CHURCH HISTORY: 1400 TO THE PRESENT (HS-2777)
(01/31/2022-05/20/2022)
Course Memo
This course explores the development of the Christian Church from the end of the Middle Ages through the modern era. In a lecture/discussion format, we will examine the historical reality of how the Church has and has not lived up to its ideals of being One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Particular emphasis will be given to post-Reformation divisions among Christians, the Church’s missionary failures and successes amid European colonialism (especially in China, India, and the Americas), and the three ecumenical councils (Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II) in which Church leaders strove to respond to changes in the modern world. Evaluation will be on the basis of brief, weekly written responses to primary documents and a paper at the end of the semester evaluating contemporary challenges facing the Church in the light of historical experience.