This department introduces students to the history of God’s people from the early church to the present. Church History, considered in four periods (Ancient, Medieval, Reformation, and Modern), pays particular attention to the development of doctrine.
HT10 – Presbyterian Church History (2 Credit Hours)
Prerequisites: ST11, AP11
Instructor: Dr. C.N. Willborn
Description: A detailed study of Presbyterianism as it was rediscovered and applied in Scotland, with specific emphasis on the development of the American Presbyterian church from the 17th century to the present, including the history of the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
HT21 – Ancient Church History (3 Credit Hours)
Prerequisite: HT10
Instructor: Dr. C.N. Willborn, Dr. William VanDoodewaard
Description: A study of the early church from Pentecost through the age of Augustine and Gregory I, with emphasis on the development of doctrine, worship, the growth of the church, and the emergence of the Papacy.
HT22 – Medieval Church History (3 Credit Hours)
Prerequisite: HT21
Instructor: Dr. Scott Cook, Dr. William VanDoodewaard
Description: A study of the doctrinal and organizational development of the church in the Middle Ages, including the rise of the sacramental system and the sacerdotal clergy with due emphasis upon the influence of the church on European society and the effect of European society on the church.
HT31 – Reformation Church History (4 Credit Hours)
Prerequisite: HT22
Instructor: Dr. William VanDoodewaard
Description: A study of the rise of the Renaissance and its relationship to the Reformation and the work of the Reformers Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Knox, Bucer, and their colleagues. Included is an in-depth look at the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation and the work of the Council of Trent.
HT32 – Modern Church History (3 Credit Hours)
Prerequisite: HT31
Instructor: Dr. C.N. Willborn, Dr. William VanDoodewaard
Description: A study of the development of modern Protestantism and Roman Catholicism after the Reformation, with emphasis on later doctrinal developments in these movements, the great revivals of the Post-Reformation era, the rise of modern theological liberalism, Neo-Orthodoxy, and recent trends in modern theology.
HT52 – American Religious History (2 Credit Hours)
No Prerequisites
Instructor: Dr. C.N. Willborn
Description: An overview of the development of religion in America from the Colonial period to the present. Attention is given to American Puritanism, the Awakenings, and the Modernist/Fundamentalist controversy, with special attention given to Presbyterian history.
HT54 – Scottish Reformed Orthodoxy & Its Heritage (2 Credit Hours)
No Prerequisites
Instructor: Dr. Ian Hamilton
Description: Traces the development of Reformed theology from the Scottish Reformation through the 20th century in Scotland. Major areas of consideration include the rise and development of covenantal thought, major doctrinal controversies, the relations of church and state, and natural law in regard to theology and civil affairs. Personalities such as John Knox, Andrew Melville, Robert Rollock, Samuel Rutherford, Thomas Boston, Thomas Chalmers, William Cunningham, James Orr, and Thomas Torrance find their place in the development of Scottish Reformed Orthodoxy. Course requirements include readings from primary source documents throughout the period.
HT60 – Ecclesiastical Latin I (2 Credit Hours)
No Prerequisites
Instructor: Visiting Faculty
Description: The first in a three-course cycle in Ecclesiastical Latin, focusing on preparing students to read/translate Latin theological texts significant to the development of Christian theology.
HT61 – Ecclesiastical Latin II (2 Credit Hours)
No Prerequisites
Instructor: Visiting Faculty
Description: The second in a three-course cycle in Ecclesiastical Latin, focusing on preparing students to read/translate Latin theological texts significant to the development of Christian theology.
HT66 – Ecclesiastical Latin III (2 Credit Hours)
No Prerequisites
Instructor: Visiting Faculty
Description: The third in a three-course cycle in Ecclesiastical Latin, focusing on preparing students to read/translate Latin theological texts significant to the development of Christian theology.