In every assignment, you are demonstrating your learning in written form. Each composition assists you in organizing and expressing your own understandings of the material at hand. Many find that the act of writing itself crystallizes their learning in a new and clearer way. Taking the time to write a draft, to edit and to revise is an excellent habit and a wise investment. 3
Please attend carefully to rules regarding plagiarism in the AST Student Handbook. The issue at stake with plagiarism is that all of us need to give honest credit to our sources. Where did we learn specific things, if they are not common knowledge? Where did we find specific concepts, turns of phrase, or ways of synthesizing research? Who said or wrote the words we are citing or paraphrasing? If sources are not credited with footnotes or in some other acceptable way, the impression is left that one has done this research on one's own, and this is a serious case of misrepresentation. For a refresher on the nature of plagiarism, consult the following: http://www.smu.ca/administration/library/subjects/plagiarism.html http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml Submission of assignments: Please submit your written work on paper (in 12-point font, double-spaced, single- or double-sided), or via email. If possible, use the blank side of previously used paper: simply draw a clean pencil line though the page already printed. Late penalty for overdue assignments: 3% per weekday. How many footnotes does each essay need? You need a footnote for every citation you make, and for every idea you borrow and paraphrase. If in doubt, footnote it. That said, if your paper is mostly citations and paraphrases, there will be no sense at all of your arguments and thoughts coming through. Carefully integrate citations and others ideas into what you are saying. PLAGIARISM is the failure to attribute (by means of footnotes when writing or aloud when speaking) any ideas, phrases, sentences, materials, syntheses, etc. that another author has composed and that you have borrowed for your own work. The academic consequences are serious. 4
Week One Sept. 3 rd - 7 th various learning opportunities and events Course Itinerary Sept 9 th Introduction Habits for reading and writing theology Methods, Sources, and Norms Irenaeus Rule of Faith (online: www.creeds.net) The Apostles Creed (online: www.creeds.net) John MacQuarrie, Principles of Christian Theology, 2 nd ed. (New York: Scribner s, 1977), 4-18 (here: http://theologicalfoundations1000.wordpress.com/ or in library) McGrath, Preface, To the Student, McGrath, Chapters 5 & 6 skim McGrath, Chapter 1-4 and Glossary Sept 16 th Sept 23 rd Sept 30 th Oct 7 th Revelation, Tradition, and Reason The Nicene Creed (online: www.creeds.net) McGrath, Chapter 7 & 8 Current event article TBA Who is God? Christology The Definition of Chalcedon (online: www.creeds.net) The Gospel of John William C. Placher, Narratives of a Vulnerable God: Christ, Theology, and Scripture (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), 3-26 (here: http://theologicalfoundations1000.wordpress.com/ or in library) McGrath, Chapters 11 & 12 BEARPIT Who is God? Trinity The Athanasian Creed/Quicumque Vult (online: www.creeds.net) The Letter to the Romans Elizabeth A. Johnson, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse (New York: Crossroad, 1993), 191-223 McGrath, Chapters 9 & 10 Creation, the Sovereign God, and Theological Anthropology McGrath, Chapter 14 (and review Ch. 7) Genesis 1-26 Largen, Kristin Johnston. The Human Need for Community. Dialog 48, no. 3 (Fall 2009): 217-218 Fennell, Robert C. Fundamentally Eccentric: Reflections on What It Means to Be Human in Our Time. Touchstone 30, no.1 (Jan 2012): 44-50 5
Oct 14 th Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit Richard J. Plantinga et al., An Introduction to Christian Theology, Chapter 11 Sallie McFague, Models of God: Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987), 167-174 Genesis 27-50 BEARPIT Oct 20 th 24 th NO CLASSES: Reading Week Oct 28 th 31 st Midterm Oral Exams (if chosen) Oct 28 th Choice of MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT must be completed by this date 9:00 a.m. Midterm Written Exam (if chosen) 10:15 a.m. regular class session: Resurrection Redux N. T. Wright, On the Third Day: God s Promise Fulfilled, The Christian Century (April 5, 2003): 32-36 [online: http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2722 ] BEARPIT Nov 3 rd Please attend one or both of the following: Monday 2:00 p.m. Seminar with Dr Kristin Johnston Largen (at AST) from Gettysburg Theological Seminary 7:00 p.m. Evening lecture with Dr Largen (at St Mary s University) Nov 4 th Nov 11 th Nov 18 th NO CLASS NO CLASS Sin and Salvation Anselm, Cur Deus Homo? Book 1, Chapters 11-12 Book 2, Chapters 14-15 and 19 online: follow the links at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/anselm-curdeus.html McGrath, Chapter 13 (and review Ch. 14) 6
Nov 25 th Ecclesiology, Worship and Sacraments Hippolytus Account of the baptismal service (online: www.creeds.net) McGrath, Chapter 15 & 16 The 39 Articles of Religion of the Anglican Church of Canada Articles 23-30 http://www.anglican.ca/about/beliefs/39-articles/ Basis of Union of The United Church of Canada Articles 2.16, 2.17, 2.18 http://www.united-church.ca/beliefs/statements/union The Catechism of the Catholic Church The Sacrament of Baptism The Sacrament of the Eucharist http://www.vatican.va/archive/eng0015/_index.htm Scroll about half-way down the page to Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1; select and read all of Article 1 (Baptism) and Article 3 (Eucharist). Read also the brief section entitled The Seven Sacraments of the Church (the heading for Section 2). Dec 2 nd Quiz on theological terms 15% Eschatology, the Kingdom/Realm of God, and Christian Hope Richard Bauckham, The Future of Jesus Christ in Markus N.A. Bockmuehl (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Jesus (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 265-280 McGrath, Chapter 18 BEARPIT Dec. 9 th Faith, Prayer, Vocation, Service, and Discipleship : TBD (http://theologicalfoundations1000.wordpress.com/) Dec 9 th -11 th TBD Final Oral Exams (if chosen) Dec 11 th 9:00 a.m. Final Written Exam (if chosen) Dec 11 th 12:00 noon Final Essay due (if chosen) 7
Assessment Standards for participation marks (10%) 0 did not attend classes 1-2 missed more than 3 classes 3-4 rarely participated in discussions 5-6 sometimes participated in discussions 7-8 often participated in discussions 9-10 habitually participated in discussions Pre-writing (15%) Prior to a given class session, forward to Dr Fennell one page of your reflections on the week s readings (250-300 words). You may submit one page every week, or choose to write fewer. Your best five marks for such pages will be counted toward the final mark. Quiz on theological terms (15%) At the beginning of the Dec. 2 nd class session, students will complete a short quiz, providing definitions for terms common to theological discourse. Terms will be discussed in advance. Essay or presentation topic options (20%-40%) The best method of developing Christian theological understandings of God The interrelated roles of the Bible, tradition, and experience in theological method The saving and reconciling work of Jesus Christ Issues related to the two natures of Jesus Christ Feminist critique and/or reconstructions of the Trinity The immanent and economic Trinity The role of the Holy Spirit in creation Give a theological account of what human beings are for The nature and purpose of the Church Compare and contrast what Christianity means by The Holy Spirit and what Star Wars means by The Force Give a theological account of ministry in light of the gifts of the Holy Spirit Give a theological rationale for evangelism What is sin? Account for one or two theories of atonement What is the nature of discipleship? Discuss the meaning of the sacraments (according to any one tradition/denomination) Give an account of the East-West schism of 1053 Discuss the interrelationships among any three loci of theology Other topics may be negotiated 8
Deductions for Plagiarism -10% one sentence plagiarised -20% one paragraph or equivalent -50% one page or equivalent and AST s plagiarism policy is applied -100% more than one page or equivalent and AST s plagiarism policy is applied Late penalty for overdue assignments 3% per weekday Extensions If you wish to have an extension for any work, please contact Dr Fennell in advance with the request, the reason, and the date by which you propose to submit the work. A few thoughts Theology is the discerning use of Scripture and tradition to assist in wise living before God. (David Ford, Cambridge) Theology is the habit of loving God with the mind. (Joanne McWilliam, Trinity College, Toronto) The task of theology is threefold: - to invite others to faith (including teaching the faith); - to remind believers of the communal nature of the way of Jesus; - to give hope to real people in real circumstances. (R. Fennell) Doing theology is a bit like architecture and construction: planning things out, looking at what the neighbours are doing, preparing a team, getting the materials, laying the cornerstone, building in congruence with that cornerstone, adding elements that are practically useful and aesthetically pleasing. (R. Fennell) 9