Courses

The West and its church are in decline. How should Christians respond? This course explores ways to navigate the postmodern and post-Christian culture. It considers the different ways Christians negotiate the path of being ‘in,’ but not ‘of’ the world. It studies select historical examples such as the early church response to Jewish and Hellenistic cultures, the monastic reaction, medieval Christendom, the Protestant Reformation alternatives, the liberal, neo-orthodox, fundamentalist, and evangelical responses to modernism, as well as current responses to the contemporary postmodern and post-Christendom culture of the West.

Knowing

• Know a variety of biblical, historical, and contemporary ways Christians have understood the relationship between Christianity and culture.
• Know the distinct historical-cultural contexts of Christianity and the variety of Christian responses to those cultural conditions.
• Know the contemporary evangelical alternatives to postmodern and post-Christian culture.

Being

• Appreciate that theology is a dynamic and contextual effort to discern appropriate ways to embody the redemption revealed in Jesus Christ.
• Embrace a deeper sense of your own Christian identity vis-à-vis contemporary culture

Doing

• Analyze contemporary culture from a Christian perspective.
• Be able to develop responses to culture that are both credible within the culture and authentic to the Gospel.
• Develop skills in academic analysis, writing, and presentation of research.