Course Syllabus

Course title: HT 521 Reformation Church

Course description: This course on the theology of the Continental Reformation will begin with a
survey of the political, social, ecclesiastical and intellectual developments of
the late middle ages that prepared the way for the theological and ecclesiasti-
cal changes of the Reformation of the 16
th
century. Special emphasis will be
given to the lives and theology of Luther, Zwingli and Calvin. Attention will
be given to such doctrines as the knowledge of God, the authority of
Scripture, man as a sinner, predestination, justification, the atonement, the
law and the gospel, the church, and the sacraments. Efforts will be made to
capture the brilliance and power of the writing and preaching of these great
men of God who were so mightily used to turn the world upside down.
Course instructor: Mark Sarver has been a pastor since 1980 and currently serves as one of the
pastors of Albany Baptist Church in Bethlehem, New York. He holds a
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, studied
at Baptist Bible School of Theology, and is a graduate of Trinity Ministerial
Academy, where he also taught as the professor of historical theology from
1990 to 1997. He and his wife, Juanita, have two children.
Course credit: 3 credit-hours
Course requirements: Student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:
(1) Lectures The student must listen to all 36 lectures by Pastor Sarver on the theology of
the Reformation either live or via audio/video format.
(2) Reading Complete the following assigned reading [approx. 1,000 pages]
Preliminary Reading
1) Unit One of the lecture notes: General Introduction to the
Reformation. Read the entirety of this introduction before listening
to the first lecture [approx. 150 pp.].
2) The entirety of Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: a Life of Martin Luther
(Abingdon Press) [approx. 335 pp.].
If you prefer, you may substitute reading Merle DAubigne, History of
the Reformation of the 16
th
Century, books 2-7 (pages 49-256 in the
small print, one volume Robert Carter edition of 1849; or volume one,
page 149 through volume two, page 297 of the five volume American
Tract Society set) [either 208 double column pages or 578 small pages].
Read as much as possible before the first lecture.
Concurrent Reading
3) Readings from the lecture notes assigned during the course of the
lectures [approx. 50 pp.].
4) Either of the following Calvin biographies:
Robert Reymond, John Calvin: His Life and Influence (Christian Focus)
[approx. 160 pp.], or THL Parker, John Calvin (Lion Publishing)
[approx. 194 pp.]. Parker is the standard work, but is currently out of
print. If you read Parker, read introduction and text; exclude preface and
appendixes.
5) John Calvin (and Jacopo Sadoleto), A Reformation Debate (Baker Book
House), pp. 49-94, Calvins Reply to Sadoleto [46 pp]. Calvins
Reply to Sadoleto is also found in the Library of Christian Classics
volume entitled, Calvin: Theological Treatises.
6) Ford Lewis Battles, trans., John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Religion (Westminster Press, 1:35-237) book one [203 pp.]. Note:
exclude introduction and prefaces. Presbyterian Publishing also prints
this edition. While the Battles translation is recommended, the
Beveridge or Allen translations may be read instead.
If you have already read book one of the Institutes, you may substitute
reading an equivalent number of pages you have not read from the
Institutes or J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, trans., Martin Luther, The
Bondage of the Will (Revell, 1957 or Ambassador-Emerald reprint,
1990), pp. 13-272 [260 pp.].
7) Lecture notes of Sam Waldron on the Amyraldian controversy (to be
supplied) [approx. 20 pp.].
Other reading on Reformation church history may be substituted for credit,
but the instructor must authorize it beforehand.
(3) Final Exam There will be two examinations. The midterm exam will cover the introduc-
tion to the Reformation and the theology of Martin Luther. The final exam
will be based on the theology of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin.
Instructions will be given concerning how to prepare for these exams. The
student should direct questions to Pastor Sarver either via phone (518-283-
7926) or e-mail (mjctsarver@earthlink.net).
Course grading: Lectures and reading = 10% / Midterm = 45% / Final = 45%