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INTERNATIONAL MISSION & ECUMENISM CERTIFICATE (Pre-Approved Courses)

School

Boston College School of Theology & Ministry

TMST8141

Theology of Mission

BTI Category

Semester

Systematic Theology & Philosophy (Western)

FA23

This seminar surveys diverse theologies of mission and examines how these theologies have informed and transformed the Church's understanding of mission and missionary activity in the 20th and 21st centuries. Attentive to the contributions of selected biblical scholars, theologians, church historians and social scientists as well as the corpus of Roman Catholic documents on mission, along with documents of the World Council of Churches and the Lausanne Movement, the seminar traces the evolution of critical theological thinking on mission and assesses the ecclesiological relevance of theologies of mission in a religiously pluralistic world.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Margaret Eletta Guider, OSF

W

4:00-6:00

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

Y

Notes

PREREQ: Introduction to the New Testament, Fundamental Theology or Foundations of Theology, and The Church

School

Boston College Department of Theology

THEO5426

From Nile to Niger: African Christian Fathers and Mothers of the Church

BTI Category

Semester

Church History/History of Religions

FA23

This course counts as an elective towards the interdisciplinary Minor in Ancient Civilization. Introduction to the Fathers of the Church, with special emphasis on the period after the apostles to the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325). The lives, writings, and teachings of the Church Fathers will be studied through readings in English translation.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Margaret Schatkin

M

3:00-5:20

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

School

Boston University School of Theology

STH TM835

Asian Christianity

BTI Category

Semester

Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods

FA23

This course explores the dynamism, co-option, stagnation and renewal of East Asian Christianity throughout its history--from the 7th century to the 21st. Special attention is given to Christianity's complex interaction with the religious, political, and social realities of Japan, China, and Korea. Students are introduced to important Christian leaders and movements across the centuries, and they investigate the implications of East Asian Christianity's recent expansion both at home and abroad.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Daryl Ireland

W

6:30-9:15

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

School

Boston University School of Theology

STH TM930

History of Missiology: Texts on cross-cultural and religious encounter during the colonial era, 1780s-1950s

BTI Category

Semester

Church History/History of Religions

FA23

PhD Seminar on the classic Protestant mission theorists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Dana Robert

F

8:00-10:45

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

4

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

DOCTORAL

School

Hartford International

HI-532-1

Contemporary World Christianity

BTI Category

Semester

Church History/History of Religions

FA23

Over the last century, Christianity has undergone great change. There has been a recognition that the geography of Christianity has shifted. Christian practice plummeted in Europe, but has grown rapidly in Asia, Latin America, Oceania, and sub-Saharan Afr

Professor

Class Day & Time

Allison Norton

W

7:00-9:50

Grading Option

Letter;P/F

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

School

Boston College Department of Theology

THEO5009

Encounters of Catholic Faith and Belief to Understand Modern China

BTI Category

Semester

Church History/History of Religions

FA23

Most people are surprised to learn that there are at least 10 million Catholics in contemporary China. This course is an historical introduction to understand that Catholic experience. The nineteenth century was a time of European missionary reengagement with Chinese Catholics. Building on the local faith and devotions, European Catholic missionaries sought to strengthen that faith, convert so-called "pagans" and compete with Protestants. This was a time of theological suffering and hope symbolized by the Boxer Uprising martyrs in 1900. The twentieth century describes a new theological opportunity. We will see how American and European missionaries and Chinese Catholics implemented Catholic encyclicals and adapted theological principles to assist Chinese and peoples of the world in the face of famine, environmental disasters, as refugees, and as witnessesto the Catholic faith before and after the establishment of the Peoples'Republic of China in 1949 till after Tiananmen Square in 1989 also seen as a world religions story. Ultimately, this course serves as an introduction to understand how encounters of Chinese theology contribute to contemporary international Catholic theological relationships.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Robert Carbonneau

TR

10:30-11:45

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

School

Boston College Department of Theology

THEO7037

Practical Theological Ethics and Global Christianity

BTI Category

Semester

Ethics (All Traditions)

FA23

The doctoral seminar explores four selected topics in contemporary practical theological ethics: bioethics, sustainability, politics, and theological ethics in the local and global Church. By engaging the contributions of representative, diverse theological-ethical voices in global Christianity from the Global South particularly from Asia, Africa, and Latin America the seminar aims to strengthening the students familiarity with current global scholarship on these topics.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Andrea Vicini, SJ

M

2:00-4:20

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

School

Boston University School of Theology

STH TM856

Women in World Christianity: History, Lives, Issues

BTI Category

Semester

Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods

FA23

This course explores the history of women in the Christian movement from the early centuries to the present, with particular focus on women in global context from the 19th to 21st centuries. Starting with the reality that women make up the majority of Christians in the world, the course explores texts and sources for researching women's history, including hagiographies and biographies, spiritual and theological writings by women, women's mission literature, and gender analysis. The historic leadership roles of women as sisters, deaconesses, evangelists, missionaries, pastors, and social reformers will be examined. Selected issues for contemporary reflection include church controversies over women's leadership, women in evangelical/Pentecostal churches, and gendered social movements.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Dana Robert

T

12:30-3:15

Grading Option

Letter

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

School

Hartford International

HI-532

Contemporary World Christianity

BTI Category

Semester

Church History/History of Religions

FA23

Over the last century, Christianity has undergone great change. There has been a recognition that the geography of Christianity has shifted. Christian practice plummeted in Europe, but has grown rapidly in Asia, Latin America, Oceania, and sub-Saharan Africa. Christians have emigrated from the Middle East, the ancestral home of the faith, at dramatic rates. Christians are found nearly everywhere on earth, saying their prayers in myriad languages, and practicing their faith in vastly varied cultures. In this course we will encounter Christians in their global diversity, seeing their faces, hearing their voices, and exploring the ways in which they practice their faith. We will gain perspective on the recent history and current state of the exciting field of World Christianity. We will inquire as to who gets to define what is truly orthodox Christianity. This course is suitable as an appropriate starting point for those beginning their study of Christianity, but it also provides students with more background in Christianity a global perspective on the faith.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Allison Norton

W

7:00-9:50

Grading Option

Letter;P/F

Credits

3

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Online?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

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