(Hybrid, see 2.2 below)
CRN 17969 Course Number BSNT 334 01
Howard University School of Divinity (HUSD)
Spring (3 credit hours), Holy Cross Hall 320
This course addresses MDiv2.0.
Nature of the Course
2.1. The Bible and the Earth (B&E) is an exegetical investigation of those passages in Christian scriptures that are relevant for “creation care.” We will look at a variety of passages from both the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and from the New Testament, with sensitivity to what they might say to the present “ecological crisis.” Of particular interest will be the creation narratives (Gen 1-2), various Psalms (e.g. 24, 103), the writings of the prophets (Mic 6, Isa 58), and certain passages within the Pauline corpus (Rom 8, Col 1). We will exegete these passages in order to mine the scriptural resources for environmental action within our world today.
2.2. The course this particular semester is a “hybrid,” in that it includes some “face-to-face” sessions, but it also has a significant online component.
2.3. Prior to taking this course, you should have completed Introduction to Old Testament/Hebrew Bible I and II, and New Testament Critical Introduction (or its equivalent).
This course, along with “New Testament, A Critical Introduction,” fulfills the 6-hour requirement in New Testament for the M.Div. If you have already completed that requirement and you are concentrating in Biblical Studies, then you can count this course toward that concentration. Also, this course counts toward the Washington Theological Consortium’s certificate in Ecology and Theology in the category of “Religious Heritage in Ecological Perspective.” See https://washtheocon.org/for-students/consortium-certificates/certificate-in-ecology-and-theology/
3. Course Goals
This course will empower you to:
- Exegete the Bible effectively.
- Tell a story from the Bible engagingly.
- Discuss intelligently critical issues involving the Bible and the earth.
- Respond artistically to biblical texts.
4. Course Objectives
In this course you will:
- Exegete a passage from the Bible that is relevant for creation care.
- Tell a story in class from that passage.
- Discuss on Blackboard academic topics related to the Bible and the earth.
- Create artistic, poetic, dramatic, or musical responses to your story.
5. Textbooks
*Required
The Green Bible. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2011.*
Baker-Fletcher, Karen. Sisters of Dust, Sisters of Spirit: Womanist Wordings on God and Creation. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998.*
Tull, Patricia K. Inhabiting Eden: Christians, the Bible, and the Ecological Crisis. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2013.*
Horrell, David G, et al. Greening Paul: Rereading the Apostle in a Time of Ecological Crisis. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010.
Recommended:
Bauckham, Richard. The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2010.
Davis, Ellen. Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.*
Pope Francis. Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2015.
*These books are available as e-books.
Hard copies of the textbooks are available at Barnes and Noble @ Howard University on West Campus. See https://howard.bncollege.com/.
6. Course Requirements
First the requirements are listed with their point value, and then they are discussed in detail:
- Blackboard discussion board postings (20 pts. total)
- Storytelling presentation (20 pts.)
- Exegetical paper (50 pts.)
(4) Digital portfolio (10 pts.)
Now the details:
- I will post a variety of topics on the Blackboard Discussion Board (BbDB), and you are to make frequent postings during the week.
- You will tell a story that is based on the passage that you are exegeting for this course. (See (3) below.) You will tell the story from the perspective of a non-human (and non-divine) character in the passage. You will be telling different stories (and exegeting different passages) from your colleagues, so you will post your preference on BbDB early in the course.
- You will submit an exegetical paper on a passage that appears in green in The Green Bible. This is the same passage that you are telling in class. You will submit sections of the paper (passage, introduction, context, structure, exposition, and conclusion) according to the course schedule below.
- You will submit a digital portfolio of your materials for this course. It should include:
- A brief narrative essay (2-3 pp.) explaining what you have learned in this course based on the course goals and objectives.
- Various drafts, including the final draft of your exegetical paper.
Students are encouraged–but not required–to use papers or stories in the class to participate in one or both of these activities: (1) Howard University Research Week, April (Abstracts due February, see researchweek.howard.edu), and (2) Washington Theological Consortium Sermon Slam, April 1 (Details will be forthcoming at washtheocon.org).
Course Schedule
Below are the relevant dates for the course. The Saturdays for each week are listed along with the topic for that week. It will then be noted whether or not we will hold class that day and if so where. The reading assignments to be completed by that date are then listed, as well as the assignment if any is due that day. Each week you will discuss the reading on an online discussion board on Blackboard. You will also find there further information about each week.
Module 1. Introduction
Jan Orientation to the Course
(No class meeting)
Jan Introducing “Ecological Exegesis” (No class meeting)
Exegetical Guide (on the course website), Baker-Fletcher, Prelude and Part 1.
Jan Love the Creator, Love the Creation
Baker-Fletcher, Parts 2 and 3 and Postlude (Class meeting at 300 Holy Cross Hall)
Feb Reading the Bible, Reading the Earth
Meet for a Winter Walk with the Center for Spirituality in Nature, at the Boathouse at Fletcher’s Cove, 4940 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, Washington, DC 20007 (More instructions will be given in class.)
The Green Bible, pp. I-3 to I-64 (From “Canticle . . .” through “Knowing . . .”)
Feb Reading the Bible, Reading the Earth (cont.)
The Green Bible, pp. I-65 to I-114 (From ” Jesus: Savior . . .” through “Teachings . . .”), and pp. 1221-1252 (“The . . . Trail Guide” and “Where . . ?”) (No class meeting)
Submit Paper #1 (Passage and Introduction)
Module 2. The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the Earth
Feb An Ecological Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (Meeting at Holy Cross Hall)
Tull, pp. 1-52 (chaps. 1-3)
Feb The Bible and “Food for Life”
Tull, pp. 53-110 (chaps. 4-6) (No class meeting)
Submit Paper #2 (Context)
Mar The Bible and Environmental Justice
Tull, pp. 111-170 (chaps. 7-9 and appendices) (No class meeting)
Module 3. The New Testament and the Earth
Mar An “Ecotheological” Hermeneutic
Horrell, pp. 1-59 (No class meeting)
Submit Paper #3 (Structure)
Mar No Class: Spring Recess
Mar Considering the Key Pauline Texts
Horrell, pp. 63-115 (Meeting at Holy Cross Hall)
Tell your story (again!)
Apr A Pauline Hermeneutical Lens
Horrell, pp. 117-146 (No class meeting)
Submit Paper #4 (Exposition)
Apr Pauline Ecotheology
Horrell, pp. 149-187 (Meeting via Blackboard Collaborate)
Apr Pauline Ecoethics
Horrell, pp. 189-220 (No class meeting)
Submit Paper #5 (Conclusion)
Apr Summing Up: So what do the Bible and the Earth have to do with each other?
Earth Day (No class meeting)
(Apr Prospective May graduates are to submit their digital portfolio by 11:59pm)
Apr Conclusion to the Course (Meeting at Holy Cross Hall)
May Submit Digital Portfolio by 11:59pm (students are not prospective May graduates)
10. Course website
In order to access the course website, follow these steps:
Go to https://blackboard.howard.edu.
Click Login.
Enter your HU student ID (without the @) for USER NAME and the password that you use to access Banner (or BisonWeb) for PASSWORD.
Click Login.
Your name should then show up with the courses you’re enrolled in.
Click “The Bible and the Earth.”
Revised syllabus issued March 31, 2017. (Original issued January 17, 2017.) Subject to Change.