Birmingham Theological Seminary 2200 Briarwood Way Birmingham, Alabama 35243 Reformation and Modern Church History Taught by Pastor George Shamblin Email: george@thecenterbham.org; cell: (205) 305-7968 COURSE PURPOSE The purpose of this class is to familiarize the student with the History and Development of the Christian Church beginning with the Protestant Reformation and continuing to our present day. But above all this course is being taught so that each student would come into a deeper love relationship with Jesus of Nazareth as he/she sees Christ s hand at work in His Church over the last 500+ years. As each student comes to see Christ more clearly, the hope is that they would have not only a greater love of Him and who He is, but also a greater appreciation for His work in and through the Church which He established over 2000 years ago. Furthermore, the purpose of this class is for the student to live out what has been learned in the classroom by practical applications that will be given as the course progresses. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. The student will understand the major theological issues that preceded the Reformation 2. The student will have a clear and cohesive understanding of the Protestant Reformation 3. The student will become familiar with the unfolding of the Reformation up to the present day 4. The student will learn to apply HT4721 to current and future ministry opportunities Required Texts: COURSE TEXTS Gonzales, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume II: The Reformation to the Present Day. HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. ISBN 978-0-06-185589-4. Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand. Abingdon Press, 1978. ISBN 0-687-16895-3. Collateral Texts: LaTourette, Kenneth Scott. A History of Christianity, Volume 2. Prince Press, 1997. ISBN 1-56563329-6. Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Volumes VII and VIII. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Printing Company, 1995. ISBN 0-8028-8053-3.
1. Attend and participate in all classes 2. Complete reading assignments COURSE REQUIREMENTS 3. Take weekly quizzes from the previous week s lectures (lowest 2 scores will be dropped) 4. Take Mid-term Exam 5. Complete 4 Response Papers 6. Take Final Exam COURSE GRADING 1. Weekly Quizzes & Reading 25% 2. Mid-term Exam 25% 3. Response Papers 25% 4. Final Exam 25% RESPONSE PAPERS The student will complete a total of 4 Response Papers on articles that will be handed out by the Professor as the course progresses. The student will be expected to do a 2 page response on each article that is to be turned in the week after the assignment is given. Each paper will be worth 25 points for a total of 100 possible points. The paper will include topics such as: 1. Did you agree or disagree with the main tenets or arguments presented 2. What new perspectives did you obtain from reading the article 3. Did the article alter any preconceived notions that you held prior to reading it 4. What challenged your understanding of Church History the most regarding the article BTS FORMAT AND STYLE STANDARDS NOTE: All papers must be formatted in accordance with Turabian Chicago standards including the title page. Any paper not conforming to these standards will automatically be dropped one letter grade.
COURSE READING Both required texts (above) must be read upon completion of the course. The student s grade will be determined by the percentage of reading completed on a 100 point scale based on the honor system. The reading portion, along with weekly quizzes, will make up 25% of the student s final grade. COURSE SCHEDULE *Please note that the required reading Here I Stand is to be completed prior to September 19 th September 12 th : A. And it was Night The Dark Ages B. Renaissance before Reformation The Renaissance // Read Gonzales pp. 1-55 September 19 th : A. The Light Shined in Darkness The First Reformers (Huss, Wycliff, and Tyndale) B. A Wild Boar in the Lord s Vineyard Martin Luther // Read Gonzales pp. 57-147 September 26 th : A. The Second Wave Continuation of the Reformation (including Zwingli, Anabaptists, and Calvin) // B. Reformed Catholics The Counter-Reformation // Read Gonzales pp. 151-264 October 3 rd : A. Orthodoxy, Revolution, and Options // Read Gonzales pp. 275-380 October 10 th : A. Crossing the Pond Colonial Christianity B. Wide Awake in America The 1 st Great Awakening C. Mid-term Exam emailed to students (due by October 24 th ) // Read Gonzales pp. 385-470 October 17 th : Fall Break October 24 th : A. A New Wave The Enlightenment
B. Revolution & Awakening The American Revolution and the 2 nd Great Awakening October 31 st : A. A Church Divided Against Itself The Church s Role in the Civil War // November 7 th : A. What a Joke The Spread of Liberalism B. Kingdom of the Cults the Rise of Cults November 14 th : A. Splinter Groups Galore New Movements in the Faith // Read Gonzales pp. 473-527 November 21 st : No Class (Thanksgiving Holiday) November 28 th : A. The Greatest Generation Christianity in the 20 th Century December 5 th : No Class (Walk Through Nativity) December 12 th : A. The State of the Church 2012 B. A Not So Certain Road where the Church goes from here C. Final Exam emailed to students (due by December 19 th ) *Please note that all course materials must be submitted to the respective professors at the end of the semester (last day of classes). Thereafter, course materials may be submitted for up to six (6) weeks after the end of the semester directly to the office of the Registrar with the permission of the professor. If a student submits course materials after the end of the semester but within the six (6) week grace period, the student s grade will be lowered by one letter grade. The course materials will not be accepted after the six (6) week grace period and a failing grade will be posted to the student s transcript. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bainton, Roland H. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. Boston: Beacon Press, 1952. Brown, Harold O.J. Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendriksen Publishers, 1984, rep. 1998. George, Timothy, Theology of the Reformers, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1988 MacCuloch, Diarmaid. The Reformation: A History. New York: Harper & Brothers,
1953. Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1992 Wells, David F. ed., Reformed Theology in America, A History of its Modern Development. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1997.