Volume Xk1 Jan- xMX Table of Contents The Faith of tkist: A Lutheran Appropriation of Richard Hays's Proposal Arthur A. Just Jr. ........................................................................ 3 Listening to Intertextual Relationships in Paul's EpistIes with Richard Hays ................................................................. Charles A. Gieschen 1 7 Looking at the Moral Vision of the New Testament with Richard ................................ .................................. Dean 0. Wenthe .., 33 Walk This Way. A Theme from Proverbs Reflected and Extended in Paul's Letters Andrew E. Steinmann and Michael Eschelbach .................... 43 With a View to the End: Christ in the Ancient Church's Understanding of Scriptme Joel C. Elowsh. ....................................................................... 63 A Curriculum from and for the Church F .... .............. *-** John T. Pless .., .... ,-- .. ..................... ...-....... ..-- 83 We apologize for publication delays in recent years. We assure you that all 01-adue issues are in process and will be mailed as each is printed. We plan to be back on our n o d quarterly publication xhedule &- Jmuq ZOOS. Thank you for your patience! The Editors A Cdcu lum from and for the Church John T. Pless The 2005-2006 academic year at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wav-ne, Indiana, is witnessing the inauguration of a new curriculum, which had been in the making for the better part of a decade. Over thirty years had elapsed since the seminary last revised its curriculum; however, changes in society and in the church, as well as an inaeasingly diverse student bodu-many of whom are fairly new to Lutheranism -prompted the facultv tb reflect on the adequacy of the current curriculum to form the minds &d hearts of future pastors for ministry in this new century. Curricular changes were neither made Iighdy nor without dehberatiun and some spirited debate. The process spanned several years as it engaged the facultv in the reading and discussion of a wide array of writers involved in theoldgicd education and pastoral formatiun in North America and abroad.' The facult)- read and engaged a number of articles and chapters of d books on theological education and pastoral formation induding. David P. Scaer, "A Critique of the Fourfold Pattern," Conwrdia WIo@ml Qrrnrferly 63 (- 1999): 269-280; Edward Farley, ThmIogia: ThP Frngmpnfntian and Umfy of k l ~ . c r r l Edurrrfim (Eugene, OR: Wipf and !3ock Publishers, 2001); Ellen T. w, By the Roreming of Your &?his: The Pastoral Func&m jCh6tian D a L W (New York Oxford University Press, IW"), 35- 152; L G m Jones and Stephanie Paulsell, eds., The Smpe ofour Art: ThP Vwrtion qf the Mlogiml Teacher ( G d Rapids: William 8. Eerdrnans Publishing Co., M01); John W. Kleinig, "Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio: What Makes a Theologian?" Conwrdia 7heolnpci-d Quarterly 66 @dp 2002): 255-268; Robert D. Preus, 7he Thpology qf Post- RPfnnnvtim Lutheranism-Volume I: A Study of Theological Prolegomena (St Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1970), 1%-rn David Yeago, "The Spirit the Cmnch and the Scriptures: Biblical Inspiration and Interpretation Revisited," m Knauing the Triune God: 7he L.l'o?k qf the Spirit in the Prnctices of thp Church, ed. Jarrtes J. 6udcley and David Yeago (Grand Rapids: W i 8. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2001)' 49-93. Although published after the curridurn review commitbee had completed its work, the new book Charles Foster, et al. eds., Educating ClPIgy: Tendring Badices arzd Pafrmrl finnation (Staniord, C4: Jossey-Bass, 2005) appears to canfirm the o v d orientation of the new C T S ~ u n L John T. P k s is Assistant Ptofk-sar of Pastom1 Ministry and Missions and Director of Field Education at Concordin Theologicd S m i n q , Fwt Wayne, I n h a . l?e d m m e d on the curriculum rhm7 committee, mhich designed the nfii* cum'culum. 86 Concordia Theological Quarterly 70 (2006) A significant text in this process %%-as Reinhard Hiitter's Sufirirlg Di~ine Ilrings: Theohgy as a z u r h Prartice.' Hiitter develops the argument that doctrine is not a theoretical abstraction, but it is rather embodied in the concrete practices of the church: liturgy, preaching, pastoral care, catechesis, and mission. Hiitter's insights, %vhich were forged by his engagement wlth George Lindbeck, Oswald Bayer, and Erik Peterson were provocative in facultv discussion and formative for a curriculum centered in the practices of -the church. S ice the seminan.'~ mission is "the preparation of pastors for the congregations and missions of the LCbIS. . . . Its programs and senvices offer an understanding of Christian faith which is Christ-centered and biblically-based, confessionally Lutheran and evangelically active,"; the new curriculum, too, is shaped by the realities that constitute the church, namelv, the preaching of Christ crucified and the administration of the saaamekts. A curriculum governed by the gifts of Christ in Word and Sacrament intentionally reflects both the life of the pastor and that of the congregation.4 LVorship, therefore, is not a devotional addendum to the study of theology but the matrix for such studv. Kramer Chapel dominates the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary not only architecturally but also thematicalk, as academic rigor is not separated from a life of faith nurtured by sermon and sacrament as well as doxologically expressed in the daily offices. The curriculum integrates exegetical and dogmatic studies, historical investigation of the church's traditions, and the development of pastoral skills with the ongoing worship life of the chub centered in font, pulpit, and altar. This is the key to the revised curriculum. This new curriculum seeks to catechize students into God's means of grace in a fundamental and holistic manner. It assumes regular participation in the Divine Service and the prayer offices of the church. . Recognizing the fad that our culture is increasingly biblically illiterate and, moreover, that a significant number of students are either fairly new to the Lutheran Church or inadequately catechized in their home congregations, See Reinhard Hiitter, Suffering Dicine Things: Theology us Q~urdr Prasticr (Grand Rapids: William B. krdmans Publishing Co., 2000). 3 Gnwrdin Tkobgirnl Serninniy: Amfernis Cutalog 2005-2001; (Fort EZ'ayne, Indiana: Concordii Theological Seminary, 2005)' 20. 4 It should be noted that C E now includes a Master of Ark degree leading to certification as a deaconess in the LCMS. Diaconal students take man>- of the courses required of -Master of Divinity students. In the place of such courses as Hebrew, homiletics, and pastoral theology, the deaconess students take courses in the history of the office of deaconess, deaconess practice, and human care seminars. The deaconesses are also in a separate field education tract and complete an internship rather than a Pless: A Curriculum from and for the Church 87 the new curriculum makes engagement with primary texts, especially the Hall- Scriptures and the Small Catechism, a prior&-. The seminary does not exist to produce religious technicians, ecclesial managers, or psychological therapists, h t rather thinking and speaking pastors who are able to articulate the truth of the gospeI ~ 3 t h competence and accuracy in a world fragmented and often chaotic. Our seminarv president, Dean \Venthe, along with our academic dean, \ V i l h n i~einrich, provided exceUent leadership to achieve this goaI.5 The revised curriculum aims at forming students in their ability to think and act theo1ogicall~- with good skills: critical and analytic. The classroom and the s e m k q community should prepare the student to express the truth of the faith troth orall? and in writing. There is less emphasis on isagogics and more emphasis on the readmg, mterpretation, and proclamation of texts, especiallv the texts of the Gospels. Plenary lectures as well as small working groups --dl be used in these classes as students are led to see how doctrine is derived from the biblical texts. Three Gospel courses are required (Gospel I: Matthew; GospeI II: Xlark/Luke; Gospel IZI: John), and each student participates in six quarters of Sew- Testament Greek Readings (one-hour seminars comprised of no more than six students). These seminars are devoted to the translation and interpretation of the Gospel lection for the coming Sunday in the church year with a view toward preaching. Thus, the seminar provides the student with a model for ongoing study. Faculty members from even- department, not onlv the Exegetical Department, teach these seminag Ability in Greek is a prerequisite for enrollment in the Master of Divinity program. Hebrew I and nd are part of the required curriculum for those who enter without knotvledge of this langgge. There are no independent courses in isagogics or hermeneutics in the revised curriculum as these are covered within the exegetical courses. In addition to the Gospel courses, there are two required courses in the Pentateuch, and one course each on Pauline Epistles, the Major Prophets, and the Psalms. The Psalms course is interdisciplinar\., taught bt- f a d e from both the Exegetical and Pastoral 3linish-v and ~ L s i o n s ~ep-artments in order that the use of the psalms in w-&ship and pastoral care is highlighted. = !%e Dean 0. \\-enthe, "More Than Leader. Awtrator, and Therapst: The hptural Substance ot the Pastoral Office," in ill1 nreolop :s C h n i t ~ k ~ ~ E5-"f/s In Hrru7r o f Dai-rd P, dkier, ed. Dean 0. Wenthe, \ V h C. Weinnch, Arthur A. Just Jr., Daruel ~ a r d , and Tho- L. Olson (Fort \\-axme- Concordia Theologcal Szmnan- Fres5,2&30), 199-Z3. SS Concordia Theological Quarterly 70 (2006) A required course in catechetics fcrcuses extensix-el17 on the use of the 51rd Catechism. It is expected that all students will be-able to recite the six chief parts as we11 as the dailv prax-ers heart. The student is being catechized into the texts of the -Cate&ism even as he is being prepared to teach it. The catechetics course approaches the Catechism not so much as a text book or educational resource but as a book of dctctrine, prayer, and life so that the future pastor develops the Jmbihs of a catechist0 The teaching of liturgics has an expanded place in the ne\\- curriculum Student assessments from recent reflected the need for more depth in the study and practices of worship than \\-as gjven in the one required course of the previous curriculum. The new curriculum has h\-o required courses in liturgics. Liturgics I is devoted to the biblical foundations, historical development, and theological si,onificance of the liturg- as \\-ell as instruction in the basics of officiating at the Divine Senlice and prarer o&ces. Liturgics 11 attends to the church year, hymnody, and worship p1a-g. Three required courses in the Lutheran Confessions introduce students to the historical background, doctrinal content, and ongoing relevance of the documents in the Book of Concord. The three courses in dogmatics follo~v a traditional, creedal outline in equipping students \vith the knowledge of Christian doctrine and practice in the abilitv to think theologically and articulate the confession of Christ with fkthfulness, clarity, and coherence. David Yeago has desaibed pastoral theolog- as the hands and feet of dogmatics.; The practical courses, therefore, endeavor to ground students in church practices that reflect our confession of Christ and enable him to distinguish law and gospel in proclamation and pastoral care, articulating the faith in our culture with integrity. Pastoral Theology I is, in large part, based on the Agenda that will accompany the Lutheran Semicr Bonk. This course begins with the rite of ordination as the map for pastoral identih- and work. The liturgical forms of Baptism, confirmation, For further development of this point, see John T. Pless, "Fidelity to the Catechism in Prayer and Preaching," Lutheran Forum 39 (Fall 2005): 8-13. - "Systematic theology is the tongue and mind of practical theo lo~: it expounds the message to which we desire to be faithful. But praczcal theolw is the hank and feet of systematic theology. It is the necess* tulfillment of all systematic theology, r%-hich must always intend to be in some sense church dogmatics, thinking interior and useful to the life of the churd.1;" David Yeago, "Testing the Spirits: Practical Theology and the Crucified and Risen God," Dialog 22 (Fall 1983): 232. Also see Gerhard Sauter, Gatezz~zu+ to Dogmnfics: Reasoning 77leologicnlly -for the Life j tlw Q~urdz (Grand Rapids: \\~illiam B. bdmam hbkihing CO., 2003), %-180. Pless: A Curriculum from and for the Church 89 confession/absolution, marriage, visitation of the sick, commendation of the dying, and Christian burial constitute the chief loci of the s?-llabus. Pastoral Theology II employs case studies to hone the student's ability to engage in spiritual diagnosis in order to make appropriate applications of the gospel. Pastoral Theolog- 1 and II are supplemented by a required course in pastoral counseling. A course entitled "Pastor, Congregation, and S~mcnl" replaces the previous course in parish admtra t ion . This dass akends to issues of churchmanship as well as kingdom-of-the-left aspects of congregational life. Three courses in homiletics provide instruction in the theology of preaching especiallv the right distinction between the law and the gospel, sermon design, &d delivery. Theological foundations and rnissional approaches consistent with Lutheran theology are at the heart of the course of an introductoq- course in missions and evangelism Theological Ethics lays the foundation for a Lutheran approach to ethics in a postmodern world that is of assertions of absolute truth. Working from the premise that the doctrine of justification by faith alone is the "boundary and basis"' also for ethics, this course aims at assisting the student in thinking theologicaUr about conternporaqrar) moral issues. A course in the previous curriculuk "Religious Bodies in America" has been replaced by a new course, "3linistry in a Plural'itic Context" Whereas the older course was basicall?- a course in comparative symbolics, the new course takes up the challenges of d e d post denominational Christianih-, world religions, new religious movements, competing world rieix-s, and cultural diversit)- with a view ton-ard apologetics and missionary proclamation. An or-en-iew of church histon- is provided in three sequential courses with an additional required cot& on the Lutheran Church in America as \\-ell as at least one history elective. The historical dimension of the curriculum demonstrates the catholicic of the church and examines the wavs in which God's people hare confronted error and confessed Christ in the past. A new feature of this cumculum is a seminar on Luther's ~-ritings. The topic for this seminar varies as a variety of instructors select key treatises from the corpus of Luther's w-ritings for more intensive examination For example, a systematic theologian might offer a seminar on "The Bondage of the \\XI" I\-hile a Sew Testament scholar might Here, the ~vork of Oswald Bqver is particularlr- helpful. See his chapter, "J-ti5cation: Basis and Boundary d Theology," in Bu Faith Alnnrr f3.xy~ in Hmjr qf Ckksni 0. Fc'dc, erl. Jmph Bur- and Marc Kolden (Grand Rapids &Si;illiam B. hrdmam Publishing Co., ZIXli), 67-83 and "Luther's Ethics as Pastoral Care." Lutheran Q:c~rftT,':d 4 15ummer 19301: 125-142. 90 Concordin TheoloMcal Quarterly 70 (206) choose to host a seminar on Luther's lectures on John or a homiletics professor might investigate Luther's Ad\-ent sermons. It is hoped that this seminar \ill not only lead the student into a more in-depth knoavledge of a specific area of Luther studies but that it %-ill also equip him with the tools for continued study of the preeminent teacher of our church and his sigruficance for pastoral minis? in the wen$-first century. Perhaps the d i s ~ ~ feature of the CTS curriculum is the sequence of courses known as Iheologia. These courses will he taught bv a team oi lecturers from the four departments. Theologia I is a first-sear c m s e based on Baptism. TheoIogia II forruses on preaching rvhile Theologia El is built around the Lord's Supper. Each of courses w-ill be integrative in nature as components of exegesis, historical thealogv, systematic reflection, and liturgical/pastoral practice are brought together. For example, in Theologia I, students will exegete key Kew Testament baptismal pericopes, examine historic baptismal liturgies, homilies, and other patristic texts, stud\- the doctrine of Baptism in Luther and the Lutheran Confessions, and reflect on current baFsrnal practices. The course will utilize both p l e ~ lectures and smaller weeklv seminars similar to the format of the Gospel courses. The ~heologia sequence indicates how deeplv the curriculum is committed to the pastoral acts of Baptism, preaching, &d the Lord's Supper. Another integrative aspect of the curriculum is field education and vicarage. Field education at CTr consists of involvement in a local congregation for the f i s t six quarters of each seminarian's career. Quarters three and four also include an institutional component where the student xsorks in a hospital or nursing home/rehabilitation center. This exferience in the field is linked with specific classes. For example, a student enrolled in catechetics is expected to teach the Catechism in his field education setting. Required one-hour plemr~- lectures for first- and second-year students each week works with specific readings to enhance theological development and further pastoral formation (see Appendix). In the first vear, there is an intentional move from vocation to office (first quarter) to the character of the pastor and his work (second quarter) to the theology oi the cross as the framework for understanding pastoral life and work (third quarter). The focus of the second vear is on classical themes in pastoral care, using Luther's Ietters in bo& first and second quarters. The third quarter provides occasion to discuss the confessional nature of the pastor's work, demonstrating that doctrine and practice cannot be divorced. An intentional and pronounced goal of field education is to shape the spiritual Pless: A Curriculum from and for the Church 91 life of the pastor using Luther's well-known triad, oratio. meditatio, m ~ d tmtatio.2 One of the more contr01-ersial aspects of the new- curriculum is the reduction of electirit).. The highly structured curriculum leaves room for only +o electives. Howerer the majority of the faculty agreed with the proposal as the new curriculum covers a broader range of topics in the required courses. illso offsetting the lack of electives are the six required modules on a range of practical issues such as stewardship the pastor and the media, various ethnic ministries, particular issues in social minis*-, specialized topics in pastoral care, time management, strategic planning processes, and ministries to special groups (youth, older adults, singles, military, campus, disabled etc.). The modules are about six hours each, o£ten offered on a Saturday and taught by a visiting pastor or layperson with proven expertise in the field. Supplementing the formal curriculum, is the so-called ungraded curriculum, that is, those occasions both spontaneous as well as planned that allow- for mentoring exposure to contempoq- theological issues, and involvement in church life, including mission outreach and Christian m i c e . Among the planned events w d d be the seminary's annual s!-mposia in Januan; the Good Shepherd Institute's conference each Sorember, regular Wednesdav morning convocations, and a number of mission and servant events botk in the United States and abroad. The four traditional departments that have characterized theological education since the time of Schleiermacherl-e maintained, but the boundaries have become much more fluid in the re\-ised curriculum. In presenting the new curriculum to the facultv, the curriculum review committee articulated what it believed its distinct advantages to be: - - - - - - %? John T. b s , "The Tnangnular Shap of the Pastor's Bx-ohom] Me," m brd Je>u- Christ, 1%?1I You Suf Stu;, Essa?r m Honor @f &~& Fewhzhn on SK O C C J S I O ~ of H s Szxiy,fift51 B t r t M q , ed. Bart Day, et aL (Houston, TX Feuerhahn Festschrift C o m t t e e , 2002), 317-331; ;Use see Osw-ald Bayx's forthcomg work 77wIogy the Lutheran I\-?, tr. Jeffrey Silcock and Stark C Mattes, to be released m September 2007 from Eerdmans. Bayer de\elops Luther's omho mdzbko , tfnlafm in contrast to various forms of xhoIastic and 5p2dati~-e theologies, demomtrating the rtecessi? for an ecclesiologjcal context for the study of theology. In large part, Bayer's work seems to confirm the dirrction that the new CTS curriculum has charted although our f a d e - did not engage it cfirecd!- in our w-ork on the new cumidurn. This r-ec significant x-olume pro\-ides a Meulngcal frarne5t-ork conducive to the oi the new d c u l u r n . I am g r a m to Dr. Xiark \lattes both for sharing the pre-publication rnanuxript of Thpalogd Hw Ltlrzmn IVny *%-ith me and for the ongoing corn-ersation nith him regarding the sigruircance of Bayer's work for conternp0rar)- confessional Luthemkn. See Fadel;, 77wologi~1,73-98. It is p M y churchly and academic, namely, holistic m nature rather than disjointed and disciplinarian; - It p w y ad- our post-Quistian society and world; It forms students through an understanding of baptismal, sac~ammntal identity; It is built upon a participation in the life of God Godlf; - It is highly interactive between faculty and students; It emphasizes primar). texts and source documents, rathm than secondary sources; It is ultimately concerned with pastoral education and formation rather than the simple imparting of information; It invoIves students from the beginning as novitiates, moving them toward ttte pastoral d ice ; - It models what a pastor actually does in the parish; It is shaped by ttte constitutive realities of the church's own life: B a r n preachng and the Lord's Supper; It involves mentoring, spiritual formation and relational aspects." The curriculum review committee at Concordia Theological Semhaq believes that the new curriculum is responsive to the needs of the church for pastors whose hearts and minds have been molded by the gospel of Jesus Christ and streng&ened for intelligent and compassionate shepherding of the Lord's flock and the missionary confession of Christ Jesus in an unbelieving world. The curriculum endeavors to instill in the students "the virtues of the ordained life"l2 as the student not only studies the Saiptures but lives in them as part of the baptized community gathered on campus for prayer and study. hbkhg the transition to a new curriculum is not without significant challenges as it calls far adjustments on the part of students, professors, and administrators. Certainly and especially, it challenges professors to continue to work in a collegial fashion, to broaden their view beyond the discipline of their academic speaalization, and to take into account more fully the purpose of theological education for the life of the church in the world. It will, no doubt, take a few years to refine and further develop the " Memo from Me Curriculum Review Committee- March 27,2002. 2 See William Willirnon, Gzlling and Charncter: VirtuPs of the Ordained Lzfe (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000). Pless: A Curriculum from and for the Church 93 pattern of theological education and pastoral formation that we have set for ourselves. Yet we believe that it is well worth the effort in order that the LCMS might have w-ell-formed pastors who work with confessional integrity as able ministers of the New Testament in a complex and chaotic world. Appendk Field Education as Component in the Revised Curriculum First Year Weekly Lecture \Tocation & Pasknal Formation: the Life of Pra~er - Ke!- Texts: The Minister's Prqer &xlk edited by John Doksteia Lufher on \'ocafiun @ Gustaf Win-. the Lutheran Cross and the Pastor --Key PasknaI Office- I Giertz ( d l i Theobgzm jtJx 1 i P P j Cross bs- Gerhard discusions of Forde. this book). I I i 0 I I I First Year Contextual Activities