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Academic Programs
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Are
We All Bound for Heaven?: Christian Theology and Other
Religions
TH-635-2
Fall 2002 |
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This
course explores the theological issues surrounding interfaith.
Following a brief survey of the extent of the diversity in
religion (both historically and today), the course
concentrates on theological issues. The first issue is
soteriology: are non-Christians ‘saved’? Along with
‘Pluralism’, ‘Inclusivism’, and ‘Exclusivism’, the
course examines various alternatives. The second issue
is similarity and difference. Critics and advocates of
Hans Kung’s global ethics project are discussed. The
third issue is truth, mission, and dialogue. What are
the limits to dialogue? Does a commitment to dialogue
entail a commitment to relativism? How should Christians
interpret the great commission to go and convert the world?
These and other questions will be explored.
Meeting
Day, Time and Dates:
Tuesdays
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on 9/10, 10/1, 10/22, 11/12 and
12/10 (D.Min. Schedule)
Location: Room 205
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 Professor
Ian Markham
Contact
Information:
phone: (860)
509-9536
email:
markham@hartsem.edu
Dr. Markham's web page
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Course
Syllabus
Class web site
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Preliminary
Cohn-Sherbok, Dan, Interfaith Theology. A
Reader (Oneworld) Required.
D’Costa, Gavin, Christian Uniqueness
Reconsidered (Orbis)
Hick, John, An Interpretation of Religion
(Macmillan)
Kung, Hans, Global Ethics (Required).
Knitter, Paul, The Myth of Christian
Uniqueness (Orbis)
Lochead, David, The Dialogical Imperative
(Orbis)
Markham, Ian (ed.) A World Religions Reader
2nd Edition. (Oxford: Blackwell)
Markham, Ian Plurality and Christian Ethics.
2nd Edition. (New York: Seven Bridges Press)
Netland, Harold, Dissonant Voices (Regent’s
College Publishing)
Race, Alan, Christians and Religious
Pluralism (SCM Press)
Young, Serinity, An Anthology of Sacred Texts by
and About Women
Topics to be covered:
Section 1. The Extent and Nature of Religious
Diversity. A brief survey of the variety and some sense of the key
historical narratives that shaped this variety.
Section 2. Soteriology. The pluralist,
inclusivist, and exclusivist debate. John Hick’s pluralism
project. Those that are attempting to create alternatives (e.g.
Mark Heim).
Section 3. Similarities and Differences.
Different strands within each traditions has certain similarities
with strands in other traditions. Key ideas such as social
justice, concept of God, life after death are explored. Particular
attention is paid to Hans Kung’s Global ethics project. The
issues of spirituality and interfaith are discussed.
Section 4. Dialogue, Mission and Truth. The
reasons for dialogue and the problems involved in dialogue are
explored. The relationship of dialogue to mission. The different
understandings of what mission involves. And the issues of ‘truth’
in religion and the relationship between truth and
mission/dialogue are explored.
Aims of the course:
To equip students with the resources to think
theologically about the issue of religious diversity;
To enable students to understand the complexity
of religious traditions and facilitate thinking about the
similarities and differences across and within traditions;
To encourage students to clarify for themselves
the relationship of mission and dialogue to the issue of truth.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course students will have
understood the main contours of the debate within Christianity
about the Christian theology of other religions;
At the end of the course students will have a
grasp of the similarities and differences across and within
religious traditions;
At the end of the course students will have
cultivated their evaluative skills sufficiently to form a view on
the relationship of mission and dialogue to truth.
Method/s of Delivery:
The structure of the day will have a combination
of the following: lecture input, and seminar discussion around set
reading.
Method of Assessment (please address how each
learning outcome will be evaluated):
Book Review of A Global Ethic: The
Declaration of the Parliament of the World's Religions by Hans
Kung (Editor), Karl-Josef
Kuschel (Editor) (assesses learning outcome number two).
15 page paper on the topic of the Christian
Theology of Other Religions and the implications for truth, mission,
and dialogue (assesses learning outcome one and three).
Assessment Date:
Book Review to be handed in October 22 2002.
Final paper to be handed in by January 6 2003.
Structure of Sessions
September 10 2002:
Global metaphysical and religious diversity. From
atheists to animists and everything in between. The numbers, the
power, and the changes. Encountering atheism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
October 1 2002:
Christians making sense of diversity. Exclusivism,
Inclusivism, and Pluralism. Alternative models.
October 22 2002:
Differences and Similarities (Part 1): liberal v
conservative; life after death; social justice; concepts of God. The
Global Ethics projects. Similarities as the liberal western allusion
cultivated by the Enlightenment (the MacIntyre attack).
November 12 2002:
Differences and Similarities (Part 2):
spirituality and interfaith worship. Do we share enough to pray
together? Theological obstacles to praying together. The theoretical
and the applied.
December 10 2002.
Mission, Relativism, and Truth. What sense do we
make of the injunction to go out and convert the nations of the
world? Can we decide which tradition is true?
FACT SHEETS
SECULAR HUMANISM
A SELECTED SUMMARY OF BELIEFS:
1. The rise of science has eliminated the need for
the God hypothesis. For example, God is not responsible for the
weather.
2. Metaphysical arguments between religions are
impossible to resolve. No one knows, nor can find out, whether the
ultimate reality is an Allah, a Trinity, or Brahman.
3. Religion is deeply destructive, violent, and
intolerant.
4. Instead we need to recognize that there is no
ultimate meaning to life. As human beings, we face extinction when
we die. We must impose our own meaning on life.
5. We ought to work hard to create a better world
for ourselves and each other.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Galileo
...................................................................................
1564 - 1642 CE Persecution of Galileo by the
Roman Catholic Church .......... 1632 CE
Charles Darwin ....... 1809 - 1882
CE
Karl Marx .......... 1818 - 1883
CE
Sigmund Freud ....... 1856 - 1939
CE
Emile Durkheim ..... 1858 - 1917
CE
Formation of the National Secular
Society in England ...... 1866
Bertrand Russell ..... 1872 - 1970
CE
Rise of the Feminist Movement
....... 1960 onwards
'Honest to God' published .......
March 1963 CE
Publication of Salman Rushdie's
'Satanic Verses' ..... 26 September 1988 CE
Fatwa issued against Rushdie
......... February 14 1989 CE
FACT SHEETS
HINDUISM:
A SELECTED SUMMARY OF BELIEFS
1. 'Hindu' is a European term for the many and
varied religions of India. Generalisations are very misleading. The
following beliefs are shared by most of those acknowledging the
authority of the Vedas.
2. The basics of Hindu theology and philosophy
took shape during the Vedic period (1500-600 BCE). Initially the
major gods were:
Agni - the god of fire, linked
with sacrifice.
Indra - the warrior god, linked
with thunder.
Varuna - the god of the sky,
linked with the day and water.
Rudra - the mountain god.
Dyauspitr - the father of heaven.
Surya - the god of the sun.
These gods were linked with natural phenomena. As
the tradition developed, the following deities became more
important.
Brahman - the cosmic soul, the
highest deity.
Vishnu - the god who controls the
fate of humans.
Shiva - the destroyer god - a
source of both good and evil.
Sarasvati - consort to Brahman and
the goddess of knowledge and truth.
Lakshmi - wife of Vishnu and the
goddess of fortune and beauty.
2. The universe is interconnected across time and
space. Rocks, plants, animals and humans are all inter-related.
3. People are reborn: the location of the soul and
body are determined by karma.
Karma is the moral law of cause and
effect.
4. The purpose of society is to offer maximum
opportunity to those who are close to moska (release). Hence the
existence of the caste system which ranks the Brahmins as the
highest caste.
5. Each person has a self which is linked with
Braham (the cosmic-self). The various gods and godesses are
expressions of Brahman.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Indus Valley Civilisation
.............................................. ca. 2750 BCE
Aryan Invasions
............................................................. ca.
1500 BCE
Vedas recorded
............................................................. 1200
BCE
Upanishads written
....................................................... 800 - 400
BCE
Mahavira & Buddha challenge
orthodox Hinduism ... 600 - 500 BCE
Mahabharata, Ramayana &
Bhagavad Gita written ..... 500 -200 BCE
Laws of Manu written
................................................... 200 BCE - 200 CE
Life of Shankara, leading
philosopher ......................... 788 - 820 CE
Life of Ramanuja, leading
philosopher ........................ 1017 - 1137 CE
Muslim empire in India
................................................. 1175 CE
Beginning of British rule
.............................................. 1818 CE
Life of Mahatma Ghandi
............................................... 1869 - 1948 CE
Indian Independence and Partition
of Pakistan ............ 1947 CE
FACT SHEETS
BUDDHISM
A SELECTED SUMMARY OF BELIEFS:
1. The Buddha lived in northern India during the
sixth century BCE; he discovered the four noble truths.
2. The four noble truths are:
3. There is suffering.
4. The cause of suffering is desire.
5. Cease desiring and you will cease suffering.
6. The eightfold path leads to cessation of
suffering.
7. The eightfold path is: Right Belief, Right
Resolution, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Means of Livelihood,
Right Endeavor, Right Mindfulness, Right Meditation.
8. It is possible to attain Nirvana
(enlightenment) by living life according to the principles of the
Buddha.
9. There is no self or soul.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Life of Buddha
............................................................ 536 -
476 BCE
First Buddhist Congress
............................................. 473 BCE
Second Buddhist Congress
........................................ 363 BCE
Reign of Buddhist Emperor Asoka
........................... 273 - 236 BCE
The rise of the Mahayana Tradition
.......................... 236 BCE
Life of Nagarjuna, leading
philosopher .................... ca. 200 CE
Expansion to Vietnam, China,
Korea, Java,
Japan, Burma & Sumatra
............................................ 220 - 552 CE
First Buddhist Monastery
established in Tibet ......... 749 CE
Rise of the Japanese Zen sects
.................................. 805-6 CE
Life of the poet Mila
.................................................. 1040 - 1123 CE
Jodo Shinshu sect comes to America
with immigrants
from Japan ............................................... 1898 CE
Zen Buddhist society formed in New
York .............. 1931 CE
FACT SHEETS
JUDAISM
A SELECTED SUMMARY OF BELIEFS:
1. There is one God (Yahweh) who has a covenant
relationship with the Jewish people.
2. God's requirements for his people are set out
in the Torah. Holiness is obtained by observing the Torah.
3. God acts in history to protect his people; and
in the future God promises to vindicate his people through his
Messiah.
4. Major concerns which are facing contemporary
Judaism include the holocaust and the founding of the State of
Israel. Various groups have reacted in different ways to the
problems posed by these events.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Exodus from Egypt
....................................................... ca. 1200 BCE
Life of King David
........................................................ ca. 1013 -
973 BCE
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
(Israel) to Assyria ...... 722 BCE
Fall of the Southern Kingdom
(Judah) to Babylon ...... 586 BCE
Maccabean Revolt
.......................................................... 168 BCE
Romans conquer Jerusalem
.......................................... 63 BCE
Destruction of Jerusalem by the
Romans .................... 70 CE
Completion of Mishnah
................................................. 220 CE
Completion of Babylonian Talmud
............................... 480 CE
Life of Rashi
...................................................................
1041 - 1105 CE
Life of Maimonides
....................................................... ca. 1135 -
1204 CE
The founding of the Zionist
Movement ....................... 1897 CE
The Holocaust
........................................................
1933 - 45 CE
The establishment of the state of
Israel ....................... 1948 CE
FACT SHEETS
CHRISTIANITY
A SELECTED SUMMARY OF BELIEFS:
1. It is utterly implausible to believe that we
are nothing more than collections of atoms, in a meaningless
universe, facing extinction at death.
2. Instead there is a Creator God, who has been
revealed in the person of Jesus the Christ.
3. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew who lived in
Palestine approximately 2000 years ago. He died as a criminal on a
cross, but rose from the dead three days later.
4. Jesus is the incarnation of God. God is a
trinity of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The mystery
of the Trinity involves a separateness in a complete unity.
5. Humans have a tendency towards selfishness,
which God in Christ can overcome through the atonement.
6. At death, God desires a relationship of love to
develop for eternity in heaven. However those who persist in
selfishness will not be forced to respond. This is known as hell.
7. For Christians, the scriptures are made up of
the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament. There is
some disagreement between Christians over the status of a small
number of books called the Apocrypha.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Life of Jesus of Nazareth d. 30 CE
Life of Paul the Apostle d. 65 CE
Last book of the New Testament
written 95 CE
Council of Nicaea 325 CE
Life of St. Augustine.....354 -
430 CE
Council of Chalcedon 451 CE
Roman Catholic & Eastern
Orthodox separate 1054 CE
Life of St. Thomas Aquinas 1225 -
1274 CE
The Reformation 1500 onwards
Life of Martin Luther 1483 - 1546
CE
Vatican I 1869 - 1870
Vatican II 1962 - 1965
Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
1929 - 1968
FACT SHEETS
ISLAM
A SELECTED SUMMARY OF BELIEFS
1. There is one God: all idolatry and polytheism
is completely and utterly mistaken.
2. Muhammad is the prophet of God, to whom God
has given the final and absolute revelation.
3. The Qur'an is the word of God.
4. Muslims are required to observe the five
pillars of Islam. These are:
5. Witnessing to the faith.
6. Ritual prayer.
7. Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
8. Charity.
9. Pilgrimage to Mecca.
10. On Judgment Day, the unbelievers and the
believers will be separated. The Believers will be given the
delights of the garden; the unbelievers will face the punishment
of hell.
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Birth of Muhammad ... 570 CE
Night of Power & First
Revelations ...609-10 CE
Hijra: Departure from Mecca to
Medina ... 622 CE
Conquest of Mecca ... 630 CE
Death of Muhammad ... 632 CE
Abu Bakr
succeeds Muhammad
Umar succeeds Abu Bakr ... 634 CE
Early Conquests (Damascus,
Jerusalem, Egypt, Persia) ... 636 - 640 CE
Uthmann succeeds Umar ... 644 CE
Qur'an canon established .. 650 CE
Ali succeeds Uthmann ... 656 CE
Ummayyad Caliphate ... 661 - 750
CE
Life of Al-Ghazali ... 1058 - 1111
CE
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