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Canyon College

online Christian Worship course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Christian Worship


Course Title: Christian Worship - TH460
Department: Theology
Instructor: Dona Williams, MTh, BS, E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites: None


PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

This course is an introduction into the theology of Christian worship. What this course seeks to do is to explore what it is that under girds Christian worship. Why do Christians do what they do when they gather for worship? Why it is that worship has always been a critical part of what it means to be Christian? If a person from Mars were to visit Earth and attend a Christian worship service and then visit the House of Blues, would such visitor be able to discern a difference in the activities of the two environments? Would our cosmic guest be able to understand that something sacred was underway at the worship service as opposed to the entertainment venue? These are but a few of the questions with which we are concerned in this course.

Our text for this course emerges out of the Anglican tradition. That should not disturb students. In a culture in which more and more churches are going to a praise and worship format of service and some even experimenting with still other forms of worship, it behooves students to revisit those matters that concerned early Christians as they struggled to establish a sacred space for their encounter with God through the living Christ. We at Canyon believe the textbook selected for this course is faithful to that struggle as well as to our concern for ecumenism. As the author of the book says, this course will help Christians to "reclaim" their baptismal role in worship and will open this seeking to the laity as well as the ordained ministry.

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

Canyon College is a non- sectarian, non-denominational school committed to the study of God in all the richness and diversity of God's revelations to humanity and an exploration of what those revelations mean to the everyday lives of finite human beings. Canyon College does not advocate any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than the reality of God and does not require that its students and faculty subscribe to any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than a willingness to be challenged and a commitment to an investigation into truth and the pursuit of academic honesty and excellence.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would suggest that we write, "God wills that everyone obeys God's will."

REQUIREMENTS
  1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Book Store
  1. Weil, Louis. A Theology of Worship. Soft-cover, Cambridge: Cowley Publications (2001), ISBN: 1561011940
  2. Peavy, Don E. "A Worship Experience."
  3. Peavy, Don E. "Worship As Communal Experience."
  1. Conferences. Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. 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 bulletin board.
  2. Exams. There will be a comprehensive final examination. The exam will cover the assigned readings. The final examination should be taken during the week following the last week of readings.
  3. Papers. There will be a short paper of no more than two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), 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. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian's "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use endnotes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the "author said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the texts and merely quoting the authors cannot do this. Students must indicate that they "understand" the authors and that understanding must be demonstrated before students offer a critique of the authors or give their own opinions. There will also be a midterm paper due as follows:
A WORSHIP EXPERIENCE

Somewhere in my seminary journey, someone related to me a story involving a young mother who had taken her young child to a funeral and was amazed at how well behaved the child was. As I recall the story, there was something about the place and its happenings that communicated to this young child that something special was happening and that she should be on her best behavior; or more importantly, something about the atmosphere created at the funeral awed this young person into silence.

This assignment asks you to try to get at that something that awed the young child into silence. What is it that people are about when they gather in worship? What exactly is worship?

To answer these questions, you are instructed to visit a place of worship other than the place where you worship traditionally and/or the place of worship attended by you during your formative years. For instance, if you are Protestant, you must attend the service of a Catholic or Eastern congregation. If you are Catholic, then you should attend the worship service of a Protestant or Eastern group. You may not attend a funeral or wedding or other event in fulfillment of this assignment. You MUST attend a worship service. Please be aware that not all worship services are open to the public and you might be required to make advance arrangements to attend.

You are to record your thoughts, feelings, fears and impressions of the architecture of the building as well as the reception you receive. What does the architecture say about the people who worship in that particular building? What do the people who worship there model about the object of their worship? Do you get a sense of the sacred? The holy? If you did not know that the people were engaged in worship, how would you describe their activity?

This assignment is more concerned with your perceptions and feelings than whether or not you agree with what is going on. You are to assess the experience not the religion!

Your paper should be between three to five pages double-spaced and must be in proper format.

While students are welcome to type their papers in their word processors, students should copy and paste their papers to an email. Please do not send papers as attachments. Attachments will be returned to students unread!

The student should sign all assignments by inserting his/her name, student id, course, and course number and the week of the assignment.
  1. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:
Papers 30%
Worship Experience Paper 30%
Final Exam 40%
  1. Grading Scale.
90-100% A - Excellent
80-89% B - Above Average
70-79% C - Average
60-69% D - Below Average
59% or below F - Failing Grade
WEEK 1

Read Weil, Chapter 1 and Peavy, "Worship As Communal Experience."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
  1. Weil says at page two, "It is in the public worship of the church that Christians have their primary experience of their identity as a faith community, as the people of God." Explain what you think it is that Weil means by this statement. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
  2. Peavy seems to agree with Weil. However, it can be argued that Peavy goes further than Weil in that Peavy argues that there can be no private worship. Do you agree that Peavy goes too far? Do you agree with Peavy that there cannot be any form of private worship? Why or why not?
WEEK 2

Read Weil Chapter 2.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
  1. On page 49, Weil discusses the shift in focus on the church building as shrine to that of assembly. What does Weil mean by this statement? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
  2. What does your faith tradition say about the role of worship in the lives of the faith community? Please provide the sources you consult to answer this question. What does your faith tradition say about the architecture of the building where worship takes place?
WEEK 3

Read Peavy, "A Worship Experience," and the requirements for the midterm paper. Visit a place of worship and write and submit an appropriate paper in which you reflect on that experience.

MIDTERM POINT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! PRESS ON!

WEEK 4

Read Weil, Chapter 3.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
  1. Weil says that liturgy should "embody a transcultural understanding." What is Weil speaking about in this statement? Do you agree or disagree?
  2. What provision(s) does your regular place of worship make for those who might be from another culture? In other words, if a person visited your place of worship, how would such person know what was going on?
WEEK 5

Read Weil, Chapter 4.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
  1. What is the role of music in worship? Explain how Weil would answer this question and then provide your own view.
  2. Who is responsible for music at your place of worship? Is there any coordination between such person and the one who will be delivering the sermon?
  3. Has your place of worship made any significant changes in its music over the past year? The past three years? If so, what changes were made and what reasons were given for making such changes?
WEEK 6

Read Weil, Chapter 5.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
  1. What is the role of sacraments in worship?
  2. What sacraments are practiced at your place of worship and how often?
  3. Who administers the sacraments at your place of worship? What does such administration say about your faith? Theology?
PLEASE TAKE THE FINAL EXAM BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.