Unpacking the title of the class

dale

Spring 2021

Created: 2021-01-04 Mon 18:57

Unpacking the title of the class:

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  • Modern
  • Christian
  • Thought

Modern era

We assume here that the modern period begins with the Reformation. As the course unfolds we hope to bring an understanding of the following:

  • What characteristics are associated with the period?
  • What might characterize a "post-modern" period?

History

Necessarily an important category for this course is the method involved with history. What does the following quote mean:

All histories, including the history of Christian theology, rest on the interplay between remembering and forgetting." (xxiv)

Denominational History

  • most of us learn church theology and church history from a denominational perspective
  • we enter the study through a particular portal
  • our understanding will come through the development of our own self-awareness of our own limitations

Limitations and warnings (p. 2)

Placher himself sets these parameters for his text:

  1. It is history of Christian theology, not general history, intellectual history, etc.
  2. Theology means the systematic reflection on one's faith. (experience?) An "elite" enterprise?
  3. Much ends up being ignored. We need to make decisions about what we leave out, perhaps to add them back in later.
  4. Too favorable picture of "theology"?

Knowledge

As we seek greater understanding of this "modern period", the question of what we know, how we can know are continual framing questions.

  • what do we know?
  • what is history?
  • what is change?
  • what is "modern"?
  • what is "Christian thought" as opposed to other important religious thinking?

Timeline exercises

We will exercise some of these disciplines later in the course as we examine lists of events that happen during the course of a century. We will have to make decisions about the relative importance of these events.

  • What is left out?
  • What is essential?
  • What do we need to understand in order to understand the big picture?

Video resources

Here are some video resources to provide some background perspective on our course.

Created by Dale Hathaway.