- CC 201 EV Christ College SymposiumCC 205 Word and ImageCC 215 The Christian TraditionCC 300 AX American Identity: Contesting VoicesCC 300 B Comedy on StageCC 300 CX Medical MissionsCC 300 DX Political Ideologies CC 325 AX World ChristianityCC 325 BX Environment, Faith & JusticeCC 325 CX Environmental History of the American WestCC 325 DX American HomeCC 375 A The Scholar in SocietyCC 455 EV Inquiry in the Liberal ArtsCC 499 Senior Colloquium
- CC 325 AX WORLD CHRISTIANITY
CC 325 AX World Christianity: Contemporary Analysis, Theological Perspectives, and Spiritual Practices
Cr. 3-4 Ms. Bunge
MWF 10:10-11:00 (Cross-listed with THEO 329-AX )
(Fulfills the Upper Level Theology General Education requirement)
Over the past century, the global distribution and ethnic composition of world Christianity have changed dramatically. Today, most of the world’s two billion Christians reside in the so-called “developing world,” and Christianity is expanding rapidly in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. As one Kenyan scholar, John Mbiti, has observed, “The centers of the church’s universality [are] no longer in Geneva, Rome, Athens, Paris, London, New York, but Kinshasa, Buenos Aires, Addis Ababa and Manila.” [Quoted in Kwame Bediako, Christianity in Africa (Edinburgh University Press, 1995), 154.]
These dramatic global changes are now the focus of the new and burgeoning interdisciplinary field of “World” or “Global” Christianity. This course introduces students to some of the central themes and issues being addressed by historians, theologians, and religious scholars in this field. The course first examines selected histories of global Christianity that seek to explain the rapid growth of Christianity today and that introduce some of the diverse indigenous Christian movements now flourishing in various parts of the world. Students will then read the work of selected theologians from China, Latin America, and Africa who are seeking to develop forms of Christian theology and spiritual practice for their particular cultural and social contexts. Students will also have the opportunity to explore in depth one particular region, faith community, or contemporary theologian of their choice. Required texts include books and articles by a range of contemporary scholars and theologians representing various countries and denominations. Requirements include active participation in class discussion; two short papers (5 pages each); and one research paper on a subject of the student’s choice (10 pages). This course will attract students interested in a range of subjects, including theology; missions; ecumenical relations; international relations; cross-cultural studies; Latin America; Africa; China.