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THEO 575 - Contemporary Theology

TeacherDr. S. Jenkins
SemesterSpringDuration8 Weeks
FrequencyEvery three years
Credits5 ECTSWorkload125-150 Hours
Module formatIntensive
ApplicabilityThis Module seeks to place Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology in the general theological milieu in particular evangelical theology and to investigate the contribution of more recent scholarly academic work. It is essential for all theological modules.
Course structureSee module and courses
Contact time35-45 HoursSelf-Study105-125 Hours
Participation requirementSee access to the program
Evaluation
EvaluationHoursWeight
Phase 15020%
Readings & Journals
5020%
Phase 24030%
Participation
3010%
Presentations
1020%
Phase 36050%
Research Paper
6050%
Total150100%
Content of the ModuleA study of the major people, movements, and issues in contemporary religious thought, evaluating them in the light of evangelical Christianity. Seeks to clarify the structure and method of contemporary theological thinking and explores the relationship between contemporary religious thought and the broader intellectual and cultural context of modern life.
This course is intended to provide an overview of the significant people and trends of the theological landscape in the past two centuries. Such an overview will expose students to a variety of theological approaches throughout the world and will thereby more adequately equip students for an understanding of the current theological scene.
Learning Objectives

A. General Learning Objectives
This course seeks to:

  1. Provide an overview of significant theologians and trends of thought in contemporary theology.
  2. Explain the connections between various theologians’ expressions of doctrine throughout the modern era.
  3. Demonstrate the cultural and historical setting of each theologian’s doctrinal expression.
  4. Relate the historical development of these doctrines to the formulation and meaning of theology in the contemporary church and academy.

B. Specific Behavioral Objectives
As a result of the activities and study in this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Explain the cultural and historical background of each theologian’s thought.
  2. Identify the philosophical and theological bases for each theological trend.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the theological connections between major Christian thinkers from 1800 to the present.
  4. Compare and contrast various theologians’ understandings of the doctrines studied.
OutlineA. The Historical and Philosophical Background of the Nineteenth Century: 1799-1914
B. The Theology of the Word of God: A Theology of Crisis?
C. Christian Existentialism
D. Christian Realism: A Post-Liberal American Theology
E. Roman Catholic Theology after Vatican II (1962-1965)
F. Contextual Theologies: Political Theology & Liberation Theology
G. Process Theology
H. Theologies of Fundamentalism, Evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism(s)
I. The Types of Modern Theology According to Hans Frei
J. Where in the 21st Century?
ExaminationSee Evaluation
Core Literature

Textbooks:
Livingston, James C. and Francis Schüssler Fiorenza. Modern Christian Thought: The Enlightenment and the Nineteenth Century. Volume 1.2nd edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.
Livingston, James C. and Francis Schüssler Fiorenza. Modern Christian Thought: The Twentieth Century. Volume 2.2nd edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006.

Reading List:
Barth Karl. Die protestantische Theologie im 19. Jahrhundert. Zürich: Theologischer Verlag, 1946.
Ebertshäuser, Rudolf. Die charismatische Bewegung im Licht der Bibel. Bielefeld: CLV Verlag, 1995.
Fleming, Ken. Biblische Prinzipien des Gemeindewachstums. Bielefeld: Bethanien Verlag, 2001.
Ellingsen, Mark. The Evangelical Movement: Growth, Impact, Controversy, Dialog. Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1988.
Gunton, Colin E. Theology through the Theologians: Selected Essays, 1972 - 1995. London: T & T Clark, 1996.
Grenz, Stanley J. and Roger E. Olson.20th-Century Theology: God and the World in a Transitional Age. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992.
Gundry, Stanley and Alan F. Johnson. Tensions in Contemporary Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Lindbeck, George A. The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age. Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1984.
MacQuarrie, John. Twentieth-Century Religious Thought. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1981.
McGrath, Alister.(Editor) The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1993.
Packer, J. I.“Fundamentalism” and the Word of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1958, reprint 1990.
Pinnock, Clark H. Tracking the Maze. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990.
Smith, David L. A Handbook of Contemporary Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998.
The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology in the Twentieth Century. Edited by David F. Ford. Second Edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd., 1997.

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