MT523: The Holy Spirit and Mission in Luke-Acts (4 units)
DESCRIPTION:
The course combines an exercise in basic New Testament exegesis with an inductive discovery by the student of the broad perspective of Luke's pneumatological missiology as described in Luke-Acts. Pneumatological, ecclesiological, missiological, and ministry-in-context issues will be highlighted.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
An understanding of:
1. The background issues in the study of Luke-Acts such as author, audience, date, genre, structure and purpose.
2. How to use the skills and tools of exegetical and hermeneutical interpretation.
3. The person and work of the Holy Spirit and mission in Luke-Acts.
4. Key missio-theological themes in the Book of Acts.
COURSE FORMAT:
Class meets as one-week intensive. The class will examine together various passages in Luke-Acts in relation to pneumatological missiology. Special attention will be given to Luke's insights related to the Holy Spirit and mission, aided by reading and reviewing three required textbooks. The student will do an exegesis of a passage, as well as write a thematic paper concerning pneumatological missiology in the student's context.
REQUIRED READING:
Dollar, Harold. St. Luke’s Missiology: A Cross-Cultural Challenge. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1996.
Gallagher, Robert L. Acts Papers. Wheaton: Wheaton College Graduate School, 1999.
Gallagher, Robert L. Acts Text. Wheaton: Wheaton College Graduate School, 1999.
Gallagher, Robert L. Mission in Acts Course Notes. Wheaton: Wheaton College Graduate School, 1999.
Gallagher, Robert L. and Paul Hertig, eds. Mission in Acts. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, forthcoming fall 2003.
Packer, J. I. Keep in Step with the Spirit. New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell, 1984.
Stronstad, Roger. The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1984.
Tannehill, Robert C. The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts. Vols. 1 & 2. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1986.
ASSIGNMENTS:
1) Read and mark the Book of Acts in the Acts Text.
2) Read the Acts Papers and the Mission in Acts Course Notes.
3) Write three 650 —750 word book reviews of the required textbooks: Dollar, Packer and Stronstad.
4) Exegete a passage in Luke-Acts (minimum 2000 words) focusing on the missiological implications of the pericope using Tannehill’s commentaries for support.
5) Research a thematic paper (minimum 3750 words) from Luke-Acts developing a missiological motif related to pneumatology that is of particular importance in the student's context. The paper will seek to develop the way in which a Lukan pneumatological missiology would approach a particular contextual issue.
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
Date Last Edited: April 2, 2003