"The Church: Ideas Meet Reality"
This course brings the perspectives of history and theology to bear on
our understanding of the Church. We will begin by looking at the great
variety of Christian communities presented in the New Testament, and then
turn to examine the historical models that have shaped and influenced the
Church's self-understanding. We will explore the interplay of ideas and
practices that are at the heart of many issues in the Church today,
especially in the United States: questions of diversity; the meaning and
scope of authority, democracy, and freedom; loyalty and dissent; the
nature of priesthood; the place of women in the the church; and the
challence of ecumenism. After studying scriptural and traditional models
(Part I); the church since Vatican II (Part II); we will end by imagining
the future of the church in the 21st century.
