FULL LIST OF DL ONLINE COURSES AND DESCRIPTIONS

Last Updated 07-2008 (all linked ECDs from 2007-08/2008-09 academic years)

NOTE: the Expanded Course Descriptions (ECDs) linked below are SAMPLE ECDs from previous quarters.  Consult the official Fuller Seminary Course Schedule (http://documents.fuller.edu/registrar/schedule/), which links to all current ECDs, before you register for a Fuller Online course.

MISSIOLOGY (SIS)

MB500: Culture and Transformation. 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. At the same time, the emergence of World Christianity and the explosion of the church in the southern hemisphere have dramatically shifted the focus of mission. The course will explore questions of culture, globalization and partnership for mission in the 21st Century. Students will learn to use some basic tools for exegeting a culture and understanding 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.  MA-CCS Core Class, GLBL. Lingenfelter

MC502: Becoming a Missional Church. Introduces students to the wide range of issues and skills related to the complex interdisciplinary processes involved in creating and implementing an extensive philosophy of ministry and missional strategy for a local church from the pastor’s perspective. MIN8, GLBL. Van Engen

MC506: Leading a Missional Church. This course explores the identity and purpose of the church as well as the leadership required to lead the church into missional engagement with its context(s). The focus of the course is the intersection of the fields of theology, ecclesiology, missiology, and leadership. The course assists leaders in the development of a missional ecclesiology and a plan to lead their churches into greater redemptive engagement with the world.  MAGL Cohort Sequence Course: restricted enrollment, Hopkins

MC535: The Emerging Church in the 21st Century. Identifies key characteristics of modern and postmodern contexts, addressing the challenges each presents to the local church.  Bolger

MD525: Poverty and Development. This course explores the challenges of empowering the poor in a world marked by marginalization, disempowerment, abuse and injustice. Poverty is explored from a number of perspectives, concluding with a biblical framework. Responses to poverty are then explored, including the goals of transformational development and the process and principles by which it is pursued. Myers

MD535: Ethical Issues in Cross-Cultural Ministry. Focus on establishing a strong biblical foundation for Christian development. Discussions of social justice, planned change, the local church, and ethics. Bradshaw

ME500: Communicating and Serving Cross-culturally. Communication is at the heart of cross-cultural ministry. This course will examine the impact of lifestyle, interpersonal relationships, and social roles on the issues of cross-cultural communication. IMCC. Brewster

ML523: Mentoring. Conducts an in-depth study of relational empowerment and the nine basic mentor types: mentor discipler, spiritual guide, coach, counselor, teacher, sponsor, contemporary model, historical model and divine contact. MAGL Cohort Sequence Course: restricted enrollment, Audit only with permission of instructor. Villacorta

ML523: Mentoring. Conducts an in-depth study of relational empowerment and the nine basic mentor types: mentor discipler, spiritual guide, coach, counselor, teacher, sponsor, contemporary model, historical model and divine contact. Audit only with permission of instructor. Clinton

ML524: Focused Lives. Examines ministry theory and philosophical concepts. Analysis of historical mentors and personal application of learned principles. Focus on developing a personal philosophy of ministry. Audit only with permission of instructor.  Clinton

ML530: Lifelong Development. Gives a biblical basis for the study of leadership selection processes. Identifies patterns such as time lines, development phases, process items, idealized time line, convergence, gift mix, spheres of influence, spiritual authority, and leadership principles, all in the context of study of actual biblical, historical and present-day leaders. MAGL Cohort Sequence Course: restricted enrollment, Audit only with permission of instructor. Prerequisite: Three years of ministry experience. Clinton

ML534: Value-Based Leadership in the OT. Assesses various leadership perspectives in the Old Testament using several study methods. Focuses on cross-culturally applicable leadership principles. Audit only with permission of instructor. Clinton

ML536: Value Based Leadership in the NT. Examines New Testament perspectives on leadership elements and styles, philosophical models, mentoring, change dynamics, etc. Studies Peter, John, and Paul as leaders. Audit only with permission of instructor. Clinton

ML537: Leaders and Church in Culture. Focuses on the social context of leadership and the life of the church. Examines theoretical perspectives for the study of community, structure, and leadership applied to analysis of Old Testament texts on organization and leadership. Lingenfelter

ML540: Leadership Training Models. An overview of leadership development focusing on how to design and evaluate training models proven effective for leader development in mission and ministry. This course uses several techniques to analyze an actual field case. Freeman

ML549: Collaborative Approaches to Ministry.  This course deals with the subject of developing collaborative, inter-organizational approaches to Christian ministry.  It focuses on building a necessary background in the various factors directly affecting collaboration, as well as identifying and developing the collaborative capacity of the student’s own organization.  This class is case study based wherein the primary case study is the student’s own context of collaboration. Avery

ML581: Developing Your Learning Plan. A global context requires leaders who understand reality beyond their respective national borders; accordingly, the formation and development of leadership must be reconceived.  In this introductory course to the Master of Arts in Global Leadership, each (student) leader plays a significant role in their respective educational process as he or she develops a comprehensive learning plan for their entire degree program.  Beyond individual learning, each leader experiences the benefits of both joining a diverse Christian community and enlisting in a like-minded group of practitioners in an online learning environment. MAGL Cohort Sequence Course: restricted enrollment, Freeman

MP520: Transforming Contemporary Culture. Explores what a missionary encounter with modern/postmodern culture would entail. A missiological approach will be used to analyze the culture of modernity/postmodernity in terms of its controlling plausibility structures as a starting point for missionary response. MIN8. MAGL Cohort Sequence Course: restricted enrollment, Shenk

MP537: Internet Evangelism and Cybermission. The Internet is the place the world finds its information and does its private enquiry and thinking. As such, it has become a powerful communication medium for evangelism and missions with one billion people online - including an estimated 400 million “religion surfers” who regularly seek religious information. What are the most practical and effective methods for Internet evangelism and cybermissions? What online strategies are appropriate for different groups such as postmodern Westerners, Hindus, Chinese Communists, Buddhists, and Muslims?  This is not a computer skills course.  The focus is online evangelistic strategy and mission. Edmiston 

MR543: Christian Witness in the Hindu World. This course seeks to provide an overview of 1) the Hindu World, 2) Hinduism's globalization, 3) its relationship to Christianity in the Indian Sub-continent, 4) Christian evangelization attempts in the past, 5) various contextual questions arising, and 6) proposals for finding a new way forward. Exposure to the Hindu missionary effort and to indigenous religious communication methodologies is encouraged with a view to finding contextual approaches for articulating the Christian message in the Hindu/South Asian context. Hedlund

MR550: Introduction to Islam. An overview of Muslim faith and practice, with special attention to comparisons with Christianity, varieties of expression, and their implication for Christian witness. MIN8, GLBL. Woodberry

MR557: Women in the Muslim Family. An examination of the identity and role of women in historic and contemporary Islam as revealed by the Qur’an and Hadith and throughout society, covering various cultural contexts. Reisacher

MT520: Biblical Foundations of Mission. Review of perspectives in both Old and New Testaments on the mission of the people of God touching the nations, under the rubric of the Kingdom of God. ISCC. Van Engen

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THEOLOGY (SOT)

CF560: Adult Formation and Discipleship. A biblical focus on ministering to adults, with a survey of adult psychological and developmental theories, goals in adult formation, developing adult learning designs, and discipleship models of adult enablement. Recommended background: CF500. M.Div. core: MIN4. Gorman

CH500:  Early Church History. Early Church History is a survey of the dynamic period in the life of the Church from 100 to 590 AD. It covers how the Church wrestled with doctrinal and philosophical issues, which are of ongoing significance and importance. It introduces the key personalities and the major events that helped shape the Church. It establishes these developments, people, and events as the spiritual heritage of all Christians. M.Div. core: CHA. Feldmeth 

CH503:  Medieval and Reformation Theology. A survey of doctrinal development in the West emphasizing the Augustinian heritage both of the medieval scholastics and of the Reformers, from the fifth to the 16th century. M.Div. core: CHB. J. Thompson

CN568: Theological and Pastoral Perspectives on the Contemporary Family. This course examines perceptions of the family within the Christian tradition, and their relationship to wider cultural concerns in a variety of historical and contemporary settings. Drane & Drane

ET501: Christian Ethics. This basic introduction to ethics aims to develop a systematic way of thinking about Christian morality, bringing biblically based convictions to bear on important moral problems. M.Div. core: ETH. Stassen

ET520: Biblical and Practical Peacemaking.  This course addresses the topic of Christian peacemaking through an examination of both theological rationales and practical techniques. Differing Christian ethical approaches to peace and war will be discussed, as well as strategies for nonviolence in the context of contemporary culture and its challenges. Stassen.

EV500: The Art of Evangelism. A foundational course which explores evangelism from a biblical, theological, historical, and practical vantage point as it seeks to equip students for creative and effective outreach in a variety of settings. M.Div. core: MIN3, M.A. MINF. Peace

NE567:  Romans (English Text).  A study, based on the English text, of Paul’s exposition of the gospel to the church at Rome, giving special attention to selected passages and themes and to issues facing the apostle. MA: NTBK.  Erickson

NE567: Ephesians (English Text).   A study of the epistle, based on the English text, with consideration given to the central issues of the authorship, teaching and significance of the document. MA: NTBK.  Erickson

NE567: Revelation (English Text).  This course is a study of the New Testament Apocalypse with attention to issues of genre, socio-historical setting, purpose, cultural-religious contexts, and the variety of interpretations in the Church. MA: NTBK.  Erickson

NS500: New Testament I: Gospels.  An introduction to the literature of the four Gospels, including attention to the background, critical issues, and theological motifs. M.Div. core: NT1. Erickson

NS501: New Testament 2: Acts to Revelation.  An introduction to the literature of Acts through Revelation, including attention to the background, critical issues, and theological motifs.  M Div. core: NT2.  Erickson

OT501: Pentateuch.  The contents and theology of the first five books of the Old Testament. Primary attention will be given to literary nature and structure and theological message. Theories of origin and genetic development will also be covered. M.Div. core: OTA. Goldingay

OT502: Hebrew Prophets.  The course studies the contents of the Former Prophets (Joshua to Kings) and the Latter Prophets (Isaiah to Malachi), their possible historical backgrounds, different approaches to their interpretation, and their significance for us today. M.Div. core: OTB. Goldingay

OT504: Writings.  A study of the books of Hagiographa with special attention to the nature of Hebrew poetry, the literary structure and importance for biblical theology of the wisdom writings. Exegesis of representative passages. M.Div. core: OTC. Goldingay

PH504: Christian Worldview and Contemporary Challenges. An introduction to basic themes in a Christian perspective on reality, with a focus on the differences between Christian thought and such contemporary movements as secular humanism, the New Age cults, and recent "post-modern" philosophical perspectives. Explores the proper contours of a biblically grounded world-and-life view. M.Div. core: PHIL. Mouw

PH522: Perspectives on Christ and Culture. The Christian community has long debated the appropriate ways for Christians to relate to their cultural surroundings. This course will focus on some key perspectives, beginning with a critical examination of the motif made popular by H. Richard Niebuhr in his classic study, Christ and Culture. Special attention will be given to "cultural mandate" theories, as well as to the contemporary relevance of traditional notions of common grace, natural law, and general revelation as they have been used to discern created commonalities that undergird a plurality of cultures. The present-day interest in multiculturalism will also be explored.. M.Div. core: PHIL. Mouw

SP508: The Spiritual Disciplines.  With the renewal of interest in Spiritual Formation there has also been a new interest in the classic disciplines that promote spiritual growth. The aim of this course is to discuss spiritual disciplines in the context of the ancient understanding of the spiritual journey and in the light of various Christian spiritualities that have flourished down through the ages.  M.A. in Theology SPIR requirement. Peace

ST501:  Systematic Theology I: Theology and Anthropology.  The doctrines of revelation and Scripture. The doctrines of God, God’s attributes, and God’s trinitarian mode of existence. The doctrines of creation and providence. The origin and nature of humankind; the doctrines of the fall and sin.  M.Div. core: STA. Karkkainen

ST502:  Systematic Theology II: Christology And Soteriology.  The doctrine of divine election, the covenant of grace, the person and work of Christ the Mediator. The doctrines of divine calling, regeneration, repentance, faith, justification, adoption and sanctification.  M.Div. core: STB. Karkkainen

ST503:  Systematic Theology III: Ecclesiology and Eschatology.  The doctrine of the church, its nature and authority. The worship of the church, the sacraments and prayer. The doctrine of last things, death and resurrection, the final judgment, heaven and hell.  M.Div. core: STC. Karkkainen

ST511: Orientation to Theological Studies.  This course is designed as an introduction to theological research tools for incoming students. Research methods along with scholarly presentations will be discussed in an attempt to assist students as they appropriate and develop their own theological insights and resources.  Erickson

TC509: Theology and Pop Culture.   This course will engage students in a two-way dialogue between pop culture and theology, with particular emphasis upon music, movies, TV, art, fashion, and sports. Students will develop a biblical, theological and historical understanding of these art forms and a critical understanding of the advertising, consumerism and celebrity that drives pop culture.  Detweiler

TC521: Theology and Contemporary Literature. This course will explore (1) contemporary attitudes toward the "spiritual" found in selected American novels and (2) the means of theological dialogue with these works. While debunking or listening, symbolizing or secularizing, arguing or affirming, current American fiction is often found interacting with the religious currents that pervade our culture. As such, it invites dialogue from a theological perspective. Johnston

TC530: Theology and Film.  Preparation for ministry too often assumes students possess skills in cultural analysis and interaction. This course will help students to see Western "culture" by providing a critical and theological framework for viewing cinema. While such cultural engagement is not sufficient for effective ministry, it is supportive of, if not necessary for, all aspects of ministry. Johnston

TC531: Postmodern Theology, Film, and Youth Culture.  Seeking to introduce students to the theological and social dimensions of the forces that shape contemporary human culture, this course will engage postmodernity theologically by studying one of adolescents' primary sources of meaning: the movies.  This course will investigate some of the social, ethical, and psychological implications of postmodern film upon theology, and in turn seek a theological engagement with these movies.  MA: CULT, MAT (Theology & Arts): Integrative Studies, MACL: IDPL.  Taylor

TH550: World Religions in Christian Perspective.   The purpose of this course is twofold. First it will provide an overview of the world’s major religions—Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism—focusing on their emergence and history, core beliefs and practices, religious texts and interpretations, as well as contemporary influence and expres­sions. Second, this course introduces various approaches on how Christianity relates to other religions and religious pluralisms, technically known as the “theology of religions.” We will critically discuss Catholic and Protestant proposals and responses and attempt an outline of Evangelical approach. Case studies will be conducted regarding Islam-, Hindu-, Buddhist-, and Sikh-Christian encounters.  MA: WREL. Karkkainen/Ireland

WS518: Worship Ministry on the Lord's Day. This course explores both the practical and theological dimensions of worship leadership and examines issues relating to the planning and implementing of worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday or Sabbath) in various Christian traditions. A significant part of the course will be devoted to the careful theological planning of worship on the Lord's Day. Students will be introduced the histories and theologies of Christian worship through time and around the globe.  Students will also be exposed to the worship life of an actual congregation, and plan worship for that church. Further, the course gives opportunity to develop skills in crafting various elements for worship; application of pastoral care to worship; musical selection and leadership.Johnson 

YF502: Leadership in Youth Ministry.  The purpose of this course is to teach students the calling, roles, and responsibility of Christian leadership in any context, but especially youth ministry. Issues discussed are: the meaning of being a Christian leader; how to develop a volunteer leadership program, how to recruit, initiate, train, nurture and care for volunteer leadership, the necessity for encouraging people in their giftedness, and how to lead, equip and best utilize interns and paid staff. Clark

YF503: Youth Outreach and Evangelism.  This course explores the biblical mandate to "go and make disciples" as it relates to the adolescent subculture. Students will learn how to articulate and pass on to others the biblical and theological view of evangelism and outreach. Through readings, lecture, projects, and discussion, students will learn how to design an incarnational as well as relational ministry program which takes seriously Christian care and evangelism with unbelieving students. Issues covered are: the content and message of the Gospel as it relates to an age-specific population, contemporary models of youth evangelism, and the partnership and networking of local parishes and the parachurch. M.Div.core: MIN3. Clark

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 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY (SOP)

FS 529 Ministry Issues in Human Sexuality. This course focuses on sexuality issues relevant to persons in Christian ministry by considering the spiritual, psychological, sociological, and physiological aspects of human sexuality. Balswick/Balswick

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