Historical Studies

HST 650NE
Women in Church History
Credits: 3

This course explores the lives and roles of women throughout church history, including biblical history. We will be examining the historical and social context 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.” We will be able to identify the diverse views of church leaders toward women’s roles as we examine the support, obstacles, and beliefs of the historical Church. The final course section will focus on the current status of women in the Church and reflection on global challenges for women in the 21st century.
[Elective]

HST 700NE
Great British and American Preachers
Credits: 3

Through the reading of primary sources (sermons) and secondary materials, this class 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. Students will give reports to their colleagues periodically through the semester on sermons they have read. A research or analysis paper will be prepared for the major written work of the semester.
[Elective]

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 for our own time. 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.
[Elective]

HST 724NE
Life and Theology of Martin Luther
Credits: 3

This course explores Luther’s life, theology, and subsequent impact on society. The course is divided into three areas of study. The initial focus is a discussion of Luther in historical context. The medieval antecedents and early 16th-century theology and social life provide a backdrop for Luther’s entrance onto the European religious and political stage. The second area is an examination of Luther’s dialectical theology. We will explore his views on the sacraments, faith, government, women, vocation, and the role of government and just war. The final area for study includes an analysis of modern interpretations of Luther’s theology. A look at contemporary Luther studies includes an overview of current “hot” topics and possible applications of his theology in the area of social justice. (This course was previously cross-listed as THE 724NE, Life and Theology of Martin Luther.)
[Elective]

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 we shall consider in this course will be his idea of the “development of doctrine.”
[Elective]

HST 727NE
Arminianism and Calvinism
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.
[Elective]

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.
[Elective]

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. (This course was previously cross-listed as THE 730NE)
[Elective]

HST 732NE
Life, Theology, and Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Credits: 2

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a significant 20th-century theologian, pastor, prophet, and martyr. This course examines Bonhoeffer’s response to Nazism from a historical and theological perspective. The primary areas of study include: a description and analysis of Bonhoeffer’s hermeneutic and ethic reflections on the significance of his call to discipleship and on his perennial question, “Who is Christ for us today?” Readings include Cost of Discipleship, Ethics, Letters and Papers from Prison, and other selected writings representing Bonhoeffer’s theology and ethics. His spirituality will be examined during a day-long “Bonhoeffer retreat.”
[Elective]