The Church: Foundations and Experience THEO1021
Meeting Times: Tuesdays 2-5pm (2-3pm in RW224 and 3-5pm in HA149)
Convenor: Grahame Feletti, graham.feletti@newcastle.edu.au, 0429.455.243
Instructor: Timothy Stanley, timothy.stanley@newcastle.edu.au (02)4017.0295
Tutor: Scott Kirkland, scott.andrew.kirkland@gmail.com
Office hours signup for Dr. Stanley: http://bit.ly/tsofficehours
Online login: In order to access course materials on this website you will need to log in. You're login details will be given in the first week of class, however if you would like to receive login details please click here to request them.
Readings: All of the required weekly readings for the course have been compiled in an easy to download PDF format which can be accessed by clicking here. The assigned readings should be read in advance of lectures and seminars, and you should be prepared and ready for a conversation each week. As well, some supplementary readings have been posted online along with a more extensive bibliography (PDF), which can be used as a guide to your own library research for your essays. Lastly, two very good textbooks which are recommended for wider reading are Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen’s An Introduction to Ecclesiology, and Gerard Mannion’s The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church. So too, for those new to theological studies, a few helpful brief resources are the Hodder Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms and David Ford’s Very Short Introduction to Theology.
Course requirements:
- 2 x 750 word essays (30%)
- 1 x 400 word lecture summary (10%)
- 1 x 2000 word essay (40%)
- 1 x test (20%)
Course description: What is a Christian church? Why does it matter? Over the past two millennia the Christian tradition has had a tremendous impact upon western notions of the self, belief, and the state. This course will therefore help students understand the relationship between the church’s intrinsic nature (its distinctive practices and beliefs) and its socio-political location within western culture. Over thirteen weeks we will explore the rise of Christianity within the urban Roman empire, the nature of Christian worship in terms of Eastern Orthodox and Reformation iconoclasm, the impact of the Enlightenment, and the shape of the church in the global multicultural societies of today.
Course Objectives:
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic aspects of ecclesial theology
- Articulate the different stages of the formation of Christian identity and culture
- Demonstrate an understanding of sets of models of Christian faith
- Articulate initial theological judgment in relation to Christian thought and practices