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Academic Programs
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New
Testament Tensions and Contemporary Ministry
SC-665-1/III-AM Fall 2002 |
| The
New Testament writings reflect a variety of tensions which
developed within the Christian communities of the first
century and which also arise in the Church today. Using
insights and paradigms from biblical and congregational
studies as angles of vision, this course seeks to analyze the
dynamics of these tensions then and now. Reading the New
Testament from social scientific perspectives will provide a
bridge between the problems and strategies of the early church
and those of congregations in our time.
Meeting
Day, Time and Dates:
Tuesdays
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on 9/10, 10/1, 10/22, 11/12, 12/10
(D.Min. Schedule)
Location: Room 206
Course
Syllabus
Class web site
|
 Professor
Efrain Agosto
Contact
Information:
phone: (860)
509-9515
email:
eagosto@hartsem.edu
Dr. Agosto's web page
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 Professor Carl
Dudley
Contact
Information:
phone: (860)
509-9541
email: cdudley@hartsem.edu
Dr. Dudley's web page
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Course
Objectives
1.
To gain a greater understanding of various New Testament documents
as products of communities of faith with different cultures and
concerns.
2.
To use both the academic tools of biblical analysis and the lenses
of contemporary congregational studies in listening and responding
to selective New Testament writings.
3.
To explore similarities and differences between settings and
strategies of the early church and present day congregations.
4.
To show reflective practice of this approach in a variety
of congregational ministries.
Course
Procedure
Although
we recognize that New Testament documents were written by
individuals in the context of their faith communities, in this
course we will emphasize the influence of communities in the
development of these materials.
Although we also realize that each document has many layers
of meaning, in this course we seek to identify dominant themes
that reflect the communities from /to which they were written. As the themes and perspectives of each book is introduced
students are expected to incorporate those themes into each
subsequent discussion.
Students
will sign up to introduce a New Testament book in team
presentations. These
introductions should include an historical-critical orientation to
the book, an exploration of the primary issue we have suggested
for the book, and a contemporary congregational situation that
might be comparable to the book. Presentations should be about 15 minutes, maximum, and
accompanied by a single page outline for all students. These presentations provide the basis for one of two
student papers, in addition to weekly reading reports. In presentations and papers students are encouraged to
include creativity in communication, such as pictures, drawings,
dialogues, role playing, music, video, and the like.
Course
Requirements
1. Reading
A.
Required
The
New Testament in a modern translation (e.g., New Revised Standard
Version).
Raymond
Brown, The Churches the Apostles Left Behind (New York/Ramsey: Paulist
Press, 1984).
Carl
S. Dudley & Earle Hilgert, New
Testament Tensions & the Contemporary Church
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987).
Wes
Howard-Brook and Sharon H. Ringe, eds., The
New Testament – Introducing the Way of Discipleship (Maryknoll,
NY: Orbis Press, 2002).
Wayne
Meeks, First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul (New
Haven: Yale University Press, 1983).
David Rhoads, The Challenge of Diversity: The Witness of Paul & the Gospels
(Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1989).
Sharon
Ringe, “A Gentile Woman’s Story” in Letty Russell, ed., Feminist
Interpretation of the Bible (Philadelphia: Westminster Press,
1985), 65-72 [on reserve].
Max Weber, “The Sociology of Charismatic Authority” in Gerth and
Mills, From Max Weber:
Essays in Sociology (Oxford, 1946), 242-252 [on reserve]. 
B. Recommended (on reserve)
Nancy
T. Ammerman, et.al., Studying
Congregations (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998).
David
Bartlett, Ministry in the
New Testament (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993).
Raymond
Brown, The Community of the Beloved Disciple: The Life, Loves and Hates of An
Individual Church in New Testament Times (New York: Paulist
Press, 1979).
Richard
Cassidy, Jesus, Politics and
Society: A Study of Luke’s Gospel (Maryknoll, Orbis Books,
1978).
John
H. Elliot, A Home for the
Homeless: A Social-Scientific Criticism of I Peter, Its Situation
and Strategy (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990).
Robert
Jewett, The Thessalonian Correspondence: Pauline Rhetoric and Millenarian Piety
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986).
Elsa
Tamez, The Amnesty of Grace: Justification by Faith from a Latin American
Perspective (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993).
Gerd
Theissen, Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on Corinth
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1982).
________, Sociology
of Early Palestinian Christianity (Philadelphia: Fortress Press,
1978).
Burton
H. Throckmorton, Jr., Gospel
Parallels: A Synopsis of the First Three Gospels (Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 1979).
2. Class presentation:
Students
will work in teams to introduce in class a New Testament book as a
reflection of a community
of believers, including the theological beliefs and social
dynamics. Students must provide a one-page outline of their
presentation with copies for all class members.
3. Papers:
A) Single page (paragraph-form, outline or list of comments and
issues) each session (morning and afternoon of each class
constitute one session each) discussing the theme of the session
based in the biblical documents and using assigned reading as
resource for your comments (i.e, two one-page papers for each day
of class, starting with the second class for a total of 8 one-page
papers). These
reading reports will facilitate class discussions, and professors
will also react to content of the reports with e-mail comments
after each class.
B) Brief written introduction to a New Testament book engaging a
course theme based on your presentation in class session, length
about 7-10 pages, due no later than November 14.
C) Longer paper of two parts, about equal length, total 20-25 pages,
due December 17.
First part: Write an analysis and integration of course material
(lectures, readings, discussions) showing the dynamic interaction
of several class themes in at least three New Testament documents
that reflect the diverse beliefs and practices of the early
church.
Second part: Based on a contemporary ministry setting, (a)
describe the important beliefs and practices of participants and
(b) write a new New Testament document that might be written for
or from that ministry, showing your use of applicable course
themes in the practice of ministry.
4. Participation:
Informed
participation is expected of all students. Students who
must
miss all or part of a class day are expected to arrange to cover
the same material in other ways (tapes, discussions with other
students, etc.). However,
given that we only have five class days in this course, missing
more than one full day could lead to withdrawal from class.
In addition, any absence may affect final grade.
Course
Outline
September
10
Session
I (Morning): INTRODUCTION
to the class and the course
To the social world & interpretative visions of the New
Testament
To
methods of Congregational
Studies
Read: Brown, ch. 1, pp. 13-30;
Howard & Ringe, ch. 1, pp. 1-15; Meeks, ch. 1, pp. 1-50;
Rhoads,
Introduction and ch 1, pp. 1-38.
Session
II (Afternoon): WITH
THE JESUS MOVEMENT, INTIMACY VS. ORDER
Study: Synoptic Gospels (Use Gospel Parallels, e.g., Throckmorton,
Gospel
Parallels), Identify primitive passages of intimacy (Use Dudley & Hilgert).
Read: Dudley and Hilgert, ch. 1, pp.
1-37;
Ringe,
“Gentile Woman’s Story.”
For
early forms of structure and order, study MATTHEW
Read: Howard and Ringe, ch. 2, pp. 16-39;
Brown,
ch. 8, pp. 124-145;
Rhodes, ch. 4, pp. 79-98.
Recommended:
Theissen, Sociology, ch.
I-X, pp. 1-119
October
1
Session
III (Morning): CHARISMA
AND COUNTER-CULTURAL CHRISTIANITY.
Study:
MARK, I THESSALONIANS
Read:
Dudley and Hilgert, ch. 2, pp. 38-75;
Howard-Brooke & Ringe, ch.7, 122-147.; Meeks, ch. 2, pp. 51-110;
Rhoads, ch. 3, pp. 60-78; Max
Weber, “The Sociology of Charismatic Authority.”
Recommended:
Jewett, The
Thessalonian Correspondence, Ch. 7 & 9, pp. 113-132,
161-178.
Session
IV (Afternoon): DEALING WITH CONFLICT and ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY
Study:
GALATIANS; 1 CORINTHIANS (also 2 Corinthians)
Read:
Dudley and Hilgert, ch. 4, 104-134;
Meeks, ch. 4, pp. 111-139;
Rhoads,
ch. 2, pp. 39-59.
Recommended:
Theissen, Social Setting, ch.
2, 3, 4, pp. 69-174;
Bartlett, ch. 2, pp. 23-57.
October
2
Session
V (Morning): RESOLVING
COMMUNAL CONFLICT THROUGH
RITUAL AND ROUTINE
Study: COLOSSIANS & EPHESIANS; (also Philippians)
Read:
Brown, ch. 3, pp. 47- 59;
Dudley
and Hilgert, ch. 5, pp. 135-166;
Howard
& Ringe, ch.8, pp. 148-167;
Meeks,
ch. 5, pp. 140-163.
Session
VI (Afternoon): Annual
CONTINUITY THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL
Study: PASTORAL EPISTLES
Read: Brown, ch. 2, pp. 31-46;
Meeks,
ch. 4, pp. 111-139 (re-read).
Recommended:
Bartlett, ch. 6, pp. 150-184.
November
12
Session
VII (Morning): CHRISTIANS
IN CONFLICT ABOUT STATUS AND JUSTICE
Study:
LUKE-ACTS, James
Read: Brown, ch. 4, pp. 61-74;
Howard
& Ringe, ch. 4, 6 & 9, pp. 62-79, 103-121; 168-169,
176-179; Rhoads,
ch. 5, pp. 99-116.
Recommended:
Bartlett, ch. 5, pp. 115-149; Cassidy, Jesus,
Politics and Society.
Session
VIII (Afternoon): SUSTAINING
CHRISTIAN VISION IN A HOSTILE WORLD
Study:
ROMANS, I PETER
Read:
Brown, ch. 5, pp. 75-83;
Dudley and Hilgert, ch. 3, 76-103; Howard & Ringe, ch. 9, 179-182.
Recommended: Tamez, Amnesty
of Grace, selections; Elliot, A Home for
the Homeless, ch. 1, 2, pp. 21-100.
December
10
Session
IX (Morning): DUALISTIC
VISION: WHEN INTIMATE IS UNIVERSAL
Study:
GOSPEL OF JOHN, Epistles of John
Read:
Brown, ch. 6, 7, pp. 84-123;
Rhoads,
ch. 6, pp. 117-135.
Recommended:
Bartlett, ch. 4, pp. 89-114; Brown, Community of the
Beloved Disciple, 13-144.
Session
X (Afternoon): COSMIC
VISION: THE CLASH OF POLITICS AND RELIGION
Study:
REVELATION (also Hebrews)
Read:
Dudley and Hilgert, ch. 4, 104-134;
Howard & Ringe, ch. 10, 188-206; Meeks, ch. 6, pp.
164-192;
Rhoads, ch. 7, pp. 136-151.
Recommended:
Bartlett, ch. 7, pp 185-200.
Conclusion:
Towards a Congregational Studies Reading of the New Testament
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