This course provides an overview of the history of Christianity from its origins in Jerusalem to the present day.
Furthermore, students will explore the historical development and theological characteristics of major Christian traditions, including the Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Adventism, and Pentecostal churches.
Through critical engagement with academic sources, students will develop skills in researching, evaluating, and presenting information on Christianity’s diverse denominations.
The teaching is organized with online lessons that usually contain reading guides for the course literature, instructional texts for the online lessons, as well as audio or video lectures.
Knowledge
The students have:
- knowledge of the history of Christianity from its beginnings in Jerusalem to the present day.
- knowledge of the history and theological characteristics of the Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Church, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodist Church, Adventism, and Pentecostalism.
Skills
The students can:
- find, evaluate, and reference information and academic material about the history of Christianity and its various denominations, and present it appropriately.
- clearly present the distinctiveness and self-understanding of different denominations.
General Competence
The students can:
- communicate knowledge about the history of Christianity and Christian denominations in various settings, both orally and in writing.
All course requirements and exams are individual and are submitted digitally.
Course Requirements:
To receive final assessment, you must:
- Attend the gathering on campus.
- Write a paper on a given topic (750 words).
- Visit a worship service in a church belonging to a different denomination than your own and write a reflection paper (500 words).
Deadline for submission is given at the start of the semester but notice that the requirements must be completed not later than two weeks before the exam date.
Final Assessment:
| Form of assessment | Duration | Grading scale | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral exam | 20 minutes | A-F | Online |
Final assessment is based on the oral exam. The course and the exam will be graded A-E for pass and F for fail.
Some readings are available digitally on the school’s learning management system (LMS) and are marked with *.
General church history:
McGrath, A. (2013). Christian History. An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, 350 pp.
*Christianity as a Global Religion:
Sunquist, S. W. (2015). The Unexpected Christian Century. The Reversal and Transformation of Global Christianity, 1900-2000. Baker Academic, 213 pp.
Christian denominations:
Rhodes, R. (2015). The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations: Understanding the History, Beliefs, and Differences, pp. 1-80; 107-124; 151-170; 229-258; 285-406. (177 pp.)
* Nordic students may choose to replace this module with readings on the church history of their home country. This is done in agreement with the professor.
