The History of Christianity and Social Change: An Introduction (TEL)
Instructor: Dr. Bernard Schlager | Partner: Pacific School of Religion (PSR)
Learning Pillar: Theological Imagination | Rigor Level: Medium
Welcome
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:
Expand knowledge of the historical evolution of Christianity.
Develop a greater understanding of self, other, creation, divine through Christian History.
Identify and critically analyze primary and secondary sources about people and events in the history of
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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