Content

In this unit students will explore the significance of the shared meal to the Christian experience of faith. Drawing upon perspectives of theology, biblical studies, missiology, sociology and psychology, we will consider the central role eating together plays in the Christian tradition of hospitality, the nature of Christian community, and as metaphor and method in the mission of the church. Throughout, participants will be encouraged to consider the daily routines, rituals and rites of passage celebrated at the table as rich resources for spiritual formation, both individually and corporately.

Unit code: DS9006W

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Spirituality

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Analyse the relevant biblical, historical and contemporary perspectives on a ritual of daily life

2.

Critique dominant patterns of social and familial interaction, expressions of community, and cultural norms and practices

3.

Evaluate ways in which daily routines, rituals and rites of passage can be celebrated at the table as rich resources for spiritual formation

4.

Construct an informed theology of the table

Unit sequence

30 points

Pedagogy

Lectures, tutorials, reflective experience, film, immersion

Indicative Bibliography

  • Ayres, Jennifer R. Good Food: Grounded Practical Theology. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2013.
  • Brahnson, Fred. Soil and Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food and Faith. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013.
  • Brasher-Cunningham, Milton. Keeping the feast: Metaphors for the Meal. New York: Moorehouse, 2012.
  • Byrne, Brendan. The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke's Gospel. Strathfield: St Paul's, 2000
  • Capon, Robert F. The Supper of the Lamb. New York: Doubleday, 1969
  • Juengst, Sara C. Breaking Bread: The Spiritual Significance of Food. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1992
  • Jung, L. Shannon. Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004
  • Karris, Robert J. *Eating Your Way through Luke's Gospe*l. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2006
  • Koenig, John. Soul Banquets: How Meals become Mission in the Local Congregation. Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, 2007
  • Luard, Elizabeth. Sacred Food: Cooking for Spiritual Nourishment. London: MQ Publications, 2001
  • Miles, Sara. Take this Bread: A Radical Conversion. New York: Ballantine, 2007
  • Pohl, Christine D. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999
  • Wirzba, Norman.Food and faith: A theology of Eating. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

Essay (3000 words)

3000 60.0
Critical Review

Critical Review of Film (1500 words)

1500 20.0
Seminar or Tutorial

Reflection/Tutorial Presentation (1500 words)

1500 20.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 12 Jul, 2017

Unit record last updated: 2020-10-09 17:56:52 +1100