KENYA METHODIST UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY, RELIGIOUS STUDIES & COUNSELING COURSE SYLLABUS COURSE TITLE: COURSE CODE: CREDIT HOURS: TRIMESTER YEAR: LECTURER: ODLM PROGRAM CHRISTIAN BELIEFS THEO III 3 HRS MAY – AUGUST 2015 GEORGE ANTHONY Email: [email protected] _____________________________________________________________________________________________ I. Course Purpose: The purpose of this course is to study the essence of Christian faith and its implications in view of assisting students broaden and deepen their Christian perceptions. The sole purpose of the course is to create a FIRM Christian foundation for responsible leadership as students develop their respective careers in different areas of learning. II. Expected Learning Outcomes: At the end of this course, the student will be able to: 1.
Understand the basic concepts and doctrines of Christianity 2.
Understand the origin and history of Christianity 3.
Understand God’s salvation history as recorded in both O.T. and N.T. 4.
Be more grounded in their Christian faith 5.
Understand, appreciate and relate well with people of other faiths III. Teaching Methods: Lectures Group work Class presentations IV. Instructional Materials: White board/markers Charts/maps Handouts Textbooks Manual in the library (reserve shelf) V. Course Assessment: (a) Assignments: Answer both questions 1. “There is ONLY ONE LAW (rule) in Christianity, i.e., the PRINCIPLE OF LOVE. All other Laws (rules) find their true meaning in this law (principle or virtue of LOVE)”. 1 | P a g e Discuss the validity of this statement. Your discussion must include the following: (a) Introduction. (b) Define Love. (c) Describe the four different kinds of LOVE and demonstrate the relevance of each to the society. (d) Indicate which one of these four (4) kinds of love is being referred to in the topic under discussion. (e) Demonstrate how the Old Testament laws (any six (6) of them) and the New Testament laws (any six (6) of them) are all centered around this Principle of Love. (f) Final remarks (conclusion). 2.
Despite the presence of Ethics and Anti‐Corruption Commission (EACC) in Kenya, corruption and all manner of vices are prevalent in most Government institutions. Carefully analyze the reasons behind this state of affairs. Using relevant illustrations within the Kenyan society, suggest practical steps that should be taken by the Government and the citizenry to eradicate or at least minimize this vice(s), Due Date for both Papers: Send hard copies of both Assignments to the ODLM office (Nairobi) by the 26th June 2015. Please DO NOT send any Assignment to my email (i.e., no soft copy allowed). Note: Late submission of Assignment will attract a penalty (deduction of marks, MINUS FIVE (‐5) for each day you are late. Total marks: 40% The following rules must guide you in the writing of your assignment paper(s). 1. Your work should be between 5 to 10 pages in length, double spaced (EACH ASSIGNMENT). 2. You should provide references and a bibliography APA style. 3. Draw on at least 4 good sources. 4. Be analytical, that is show evidence of your ability to use relevant analytical tools in the exploration of issues. PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is defined as the deliberate use and appropriation of another author’s work without any indications of the source and representation of such work as the student’s own. Students who do not give credit for ideas, expressions of other materials taken from other sources including sources from internet have plagiarized. A student will score zero if his or her work is found to be plagiarized. The student may also face disciplinary action for such misconduct. (b) End‐of‐Trimester Examination: 60% Every student is expected to sit for the final exam at the end of the trimester. (c) Class Participation: Students are expected to attend all lecturers and participate in all activities pertaining to the course. 2 | P a g e VI. VII. Grading Profile/System: 75 ‐ 100 68 ‐ 74 60 ‐ 67 55 ‐ 59 50 ‐ 54 45 ‐ 49 40 ‐ 44 0 ‐ 39 = = = = = = = = A B+ B C+ C D+ D E Course Schedule: Week Topic Title 1 – 2 Introduction (2 weeks) Topic 1: -
Foundations for the STUDY OF THIS COURSE Lecture i.
Does it matter what we believe? Lecture 1 ii.
Integrity: The Overall theme of Christian Beliefs a. The Fall
b. The Role of prophets/prophecy in God’s Salvation History. b. The Messianic hope and O.T. Messianic prophecies and their fulfillment in the N.T. 2 – 3 (2 weeks) Topic 2: Origin of Christianity 4 – 7 (4 weeks) i.
Topic 3: Basic concepts and doctrines ii.
of Christianity iii.
8 – 9 (2 weeks) Topic 4: The overview of world religions What is doctrine?
Lecture 2
Lecture 3 Lecture 4
Definition of Doctrine/Advantages Doctrine of God Lecture 5 iv.
Doctrine of Christ v.
Doctrine of Man and Sin vi.
Doctrine of Salvation/Redemption Lecture 7 vii.
Doctrine of the Church i.
Islam
ii.
Hinduism iii.
Judaism iv.
Christianity (What is it all about?) ‐ Answering some key questions ‐ Relationship with other faiths Lecture 6 Lecture 9
3 | P a g e 10 – 12 (2 weeks) Topic 5: The Christian message in the contemporary African society i.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
ii.
VIII. Relevance of the Christian message to the African Context Conversion (Faith & Repentance The Kingdom of God (a new relationship) The virtue of love Some basic worldviews or assumptions in Africa Making moral choices Handling contentious issues Conclusion: Christianity not about rules but LOVE Applying the Christian message to the emerging issues of contemporary African Society a. Political b. Financial c. Marriage and family issues d. Sexual issues e. Medical issues f. Religious issues Lecture 10 & 11 Lecture 12 Core Texts: Bible (RSV or NIV Translations) Allison Gregg (2011) Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan Chan Francis (2013) Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, David C. Cook publishers Dyer Charles H. and Swindoll Charles R. (2010) Character Counts: The Power of Personal Integrity, Moody Publishers; Chicago IL Early Jr. Joseph (2015) A History of Christianity: An Introductory Survey, B&H Academic, Nashville, Tennessee Erickson Millard J. (2015) Introducing Christian Doctrine (eds), Baker Academic. Geisler Norman L. (2010) Christian Ethics: Contemporary Issues and Options (ed), Baker Academic, Grand Rapid, MI Killinger Barbara (2010) Integrity: Doing the Right Thing for the Right Reason (ed), McGill‐Queen's University Press; Quebec, Canada Missler Chuck (2014) What Is Truth?: The Case for Biblical Integrity [Kindle Edition], Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Oxtoby Willard G. & Segal Alan F. (2011) A Concise Introduction to World Religions (eds), Oxford University Press 4 | P a g e Rugyendo Medard (2012) The Impact of Modernity on the Traditional African Family Values: A Case Study of Kabale District South Western Uganda, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing Young William A. (2013) The World's Religions (eds), Pearson Stott John (1994) Basic Christianity England IVP IX. Further Readings Dowley Tim (2013) Introduction to the History of Christianity (ed), Fortress Press Greer Ronald J. (2012) If You Know Who You Are, You Will Know What to Do: Living with Integrity. Abingdon Press; Reprint edition Louis Berkhof (2014) The History of Christian Doctrines, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Matthews Warren (2012) World Religions (eds), Cengage Learning Olson Duane (2011) Issues in Contemporary Christian Thought: A Fortress Introduction, Fortress Press Pendleton James Madison (2012) Christian Doctrines; A Compendium of Theology (ed), RareBooksClub.com Young Frances (2013) God's Presence: A Contemporary Recapitulation of Early Christianity (Current Issues in Theology), Cambridge University Press X. Stott John (1984) Issues Facing Christians Today, UK Marshals Operational Details: The Kenya Methodist University has policies on Academic Appeals (including appeal of final grades), Student Conduct, Cheating and Plagiarism, Academic Probation and other educational issues. For this information, check with the program coordinator’s office. INTEGRITY IDENTIFIED!!! INTEGRITY IS DEMONSTRATED WHEN: “YOU MEAN WHAT YOU SAY. YOU LIVE THE WAY YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE. YOU DO NOT PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE YOU ARE NOT. YOU HAVE MOTIVES THAT ARE PURE AND UNHIDDEN. YOU DO NOT KEEP SILENT WHEN YOU SHOULD SPEAK UP. YOU ARE HONEST WITH GOD ABOUT THE REAL YOU. YOU CAN BE TRUSTED TO DO WHAT YOU PROMISE. YOU ENJOY A CLOSE WALK WITH GOD. YOU DO NOT MISREPRESENT THE FACTS. YOU DO NOT TEACH OTHERS SOMETHING THAT YOU WILL NOT DO.” 5 | P a g e