DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the most important themes and people in church history and historical theology from A.D. 500 to 1600.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: Medieval and Reformation history introduces the student to the Western theological tradition and the major Protestant churches thereby providing the foundation for one's confessional identity. The course provides a theological grounding for the work of the Christian ministry by surveying the historical development of the doctrines of the church, Scripture, and justification. The goal of Medieval and Reformation history is to make students conversant with the history and vocabulary of the Western church, to bring them to an awareness of the circumstances that have influenced the origins, growth, and development of Protestantism, to develop a critical methodology that will enable them to discern and evaluate the perennial theological issues, to provide them with insights into the theological character and meaning of the church's ministry, and to form their identity as Christian leaders.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: First, this course should enable Protestant students to arrive at an overall, positive appraisal of Medieval, Catholic Christianity. Second, it will enable them to understand and value the origins of their own Protestant confession by showing how the doctrines and the practices of the Reformation churches emerged in specific historical contexts. Third, students will learn the abiding importance of the sixteenth-century controversies over Scripture, justification, the sacraments, and church and state. Finally, students will increase their critical skills in reading through the study of primary source materials.

COURSE FORMAT: The course will meet twice weekly in two-hour sessions for lectures.

REQUIRED READING:

Anderson, Charles S. Augsburg Historical Atlas. Augsburg, 1967.

Bettenson, Henry, and Chris Maunder, eds. Documents of the Christian Church. Oxford, 1999. Sections on the Medieval period and the Reformation only.

Hillerbrand, H. J. The Protestant Reformation. Harper, 1968.

Latourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity. Vols. 1 and 2. Harper, 1975. Chapters on the Medieval period and Reformation only.

Tucker, Ruth A., and Walter L. Liefeld. Daughters of the Church: Women and Ministry from New Testament Times to the Present. Academie/Zondervan, 1987.

Three selected documents from Medieval and Reformation church history.

• Regular assigned reading from the textbooks.

• A midterm weighted 30%, and final examination, weighted 40% of the final grade. The exams will have both essay and objective components.

• A five-page paper based on one of the three documents and reading notes on the other two. These papers will account for 30% of the final grade.