Church History and the History of the Christian Thought Course Descriptions

Courses in Church History and the History of Christian Thought are designed to show how the mission and message of the church have been understood and conducted since the apostolic age. The institutions, doctrines, and social attitudes of the church are studied, and particular emphasis is placed on the manner in which Christian thought has influenced Christian life and action.

Click here for course schedules.

Master's Level

CH 5010 (636)      History of Christianity
The development of Christianity from the first century to the present, including the following are studied: the patristic period; the ecumenical councils; the development of a cultural and theological synthesis of the middle ages; the precursors, content, and personalities of the Protestant Reformation; the contributions of classical Protestant orthodoxy and subsequent rise of denominations; the rise of secularism and the “Enlightenment”; awakenings, revivals and missionary expansion; and theological trends. Offered fall and spring. Four hours.

CH 5060 (736)      American Church History
The transition of European churches to America and their involvement with theological, liturgical, social, and political issues; the nature of Puritanism; separation of church and state; awakenings and revivals; social concern; liberalism, fundamentalism, neo-orthodoxy, and contemporary evangelicalism are subjects of this course. Offered fall and spring. Three hours.

CH 6000 (675)      Current Studies in Church History
Topics selected that deal with significant issues related to Christian history and thought. One to three hours.

CH 7210 (742)       Patristic Age
Introduction to Christian life and thought between the close of the New Testament canon and the beginnings of the medieval period under Pope Gregory I (ca. 600) with emphasis on the major church fathers through primary and relevant secondary sources. Prerequisite: CH 5010 or consent of department chair. Three hours.

CH 7215 (744)      History of Christianity in the Middle Ages
The course is designed to give an overview of ecclesiastical, political, and theological issues affecting the forms of Christianity from about 529 through 1453. Particular attention is given to the development of the office of the bishop of Rome, the relation between empire and church, missions, monasticism, the philosophy and theology of scholasticism, and the factors affecting the development of conciliarism. Three hours.

CH 7225 (752)       The Reformation Era
Historical and theological overview of the changes in the history of Western Christendom through Luther’s rediscovery of the gospel is the course focus. Topics covered include condition of the late medieval church; the Lutheran, Zwinglian, and Calvinist reformations; the rise of Anglicanism; the Anabaptists and other movements; and the Counter-Reformation. Prerequisite: CH 5010 or consent of department chair. Three hours.

CH 7400      Seminar: History of Preaching
Cross list HM. Two hours.

CH 7411 (740)       History of the Free Church Movement
A study of the emergence of the Free Church Movement as a vital force in European Christianity, the contributions of leading personalities to the free churches, the interplay of European pietism with the movement, and the spread of the movement to North America with special reference to the Evangelical Free Church of America. Two hours.

CH 7450 (748)       Christianity in the Non-Western World Since 1700
Cross-list as ME. Three hours.
Advanced Master’s/Doctoral Level

CH 7720 (731)      Backgrounds of Early Christianity
Cross-list as NT. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8000 (845)      Seminar: Current Issues in the History of Christian Thought
Topics chosen to interrelate the divisions of theology; attention focused on current issues or important neglected areas of Christian history and thought. Two to three hours.

CH 8235 (761)      The Enlightenment
Religious life and thought during the 18th century with special consideration of Deism and efforts by orthodox Christians to counter this philosophical tendency. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8270 (765)      Protestant Thought in Nineteenth-Century America
Introduction to the leading Protestant theologians and theological schools of nineteenth-century America, with special attention to topics and issues most controversial among the schools. Emphasis on primary source readings from the New England theologians, the Mercersburg School, Old Princeton, Wesleyan/Holiness sources, and the New Theology. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8280 (762/912)      The History of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism
An analysis of the history of Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism with particular reference to recent interpretations of these movements. Emphasis is placed on the question of Evangelical self-identity. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8320 (753)       Luther
Cross-list as ST. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8330 (754)       Calvin
Cross-list as ST. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8361 (815)      Jonathan Edwards
Introduction to the life, times, and especially the theology of Jonathan Edwards. Intensive reading in and reflection on some of Edwards’s most important writings. Extensive reading and discussion about Edwards’s historical background (primarily in New England Puritanism) and historical legacy (with primary attention paid to the development of “the New England Theology”). Cross-list as PR ST. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8410 (773)       Theology in Contemporary Literature
Cross-list as ST. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8455 (808)      History of Christianity in China
Cross-list as ME. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8760 (767)      The New Religious History
Historiographical analysis of the “new religious history” based on recent, representative works in the social and cultural history of American religion with attention paid to issues of race, ethnicity, class, and gender/sexuality as they have arisen in the study of American religious history. Also included is methodological discussion of recent economic and material histories of American religion, ethnographic studies, and the new emphasis on such topics as popular religion and congregational history. Master’s three hours, doctoral 3+1 hours.

CH 8911 (786/908) Colloquium in Historical Methodology I
A methodological colloquium team-taught by all regular and available faculty members in the department of church history. General issues of historical methodology are discussed, with a special emphasis placed on the relationship between Christian faith and historical understanding. Offered fall. One hour.

CH 8912 (787/909) Colloquium in Historical Methodology II
A methodological colloquium team-taught by all regular and available faculty members in the department of church history. Historical work of the students enrolled will be discussed with a view to improving that work by means of rigorous methodological analysis and to preparing the students enrolled for the writing of their theses. Offered spring. One hour.

CH 8920 (905)      Advanced Study in American Christianity
Historiographical analysis of important recent literature in the field of American religious history. This seminar’s primary purpose will be to keep advanced students abreast of the state of the conversation within the discipline, enabling them to enter this conversation from the point of view of their own research. Two to four hours, doctoral as posted.

Doctoral Seminars

CH 9000 (910)      Issues in Historical Theology
Topics are chosen to reflect research interests of faculty or program participants or that explore matters of concern to historical theology. May be repeated. One to four hours, as posted.

CH 9862 (911)      The Origins of Modern Biblical Criticism in the 17th and 18th Century
A study of the multiple springs that fed the gathering stream of modern biblical criticism in the 17th and 18th centuries. Reference is made to the history of science, the history of philosophy, the history of book trade, and other disciplines. Particular attention is given to individuals such as Baruch Spinoza, Richard Simon, Jean Le Clerc, Reimarus, J. S. Semler, Lessing, Voltaire, and their critics. Course objectives include an improved understanding of the evangelical doctrine of biblical inspiration, the history of hermeneutics, and questions related to biblical authority. 3+1 hours.

Updated to 2008-09 Catalog