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THE 2210: PERSPECTIVES ON THE CHURCH - In Person Edition

St. John’s University, Queens Campus, Fall 2024

  • Section 73158, Mon and Thu, 12:15 - 1:40pm, SJH 305

Dr. Matthew Lewis Sutton

Associate Professor of Systematic Theology

Office: St. John’s University, Queens Campus, SJH B20–27

Student Hours: 8:30 - 9:00am; 1:45 - 2:45pm Mon and Thu, or appt.

718.990.5052 | suttonm@stjohns.edu | doctorsutton.net

Your Course Website: doctorsutton.net/the2210

Undergraduate Bulletin: “Prerequisite: THE 1000C. The theology of the Christian community: its Scriptural warrants and history, issues such as: the role of the Church in salvation, the relation between the local and universal Church, Vatican II, ecumenism, authority. Credit: 3 semester hours.”

Sacred Texts & Tradition Core Options: The second theology course, selected from a group of offerings called Sacred Texts and Traditions, builds on the foundation of historical analysis and critical exegesis of theological developments and faith expressions in the first theology course. All sections of the second theology course draw on disciplines such as history and literary analysis. Students will demonstrate an ability to critically interpret religious traditions and texts as both historically embedded and always-evolving responses to the experience of the transcendent in human life.

Core Learning Goals:

  • Mission & Values (MV)
  • Global and Intercultural Appreciation (GIA)
  • Applications of Intellectual Curiosity (IC)

Core Learning Outcomes:

  • Analyze the sacred and foundational texts, beliefs, and practices of at least one religious tradition. (MV)
  • Evaluate primary sources in historical and contemporary contexts in theology or religious studies, noting their continuity and disjunction. (IC)
  • Analyze the intersections between religion and contemporary issues, including theological, social, political, economic, or cultural. (GIA)

Department Learning Outcome:

  • Analyze one or more contemporary religious traditions from the standpoint of religious studies or other relevant related disciplines.

My course provides the student with a Christian theological encounter of the mystery of the Church with particular attention to the Church’s foundations in the Old and New Testaments as well as the contemporary situation of the Church in the Postmodern Age. The student will see that, for Christians, the Church is the essential assembly where one encounters the God revealed in Jesus Christ and encounters each other as his people formed for him. The student will also see that these beliefs about the Church affects how Christians interpret the world, the human person, and culture. In addition, the student will be challenged to evaluate the future of the Church in the twenty-first century, particularly through a deep study of the Second Vatican Council, current ecumenical dialogue between the churches, and challenges and persecutions of Christian churches occurring today.

Course Texts: Required:

Purchased by Student

  • Bible, must be an appropriate translation for academic work, such as the RSV, NRSV, NAB, NABre, NIV, ESV, NKJV. (recommended translation The Ignatius Bible (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition). Second Edition. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780898708349 Paperback or Kindle. If you have questions, see me.
  • Norman Tanner, ed. Vatican II: The Essential Texts. Image, 2012. ISBN: 978-0307952806 Paperback or Kindle
  • Philip Jenkins. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Third Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780199767465 Paperback or Kindle.
  • John Allen. The Global War on Christians: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian Persecution. New York: Image, 2016. ISBN: 978-0770437374 Paperback or Kindle
  • Pope Francis. The Joy of the Gospel: Evangelii Gaudium. Vatican City: Vatican, 2013. ISBN: 9780819875051. Online.

Provided by the Professor

  • Barron, Robert. Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith. New York: Image, 2011. Selections.
  • Benedict XVI. What is Christianity?: The Last Writings. Edited by Eli Guerrero and Georg Ganswein. Translated by Michael Miller. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-1621646556. Selections.
  • D’Ambrosio, Marcellino. When the Church was Young: Voices of the Early Fathers. Cincinnati: Franciscan, 2014.
  • Hahnenberg, Edward. A concise guide to the Documents of Vatican II. Cincinnati: Franciscan Media, 2007.
  • Hitchcock, James. History of the Catholic Church. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2012. ISBN: 978-1586176648. Selections.
  • Karkkainen, Veli-Matti. An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical, and Global Perspectives. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2002. Selections
  • Thompson, Thomas. “Virgin Mary and Vatican Council II,” in Hilda Grief, Mary: A History of Doctrine and Devotion. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 2009.
  • Weigel, George. To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II. New York: Basic Books, 2022. ISBN: 978-0465094318. Selections.

Course Structure:

Three learning units structure the course. The first unit will be on the Christian Bible depiction of the early Jewish and Christian communities and will explore the foundations of Christianity’s beliefs about the Church. The second will be on the Catholic Church today as seen through the Second Vatican Council and the implications of this council for understanding other Christian denominations and dialogue with non-Christian faiths and communities. The third unit will be on Christian churches today in all of their many manifestations, especially their fascinating growth in the global south. As a final assessment, we will be engaging in current situations of anti-Christian persecutions. These three learning units will have assignments and assessments designed to give you an initial mastery of Christian perspectives about the Church and its dynamic future.

Learning Assessment:

In this course, you can earn 100 points. You earn these points by successfully completing the following:

  • Course Ready Worksheet = 2 points
  • Encountering the Church Assignment Sheets = 48 points (24 assignments of 2 point each)
  • Advanced Assignments: All 5 advanced assignments must be completed successfully for the possibility of an A grade. Completing between 2 and 4 advanced assignments makes an A- possible. Completing 1 advanced assignment makes a B+ possible. Otherwise the highest grade possible is B.
  • Encountering a Church Meeting Paper = 10 points
  • Occasion of Joy Exams = 20 points (2 exams)
  • Occasion of Jubilation Final Research Paper = 20 points

Grading Scale:

A = 100 - 93 points (100 - 93%); A- = 92 - 90 points (92 - 90 %); B+ = 89 - 87 points (89 - 87%); B = 86 - 83 points (86 - 83%); B- = 82 - 80 points (82 - 80%); C+ = 79 - 77 points (79 - 77%); C = 76 - 73 points (76 - 73%); C- = 72 - 70 points (72 - 70%); D+ = 69 - 67 points (69 - 67%); D = 66 - 60 points (66 - 60%); F = 59 - 0 points (59 - 0%)

We are at our best when:

  • We are Here because we are better together.
  • We act with Academic Integrity, which means no plagiarism, no cheating, no damaging of other people’s work, and no assisting someone else’s dishonesty. Plagiarism is the act of appropriating and using the ideas, writings, or works of another person or program as your own without giving proper citation to the person or program who created it. I will follow the university’s procedure for plagiarism and discipline to the highest extent allowable, which can include a failure for this course and the act of plagiarism noted in your academic file. Any further offenses entail suspension or expulsion. Additionally, the course is protected by and compliant with copyright law and intellectual property rights following university policy. As expected of all students, we will be following St. John’s Student Code of Conduct.
  • We are Actively Engaged with each other. As a student, you must participate in class regularly, attentively, and promptly with readings and assignments completed. As a professor, I must be available to you for encouraging and guiding you to excel in your education.
  • You are Responsible for Everything said in class. You are responsible for getting class notes and lectures from another student. Only after you have received and read those notes can you contact me with further questions about the class.
  • We do what is Effective, not what is Popular. We do the hard and real work of growing our understanding. We do not do simple, fancy, or splashy assignments. We’re not interested in fads, but what works in growing young intellectuals that can achieve profound goals. No shortcuts.
  • We use any Digital Devices appropriately during class time such as cell phones, text messaging, smart watches, tablets, or laptops. If you do not follow this policy, you will not be able to earn participation points for the class meeting. If it continues to be a problem, your overall point total will be reduced according to the severity of your lack of engagement.
  • We turn in our Assignments and Papers promptly as directed by the professor. Even if you are absent, you are still responsible for turning in your assignments by the beginning of class or as directed. If your assignment is late, your grade for that assignment will be lowered at least by 10% for each day that it is late. Your grade will continue to be lowered to zero at my discretion until it is submitted.
  • We attend Prepared for all Exams and the Final Cumulative Exam and these should not be missed. If you cannot attend an exam, you must consult me in advance and receive clear approval from me. No make-up exams will be given unless you receive clear approval beforehand or as determined by me. Since the dates of the exams are clearly communicated to you, it is unlikely that you will receive approval.
  • We learn because We Are Human and we desire to know the truth about the divine, the world, and ourselves. We strive for Excellence without Excuses.