1 Rev. Dr. Rich Herbster rherbster@tsm.edu 724-495-6362 JANUARY TERM 2019 COURSE SYLLABUS Course Number: BI 900 Course Title: Using the Bible in Ministry & Mission Credit Hours: 3 Course Description Biblical Theology is foundational to all of our life and training at Trinity. As we use the term, Biblical Theology refers to an approach to the Bible as a set of documents that has a coherent unity amidst all its diversity. (See the brief description on Trinity s website.) The Bible is God s Word, conveyed through human beings, revealing who God is, His purposes in history, and the way of life He provides for us to live in union with Himself. This revelation finds its unity in its witness to Christ, the center of the whole of Scripture indeed, the center of life, the universe, and everything. In this course we will (1) survey key issues and themes in Biblical Theology, (2) examine how Biblical Theology can inform our understanding of Scripture as a whole and each passage within it, (3) reflect together on the significance and practical use of Biblical Theology in ministry, mission, and discipleship, and (4) practice Biblical Theology through in-class exercises and written assignments. Course Texts and Readings Students often try to seek a common thread or to discover the hidden meaning of why each of the books have been selected. There truthfully is not a secret grand theme that the course is seeking to elucidate, other than that of biblical theology. The reality is that there are ten thousand and one possible directions that a course like this could take. I have chosen to simply highlight several different issues and themes related to the reading and understanding of the Bible for ministry. Each of these books has something to contribute towards this end. Remember, too, that the professor does not necessarily endorse the thoughts and ideas of the authors on all occasions. Do not assume that I am advocating for everything each of these folks have to say. If you have some criticisms to offer, that will lead to more interesting papers and conversations! Required Reading (books) Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony, Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017. 704 pages. $42.50. Hoekema, Anthony. The Bible and the Future. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994. 354 pages. $23.60. Vanhoozer, Kevin. Biblical Authority After Babel: Retrieving the Solas in the Spirit of Mere Protestant Christianity. GrandRapids: Brazos Press, 2016. 269 pages. $14.95.
2 Lawrence, Michael. Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry. Carlisle: Crossway, 2010. 240 pages. $14.52. Course Objectives 1. When students finish this course, they should have a deeper understanding and appreciation of Biblical Theology and should be able to apply this understanding in their personal biblical interpretation as evidenced by the book review of Hoekema and Lawrence, as well as the completion of the final project. 2. When students finish this course, they should have increased skill in applying scripture to the various tasks of pastoral ministry, such as pastoral counseling, preaching, and leading the church in mission and evangelism as evidenced through class discussion and the active consideration of subject matter s relevance to their ministry context in book reviews and the final project. 3. When students finish this course, they should be better equipped to address particular challenges to the Bible and its interpretation in discussion and writing, as evidenced through the Vanhoozer and Bauckham response papers. The learning outcomes for Trinity School for Ministry are: 1. The student will recognise and identify the biblical theology evident in the course work. 2. The student will be able to articulate an Anglican understanding of biblical, historical, systematic, and pastoral theology. 3. The student will be able to effectively communicate the Christian message to a diversity of people in order to advance the mission of God. 4. The student will be prepared to effectively lead in a variety of Christian communities. This course furthers all four of these goals, but it will make a particular contribution in helping students to develop and articulate an understanding of biblical theology (1). We will additionally examine the history of biblical interpretation in terms of criticism and systematic theology (2). Assignments will directly address effective communication of the scriptures (3) and the use of the Bible within our ministry contexts (4). Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a violation of an author s/artist s intellectual property rights and is a serious offense. Please see the Academic Catalog for a full explanation of Trinity s plagiarism guidelines and note, as stated there, that every student is expected to be fully aware of the guidelines. A student who plagiarizes will automatically receive a failing grade on the assignment and risks failing the course. If a student does not know whether or not they may be engaging in plagiarism, they are encouraged to speak to Leslie Thyberg, our Learning Skills Coordinator.
3 Attendance and Participation: Failure to participate in class discussions may adversely affect your final grade. Failure to attend class will adversely affect your grade. ATS Review: As per The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) requirements, several samples of student work may be randomly selected and used as a class artifact as part of an ongoing assessment of courses and degree programs. Students names will be removed from any work used for this purpose. TSM Policy for Late Work: All students have the responsibility to complete their academic work in a timely manner and to comply with all course requirements set by the instructor in the course syllabus, including deadlines for assignments and papers. Students must not in any circumstance assume that late submission of work will be overlooked or treated casually. Late work and extensions. Instructors may grant an extension of due dates for class assignments. If students make a mutually acceptable prior arrangement with an instructor, they may with the instructor s permission submit required course work up to the official date for the end of term. When students expect to submit required course work later than the due date assigned by the instructor, but before the last day to submit work for the term then the student must signify this prospect to the instructor in writing, stating the extenuating circumstances, to obtain permission for late submission, on or before the assigned due date or stated examination day of a given term. A copy of this request must be submitted to the Registrar to be kept in the student s file. Incompletes. Extensions beyond the official last day to submit work for the term will involve an incomplete and may be obtained only upon written petition to the Academic Dean and Registrar, indicating the support of the course instructor for such an extension. The petition must demonstrate significant extenuating circumstances justifying the request. The Academic Dean and instructor, in consultation with the Registrar, shall determine the length and end date of the incomplete period. The Registrar will generate a contract to be signed by the instructor, the student and the Academic Dean. The incomplete work shall be due no later than 30 days following the original work due date. An administration fee of $200 which is not eligible for scholarship, shall be added to the student s bill. Additionally, the student may not register for courses in the next term until the required work is submitted and all fees are paid in full. Incompletes will be arranged in accordance with the procedure outlined in the paragraph above; an I indicating an incomplete will be entered upon the student s transcript for the course in question. When the work has been completed, the instructor shall submit a final grade to the Registrar, who shall then make an appropriate notation on the transcript indicating removal of the Incomplete and entering the final grade. If a student fails to meet the applicable deadline, in accordance with the procedures stated above, an F shall be automatically registered for the work in question, and a grade for the course shall be calculated on that basis, together with the evaluation of other coursework submitted. Additionally, the student may also be put on academic probation.
4 Course Requirements: Pre-class requirements For each of the four books, the student should write a 5-8 page paper. These should seek to: 1) Summarize the most salient points the author is seeking to communicate (at this stage not seeking to critique, but simply to accurately communicate the author s argument). 2) Respond to that argument substantively. If you agree, how and why? Likewise if you disagree. The nature of this response should not be on the lines of I like or I don t like. It is not intended to be an exercise in subjectivism. Rather it should be a substantive interaction with the most important theses of the work. 3) Address the relevance of this book for one s understanding of the Bible in your ministry. Every book is of some relevance to all of us (if we are reasonably discerning). Other requirements On Monday evening of our first day of class, students are expected to attend a dinner at Dean Thompson s home. This is formally regarded as the equivalent of three hours of our course, and all DMin students are expected to attend. Post-class requirements Option 1: Students will prepare a preliminary draft of chapter two of their project. I speak of draft here only because the process of writing a project is one which involves constant revision and rewriting, and not because I have in mind the writing of a cursory document. Even though it is likely that you will rework your second chapter with the benefit of hindsight as you approach the completion of your project, this draft should be a serious effort to identify and expound the biblical theological issues relevant to your project as per the guidelines given in the Doctor of Ministry handbook. It should consist in 15 to 25 double-spaced pages of closely reasoned writing that reflects a nuanced understanding of the biblical theological issues developed in the course (insofar as these issues touch upon your project). The paper should include footnotes and bibliography. Further discussion of the paper and its requirements will be discussed in class. Option 2: The student will prepare a teaching series or preaching series for use in a local church or other ministry setting which expresses an approach to understanding the Bible that is characteristic of Biblical Theology as developed in this course. Such a series might focus on the development of a specific theme of Scripture, or perhaps focus on some portion of Redemptive History. The series should be four sessions long. Describe the ministry setting and provide details of what you would preach or teach in each session, not just an outline. There is no page limit for this assignment, but it should be at least 30 pages double-spaced to do a thorough job. All post-seminar work must be submitted three months after the last day of the course.
5 Course Schedule We will meet for 2 ½ hours each morning (9:30 12:00) and afternoon (1:30 4:00), with a 1 ½ hour lunch break in between. The Wednesday session will be a bit shorter due to the longer chapel service on Wednesdays. Attendance at morning and evening prayer each day is required. Time spent in our corporate worship life together is included in our course time. Monday Writing the DMin Consideration of Hermeneutics Generally The Nature of Biblical Theology Specifically Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Discussion of Biblical Theology (Lawrence) The Bible and the Pastor The Bible and the Parishioner Counseling and Care Contemporary Challenges to Biblical Authority (Vanhoozer) The Bible and Preaching The Bible and Redemptive History (Hoekema) The Church and the Bible Ecclesiology and Eschatology, our place in God s Purposes Friday The Bible as Historical Witness (Baukham) The Bible in Mission and Evangelism