GHU  231 Anabaptist history and theology

Winter 1008-09                                              M-F 2:30 - 3:50PM                                                    Room 201

Instructor: Reuben Sairs (rsairs@rosedale.edu)

 

This course examines the origins and development of the Anabaptist movement, primarily in the context of the Protestant Reformation.  The instructor will try to draw a connecting line from 16th century origins to modern Mennonites, emphasizing distinctive beliefs.  The course will attempt o answer the most important questions:  Is Mennonite faith a slowly unraveling ethnic expression of Christianity? Is a commitment to Mennonite faith a viable choice for a Christian in our time and place?

 

Text:   The Anabaptist Story by William Estep

 

          Outside reading:                                 Available online (URL):

 

        The Schleitheim Articles                     http://www.gameo.org/resources

            The Dordrecht Confession

            The Concept of Cologne

            The Anabaptist Vision

       “The New Birth”                       http://www.bluffton.edu/courses/tlc/NislyL/Hum2/..%5Chum2%5CMennoSimons.htm            

           

“The Relevance of Menno Simons for Evangelical Christians: 

What Christians could learn from Menno Simons and how he rescued the Anabaptist movement.” John D. Roth                                                                                                             http://www.mcusa-archives.org/mhb/mhb-roth.html

           

Course Objectives:

 

T        The student will become familiar with and able to discuss intelligently the events, personalities, and beliefs that are important to Anabaptism.

T        The student will learn to discern between timeless theological issues and more incidental historical developments.

T        The student will be equipped to define and defend Anabaptist ideas.

T        The student will be able to contrast Anabaptist beliefs with beliefs shaped by theological liberalism or different forms of evangelical Protestantism.

 

Classes begin January 6, and end February 13.  There will be 29 class days, and 1 day for the exam.  There will be a 5% penalty for unexcused absence from class. 

 

Reading:

 

The Anabaptist Story                          306 pages (about 8 pgs of Preface that you need to read)

Anabaptist Vision                               24 pages (more or less)

“The New Birth”                                 15 pages (more or less)

Other Reading                                    15 pages (more or less)

 

This class requires a strong commitment to reading.  This reading list amounts to little more than 13 pages per class day.  The instructor will, for the most part, follow the  The Anabaptist Story until the last week of class, when the class considers  modern Anabaptism.

 

A tentative reading plan:

 

Week:      Dates:                                                                               Reading:                                              General Orientation:

 

Week 1    Jan 6-9                                                                              AS Preface-28                                     Medieval Church & Society

Week 2    Jan 12-16                                                                          AS 29-76                                             The Reformation

Week 3    Jan 19-23                                                                          AS 77-149       Schleitheim                 Swiss/Southern Anabaptists

Week 4    Jan 26-30                                                                          AS 151-176     MS “New Birth”            Dutch/Northern Anabaptists

Week 5    Feb 2-6                                                                              AS 177-235     CofC, Dordrecht            Mennonites/Amish Schism

Week 6    Feb 9-1                                                                              AS 237-306     Anabaptist Vision       From 16th century to RBC.

                                                                                                                            “Rel. MS”

 

 

Evaluation:

 

Midterm Exam                                                30%

Final Exam                                                      30%

5 Page Essay                                                   30%

Constructive Participation                              10%

 

Exams will be developed around questions requiring short essay answers of 2 or 3 sentences asking for specific content: persons, dates, locations, significance.  The final exam will be cumulative.

 

The 5- page essay will require writing several drafts to be done well.  It would be wise to write a draft each week, starting in week 3.  All essays will address one of the two following viewpoints.

 

“An Anabaptist Interpretation of the Faith is Viable and Desirable in the 21st Century.”

 

            or

 

“An Anabaptist Interpretation of the Faith is not Viable or Desirable in the 21st Century.”

 

Some qualification is likely and  acceptable, but students must decide on which side of this line their position generally falls.  In other words, it is acceptable for students to delete or append ideas to what they think are the essential elements of Anabaptism, but once this has been done is there any theological continuity between their position and what can be meaningfully defined as Anabaptism?  If there is little or no continuity then the essay is arguing for the second viewpoint.

 

This essay will require good form: correct spelling and a coherent outline.  Students will need to explain how they have arrived at their conclusions.  Students will provide arguments for and defense of their positions which reflect knowledge gained from class.

 

 

An outline of this essay will be submitted by 5PM, Monday, February 2. More instruction about the essay will be given as part of the class.

 

Constructive Participation means being current with your reading, participating knowledgeably in class discussions, being attentive, and not being a distracting or unpleasant presence in class.  Participation is required; voluntary participation is preferable.

 

 

The Mission Statement of Rosedale Bible College and This Class:

 

to provide an evangelical junior Bible college education in the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition that equips students to grow spiritually and academically and to serve effectively in the church and society.

 

Evangelical?  The instructor believes that Anabaptism is properly understood as a type of evangelical Christianity in the sense that it emphasizes conversion, regeneration, a personal faith, and a high view of Scripture.  

 

Junior Bible College?  This class assumes no prior knowledge of the subject.  Since RBC is a Bible college, all ideas presented in the classroom are subject to appraisal based on Bible teaching.

 

How will you grow spiritually?  Sooner or later,  most Christians seek a model of the faith on which to pattern their growth.  Since the instructor believes that Anabaptism is a desirable interpretation of the Bible, he thinks that students who seek to use the understandings found in Anabaptism as models may experience change, growth and development by the deepening of their understanding of what it means to believe in Jesus and live out their faith.

 

How will you grow academically?  Students will acquire basic knowledge of the broader world of Reformation and Church history.  Students will also encounter both theological and philosophical thinking that extend beyond the narrower confines of 16th century Anabaptism.

 

How will this help you serve?   Christians often accept, without close examination, models of the faith from media, celebrity leadership, and independent ministries which are strongly, but not overtly, identified with different theological schools of thought.  This unexamined quality of modern North American faith can lead to much difficulty in service, because faithful interpretation of the scriptures and faithful living for Christ have not been carefully thought out.  By knowing what one believes and being able to articulate and defend it, students will serve in all roles more confidently, and hopefully more effectively.