Timetabling
Notes:
9.30am-4pm July 31; August 14 and 28; October 16
This unit examines causes of division in the Christian Church and movements towards reconciliation. It begins with the concept of koinonia in the New Testament, and the diversities in the life of early churches. Students will investigate a range of historical moments of major division in the churches, as well as initiatives for church unity. Topics will include unity and diversity, the nature and practice of authority, the interpretation of the scriptures, Tradition and traditions, and ecumenical approaches to liturgy and hospitality. The aim is to equip students to participate strategically in ecumenical reconciliation utilising the techniques of New Testament exegesis, historical and theological analysis, and mutual listening.
Description
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:
demonstrate a nuanced understanding of New Testament concepts of unity and division
understand the impulses towards both division and reconciliation in the history of the Christian churches
reflect theologically on what unites and what divides the Church today
discuss how different models of authority contribute to unity and division within and between Christian traditions
apply these understandings to a project in ecumenical reconciliation.
Prerequisites:
30 points of Foundational units in Christian Thought and History and 30 points of Foundational units in Biblical Studies, or their equivalent.
Teaching Methods:
4 x 6 hour day seminars, plus four fortnightly online tutorial sessions (equivalent to 12 hours class time)
Assessment:
1 x 2500 word essay on the use of the New Testament in a moment of division or reconciliation in the history of the Christian churches (learning outcomes 1, 2, 4) (50%)
1 x group project in which students collaboratively analyse a contemporary instance of church division to identify ways by which ecumenical reconciliation may be furthered, and produce a report that is 2,500 words per student, the report to receive a single mark (learning outcomes 3, 4, 5) (50%)
1 x 1000 word reflective essay on the group project, including self-assessment of the student’s own contribution (learning outcome 5) (10%)
Mode of Teaching:
Intensive
Bibliography:
* = set texts recommended for purchase
Please format reading lists according to Turabian
Dunn, J. D. G. Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity . 3rd ed. London: SCM, 2006.
Faith and Order (Victorian Council of Churches). Sharing Communion? Eucharistic Hospitality . Melbourne: VCC, 1993
Gassman, G. Documentary History of Faith and Order, 1963-1993. Geneva: WCC,1993.
Goosen, G., Bringing Churches Together. Geneva: WCC, 2001
Gros, J., T. F. Best and L. Fuchs. Growth in Agreement III: Reports and Agreed Statements of Ecumenical Co-operation on a World Level 1998-2005. Geneva/Grand Rapids: WCC/Eerdmans, 2007.
Gros, J., T. F. Best and W. G. Rusch. Growth in Agreement II: Reports and Agreed Statements of Ecumenical Co-operation on a World Level 1982-1998. Geneva/Grand Rapids: WCC/Eerdmans, 2007.
John Paul II. Ut Unum Sint . Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995.
Kinnamon, M. Truth in Communion . Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997
Meyer, H. and L. Vischer. Growth in Agreement: Reports and Agreed Statements of Ecumenical Co-operation on a World Level. Geneva: Paulist/WCC, 1984.
Neill, S. and R. Rouse (eds). A History of the Ecumenical Movement 1517 – 1948. 3 vols. 3rd ed. London: SPCK, 1986-2004.
Sagovsky, N. Ecumenism, Christian Origins and the Practice of Communion . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Williamson, R. Stages on the Way, Documents from Bi-lateral Conversations in Australia . 2 vols. Melbourne: JBCE, 1994 & Paulist, 2007
Unit Fields
Unit Level
