Summer 2014/Fuller Online

MH506

MH506: THE MAKING OF GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY (4 Units: 120 hours). Peter T. NG.

DESCRIPTION: Christianity was a global faith—with its center of gravity in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia before it became a predominantly Western religion (c. 1500). Now, after roughly five centuries, it is re-emerging as a non-Western phenomenon. A full historical account reveals a faith that is inherently global but ultimately local and therefore exhibits an interplay between its global and local dynamics. This course explores Christianity with a focus on its inherent dynamic that propels cross-cultural transmission and the critical elements that have defined the experience and expressions of the faith. Five core issues will guide the discussion: the translation principle, or indigenous appropriations and vernacular expressions of Christian faith; the agents and agencies of missionary expansion; major movements of reformation and renewal; interaction with non-Christian faiths/ cultures; and the interplay between global and local forces which shaped the expressions of the faith.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The student should expect to (1) gain an understanding of the multiplicity of processes that characterize the Christian missionary engagement and the spread of the gospel; (2) acquire insight into the nature of the Christian encounter with a variety of cultures across the world; (3) gain a working knowledge of the agents, agencies, structures, and processes that facilitated or hindered the growth of the Christian church worldwide; (4) come to some understanding of the immensely variegated nature of Christian faith and practice globally.

COURSE FORMAT: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar. Students are expected to come to class having done the required readings, interacted with the material, with each other through online lectures, forum presentations and threaded discussions.

REQUIRED READING:

Irvin, Dale T., and Scott W. Sunquist. History of the World Christian Movement: Earliest Christianity to 1453. Orbis, 2001. ISBN: 978-1570753961, Pub. Price $34.00 [104 pp. assigned].

_________ History of the World Christian Movement: 1453-1800. Orbis, 2012. ISBN: 978-1570759895, Pub. Price $40.00 [147 pp.].

Jenkins, Philip. The New Faces of Christianity; Believing the Bible in the Global South. OUP, 2006. ISBN: 978-0195368512, Pub. Price $15.95 [272 pp.].

_________ The Lost History of Christianity. Harper One, 2008. ISBN: 978-0061472817, Pub. Price $15.99 [136 pp.].

Robert, Dana L. Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN: 978-0631236207, Pub. Price $40.00 [148 pp. assigned].

Sanneh, Lamin. Disciples of All Nations. OUP, 2007. ISBN: 978-0195189612, Pub. Price $19.95 [159 pp. assigned].

_________ Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel beyond the West. W.B. Eerdmans, 2003. ISBN: 978-0802821645, Pub. Price $16.00 [94 pp.].

_________ Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture. Orbis, 2009. ISBN: 978-1570758041, Pub. Price $30.00 [190 pp. assigned].

Walls, Andrew F. The Missionary Movement in Christian History. Orbis, 1996. ISBN: 978-1570750595, $26.00 [124 pp. assigned].