Fall 2018/Houston

HT501

Taylor

HT501: THE CHURCH’S UNDERSTANDING OF GOD AND CHRIST IN ITS THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION (4 Units: 160 hours). W. David O. Taylor.

DESCRIPTION: HT501 is a survey of systematic and philosophical theology that focuses especially on the doctrine of God, The Trinity, Christology (comprising the person and work of Christ), and the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. The course reflects the historic Christian church's development of trinitarian and Christological theology and creeds in its dialogue with its opponents and with its cultural context. Related topics and themes to be addressed may include the development and articulation of the Christian doctrine of God including the divine perfections and nature, as well as the doctrine of the Trinity; the development and articulation of the person and work of Christ; and Pneumatology, the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students who complete HT501 will demonstrate: (1) a basic critical theological knowledge of the conceptual and normative dimensions 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 historic and contemporary perorations of these doctrines and an ability to evaluate these theological issues and their historical and contemporary 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-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.

REQUIRED READING: approximately 1100 pages required.

Athanasius, On The Incarnation. St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2006. ISBN: 978-0881414271, Pub. Price $16.00. [110 pp. assigned]. (Also available online at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation).

Coakley, Sarah. God, Sexuality and the Self: An Essay ‘On the Trinity.’ Cambridge University Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0521558266, Pub. Price $29.99 [150 pp. assigned].

González, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought, vol. 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon. Abingdon Press, 1987. ISBN: 978-0687171828, Pub. Price $33.99 [122 pp. assigned].

González, Justo L. The Mestizo Augustine: A Theologian Between Two Cultures. IVP Academic, 2016. ISBN: 978-0830851508, Pub. Price $24.00 [171 pp. assigned].

Plantinga, Richard J., Thomas R. Thompson, Matthew D. Lundberg. An Introduction to Christian Theology. Cambridge University Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-0521690379, Pub. Price $36.99 [77-146; 227-312 = 154 pp. assigned].

Several chapters/articles/essays provided in an eReader to be accessed electronically through Canvas that will include authors not represented in Required Reading: Basil of Caesarea, Simeon the New Theologian, Veni Spiritus Hymns, Kwame Bediako, Teresa Berger, Simon Chan, Melva Wilson Costen, Patricia Fox, Stephen R. Holmes, Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Jürgen Moltmann, Peter Phan, Tom Smail, John Zizioulas [400 pp.].

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

  1. Class attendance and participation. [This requirement is related to learning outcomes #1 and 3]. [30 hours].
  2. Approximately 1,100 pages of required reading [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-3]. [72 hours].
  3. A 750-1,000-word book review of González’ The Mestizo Augustine (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 & #2]. [12 hours]
  4. A 1000-word paper bringing a topic of the course into conversation with an element of contemporary culture (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1 & #2]. [10 DLA hours].
  5. Four 500-word online responses to readings (20%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-3]. [12 hours].
  6. One research paper on an assigned topic (2,000-2,500 words) (45%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1-3]. [24 hours].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH1 or TH4 requirement in the 120 MDiv and 80 MAT Programs (Fall 2015). Option to meet the TH1 requirement in the 80 MATM and 80 MAICS Programs (Fall 2015). Meets the STA requirement in the 144 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change.