Pre-requisites

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of mission history and movements on contemporary Christian theological and biblical hermeneutics today (e.g. evangelism vs social justice).

• Apply the learnings by critically reviewing and/or decolonising prevalent theologies and biblical interpretations that fail to address issues of poverty and injustice.

• Develop innovative approaches by critically evaluating and adapting practices within world Christianity, incorporating integral theological insights on mission and development, and contextualizing them effectively to better address local needs and realities.

• Consider the complexities of the causes of poverty and injustice as well as how these are experienced for contextually relevant groups of people (e.g. those with HIV/AIDs, prostitution and/or sex/slave trade, indentured/indebted, prisoners),

• Exegete your own theology and experience of vocational work within a specialised context of poverty and injustice

Unit Description

Today, poverty and injustice represent the contexts within which much theologising and lived expression of the Christian faith occurs. The method and forms of our theology shape our belief or perception of our world and the way we inhabit it. The primary purpose of this unit is to examine the need, challenge and opportunity of doing theology in different contexts of poverty and injustice.

The unit seeks to understand how the Bible is read and interpreted to shape theologies in the “Global South,” that is, communities in Asia, Sub-Saharan and North Africa, Latin America, and Oceania. It covers a wide range of theologies that are attentive to the poor including from Orthodox, Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, liberation, Pentecostal and black Christian traditions.

As such, this unit seeks to both better understand theological method and content as relevant to these global communities and to assist a community/development worker in identifying and navigating the inevitable complexities of belief and practice, especially in cross-faith and multi-faith dialogue.

Topics

• History of missions and social justice • Significant “grassroots” and/or contextual theologies (liberation, Pentecostal, Black etc) • Emerging regional theologies from the Global South (e.g. Asia, Sub-Saharan and North Africa, Latin America, and Oceania) • Advanced theological and biblical hermeneutics • Theologising amidst complex issues (e.g. HIV-AIDS, prostitution/sex trade; gender inequality; colonisation and indigeneity; inequitable global economic systems)
• Developing theological frameworks for community/development work • Cross-faith and multi-faith dialogue

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Unit offerings

Face to face: Semester 2, 2027 and Semester 2, 2030 (Every 3rd Year, Semester 2)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.