1. THEO 2410-101 Christian Faith in Cultural Contexts: Cross-Cultural Theology
Rev. James T. Bretzke, S.J.
Marquette University
Fr. Bretzke’s Web-page:
Office: Marquette Hall: 008AE (lower level)
Office hours: T/TH 11:00 AM—12 PM; W 11:00—11:30 AM OR EASILY by appointment

2. Some Helpful Documents & Links
These are, or will be very soon, also on D2L
Course Syllabus: Theology in Global Contexts Syllabus: bretzke/TH2410BretzkeXtianTheologyInGlobalContexts.pdf
Gangnam Style Cross-Cultural Exercise bretzke/GangnamStyleCrossCulturalExercise.pdf

3. Required Texts
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor/Doubleday, ISBN [A novel]
Betsworth, Roger G. Social Ethics: An Examination of American Moral Traditions. Louisville: Westminster, John Knox Press, ISBN
Endo, Shusaku. Silence. Translated by William Johnston. New York: Taplinger Publishing Company, ISBN [A novel]
Orobator, Agbonkhianmeghe E., S.J. Theology Brewed In an African Pot. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, ISBN

4. Plus: One (1) Book for Final Exam Discussion
Hogan, Linda. Keeping Faith with Human Rights. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, ISBN
Kristof, Nicholas, and WuDunn, Sheryl. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New York: Random House Vintage Books, ISBN
Magesa, Laurenti. What Is Not Sacred? African Spirituality. Maryknoll: Orbis, ISBN
Moser, Antônio and Leers, Bernardino. Moral Theology: Dead Ends and Ways Forward. Translated by Paul Burns. Wellwood: Burns & Oates; and Maryknoll: Orbis Books, Wipf & Stock Publishers, ISBN:
Press, Eyal. Beautiful Souls: Saying No, Break Ranks, and Heeding the Voice of Conscience in Dark Times. New York: Farrar. Straus and Giroux, ISBN
Schreiter, Robert J. The New Catholicity: Theology between the Global and the Local. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, ISBN X [apparently out of print, but still available on Amazon]
Song, Choan-Seng. Theology from the Womb of Asia. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, Wipf & Stock Publishers, ISBN:

5. Initial Decoding Exercise

6. A Classic Rendition: Caravagio

7. Chagall (From Heggarty Museum Exhibit)

9. Gangnam Style Decoding Exercise

10. Break for Small Group Discussion
What can you “decode” with relative assurance?
What mystifies you (including the language)?
What are some of your “guesses” as to the meanings of various images, language, etc.?
What seem to be the predominant cultural values?
What is very similar to US culture?
What is rather different from US culture?
What does Obba Gangnam Style actually mean?

11. MIT Parody (from Korean Students Assoc.)

12. How Might We “Decode” the MIT Parody?
What is the cultural “myth” of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), located in Cambridge, MA?
What can you “decode” with relative assurance?
What mystifies you (including the language)?
What are some of your “guesses” as to the meanings of various images, language, etc.?
What seem to be the predominant cultural values?
What is very similar to Marquette culture?
What is rather different from Marquette culture?

13. Thursday Cultural Artifact Ice-Breaker Exercise

14. URL for this Introductory Power Point
Introductory Power Point for Day 1 of Cross-Cultural Ethics