A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING, DISABILITY, AND THE CHURCH

A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING, DISABILITY, AND THE CHURCH I. Catalog Description II. III. A study of the biblical meanings and purposes of suffering with theological reflections and application to various aspects of suffering and disability-related ministries (3 hours). Course Objectives Students will... A. Cognitive B. Affective C. Behavioral Course Textbooks A. Required 1. Recognize a variety of contexts in which effective biblical instruction on suffering can/should occur in personal life and ministry. 2. Synthesize biblical and theological elements regarding suffering into a written logical and biblically accurate position paper. 1. Develop a clarified sense of God s calling to compassionately minister to those who suffer within the broad scope of Christian evangelism, church outreach, and church in-reach. 2. Deepen appreciation for the privilege and responsibility associated with teaching the Word of God on suffering. 3. Identify with individuals who suffer with disablement in terms of the physical and perceptual struggles that they face on a regular basis. 1. Understand the importance of suffering ministries in the church and be able to devise methods to create them. 2. Be equipped to provide leadership in ministry opportunities that involve "suffering through instructional design and accurate biblical teaching. Alcorn, Randy. If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2009. Tada, Joni E. and Steven Estes. When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1997. Waters, Larry J. and Roy B. Zuck. Why, O God? Suffering and Disability in the Bible and Church. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2011. B. Suggested Carter, Erik. Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities. Brookes Pub. Co: 2007. Fretheim, Terence E. The Suffering of God: An Old Testament Perspective. Fortress Press: 1998. 1

IV. Hubach, Stephanie. Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability. P and R Publishing: Phillipsburg, 2006. Lewis, C.S. A Grief Observed. HarperOne Pub: 2001. Leyshon, David. Sickness, Suffering, and Scripture. Banner of Truth: 2008. Nouwen, Henri. Adam: God s Beloved. Orbis Books: 1997.. In the Name of Jesus. Crossroad: 1993. Pierson, Jim. Exceptional Teaching: A Comprehensive Guide for Including Disabilities. Standard Pub. Co: 2002. Students with Piper, John and Justin Taylor. Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. Crossway: Wheaton, 2006. Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom, and Evil. Wm. B. Eerdman s Publishing Company: 1977. Rhodes, Ron. Why Do Bad Things Happen If God is Good? Harvest House: Eugene, 2004. Solomon, Lon. Brokenness: How God Redeems Pain and Suffering. Red Door Press: 2005. Tada, Joni E. and Steve Jensen. Barrier-Free Friendships: Bridging the Distance between You and Families with Disabilities. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1997. Tada, Joni E. and Nigel Cameron. How to Be a Christian in a Brave New World. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2006. Tada, Joni E. and Steve Miller. Through the Roof: A Manual to Assist Churches in Developing an Effective Disability Ministry and Outreach. Joni and Friends Ministries: Agoura Hills, 2006. Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Lament for a Son. Wm. B. Eerdman s Publishing Company: 1987. Yancey, Philip. Disappointment with God. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1988. Course Requirements A. Videos Attend all lecture videos. Report your attendance on the Video Report in the final module. B. Reading Assignments Complete the reading of all required texts and handouts by the last module. Report the percentage of completed reading on the Reading Report in the last module. C. Learning Activities 1. A Day in the Life Assignment and Paper Rent or borrow a manual wheelchair. Choose one full day and use the wheelchair during a normal day s routine. Most students in the past have attempted to mimic life with bilateral leg paralysis. Include mobility and activities within your house and community. 2

You may allow two primary exceptions to being wheelchair-bound for this assignment: (1) bathroom privileges and (2) in case a situation presents itself (in the opinion of the student) where harm or injury could occur if one proceeded with a particular activity. However, in light of the above exceptions, reflect on these two issues as if you were wheelchair dependent. Visit two or more public establishments. Visit places not normally visited or known, e.g. restaurants, libraries, a church, or some other public institution. Avoid your home church if you choose Sunday to complete this assignment. Whenever possible solicit a friend to accompany you to these public places so that you have transportation and feedback on the experiences. Avoid deception, of course; instead explore this opportunity to experience life in a wheelchair. Note how others in public perceive you and look upon you. If people ask you about your disability, honestly inform them about the assignment and its purpose. Consider purchasing or borrowing weightlifting gloves. Pushing a wheel chair all day is hard on the hands. For germ control, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with you. Avoid injury because of this exercise. Watch for inclines and declines. Losing control is easy. In addition, resist the temptation to perform wheelies or to enter wheelchair races! After you complete the Day in the Life exercise, write a six- to eight-page paper (plus title page) regarding your experience. Include a section on lessons learned. Follow Turabian formatting. Enjoy your day in the life! Reflect on this opportunity to wheel in someone else s wheelchair for a day! 2. Church Disability Ministry Assessment and Paper Schedule and perform at least two (2) of the following: a. Visit, observe, and interact with a church Disability Ministry. b. Evaluate and assess the interest and need for a Disability Ministry in your home church if one does not exist. c. Interview an individual who works in a Disability Ministry field. d. Interview an individual with a disability or family who has a member with a disablement. Listen graciously and learn from their perspective regarding life with disability. Avoid counseling, judging, and instructing. e. Visit, observe, and interact with a grief or disability-related support group. Choose from Christian or secular groups, e.g. a Parkinson s group, a Cancer Support group, hospice care, or a hospital chaplain. 3

f. Shadow a Home Health RN, Physical Therapist, or Occupational Therapist for three (3) or more hours. g. Attend and interact with attendees at a local Gospel Mission or homeless center. h. Present another idea for approval by the instructor. Invest ten (10) or more contact hours. Write a six- to eight-page paper. Report how you invested these hours. Identify the type of ministry or group observed. Share your experiences and lessons learned. Cite to three (3) or more written sources that correspond to the ministries observed. For example, if you visit a Parkinson s support group, consult references related to Parkinson s disease and/or references related to support groups themselves. If you visit a Disability Ministry, then include your perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as, thoughts and ideas for improvement and growth. 3. Theology of Suffering Position Paper Compose a fifteen (15) to twenty (20) page paper that defines and summarizes your biblical theology of God and suffering. Interact with the biblical text, reflect theologically, and consider the class lectures and required texts. Cite eight (8) or more references. You may cite your class notes from the lectures; however, class notes are in addition to your eight (8) or more references. You may cite the required textbooks. Add title page, bibliography, and footnotes to your fifteen (15) to twenty (20) pages of solid content. Determine and distill the key components needed for a clear biblical position on a theology of God and suffering. As you attend the lectures, complete assignments, and read the texts, consider what you need to include in your paper. Apply these helpful tips for an effective paper: a. Avoid procrastination! Work on your biblical theology of suffering throughout the semester. To write a concise and clear theology of suffering demands thought and time to process through all of the issues. Prayerfully and thoughtfully, work through the paper as the lectures progress. Your reward if you persist through the semester is a product that will help your future ministry when your encounter suffering. b. Compose a clearly worded position paper. State your thesis in the introduction. Defend your thesis in the body. Clarify your thesis by 4

D. Interactions V. Course Policies arguing for your position and against the opposing popular views. Cite your supporting evidence. Some modules include class interaction. Interaction is a vital part of the online experience. Meet your classmates, discuss the course material together, and develop a sense of community. Some interactions evoke a response to and discussion of an interaction question. Other interactions are peer reviews between you and your classmates. For peer reviews, open and read papers written by your classmates. Discuss their work. A. Assignment Weights B. DTS Grading Scheme Completed reading and videos as per schedule... 20% A Day in the Life assignment and paper... 15% Church Disability Ministry assessment and paper... 15% Theology of Suffering and Disability Position Paper... 35% Interactions... 15% A+ 99-100 B+ 91-93 C+ 83-85 D+ 75-77 F 0-69 A 96-98 B 88-90 C 80-82 D 72-74 A- 94-95 B- 86-87 C- 78-79 D- 70-71 VI. C. Late Assignments Submit assignments on their due dates. The instructor will ONLY accept late assignments under extraordinary circumstances. Set your profile to your location s time zone for accurate time-date stamping. D. Follow Turabian format, especially... 1. Identify your work using a title page. 2. Set your type font to 12-pt. Times New Roman. 3. Set margins to 1 inch. 4. Set paragraph line spacing to double-space. 5. Paginate the document. Course Supplemental Information DTS does not discriminate because of disability in the operation of any of its programs and activities. To avoid discrimination the student is responsible for informing the Coordinator 5

of Services for Students with Disabilities and the course instructor of any disabling condition that will require modifications. VII. The Presence of the Professor While the online learning environment is different than the live classroom environment, your professor is still involved and available. You can expect your professor to participate in the required interactions/discussions regularly and substantially. You can also expect your professor to have at least 3 virtual live office hours. Your professor will inform you of the times and means that these will occur. Most professors will likely use the Chat feature provided by our online platform at online.dts.edu. Course Schedule Module Topic Assignment Due Part I: The Need for Disability Ministry 1 2 Course Introduction Statistics and Disability Ministry Models Daniel Thomson, PT, Th.M. Church-Based Disability Ministry & Disability Outreach/In-reach Jessica Baldridge, M.Ed. Mike Justice, Th.M. Part II: The Biblical Foundation of Suffering 3 4 5 6 Suffering in the Pentateuch & the Prophets Dr. Stephen Bramer Suffering in the Psalms & Wisdom Literature Dr. Ron Allen Suffering in Job Dr. Larry Waters Suffering in the Gospels Dr. Mark Bailey Suffering in the Pauline Epistles Dr. Stan Toussaint 6

7 Suffering in non-pauline Epistles Dr. Jim Allman Suffering in Revelation Dr. Tom Constable A Day in the Life Paper Part III: The Theology of Suffering and Disability 7

Module Topic Assignment Due 8 9 Theology of Suffering & Disability Dr. Doug Blount Theology of Suffering and Disability Dr. Doug Blount Suffering and the Global View Dr. Jim Neathery Disability Ministry Assessment Part IV: The Ministry of Suffering and Disability 10 Pastoral Care Regarding Disability Dr. Vic Anderson Counseling & Family Dynamics Steve Fischer, MA/BC Counseling and Support Groups Dr. C. Gary Barnes Death and Dying Dr. Linda Marten 11 Common Disablements: Pediatric and Adult 12 13 Bioethics Dr. Richard Voet Joni and Friends Joni Eareckson Tada Question & Answer Panel Position Paper Reading & Video Report 8