MI591:
Mission Issues from Urbana (4 Units)
Stephanie M. Smith, Assistant Professor of
Spirituality and Theology
Winter 2004 Urbana, Ill.
DESCRIPTION:
Every three years,
Fuller Theological Seminary offers a course that coincides with the Urbana
Missions Conference. The conference provides the opportunity to hear speakers
from throughout the world address issues in missions, to learn about missions
opportunities available through agencies and churches, and to connect with
fellow-students as they prepare to serve cross-culturally. The purpose of
MI591: Mission Issues from Urbana, is to provide students with a disciplined
approach to reflection about mission issues raised at the conference as they
relate to the student’s own personal ministry goals. This year the course will
highlight the increasingly vital role of Christian theology as a response to
contemporary trends in missions.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
1.
Raise awareness of current issues in missions while reflecting on one’s
own future goals as related to missions.
2. Interact with Urbana seminar topics
of choice through critical assessment and personal reflection.
3. Recognize the vital role of
Christian theology as a response to contemporary trends in missions and assess
one specific concern, issue, or missions methodology from a theological
perspective.
Identify issues that impact cross-cultural praxis and engagement.
4. Identify issues that impact
cross-cultural praxis and engagement.
COURSE FORMAT:
Students must be registered for Urbana
in order to register for this course. Registration forms can be found on the
website at www.urbana.org. A three-hour
orientation lecture for the course will be given while at the Urbana convention
– attendance at this session is mandatory. The rest of the course will consist
of independent research, reading and writing. There will be one more required
group meeting during the quarter. (Students who do not reside in the Pasadena
area can “meet” with the instructor through e-mail or phone.)
REQUIRED
READING: (700 pages)
Barth, Karl. Dogmatics in
Outline. Translated by G.T. Thomson. San Francisco: Harper & Row
Publishers, 1959. 155pgs.
Hiebert, Paul. Anthropological
Insights for Missionaries. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985. 300 pgs.
Jenkins, Philip. The Next
Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2002. 250 pgs.
1. Attendance and
participation at Urbana 2003 Conference, including 8 seminar sessions. Please
send the names of the sessions you attended, with a signed statement affirming
your attendance, to the instructor by January 20, 2004.
2. Reflective interactive papers from
three of the seminar sessions you attend. These papers should (a) briefly
summarize the main thesis/issue addressed in the seminar (approx. 1/3 of
paper), (b) critically interact with the points of the seminar—What are the
presuppositions underlying these points? With what do you agree or disagree?—(1/3),
and (c) reflect on the significance of the discussion for your own life and
ministry (1/3). These papers should be no more than 300 words in length. They
are due to the instructor by January 20, 2004.
3. A 500-word (approx. 2 pages)
reflection on your experience at Urbana and the impact of this conference upon
your future life goals and desires. Due to the instructor by January 20, 2004.
4. Attendance at the introductory
School of Intercultural Studies session at Urbana and subsequent meeting.
5. Required reading, listed above, and
700 pgs additional reading in area of research. In bibliography to research
paper, please list pages read of each book. At the end of the bibliography,
please provide the total pages read for the research paper.
6. A 4000 word (approx. 16-18 pages)
research paper, which addresses from a theological/Biblical perspective one
question or issue in missions that you learned about at Urbana. The instructor
will explain this assignment during the class meeting. The research paper will
be due on March 8, 2004.
PREREQUISITE:
None.
RELATIONSHIP
TO CURRICULUM: Elective. No audit students permitted.
FINAL
EXAMINATION: None.