World Religions: LCGE2356 Fall 2021

Dr. Jeffrey Farmer Hardin 215

Assoc. Professor Church Ministry and Evangelism [email protected]
504-282-4455 ext. 8227

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College prepare servants to walk with
Christ, proclaim His truth, and fulfill His mission.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students will explore the main views and practices of major world religions. Student will learn
the basic tenets of each faith in order that they may gain the ability to discuss each religion and
its corresponding history, practice, and relationship to other faiths.

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the conclusion of the semester, the student will be able to:
1. Articulate the basic tenets of prominent world religions.
2. Compare and contrast the doctrines of non-Christian religions with that of biblical
Christianity.
3. Identify elements of each religion which may help its adherents understand the gospel
of Jesus Christ.

COURSE TEXTS
The following textbook is required:

Courdan, Winfried. Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. 2nd ed.
Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Quizzes: Students will take weekly quizzes covering the readings from the textbook or
submit a reading report, as assigned by the professor. Quizzes are given at the beginning
of each Tuesday class and may not be made up due to absence.
2. Midterm: There will be a midterm October 14. It will cover all of the readings, class
discussions, and lectures during the first half of the semester.

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 3. Research Paper: Students will write an 8-10 page term paper examining the core beliefs
of a world religion and detailing strategies for sharing the gospel with adherents of that
religion (at least two pages). Papers should be written in Turabian format and will be
graded for content, organization, and grammar. Students will submit their topic for
approval by the end of the second week of class. The research paper is due December 2.
4. Final Exam: The final exam will be Dec 7 at noon. The final exam is cumulative.
5. Visit a Worship Service: Each student will visit the worship service of one other major
world religion (i.e. Jewish synagogue, Muslim mosque, etc.) After visiting, write a 2-3
page summary and analysis of the service. In the summary, write about what you
experienced. What were the parts of the service? Did they sing, pray, chant, listen to a
talk from their leader? Did men and women worship together? For the analysis, compare
the service you attended and what you experience at your church. What was the same?
What was different? The point of this assignment is to experience first-hand how other
religions worship and to critically analyze the experience to enhance your interaction
with adherents of other religions.
1. Interviews with Adherents of a World Religion: Each student will complete an interview
with a person who is an adherent to a world religion being studied in the course. After
the interview the student is to write a 2-3 page thoughtful reflection of the experience.
The student may want to include selected significant quotes, a summary paragraph on
each interview, what you learned about the person, what you discovered about yourself
or what you need to learn. Please turn in the raw data/responses to the questions. If the
student is able to interview the person at their place of worship (i.e. Buddhist temple,
Mosque, etc.), the reflection should include the student’s experiences in the place of
worship. Photos would be greatly appreciated.

Interview Guide
The student should ask for the time from the person in order to interview them for a class
assignment with the objective being to simply learn how people see religious things. The
purpose is not to convert the person or even share the gospel message. The purpose is to learn
what people are thinking about religious matters. The interview must be conducted in person
(not over the telephone or online).

Sample request: “I am doing a research project and need your help. My assignment is to learn
how people see religious things. Will you take a few minutes to help me?”

Let them know that their name will not be included in any manner. You can interview people you
know, business people, people in malls or other public places. Please do not interview family
members for this assignment.

Take the approach of a student researching, not a minister evangelizing. Please do not try to
convince them or debate with them; simply record their answers on a notepad. If they ask your
opinion, gracefully decline (because you do not want to influence their answer). After the
interview, if the person asks you to tell them your beliefs, listen to the Holy Spirit and either set
another time to get together for that purpose or go ahead and share. THE POINT, if they feel you
are conning them into a witnessing opportunity, you will not get their true feelings and thoughts.

The following represents questions the student should ask...

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 1. How did you come to practice your religion? Was it the religion of your family, or did
you discover it in your spiritual journey?
2. What aspect of your religion gives you the greatest comfort?
3. Is there anything about your religion that you question or about which you have
doubts?
4. How do you live out your religious beliefs each day?

GRADING SCALE
A: 93 - 100
B: 85 - 92
C: 77 – 84
D: 70 – 76
F: below 70

ASSIGNMENTS
1. Quizzes 20%
2. Midterm 20%
3. Research Paper 20%
4. Worship Service Visit 10%
5. Interview 10%
6. Final Exam 20%

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1 Aug 17 Introduction/Chapter 1 – Religion: Study and Practice

Week 2 Aug 24 Chapter 2 – Judaism
Week 3 Aug 31 Chapters 3 &4 – Islam
Week 4 Sep 7 Chapter 5 – Baha’i
Week 5 Sep 14 Chapter 6 – Zoroastrianism
Week 6 Sep 21 Chapter 7 – Traditional Religions
Week 7 Sep 28 Chapter 8 – Native American Religion
Week 8 Oct 5 Fall Break – No Classes all week
Week 9 Oct 12 Tuesday: Midterm Review, Thursday: Exam
Week 10 Oct 19 Chapter 9 – Hinduism
Week 11 Oct 26 Chapter 10 - Buddhism
Week 12 Nov 2 Chapter 11 - Jainism
Week 13 Nov 9 Chapter 12 - Sikhism
Week 14 Nov 16 Chapter 13 – Chinese Popular Religion
Week 15 Nov 23 Thanksgiving Week, No Classes all week
Week 16 Nov 30 Chapter 14 – Shinto and Japanese Religion
Week 17 Dec 7 Final Exam

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Note: This is a tentative schedule and can be changed at the discretion of the instructor. Any
changes will be discussed in class to give you time to prepare. You are responsible for keeping
up with changes if you miss a class.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

1. Attendance Policy: Leavell College follows the attendance policy as stated in the Leavell
College catalog.

2. Policy for Late Submissions: All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day
assigned. No late assignments will be accepted.

3. Plagiarism Policy: A high standard of personal integrity is expected of all Leavell College
students. Copying another person’s work, submitting downloaded material without
proper references, submitting material without properly citing the source, submitting the
same material for credit in more than one course, and committing other such forms of
dishonesty are strictly forbidden. Although anything cited in three sources is considered
public domain, we require that all sources be cited. Any infraction may result in failing the
assignment and the course. Any infraction will be reported to the Dean of Leavell
College for further action.

4. Classroom and Online Decorum: Each student is expected to demonstrate appropriate

Christian behavior. The student is expected to interact with other students in a fashion
that will promote learning and respect for the opinions of the others in the course. A
spirit of Christian charity is expected at all times. Electronic devices should be used only
for classroom purposes as indicated by the professor.

5. Special Needs: If you need accommodations for a disability, please set up a meeting
with the professor for consideration of any modifications you may need.

6. Emergency Plan: In the event the NOBTS schedule is impacted due to a natural event, go
to the seminary’s website for pertinent information. Class will continue as scheduled
through the Blackboard site. Please note announcements and assignments on the
course’s Blackboard site.

7. Technical Assistance: For general NOBTS technical help, go to www.NOBTS.edu/itc/

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Armstrong, Karen. Islam: A Short History. Revised and Updated. New York: Modern Library, 2002.

Hexham, Irving, Stephen Rose, and John W. Morehead II, eds. Encountering New Religious
Movements: A Holistic Evangelical Approach. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004.

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Hiebert, Paul G., P. Daniel Shaw, and Tite Tienou. Understanding Folk Religion: A Christian
Response to Popular Beliefs and Practices. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999.

Kinsley, David R. Hinduism: A Cultural Perspective. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
1993.

Kohn, Livia. Introducing Daoism. World Religions Series. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Long, Jeffery D. Jainism: An Introduction. New York: I.B. Tauris, 2009.

Mann, Gurinder Sigh, Paul David Numrich, and Raymond B. Williams. Buddhists, Hindus, and
Sikhs in America. Religion in American Life Series. New York: Oxford University Press,
2001.

McLeod, Hew. Sikhism. New York: Penguin, 1997.

Momen, Moojan. The Bahá’i Faith: A Short Introduction. Oxford, England: Oneworld, 1999.

Ono, Sokyo. Shinto: The Kami Way. Rutland, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 1962.

Rutherford, Leo. Shamanism. Principles Series. San Francisco: Thorsons, 1996.

Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog. 5th ed. Downers Grove, IL:
IVP Academic, 2009.

Tennent, Timothy C. Christianity at the Religious Roundtable: Evangelicalism in Conversation with

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.

Van Rheenen, Gailyn. Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts. Pasadena, CA: William Carey
Library, 1991.

Yandell, Keith, and Harold Netland. Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal. Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009.

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