Winter 2019/Phoenix

HT502

Carter

HT502: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHURCH, HUMANITY, AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IN ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT (4 Units: 162 hours). Grayson Carter.

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 class meets once per week for three-and-a-half hour sessions for a total of 35 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 5 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. Class time will be devoted to formal lectures, questions and answers, and informal classroom discussion.

REQUIRED READING AND VIEWING: 1114 total number of pages required + 7 hours. [75 hours].

Bettenson, Henry and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian Church, 4th ed. Oxford, 2011. ISBN: 978-0199568987. Pub. Price $30.95. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [178 pp. assigned].

Collinson, Patrick. The Reformation: A History. Modern Library, 2006. ISBN: 978-0812972955, Pub. Price $15.00. Available as an eBook from the Fuller Library. [194 pp. assigned].

González, Justo. The Story of Christianity, vol. 1. HarperOne, 2010. ISBN: 978-0061855887, Pub. Price $27.99 [177 pp. assigned].

Gonzalez, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought, Abingdon, 2014. ISBN: 978-1426757778, Pub. Price $49.99 [apx. 74 pages assigned].

Oden, Amy, ed. In Her Words: Women’s Writings in the History of Christian Thought. Abingdon, 1994. ISBN: 978-0687459728. Pub. Price $32.99. [128 pp. assigned].

Southern, R.W. Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages. Penguin Books, 1990. ISBN: 978-0140137552, Pub. Price $19.00. [363 pp. assigned].

Class Handouts. [optional; approximately 300 pp.].

Video Assignments [Viewed over the Internet; 7 hours].

RECOMMENDED READING: See Course Syllabus on Canvas.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Class attendance and class participation (20% of final grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and #2]. [35 hours].
Completion of Required Reading and Video Assignments (20% of final grade). (Signed documentation required at the end of term). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2 and #3]. [75 hours].
Signature Assignment: Students will write a 10-page research paper covering some aspect of church history during the medieval or Reformation periods (30% of final grade) [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1, 2, 3, 4, and 5]. [30 hours].
Final examination (30% of final grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2 and #3]. [20 hours].
Extra credit research/analysis paper (10% maximum). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, #2 and #3].

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.