The Course

This 4-unit seminar course is open to RS majors and minors, and to others by permission. It "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" (Undergraduate Catalog). The course helps fulfill the theological/historical studies emphasis of the religious studies major, and the systematic theology upper-division elective of both the major and the minor. Introduction to Christian Doctrine (rs20) or the equivalent is a prerequisite.

This is the only theologically centered course that is required in the theological and historical studies track of the RS major. As such, it represents the heart of our theological project — at least it should.

So what do students need to carry on lives of theological pursuit? I believe you need catechizing, and training in catechizing others. You need to know the mission of God and of the Church. You need to begin becoming leaders. You need to understand the terrain of theology, the contexts of theology, the purposes of theology, and the uses of theology. You need to understand theology's relationships with philosophy, history, biblical studies, and ethics. You need to know what is at stake in this discipline. You need to love more deeply. You need formation in the practices theology serves.

Of course, these needs are already being met elsewhere in your lives, in the Westmont curriculum, and in your major. I have designed this course to meet them further. Our activities mean to move you along in the process of becoming a religious studies major and (more importantly) a leading theological participant in the Church of Jesus Christ. They are demanding activities, because these are demanding goals. They are worthwhile goals, insofar as they are bound up with the goals, the work, and the worth of the Kingdom of God.