Catalogue 2008 Book - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

THEOLOGICAL-HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT
from Texas to Arizona, the church that exists today has a deep and rich heritage. In addition
to grasping the overall development of the church, students have the opportunity to study
their own traditions in the American southwest. Six credits. Mr. Currie
TH.217 APPLIED APOLOGETICS: ON THE REASONABLENESS OF CHRISTIANITY
This course develops students’ abilities to give intellectually credible accounts of their faith.
The course provides structured settings to practice applied apologetics, wherein we carefully
refl ect upon and practice responding to signifi cant contemporary challenges to central
Christian affi rmations. We also study critical thinking, working through a variety of exercises
which teach valid forms of argument. Six credits. Mr. Greenway
TH.221 FIGURES/TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGY
This seminar brings the approach and tools of philosophical theology to bear upon a select
fi gure or topic particularly infl uential or signifi cant for Christianity (e.g., Plato, Ireneaus,
Pascal, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Weil, Ricoeur, Pannenberg, aesthetics, animal rights). The
seminar emphasizes critical analysis, constructive research, and discussion of primary texts.
Six credits. Mr. Greenway
TH.223 THEOLOGICAL ETHICS AMONG RACIAL ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS
This course examines the theological and ethical work of leading Hispanic American, Asian
American, and African American theologians and ethicists. Students study both Protestant
and Roman Catholic authors. Special attention is given to the critique these theologians
make to their traditions, their impact on the life of the church, and the ecumenical nature of
their work. Students will explore what is universally valid about this particular way of doing
theology. Students study theologians and ethicists including Justo González, Virgil Elizondo,
Peter Paris, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, and Cornel West. Prerequisite: TH.104 or TH.200. Six
credits. Mr. García
TH./Bi.225 THE EARLY CHURCH AND ROMAN SOCIETY
This course examines the social and theological interaction between the Christian church
of the fi rst three centuries and the Roman world. The church’s struggle to succeed in and
yet to be distinct from the Roman world shaped its organizational structure, its liturgy, its
ethics, and its theology. In light of these issues, this course explores the questions of how a
small Jewish sect centered in Jerusalem became the dominant religion in the Roman world
and what changed along the way. Six credits. Ms. Babinsky and Mr. Donelson
Dr. William N. A. Greenway Dr. David H. Jensen
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