RELG 200 History of Christian Thought

Spring 2010 Schedule of Readings and Class Meetings

Class meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10-10:50 am in Wallace Hal 201

Placher, A History of Christian Theology: An introduction [History]

Placher, ed. Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation [Callings]

Introduction to Course Mechanics & Themes  

Week 1 January 13^th – 15^th

W:        Introduction to Course

F:         Introduction toLeading Lives that Matter – Friday discussion

Reading:  Introduction (1-9); Prologue (9-14) and selection by William James, “What Makes a Life Significant?” (14-28).

Foundations: Jesus & Paul

Week 2 Jan 19^th – 22^nd

M:        No class (Observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

W:        God & Israel (The Jewish Context of the Ministry of Jesus)

Reading: History, Chapter 1 (11-16) and Chapter 2 (18-32); Callings, Biblical Texts (selections from Genesis, Exodus, Judges, 1 Samuel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah).

F:         Leading Lives that Matter – Friday discussion

            Reading:Albert Schweitzer, “I Resolve to Become a Jungle Doctor” (29-36).

Week 3 January 25^th – 29^th

M:        The Apostle Paul: Convert, Interpreter and Evangelist

Reading: History, Chapter 3 (32-43).

W:        Continue discussion of Paul and the New Testament

            Reading: Callings, Biblical Texts (selections from Luke, Matthew, John, and Acts). Selections from Paul’s Letters (TBA).

F:         Leading Lives that Matter – Friday discussion

Reading: Introduction to Part I (39-46); and selections on the idea of authenticity by Charles Taylor and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (49-62).

Callings to a Christian Life - The Early Church (100 - 500 c.e.)

Week 4 Feb 1^st – 5^th

M:        Gnosticism and Orthodoxy

Reading: History, Chapter 4 (44-45).

W:        Continue discussion of orthodoxy.

Reading: Callings, Introduction to Part I, selection by Ignatius of Antioch (23-34).

F:         Leading Lives that Matter – Friday discussion

            Readings: Lives,On Virtue by Aristotle and Theodore Roosevelt (65-86).

Week 5 Feb 8^th – 12^th

M:        Alliance with Philosophy

            Reading: History, Chapter 5 (55-67).

W:        Continue discussion of material in Chapter 5

            Readings: Callings, selections (35-58).

F:         Leading Lives that Matter – Friday discussion

Readings: Selections on Vocation from Matthew, Hardy, Badcock, Bonhoeffer, Buechner, Campbell (89-113).

Week 6 February 15^th – 19^th

M:        EXAM I

W:        Controversy, Council, Creed: Early Theological Controversies

            Reading: History, Chapter 6 (68-87).

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “Are Some Lives More Significant Than Others?”  

            Reading: Introduction to Part II (117-123) and selections by Lewis, Aristotle (124-130), *skip selection by Homer; Martyrdom of Perpetua and Dorothy Day on Therese (144-166).

Week 7 February 22^nd – 26^th

M:        Augustine: Sinner, Saint, Bishop

            Reading: History, Chapter 8 (108-121).

W:        Continue discussion of Augustine

            Reading: TBA and distributed.

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “Must My Job Be the Primary Source of My Identity?”

            Reading: Introduction (181-187) and selections by Frost, Piercy and Wells (196-215) and Wordsworth (222-227). Professor Hale will be leading the discussion.

Called to Religious Life - The Middle Ages (500-1500 c.e.)

Week 8 March 1^st – 5^th

M:        The Path to Salvation (Monastic Callings)

            Readings: History, Ch 9 (139-122).

W:        Readings from Callings (TBA).

F:         “Must My Job Be the Primary Source of My Identity?” continued.

            Reading: Selections by Muirhead and Sayers (188-1959), Heschel (216-221) and Meilaender (229-243).

SPRING BREAK

Week 9 March 15^th – 19^th

M:        Faith Seeking Understanding: Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages

            Reading: History, Ch 10 (140-161)

W:        Discussion of material from Chapter 10 continued

            Reading: Callings, selection by Thomas Aquinas. Other reading TBA.

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “Is a Balanced Life Possible…?”

Readings: Introduction (245-254) and selections TBA.

“Every Work a Calling”- Reformation and the Idea of Vocation (1500-1800)

Week 10 March 22^nd – 26^th

M:        EXAM II

W:        Martin Luther & “The Priesthood of All Believers”

            Reading: History, Ch 12

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “Is a Balanced Life Possible…?” continued.

Reading selections TBA. Dean Jane Jakoubek will be leading the discussion.

Week 11 March 29^th – April 2^nd

M:        Discussion of Luther continued.

            Reading: Callings, Introduction to Part 3 and selections by Martin Luther.

W:        The Catholic Counter-Reformation

Reading: History, Chapter 13; Callings selections by Loyola and Teresa of Avila.

F:         No class on Friday (Observance of Good Friday).

EASTER WEEKEND

Week 12 April 6^th – 9^th

M:        No class on Monday.

W:        Calvin & Calvinism

            Reading: History, Chapter 14. Callings, selection by Calvin.

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “Should I Follow My Talents…?”

Reading: Introduction to section and selections from the Book of Matthew, Milton, Kant, Gaskell, Damon and Affleck and James Baldwin (313-357).

Week 13 April 12^th – 6^th

M:        Reason & Enthusiasm

            Reading: History, Ch 15

W:        Continue discussion of Ch 15 and Review

            Reading: Selections from Callings TBA.

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “To whom should I listen?”

            Reading: Introduction (359-363) and selections (364-425).

Christian Callings in a Post-Christian World (1800-Present)

Week 14 April 19^th – 23^rd

M:        EXAM III

W:        Christianity Comes to America

            Reading: History, Ch 16 “City on a Hill”; Callings, selections by Bushnell and Weber, other readings TBA and distributed.

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “Can I Control What I Shall Do and Become?”

Reading: Introduction (428-433) and selections by Henley, Lynch, Dun, The book of Jonah, Ballou, Yevtushenko, and Merton (434-450). Tentative: John Huxtable, guest.

Week 15 April 26^th – 30^th

M:        The Claims of History (The 19^th Century)

Reading: History, Ch 17 (272-290); Callings, selections by Kierkegaard, Newman, and Dostoevsky.

W:        The End of Western Christendom (the 20^th Century)

Reading: History, Ch 18 (291-316); Calling selections by Pope Leo XIII, Rauschenbusch and Thurman. Bonhoeffer, Weil, Day, Merton and Barth.

F:         Leading Lives that Matter: “How shall I tell the story of my life?”

Readings: Introduction (451-457) and selections by Frost, Bateson, Berry, Steinbeck, McAdams and Kaufman (458-485).

Week 16 May 3^rd – 5^th

M:        Review/Course evaluations.

W:        EXAM IV

Finals Week

Final meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 12^th at 9 am.

§  Class discussion (graded).

§  Reading: Epilogue, selection from The Death of Ivan Ilych (487-539).

§  Journals due at this time.