Courses

This course examines the history of Christianity from a global and cross-cultural perspective and explores the implications for the Western, evangelical Church. In recent years global Christianity has become an area of great interest. This interest is fueled in part by the growing awareness in the West of the remarkable expansion of the faith throughout the rest of the world. Students will engage with the story of the recent growth movements but will also study the cross-cultural elements that have existed in the Church since the first century. The course will examine various regions and periods of history in order to identify both points of unity and distinctiveness. Special attention will also be given to the key turning points that have contributed to periods of Christianity growth and decline around the globe. Critical analysis and self-reflection are key elements to this course.

Specializations:
Christian Thought and History, Pastoral Studies, Christian Worldview, Church and Culture

Knowing…

• To gain an appreciation for the diverse, international, inter-cultural nature of historic Christianity
• To understand the scope, texture, and identity of global Christianity today as a polycentric, increasingly non-Western movement

Being…

• To develop a theological and spiritual lens for evaluating the contemporary world
• To allow classic Christian writings to shape our own spirituality

Doing…

• To develop skills of critical thinking and analysis of theological texts
• To consider one’s own context and allow other traditions to challenge us