Fall 2015/Fuller Live!
Houston, Pasadena, Phoenix
MC539
Sunquist
MC539: EVANGELISM IN CULTURAL CONTEXTS (4 Units: 160 hours). Scott W. Sunquist and Mike
Karim.
DESCRIPTION: The message of Jesus Christ is Good News. In this course we seek to rediscover that Good
News for ourselves, listen to the various ways others have come to faith through evangelistic encounters, and discover the various ways the Good News comes in and through cultures. We focus specifically on Latino, African American, and Asian American cultures, but we also talk about youth cultures. We look at various writers who have theorized about evangelism, and we also have opportunities to share our faith in the context of the course.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will distinguish the basic elements of the Gospel message that leads to an invitation to respond to the Gospel; (2) Students will articulate appropriate Gospel presentations for a multi-cultural urban context and a monocultural context (African American, Latino, or Asian
American); (3) Students will articulate the different theologies and approaches in evangelism of three different authors; (4) Students will develop an increasing understanding of Western culture as a multicultural context of mission; and (5) Students will share the gospel in at least two settings, and write up this experience, and will review the write up of one other student’s experience in sharing the gospel.
COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of
40 instructional hours. The course is made up of reading, storytelling (testimonies), lectures, small group discussion, interviews and reflection papers.
REQUIRED READING: 1,200 pages total.
Adeney, Francis. Graceful Evangelism: Christian Witness in a Complex World. Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN:
978-0801031854, Pub. Price $22.00 [240 pp.].
Everts, Don and Doug Schaupp. I Once was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us about Their Path to
Jesus. IVP, 2008. ISBN: 978-0830836086, Pub. Price $12.80 [134 pp.].
Holy Bible New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press, 2006. Gospels of Matthew and
Luke. ISBN: 978-0195288261, Pub. Price: $30.00 [73 pp.].
Ramachandra, Vinoth. Gods that Fail. IVP, 1996. ISBN: 978-0830818969, Out of Print (used copies available online). [Chapters 1,2,7 and 8; 108 pp. total].
Salter McNeill, Brenda. A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism, and Race. InterVarsity Press,
2008. ISBN: 978-0830834822, Pub. Price $12.80 [159 pp.].
Sunquist, Scott W. Understanding Christian Mission: Participation in Suffering and Glory. Baker Academic,
2013. ISBN: 978-0801036156, Pub. Price $34.99 [Chapter 10; 30 pp. total].
Wimber, John, and Kevin Springer. Power Evangelism, Revised & Updated. Chosen Books, 2009. ISBN: 978-
0800797607, Pub. Price $15.99 [272 pp.].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Smith, Gordon T. Transforming Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation.
Baker Academic, 2010. ISBN: 978-0801032479, Pub. Price $22.00 [224 pp.].
[See “Evangelism bibliography, Cultures” for other options]
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
1.
Take a pre-test describing what is the Gospel and why it must be shared. (10%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1] [1 hours].
2.
Read 1,200 pages from the reading list. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 3 and 4]
[71 hours].
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (7/15)

3.
Read the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, asking the question, “What was the message
Jesus bought and how did he communicate it?” Write a 5 page paper on the message and methods they discover from either Matthew or Luke. (20%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome
#1 and 5] [14 hours].
4.
Watch 5 “I am Second Videos” (at least from 3 different cultural groups) and summarize in 250 words the basic story line and meaning of the gospel in three of these. http://www.iamsecond.com/#/what/ (15% of grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 and 2] [5 hours].
5.
In a four page (1,000 word) paper, compare the theology and understanding of evangelism of three authors. (15%) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3] [8 hours].
6.
Interview two different people to learn about their spiritual journey and their opinions of the
Christian faith; write a 1,000-word essay that succinctly describes the interview and propose a theological reflection of the interview. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2, and 4] [5 hours].
7.
Share the Gospel in at least two settings during the 10 weeks of the course. Write on the experience; plan to submit a review of the write up of at least one other student. [This assignment is related to learning outcome #5.] [2 hours].
8.
Signature Assignment: Write up 12 pages (250 wpp) explaining the cultural context, evangelism experience of one of your encounters (see 5 above) and then evaluate the experience in light of the course material. The explanation of the cultural context must also include some discussion of any of the following: gender, racism, migration, or other attested manifestations of injustice; also, how the
Gospel engages that cultural context will be expected. (40%) [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5] [24 hours].
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C3 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MATM
Programs (Fall 2015).
FINAL EXAMINATION: None.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (7/15)