CH505
J. Thompson
CH505: POST-REFORMATION AND MODERN THEOLOGY. John L. Thompson.
DESCRIPTION:
- A survey of the major developments in theology since the Protestant
Reformation, with emphases on English Puritanism, Protestant Orthodoxy,
Pietism, Wesleyanism, and the dialogue with Enlightenment and
post-Enlightenment thought from Schleiermacher through Barth, Bultmann, and
Vatican II.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- This course introduces the student to a significant body of
theological and historical data as a means to acquiring a broader perspective
on one's own faith as well as a more sympathetic appreciation for the catholic
and apostolic church of which the student is a part. Moreover, through
intensive work in primary source readings, the student should acquire an
improved facility in the analysis of theological arguments and the ability to
articulate the meaning of the Christian faith in its historical development,
both of which skills will carry over into the student's reading, understanding,
and exposition of Scripture itself.
COURSE FORMAT:
- Class will meet twice weekly in two-hour sessions for four hours of
lecture per week, with occasional discussion sessions devoted to student papers
as assigned (below).
REQUIRED READING:
- Hägglund, Bengt. History of Theology. Concordia,
1968.
- Lessing, Gotthold. Lessing's Theological Writings. Henry Chadwick,
ed. Stanford, 1956.
- Packet of photocopied readings, available from bookstore. (This packet
includes major excerpts from the Westminster Assembly, James Arminius, John
Wesley, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Barth, Rudolf Bultmann, and the Second
Vatican Council.)
RECOMMENDED READING:
- Cross, F. L. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.
2nd ed. Oxford, 1972.
- Douglas, J. D. The New International Dictionary of the Christian
Church. Paternoster Press, 1978.
- González, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought, vols.
2-3. Abingdon, 1987.
- Placher, William C. A History of Christian Theology. Westminster,
1983.
- Muller, Richard A. Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms.
Baker, 1985.
- Seeberg, Reinhold. The History of Doctrines. Baker, 1979.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Assigned readings, to be completed as preparation for lectures.
- Three short papers on primary source readings.
- Comprehensive final examination.
PREREQUISITES:
- None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Meets M.Div. core requirement in Church History "c" (CHC).
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Yes.