EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY IN THE U.S.:

Sources and Interpretations

 

     Evangelical Christianity is arguably the most important and ongoing religious and social movement in the United States.  By some estimates, one third of the adult population in the United States is a “born again” Christian (or has had a “born again” or “charismatic” experience).  However, despite a long and rich cultural and intellectual tradition, evangelicalism remains largely misunderstood, stereotyped, maligned, ridiculed (and since the 2004 election, feared) by cultural elites and scholars.  What is it about the “old time” religion that invites criticism and even hostility?  How different is evangelical belief and practice from other forms of Christianity?  Is there only one true religion?…one true relationship with God?  Why and how is the Bible so central to evangelicals?  What does it mean to be “saved”?  Saved from what?  Is religious belief incompatible with science?  Do angels exist?  Is evangelical theology/ideology pro or con involvement in secular politics?  Is Christian fundamentalism and evangelicalism the same thing?  What about Pentecostals?  Are Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses “evangelicals”?

     This course examines  the history and contours of the evangelical Christian tradition in the United States.  Although it is impossible to survey every aspect of this huge and complicated set of traditions, this syllabus takes a wide lens approach towards seeing evangelicalism in the context of American history, culture, politics and social issues. 

     There are two prerequisites for this course:  1) an open mind, and 2) respect for the opinions and beliefs of others.

 

Requirements:

 

•  Thoughtful/well-executed weekly reading responses (2-3 pps)  30%

•  Evangelical media assignment (~ 5 pps)                        30%

•  Take home final examination (essay type)                      30%

•  Responsible attendance & ACTIVE participation                 10%

•  Quizzes                                             + / –

 

Texts: 

 

•Harvey COX, Fire From Heaven:  The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality

and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century.  Da Capo, 1995.

•Dennis COVINGTON, Salvation on Sand Mountain:  Snake Handling

and Redemption in Southern Appalachia.  Penguin, 1995.   

• Brian D. McLAREN, A Generous Orthodoxy.  Zondervan, 2004.

• Margaret ATWOOD, The Handmaid’s Tale.  Anchor, 1998. 

• A Course Reader (available at Grafikart, 6550 Pardall Rd, IV)

• Additional readings on ERes and on the Web

    

 

      

 

Schedule of Topics

Week 1

Th 9.27   Introductions, Syllabus, Why this course? Religion?

 

 

Week 2

Tu 10.2  Fantastic and Ordinary Religions

     Reading: 

          Linda Cortile’s abduction:  http://ufocasebook.com/Manhattan.html

              and http://www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicbrooklyn.htm

     Bible:  Ezekiel 1:1-28; 8:1-4 & Chapters 10 and 11; Psalms 18: 6-9:

     Acts 10:9-22; Matthew 17:1-9; Luke 9:24-36; I Thessalonians 4:13-18;

     Luke 21:5-28; Revelation 14:14-16; Acts 12:1-10; 8:26-40

 

Th 10.4  Historical Origins of the American Evangelical Tradition

     Reading:

     Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

          Noll, “A Renewal of Piety, 1700-1750”

    

 

Week 3

Tu 10.9  The Biblical Foundations:  Questions and Issues

     Reading: 

     “The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy” and the appended      “Exposition”  online at:  http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/chicago.htm

          Noll, “The Image of the United States as a Biblical Nation”

 

Th 10.11      The Crucible of the 19th Century:  Evangelicalism

          Reading: 

          Gaustad, World Out of Time

          Douglass and Armstrong:  On Whose side?  God, Slavery, and the Civil                   War

          Welter, The Cult of True Womanhood

 

Week 4

Tu 10.16 The Rise of Fundamentalism and its Evangelical Alternatives

          Reading: 

          Noll, “Protestantism Shaken”  (on ERes)

          Conwell, Acres of Diamonds” (excerpt on ERes)

          Rauschenbusch, “A Theology for the Social Gospel” (excerpt on ERes)

 

 

Th 10.18  Entering the 20th Century –  Advances and Defeats

     Carpenter, “Youth for Christ

          McDannell, “Christian Retailing”

          Balmer & Todd, “Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California”

 

 

Week 5

Tu 10.23  Class Cancelled

          Reading: 

          Cox, Fire From Heaven, xv - 78

 

Th 10.25  Pentecostalism

     Reading: 

     Cox, Fire From Heaven, 81-138

 

 

Week 6

Tu 10.30      Pentecostalism

          Reading:

          Cox, 139 – 157, 263 – 321

         

Th 11.1       The Holiness Tradition

     Reading: 

     Covington, Salvation on Sand Mountain

          Balmer, “Camp Meeting”

 

 

Week 7

Tu 11.6       The Holiness Tradition

     Reading: 

     Covington, Salvation on Sand Mountain

     Carden & Pelton, “Not a Hair was Singed – Taking Up Fire”

 

Th 11.8   Evangelicals & Politics:

          Reading:

          Sweet, “The 1960s:  The Crises of Liberal Christianity and the Public

     Emergence of Evangelicalism”

     Quebedeaux, “The Young Evangelicals”

     Henry, “Revolt on Evangelical Frontiers”

     Wallis, “Revolt on Evangelical Frontiers:  A Response”

     Carson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the African-American Social Gospel”

 

 

Week 8

Tu 11.13 Evangelicals & Politics

          Reading: 

     Falwell, “Future Word:  An Agenda for the Eighties”

          Reed, What the World Would Look Like:  A Religious Conservative

     Vision for America”

     Wallis, “Who Speaks for God?  An Alternative to the Religious Right”

 

 

 

 

Th 11.15 Evangelical Cultures & Subcultures:  Gender/Sexuality

          Reading:

          Griffith, “A ‘Network of Praying Women’:  Women’s Aglow Fellowship

and Mainline American Protestantism”

          White, “1993-94, Time for Doing Justice”

     Scanzoni & Hardesty, “It All Started with Eve” 

         

         

Week 9

Tu 11.20 & Th 11. 22         AAR / Thanksgiving

 

 

Week 10  

Tu 11.27 & Th 11.29     New Challenges to Evangelicalism:  The Emergent Church

                   Reading:

                   McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy

 

 

Week 11

Tu 12.4 & Th 12.6       Fear of the End Times

              Reading:

                   Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

    

    

 

Take Home Final Examination:  given last day of class and due in my office (HSSB 3038) Tuesday 3:PM Tuesday December 11.

 

••••

 

 

 

 

Course Culture:

 

*  Attendance and informed participation and are essential to the success of this course.  This means that all students must come to class having read assigned texts and prepared for actively engaging the material with other students.  Bring assigned texts to class.  Attendance cannot be underestimated.

 

*  Classroom respect.  Religion always seems to stir up emotions and theological strife among scholars; this is part of the learning process and sometimes intellectual (and theological) discomfort is necessary for honest scholarship.  While you are not expected to "like" everything you read or hear in the class, you are expected to have respect for these positions and be civil to your peers who may hold them.  Heated discussions are okay, so long as the focus is on ideas and not on personal attack, stereotyping, or unreflective commentary.

 

*  Missed classes.  If you miss a class, you are responsible for obtaining notes (do not ask the professor for notes!), handouts and finding out about any other information/ assignments.

 

*  Papers.  The papers in the course are designed to get you to think about the course material from within the texts themselves.  As such they are not “real” "research" papers, but will still require you to think creatively and read closely.  Writing well is the result of practice.

 

*  Grading policy.  I am willing to reconsider grades for written work but with the understanding that an honest reconsideration may in fact result in a lower grade than the original one.  The best way to appeal for a grade change is to write up your concern and give it to me for consideration.

 

*  Plagiarism.  I have a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and other forms of cheating. If you use other scholars’ writing without attribution/citation, or turn in work that is not your own it is my policy to fail you for the course. 

 

*  Turn off your cell phone before you come to class.