[version 2023.05]

RC1000 Introduction to Religion and Culture

This course is designed to introduce students to some anthropological approaches to the study of religion. Students will learn not only to appreciate the diversity of religion and its functions in human societies, but also to understand the significance of religion in present and future human societies.

RC2000 Chinese Philosophy and Religions

This course is designed to provide a philosophical understanding of three main religions in China, namely, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Attention will be focused on their ancient and modern aspects.

RC2001 World Religions

A basic course introducing the beliefs and practices of the major world religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religions, Islam, and Judaism.

RC2002 Christianity and Chinese Culture

An introduction to different approaches to understanding Chinese culture, and an attempt to seek ways of dialogue between Christianity and Chinese culture, with the aim of establishing an indigenous theological methodology.

RC2003 Christ and Culture

An introduction to the questions involved in clarifying the relationship between Christ and culture in general, and in the culture in which one is found. Models of this relationship in Scripture and history, as well as some recent approaches, are studied.

RC2004 Understanding Islam

This course is designed to understand Islam in general: its historical background, its main doctrines and practice in daily life and tasawuf (mystic).

RC2005/CP2016 Counseling in Culture

See CP2016.

RC2006 Nationalism, Religion and Identity

Be it Buddhism in Myanmar, Hinduism in India, or Islam in Malaysia, in recent years, there has been a trend of inter-mingling religion, politics and identity, with the result of fostering conflicts in society and causing threats to minority religions. This course analyses the colonial history of identity politics and enables students to apply cultural theory to understand religion and its politics in the new era.

RC3000/NT3001/PT3007 Discipleship in the New Testament

See NT3001.

RC3001 Cults and New Religious Movements

This course deals with cults and new religious movements in Asia and the West which aggressively proselytize, particularly to youths and adults, such as: Soka Gakkai, Children of God, Jesus People, Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.

RC3002 Inter-Religious Dialogue

An introduction to the questions, problems and possibilities related to the encounter between Christians and people of other faiths.

RC3003/DM3005 Theology of Religions

A study of different Christian ways of understanding other religions and Christianity among them, and of their relationships to God, to each other, and to the world.

RC3004/DM3007 Contextual Theology

See DM3007.

RC3005/DM3013 Globalization and Secularization

This course is designed to investigate how secularization has been accelerated and accentuated by globalization since the Enlightenment. The study will mainly focus on how different world religions respond and react to social disruptions produced by secularization and globalization.

RC3006/CE3020 Christian Education in a Changing Era

See CE3020.

RC3007/DM3018 Public Theology

This course is a study of the church’s relation to society and culture. How is the church to navigate this relationship, when society’s purposes are at odds with the mission of the church? On what basis are Christians to navigate being a people of God amidst culture? This course will study theological principles for guiding such an engagement between church and the surrounding society/culture(s).