DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the most important themes and movements in
American church history from the Puritans to the present.
SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: The study of the American church places
the student's particular denomination in the context of the pluralistic
cultural, scientific, and religious forces that continue to shape contemporary
life, including the Catholic Church, the ecumenical movement, and the new sects
and cults. The modern missionary movement arose among the English-speaking
people of Britain and North America, and as a result, American movements as
diverse as Fundamentalism and Neo-orthodoxy reached far afield and profoundly
influenced Protestants in such distant lands as Korea and Indonesia. The study
of one's own tradition and family of denominations will supply the knowledge
necessary for leadership, and it will enable students to discern both the
threats and the opportunities that face the church today. The course strives to
inculcate understanding and empathy for all Christian traditions at the same
time that it fosters loyalty to one's own denomination.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: First, this course should enable students to acquire a
basic knowledge of their own denomination and its contribution to American
history. Second, it should help them understand the ways in which the American
churches were shaped by American culture, and hence enable them to become
appreciative but critical interpreters of their denomination to others. Third,
students will discover the riches of Christian denominations other than their
own and learn something about how those denominations contributed to world
Christianity. Finally, students will increase their critical skills in reading
and writing through the study of primary source materials and by writing a term
paper.
COURSE FORMAT: The class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions for
lectures.
REQUIRED READING: