REQUIRED TEXTS (at the bookstore or on
reserve):
(Warning: Beware
the used or library textbook with highlighting. Do the human race a favor and
don't highlight your books.)
Brian Moynahan, The Faith: A History of Christianity,
Doubleday, 2002. degree of difficulty: 
Any one-volume history of a tradition a world wide and two thousand
years long has to be selective. Moynahan's tour of twenty centuries of Christian
tradition selects judiciously, thematically, and honestly. It is well written,
interesting, and historically responsible. Its attention to social and political
history complements the more doctrinal focus of our lectures. It also makes
sobering reading alongside the usually upbeat theological reading, because much
of his history of the faith is a history of failures to be faithful. Moynahan
is a historically interested journalist from the United Kingdom.
Donald E. McKim, Theological Turning Points, John
Knox, 1988.
McKim, a Presbyterian minister, sees the Christian
tradition as a series of "turning points" — moments
of epiphany that forever changed the ways Christians thought about
God. For instance, the doctrine of incarnation emerged with unprecedented
clarity in the fourth century, and ever since the Christian faith
is framed by a strong affirmation that the person Jesus Christ
is both truly human and truly divine. Your church doesn't think
this because it leaps right off the Bible's pages into your minds;
you think this because Athanasius of Alexandria paved the way
for you. McKim's book will introduce us to the pivotal moments
in Christian history that made us who we are, both for better
and for worse. He will help us appreciate that Christian doctrine
has a history, and that its history does and should still shape
us.
Mary Ellen Hynes, Companion to the Calendar: A Guide to the Saints and
Mysteries of the Christian Calendar, Liturgy Training Publications, 1994.
The Church practices its favorite ways of remembering its past in times of worship.
This Roman Catholic handbook documents the holy days of the Christian week and
year, detailing the seasons of the year which center on the events of Jesus'
ministry, and the saints' days that remember exemplars of the Christian walk.
(It is simple to the point of simplistic, and like all guides, it has its biases.)
As you read this text, consider the differences between the history of Christianity,
the history of doctrine, and the practice of time in Christian worship. There
you will find the reason Christians remain hopeful despite so many centuries
of falling short.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
William F. Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of
Style, 3rd ed., Macmillan, 1979, or 4th ed., Allyn & Bacon,
2000.
In this class you will regularly write and review others'
writing. For decades "Strunk & White" has been a
favorite guide to good writing. It is concise, accessible, and
powerful: just like your writing will need to be. If you cannot
identify (for instance) a run-on sentence, sentence fragment,
split infinitive, or appositive on sight, or confuse "its"
with "it's" – or see why I care – then consider
this book required.
Robert E. Van Voorst, Readings in Christianity, Second
Edition, Wadsworth, 2001.
In history, there is no substitute for reading texts
from the players themselves. The dead come alive and speak anew, from one world
into another that is both foreign and familiar. Van Voorst's anthology of readings
in Christian history has been recently expanded to incorporate both voices long
silent, and new contributors from the recent past. In this text they tell the
teachings of churches seeking fidelity to the faith "believed always, everywhere,
by all." I will read selections in class.
Elizabeth A. Livingstone, ed., Concise Oxford Dictionary
of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press, 2000.
The unabridged Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church () is an indispensable resource for
students of history who want brief descriptions of the major people, places,
movements, and events of Christianity. This abridged version is a lot less expensive.
If the proper names in this course leave your head spinning, think about investing
in this resource.
Roger E. Olson, The Story of Christian
Theology, InterVarsity, 1999.
Alister McGrath, Historical Theology: an introduction to the
History of Christian Thought, Blackwell, 1998.
William C. Placher, A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction,
Westminster, 1983.
These introductions to the history of doctrine center on the teachings of the
Church rather than its social contexts. Lectures will concentrate on these themes,
so these texts can help you follow along with what we are doing in class. I
have included Placher's readings in my outline to give you an idea of how to
use these texts if you wish.
Richard J. Foster, ed., Devotional Classics:
Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, Harper, 1993.
One of the old axioms of Christian thought is that "the law
of prayer is the law of belief." (In other words, we believe
in the way God teaches us to pray, not just vice versa.) We will
be opening classes with devotional readings from the historical
eras and figures of our studies, using this volume as a reference.
RECOMMENDED LINKS (compiled in part by Katharine Brown, a
Westmont colleague):
http://www.ccel.org: This is the "Christian Classics Ethereal Library;" it has
an extensive collection of primary source material.
http://www.euratlas.com/summary.htm:
This is a beautiful century-by-century map of Europe and the Mediterranean.
http://www.mb-soft.com/believe:
Short articles to clarify just about anything you might wonder about in church
history or theology.
http://www.crosssearch.com/History/Church_History:
General links.
http://cedar.evansville.edu/~ecoleweb:
Hypertext encyclopedia of early church history.
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christian-history.html:
Provides links to documents from early church history available on the Internet.
http://www.csbsju.edu/library/internet/theochht.html:
Internet theology resources; this page provides links to a number of early,
medieval, and reformation primary sources; also a few from the Eastern Church.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html:
The Medieval Sourcebook. Excellent primary sources
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla.htm: MLA stylebook
http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm:
APA stylebook
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