Fall Course 2023 - 5 weeks

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DESCRIPTION

What does Christianity have to do with politics? Is it possible or even necessary to separate the two? Is Christianity inherently political, or maybe inherently otherworldly? What would it be like to build a Christian social order? We live in a time when these questions, once deemed unseemly for polite company, are again starting to be asked and answered by Catholics and non-Catholics on the public stage. This five-week course begins to give us a basis for thinking about such questions by exploring the history of Christianity’s relationship to politics, or, to frame it differently, as St. Augustine does, between the City of God and the City of Man. To do this, we will structure the class around Andrew Willard Jones’ new book The Two Cities: A History of Christian Politics (Emmaus Road Publishing, 2021). No previous acquaintance with the topic will be assumed. Each class will consist of lecture and discussion based on the book.

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MEETINGS

Session 1: Mondays, Oct 2nd through Oct 30th, 2023, 10:15 am - 11:45 am

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- OR -

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Session 2: Thursdays, Oct 5th through Nov 2nd, 2023, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

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*The same class is repeated during both of these sessions, so take your pick! To register for the class, or for questions, please use the registration form below, indicating which session you’ll plan on attending.

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**The class is free of charge and will meet at Church of the Assumption in St. Paul (room TBA).

 

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS

Week 1 – The Ancient Church (Jones, chapter 2)

Week 2 – The Medieval Church (Jones, chapter 3)

Week 3 – The Early Modern Church (Jones, chapter 4)

Week 4 – The Modern Church (Jones, chapter 5)

Week 5 – The Postmodern Church (Jones, chapter 6)

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READING AND PREPARATION

The book can be purchased here for $30. (If the cost is prohibitive but you’d like to take the class, please let Colin know.) Participants should read as much of the chapter assigned for each as possible. It’s not mandatory to have done so, but lecture will not simply be an overview of the chapter, and discussion will assume that week’s material, and so reading along with the course will enrich the experience. Still, don’t stay home if you get behind!