Historical Studies (HST)
HST 650NE
Women in Church History
Credits: 3
This course explores the lives and roles of women throughout church history, including biblical history. It will examine historical and social contexts of various women identified as having an impact on theology, biblical interpretation, cultural influence, and social justice. Individual women’s lives will be discussed in terms of their response to God’s call, their commitment to the Christian faith, and their contributions to the overall Christian Church. Another goal of the course is to provide analysis of the methods and resources women in various times and cultures used to have their voices “heard.” Students will be able to identify the diverse views of church leaders toward women’s roles as this course examines the support, obstacles, and beliefs of the historical Church. The final course section focuses on the current status of women in the Church and reflection on global challenges for women in the 21st century.
HST 655NE
Celtic History and Spirituality
Credits: 2
This course explores the rich resources that Celtic history and spirituality offer for worship and spiritual formation. Celtic Christianity in Ireland and Britain, while an integral part of the larger Christian world, had its own distinctive character, which continues to influence the Church today. The Celtic Church was monastic and evangelistic, contemplative and engaged. Leaders such as Patrick, Brigid, Columba, Aidan, and Columbanus modeled and taught a way of life that was at once demanding and contagious. Pushing beyond romantic images, this course seeks to understand Celtic Christianity as it actually was, through primary sources and contemporary interpretation, in order to appreciate its culture, context, and contribution. The course will include examination of Celtic authors and interpreters such as David Adam, Pat Robson and Brendan O’Malley, exposure to significant organizations, including the Iona and Northumbria Communities, and an introduction to contemporary Celtic Christian music and art. This course is cross-listed as PSF 655NE.
HST 695NE
Independent Study in Historical Studies
Credits: 1—3
Under the guidance of a professor, the student pursues independent research in a specific topic of church history or historical theology.
[Prerequisite: advisor and instructor approval required and a GPA of 3.0]
HST 699NE
M.A. Thesis in Historical Studies
Credits: 3
This course is a research option for M.A. students in the field of historical studies. Students wishing to pursue thesis work must file a written petition with academic services formally requesting this degree completion method prior to registering for the course. (Students who have not completed the thesis project by the end of the semester will automatically be registered for RES 799NE-Continuation of Registration for Master’s Thesis, and charged a $250 fee every subsequent semester until the completion of the master’s thesis.)
[Prerequisite: faculty approval] [Corequisite: must be taken in conjunction with RES 690NE]
HST 700NE
Great British and American Preachers
Credits: 3
Through the reading of primary sources (sermons) and secondary materials, this course will consider the theological perspectives, practical admonitions, and homiletical techniques of some of the great English-speaking preachers in our history. Preachers studied will include, but not be limited to, the following: John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Henry Newman, Charles Spurgeon, Lyman Beecher, Phillips Brooks, William Sloan Coffin, Harry Emerson Fosdick, John R.W. Stott, and Billy Graham.
HST 710NE
Life and Ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Credits: 2
This course will survey the life and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will explore key words in King’s sermons and writings (e.g., agape and beloved community) and consider terms of value used in assessing King’s life and work. Concepts (e.g., personalism) that characterize King’s theological social ethics will be discussed, and the interpretation of King’s contributions in today’s world. Special attention will be devoted to King’s doctrine of God and how it influenced his social ethics. Using King’s philosophy and contributions as benchmarks, students will be challenged to think about and examine the relevance of King’s theological ethics for today and what it may mean within the context of their own ministry. This course is cross-listed as THE 710NE.
HST 725NE
John Henry Newman: Preacher and Theologian
Credits: 3
This is a readings course on representative sermons and theological writings of the great 19th century English preacher and theologian, John Henry Newman. Newman’s works will be put into an historical context in order to view the development of his thinking, from his Anglican period through his mature Catholic period. In viewing this development, an appropriate cohesive thematic element students shall consider in this course will be his idea of the “development of doctrine.” This course is cross-listed as THE 725NE.
HST 727NE
Calvinism and Arminianism
Credits: 3
This course will focus on the divergent views of Calvinism and Arminianism with significant readings in the primary texts they authored. The course will examine the overarching issues related to Calvinism and Arminianism from an historical, biblical, theological, and practical perspective. The issues will be presented in their clearest possible light in order that they might be discussed and examined with as much understanding and fairness as possible. Attention will also be given to how their successors interpreted and applied their teachings. This course is cross-listed as THE 727NE.
HST 728NE
Wesleyanism and Postmodernism
Credits: 3
This course considers Wesleyan theology’s promise to sustain “ancient-future faith” in a Church awash in a new millennium culture. Through selective appropriation and response to postmodern epistemologies, Wesleyan theology can nourish Christian faith as personal experience and overcome the “legacy of cognitive dissonance” that has eroded its vitality. Impacted by today’s crisis of knowledge, the Wesleyan tradition serves as an exemplary model of theological renewal and relevance in the wake of modernism’s collapse. The course explores contemporary Wesleyan theologians’ conversation with process, liberation, and feminist theologies, as well as the contemporary ecumenical dialogue with Pentecostalism. More than a course on a particular tradition, this elective engages issues that critically impact all 21st century churches.
HST 729NE
Fundamentalism and Modernism: an Historical and Theological Controversy
Credits: 3
Through reading, discussion, and writing, students will explore the roots, development, and implications of the “fundamentalist-modernist controversy” in English-speaking Christianity, with a special emphasis on the controversy’s American dimensions. The cultural and theological genesis of fundamentalism in the late 19th and 20th centuries continues to have ramifications for the 21st century Church in America and throughout the globe, and thus the practical implications of the historic controversy will be considered thoroughly. Readings will include primary source materials, as well as seminal writings of J. Gresham Machen and Harry Emerson Fosdick, among others. Secondary sources will include the most recent scholarly reflections on the topic. The approach of the course will be both historical and theological. This course is cross-listed as THE 729NE.
HST 730NE
Evangelical History and Theology
Credits: 3
This course explores the history and theology of the evangelical movement from a variety of perspectives. First, the course engages the student in the problem of defining evangelicalism by examining diverse proposals regarding the nature of evangelical faith. Then, while focusing primarily on its diverse American expressions, the course offers an overview of evangelicalism’s historical and theological roots. Included in this historical overview is a consideration of the issues of class, race, and gender within the context of American evangelicalism. Finally, participants in the course wrestle with the identification of evangelicalism’s theological essentials and seek to discern present trajectories that may define the nature of evangelicalism in the future.