Course Overview God & Caesar The Ancient Modern Clash

Transcription

1 Course Overview God & Caesar The Ancient Modern Clash Dr. James C. (Jim) Wallace and Tim Castner Brief Summary of the Course Religion and politics have clashed throughout history in divergent societies, in wars, in policymaking, and in constitutional debates. God & Caesar will examine the core issues and questions arising from this ancient modern clash. The course will be firmly rooted in the Bible and Christian theology, but it will also draw from history, political science, and international relations in an effort to provide students with a broad understanding of the issues. The ultimate goal of the course is to help students develop biblical and practical tools for understanding the complexities of these two great hubs of power. Weekly Schedule and Descriptions February 6 (Week 1): Render unto Caesar: Introduction and an Old Testament Perspective (Part 1) What does the Bible say about religion, government, and politics? How do we approach the complexities of the subject as a person of faith? This session will provide the foundational principles for the course. It will further examine the Old Testament view of government and politics which are inextricably linked with the nation of Israel and the political forms of government of Old Testament era. February 13 (Week 2): Render unto Caesar: An Old Testament Perspective (Part 2) February 20 (Week 3): Render unto Caesar: A New Testament Perspective The Gospels Jesus ministry and the early church were contextualized by the Roman Empire s political and military power. We will examine the principles that guided Jesus and the disciples words and actions in relationship to Roman government and politics. Grace Chapel 1

2 February 27 (Week 4): Render unto Caesar: A New Testament Perspective Paul and the Epistles What does Paul mean when he exhorts believers to submit to the governing authorities? Are there limits and qualifications to this command? In addition, we will attempt to harmonize the OT and NT views of religion and politics to arrive at a whole Bible view. March 6 (Week 5): Religion in America (Part 1): From John Winthrop to James Madison Tim Castner What role did religion play in the life of the Founding Fathers, and how did it influence their understanding of the role of religion in American public life? March 13 (Week 6): Religion in America (Part 2): The Massachusetts Exception Tim Castner The combined forces of church and state were important factors in the struggle for independence in Massachusetts. However the entanglement of religion and state did not end in Massachusetts until the 1834 cessation of taxpayer subsidized churches. March 20 (Week 7): Religion in America (Part 3): From Civil Religion to Prophetic Critique Tim Castner Public religion in America exploded post WWII as the Cold War and Communism threatened America. At the same time, religion in public life in America developed a prophetic voice in the Civil Rights moment which contrasted sharply with the anti Communist religious rhetoric. March 27 (Week 8): Religion in America (Part 4): The Supreme Court Wrestles with Religion How has the U.S. Constitution sought to address the church state struggle? What is the role of the Supreme Court in defining or re defining the American churchstate arrangement? We will focus on the uniquely American dimensions of the church state divide. March 31 Special Event (Thursday night 7 9 p.m.) God and Caesar in Today s Globalized World This is a joint event sponsored by Grace Chapel, Temple Isaiah, and St. Brigid s Roman Catholic Church. It will be held in Grace Chapel s auditorium. Grace Chapel 2

3 April 3 (Week 9): State Religion, Separation, and Secularism: Varieties of Church State Accommodation (Part 1) America has separation of church and state. Britain has an official state church. France embraces a model of secularism called laïcité. Turkey utilizes a different approach called laiklik. China is in the middle of a religious resurgence and is seeking to create its own model of church state accommodation with Chinese characteristics. We will look at some of the major models of church state relations and seek to understand how America is similar and different. April 10 (Week 10): State Religion, Separation, and Secularism: Varieties of Church State Accommodation (Part 2) April 17 (Week 11): International Relations and Religion: The New Challenge since 9/11 (Part 1) Since 9/11, the world has rediscovered the importance of religion in resolving conflicts in world affairs. What is the role of the mighty and the almighty on the international stage? Are we headed for a clash of civilizations? Does religion have answers for some of the current conundrums and conflicts in international relations? We will look at the emergence of religion in international affairs since 9/11 and some of the difficult issues it has to confront peace in the Middle East, Western Islamic relations, the rise of religion in China, and American foreign policy in Africa. April 24 NO CLASS Easter Weekend May 1 (Week 12): International Relations and Religion: The New Challenge since 9/11 (Part 2) May 8 (Week 13): The Crucible of the Middle East: The Enduring Struggle of the Sons of Abraham (Part 1) Christianity, Islam and Judaism descend from Abraham. Yet, all three have chosen different paths to address the ultimate questions of life. Their divergent theological approaches have frequently led the three sons into conflict with one another. No place is this more evident than in the Middle East. This session will look at the roots of the struggle of the sons of Abraham and its potential for resolving the conflicts in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine, and the Middle East today. Grace Chapel 3

4 May 15 (Week 14): The Crucible of the Middle East: The Enduring Struggle of the Sons of Abraham (Part 2) & Wrap up Core Teaching Principles for this course: Rooted and grounded in historical, orthodox biblical theology each session will be based on and incorporate the biblical text and its principles Taught in keeping with and not contrary to the Statement of Faith of Grace Chapel Sourced from the most authoritative religious and nonand media religious resources including a variety of books a bibliography for each session will be providedd Designed to inform and educate, but more importantly to provide principles and practical steps of action for daily life Presented in a way that allows space for a variety of viewpoints, questions, and even disagreementss to be expressed (courteously and Christianly) by the participants Grace Chapel 1 4

5 Dr. James C. (Jim) Wallace Boston University Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs Fellow and Senior Research Associate Jim is a respected scholar, political scientist, clergyman, social activist and writer currently working in the important field of Religion and International Affairs. His areas of expertise include religion and international affairs; Christian Muslim relations; secularism, globalization and democracy; evangelicals and foreign policy; the Islamic world, China, the Middle East, Turkey, South Asia, and Canada. Jim is presently a PhD (ABD) candidate in Political Science and International Relations at Boston University with additional studies at Harvard University s Kennedy School of Government and Divinity School. He previously earned a doctorate in theology from Samford University s Beeson Divinity School. He has an undergraduate degree in music from Baylor University and a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary. Jim currently serves as a Fellow and Senior Research Associate with Boston University s Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs, where he is now completing a book for the Emerging Evangelical Intelligentsia Project with Peter L. Berger and Timothy S. Shah. He has also worked at Harvard with Harvey Cox on the Middle East Peace Process Project helping to write the chapter on Jerusalem. And at BU, he has worked with Dana Robert on the Global Religion Initiative. Jim is an active participant in the Common Word international Christian Muslim dialogue process, having participated in the inaugural conference at Yale University in July 2008 and the follow up conference at Georgetown University in October Prior to moving to Boston, Jim lived and worked in western Canada for 25 years where he pastored churches in Victoria and Calgary, served as a nationally known religious leader, and also worked as a speechwriter and senior policy advisor for several leading Canadian politicians and business leaders. Jim s public service was recognized in 2005 by the Government of Alberta as a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal. Jim and his wife, Barton, have been married for over 35 years and they have 3 daughters, 2 sons in law and 2 grand dogs. Jim and Barton currently live in Hingham, Massachusetts where Barton is president and CEO of a real estate investment company. Grace Chapel 5

6 Timothy (Tim) Castner Nashoba Regional High School Boston, MA Social Studies Teacher U.S. History Specialist Tim has fifteen years of experience teaching US history at the high school level. His course load has included AP US History for the past ten years. He has served in a variety of leadership positions in the school including Social Studies Department Chair and was recognized as the Teacher of the Year for the school in Tim has a BA in History and Russian from Middlebury College in Vermont where he wrote his senior thesis on spiritual and political dissent in the Russian Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. He also received his MAT (Master s of Arts in Teaching) in History from Boston University. Currently he is also enrolled in the ALM program in History at Harvard Extension School where he has taken a number of courses on American religious history and issues of Biblical Interpretation and politics. Tim has been involved as a teacher leader in a number of local Teaching American History Grants where he has given presentations on the separation of church and state in Massachusetts, the role of religion in the Civil Rights Movement, and the role of race and religion in American political history. Tim has conducted original research at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston on the role of religion in the American Revolution and the evolving church state separation in Massachusetts as the recipient of a Swensrud Fellowship. In addition he is at present collaborating with Professor Paul Hanson of Harvard Divinity School on a work on scriptural models of church state relations which will include a section on the use and abuse of Scripture in American political history. Recently, Tim contributed two chapters to Conflicts in American History, a documentary encyclopedia of American history. His submission included sections on The Great Awakening and the Constitutional Convention. Tim has been an active member of Grace Chapel for the past fifteen years and has served as a regular teacher in the Adult Discipleship Ministry for the past seven years. In addition to leading inductive manuscript Bible Study classes, he has helped to spearhead recent classes including Turning Points in World Christian History and Timeless Truths, a survey of Christian doctrine. Tim and his wife, Paula, have been leading a Life Community in their home for the past eight years and are currently serving as Life Community Coaches. Tim and his wife Paula have been married for 16 years and live in Lancaster, Massachusetts with their three children: Emily, age 14; Hannah, age 10, and Jonathan, age 6. Grace Chapel 6