Fall 2016/Fuller Online
HT502
Sumner
HT502: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH, HUMANITY, AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT (4 Units: 160 hours). Darren Sumner.
DESCRIPTION: HT502 is a survey largely of medieval and Reformation history and theology that focuses especially on the doctrines that received their crucial shape for Protestant Christians during this period. Among these are the doctrine of the church (including the authority and office of the ministry, sacraments, the place of councils, and the role of the laity), the doctrine of scripture (including the place of tradition), theological anthropology (including human nature as created and fallen, and original sin), and the doctrine of the Christian life (including the entire order of salvation—election, calling, faith, justification, sanctification, and final glory). Key figures to be studied include Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who complete HT502 will demonstrate: (1) a basic historical and theological knowledge of the doctrines of the church, humanity, and the Christian life as those and other selected doctrines emerged especially in the medieval and Reformation 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: This course will be conducted online on a ten-week schedule aligned with Fuller’s academic calendar for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students are required to interact with the material, with each other, and with the instructor regularly through online discussions, reading, and other assignments that promote active learning.
REQUIRED READING: Approximately 1,250 pages.
Cameron, Euan. The European Reformation. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0199547852, Pub. Price $47.95 [440 pp. assigned].
Erasmus, Desiderius and Martin Luther. Discourse on Free Will, trans. Ernst F. Winter. Bloomsbury, 2013. ISBN: 978-1780938233, Pub. Price $19.95 [130 pp. assigned].
González, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought. Vol. 2. 2nd rev. ed. Abingdon, 1987. ISBN: 978-0687171835, Pub. Price $33.99 [324 pp. assigned].
Placher, William and Derek Nelson, eds. Readings in the History of Christian Theology. Vol. 1., Rev. ed. (or 1st edition). Westminster John Knox, 2015, ISBN: 978-0664240578, Pub. Price $27.00 [90 pp. assigned].
Plantinga, Richard J., Thomas R. Thompson, and Matthew D. Lundberg. An Introduction to Christian Theology. Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0521690379, Pub. Price $34.99 [160 pp. assigned].
Other selected readings to be made available weekly via Moodle and e-Reserves, including selections from Augustine, Pelagius, Anselm, Luther, Calvin, and others [approximately 10 pp. assigned].
RECOMMENDED READING:
Harpur, James. Love Burning in the Soul: The Story of Christian Mystics, from Saint Paul to Thomas Merton. New Seeds Books, 2005. ISBN: 978-1590301128, Pub. Price $16.95.
Livingstone, Elizabeth A., ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third ed. Oxford Univ. Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0199659623, Pub. Price $22.95.
Rampolla, Mary Lynn. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 8th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s (Macmillan), 2015. ISBN: 978-0312610418, Pub. Price $25.99.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Online instruction through reading and audio/video lectures [12 hours].
Weekly forum posts as assigned, including both original threads and replies to others (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3] [10 hours].
Approximately 1,250 pages of required reading. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [83 hours].
Document analysis paper (1,500 words) on Martin Luther’s The Bondage of the Will (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [15 hours].
Two additional document analysis papers (1,500 words each) on primary source documents selected by the student (15% each). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [15 hours each, 30 hours total].
Final examination (2,500 word maximum) covering readings and lecture material (35%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, and 3]. [10 hours, including preparation].
PREREQUISITES: None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH2 or TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015). Option to meet the TH2 requirement in the 80 MATM and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the CHB requirement in the 144 MDiv Program.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.