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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF GOD

Course Title: Department: Instructor: Prerequisites:

Proclaiming the Word of God Theology Gerald FitzGerald, BD, MDiv, DMin, Phd Theology CandidateE-Mail -- Vita None

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
Martin Luther, in his seminal work On the Councils and the Church, set forth seven distinguishing "marks" of the Christian church: preaching and hearing the word of God, the sacraments of baptism and the altar, the office of the keys of ministry, proper public worship, and the bearing of the cross. Throughout the course of study for the Divinity Degree, each of these marks is explored, although given the accelerated nature of our study it is done in a rather summary fashion. We continue our journey here as we look at the nature and development of the of preaching and hearing the word of God in the Christian church. For Luther, preaching and hearing the word of God was clearly the most important of the marks of the church. By the end of this course, students should be equipped to think critically about preaching and hearing the word of God and have expanded their toolbox of ministry with tools which can assist them in their own faithful stewardship of God’s house and people.

Students should take special note that the Newsom/Ringe book and the McKim book take several weeks to arrive and thus these should be ordered immediately.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Bookstore

1. Brown, Raymond E., et al, eds., "The New Jerome Biblical Commentary," hardcover, Prentice Hall, 1990. ISBN #: 0136149340

2. Bower, Peter C., ed., "Handbook for the Revised Common Lectionary," soft- cover, Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. ISBN #: 0664256570

3. Newsom, Carol A. And Sharon H. Ringe, eds ., "The Women’s Bible Commentary," hardcover, Westminster John Knox Press, 1992. ISBN #: 0664219225

4. Webb, Joseph M., "Preaching and the Challenge of Pluralism," soft-cover, Chalice Press, 1998. ISBN #: 0827229526

5. Craddock, Fred B., "Preaching," soft-cover, Abingdon Press, 1985. ISBN #: 0687336481

6. McKim, Donald K., "The Bible in Theology & Preaching: How Preachers Use Scripture," soft-cover, Abingdon Press, 1985. ISBN #: 0687446112

It is acknowledged that the reading list is long. However, these books will be required throughout students’ studies and should occupy a prominent place in the library of their work lives. The readings are also appropriate for a master’s level course.

2. Conferences. Students may schedule up to two Internet Conferences with the professor by sending an e-mail to the professor with a proposed date and time and the reason for the conference. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.

3. Exams. There will be two exams: a mid-term examination which must be taken by the end of the third week and a comprehensive final examination which must be taken by the end of the sixth week. The exams will cover the assigned readings.

4. Papers. There will be a short paper of no less than two single- spaced pages or 1,250 words, due at the end of each week’s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. The papers should conform to the latest edition of Kate L. Turabian’s, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.

5. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:

Papers Midterm Exam Final Exam

40% 30% 30%

5. Grading Scale.

90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 59% or below

A Excellent B Above Average C Average D Below Average F Failing Grade

A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.

B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.

C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.

D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.

F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.

WEEK 1
Read Brown pages 201-208; 462-465; 1166-1174; and 1382-1426. Read the introduction to Bower.

Discussion Questions:
1. What value do you see in the use of the Lectionary?

2. Prepare a sermon using one of the texts for this week listed in the Lectionary.

3. Listen to five sermons of five different preachers and write the subject of the sermon, the name of the preacher, the location of the sermon’s delivery, and give a brief summary of each sermon. What did you like/dislike about the sermon? Were they appropriate to the audience? Why or why not?

WEEK 2
Read Webb pages 65-133. Read Acts chapters 2 and 17.

Discussion Questions:
1. What is your understanding of pluralism?

2. Analyze the sermon of Peter in chapter 2 of Acts with the writings of Webb. Do the same for the sermon by Paul in chapter 7. What models do these sermons offer for preaching within multi cultural contexts?

3. Listen to a sermon on television this week. What can you tell about the intended audience from listening to the sermon? Does your conclusions agree with the actual persons in the audience.

WEEK 3
Read Newsom/Ringe pages 353-358. Read Craddock pages 1-98.

Discussion Questions:
1. Read 1 Timothy 2:8-15. Prepare a sermon on the text to be preached at a Women’s Day event and E-mail the sermon to the Professor as your paper for this week.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE MID-TERM EXAM BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.

WEEK 4
Read Craddock pages 99-222.

Discussion Questions:
1. Locate three sermons on the Internet by three different preachers and write an analysis of each. Please be sure to provide the information requested in Week 1 above as well as the URL addresses. Does the sermon acknowledge pluralism? Who is included? Who is left out?

WEEK 5
Read McKim pages 13-99.

Discussion Questions:
1. Listen to five sermons this week. These must be sermons not previously used by you in this course. Provide the information requested in Week I above. In addition, what is the location of the preacher (i.e. Liberal, orthodox, etc.)?

2. Prepare a sermon based on John 7:53-8:11. Submit the text via E-mail and a cassette tape or videotape of its delivery to: Rev. Don E. Peavy, Sr., McCarty Memorial Christian Church, 4101 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018.

WEEK 6
Read Mckim pages 100-198.

REMINDER: THE FINAL EXAM MUST BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.