Module Title: Heart of the Gospel

Level: Level 4

Credit Rating: 30 Credits

Duration: 300 hours of student learning time

Contact Time: 116 hours

Academic Responsibility: Ezekiel Shibemba

Module Aims:

This module aims to enable each student to develop the ability to read the Bible and understand key evangelical doctrines through a missional hermeneutic. Further, this module aims to cause students to develop a theological understanding of the heart of the message of the church though a missional lens; namely who God is and what he has done for humanity and how he intends to communicate and demonstrate this to humankind today through the church.

Intended Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module students should be able to:

1. Articulate a general biblical doctrine on the nature of God and specifically the missional and authoritative aspects involved in the “sending” and “going” relationship between Father and Son.
2. Articulate a general biblical doctrine on the person of the Holy Spirit and specifically the ways in which the Bible portrays the Spirit as enabling the Church to be missional and authoritative in its nature.
3. Assess the extent to which the Bible can be viewed as a product of God’s mission and engage critically in general with hermeneutical theories, but especially a missional hermeneutic.
4. Articulate a theology of soteriology appropriate to today’s society.
5. Understand the biblical nature of the Gospel of the Kingdom and in the light of this evaluate contemporary messages given in selected church settings.

Indicative Module Content:

Students will evaluate the message the church brings to society in the light of having gained an understanding of the doctrines of God, Scripture and soteriology. A reading of Christopher Wright’s “The Mission of God” will help students develop a missional hermeneutic; this will be used as a tool for engaging with the questions raised in the rest of the module. Questions considered may include: What is God like and how does God show what the church should be and do in the world today? What is the Bible and to what degree can/should it be used in forming the message the Church brings to society? What is the biblical expectation of a follower of Christ in terms of what s/he will say and do? What is the role of the person of the Holy Spirit in the church today?

The module will introduce students to specific examples of announcing the Gospel in different contexts across the world today for students to critically evaluate the extent to which those examples reflect the Gospel as the student understands it from their studies in this module.

Learning and Teaching Strategies:

The module will involve a series of 127 x 60 minute lectures/seminars:-

27 hours: Doctrine of God

18 hours: Christology

30 hours: Pneumatology

12 hours: Scripture

30 hours: Soteriology

10 hours: Kingdom of God as the Gospel message

It will also include 4 hours in smaller tutorial groups where students will engage with contemporary examples of those claiming to be announcing the Gospel.

Assessment:

Indicative Assessment tasks:

Formative work:

Read and make reflective notes on the “My Thoughts” page of the learning blog from each chapter of Christopher Wright’s “The Mission of God”.

Individually write a 1,000 word reflective piece entitled, “What is the Gospel?” In small groups peer review each other’s work and produce a portfolio record of the review process (this may include the use of small group forums in a VLE engaging with students in a North American institution). Individually, write a short reflective log on the “My thoughts page” of the learning blog after having had feedback from the academic tutors. (Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4)

In groups examine and critically evaluate podcasts, documentary or video evidence of examples of “Gospel proclamation”; this could include preaching, social action projects, business enterprises, education or entertainment. Write a 500 word summary of 2 different examples. (Learning outcome 5)

Summative work:

1 x 2,500 word essay on one or more of the biblical aspects of the module. (Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4)

1 x 2.000 word reflective commentary on a contemporary example of preaching of the Gospel. (Learning outcome 5)

Illustrative Bibliography:

Beale, G.K. (2004) The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A biblical theology of the dwelling place of God. Nottingham: IVP.

Bauckham, R. (2003) Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. London: Paternoster.

Carson D.A. and Woodbridge, J.D. (eds) (1986) Hermeneutics, Authority, and Canon. Eugene: Wipf and Stock.

Chung, S.W. (Ed) (2005) Christ The One and Only: A Global Affirmation of the Uniqueness of Jesus Christ. Milton Keynes: Paternoster.

Cotterell, P. and Turner M. (1986) Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation. Downers Grove: IVP.

Eldon Ladd, G. (1959) The Gospel of the Kingdom. Cambridge: Eerdmans

Frost, M and A. Hirsch (2009) ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Goldingay, J. (1995) Models for Interpretation of Scripture. Glasgow: Paternoster.

Greene, C. and M. Robinson (2008) Metavista: Bible, Church and Mission in an Age of Imagination. Milton Keynes: Authentic Media.

Grenz, Stanley, J. (2000) Theology for the Community of God. Cambridge: Eerdmans.

Kay, W.K and Dyer A.E. (2004) Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies; A Reader. London: SCM.

Menzies, William W. and Robert P. (2000) Spirit and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experience. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Moltmann, J. (1974) The Crucified God. London: SCM.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. (2005) The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology. Louisville: John Knox Press.

Vanhoozer, K.J., Anderson, C.A. and Sleasman, M.J. (2007) Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Warrington, K. (2005) Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Wright, C.J. H. (2006) The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Nottingham: IVP.

Wright, N.T. (2007) Surprised by Hope. London: SPCK.

Wright, N.T. (2000) The Challenge of Jesus. London: SPCK.

Yancey, P. (2002) The Jesus I never Knew: Zondervan.

Yancey, P. (2002) The Bible Jesus Read: Zondervan.