Summer 2015/Fuller Online

HT500

Johnson

HT500: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AND CHRIST IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT (4 Units: 160 hours). Richard O. Johnson.

DESCRIPTION: HT500 is a survey of patristic theology and early church history that focuses especially on the doctrine of God, including the Christian church’s development of Trinitarian and Christological theology and creeds in its dialogue with its opponents and with its multiple cultural contexts, including the empires, languages, religions, and philosophies of the ancient Asian, African and European regions. Related topics and themes to be addressed may include the role of the apostolic fathers and apologists, the controversy with Gnosticism, tensions between Eastern and Western forms of Christianity, and selected doctrinal developments that extend through the Protestant Reformation to today.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who complete HT500 will demonstrate: (1) a basic historical and theological knowledge of the doctrines of God and Christ as those and other selected doctrines emerged in the early church and developed to this day; (2) a basic competence in interpreting this history and theology and an ability to evaluate these theological issues and their historical development; and (3) a critical and sympathetic appreciation for the breadth, unity, and diversity of the Christian church.

COURSE FORMAT: The class will be conducted online using a 10-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours, which is outlined below in the assignment and assessment section. Each week, students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructorthrough online PowerPoint lectures and forums, Required Readings, and other assignments that promote active learning.

REQUIRED READING: 1,200pages required.

Clark, Elizabeth A. Women in the Early Church. Liturgical Press, 1983. ISBN: 978-0814653326, Pub. Price $24.95 [102 pp. assigned].

Coakley, John W. and Andrea Sterk. Readings in World Christian History: Volume 1: Earliest Christianity to 1453. Orbis, 2004. ISBN: 978-1570755200, Pub. Price $34.00 [108 pp. assigned].

González, Justo. The Story of Christianity: Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. 2^nd edition. HarperOne, 2010. ISBN: 978-0061855887, Pub. Price $25.99 [293 pp. assigned].

Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. Christ and Reconciliation. Eerdmans, 2013. ISBN: 978-0802868534, Pub. Price $40.00 [120 pp. assigned].

Plantinga, Richard J., Thomas R. Thompson, and Matthew D. Lundberg. An Introduction to Christian Theology. Cambridge, 2010. ISBN: 978-0521690379, Pub. Price $32.99 [188 pp. assigned].

Rusch, William C., ed. The Trinitarian Controversy. Fortress, 1980. ISBN: 978-0800614102, Pub. Price $24.00 [179 pp. assigned].

Wilken, Robert Louis. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. Yale University, 2012. ISBN: 978-0300118841, Pub. Price $35.00 [210 pp. assigned].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Capitani, Diane, and Melanie Baffes. Research and Writing in the Seminary: Practical Strategies and Tools. McFarland, 2014 ISBN: 978-0786478644, Pub. Price $36.00.

Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600). University of Chicago Press, 1975. ISBN: 978-0226653716, Pub. Price $25.00.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. On-line lecture presentations (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3] [16 hours].

2. Active weekly forum posts (maximum 300 words each) (20% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2 and 3] [14 hours].

3. Voices from the Heart devotions and responses (maximum 300 words each) (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2 and 3] [5 hours].

4. 1,200 pages of required reading [80 hours] [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2 and 3].

5. Two five-page analytical papers (approximately 1,500 words each) (40% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2] [40 hours].

6. FINAL exam (20% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2] [5 hours, including preparation].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH1 or TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program. Meets the CHA requirement in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.