Course Description:
Where the Protestants wanted reform, the Radicals wanted separation. This course examines those groups of the Reformation era that sought a complete break from the Catholic Church. Following a topical and historical progression, learners study the beginning of the movement, its development, and its various manifestations. Students gain insight into those tensions between the Radicals and the Reformers that led to the rise of divisions within the church. The goal of the course is to understand more fully the “shifts” that have formed within the history of the church, enabling them to minister more effectively to contemporary church audiences.
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Understand the nature of the movement in the context of the sixteenth century.
- Define the meaning of “radical Christianity” in the context of the Reformation.
- Gain insight into the roots of the modern “Free Church” movement, which is important for a proper understanding of American Christianity.
- Describe the origins of the “historic peace churches.”
- Gain a historical perspective on current ecumenical dialogue within Protestantism.
Course Texts:
Estep, William Roscoe. The Anabaptist Story: An Introduction to Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism. 3rd rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.
Klaassen, Walter, ed. Anabaptism in Outline. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1981.
Ozment, Steven. The Age of Reform 1250-1550: An Intellectual and Religious History of Late Medieval and Reformation Europe. London: Yale University Press, 1980.
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