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840:343 Religion and Politics

Spring 2002

Professor H. Obayashi

Tu./Thur.5th Hck.127

Textbooks:              Kenneth D. Wald., Religion and Politics in the United States,

Congressional Quarterly, Inc.

Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society, Scribner’s.

*Walter Rauschenbusch, A Theology for the Social Gospel.

David Chidester, Patterns of Power: Religion and Politics in American Culture.

*Rosemary Reuther, The Radical Kingdom.

Requirements:                A mid-term and the final are scheduled, both of which are going to be essay exams.  In addition a paper is expected at the end of the semester, of which the format, nature and the deadline will be announced in class.   Participation in this class and keeping up with readings are essential in this course, which will count toward the final grade.  Those texts above and below marked with an asterisk are on reserve at both or either Alexander (College Avenue Campus) and Mable Smith (Douglass Campus) Libraries.

                COURSE SCHEDULE

I.     The Biblical Background

                1.    Mosaic Concept of the Covenant as a Principle of Community

Max Weber, The Ancient Israel. (not on reserve)

*Max Weber, Sociology of Religion 46-79.

*Cecil Roth, History of the Jews, 1-46.

*Bernard J. Bamberger, The Story of Judaism, 1-31. (Douglass Library only)

*Cornelius Loew, Myth, Sacred History and Philosophy, 99-117.

                2.    Prophets: Their Ideas of Justice, Peace and the Well-being of the People

* R. H Charles, Eschatology, 82-156.

Max Weber, The Sociology of Religion, 46-117.

Jacques Ellul, The Politics of God and the Politics of Man.

Cecil Roth, ibid., 47-69.

Bamberger, ibid., 32-55.

*Roland Bainton, Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace, 17-52.

*Loew, ibid., 117-181.

                3.    Eschatology and Apocalypse: Images and Symbols in the Envisionings of the Future.

* R. H. Charles, Eschatology, 168-246.

*Robert H. Pfeiffer, History of the New Testament Times, 1-90.

G. Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English.

Roth, ibid., 70-132.

Bamberger, ibid., 59-104.

                4.    The Christian Origin: Political Implications of the Life and Teachings of Jesus.

*John Yoder, The Politics of Jesus.

Ernst Kaseman, Jesus Means Freedom.

David M. Rhoads, Israel in Revolution: 6-74 C.E.

                5.    Marxist Interpretation of the Christian Origin

*Frederick Engels, “On the History of Early Christianity,” in Marx & Engels

                                  on Religion, 316-347.

Sanai Hashimoto, A Man Named Jesus. (not available in English trans.)

II.     European Background

                1.    Augustine: Church and State, “The City if God,” Just War.

Frederick W. Dillistone, “The Anti-Donatist Writings,” in Roy W.

Battenhouse, ed., A Companion to the Study of St. Augustine.

*Williston Walker, A History of The Christian Church, 160-168.

                2.    Medieval Issues in Church and State: Simony, Nicholaitanism and Lay Investiture.

Kenneth Wald, Religion and Politics in the United States, 7-14

*Walker, ibid., 179-214.

                3.    Sectarian Movements in the Middle Ages: Monasticism, Hussite Rebellion,

Apocalypticism of Joachim Flore, Cathari, Waldensians, Savonarola.

Walker, ibid., 219-238, 252-274.

                4.    Church and State During the Reformation Times.

Roland Bainton, The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century.

Bertram Bornkam, Luther’s World of Thought.

Jaroslav Peliken, Obedient Rebels.

Wilhelm Pauck, The Heritage of the Reformation.

J. T. McNeil, The History and Character of Calvinism.

Francois Wendel, Calvin.

5.The Radical Reformation: Its Socio-Political Outlook.

George H. Williams, The Radical Reformation.

Rufus Jones, The Spiritual Reformers of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.

*Roland Bainton, Hunted Heretic: The Life and Death of Michael Servetus.

Library of Christian Classics, Spiritual and Anabaptist Writers.

*Rosemary Reuther, The Radical Kingdom.

III.     Religion and Politics in America

                1.        Puritan Theocracy in America

*Kenneth D. Wald, Religion and Politics in the United States, 42-59.

David Chidester, Patterns of Power: Religion and Politics in American Culture, 1-48.

*William Sweet, The Story of Religion in America, 1-82.

*Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

                2.        Religion and The Politics in the New Republic

Wald, ibid., 59-72

Wald, 73-97; 97-123.

*Marvin E. Frankel, Faith and Freedom

 Chidester, 49-80; 80-107.

                3.       The First Amendment Religion Clauses

Wald, ibid., 73-87                               

                4.    Religion and the Supreme Court     

Wald, ibid., 87-123

                5.    Religion and American Public Policy

Wald, ibid., 124-144

Wald, ibid.,  145-188

                6.    Evangelicalism, Social Gospel and Fundamentalism

*Winthrop Hudson, Religion in America, 59-82.

*Peter Williams, America’s Religions, 166-174.

George Mardsen, Fundamentalism and American Culture.

Washington Gladden, Social Christianity.

*Walter Rauschenbusch, A Theology for the Social Gospel.     

                7.    Religion and Minority Groups: Native Americans, Black Americans and

Immigrant Americans

Chidester, 110-138; 139-164; 165-191.

*H. Richard Niebuhr, Social Sources of Denominationalism.

                8.    Christian Realism Looks at Religion and Politics

Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society

                9.    The Religious Dimension of American Political Behavior

   Wald, ibid., 169-188

   Wald, ibid., 188-216

             10.    Some Issues of Religion and Politics in Israel and Moslem Countries

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This page was revised 1 July 2001