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H540 Christianity as Cross-Cultural Movement: Christian History and Presence

H540 Christianity as Cross-Cultural Movement: Christian History and Presence

The course will look at Christianity in its different cultural, geographical and historical expressions from its rise as a movement from within the Jewish context, to its Hellenistic, Coptic, Western and now global manifestations. The serial, rather than progressive expansion of Christianity will be highlighted. Students will be introduced to the distinctive features of the different cultural expressions of the Christian faith. The rise and expansion of Islam and the ways it affected the trajectory of Christian history and thought will be examined. Similarly, the demographic shift of Christianity from the global north to the global south will be covered through a survey of the histories of Christian missions, with particular attention to indigenous agency in the translation and appropriation of Christianity in Africa, Asia and Latin America.