Winter 2015/Fuller Live!
Pasadena, Irvine, & Houston
MH506
Sunquist
MH506: THE MAKING OF GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY (4 Units: 160 Hours). Scott W. Sunquist.
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 reemerging as a non-Western phenomenon. A full historical account reveals a faith that is inherently global because it is ultimately local and therefore never fully defined by any historical phase or context. This course explores Christianity’s first two thousand years with a primary focus on the inherent dynamic that propels cross-cultural transmission and the critical elements that have defined the experience and expressions of the faith in successive heartlands. Five core issues will guide the discussion: the translation principle, or indigenous appropriations and vernacular expressions of the faith; the agents and agencies of missionary expansion; major movements of reformation and renewal; interaction with other major faiths; and causative factors in the periodic shifts or extermination of the faith.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to (1) explain the multiplicity of processes that characterize the church’s missionary engagement and the spread of the gospel (2) describe the nature of the Christian encounter with a variety of cultures across the world (3) express a working knowledge of the agents, agencies, structures, and processes that facilitated or hindered the growth of the church worldwide and (4) describe the immensely variegated nature of Christian practice and beliefs globally.
COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. Students will come to class having done the class readings and having watched short lectures and discussions that are posted each week. Each class will be devoted to approximately 30 minutes of discussion. Students will be expected to post one response to a question of the week (5 of the 10 weeks).
REQUIRED READING: 1,111 pages required.
Coakley, John, and Andrea Sterk. Readings in World Christianity to 1453. Orbis, 2004. ISBN: 978-0826498410, Pub. Price $34.00 [100 pages of your choice].
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 [read 200 pages].
Irvin, Dale T., and Scott W. Sunquist, History of the World Christian Movement: 1453-1800. Orbis, 2012. ISBN: 978-1570759895, Pub. Price $40.00 [read 200 pages].
Koschorke, Klaus, Frieder Ludwig, and Mariano Delgado, eds. A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa and Latin America: A Documentary Sourcebook. Eerdmans, 2007. ISBN: 978- 0802828897, Pub. Price $35.00 [50 pages of your selection].
Robert, Dana L. Christian Mission: How Christianity Became a World Religion. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. ISBN: 978-0631236207, Pub. Price $25.95 [232 pages].
Sunquist, Scott W. The Unexpected Christian Century: The Reversal and Transformation of Global Christianity, 1900-2000. Baker Academic, 2015. ISBN: 970-0801097461, Pub. Price $22.99. [190 pages]
Walls, Andrew F. The Missionary Movement in Christian History. Orbis, 1996. ISBN: 978-1570750595, Pub. Price $26.00 (pages 3-54) [51 pages].
_______________The Cross-Cultural Process in Christian History. Orbis, 2002. ISBN: 978-1570753732, Pub. Price $26.00 (pages 27-115) [88 pages].
ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:
Read a minimum of 1,200 pages and turn in a reading diary the last day of class. (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 2]. [60 hours].
Keep a “Diary of Cultural Encounters.” Each week make a record of Christian cultural encounters that you have read about. Describe the encounters and evaluate briefly how the Gospel was adapted, or was not adapted to the new cultural context. (200-250 words/week). Turn in the “Diary” before taking the final exam. [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #2 and 4]. [10 hours].
Write five (5) one page (300-500 word) responses to the weekly reflection question and post on Moodle. (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, and 4]. [10 hours, DLAs].
Write a 12-15 page (250 wpp) research paper on a topic that relates to the cross-cultural development of Christianity in a particular time (100-250 years), in a particular geographic region, related to 2 or more specific cultures. See Moodle for instructions: “Writing a Cross-cultural Christian History paper.” (40%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1 and 3]. [45 hours].
Take final exam. (30%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2, 3, and 4]. [5 hours].
PREREQUISITES:None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the C1 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.Meets MAICS (2010 revision) requirements; meets Globalization (GLBL) requirement for SOT MA programs.
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.