AAR Syllabi Project: Survey of Church History (Patty)

AAR Syllabi Project

Course Syllabi

Contents

Course Description & Objectives

Texts

Requirements

Final Grade Calculation

Schedule of Class Meetings and Assignments

Survey of Church History

Instructor

Stacy L. Patty
stacypat@lcu.edu

Institution

Lubbock Christian University

Course Description & Objectives

This course sketches the history of the Christian religion, with particular emphasis on its church institutions and their influence on women and men of faith, from the first century to the present day. Clearly the survey is only a sketch; much is omitted, and much is mentioned only in very general terms. The course serves both as a religion elective for general university students and as a major’s required course for those students planning to serve in church ministry or continue in advanced religious studies. Thus, the general emphasis throughout the course is on broad exposure to the larger world of the Christian church, its common people, their spiritual and social lives, and their relationship to the larger socio-political world. Nonetheless, the course does allow for more specific examinations concerning the development of church doctrines and organization, as well as historical information about the formation of various denominations, as needed.

Specifically, the course is designed with the following objectives:

To encourage an understanding of the broad scope of the history of the Christian church, its major turning points, personalities, and teachings;
To display the importance of historical context (especially social, political, and religious thought and actions) on the formation of church teachings and practices;
To develop an appreciation for people of the church in the history of Christianity;
To clarify the centrality of religion in world history;
To encourage both a respect for one’s own confessional faith and/or faith community, and a tolerance for the diverse views and communities of others;
To encourage the development and understanding of own’s spiritual awareness and faith;
To provide a guided, introductory study of the development of the Church of Christ.

This course is an upper-level, academic, university course. Open inquiry, critical thinking, strong stances, and tolerance of perspectives are encouraged. I view my classes as "communities of learning;" therefore, dialogue, discussion, and questioning are welcomed. You also have insights, perspectives, experiences, and information that are important. Please do not hesitate to contribute, and please realize that both your silence when you really want to speak and your dominance of a discussion when you have spoken too much will stifle our communal learning.

Texts

Justo L. Gonzalez. Church History: An Essential Guide. Abingdon, 1996.
Richard Hughes. Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America. Eerdmans,1996.
Augustine. Confessions. Oxford, 1991.
Martin Luther. Christian Liberty. Fortress, 1957.
Additional short readings on library reserve.
For Bible/Ministry majors:
- Philip Spener. Pia Desideria. Fortress, 1964.

Requirements

Reading. Students are expected to complete all reading assignments prior to the day of class for which they are assigned. Your reading should be reflected by your participation in class discussions. Occasional quizes may be given or reading summaries may be assigned. An unexcused absence on the day of a quiz, or when a reading summary has been requested, will result in a reading grade of F for that day. For more information on reading summaries, see my web page "Writing Papers."
Two Exams. Mid-term and final examinations will be given. Objective (fact-based) questions on the final examination will relate only to the second half of the semester; however, general essay questions on the final may be comprehensive. Students who miss the mid-term exam date (except for school-approved absences) will be penalized five percentage points on the test. Students -- including graduating seniors -- must take the final exam at the scheduled time/date; if you are working somewhere, arrange now for this test time.
Four Visit Reflection Essays. During the semester we will visit two churches as a class (St. Stephen's Episcopal and St. Andrew Greek Orthodox and you will be required to visit two additional churches (preferably Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and St. John Neumann Catholic Church, and preferably for worship services). In all four cases, a reflection essay is required; include with your reflection a copy of the church bulletin/order of worship. (See my web page "Writing Papers" for details.) This requirement is related directly to course content: We cannot begin to understand either the history of Christianity or the current view of such mainline denominations unless we are willing to "get a little closer." Any student who finds the requirement difficult for faith reasons should see me during office hours.
Book Review. A book review over Augustine's Confessions (books I-X) is required. See my web page Writing Papers for details.

Final Grade Calculation

Reading 13%
Visit Reflection Essays 32%
Book Review 15%
Mid-Term Examination 20%
Final Examination 20%
- Departmental Grading Scale: A=93-100; B=84-92; C=75-83: D=70-74; F=0-69
- Participation, Attendance, and Attitude may affect final letter grade, especially in borderline cases.

ATTENDANCE NOTE: You are expected to be in class, awake, and acting interested at all times. If you miss either (a) more than 25% of the total class meetings or (b) more than 3 consecutive class meetings, you may be dismissed from the class. Excused absences are included in the 25% count. When you are tardy, or when you miss a class, please inform me on paper (with name, date missed, and reason) at the end of the class meeting (if tardy) or as soon as you return to class.

INTERNET RESOURCES: The internet can be a marvelous resource for us, if we stay out of the chat rooms (!). For your aid, this course syllabus is on my web page. For some reading assignments, you will need access to this page. Additional links to key sources are hyperlinked to it. See especially "The Hall of Church History" for excellent links to a very wide variety of resources, and additional sections noting key bibliographical primary and secondary sources. A second key resource for much of church history is Internet Medieval Sourcebook. For Restoration Movement resources, start with either the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement Resources or another important Restoration Movement Index page.

Schedule of Class Meetings and Assingments

All readings/assignments for a specific day should be completed prior to the start of that day's class session.

T Jan. 13: Course Introduction

Th 15: Religion, History, Theology, & Faith
Overview of Christian History

Allen & Hughes, "Roots: Why Bother" (On Reserve)
Brown, "Why Am I Doing This?" (On Reserve)
Gonzalez 7-22

Tu 20: Ancient Christianity ( Ancient and Medieval Timeline )

Gonzalez 23-31
Ignatius of Antioch, "Letter to the Ephesians"

Th 22: Heresies, Apologies, and Persecutions

The Gospel of Thomas
Polycarp of Smyrna, "Letter to the Philippians"
Tertullian, "To the Martyrs"
Begin reading Augustine' s "Confessions"
- A couple of introductions may be helpful. See my "Reading Augustine's Confessions" or a more thorough longer essay.

Tu 27: Imperial Christianity