Spring 2009/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, including covenant theology, revivalism,
liberalism, modernism, fundamentalism, and ecumenism, and of how these were
interpreted in their own time and by later Christian writers. The church
planted in the colonial period was powerfully shaped by Reformation and Puritan
influences and developed rapidly. Another key area of emphasis will be on the
rapid development of distinctly American approaches to doctrine and Christian
practice, including Christian cults.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students can expect
- to gain a general working knowledge of the history of the church in
America;
- to come to understand the nature of American revival, theological
diversity, liberalism, denominationalism, Fundamentalism, etc.;
- to be equipped to think critically about the key issues, theological ideas,
major movements, and influential personalities that shaped the church in
America;
- as the end result of this study, to gain a deeper appreciation of the
breadth, unity, and diversity of the church.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Students will gain an awareness of key ideas and
movements necessary for understanding and working in the church in North
American. To minister effectively in any U.S. context one must understand the
forces that shaped the American church and its specific denominations.
COURSE FORMAT: Class will meet twice a week for two-hour sessions and will
center on lecture and student interaction.
REQUIRED READING:
- Feldmeth, Nathan P. Pocket Dictionary of Church History.
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
- Marsden, George M. Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of
Twentieth Century Evangelicalism. New York: Oxford University Press,
1980.
- 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 twelve to fifteen-page research paper (35%), a midterm examination
(20%), and a final examination (45%). 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 MDiv core requirement in Church History "C"
(CHC).
FINAL EXAMINATION: Yes.
This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. (1/09)