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Canyon College

online History of Christianity II course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS:  History of Christianity II

Course Title: TH540 - History of Christianity II
Department: Master of Theology
Instructor: Gerald FitzGerald, BD, MDiv, DMin, Phd Theology CandidateE-Mail -- Vita
Prerequisites: None


PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany, thereby launching the Protestant Reformation. This course seeks to examine that critical event in the march of Christianity across the pages and sands of history. What gave rise to this momentous shift and how did it affect the lives of those who called themselves Christians? These questions will be answered as we will examine the Protestant Reformation from its genesis in Europe to its arrival in North America with particular emphasis on the United States.

Some of the key questions which must be prominent in students’ minds throughout this course and beyond are: "What does it mean to be faithful to God? What is authority? Who really has authority? Is it to be the Church over the State forever? Does God really support the ecclesiastical government over the secular government? Is it really possible to separate Church and State? If so, is such a separation desirable? Is it consistent with God’s will? Does the pope really represent God?" By the end of this course, students should have some understanding of the issues raised by these questions as well as be aware of some of the responses which have been made by people throughout the centuries as they struggled to be faithful to God as they perceived God to be.

It is very difficult for those of us who live in a country of "separation of church and state" and "religious freedom" to understand the problems of the Reformation and that were caused by it. This lack of understanding is exacerbated by the fact that for most of us, the church has become a rather adjunct activity in our lives. Therefore, it is important that we keep in mind that unlike our very secular world today, 15th Century Western Europe was a gigantic Christian commonwealth. Despite the disorder in the church and the rise of the mystics, the rise of lay piety, and the strong and resilient secular rulers, the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries were very religious centuries.

Our journey will conclude in the United States about the year of 1985. We will look at those who settled in America from Europe and who sought to establish the Kingdom of God on the soils of that land called simply "America."

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
Canyon College is a non-sectarian, non-denominational school committed to the study of God in all the richness and diversity of God's revelations to humanity and an exploration of what those revelations mean to the everyday lives of finite human beings. Canyon College does not advocate any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than the reality of God and does not require that its students and faculty subscribe to any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than a willingness to be challenged and a commitment to an investigation into truth and the pursuit of academic honesty and excellence.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would require us to write, "God wills that everyone obeys God’s will."

REQUIREMENTS
1. Readings.  The required texts are:   Online Bookstore
  1. Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: Volume 2 (Volume Two: The Reformation to the Present Day), HarperCollins Publishers (HarperSanFrancisco), 1985/1990. ISBN: 0060633166


  2. H. Richard Niebuhr, The Kingdom of God in America, Copley Custom Publishing Group, 2004. ISBN: 1-58152-348-3 or 1581523483

    Note: other editions are on the market and the page numbers may be different. Check with teacher before ordering. (These may have to be read by chapter numbers, not page numbers):
    1st Wesleyan Edition, University Press of New England (Wesleyan University Press), 1988, ISBN: 0-8195-6222-X or 081956222X (Alt. 0819552127).
    Textbook Publishers, 2003, ISBN: 0758139128.
    Mass Market Paperback, 1984, ISBN: 0061300497.


Textbooks should be ordered from the Canyon College Online Bookstore to insure that the correct volume and edition is obtained.

2. Conferences.  Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.

3. Exams.  There will be a mid-term exam and a comprehensive final examination. The exams will cover the assigned readings. The mid-term exam should be taken prior to the end of the week indicated below and the final examination should be taken before the end of week six.

4. Papers.  There will be a short paper of at least two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), due at the end of each week’s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian’s "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use end notes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the "author said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the texts and this cannot be done merely by quoting the authors.

5. Grades.  Course work will be weighted as follows:
Papers 30%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 50%
6. Grading Scale.
90-100% A - Excellent
80-89% B - Above Average
70-79% C - Average
60-69% D - Below Average
59% or below F - Failing Grade
A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.

 
B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.

 
C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.

 
D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.

 
F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.  


WEEK 1

Read Gonzales pages 1-101.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What are some of the key issues which gave rise to the Protestant Reformation?
  2. What are indulgences? What role, if any, did they play in the Protestant Reformation?
  3. Who are some of the key players in the Protestant Reformation, other than Martin Luther?

WEEK 2

Read Gonzales pages 102-204.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What is Deism?
  2. Who were the Puritans? What did they add to the Protestant Reformation?
  3. What was the Thirty Years’ War? What is its significance to our study?

WEEK 3

Read Gonzalez pages 205-302.

Discussion Questions:
  1. Discuss some ways in which Protestant theology differs from Catholic theology.
  2. What does the word "pope" mean? Where does it come from?
  3. Name and discuss some of the popes covered in this week’s readings.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE MID-TERM EXAMINATION BEFORE THE END OF THIS WEEK.

WEEK 4

Read Gonzales pages 303-397.

Discussion Questions:
  1. Discuss the "post-war revival" in the United States. What was it? Who were some of its key religious players? What were some of its key events and issues?
  2. Who does Gonzalez say was the most important Protestant theologian of the 20th Century? Why?
  3. What are some of the significant accomplishments of the Second Vatican Council?

WEEK 5

Read the articles posted for this course. Read Niebuhr pages vii-87.

Discussion Questions:
  1. What does Niebuhr mean by the Kingdom of God?
  2. Speaking of the reason of Protestants, Niebuhr writes that "From the fundamental convictions of divine sovereignty it moved on to three further positions which were defended by all parties, though with different means and varying strengths." What are these "three further positions"?
  3. What does Niebuhr mean by "constructive Protestantism"?

WEEK 6

Read Niebuhr 88-198.

PLEASE TAKE FINAL EXAMINATION BY THE END OF THIS WEEK.