DESCRIPTION:

This course will trace the development of Christianity in America from the Puritan beginnings to the Church of the present day. Emphasis will be given to key personalities, ideas, and movements that have shaped Christian belief and practice in North America.

Students who apply themselves can expect to gain a general working knowledge of the history of the Church in America. The Church planted in the colonial period was powerfully shaped by Reformation and Puritan influences and developed rapidly. Students will come to understand the nature of American revival, theological diversity, liberalism, denominationalism, etc. To minister effectively in any context one must know the forces that shaped the American Church and specific denominations.

Class will meet twice a week for two-hour sessions and will center on lecture and student interaction.

Sernett, Milton C., ed. Afro-American Religious History: A Documentary Witness. Duke University Press, 2000.

Tucker, Ruth, and Walter Liefeld. Daughters of the Church. Zondervan, 1987.

Smith, H., R. Handy, and L. Loetscher, eds. American Christianity. 2 vols. Scribner, 1960, 1963.

The course grade is determined by an evaluation of student work including a fifteen page research paper (30%), a mid-term examination (20%), and a final examination (50%). Reading questions will be distributed with the course syllabus. Mastery of the material covered in these questions will be tested in the short answer portion of the final exam.

None.

Meets M. Div. core requirement in Church History "C" (CHC).

Yes.