24    Religion in America
            Historical survey of belief systems and practices of the religions and civil religion of Americans.  Emphasis on the principal denominations and movements within a nd growing out of Judaism and Christianity.  Native American religion, the American form of selected non-Western religions, and larger cult groups studied briefly.
            Offered by Dr. Turner 

 A25    Religions of the World
            Nature of religion and principal features of living religions.  Important ideas and practices of major religions examined in historical and cultural context, with emphasis on the human quest for meaning and integrity.
            Offered by Dr. Britt and Dr. Teipen 

29    Basic Christian Theology
            Introduction to what the Christian community as a whole has believed, taught, and confessed on the basis of Scripture.  The course examines the nature of theology, and its traditional expressions in such topics as teh Trinitarian understanding of God, human sinfulness, reconciliation, and servanthood, and God's relation to the world in creation, providence, and eschaton.
            Offered by Dr. Shelley 

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30    Old Testament Prophets
            Study of the phenomenon of prophecy and the prophets in their historical context, with emphases on teh literary forms of prophetic literature and the social, political, and religious values of the prophets.
            Offered by Dr. Bibb

31    Wisdom Literature
            Study of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and other Wisdom writings of the Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha, and their relationship to other literature, ancient and modern.  Topics include pain and suffering, the origin and nature of evil in a theocentric world, and the nature of the good life.
            Offered by Dr. Bibb and by Dr. Shelley 

32    Jesus and the Gospels
            Exploration of three questions: How and what do we know about the historical Jesus?  What are the Gospel writers saying about Jesus?  How can the reader make sense of Jesus and the Gospels today?
            Offered by Dr. Matthews 

33    Paul's Life and Thought
            Exploration of four questions: How and what can we know about Paul?  What was the message Paul carried throughout the Mediterranean world?  What was Paul fighting for in his letters?  How are Paul's letters relevant for the modern reader?
            Offered by Dr. Matthews 

34    The Pentateuch
            Examination of the literary, historical and religious dimensions of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Topics include the compositional history of the text and the development of ancient Israelite Religion. Special attention given to contemporary issues in interpretation, including feminist, sociological and post-modern approaches to the text.
            Offered by Dr. Bibb 

A36    Geography and Archaeology of the Biblical World
            A travel course to ancient sites of the biblical world and modern centers of Middle East culture, with special attention to archaeological research and discoveries.  Conducted with a companion travel course from another department.
            Rotated by all professors 

38     Women and Religion
            Investigation into the roles of women, feminine images, and women's issues in religion, especially in the Christian tradition.  Exploration of the methods and thinking of feminist scholars in Bible, ethics, theology, etc. and a discussion of contemporary women's spirituality.
            Offered by Dr. Turner 

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40    Church History

A41    Buddhism
            The dotrines, practices, and communal life of the Buddhist religious tradition, as well as a survey of the origin, development, and expansion of Buddhism in its various cultural forms: Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantric.
                Offered by Dr. Britt 

A42    Islam
            An examination of the origins and development of Islam, the world's second largest religious tradition.  Particular attention is given to the formation of Islamic faith and practice as well as contemporary manifestations of Islam in Asia, Africa, and North America.
                Offered by Dr. Teipen 

43    Judaism
            Examination of the development, beliefs and practices of Judaism. Historical and sociological issues related to Judaism's interaction with other cultures, and especially with Christianity, are considered.
            Offered by Dr. Turner 

A44    African Religions
            Introduction to the depth and variety of religious expression in Africa.  The course focuses on three types of religion in Africa -- Traditional, African Islam, and African Christianity -- and explores relations between religious and cultural experience.
            Offered by Dr. Britt 

45    Religious Pluralism
            Study of Christian and non-Christian attitudes toward the plurality of religions. Focus on the variety of theological responses to religious pluralism and their implications for interfaith dialogue. A historical survey of western attitudes toward religious diversity is also undertaken. Readings include both theological and literary works.
            Offered by Dr. Stulting 

46    Religion and Literature
            Interpretation of novels, poems, plays, chiefly modern, with emphasis on religious and moral significance, aiming to illumine our human pilgrimage and moral quests.  Recent texts have included works by Donne, Devries, Eliot, Gaines, Wiesel, Lewis, O'Conner, Potok, and Paton.
            Offered by Dr. Rutledge and Dr. Stulting 

47    Christian Classics
            Interpretation of texts expressing the devotional tradition of Christian faith, with emphasis on their time, place, and ecclesiastical tradition, as well as the perennial human issues they raise.  Recent courses have included works by Augustine, Julian, Day, a Kempis, Luther, Bunyan, Ellul, Woolman, and Bonhoeffer
            Offered by Dr. Rutledge 

48    Christian Thought
            Developments in Christian thinking through periods of crucial change and formulation.  The focus is either upon the Protestant and Catholic Reformations or upon Enlightenment and early Romanticism.  Attention to such issues as interpretation of Scripture and the relation of head and heart in faith
            Offered by Dr. Grieser 

A49 Hinduism
            An exploration of Hindi beliefs and practies with an emphasis on major religious themes that link classical traditions with popular piety.
            Offered by Dr. Knight 

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50    Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism
            Study of the developement, beliefs, institutions, and public and private practices of Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism. Relationship of these traditions to each other and to Protestantism also examined.
            Offered by Dr. Turner 

54     Faith and Ethics
            Study of human values and conduct in light of the basic affirmations of Christian faith.  Topics include the nature of moral reasoning, the use of the Bible in Christian ethics, the relationship between religious faith and moral life, and contemporary ethical problems.
            Offered by Dr. Shelley

  55    The Nature of Ministry
            Examination of the biblical and historical background of ministry, areas of contemporary ministry, and personal and social motivation for ministry.
            Offered by Dr. Crowe Tipton 

75    Senior Seminar
            Rotated by all professors 

80    Directed Independent Study
            Prerequisites: agreement with instructor and approval of written prospectus by department chair prior to registration. 

Our department offers a wide range of courses from introductory courses on the nature of religion and biblical literature to more specialized topics for majors and other interested Furman students. Recent additions to our curriculum include "Religious Pluralism," "Critical Issues in the Study of Biblical Literature: Feminist Interpretation," and "Critical Issues in the Study of Biblical Literature: Text and Cannon;" "Religion and the Environment," "Native American Religion," and "The Pentateuch."