Religion 344 Schedule

DATE

TOPIC

ASSIGNMENT

Wed. 8/31

Introduction to Course

Mon.  9/5

Labor Day Holiday – no class

Wed. 9/7

Bible and Ethics, pt. 1

Read: Spohn, pp. 1-76

Mon. 9/12

Bible and Ethics, pt. 2

Read: Spohn, pp. 77-126

Wed. 9/14

Bible and Ethics, pt. 3

Read: Rogerson, pp. 13-28

Mon. 9/19

Guest: Franklin C. Gamwell

Read: Gamwell, pp. 7-27

Mon. 9/19

Franklin C. Gamwell  
7:00 pm - Lawson Auditorium

Biblical Faith and Politics Today

Wed. 9/21

Wealth and Poverty in the Bible, pt. 1

Read: Hoppe, pp. 7-41 and relevant texts from the Torah, including, but not limited to those listed below.
Deuteronomy 26.5-10
Genesis 16.1-12;  21.1-19;
Exodus 1-2;  5;  22.21-22;  21.2-11;  23.10-11;  23.1-9
Leviticus 25.35-38;  25.39-43;  25.2-7;  25;  19.15;  19.9-10;  23.22
Deuteronomy 10.14-19;  24.17-22;  23.19-20;  15.12-18;  15.1-11;  16.18-20;  5.21

Mon. 9/26

Wealth and Poverty in the Bible, pt. 2

Essay 1 due at beginning of class.  
Read: Hoppe, pp. 42-67 and relevant texts from the Former Prophets, including, but not limited to those listed below.
Joshua 2;  9.1-10.15;     
Judges 11.1-12.7  
1 Samuel 2;  8;  18  
2 Samuel 12  
1 Kings 12;  21 

Wed. 9/28

Wealth and Poverty in the Bible, pt. 3

Read: Hoppe, pp. 68-103 and relevant texts from the Latter Prophets, including, but not limited to those listed below.  
Amos 2.6-8;  4.1-3;  5.10-24;  8.4-6  
Isaiah 11.1-9  
Micah 2.1-5  
Jeremiah 7.1-15  
Ezekiel 34

Mon. 10/3

Wealth and Poverty in the Bible, pt. 4

Read: Hoppe, pp. 104-142 and relevant texts from Wisdom and Apocalyptic Literature, including, but not limited to those listed below.  
Psalm 72

Wed. 10/5

Wealth and Poverty in the Bible, pt. 5

Read: Hoppe, pp. 143-17 and relevant texts from the New Testament, including, but not limited to those listed below.  
Mark 10.17-31  
Matthew 20.1-16;  25.31-46  
Luke 1.46-55;  4.16-30;  6.17-36;  14.1-24;  16  
Revelation 19

Mon. 10/10

Jesus and Empire, pt. 1

Read: Horsley, pp. 1-54

Wed. 10/12

TBA

Essay 2 due.

Mon. 10/17

Jesus and Empire, pt. 2

Read: Horsley, pp. 55-104

Wed. 10/19

Jesus and Empire, pt. 3

Read: Horsley, pp. 105-149

Mon. 10/24

‘Family Values’ and the Bible

Read:  Perdue, "The Household, OT Theology, and Contemporary Hermeneutics," pp. 223-254 (reserve)
Petersen, David. "Genesis and Family Values." Journal of Biblical Literature 124.1 (Spring 2005) MC periodicals.

Wed. 10/26

Women’s Issues

Read: Bird, "Genesis 1-3 as a Source for a Contemporary Theology of Sexuality," pp. 155-173 (reserve)
Genesis 1-3
Walker, "The 'Theology of Woman's Place' and the 'Paulinist' Tradition," pp. 101-112 and related texts in the New Testament (reserve)

Mon. 10/31

Politics, moral values, and homosexual persons

Read: in Siker: Hays, "Awaiting the Redemption of Our Bodies," and Furnish, "The Bible and Homosexuality: Reeading the Texts in Context," pp. 3-35; in Brawley: Seow, "Textual Orientation," pp. 17-34 & Waetjen, "Same-Sex Relations," pp. 103-116 (reserve)
Genesis 19; Judges 19;  Leviticus 18.22 & 20.13; Isaiah 1.10 & 3.9; Jeremiah 32.14; Ezekiel 16.49; Romans 1; 1 Corinthians 6; 1 Timothy 1

Wed. 11/2

War

Essay 3 due
Read: Walzer, Michael. "The Idea of Holy War in Ancient Israel," Journal of Religious Ethics 20 (Fall 1992), p 215-228.(Available through ATLA and MC periodicals)

Mon. 11/7

Race and Difference

Read: Higginbotham, Evelyn. Righteous Discontent. Chapter 7 - "The Politics of Respectability" available through McQuest as an eBook. 

Wed. 11/9

Environment

Read: Zerbe, Gordon. "Ecology According to the New Testament." Direction 21.2 (Fall 1992), p 15-26  (Available through ATLA)

Mon. 11/14

Issues of Life and Death

Read: Wallis, Jim. "A Consistent Ethic of Life" in God's Politics. pp. 297-306. (reserve)
Knight, Douglas. "The Ethics of Human Life in the Hebrew Bible" in Justice and the Holy. pp. 65-88 (reserve)

Wed. 11/16

Church and State

Read: Gottwald, Norman. "Biblical Views on 'Church-State' Relations" in The Hebrew Bible in Its Social World and Ours, pp. 365-383. (reserve)

Mon. 11/21

TBA

Wed. 11/23

Thanksgiving Holiday – no class

Mon. 11/28

Presentations

Wed. 11/30

Presentations

Mon. 12/5

Presentations

Wed. 12/7

Presentations

Final Paper Due at beginning of class