Catalogue 2008 Book - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

THEOLOGICAL-HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT
TH.257 PRESBYTERIANS IN THE UNITED STATES
Presbyterians in the United States are varied in outlook and organization, hence there is no one
Presbyterian history which tells the whole story. This course is devoted to issues surrounding
research and method in the historical study of Presbyterians in this country. Using primary
and secondary resources pertaining to the various bodies representing the Presbyterian
presence in the United States, participants develop their perspective on Presbyterian history.
Six credits. Ms. Babinsky
TH.259 AMERICAN CHURCH HISTORY SURVEY
This survey course traces the origins, development, and growth of Christianity in what became
the United States of America, from 1500 to the present. In addition to looking at historical
trends and themes, this course examines major theological tendencies in this country’s history.
Six credits. Mr. Currie
TH.261 FAITH AND POLITICS IN THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
The relationship between faith and politics in the United States has always been ambiguous.
In this course we trace the history of this relationship, from the settlement of this country in
the seventeenth century (primarily focusing on New England), to the thought of such persons
as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Witherspoon in the eighteenth century, to
the Civil War era and more recent thinkers such as Robert Dabney, Walter Rauschenbusch,
and Reinhold Niebuhr. Six credits. Mr. Currie
TH.263UMC THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The purpose of the course is to help students gain a critical understanding of the Methodist
and Wesleyan tradition. In addition to reviewing the trajectory of Methodism from its
origins to its development in the contemporary period, participants study the emphases of
the Methodist and Wesleyan tradition in the areas of theology, ministry, spirituality, and
engagement with the wider culture and society. Six credits. Mr. Barton
TH.265 SEMINAR IN THEOLOGICAL ETHICS
This seminar focuses on particular Christian thinkers who have contributed signifi cantly to
the life and thought of the Christian and the church. Ethicists such as H. Richard Niebuhr,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, James Gustafson, and Stanley Hauerwas may be addressed in any one
term. Six credits. Mr. García
TH.267 THOUGHT OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR
This seminar examines the theology and ethics of Reinhold Niebuhr. Readings are drawn from
such works as The Nature and Destiny of Man, An Introduction to Christian Ethics, Moral Man
and Immoral Society, and Christian Realism and Political Problems. Students are required to give
reports on assigned readings and to submit papers at the end of the seminar. Six credits.
Mr. García
TH./CM.269UMC THE DOCTRINE AND POLITY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The purpose of this course is to contribute to students’ understanding of the doctrinal
heritage of the United Methodist Church, and to study the nature and functioning of the
United Methodist Church as an institutional expression of the denomination’s theological
assumptions and historical development. Students examine the origins of Methodist doctrinal
heritage and its distinctive features, consider the contributions made by Methodist doctrine
to the church catholic, and begin a discussion of the way in which one might address crucial
contemporary issues in the light of that theological tradition. We also study United Methodist
institutional structures as instruments of ministry, paying attention to the system’s uses of
power and authority, and to the processes of change within the ecclesiastical structures. Six
credits. Mr. A. Jones
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