Church in Anglican History, Theology, and Practice

It’s common for people to remind us that “church” is more than just a building or an event that takes place on Sundays. So what are Anglican Christians actually referring to when they talk about church? How does our tradition think about and “do” church in ways that are similar to other Christian communities and ways that are special? What key conversations are people having about our own church today and how can we participate in them? These are some of the questions we will address in this course as we investigate Anglican ideas about and practices of “church” in their historical and theological dimensions. The course will provide students with the tools and vocabulary they need for a deeper understanding of and involvement in both shaping and being church in an Anglican way in their own time and place. Students will bring their specific backgrounds, interests, and concerns to bear in online discussions and writing assignments designed to acquaint them more deeply with this often beautiful, sometimes frustrating, but always wonderful gift we call “church.”

Instructor: Dr. Scott MacDougall

Scott MacDougall received his M.A. in theology from the General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in 2007 and his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Fordham University in 2014. His research centers on ecclesiology and eschatology. He is interested in the difference a robust theological imagination of the future makes in how Christian community is lived out, both in the church itself and in the wider world. His first book, “More Than Communion: Imagining an Eschatological Ecclesiology,” was published in 2015 as volume 20 of Bloomsbury–T&T Clark’s Ecclesiological Investigations series. MacDougall has also published several articles and reviews and has contributed to online publications such as Religion Dispatches and the Huffington Post’s Religion section.