Important notice
While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the information given below, it is the personal responsibility of each student to check the current ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook, copies of which may be found in the Library or online at www.actheology.edu.au
It is very important that students plan their time carefully to ensure that reading and especially assignments receive adequate attention and so as to prevent a bottleneck of work at the end of the semester.
It is very important that all quoted material in assignments be properly footnoted and acknowledged. The attention of students is drawn to the section in the current ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook, headed “Academic Misconduct”. Failure to comply with the standards required will incur penalties as outlined in the ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook.
The attention of students is also drawn to the section in the current ACT Undergraduate or Postgraduate Handbook, headed “Guidelines for Essays.” (see also the QTC Student Handbook) All essays should comply with these standards.
Information about this unit
Unit description
The primary goal this course is to introduce students to the life and thought of Martin Luther, and thus to familiarize them with his importance in the shaping of Modern Protestantism.
The Devil’s Bagpipes!
This formal titles of these units CH789-4 and CH789-6 are
Church History Seminar Unit: Martin Luther: His Life and Theology.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will:
Know and understand:
· The major aspects, concerns and implications of a historical topic, theme, or significant figure.
· The nature and operation of advanced research skills in relation to the history of Christianity.
· The pastoral and personal implications of this topic/theme/figure.
· The significance of this topic/theme/figure for Christianity today.
· Historiographical interpretations of the topic/theme, including both influential classic treatments and contemporary accounts.
Be able to:
· Analyse the impact of the social, political, religious and cultural context on Christian beliefs, practices and movements.
· Evaluate historical evidence using primary and secondary sources.
· Argue for an analytical evidence-based argument or narrative.
· Evaluate historiographical and theological interpretations of the topic/theme/figure.
Be in a position to:
· Deepen and develop their theological understanding with perspectives from the topic/theme/figure.
· Apply perspectives from the topic/theme/figure to current issues in ministry and the contemporary world.
· Conduct a focused short research exercise of their own in relation to some aspect of a topic/theme/figure
How this Unit Contributes to the Course
This unit is taught at the MA (700) level, and if successfully completed is worth 4 or 6 credit points towards the Australian College of Theology’s Master of Arts (Theology) and Master of Arts (Ministry) courses.
QTC offers a regular series of MA units which provide the opportunity to complete the MA (Theology), as well as selected units towards the MA (Ministry). Further details regarding the MA in Theology at QTC are available at: http://www.qtc.edu.au/master-of-masters-theology/. It may be possible for students to apply the credit gained from completing this unit to MA-level qualifications beyond the Australian College of Theology (ACT). Students should contact the relevant non-ACT provider for details.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
Students need to have previously completed the equivalent of at least three years full-time theological study previously, such as a BTh, MDiv, BD, BMin or equivalent, from the Australian College of Theology, Moore Theological College, or another recognized provider. Students who are enrolled in the MDiv and have completed 64 credit points may enrol in this unit with the permission of QTC.
The unit is delivered as an ACT MA-level course, coded CH789-4 and CH789-6.
ELIGIBILTY FOR EACH STRAND OF THE UNIT
Students who have an ACT MDiv or ACT BTh (Hons) (or similar AQF Level 8 or 9 qualification) take CH789-4 - worth 4 credit points towards a 32 credit point MA.
Students who have an ACT BTh (or similar AQF Level 7 award) take CH789-6 – worth 6 credit points towards a 48 credit point MA.
If you are already enrolled for an MA under the previous ACT rules, then your course will need to be converted to one of these awards.
Please contact the QTC Registrar if you have any questions about which course or unit is appropriate for you.
The teaching will be the same for both units, but there is more pre-reading and there are longer assessment pieces for CH789-6. Further details are listed in this unit outline.
How this unit is organized & what we expect of you
Students will be expected to attend all lectures, with the lectures being held in Intensive mode: Monday 24 July – Friday 28 July 2017.
The unit will be taught through 25 teaching hours, with five teaching periods per day for each day of the intensive week. Each teaching day will commence at 9:30am and conclude at 4.00pm.
To complete the unit, students need to attend the intensive classes with Professor Trueman, complete the set pre-reading, and submit both assignments at a satisfactory level. The due dates for submission of the assessment items are listed in this unit outline. Full details regarding study at QTC and on matters such as using the QTC Library and applying for extensions on assessment due dates can be found in the QTC Student Handbook, available on the QTC website.
Teaching staff
LECTURER
Rev Dr Carl R. Trueman holdsthe Paul Woolley Chair of Church History and is professor of church history at Westminster Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, USA.
He has written more than a dozen books, and is currently co-editing with Bruce Gordon the Oxford Handbook of Calvin and Calvinism due in 2017.
Dr Trueman’s academic interests include Reformation church history, includingthe life and work of men like Martin Luther and John Owen.
Education
· PhD, University of Aberdeen, 1991
· MA, St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, 1988
ChurchMinistry
Dr Trueman is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and is Pastor of Cornerstone OPC in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
Teaching and Professional History
· Professor, Westminster Theological Seminary, 2001–present
· Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, Westminster Theological Seminary, 2006–2012
· Editor, Themelios, 1998–2007
· Senior Lecturer in Church History, University of Aberdeen, 1998–2001
· Lecturer in Theology, University of Nottingham, 1993–1998
· Tutorial Assistant in Church History, University of Aberdeen, 1991–1993
MARKER
Mr Mark Baddeley BA, BD, MSt (Oxford), Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology.
P 07 3062 6939
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Prior to the intensive, any questions about the unit in general should be addressed in the first instance to the QTC Registrar, Ted Brennan at:
Other Key Contacts
Registrar’s office
Contact the Registrar’s office for any queries about which unit to enrol in next, if you wish to change your enrolment, defer due to illness, family circumstances etc., or request an extension for your assessment (criteria apply).
P 07 3062 6939, extension 2
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Moodle functions and queries
Contact the Registrar or the Assistant Registrar for help if something on Moodle is not working, if you need help using Moodle etc.
P 07 3062 6939, extension 2
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Library/Resources
Contact the Librarian for help with finding resources for your assessment, finding full-text database articles, for help with logging into the library databases and catalogue, to request a chapter of a book or article emailed to you, to request a book posted to you, and for help with how to renew a book for longer or place a hold on a book currently out to another person.
P 07 3062 6939, extension 3
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Unit timetable: topics & teaching and learning activities
SESSION / TOPICMonday 24 July
9.30am – 4.00pm / The Changing Face of Martin Luther, Priest, Prophet, Hero
Tuesday 25 July
9.30am – 4.00pm / Babylon the Great
Wednesday 26 July
9.30am – 4.00pm / Freedom and Bondage
Thursday 27 July
9.30am – 4.00pm / Sacraments Old and New
Friday 28 July
9.30am – 4.00pm / Controversies Past and Present
Assessments
Pre-Intensive Reading
The Pre-Reading is to be completed by Sunday 23 July 2017.
Students will be required to sign a declaration that the Pre-Reading has been completed.
All students should have copies of Robert Kolb’s Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith (OUP) and Timothy Lull (ed.) Martin Luther: Basic Theological Writings (Fortress). They should make sure to have the THIRD Edition of Lull as this is the one from which the page references for the readings have been drawn.
PRE-READING FOR STUDENTS OF CH789-4:
For CH789-4, the required pre-reading is 300 pages:
Primary Reading:
Lull, Timothy. Martin Luther : Basic Theological Writings. 3rd Ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2012. Pages 3-25, 138-170, 196-223, 403-427.
Secondary Reading:
Kolb, Robert. Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
PRE-READING FOR STUDENTS OF CH789-6:
For CH789-6, the required pre-reading is 400 pages:
Primary Reading:
Lull, Timothy. Martin Luther : Basic Theological Writings. 3rd Ed. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2012. Pages 3-25, 53-70, 138-170, 196-223, 262-279, 322-340, 363-383, 392-402, 403-427, 497-503.
Secondary Reading:
Kolb, Robert. Martin Luther: Confessor of the Faith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
The Pre-Reading is to be completed by Sunday 23 July 2017.
CH789-4 (4 Credit Point Unit) Post-Intensive Assessments
Assessments are submitted online via Moodle
In order to pass the unit, you must submit all assessment pieces and attain a mark of at least 50% for the unit as a whole.
Unless an extension has been applied for and granted in accordance with the Late Penalty Policy found in the QTC Handbook, where a student submits an assessment past its due date, the assessment marks will be reduced at the rate of 3% of the total possible marks for the Assessment item per calendar day, up to 14 days late.
Your essays must also be within 10% of the required word limit and your ability to meet this requirement will also be taken into account in determining your mark.
ASSESSMENT TASKS / DESCRIPTIONEssay 1
3500 words
Worth 50%
of the total marks.
Due Date:
Friday
15 September 2017 / A 3500 word essay on ONE of the following topics::
1. How significant is the Heidelberg Disputation for understanding Luther’s Reformation theology?
2. Why did Luther and Zwingli fail to reach agreement at Marburg in 1529?
3. How did Luther revise the sacramental system of the medieval church in his 1520 treatise, 'On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church'?
4. How did Luther argue for good works, given his understanding of justification by faith?
Essay 2
3500 words
Worth 50%
of the total marks.
Due Date:
Friday
27 October 2017 / A 3500 word Essay on ONE of the following topics:
1. How did Luther’s understanding of grace shape his understanding of the pastoral ministry?
2. Discuss Luther’s theology of the preached Word.
3. How are we to understand the significance of Luther’s anti-Jewish writings?
4. Did Luther believe in baptismal regeneration?
CH789-6 (6 Credit Point Unit) Post-Intensive Assessments
Assessments are submitted online via Moodle
In order to pass the unit, you must submit all assessment pieces and attain a mark of at least 50% for the unit as a whole.
Unless an extension has been applied for and granted in accordance with the Late Penalty Policy found in the QTC Handbook, where a student submits an assessment past its due date, the assessment marks will be reduced at the rate of 3% of the total possible marks for the Assessment item per calendar day, up to 14 days late.
Your essays must also be within 10% of the required word limit and your ability to meet this requirement will also be taken into account in determining your mark.
ASSESSMENT TASKS / DESCRIPTIONEssay 1
4000 words
Worth 50%
of the total marks.
Due Date:
Friday
15 September 2017 / A 4000 word essay on ONE of the following topics:
1. How significant is the Heidelberg Disputation for understanding Luther’s Reformation theology?
2. Why did Luther and Zwingli fail to reach agreement at Marburg in 1529?
3. How did Luther revise the sacramental system of the medieval church in his 1520 treatise, 'On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church'?
4. How did Luther argue for good works, given his understanding of justification by faith?
Essay 2
4000 words
Worth 50%
of the total marks.
Due Date:
Friday
27 October 2017 / A 4000 word Essay on ONE of the following topics:
1. How did Luther’s understanding of grace shape his understanding of the pastoral ministry?
2. Discuss Luther’s theology of the preached Word.
3. How are we to understand the significance of Luther’s anti-Jewish writings?
4. Did Luther believe in baptismal regeneration?
Guide to Assessments
What are we looking for?
General Remarks
All students are expected to avail themselves of the guidelines for written assignments provided in the ACT Handbook (consult the table of contents) and in the QTC Student Handbook (beginning on page 31).
All written work for this course for this course should conform to the guidelines of the SBL Handbook of Style (with the exception of Australian spelling conventions).
Any Hebrew and Greek cited must be typed in a Unicode font; SBL BibLit is commended as one font covering Hebrew, Greek, and Roman Unicode ranges, but is not required. It is freely available from the SBL website: http://sbl-site.org/educational/BiblicalFonts_SBLBibLit.aspx
The appended bibliography is offered as a beginning point for research in completing assessments for this course; students are expected to engage the works listed there, but not limit themselves to these resources.
In order to pass this unit, you must gain a mark of at least 50% for the unit as a whole. All assignments should be submitted via the QTC Moodle website: http://www.qtc.edu.au/moodle/. Students will be provided with a Moodle account and details of how to access and use this account shortly before the Intensive commences.
Essays
In your Essays it will be critical to engage deeply with primary sources, to be aware as far as possible of what Luther actually said or wrote or did, and to engage with his views, rather than quoting what others have claimed were his actions, opinions, and motivations. Your focus should be very much on what the primary documents are saying, rather than on what scholars have written more recently about the document(s).