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The History of Christianity and Social Change: An Introduction (TEL)

Christian History and Social Change (TEL)

Partner Pacific School of Religion
Learning Pillar Theological Imagination
Rigor Level Medium
This course is one part of nine in the Theological Education for Leadership (TEL) Learning Path offered by PSR.  It is one quarter of the full-term course of the same name and is considered the introduction to the introductory overview of Christian History.  The focus is on the various ways in which Christians have worked to effect social change for the common good in times of societal, economic, political, environmental, and religious change from the first century of the Common Era to the present.  You will journey this historical scope through the lens of self, other, creation and God/the Divine.

Learning Objectives

In this TEL course, you will learn:
  1. Expand knowledge of the historical evolution of Christianity.
  2. Develop a greater understanding of self, other, creation, divine through Christian History.
  3. Identify and critically analyze primary and secondary sources about people and events in the history of
    Christianity.

Course Components

Christian History and Social Change

  • The Self in the History of Christianity and Social Change

    61
    5 Minutes
    Assignment
    Lesson Locked

  • The Other in the History of Christianity and Social Change

    62
    10 Minutes
    Assignment
    Lesson Locked

  • What is Creation and Who Am I in this Creation?

    63
    10 Minutes
    Assignment
    Lesson Locked

  • Who is God in my Life?

    Course Tiles (5)
    10 Minutes
    Assignment
    Lesson Locked

Features and Benefits

This area is dedicated to highlight the features and benefits of the course, providing potential students with compelling reasons to enroll.

How This Equips Faith Leaders

This section is dedicated to explaining how the course equips faith leaders with necessary tools and insights.

Christian History and Social Change (TEL)

Taught by Dr. Bernard Schlager

This course examines how Christians have pursued social change for the common good from the first century to the present, across shifting societal, economic, political, environmental, and religious landscapes. Students will explore this history through the interconnected lenses of self, other, creation, and God/the Divine, gaining insight into the evolving relationship between faith and justice.

Purchase
Dr. Bernard Schlager

Meet Your Instructor,
Dr. Bernard Schlager

Dr. Bernard Schlager, Associate Professor of Historical & Cultural Studies at Pacific School of Religion, and Executive Director for The Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion (CLGS), received his PhD from Yale University in the history of medieval and Latin American Christianity. He has taught at the University of New Hampshire, Trinity College, Middlebury College, and Yale.

Dr. Schlager’s research interests include queer studies, the history of Christianity, LGBTQ pastoral care, and medieval social and religious history.  He has published numerous articles on ancient church history, medieval hagiography, the history of sexuality, and the history of education. He is co-author with David Kundtz of Ministry Among God’s Queer Folk: LGBTQ Pastoral Care (Second Edition: Cascade Books, 2019); and editor of Mapping New Terrain in Queer Religious Scholarship: Essays in Honor of John Eastburn Boswell (Forthcoming 2025: Routledge).

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