NB
green
highlighted texts in schedule for your written Qs &
Cs (posted 5 Nov
2007)
It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.
(Albert Einstein, 1921, in response to Thomas Edison’s opinion that a college education is useless)
In much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase in sorrow.
(Ecclesiastes 1.18)
Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
(Anonymous)
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
(William Butler Yeats)
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REL 102: Understanding Christianity |
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Fall Semester • 2007 |
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Welcome! |
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Welcome to Religion 102: Understanding Christianity! The course title describes our main objective, which is to gain a better understanding of Christianity. We will do so this semester by focusing on Christian theology. More specifically, our aim will be
Achieving these goals will not be easy; the course will require hard work on your part. At the same time, you can expect this course to be full of challenging, enlightening, exciting, frustrating, and rewarding experiences. |
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This course is designed so that anyone, religious or not, who does the required work can attain the goals mentioned above. This course is not designed to persuade you to a particular faith or religious point of view. Nor is it intended to build up or disparage existing faith. Students who consider themselves to be followers of any religion, or no religion at all, are all welcome on this semester journey to become better acquainted with Christianity, to learn to appreciate it better, and to become informed and responsible critics of it. |
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Requirements and evaluation for the course |
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Evaluation |
For my criteria for evaluation of assignments go to Evaluation and read the information carefully.
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Assigned |
Assigned readings are essential and should be completed before the classes for which they are assigned—use your best judgment to divide the readings evenly for each week. Keeping notes on the readings is highly recommended. Occasionally I may assign additional readings, but these will ordinarily be short. You must come to class with written questions or comments you have about the readings (see Participation). The primary focus throughout the course will be on the biblical texts and their application. |
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Research Paper |
You will write a 3–4 page
paper on a particular 1)
theme or controversy, 2) doctrine or 3) theologian that
interests you. Browse through the table of contents in
McGrath's Christian Theology and his Christian Theology Reader
for ideas or come up with your own topic for research.
Consult the instructor as you
pursue your interest and as you research (the earlier you do
so, the earlier you'll know how feasible your research paper
will be). Try to narrow your interest as you do your
research and write (e.g., as you develop your bibliography
and work on your paper). Whatever your topic and thesis,
make sure that connections with course materials are evident
in your final work.
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Terms |
Throughout the semester, you will be responsible for learning significant terms covered in our texts or in class (see the “terms” file on the R-drive). You will be responsible for the definitions. Use 1) the course texts (e.g., glossary and index [including "Details of Theologians" in McGrath's Christian Theology Reader]), 2) the resources listed in Resources to consider below, or 3) any other appropriate sources of information. The terms may constitute a part of any quiz or exam. |
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Quizzes & exams |
There will be 2 short quizzes (ca. 15 minutes) and 1 longer quiz at midterm (ca. 30 minutes). They will cover the materials in the course you will have learned by the time of the quizzes, including the reading assignments and terms. The final exam will cover the entire sweep of the course. See my Evaluation page under Quizzes and examinations.
In lieu of the final exam, you may take an oral exam (ca. 30 minutes). You must inform me at least a month before the exam date to discuss this option. |
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Grades |
Grades will be assigned as fairly as possible. See my Evaluation page under Grades for more information. The final grade for the course will consist of the following:
NB: If you have any questions about how you're doing in the course, please make an appointment to see me. |
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Extra credit |
You may earn extra credit any time during the semester.
: The instructor reserves the right to make the final determination concerning any extra credit. You can earn a maximum of 5% toward the final grade. You may write more than one, if you wish, but you won't receive more than 5% total in extra credit. |
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Required books |
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Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. San Francisco: Harper SanFrancisco, 2001. |
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McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2007. |
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McGrath, Alister E. The Christian Theology Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2007. |
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Recommended books (* = highly recommended) |
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Achtemeier, Paul. Inspiration and Authority: Nature and Function of Christian Scripture. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999. |
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Allen, Diogenes. Christian Belief in a Postmodern World: The Full Wealth of Conviction. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992. |
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_____. Philosophy for Understanding Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1985. |
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_____. Primary Readings in Philosophy for Understanding Theology. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992. |
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Armstrong, Karen. A History of God. New York: Ballantine Books, 1993. |
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Kerr, Hugh T. The Simple Gospel. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991. [really good stuff] |
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Lane, Tony. Harper's Concise Book of Christian Faith. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1984 |
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Miles, Jack. God: a Biography. New York: Vintage Books, 1995. |
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Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine. 5 vols. Chicago: Chicago University, 1989. |
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Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979. (See my web page "Resources" under "Miscellaneous" for the first edition of Strunk.) |
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Resources to consider |
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See my Resources page for McGill, AV & Web resources (e.g., Catechism of the Catholic Church). |
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R-drive: for helpful materials, check not only the course folder but also the "Religion" folder. |
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Keeping in touch |
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During the semester check your e-mail regularly for the latest messages from me regarding course matters (e.g., changes in the syllabus). Also visit this page for updates to the syllabus, as well as my homepage for other information and resources related to the course. Please feel free to make an appointment any time about any course matters. |
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Tips from former students |
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For some practical advice from former students, see the tips page. |
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One last word … |
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Regardless of how demanding all of this is, I’m pretty much a nice guy. I promise to be as fair as possible. I recognize that you’ll be quite busy this semester, striving after all your passions. I understand. I have my passions too, e.g., my wonderful family, music, philosophy, nature, mountain biking, fixing things, food. But I’m also very passionate about education, both yours and mine—I don’t just mean the business of acquiring knowledge, but more importantly the total development of honorable human beings. I don't require you to share my excitement about all the things we'll cover, but I do expect you to complete the requirements for the course. To help you do that as well as you can, I will make myself available outside the class time and the office hours. I'll be more than glad to help you out when you're stuck while doing an assignment. Or if you have any questions, concerns, complaints, and even compliments, I will do my best to take the time to listen and offer my response. Keep in mind that I'm here to help you learn. So, again, welcome to Religion 102: Understanding Christianity! |
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C
o u r s e S c h e d u l e |
MWF 15:10–16:10 PH 132 |
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• = required > = recommended + = read in the library (do not check out) |
bold = primary focus text red bold = important deadline highlight = R-drive file
(only on campus & Internet Explorer) |
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Week 1
Aug 29 W Aug 31 Sep 3 |
•Course syllabus (including Evaluation link; review requirements, expectations & criteria for grading—ask Qs, if you have any) •Fisher: Effective Learning •McGrath, Intro: xxi–xxv, xxviii, 3–4; ch. 1 •McGrath, Reader: xv–xxiv; xxvii–xxxiii, xlii 1.5; 1.6; 1.13; 1.1–1.4
>McGrath, Reader: 1.22–1.24; 1.30–1.34 >Do you know how to think? (a self-exam) |
•Copy all relevant Web pages to your hard disk or diskette •Reminder: bring your Qs & Cs to each class (see Participation) •McGrath, Reader: 1.1–1.4
>Do you know how to think? (a self-exam) >Study Guide 1 (2007: these may be helpful, but they may not always correspond with the new editions) |
•General orientation •What is Christianity? •What is the / the Christian religion? •What is Christian tradition? •What is Christian faith? •What is Christian doctrine? •No class Aug 31 & Sep 3 (work on paper) •"The Patristic Period, c. 100–700" |
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Week 2
Sep 5 W Sep 7 Sep 10 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 1 •McGrath, Reader: intro; 1.1–1.4 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 2 •McGrath, Reader: 1.7–1.10
>Catechism of the Catholic Church (great source of information) |
•Reminder: bring your Qs & Cs to each class (see Participation) •McGrath, Reader: 1.1–1.4 •McGrath, Reader: 1.7–1.10
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•"The Patristic Period, c. 100–700" •"The Middle Ages & the Renaissance, c. 700–1500"
>Sieger Köder: "The Last Supper" |
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Week 3
Sep 12 W Sep 14 Sep 17 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 3 •McGrath, Reader: 1.12–1.18 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 4 •McGrath, Reader: 1.19–1.34 |
•McGrath, Reader: 1.15; 1.17; 1.18 •McGrath, Reader: 1.24; 1.29; 1.30
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•“The Age of Reformation, c. 1500–1750” •“The Modern Period, c. 1750–the Present” |
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Week 4
Sep 19 W Sep 21 Sep 24 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 4 •McGrath, Reader: 1.19–1.34 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 5 •McGrath, Reader: intro; 2.1–2.10 |
•Paper appointments: Beckert–Hadricky
•McGrath, Reader: 1.24; 1.29; 1.30 •McGrath, Reader: 2.1; 2.2; 2.5; 2.9
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•“The Modern Period, c. 1750–the Present” •“Sources & Methods: Getting Started: Preliminaries” |
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Week 5
Sep 26 W Sep 28 Oct 1 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 6 •McGrath, Reader: 2.11–2.23 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 7 •McGrath, Reader: 2.24–2.40 •Lewis: bk. 1
>Creation retold (humor) >Bible Contradiction & Responses >Myth >The NT Gateway (great site for NT study) >Redaction & hermeneutics (funny & instructive) |
•Paper appointments: Mackey–Thompson •Last date for proposal: Sep 28 (R-drive; file name = "last name proposal.doc"; see example of file name on R-drive) •McGrath, Reader: 2.11–2.15
•McGrath, Reader: 2.17–2.19;
•McGrath, Reader: 2.17; 2.31; 2.32
>Mt1 >Interpreting Ancient Manuscripts (very helpful) |
•“The Sources of Theology” •“Knowledge of God: Natural & Revealed” •Quiz 1 (Oct 1) (early dismissal) |
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Week 6
Oct 3 W Oct 5 Oct 8 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 7 •McGrath, Reader: 2.24–2.40 •Lewis: bk. 1 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 8 •McGrath, Reader: 2.41–2.50 •Lewis: bk. 2
>The Greeks (great interactive site) |
•McGrath,
Reader: 2.35; 2.44;
•McGrath, Reader: 2.43 •McGrath, Reader: 2.41; 2.49
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•“Knowledge of
God: Natural & Revealed” •No class Oct 3 (work on paper) •“Philosophy & Theology: Introducing a Dialogue” |
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Oct 13 Sa |
Movie night with the Nas 7:46-ish directions on the R-drive (view in MS Word: in menu, click View>Print Layout) or click here |
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Week 7
Oct 10 W Oct 12 Oct 15 |
•Course syllabus (including Evaluation link; review requirements, expectations & criteria for grading—ask Qs, if you have any) •McGrath, Intro: ch. 9 •McGrath, Reader: 1.30; 2.45; intro; 3.1–3.8 •Lewis: bk. 3 •McGrath, Reader: 3.9–19 •McGrath, Reader: 3.20–3.27
>"Darwin and Humanity: Should We Rid the Mind of God" (theism v. atheism debate between Alister McGrath & Peter Atkins, 13 Mar 2007; or try this or this >Dawkins-McGrath debate (23 Mar 2007) >Bahnsen-Stein debate (the "great" debate, 1985) |
•McGrath, Reader: 3.4–3.8
•McGrath, Reader:
•McGrath, Reader: 3.21; 3.24; 3.26
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•"The Doctrine of God" |
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Week 8 Oct 17 W Oct 19
Oct 20–23 (break)
Oct 24 W |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 10 •McGrath, Reader: 3.28–3.34 •Lewis: bk. 4 •McGrath, Reader: 3.35–3.43 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 11 •McGrath, Reader: intro; 4.1–4.11
>Chalcedonian definition (excerpts) |
•McGrath, Reader: 3.13; 3.20; 3.28; 3.31 •McGrath, Reader: 3.41; 3.43 •McGrath, Reader: 4.1–4.11
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•"The Doctrine of the Trinity"
•Quiz 2 (Oct 19) (early dismissal) •"The Doctrine of the Person of Christ" |
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Week 9
Oct 26 F Oct 29 Oct 31 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 11 •McGrath, Reader: 4.12–4.22 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 12 •McGrath, Reader: 4.23–4.28 •McGrath, Reader: 4.29–4.41
>Jesus & Superman? (scroll all the way down to see the comparison) >666 or 616? (click on "numerology")
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•Last date for draft: Oct 29 (R-drive; file name = "last name draft.doc"; see example of file name on R-drive) •McGrath, Reader: 4.12–4.22 •McGrath, Reader: 4.23–4.28 •McGrath, Reader: 4.29; 4.31; 4.33; 4.34; 4.35; 4.36; 4.37; 4.41
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•"The Doctrine of the Person of Christ" •"Faith and History: The Christological Agenda of Modernity" |
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Week 10
Nov 2 F Nov 5 Nov 7 |
•McGrath, Intro: ch. 13 •McGrath, Reader: intro; 5.1–5.22 •McGrath, Reader: 5.23–5.35 •McGrath, Intro: ch. 14 •McGrath, Reader: intro; 6.1–6.31
>Lewis: 4.4–11 >"Darwin and Humanity: Should We Rid the Mind of God" (theism v. atheism debate between Alister McGrath & Peter Atkins, 13 Mar 2007; or try this or this >Dawkins-McGrath debate (23 Mar 2007) >Bahnsen-Stein debate (the "great" debate, 1985) |
•McGrath, Reader: 5.1; 5.3; 5.4; 5.5; 5.10; 5.12; 5.13; 5.14; 5.17; 5.19; 5.21 •McGrath, Reader: 5.24; 5.25; 5.29; 5.30; 5.32; 5.35 (esp 5.29) •McGrath, Reader: 6.11–6.18 (esp 6.11–12, 16–18)
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•"The Doctrine of Salvation in Christ" •“The Doctrine of Human Nature, Sin and Grace" |
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Week 11 | ||||