Pre-requisites

TH604.306 Faith, Reason and Justice OR MS621.306 Biblical Theology of Mission

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

Unit Description

The unit commences with an introduction to the study of religion. Definitions and functions of religion in society, and the reasons for studying world religions are explored.

Primal and folk religions are studied in terms if their main beliefs and practices and special attention is given their relationship to world religions, new religious movements in primal societies and aboriginal traditional religion. The major world religions including, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are considered. Their history, sacred writings, major beliefs, worldview and practices are examined. The skills that are required to understand and discuss the main features are developed.

The relationship of Christianity to other religions is considered. Emphasis placed upon the similarities and differences and Christianity’s claim to uniqueness in a pluralistic world is examined. The student analyses specific aspects of the major religions and develops skills which enable him/her to describe the similarities and differences between the religions under consideration.

A variety of approaches for engaging non-Christian religions are explored including the role of evangelism, dialogue and contextualisation. The challenges raised by the encounter of Christianity with non-Christian religions is considered in relation to the religious experiences they have in common. Study in this area is related specifically to the need of critically evalutating various approaches to mission and developing a loving, respectful, relational and sympathetic way of engagement.

Teaching Strategies

Teaching strategies include lectures; tutorials; research; cross-cultural visits, class discussion and debates; presentation of instructional material in the form of printed documentation, OHP, DVD, video and audio tape. Students also learn by personal study, preparation of assignments and assessment comments on their work and on-line interaction.


Unit offerings

Online: (Every Year, Semester 2)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.