Instructor: Antony Alumkal (He/Him)
Office Phone: 303-765-3131
Email: aalumkal@iliff.edu
Course Description: This course compares liberal and evangelical forms of Protestantism in the United States, drawing on both scholarly analysis and popular works. Topics of focus include interpretations of the Bible, race, gender, politics, and science.
Click link below for the draft course syllabus:
AlumkalIST3085Liberal&EvangelicalSpring22Draft3.doc
The course aims to introduce students to the following:
Bolz-Weber, Nadia. 2019. Shameless: A Case for Not Feeling Bad about Feeling Good (about Sex). New York: Convergent. Borg, Marcus J. 2003. The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith. San Francisco: HarperSanFranciso. Evans, Christopher. 2010. Liberalism without Illusions: Renewing an American Christian Tradition. Waco: Baylor University Press. Marsden, George. M. 1991. Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Warren, Rick. 2002. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Grand Rapids: Zondervan. (Note: Feel free to use a later edition of the book, but make sure not to buy one of the companion books like The Purpose Driven Life Journal. Used copies start at $0.01 + shipping on Amazon.) Alumkal, Antony. 2004. “American Evangelicalism in the Post-Civil Rights Era: A Racial Formation Theory Analysis.” Sociology of Religion 65:195-213. Alumkal, Antony. 2012. “Racial Justice in the Protestant Mainline: Liberalism and Its Limits.” Pp. 275-298 in Faith and Race in American Political Life, edited by Robin Jacobson and Nancy Wadsworth. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. Alumkal, Antony. 2012. “Strategic Frame Ambivalence: Intelligent Design and Reparative Therapy Navigate the Worlds of Religion and Science.” Paper presented at the American Sociological Association, Denver, CO. Balmer, Randall. 1993. Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America. New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 2 Gallagher, Sally. 2004. “The Marginalization of Evangelical Feminism.” Sociology of Religion 65: 215-237. Marti, Gerardo and Gladys Ganiel. 2014. The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press. Introduction. Tinker, Tink. 2013. “Why I Do not Believe in a Creator.” Pp. 167-179 in Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice, and Life Together, edited by Steve Heinrichs. Waterloo, Ontario: Herald Press. Alumkal, Antony. 2022. “Why John Shelby Spong Was Not a Progressive Christian Voice.” Broadview. https://broadview.org/john-shelby-spong/ Cantwell, Christopher D. 2021. "How the Study of Evangelicalism Has Blinded Us to the Problems in Evangelical Culture.” Religion Dispatches. https://religiondispatches.org/how-the-study-of-evangelicalism-has-blinded-us-to-the-problems-in-evangelical-culture/ Everhart, Ruth. 2017. “A Pastor’s #MeToo Story: When the Church Silences Women and Protects Abusers” Christian Century 134:22-25. https://www.christiancentury.org/article/first-person/pastors-metoo-story# Little, Anita. 2017. “A Progressive Christian Conference with an All-White Lineup: What Could Go Wrong?” Religion Dispatches. http://religiondispatches.org/a-progressive-christian-conference-with-an-all-white-lineup-what-could-go-wrong/ Shoemaker, Terry. 2021. “White Gen X and Millennial Evangelicals Are Losing Faith in the Conservative Culture Wars.” The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/white-gen-x-and-millennial-evangelicals-are-losing-faith-in-the-conservative-culture-wars-162407
Online and Classroom Conduct The course should involve a free exchange of ideas, which means you are welcome to express your viewpoints and to disagree with the viewpoints of the instructor or your fellow students. This should always be done in a way that shows respect for the other people involved in the course. If you are not sure how to disagree without coming across as disrespectful, try saying, “I would like to respectfully disagree with that.” Many students like saying, “Let me push back on that…” which also works. Inappropriate posts (e.g., airing personal grievances instead of answering the assignment question) will be deleted. Lectures Each week there will be a written lecture (Word file) posted on Canvas along with a short video providing additional information (commenting on the previous week, walking you through the week ahead). I normally record the video on Sunday night, and then insert the video on the next day’s (Monday) assignment page in Canvas.
Discussion Posts: 30% Gathering Days Participation: 20% Final Paper: 50% Students may take the course pass/fail if they request this option by email during the first two weeks of class. You do not need to provide an explanation for why you are choosing this option. My assumption is that students in a masters program can be expected to produce above average academic work. Therefore, the modal grade I assign is B+. A paper will earn a B+ if it 1) fulfills all of the requirements of the assignment and 2) demonstrates that the student has a solid (though not necessarily flawless) understanding of the concepts in the course readings and lectures. A paper will earn a grade higher than a B+ if it fulfills the assignment and demonstrates exceptional insight into the course concepts. A paper will earn a grade of B or B- if there are minor to moderate shortcomings in either fulfilling the assignment or demonstrating understanding of course concepts. Grades below B- are reserved for papers with major shortcomings in either area.
Date | Day | Details | |
Mar 29, 2022 | Tue | Course Introduction; American Evangelicalism | due by 05:58AM |
Mar 29, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 1 | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 05, 2022 | Tue | American Evangelicalism; American Liberal Protestantism | due by 05:58AM |
Apr 05, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 2 | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 07, 2022 | Thu | Zoom Meeting 1 | due by 11:00PM |
Apr 12, 2022 | Tue | American Liberal Protestantism | due by 05:58AM |
Apr 12, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 3 | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 19, 2022 | Tue | Popular Evangelicalism | due by 05:58AM |
Apr 19, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 4 | due by 05:59AM |
Apr 28, 2022 | Thu | Gathering Days Readings--Popular Liberal Christianity | due by 07:00PM |
Apr 28, 2022 | Thu | Gathering Days Participation | due by 11:00PM |
May 03, 2022 | Tue | Recovery from Gathering Days--No Reading | due by 05:58AM |
May 10, 2022 | Tue | The Emerging/Emergent Church | due by 05:58AM |
May 10, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 5 | due by 05:59AM |
May 17, 2022 | Tue | Race and Gender in American Protestantism | due by 05:58AM |
May 17, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 6 | due by 05:59AM |
May 20, 2022 | Fri | Zoom Meeting 2 | due by 02:00PM |
May 24, 2022 | Tue | Umbrella Groups; Christian Right Pseudoscience | due by 05:58AM |
May 24, 2022 | Tue | Discussion 7 | due by 05:59AM |
Jun 04, 2022 | Sat | Final Paper Due | due by 05:59AM |