Content

Students will be provided opportunity to build upon their existing understanding of the tasks and tools of Christian theology, including the development of a common theological vocabulary, so as to strengthen capacity to converse with others in shared terms across different cultural contexts and expectations. An introduction to Indigenous theological terminology is a key part of the course as a bridge to further studies in this area.

Unit code: CT9102W

Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Systematic Theology

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Whitley College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Describe their own cultural affirmations of Christian theology and the cultural forms in which it is embodied, including the place of ritual, song, metaphor and story in the student’s own theological position

2.

Articulate their own theological understanding as it relates to the larger communities (faith, reserve/reservation, community, urban) in which the student finds themself

3.

Describe in one’s own terms the basic formulations of the Christian tradition (the creeds) have been operative in theological understanding and how these have been operative in the Christian experiences of First Nations peoples

4.

Critique ways in which Christian theology enabled Indigenous communities to resist the powers of colonisation while simultaneously appropriating the heritage of Christian theology

Unit sequence

Foundation unit in Theology

Pedagogy

Lectures, Discussion groups

Indicative Bibliography

  • Kidwell, Clara Sue, Homer Noley, and George E. Tinker. A Native American Theology. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2001.
  • Friesen, John W. Aboriginal Spirituality & Biblical Theology: Closer than you think. Calgary: Detselig, 2000.
  • Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2000.
  • McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology Reader. Second Edition. Oxford: Blackwell, 2001.
  • Migliore, Daniel L. 2014. Faith seeking understanding: an introduction to Christian theology. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans.
  • Peelman, Achiel. Christ Is a Native American. Ottawa, Maryknoll, N.Y.: Novalis-Saint Paul University ; Orbis Books, 1995.
  • Pouono, Terry. “Coconut water in a Coca Cola bottle” In search of an Identity: A New Zealand-born Samoan Christian in a Globalized World. Auckland, University of Auckland. PhD: 208, 2016
  • Sanneh, Lamin O. Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eerdmans, 2003.
  • Tiénou, Tite. "World Christianity and Theological Reflection." In Globalizing Theology: Belief and Practice in an Era of World Christianity, edited by Craig Ott and Harold A. Netland. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006.
  • Twiss, Richard. Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way. Downers Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press, 2015
  • Treat, James. Native and Christian: Indigenous Voices on Religious Identity in the United States and Canada. New York: Routledge, 1996.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Project Report or Project Journal

Research Project (2500 words)

0 40.0
Book Review

Book Review (2000 words)

0 30.0
Forum

Contribution to the online forum (1500 words)

0 30.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 20 Oct, 2022

Unit record last updated: 2022-10-20 16:17:34 +1100