Gospel, Church and Australian Culture
EM430/EM630
Lecturer: Rev Dr Tim Foster
Outline:
Our understanding of the gospel has been shaped by the Christendom context and developed for a culture that is no longer with us. In an increasingly diverse and post-Christian society it is truncated, reductionist and inadequate. In this unit we will learn to think like missionaries and contextualize the gospel to effectively engage the many cultures within Australian society in an increasingly post-Christian context.
In this unit we will develop the concept of cultural narrative to build a framework for interpreting culture and contextualizing the gospel. We will reframe the gospel around the purposes of God as opposed to the punitive approaches that shape most outlines. This will provided a sound theological basis for bringing gospel and culture together in a process of contextualisation.
We will also reconsider our theology of church as we critically examine a number of missional ecclesiologies, including the Seeker Service and Emerging Church. By understanding the church as a sign and foretaste of the kingdom of God we will begin to reimagine the relationship of church and culture. We will recover a basis for holistic mission and recognise the transformative possibilities for a church empowered by the Holy Spirit.
A field trip will give students the opportunity to work together to identify the key elements of one Melbourne sub-culture. A substantial section of the unit will be spent applying your learning to contextualizing the gospel for different sections of Australian culture.
As a result of this unit you will be better able to contextualize the gospel and develop a holistic ministry program that integrates and shapes the life and mission of your church.
Unit Outline
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
|
Week 1 |
July |
Introduction & Overview |
|
Week 2 |
July |
Culture: Cracking the Culture Code |
|
Week 3 |
August |
Culture: Suburban Culture |
|
Week 4 |
August |
Gospel: From a Punitive to a Telic Gospel |
|
Week 5 |
August |
Gospel & Culture: Culture & Contextualisation |
|
Week 6 |
August |
Church: Towards a Missional Ecclesiology |
|
|
August |
Mid Semester Break |
|
|
Sept |
Mid Semester Break |
|
Week 7 |
Sept |
Gospel, Church & Culture: Cultural Transformation |
|
Week 8 |
Sept |
Cultural Exegesis Field Trips |
|
|
Sept |
Reading Week |
|
Week 9 |
October |
Collaborative Group Work |
|
Week 10 |
October |
Good News for Suburbanites |
|
Week 11 |
October |
Good News for YUPPies |
|
Week 12 |
October |
Good News for Battlers |
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you will:
- Have developed frameworks for understanding and interpreting culture, reshaping the gospel and reimagining the mission of the church.
- Be able to exegete a culture and contextualize the gospel for that culture, recognizing the particular challenges for the life and witness of the church.
Assessment:
Assessment #1: Essay
Words: 3,000
Weight: 50%
Due date: X September
Answer one of the following:
- Critically evaluate at least two operational ecclesiologies. Consider how they understand mission, the place of mission in their ecclesiology. Evaluate them from theological and missiological perspectives with the Australian context in mind.
- What is the ‘good news’ of Jesus of Nazareth in its Jewish context? How does this translate into the 21st century Australian context?
- What cultural shifts have taken place in Australian culture over the last 50 years? What challenges do they pose and how has the Australian church responded?
Please see the marking guide for the criteria by which this essay will be assessed.
Assignment # 2
Words: 3,000
Weight: 50%
Due date: X November
This assignment is based on the field trip and classroom presentation and your own further thinking and work.
Describe the characteristics of the sub-culture you investigated and the key themes of its cultural narrative. Consider how the gospel addresses the core values of this group and provide the key elements of the good news or this sub-culture.
Ensure that your work is detailed, analytical and well supported by evidence and secondary literature. You may use photos, statistics, interviews or other material to support your conclusions. You should demonstrate that you understand the theology of the gospel and the theory of contextualization in your answer, drawing on secondary sources as appropriate.
Please see the marking guide for the criteria by which this assignment will be assessed.
Bibliography
Required Texts
- Frame, T. Losing My Religion: Unbelief in Australia. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2009.
- Roxburgh, A. and M. Scott Boran. Introducing the Missional Church: What it is and Why it Matters, How to Become One. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009.
