Religious Studies
Robert H. Gundry Professor of Old Testament T. Longman, III
Professors W. Nelson, C. Whiteman
Associate Professors C. Farhadian, B. Fisk (chair), T. Work
Assistant Professors C. Reeder, H. Rhee
Scholar-in-Residence R. Gundry
Description of the Major. The religious studies department offers a substantial program of study enabling students to explore the Christian faith with intelligence and sensitivity. The foundation of the program is knowledge of the Bible, to which the faculty are committed as inspired and authoritative. In addition to courses in Old Testament, New Testament, and biblical languages, classes in theology allow for in-depth consideration of important doctrines, courses in theological history encourage attention to the church’s tradition, and courses in religion examine the global context in which we live. The purpose of the major is to lay a foundation of serious thought about God and God’s Word.
Distinctive Features. The major is flexible enough to achieve its primary purpose while allowing students to choose one of four possible emphases. Majors may concentrate in biblical studies, theological and historical studies, mission, or world religions. The department encourages double majors and allows some courses in other subjects to count toward its own major. Many religious studies majors benefit from off-campus programs. Students emphasizing mission may fulfill the requirements for this “track” by participating in Westmont’s San Francisco Urban Program. It is possible to earn practicum credit for ministry in a local church.
Career Choices. Most majors go on to graduate study and to vocations of Christian service. But no college major determines a student’s future, and many of our graduates are serving in areas such as education, publishing, business and social work.
Requirements for a Major: 52 units
Required Major Core: 32 units
Old Testament Upper-Division Elective (4)
New Testament Upper-Division Elective (4)
Systematic Theology Upper-Division Elective (4)
Theological History Upper-Division Elective (except RS 157) or RS 151 History of World Christianity (RS 151 double counts as a general education course under “Thinking Historically”) (4)
RS 142 World Religions (4) (RS 142 double counts as a general education course under “Thinking Globally”)
*Upper-Division RS Electives (12)
*Interdisciplinary Credit: (0-4 units) With permission from the RS department, one course from another department may be applied to the 28-unit, upper-division requirement for majors. Courses that may receive such approval include:
BIO 031 Origins (4)
ENG 158 Literature of the English Renaissance (4)
GRK 151 Advanced Greek Reading (4) (by petition)
MU 122 Music in Contemporary Worship (4)
PHI (any upper-division course except PHI 133, 138, 150, 189) (4)
PO 121 Marxism: Theory and Practice (4)
PO 140 Christianity and Politics (4)
PSY 175 Psychology of Religion (4)
SOC 120 Religion and Society (4)
SOC 121 New Religious Movements (4)
In addition to the above core, all majors must complete
one of the following tracks:
A. Biblical Studies: 20 units
RS 107 Biblical Interpretation (4)
One of the following: (8)
GRK 001, 002 Elementary Greek I, II (4,4)
HB 001, 002 Elementary Hebrew I, II (4,4)
One of the following: (8)
GRK 001, 002 Elementary Greek I, II (4,4) (if not taken above)
HB 001, 002 Elementary Hebrew I, II (4,4) (if not taken above)
GRK 101, 102 Intermediate Greek I, II (4,4)
An additional OT and NT course not already taken for the Core (8)
B. Theological/Historical Studies: 20 units
RS 125 Contemporary World Theologies (4)
RS 150 Topics in Theological History (4)
RS 151 History of World Christianity (4)
One of the following not taken for Core requirements: (4)
RS 126 Doctrine of the Word (4)
RS 127 Doctrine of God (4)
RS 128 Doctrine of Creation (4)
RS 129 Doctrine of Reconciliation (4)
RS 131 Seminar in Theology
One of the following not taken for Core requirements: (4)
RS 119 Early and Medieval Christianity (4)
RS 120 Reformation Christianity (4)
RS 121 Modern Christianity (4)
RS 122 Contemporary Christianity—20th Century (4)
RS 123 American Christianity (4)
C. Christian Mission: 20 units
RS 157 History of Christian Missions (4)
RS 159 Theological Foundation of Mission (4)
One of the following: (4)
RS 122 Contemporary Christianity—20th Century (4)
Mayterm (as offered, off campus)
One of the following: (4)
AN 001 Introduction to Anthropology (4)
AN 150 Cross-Cultural Communications (4)
AN 155 Modernization and the Third World (4)
One of the following: (4)
SOC 120 Religion and Society (4)
SOC 121 New Religious Movements (4)
SOC 189 Ethnic Groups (4)
D. Christian Mission with Urban Concentration: 20 units
RS 159 Theological Foundation of Mission (4)
IS 190 Urban Practicum (8)
IS 194 Tutorial (4)*
IS 195 Seminar in Urban Studies (4)
*IS 194 Tutorial must be arranged with RS faculty prior to registration in the Urban Program.
E. World Religions: 20 units
Three of the following: (12)
RS 136 Hinduism (4)
RS 137 Buddhism (4)
RS 138 Judaism (4)
RS 139 The World of Islam (4)
One of the following: (4)
RS 144 Theory and Nature of Religion (4)
SOC 120 Religion and Society (4)
SOC 121 New Religious Movements (4)
Requirements for a Minor: 20 units*
(upper-division only)
Three of the following: (12)
Old Testament Upper-Division Elective (4)
New Testament Upper-Division Elective (4)
Systematic Theology Upper-Division Elective (4)
Theological History Upper-Division Elective or RS 151 History of World Christianity (4)
Upper-Division RS Electives (8)
*The 20 units may be reduced by up to eight units if a student takes RS 142 and RS 151 to meet general education course requirements. It also may be reduced by eight units if a student takes two years of Greek.
Course Descriptions
Courses with a “W” suffix (e.g., RS 20W) in the course schedule are not listed separately in the catalog. The “W” suffix indicates the course being offered meets one of the three Writing Intensive General Education requirements.
Greek
GRK 001, 002 Elementary Greek I, II (4,4) Basic grammar and beginning reading in the Greek New Testament.
GRK 101, 102 Intermediate Greek I, II (4,4) Prerequisite: GRK 002. Extensive reading in Greek New Testament, vocabulary building, textual criticism, exegetical method.
GRK 151 Advanced Greek Reading (4) Reading selected from the New Testament and other literature of the period (offered occasionally by request).
Hebrew
HB 001, 002 Elementary Hebrew I, II (4,4) Basic grammar and beginning reading in the Hebrew Old Testament.
Old Testament
RS 001 Life and Literature of the Old Testament (4) A survey of the Old Testament with special attention to ancient Near Eastern context, Israelite history, literary forms, and theological contents.
RS 001H Life and Literature of the Old Testament: Honors (4) By invitation only. A survey of the Old Testament with special attention to ancient Near Eastern context, Israelite history, literary forms, and theological contents, with more advanced readings and more discussion, research, and writing than in RS 001.
RS 101 Pentateuch (4) A study of the formation of Israel as a people under God’s initiative: prehistory, patriarchs, exodus, wilderness, and Sinai. Emphasis on history, literature, and theology.
RS 102 The Poetic and Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament (4) A study of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs focusing on comparative literature, literary forms, settings in Israelite society, and theological themes.
RS 106 The Old Testament in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context (4) A study of the Old Testament in the light of the history and literature of the ancient Near East, with an emphasis on Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, and Ugaritic myths, epics, legends, historical texts, and wisdom literature in English translation. In addition, an examination of the methodological and theological issues raised by the similarities and dissimilarities between biblical and extrabiblical literature.
RS 108 Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament (4) A study of prophets and prophecy in ancient Israel concentrating on the prophet’s role in society, forms of prophetic speech, historical background, and theological perspectives.
RS 124 Old Testament Theology (4) Ancient Israel’s faith: historical context and relevance for the church. Consideration of methodology, names and nature of God, covenants, and relation between the Testaments.
RS 154 History of Israel (4) A survey of Israel’s history in the Old Testament period, utilizing historiography, ancient Near Eastern sources, and archaeology in order to understand biblical events.
New Testament
RS 010 Life and Literature of the New Testament (4) Survey of the New Testament in the historical and cultural context of the Graeco-Roman world. Special attention to literary forms and theological contents.
RS 110 The Life and Teaching of Jesus (4) Activities and words of Jesus as reported in the first three canonical gospels with attention to important themes, problems, and methods of study.
RS 111 Pauline Literature (4) Literary form, historical occasions, and theological contents.
RS 112 General Epistles (4) Textual and topical studies in the general epistles with in-depth examination of Hebrews and 1 Peter. Methods of analysis, important themes and theological content are emphasized.
RS 113 New Testament Theology and Ethics (4) Theological and ethical themes of the New Testament, their origins and development, similarities and differences.RS 114 The New Testament World (4) Prerequisites: RS 001 and RS 010. A study of the texts, cultures, and religions of the Mediterranean World that formed the context for the NT and the rise of Christianity.
RS 116 Johannine Literature (4) Textual and topical studies in John, 1-3 John, and Revelation with attention to literary issues, theological content and historical background.
General Scripture
RS 104 Topics in Biblical Studies (4) Open only to RS majors and minors. Introduces students to advanced issues and research methods in biblical studies. The topic will be announced in advance and will vary according to the interests of the instructor.
RS 107 Biblical Interpretation (4) Discusses how to interpret and apply the various biblical genres as the Word of God written within a particular historical setting by authors who used language and literary conventions peculiar to that setting. Examines the theological, linguistic, literary, historical, sociological, and personal aspects of interpretation. Surveys the history of biblical interpretation in the church and current issues in modern hermeneutics.
Systematic Theology
RS 020 Introduction to Christian Doctrine (4) Thematic examination of biblical doctrines, including God, Christ, Holy Spirit, man, redemption, the Church; consideration of their historical development and contemporary meaning.
RS 125 Contemporary World Theologies (4) Prerequisite: RS 020; open only to RS majors and minors. Surveys a wide variety of contemporary Christian theologies to understand the historical, intellectual, practical heart of Christian faith as it is embodied around the world and in our own culture.
RS 126 Doctrine of the Word (4) Prerequisite: RS 020; open only to RS majors and minors. God’s knowability and self-disclosure: revelation, the incarnation, Scripture, preaching.
RS 127 Doctrine of God (4) Prerequisite: RS 020; open only to RS majors and minors. The nature and attributes of God, with emphasis on the Trinity and the deity of Christ.
RS 128 Doctrine of Creation (4) Prerequisite: RS 020; open only to RS majors and minors. Includes discussion of human nature and the fall, God’s providence in history, and miracles.
RS 129 Doctrine of Reconciliation (4) Prerequisite: RS 020; open only to RS majors and minors. Election, Christ’s redemptive work, the Holy Spirit’s role in salvation; present and future dimensions of the Kingdom of God; the last things.
RS 131 Seminar in Theology (4) Prerequisite: RS 020; open only to RS majors and minors. Topic selected by professor. Focus either on a doctrine (such as ecclesiology, human nature), an issue (such as narrative), or a person or movement (such as Jürgen Moltmann, feminist theology, liberation theology) not covered by other courses.
Theological History
RS 119 Early and Medieval Christianity—100-1450 (4) The historical and theological development of the church, with particular emphasis given to the doctrines of the Trinity, Christology, and ecclesiology.
RS 120 Reformation Christianity—1450-1650 (4) Examination of the Protestant Reformers (e.g., Luther, Calvin, Anabaptists) with emphasis on their reaction to scholasticism, Roman Catholicism, and the trends they set for theology.
RS 121 Modern Christianity—1650-1914 (4) Analysis of problems confronting traditional Christian faith, as formulated in the Enlightenment and by philosopher/theologians including Hume, Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Ritschl, and Harnack, and the rise of evangelicalism (e.g., the Pietist and Methodist Movements).
RS 122 Contemporary Christianity—20th Century (4) Analysis of prominent theologians including Barth, Brunner, Bultmann, Tillich, and Moltmann, with particular interest given to the questions which their theologies have posed for American evangelicals, and of the growth of Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere.
RS 123 American Christianity (4) The historical and theological development of Christianity in America, with special emphasis given to the roots and development of evangelicalism in America.
RS 150 Topics in Theological History (4) Open only to RS majors and minors. Topics will be selected by the professor from her or his area of research interest (works of a particular theologian or specific issues in religious history or theology).
RS 152 The History of Christian Worship (2) A study of the historical development of Christian worship practices. Building upon an understanding of the biblical foundations and theology of worship, a variety of worship practices will be observed in their European contexts, focusing upon liturgical formats, and observance of the sacraments, worship environments, and the employment of music, art, and architecture.
Church History
RS/HIS 151 History of World Christianity (4) Surveys the history of Christianity from the New Testament to the present in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and from the colonial period to the present inNorth America and Latin America. Particular attention will be paid to intellectual, cultural, political, theological, and institutional developments in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.
RS 157 History of Christian Mission (4) The past history and present conditions in Christian mission.
RS 158 Christianity and the Roman Empire (4) This course surveys the rise of Rome as the “world empire” and the rise of Christianity as the “world religion” and the paradoxical and intricate relationship between the two (31BCE-476CE). The course examines the major socio-cultural, political and religious developments of Roman Empire and its interaction and “coming to terms” with Christianity on the one hand, and the socio-cultural, institutional and theological developments of Christianity and its struggle with and “triumph” over the Empire on the other. While giving a proper attention to the rise of the Augustan Empire in the first century as an introduction, the course will focus on the period from the second through the fifth centuries.
Religion
RS 100 Foundations of Spiritual Formation (4) An exploration of some disciplines of the Christian spiritual life. Readings in classical and contemporary literature on spirituality, especially spiritual autobiographies.
RS 103 Christian Apologetics (4) An exploration into the relation of Christian faith and reason, God’s existence, the problem of evil, the possibility of miracles, the historicity of the Resurrection, and the intelligibility of the Trinity and the Incarnation.
RS/PHI 130 Philosophical Theology (4) Prerequisites: PHI 006 and RS 010. Analysis of God’s attributes (omniscience, immutability, eternality); the relation of time to eternity; the Trinity; God’s foreknowledge and human freedom; morality and God’s will; the logic of the Incarnation.
RS 136 Hinduism (4) This course introduces Hindu religious traditions by examining Hindu mythology, philosophy and society from its beginning to the present. Topics will include the law of karma, class structure, dharma, yoga, devotional traditions, liberation, modern reform movements, and Hindu mythology as presented in its sacred texts, including the Vedic hymns, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita. Throughout the course students will compare important elements of Hinduism with those of Christianity.
RS 137 Buddhism (4) An historical and doctrinal study of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, focusing on Buddhist views of the human predicament and its solution, and different teachings and Buddhists practices in various regions of Asia and the West. Other topics include the historical Buddha’s sermons, Buddhist psychology, cosmology, meditation, bodhisattvas, Pure Land, and Zen. Throughout the course students will compare important elements of Buddhism with those of Christianity.
RS 138 Judaism (4) This course introduces the history, texts, practices, and legacy of Judaism from the second century to the present, with special attention to issues at the intersection of Jewish and Christian faith.
RS 139 The World of Islam (4) This course will introduce the rise and expansion of Islam from the seventh century to the present, its central beliefs, institutions and practices, and its impact on the religious and cultural history of the world. Throughout the course students will compare important elements of Islam with those of Christianity.
RS 142 World Religions (4) This course surveys a variety of world religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Judaism, Islam, and Mormonism. Topics include the history of each religion, its beliefs and practices. Throughout the course students will compare important elements of the world religions with those of Christianity.
RS 144 Theory and Nature of Religion (4) The course surveys the history and present condition in Christian mission around the world. Analysis of prominent anthropological, sociological, psychological, theological, and phenomenological interpretations in the study of religion, including Max Müller, E.B. Tylor, Rudolf Otto, Mircea Eliade, Sigmund Freud, William James, Carl Jung, Paul Tillich, Ernst Troeltsch, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Victor Turner, Mary Douglas, Jonathan Z. Smith, and others.
RS 155 Geography, History and Religions of the Holy Land (4) (Europe Semester) Important sites and events in Israel’s history, including religious traditions of Judaism, Islam, and Eastern Christianity.
RS 159 Theological Foundation of Mission (4) An introduction to contemporary biblical and theological understandings of the Christian mission, and theoretical models for implementation of that mission.
RS/PHI 163 Philosophy of Religion (4) Prerequisite: PHI 006 or PHI 101. Significance of religious phenomena and the veracity of religious beliefs.
RS 165 Christianity and Existentialism (4) Prerequisites: RS 020 and PHI 006 or 102. Religious implications of central ideas in the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Jaspers.
RS 190 Religious Studies Practicum (4) Field experience with local church, parachurch, or service organizations. Prior arrangement with field personnel and a member of the religious studies department. On-site supervision. Direction and course evaluation by the religious studies department.