Winter 2004/Pasadena
CH506
Feldmeth
CH506: AMERICAN CHURCH HISTORY. Nathan P. Feldmeth.
DESCRIPTION:
- This course will trace the development of Christianity in America
from the Puritan beginnings to the Church of the present day. Emphasis will be
given to key personalities, ideas, and movements that have shaped Christian
belief and practice in North America.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- Students who apply themselves can expect to gain a general working
knowledge of the history of the Church in America. The Church planted in the
colonial period was powerfully shaped by Reformation and Puritan influences and
developed rapidly. Students will come to understand the nature of American
revival, theological diversity, liberalism, denominationalism, etc. To minister
effectively in any context one must know the forces that shaped the American
Church and specific denominations.
COURSE FORMAT:
- Class will meet twice a week for two-hour sessions and will center
on lecture and student interaction.
REQUIRED READING:
Marsden, George. Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.
Eerdmans, 1990.
Noll, Mark. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada.
Eerdmans, 1992.
- Sernett, Milton C., ed. Afro-American Religious History: A
Documentary Witness. Duke University Press, 2000.
- Tucker, Ruth, and Walter Liefeld. Daughters of the Church.
Zondervan, 1987.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Gaustad, Edwin S. A Documentary History of Religion in America since 1865.
Eerdmans, 1983.
- Smith, H., R. Handy, and L. Loetscher, eds. American
Christianity. 2 vols. Scribner, 1960, 1963.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- The course grade is determined by an evaluation of student work
including a fifteen page research paper (30%), a mid-term examination (20%),
and a final examination (50%). Reading questions will be distributed with the
course syllabus. Mastery of the material covered in these questions will be
tested in the short answer portion of the final exam.
PREREQUISITES:
- None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Meets M. Div. core requirement in Church History "C" (CHC).
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Yes.