DESCRIPTION:

This course offers an exploration of incarnational and trinitarian thought as a spiritual discipline of prayer and worship from which mission among young people may grow. The starting point will be the Youth Minister as Christ image in the world. This is expressed as an embodied truth where the youth minister as agent of Christ. Becoming Christ like through worship and mission. Drawing upon Johannine and Pauline theologies of union with Christ the course will also include and introduction Orthodox spiritual theology.

The course will help those preparing for youth ministry to connect theology with prayer and worship with mission. Rather than treat theology as theory, the course will help those preparing for ministry to see themselves as agents of embodied truth, to see the youth worker as incarnational presence, and to view worship as encounter with Christ and as communion with what we are to be and become--the image of God.

Lectures, class discussion, and group work will make up the class time. Each student will complete a detailed final paper. The class will meet daily for four-hour sessions for two weeks.

Athanasius. On the Incarnation: The Treatise De Incarnatione Verbi Dei. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1975.

Dean, Kenda C. and Ron Foster. The God-bearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry. Upper Room, 1998.

Fiddes, P. Participating in God: A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity. Darton, Longman & Todd, 2000.

Ward, P. God at the Mall. Hendrickson, 1999.

Students are encouraged to refer to the following works to be placed on reserve:

Barth, K. Church Dogmatics 1/1, chap. 1.

Dunn, J. The Theology of Paul the Apostle. Eerdmans, 1998 (pp. 390-410, 533-62).

Lossky, V. The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1976.

1. Three two-page reflections on the readings.

2. A final paper of 15-20 pages which reflects a programmatic interpretation of the course content. In the paper students should reflect upon the significance of one of the following for their practice as youth minister:

a) Themes of incarnation and discipleship in the Gospel of John;

b) Union and conformity with Christ in Pauline thought;

c) Perichoresis in recent theological work.

None.

Meets M.A. in Theology requirement in Spirituality (SPIR).

None.