MB500: Culture and Transformation (4 units)
Sherwood
Lingenfelter, Professor of Anthropology
Fall 2004 Pasadena
DESCRIPTION:
In a world shrunk by jet air
travel, television, education, music, and internet connections, understanding
culture (what it is, how it works, and how to study it) is increasingly crucial
to church and mission ministries. These forces for globalization are not
neutral, nor are the counter forces of tradition. One of our missiological tasks
is to understand the complexities of society, culture, and the world Christian
movement, and, through Christ, seek to enable social and cultural
transformation. The emergence of World Christianity and the explosion of the
church in the southern hemisphere has dramatically shifted the focus of
mission. The course will explore questions of culture, globalization and
partnership for mission in the 21st Century. Students will gain a grasp of basic tools
for exegeting a culture and understand how to become effective partners with
the Majority World church. Through the
analysis of case studies students will explore how Christianity and its social
expressions in the church may transform or fail to transform people and their
communities.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: By the end of the course students will
be able to
• Explain the essential
characteristics of incarnational ministry;
• Describe their cultural bias through profiles of their basic values and the
social games of their family and church;
• Develop an action plan for learning how to partner with Majority World
Christians for a specific ministry;
• Evaluate a
ministry with reference to its effective “practice of power” for spiritual,
social or economic transformation.
COURSE
FORMAT: Class sessions will include lectures, discussions, and small group
exercises.
REQUIRED
READING:
Reading will be assigned from the required texts. In addition, each student will be required
to read selected articles that will be made available through the course
syllabus.
Harrison, Lawrence E. and Samuel P. Huntington. Culture Matters: How Values
Shape Human Progress. Basic Books
New York, NY: 2000.
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. and Marvin K. Mayers. Ministering Cross-Culturally:
An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI: 2003.
Linthicum, Robert. Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in Your
Community, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL: 2003
RECOMMENDED
READING:
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Transforming Culture: A
Challenge for Christian Mission. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI: 1998.
Ramachandra, Vinoth. Gods That Fail: Modern Idolatry &
Christian Mission. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL: 1996
Sanneh, Lamin. Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West. Wm.B.Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI: 2003
ASSIGNMENTS:
1.
Each
student will be required to work in a team (3-4 people) to write a 26-35 page
major paper of a “transformational” ministry.
2.
Prepare
a 6-8 page self-assessment paper.
3.
Two
2-3 page reflections on selected reading.
Each student will be required to do a Basic Values
Questionnaire and a questionnaire on the social game of one’s family and church
life. These questionnaires will be part
of class discussion on these topics.
Grading: Papers will be graded on an A
to F scale.
PREREQUISITE: None.
RELATION TO THE CURRICULUM: Required course for the MA Cross-cultural
Studies (MA-CCS) program. Meets GLBL
requirement.
FINAL
EXAM: None.