Fuller Online

CH551: Winter 2013

Kernaghan

CH551: AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN HISTORY AND PROGRAMS. Ronald Kernaghan.

DESCRIPTION: This is an online course which uses distributed learning to introduce the major historical themes and controversies in American Presbyterian churches, and explores their relevance to contemporary issues and developments.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: This course prepares students for ministry in the Presbyterian Church. Those who grasp the history of the Presbyterian Church are in a better position to help congregations deal with the changing spiritual and missional environment in contemporary America. Understanding the past reminds us of God’s ongoing reformation of our present.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will gain an understanding of the theological challenges presently facing the Presbyterian churches by analyzing the controversies of the past, learn how to help congregational leaders make decisions about their mission and ministries, and deepen their own appreciation for the spirituality and depth of the Reformed tradition.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online with the learning modules aligned with Fuller’s ten-week academic calendar. Central to the class are weekly threaded discussions in which students interact with each other and the instructor about the subject matter and questions which it elicits. Discussion forums, journaling and web based research will be essential to our learning process.

REQUIRED READING:

James, W. E., and C. H. Zatkin. Tumbling Walls. LaJolla, CA: Diaspora Foundations, 1991. ISBN: 0962704806. Available as a free download from the Moodle course site.

Marsden, George. Reforming Fundamentalism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987. 312 pages. ISBN: 0802836429. $26.99.

Presbyterian Understanding and Use of the Holy Scripture. The Office of Theology and Worship, PC (USA) 1992. 39 pages. Free download at http://oga.pcusa.org/publications/scripture-use.pdf.

Parker, T. H. L. Calvin: An Introduction to His Thought. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1995. 160 pages. ISBN: 9780664256029. $29.95.

Selections from an online reading packet of lectures, articles, and church publications (readings will include, among other things, material on gender issues and subjects of global concern).

Smylie, James H. A Brief History of the Presbyterians. Louisville: Geneva Press, 1996. 160 pages. ISBN: 0664500013. $12.95.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Chapman, W. E. History and Theology in the Book of Order. Louisville: Witherspoon Press, 1999. 126 pages. ISBN: 1571530169. $19.95.

Longfield, Bradley J. The Presbyterian Controversy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. ISBN: 9780195086744. $60.00.

Presbyterian Planning Calendar, 2011-12. ISBN: 9781571530905. $10.50.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Weekly threaded discussions (20%) and personal reflections (5%)

  2. Assigned readings ~1000 pages (20%), to be completed as scheduled

  3. Reflection paper on the student’s sense of calling (10%)

  4. A ten-page paper exploring one of the recent social policies of the Presbyterian Church (20%)

  5. A Final Project: research and reflection paper on a theological issue facing the Presbyterian Church (25%)

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.


NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification.