Act 1: GOD AND US
The Setting of Our Salvation, from 'Our Father' to 'Amen'
| Date | Topic | Reading (required/recommended) |
| PRAY LIKE THIS: Why Are We Making You Take Christian Doctrine? | ||
| 9/4 | What Is Theology, and What Does It Have to Do with Basketball? | Syllabus, Rules of the Game, A Few (Strong) Suggestions on Essay Writing, Peer Review Guidelines (Peer Review FAQs are optional), BCW: Hinlicky |
| The Shape of the Course | ||
| 9/6 | What Do You Know? | Guthrie preface and ch 1, Luther introduction and preface, BCW: Woiwode, Deut. 6 |
| OUR FATHER in Heaven: The Doctrine of God | ||
| 9/9 | Not What You Think: The Otherness of God | Guthrie chs 3-4 and 6, Luther First Commandment and First Petition, Ex. 3 |
| GIVE US TODAY Our Daily Bread: The Doctrine of Creation | ||
| 9/11 | Reflection on Postmodernity Due (peer-reviewed by 9/13) |
McLaren chs 1-5, Luther Small Catechism |
| Creation and Its Competitors | Guthrie ch 8, Luther First Article, Gen. 1, Ps. 104, John 1:1-5 | |
| 9/13 | God Rested, Then Got Back to Work: Providence as Continuing Creation | McLaren chs 6-7, Guthrie pp 166-173, BCW: Crouch, Luther Second Commandment and Fourth Petition and Grace at Meals, Luke 11:1-13 |
| YOUR KINGDOM COME: The Doctrine of Humanity | ||
| 9/16 | What Is the Image of God? | Guthrie ch 10, Luther Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Commandments, Luther Lord's Prayer introduction, BCW: Hansen, Gen. 2 |
| FORGIVE US OUR SINS ... and Deliver Us From Evil: Moral Evil and the Doctrine of Sin | ||
| 9/18 | What Is Sin, and What Can We Do About It? | Guthrie ch 11, BCW: Jacobs, Gen. 3, Rom. 1:18-2:16, 5:12-14 |
| 9/20 | Depravity: Pelagius versus Augustine | Luther Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Commandments, BCW: Jones |
ACT 2: GOD WITH US
The Story of Our Salvation, from Advent to Advent
| ADVENT: Keeping the Father's Promise | ||
| 9/23 | The Reason for the Season: Introduction to Christology through the Liturgical Year | Howard ch 9, Luther Second Article |
| Advent (part 1): It Didn't Start with Jesus | McLaren chs 8-10, BCW: Lienhard, Luke 1, Work "Advent (I)" | |
| ANNUNCIATION: The Fulfillment Begins | ||
| 9/25 | Reflection on Confessions Due (peer-reviewed by 9/27) |
Augustine Confessions bks 1-2 and 8 |
| Children of Pelagius: A History of the Doctrine of Election | Guthrie ch 7, Work "Annunciation as Election", Luther Third Petition, BCW: Meilaender, Rom. 8-11 (cf. Isa. 19:9-14), Eph. 1:1-14 | |
| CHRISTMAS: Incarnation | ||
| 9/27 | God, With, Us: Incarnation in Three Soundbites | Guthrie pp 229-243, Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-18, Rom. 5:12-21, 1 Cor. 15, Heb. 2:5-18, 4:14-16 |
| Jesus' Divinity and Humanity: Nicea | ||
| SYNAXIS: The Virgin Birth and Its Christological Significance | ||
| 9/30 | Jesus' Personal Unity: Chalcedon | Guthrie pp 243-249 |
| 10/2 | Loving Jesus the Wrong Way: Four Heresies and How They Hurt Us | |
| 10/4 | Exam 1 (Trinity, Creation, Sin, Election, Incarnation) | |
| THEOPHANY/EPIPHANY: The Significance of Jesus' Baptism | ||
| 10/7 | God's Anointed: Jesus' New Relationship with the Holy Spirit, and Ours | BCW: Sawyer, Matt. 3, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3:1-22, John 1:19-51 |
| The Threeness of God | Guthrie ch 5 | |
| 10/9 | Two Models of God | Luke 3:1-22, John 17 |
| 10/11 | Three Mistakes and Their Costs | |
| 10/14 | What Is a Person? | |
| ORDINARY: The Kingdom of God Is at Hand | ||
| 10/16 | Reflection on the Lord's Prayer Due (peer-reviewed by 10/18) |
Matt. 6:5-18, McLaren ch 13 (after chs 11-12 below) |
| Signs and Wonders (part 1): Christ the Anointed Prophet | Luther Conclusion to the Ten Commandments, Jer. 1:4-10, Deut. 18:15-19, Acts 3:18-26 | |
| 10/18 | Signs and Wonders (part 2): Christ the Anointed Priest | McLaren chs 11-12, Luther Sixth Petition, Numbers 8:5-22, Heb. 9:1-10:25 |
| 10/21 | Signs and Wonders (part 3): Christ the Anointed King | Luther Second Petition, BCW: Price, 1 Sam. 8:1-22, Matt. 27:11-44 |
| LENT: The Cross Before Me | ||
| "Christology from Behind": The Myth of Objectivity and the Privilege of Discipleship | Luther Amen, BCW: Covington, Matt. 4:1-11, John 3:14-21, Mark 8:31-38, Luke 9:28-36, 1 Cor. 10:1-13, Phil. 3:8-16, Heb. 3:7-5:10, 12:1-13, 1 Pet. 1, Rom. 12:1-8, Eph. 2:1-10 | |
| PASSION and CRUCIFIXION: Atonement | ||
| 10/23 | Jesus Saves, But How? A Few Visions of Atonement | Guthrie ch 13, BCW: Ward, Luther Seventh Petition, Work "The Nonviolent Atonement" |
| HOLY SATURDAY: The End of the Old Age | ||
| 10/25 | Can God Really Suffer? The Powerful Weakness of the Cross | BCW: Lundin, Mark 14:1-15:47, 1 Cor. 1:8-2:16 |
| EASTER: Resurrection, the Beginning of the New Creation | ||
| 10/28 | Easter Changes Everything | Guthrie ch 14, BCW: Neuhaus, Matt. 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-49, John 20:1-21:23, 1 Thess. 4:13-5:11 |
| ASCENSION: The Exaltation and Session of Jesus | ||
| 11/1 | Reflection on the Resurrection Due (peer-reviewed by 11/4) | |
| Eschatology: The "World" between Ascension and Return | BCW: Yancey, Acts 1:1-11 | |
| PENTECOST: Pouring Out the Spirit | ||
| A Pentecost-al Introduction to the Holy Spirit | Guthrie pp 291-298, Work "Gusty Winds, or a Jet Stream?" Joel, Acts 2 | |
| ADVENT: "I'll Be Back" | ||
| 11/4 | Judgment as a Form of Salvation | Guthrie ch 19, Matt. 24:1-25:46, 1 Pet. 3:8-5:11 |
| Advent (part 2): Why the Wait? | Guthrie pp 173-191, Work "Advent's Answer to the Problem of Evil" | |
| 11/6 | Apocalypse When? | McLaren ch 14, Work "Once Upon a Tribulation" Rev. 20:1-22:5, 2 Thess. 2, 2 Pet. 3 |
| 11/8 | Exam 2 (Christology, Soteriology) | |
ACT 3: US WITH GOD
The Shape of Our Salvation, from Procession to Benediction
| PROCESSION: The Making of the Church | ||
| 11/11 | Ecclesiology: Who Cares? | Guthrie ch 18, Howard ch 1, BCW: Erikson |
| The Gathering Gathering | Deut. 5-8, Jer. 3:1-4:4, Rom. 11, Heb. 3:7-4:13 | |
| 11/13 | Reflection on Hope or Ministry Due (peer-reviewed by 11/15) | |
| What Makes a Church? Dead Ends and Live Options | Howard ch 2, Luther Third Article, BCW: Bottum, Ps. 24, Acts 8:14-17, 1 Thess. 1, Rev. 2-3 | |
| One True Church? | Work "I Belong to the One True Church" John 17, 1 Cor. 1:1-17 | |
| PRAISE, TONGUES: The Adoration of the Church | ||
| 11/15 | Worship as the Shape of the Christian Life | Guthrie pp 302-313, Howard ch 3, BCW: McDermott, Luther Third Commandment and Devotions, Ps. 66, 84, 149, 150 |
| Uses and Abuses of Spiritual Gifts | Guthrie pp 302-313, Acts 10:44-48, 1 Cor. 14 | |
| GREETING and MINISTRY: The Leadership of the Church | ||
| 11/18 | Apostolicity: Structures of the Missionary Church | McLaren chs 15-16, BCW: Douglas, Luther Fourth Commandment, Acts 6:1-7, Acts 15, Acts 20:25-32, 1 Tim. |
| OFFERING, HEALING: The Catholicity of the Church | ||
| 11/20 | Holiness: Signs of the Order of Salvation | Guthrie chs 16-17, Luther Fifth Petition and Confession, BCW: Fox-Genovese, Work "Reordering Salvation" Ps. 15, Isa. 57:14-21, Matt. 18, John 14:23-27 |
| 11/22 | The Wholeness of the Church | Howard chs 4-5, lecture notes |
| Liberation Theology: More Evangelical Than You Think | "Romero" study guide, Rom. 12, Luke 6:17-38, Acts 4:32-37 | |
| WORD and SACRAMENTS: The Constitutive Practices of the Church | ||
| 11/25 | Reflection on a
Hymn Due (peer-reviewed by 11/27) |
Howard ch 8 |
| Liberation Theology part 2 | ||
| 11/27 | Word and Sacraments: Practicing Salvation | Howard ch 6, BCW: Hinlicky, Mark 4:10-20, Acts 8:26-40, Rom. 10:8-17, 1 Cor. 1-4, 2 Tim. 3, Titus 1:1-9 |
| 12/2 | From Jesus to Scripture: How Christ Instituted the Bible | Guthrie ch 2, BCW: Ericson, Ps. 19, Matt. 5:17-48, Luke 4:14-22 |
| 12/4 | Extra-Credit Reflection on the Shape of Theology Due (peer-reviewed by 12/6) | |
| Baptism: Here Comes the Bride | Luther Baptism (and Infant Baptism), BCW: Ward, Luke 3:21-22, Mark 10:33-45, Rom. 6:1-4, Gal. 3:27-29, 1 Pet. 3:18-22 | |
| 12/6 | Communion: Sharing Salvation | Howard chs 7 and 10 and postscript, Luther The Sacrament of the Altar and Conclusion, BCW: Owens, 1 Cor. 11 |
| BENEDICTION: The End of the Church | ||
| Go Where? The Church in the World | BCW: Carter, Work "Veggie Ethics: What America's Favorite Vegetables Say About Evangelicalism" Rom. 13, Rev. 13, Rev. 18-19, 21 | |
| JUDGMENT DAY | ||
| §2: 12/9 §1: 12/11 |
Final Exam (7:30-9:30 a.m.); Peer-Reviewed Reflection on Sacraments Due | |