The course gives you a basic introduction to culture and mission through the topics: Mission in the Bible, introduction to culture and anthropology and topics related to the work of a missionary. Further, the course will present basic knowledge on how to meet people with different religious beliefs in a mission context and learn from NLMs mission work as an example where relevant topics for this course are practised.
Teaching amounts to 48 hours of classroom instruction is mainly given through lectures and/or seminars. The classroom experience aims to stimulate you to independent reflection.
Knowledge
The students have:
- good knowledge of the biblical basis of Christian mission
- knowledge of culture and anthropology
- knowledge of selected topics related to the work of a missionary
Skills
The students can:
- collect, evaluate and refer to data on current missionary activity to highlight an issue
- reflect on their own life in a culture context
- apply their knowledge from the course in carrying out future work in church and mission
- meet people with other cultures and religious worldviews respectfully and with knowledge of culture and religious beliefs.
To be eligible for final assessment you must:
- Attend a minimum of 70 % of the lectures (cf. chap. 5.5)
* Students who don’t complete the attendance requirement, must retake the course the next time it is offered.
* See the document “Attendance Regulations for Fjellhaug International University College” for more details.
Course Requirements:
To receive final assessment, you must:
- Submit and pass a written assignment on mission in the Bible, 500-1000 words.
- Make an oral presentation in your seminar group on an assigned topic within culture and anthropology, following given guidelines. Submit your Power Point presentation to the professor.
- Write and conduct an interview with a missionary based on the curriculum and submit the interview following the given guidelines.
Deadlines for submission are given at the start of the semester but notice that the requirements must be fulfilled no later than two weeks before the exam date.
Final Assessment:
| Form of assessment | Duration | Grading scale | Comment |
| Oral Exam | 20 minutes | A-F | No preparation time. |
The course and oral exam will be graded A-E for pass and F for fail.
Some readings are available digitally on the school’s learning management system (LMS) and are marked with *.
Mission in the Bible
* Bøe, Sverre. (2022). “Mission in the Old Testament – An outline” 10 p.
Köstenberger, A. J., Alexander, T. D., & Carson, D. A. (2020). Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission (Second edition). IVP Academic, pp. 39-262.
Introduction to Culture and Anthropology
Howell, B. M., & Paris, J. (2019). Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective (2nd edition). Baker Academic, pp. 1-186.
Topics Related to the Work of a Missionary
Steffen, Tom og Douglas, Lois McKinney (2008): Encountering Missionary Life and Work: Preparing for Intercultural Ministry. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, pp. 30-61, 224-343.
The Norwegian Church Ministry to Israel (2004): «The Jewish People, the Gospel, and the Promises. A Declaration on the Relationship between the Church and the Jewish People and the Place of this People within God’s Salvation History». pp. 1-23. (https://www.israelsmisjonen.no/_service/316/download/id/30837/name/NCMI_Declaration.pdf)
Lausanne Occasional Paper: Christian Witness to Buddhists. (1980, June 15). Lausanne Movement. https://lausanne.org/content/lop/lop-15 39 p.
Lausanne Occasional Paper: Christian Witness to Hindus. (1980, June 14). Lausanne Movement. https://lausanne.org/content/lop/lop-14 39 p.
Lausanne Occasional Paper: Diasporas and International Students: The New People Next Door. (2004, October 25). Lausanne Movement. https://lausanne.org/content/lop/diasporas-andinternational-students-the-new-people-next-door-lop-55
Lausanne Occasional Paper: Understanding Muslims. (2004, October 19). Lausanne Movement. https://lausanne.org/content/lop/understanding-muslims-lop-49 pp. 1-10.
