Catalogue 2008 Book - Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

THEOLOGICAL-HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT
TH.325 THEOLOGY AND SCIENCE
In this course students study how versions of rationality and reality dominant in the sciences
relate to Christian understanding of the nature of knowledge, reason, faith, belief, and truth.
Students study the impact on Christian theology of scientifi c advances from the Enlightenment
to the present, and the implications of the divide between the social and the natural sciences.
They also evaluate current debates over the theological relevance of scientifi c theories regarding
topics such as evolution, cosmology, quantum theory, sociobiology, and genetics. Prerequisite:
TH.104. Six credits. Mr. Greenway
TH.329 FRIEDRICH SCHLEIERMACHER AND HIS THEOLOGICAL LEGACY
This seminar explores several movements and theologians of the nineteenth century that
arose in the wake of Friedrich Schleiermacher, the “pioneer of modern theology.” Because
many questions of the nineteenth century—religious pluralism, the relationship of gospel
to culture, and the nature of authority—remain with us today, the course also includes a
critical appraisal of these theologians for contemporary theological refl ection. In addition to
Schleiermacher, readings may include Hegel, Coleridge, Harnack, Troeltsch, Newman, and
Feuerbach. Prerequisites: TH.104 and TH.212, or permission of the instructor. Six credits.
Mr. Jensen
TH.331 THE THEOLOGIES OF KIERKEGAARD AND TILLICH
This seminar focuses on in-depth study of the works of Sören Kierkegaard and Paul Tillich,
with particular attention given to the issue of humanity’s search for and relationship to God.
In the fi rst half of the term students explore Kierkegaard’s Diary of the Seducer, Fear and
Trembling, The Concept of Anxiety, and The Sickness Unto Death, concentrating on Kierkegaard’s
understanding of the human condition and what takes place on the journey of a human being
toward faith. In the second half of the term students consider Tillich’s Systematic Theology
alongside selected sermons by Tillich, analyzing his conception of the nature of human
existence, the position of God in relationship to this existence, and the difference it makes
to claim one’s identity as a Christian. Students are encouraged to set the thought of these
thinkers’ conversation within the contemporary context, assessing how the understandings
of Kierkegaard and Tillich are helpful and unhelpful in developing approaches to pastoral
ministry. Six credits. Ms. Rigby
TH.359 REFORMED CONFESSIONS
As a confessional church, the Reformed tradition understands particular statements of faith
to be guideposts to its interpretation of Christian faith. This course examines some of the
important creeds, confessions, and catechisms of the Reformed traditions and attempts
to identify the distinctive features of Reformed theology. The confessional documents are
examined in their historical contexts and in their systematic relation to each other. Six
credits. Ms. Babinsky
TH./CM.361 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND CARE OF CHILDREN
This course explores several dimensions in the Christian theological understanding of children
and childhood with implications for pastoral care. Topics for examination include baptism,
childhood and the image of God, sin, the family, and Christian nurture. Students also pay
particular attention to the multiple threats to children’s lives in the present age and are
challenged to summon theological and caring resources in response to those perils. Readings
include patristic voices in the theological tradition, but focus primarily on understandings
of childhood since the Reformation. Additional readings are drawn from contemporary
pastoral theology and care. Figures include John Chrysostom, John Calvin, Menno Simons,
Horace Bushnell, Karl Barth, Karl Rahner, Andrew D. Lester, Donald Capps, and Bonnie
Miller-McLemore. Six credits. Messrs. Cole and Jensen
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