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Course Syllabus MTS MODULAR

WINTER 2018

MISS 0782 GOSPEL, CHURCH AND CULTURE

APRIL 9, 16, 23, 30; MAY 7

MONDAY NIGHTS, 6:00 – 10:00PM

INSTRUCTOR: DR. BRETT POTTER Email: bpotter@tyndale.ca

Email is the best way to contact me; I will do my best to get back to you promptly through the week. Access your course material, or copy this URL into your browser http://classes.tyndale.ca. Course emails will be sent to your @MyTyndale.ca e-mail account. Learn how to access and forward emails to your personal account. I. COURSE DESCRIPTION Preparing missional leaders requires careful examination of the ideologies and cultural milieu of contemporary society. This course examines the main features of postmodern thought and culture, the meaning of faithfulness to the gospel, the good news of salvation in Christ, and the nature and mission of the Church. The Church’s witness and service to the world is studied not just as one of the functions of the church but as its essential nature. Missional leadership takes seriously the calling of all God’s people to minister in every sphere of life as faithful witnesses to the gospel. II. LEARNING OUTCOMES The student will gain a deeper understanding of the Gospel, develop a capacity for appreciating, evaluating and critiquing major currents of our culture, and be able to integrate these insights into ministry. More specifically, the student will:

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develop a theological understanding of Gospel, Kingdom and Church that informs mission and ministry;

develop an understanding of the uniqueness of Canadian culture as a context for mission;

challenge the construct of our own cultures and reflect on how they affect our ideas of ministry and mission.

demonstrate a biblical-theological understanding of the Gospel articulate theologically the relationship between the Gospel, the Kingdom of God and

the Church identify major dynamics of contemporary Canadian culture, including the meaning and

implications of post-modernity for the Church’s witness and service develop a holistic ministry project that addresses a need in the community ask appropriate questions around gospel ministry effectiveness, success and failure

III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS A. REQUIRED TEXTS Fitch, David. Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines that Shape the Church for Mission. Downers

Grove, IL: IVP, 2016. Newbigin, Lesslie. Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1986. Other readings will be made available through the course website. In addition to this, there is an abundance of resources available through the Missional Church Reading Room on Tyndale’s website. B. SUPPLEMENTARY / RECOMMENDED READING: The following books do not need to be purchased but are directly relevant to what we are doing in the course. Along with the resources listed in the bibliography at the end of the syllabus, they are a great place to start for writing your essay or exploring themes relevant to gospel, church, and culture: Beach, Lee. The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After Christendom. Downers Grove, IL:

InterVarsity, 2015. (eBook available for free through the Tyndale library) Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of Mission. Maryknoll: Orbis

Books, 1991.

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Fitch, David E. The End of Evangelicalism? Discerning a New Faithfulness for Mission. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2011.

Fitch, David E. The Great Giveaway: Reclaiming the Mission of the Church. Grand Rapids:

Baker Books, 2005. Guder, Darrell, ed. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America.

Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998. ISBN 978-0802843500 Roxburgh, Alan, and M. Scott Boren. Introducing the Missional Church: What It Is, Why It

Matters, How to Become One. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2009. Wright, Christopher. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Downers

Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006. C. ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING 1. Reflection Paper #1: Due Date: April 23 - (15% of final mark)

For this first assignment, you have two options:

OPTION A: Adams, Michael. Fire and Ice: The United States and Canada and the Myth of Converging

Values. Rev’d ed. Toronto: Penguin Books, 2009. Write a 2-3 page personal reflection paper which discusses the impact and relevance of Adam’s work for the congregation/ministry in which you are currently involved. How relevant are his ideas for Christianity in the Canadian cultural context? Do not merely summarize Adam’s book – interact creatively with it. OPTION B: Crouch, Andy. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2013.

Write a 2-3 page personal reflection paper which engages Crouch’s theology of culture. What stood out to you in this book? What would you add to the discussion? How might this book and its ideas be received in your church, or workplace? 2. Required Reading and Class Participation: Attendance in class, enthusiastic and regular participation in class/small group discussions, and completion of assigned readings is expected. Because this is an intensive course over five

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weeks, class attendance is required. Missing more than one class without a medical/emergency reason will result in a lower grade. (10% of final mark) 3. Questions and Study Guide Assignment

In groups of 2-3 you will be assigned a chapter from one of these two books:

Fitch, David. Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines that Shape the Church for Mission. Downers

Grove, IL: IVP, 2016. Newbigin, Lesslie. Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1986.

a. As a group, you will together read the chapter and come to class prepared with a short summary of the chapter (no more than 5 minutes!) and two “burning questions” you have which we will use to shape our discussion. This is not a formal presentation, just a chance for you to lead our conversation.

b. Then, working as an individual, you will create a “study guide” for one of these books

which could be used to effectively and creatively summarize and teach this material (for example, in a church or ministry setting). You can write this as a kind of book review, but it could also take the form of an aesthetically pleasing handout, visually organized web page, well-crafted PowerPoint/Prezi presentation, or other creative format.

If you have any questions about this assignment, or are not sure how to get started (especially in terms of using web design software) please ask me. Questions Due: in weeks 3, 4, 5 (schedule TBA) Creative “Study Guide” Due Date: May 7 (30% of final mark: questions 10%, paper 20%) 4. Final Paper For the final paper, you will write a reflection paper linking ecclesiology [what the church is, and how it approaches its mission!] with a theology of culture. However, you will best be able to do this by focusing this broad topic down to a particular area. For example, in thinking through the questions “what is the gospel?” “what is the church?” and “how ought we to approach culture(s)?”, essay subtopics might include the church’s approach to issues of social justice; engaging the arts; the church as a political body; creation care as mission; engaging modern technology; theologically addressing issues of race

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and systemic inequality; ministry in the workplace; children and youth; human flourishing and health; making a place for the voices and leadership of women; or the way the church engages other religions and philosophies (10-12 pages). This is by no means an exhaustive list! I would encourage you to run your essay topic by me before you get started.

Due Date: May 28 [three weeks after our final class] (45% of final mark)

D. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN WORK

Work should be submitted electronically by email before class on the day it is due.

Strict adherence to the page limits and due dates is required. Penalties will be incurred for failing to adhere to either of these standards.

All work must be typed, using standard margins, double-spaced, in 12 point type.

In keeping with Tyndale’s ethos, please use gender-inclusive language in your papers. For example, use “We are made in the image of God” rather than “Men are made in the image of God.”

Your work should demonstrate the following characteristics:

1. Proper Reference and Citation Style

For proper citation style, consult the Chicago-Style Quick Guide (Tyndale e-resource) or the full edition of the Chicago Manual of Style Online, especially ch. 14. For citing scripture texts, refer to sections 10.46 to 10.51 and 14.253 to 14.254. 2. Academic Integrity

Integrity in academic work is required of all our students. Academic dishonesty is any breach of this integrity, and includes such practices as cheating (the use of unauthorized material on tests and examinations), submitting the same work for different classes without permission of the instructors; using false information (including false references to secondary sources) in an assignment; improper or unacknowledged collaboration with other students, and plagiarism. Tyndale University College & Seminary takes seriously its responsibility to uphold academic integrity, and to penalize academic dishonesty.

Students should consult the current Academic Calendar for academic polices on Academic Honesty, Gender Inclusive Language in Written Assignments, Late Papers and Extensions, Return of Assignments, and Grading System. E. SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Evaluation is based upon the completion of the following assignments:

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Reflection Paper #1 15%

Participation/Involvement 10%

Ministry Project Proposal and Group Presentation 30%

Final Paper 45%

Total Grade 100%

F. COURSE EVALUATION Tyndale Seminary values quality in the courses it offers its students. End-of-course evaluations provide valuable student feedback and are one of the ways that Tyndale Seminary works towards maintaining and improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. Student involvement in this process is critical to enhance the general quality of teaching and learning. Before the end of the course, students will receive a MyTyndale email with a link to the online course evaluation. The evaluation period is 2 weeks; after the evaluation period has ended, it cannot be reopened. Course Evaluation results will not be disclosed to the instructor before final grades in the course have been submitted and processed. Student names will be kept confidential and the instructor will only see the aggregated results of the class. IV. COURSE SCHEDULE, CONTENT, AND REQUIRED READINGS Week 1 – April 9 What is Culture? Readings (to be completed in advance of class): Lee Beach, The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After Christendom, intro., ch 1-2 (eBook – access through Tyndale library website)

Culture as poesis – “culture-making” (Andy Crouch)

Attention to lived environments

Modernity and postmodernity

Introduction to Canadian context – exile or margin

Prophetic imagination

Optional Readings: Stanley Grenz and John Franke, Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern

Context David Fitch, The End of Evangelicalism, introduction, ch. 2, 6, epilogue (online)

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Week 2 – April 16 Missio in Theological and Biblical Perspective Readings: Beach, The Church in Exile, ch. 6, 9 Walter Brueggeman, Prophetic Imagination, ch. 1, 7, postscript (on course page) Michael Goheen, The Missional Church and the Biblical Story, ch. 9 Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat. Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire, ch. 1, 5

The Kingdom of God

A “Big” Gospel

Theological underpinnings of the missio Dei

God as a missionary God (OT/NT models) – Barth, Wright, Moltmann

Missional hermeneutics and the pilgrim church

Eschatology (Moltmann) Optional Readings: Christopher Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Miroslav Volf, “The Trinity is our Social Program.” Week 3 – April 23 Evangelical Futures Readings: Alan Roxburgh and M. Scott Boren, Introducing the Missional Church: What It Is, Why It

Matters, How to Become One ch. 2-4 Alan Hirsch, “Defining Missional,” in Leadership Journal (online) Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the

21st Century Church, ch. 2, 3 Craig Van Gelder, The Essence of the Church, ch. 2 (excerpt) Darrell Guder, Missional Church (excerpt)

The prophetic imagination

Christ and Culture (Niebuhr)

A “posture” towards culture

What does “missional” mean?

Incarnational ministry

Ecclesiological models – “circles”

What is the shape of “evangelical” witness? Discussion 1: Faithful Presence, ch. 1, 2

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Optional Readings: Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger, Emerging Church: Creating Christian Community in

Postmodern Cultures Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy Week 4 – April 30 Mission as Translation Readings: Myron Penner, The End of Apologetics: Christian Witness in a Postmodern Context Beach, The Church in Exile, ch. 8, 11, 12 Kevin Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine (excerpt) Stephen Bevans, “Models of Contextual Theology” (article on course page) Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks, ch. 1, 3 Ted Turnau, Popologetics, ch. 1 (article on course page)

Theology of culture

Inculturation/contextualization

Lesslie Newbigin and David Bosch

Pluralism and postmodern religiosity

Imagination and apologetics

Postmodern mission and global cultures Discussion 2: Faithful Presence, ch. 3, 4, 5 Optional Readings: Nicholas M. Healy, Church, World, and the Christian Life: Practical-Prophetic Ecclesiology Walls, Andrew F. “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture” (article on course page)

Week 5 – May 7 New Horizons for Mission Readings: J. Todd Billings, “What Makes a Church Missional?” (Tyndale Reading Room) Howard Snyder, “Creation Care and the Mission of God” (online) Samuel Wells, Improvisation (excerpt) Ruth A. Meyers, Missional Worship, Worshipful Mission (excerpt on course page)

Mission and creation care

Worship and mission (Meyer)

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Theological ethics

Eschatology and ecclesiology revisited Discussion 3: Faithful Presence, ch. 6, 7 V. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Brueggeman, Walter. Cadences of Home: Preaching Among Exiles. Louisville, KY: Westminster

John Knox Press, 1997. Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of Mission. Maryknoll, NY:

Orbis Books, 1991. Bosch, David. Believing in the Future: Toward a Missiology of Western Culture. Valley Forge,

PA: Trinity Press International, 1995.

Bevans, Stephen. Models of Contextual Theology: Faith and Cultures. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1992.

Bibby, Reginald. Unknown Gods: The Ongoing Story of Religion in Canada. Toronto: Stoddart,

1993. _____________. There’s Got to be More! Connecting Churches & Canadians. Winfield: Wood

Lake Books, 1995. _____________. The Bibby Report: Social Trends Canadian Style. Toronto: Stoddart, 1995. Clapp, Rodney. A Peculiar People: the Church as culture in a post-Christian society. Downer’s

Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996. Clemens, Semak. Doing Local Theology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Press, 2002 Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch. The Shape of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the

21st Century Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003.

Grenz, Stanley. A Primer on Postmodernism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995. Guder, Darrell, ed. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America.

Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1998. Hunsberger, George. Church Between Gospel and Culture: The Emerging Mission in North

America. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

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Keller, Tim. Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City. Grand

Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

Long, Jimmy. Emerging Hope: A Strategy for Reaching Postmodern Generations. Downers Grove: IVPress, 2004.

Meyers, Ruth A. Missional Worship, Worshipful Mission. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014.

Minatrea, Milfred. Shaped By God’s Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Newbigin, Lesslie. Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1986. ______________. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989. _____________. Truth to Tell: The Gospel as Public Truth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991. ______________. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1995. Posterski, Don. True to You: Living Our Faith in Our Multi-Minded World. Winfield: Woodlake

Books, 1995. Schreiter, Robert. Constructing Local Theologies. Marynoll, NY: Orbis Press, 1985. Van Engen, Charles. God’s Missionary People: Rethinking the Purpose of the Local Church.

Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1991.

Van Gelder, Craig. Confident Witness - Changing World: Rediscovering the Gospel in North America. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999.

Van Gelder, Craig. The Essence of the Church. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000. Wilson, Jonathan. Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press

International, 1997. Woodward, J. R. Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World.

Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012. Missional Ecclesiology

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Clapp, Rodney. A Peculiar People; The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1996.

Dawn, Marva. Truly the Community: Romans 12 and How to Be the Church. Grand Rapids:

William B. Eerdmans. 1998. Dulles, Avery. Models of the Church. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1974. Frost, Michael. The Shape of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century

Church. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000. Grenz, Stanley. Created for Community. Wheaton: BridgePoint/Victor Books, 1996. ____________. Theology for the Community of Faith. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994. Guder, Darrell. Continuing Conversion of the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002. Hall, Douglas John. The Future of the Church. Toronto: UCPH, 1989. Hauerwas, Stanley & William Willimon. Resident Aliens. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989. Leddy, Mary Jo. Reweaving Religious Life. Mystic, CT: Twenty Third Publications, 1990. Murray, Stuart. Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World. Paternoster

Row, Carlisle, UK: Paternoster Press, 2004. Posterski, Don and Gary Nelson. Future Faith Churches: Reconnecting with the Power of the

Gospel for the 21st Century. Winfield: Wood Lake Books, 1997. Sweet, Leonard. The Church in Emerging Culture- Five Perspectives. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,

2003. Van Gelder, Craig. The Essence of the Church. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000. Watson, David. I Believe in the Church. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1979. Webster, Douglas. Selling Jesus: What’s Wrong with Marketing the Church. Downers Grove:

InterVarsity Press, 1992. Webber, Robert. The Younger Evangelicals. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002. Willimon, William. The Intrusive Word: Preaching to the Unbaptized. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,

1994.

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Wright, N.T. Bringing The Church to the World. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1992. Vanier, John. Community & Growth. New York: Paulist Press, 1979. Mission and evangelism Brueggeman, Walter. Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism: Living in a Three-Storied Universe.

Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993. Gibbs, Eddie. In Name Only: Tackling the Problem of Nominal Christianity. Wheaton:

BridgePoint Book, 1994. Green, Michael. Evangelism Through the Local Church. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992. Hunter, George. How to Reach Secular People. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1992. Pannell, William. Evangelism from the Bottom Up. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1992. Posterski, Don. Reinventing Evangelism: New Strategies for Tomorrow’s Church. Downers

Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Roxburgh, Alan. Reaching a New Generation: Strategies for Tomorrow’s Church. Downers

Grove: IV Press, 1993. Sider, Ronald J. One-Sided Christianity: Uniting the Church to Heal a Lost and Broken World.

San Francisco: Harper/Collins, 1993. Watson, David. I Believe in Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976. Moving into the Neighborhood Grigg, Viv. Companion to the Poor. Monrovia, CA: MARC, 1991. ____________. Cry of the Urban Poor. Monrovia, CA: MARC, 1992. Hauerwas, Stanley. In Good Company: The Church as Polis. Notre Dame, IN: University of

Notre Dame Press, 1995. Linthicum, R. City of God, City of Satan: A Biblical Theology of the Urban Church. Grand

Rapids: Zondervan, 1991. Linthicum, Robert. Empowering the Poor: Community Organizing Among the City’s “Rag, Tag

and Bobtail”. Monrovia, CA: MARC, 1991.

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McKnight, John. The Careless Society: Community and Its Counterfeits. New York: Basic Books,

1995. Schreiter, Robert. Constructing Local Theologies. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1985. Sine, Tom. The Mustard Seed Conspiracy. Waco: Word Books, 1981. On living missionally Frost, Michael. Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture. Peabody, PA: Hendrickson

Publishers, 2006. Mulholland, M. R. Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation. Downers

Grove: InterVaristy Press, 1993. Peterson, Eugene. The Contemplative Pastor: Returning ot the Art of Spiritual Direction. Grand

Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Reprint edition, 1993. Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs,

CO: NavPress, 2002. On missioning your vocation Banks, Robert. Faith Goes to Work. New York: The Alban Institute, 1993. Diehl, William E. The Monday Connection. San Francisco: HarperCollins Publisher, 1991. Nouwen, Henri. In the Name of Jesus. New York: Crossroads, 1989. Palmer, Parker. The Active Life. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1990. ____________. The Courage to Teach. John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1999. Van Engen, C. God So Loves the City: Seeking a Theology for Urban Mission. Monrovia, CA:

MARC, 1994. Leadership Armour, Michael. Systems-Sensitive: Empowering Diversity Without Polarizing the Church.

Rev’d ed. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Co., 2000.

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Bono, Edward. Six Thinking Hats. New York: Penquin Books, 1985. Callahan, Kennon. Effective Church Leadership. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. Clinton, Robert. The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership

Development. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1988. Collins, Jim. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. New

York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. Cosgrove, Charles. Church Conflict: The Hidden Systems Behind the Fights. Nashville: Abingdon

Press, 1994. De Pree, Max. Leadership Is an Art. New York: Doubleday, 1989. Friedman, Edwin. Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue. New

York: Guildford, 1985. ____________. A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. Harrisburg, VA:

Church Publishing, Inc., 2007. Gibb, Eddie. Leadership Next. Downers Grove, IL: IVPress, 2005. Kotter, John. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. Neuhaus, R. J. Freedom for Ministry. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992 (reprint). Peterson, Eugene. Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity. Grand Rapids:

Eerdmans, 1987. Roxburgh, Alan, and Fred Romanuk. The Missional Leader: Equipping your Church to Reach a

Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2006. Schaef, Ann W. The Addictive Organization. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1988. Van Oech, Roger. A Kick in the Seat of the Pants. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.