Berkley Center

Designed as an introduction to ecumenism (Christian church unity) and its relationship to Protestant black churches, this class examines the mosaic of the American pluralist religious scene by honing in on the different ethical approaches that exist within the ecumenical movement; and it engages different academic and theological worlds by building bridges that expose avenues for communication and understanding to groups of people who have histories of misunderstanding. Emphasizing the ecumenical experiences of black Anglican, Methodist, and Pentecostal Christians, students will investigate what prompts black churches to engage in ecumenical activity with the very denominations from which they broke away and the differences in the theological and ethical approaches to ecumenism between black and white Christians. This class begins with the history of ecumenism and ends with an examination of the ecumenical activity in black churches today. This course (THEO 049) was taught by Beverly Goines as a Doyle Seminar in spring 2021. Please refer to the current course catalog for an up-to-date description of the course.