Christianity and Culture

Christianity and Culture is a three-course sequence which covers the world and content of the Bible and explores its continuing, multi-faceted relationship with culture. Students will learn not only what it means to live a life of faith, but also will learn about the foundations upon which Christianity has been built. Students will study the historical, socio-political, and cultural contexts of the Old and the New Testament in the first two courses in the sequence. In the third, REL 301, students will study the interrelationship between Christianity and culture. Topics for REL 301 will vary and may include such diverse focuses as medicine, literature, ecology, law, racial issues, and more.

Courses which fulfill the Christianity and Culture requirement:

REL 101 Old Testament in Context (3 units)

Literary, historical, and theological study of the Old Testament writings, with attention to their origins in the ancient Near Eastern world and their subsequent influence.

REL 102 New Testament in Context (3 units)

Literary, historical, and theological study of the New Testament writings, with attention to their origins in the Early Jewish and Greco-Roman world and their subsequent influence. Prerequisite: REL 101

REL 301 Christianity and Culture (3 units)

A study of ways in which Christianity shapes such aspects of culture as art, literature, music, medicine, law, secularization, ecology, racial and ethnic issues, and education, and ways in which these, in turn, influence Christian life and faith. Prerequisite: REL 102

Students may also take PHIL 527/REL 527 to fulfill the requirement for REL 301.

PHIL 527/REL 527 Philosophy of Religion (4)

A study of philosophical perceptions of God, religious experience, revelation, faith and reason, religious language, religion and ethics, evil, and death and eschatology.