“There is no clean intellectual coherence, no abstract ultimate meaning to be found, and if this is not recognized, then the compulsion to find such certainty becomes its own punishment. This realization is not the end of theology, but the beginning of it: trust no theory, no religious history or creed, in which the author’s personal faith is not actively at risk.”
- Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss
Theology has a long history of humans crafting statements about their understanding of the nature of reality and the meaning of being human in an attempt to live in a world beyond themselves. The primary purpose of this course is to enable students to develop a systematic statement of their own theological perspective, with attention to: (1) its clarity, coherence, and capacity to illuminate experience; (2) its relationship to the resources and limitations of particular historical traditions and social locations; (3) its relationship to alternative perspectives; and (4) its explicit and implicit implications in terms of social and personal praxis.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this course you will be able (at a beginning level) to:
Iliff Degree Goals
Iliff Degree Learning Goals for This Course
MDiv Students
1.2. demonstrate awareness of Christianity as a historically-situated movement that interacted and changed in relationship to its surrounding cultures and subcultures over time, resulting in various expressions of Christianity located within and influenced by social structures, historical events, and ethnic and cultural ideologies
3. Think theologically in a contemporary context and articulate a constructive theological position.
3.2. critically engage historical theological expressions of Christianity in relation to contemporary events and/or situations
3.3. identify and articulate their constructive theological position on an issue, current event, or traditional Christian doctrinal category with clarity.
MASJE Students
1. Engage in social, historical, and political analysis in order to identify key factors impacting situations in which social change is desired and potential contradictions within these settings that open up the possibility for change.
MAPSC Students
2. Students will identify and critically evaluate the ways in which their personal, religious, and cultural experience, along with their activities in pastoral and spiritual care, shape their theology, moral orientation, and vocational formation.
MTS Students
3. Relate learning from recognizable forms of theological discourse to contemporary issues and questions, particularly those relevant to the student’s own professional practices and personal life.
4. Identify theological resources that would broaden and deepen their thinking about these questions.
5. Demonstrate proficiency in theological research and writing as they articulate responses to their theological questions in light of their vocational goals and experiences.
Important Iliff Information
Required texts:
1) Serene Jones and Paul Lakeland, eds. Constructive Theology: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Themes. Augsburg Fortress, 2005. 978-0-8006-3683-8
2) You will also select one additional constructive theology book, from the list below.
Choice texts (choose one):
You may also propose an alternate text of your choice, if it meets the following criteria:
Choice of text (from the list above or an alternate) should be submitted on Canvas by the indicated date.
Recommended texts:
If you feel rusty on theological terminology, you might find Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms by Donald McKim (Westminster John Knox, 1996) to be helpful. Abingdon Press’ New and Enlarged Handbook of Christian Theology (Nashville, 2003) contains helpful short essays on the classic loci and related issues in Christian theology.
You may use any standard citation format (Turabian, Chicago, MLA, APA, SBL, etc.) for the written work for this class. If you do not own a style guide, I recommend A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition, by Kate Turabian (University of Chicago, 2013).
Basic Attendance and Participation
Basic Attendance and Participation Expectations
Important Iliff Information
Constructive Theology Course Assignments
Meet the Theologians - find a contemporary theologian like you and unlike you.
Meet the Theologians assignment
Embodying Theology - Spotify playlist, Pinterest hashtag, bicycling, contemplative prayer - it is all theological. Do something.
Embodying Theology 2a assignment
Embodying Theology 2b assignment
Author Analysis - requirements for reporting on your choice theological text.
Author Analysis Choice assignment
Author Analysis 3a assignment
Author Analysis 3b assignment
Basic Attendance And Participation - rules for participating in the discussions.
Final Paper assignment
Other Important Information and Iliff Policies
Due Dates: Assignments need to be turned in on the dates specified on the syllabus. Late assignments will lose one letter grade if not submitted by the date indicated. Students who do not complete any assignments during the first two weeks of class will not be able to pass the class and will be removed.
Incompletes are not a possibility because of the rules about incompletes and adjunct faculty in the Masters’ Student Handbook.
Pass/Fail: Students interested in taking the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by Sept. 16. In order to earn a Pass, students must perform at a level considered the equivalent of C or better.
Accommodations: Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs. Students are encouraged to contact their assigned academic advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations. The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303.765.1146.
Community Covenant: All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant, as posted on Canvas.
Academic Integrity: All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook and posted on Canvas. Iliff professors are now using academic detection software that automatically detects plagiarism, and are taking it very seriously. Your final paper may not contain more than 30% material from any assignment turned in for another course. Plagiarizing materials will result in automatic failure of the entire course.
Date | Day | Details | |
Sep 16, 2017 | Sat | Discussion Facilitation Sign-Up | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 18, 2017 | Mon | Introductions | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 18, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion, Week 1: Theological Methodology | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 25, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion, Week 2: God | due by 05:59AM |
Oct 02, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion, Week 3: Anthropology | due by 05:59AM |
Oct 09, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion, Week 4: Sin & Evil and Jesus Christ | due by 05:59AM |
Oct 23, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion, Week 6: Church and Spirit | due by 05:59AM |
Oct 30, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion, Week 7: Creation | due by 05:59AM |
Nov 06, 2017 | Mon | Encounter Discussion Week 8: Redemption | due by 06:59AM |
Nov 18, 2017 | Sat | Participation and Journals | due by 06:59AM |