Course Syllabus and Class Roster

SYLLABUS FOR SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY (SYSTH 4453)

Fall Semester 2004

C. Berry Driver, Jr., M.S.L.S., Ph.D., Dean of Libraries

Course Description

This three semester-hour graduate course in the Department of Theology is Part 2 of the required curriculum for theology students and covers the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Person of God the Holy Spirit, the Christian life, the church and the consummation (or eschaton). Systematic theology is recommended by the Theology Department as a second or third year class. The suggested prerequisite for M.Div. students is SYSTH 444.

Course Objectives

1. To excite each student’s propensity to know the Triune God.

2. To enhance one's appreciation of the Bible as the only authoritative rule for faith and practice and as sufficient for all that pertains to a life of godliness;

3. To introduce the student to the idea and value of systematic theology;

4. To equip each person with a theological framework that will serve the student as a Christian worker;

5. To expose each student to the rich theological heritage that Christians possess;

6. To reinforce the principal doctrines that Baptists believe, teach, and proclaim; and

7. To relate systematic theology to the principal task for every believer in the work of evangelism and missions.

Course Methodology

Pedagogy

The lecture and interrogative methods will be utilized in class meetings. This three-semester-hour course is a systematic study of the major themes of Christian theology, employing dialog between professor and students. This second section of the six semester-hours of systematic theology begins with Christology, Part 2, the treatment of the saving work of Christ, i.e., His substitutionary death and victorius resurrection, ascension, and session. This is followed by a close study of the person of God the Holy Spirit (pneumatology) and His application of Christ’s finished work to the life of each Christian (salvation). The doctrine of salvation (sotertiology) offers the student a window into the biblical materials that treat the order of the events of salvation (ordo salutis) for the true believer. New life in Christ, as the disciple “keeps in step with the Holy Spirit,” receives significant focus (sanctification). Ecclesiology, or the doctrine of the church, not only involves the examination of the ecclesia of Christ in general but also the Baptist doctrine of the church in particular. A comparison with other denominational perspectives on the church is treated. The doctrine of last things (eschatology) receives the final focus in the prescribed course of study. The doctrine of heaven, eternal punishment, immortality, and consideration of several millennial views will be examined in class and through course readings. Students are encouraged to use class time for posing questions related to the lecture; but, due to the constraints on class time, the content of these discussions is “fair game” on the exams.

Testing and Assigned Reading

A mid-term (October 11) and final exam (December 6) will be given, the average of which constitutes one third of the student’s course grade. (See the Reading and Exam Schedule below.) Each Monday, with the exception of the mid-term exam day, a ten-question, short answer test will be given on the previous week’s reading assignments. The average of these weekly quizzes constitutes a third of the student’s grade. In addition, students will be expected to read the primary source assignments given in class that pertain to specific areas of theological discussion. Any assigned reading materials will be made accessible to the student by the professor via the Roberts Library or the Internet.

Writing Component

A critical book review is required for the spring semester. It is due by the beginning of class on November 1. A critical review of James I. Packer’s Knowing God must be submitted by each student. The book must be read in its entirety, not “scanned.” This ten-page (minimum) written review is not a “book report” but a critical, interactive review of the work, following the format of the sample critical book review distributed to the class.

In addition, an actual grading form that elucidates the evaluation criteria will be provided. The elements comprising this assignment are:

1. Title Page

3. Name of book

4. Place of Publication

5. Publisher

6. Date of publication

7. Edition (if any stated)

8. Physical make-up of the book

9. Brief biographical sketch of the author

10. Style

11. Brief summary of contents

12. Author’s intention

13. Was the author’s intention worthy?

14. Did the author achieve the intention?

15. Why or why not?

16. Strengths and/or weaknesses of the author’s work

17. Your personal reaction to the book.

This formal paper should be written in the third person; avoid the use of first person pronouns. This writing assignment must be a minimum of ten, double-spaced, type written pages of text. One-inch margins at the top, bottom, and right and left of the page must be maintained. Twelve pitch font should be used. No hand-written assignments will be accepted. No late work will be received except for a dire emergency or a physician’s attestation to physiological incapacity. The assignment is due according to the calendar below. A late assignment should not be submitted; it will constitute a zero grade for the assignment. The writing component for the course constitutes one-third of the student’s grade.

Class Attendance

Attendance of all lectures, allowing only for excused absences, will positively affect border-line grades. Habitual tardiness demonstrates disobedience to the lordship of Christ and a lack of wise respect for other people and their time. Please be punctual at the 12:00 P.M. class meeting in Flemming-113. (Please be reminded that one Monday class represents three conventional, fifty-minute class periods.)

Grading and Consultation

To recapitulate, the final course grade will consist of the average of the three class credit areas: the average of the two examinations, the average of the weekly ten-question quizzes taken each Monday on the previous week’s assigned text reading, and the writing assignment grade.

My office is open Wednesday and Friday from 3:00 until 5:00 P.M., on the second floor administrative suite in Roberts Library. You may set up an appointment through Mrs. Barbara Walker (ext. 2770), administrative assistant to the Dean of Libraries, or you may post e-mail to bdriver@swbts.edu

Required Text

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1994.