DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the most important themes and movements in American church history from the Puritans to the present.

The study of the American Church places the student's particular denomination in the context of the pluralistic cultural, scientific, and religious forces that continue to shape contemporary life, including the Catholic church, the ecumenical movement, and the new sects and cults. The study of one's own tradition and family of denominations will supply the knowledge necessary for leadership, and it will enable students to discern both the threats and the opportunities that face the Church today. The course strives to inculcate understanding and empathy for all Christian traditions at the same time that it fosters loyalty to one's own denomination.

The class will meet four hours a day for two weeks for lectures.

Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Eerdmans, 1992.

Sernett, Milton, ed. Afro-American Religious History: A Documentary Witness. Duke, 1985.

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

Three selected documents of American church history.

There will be two examinations over the textbooks and lectures.

None.

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

Yes.