Although I have also been reading quite a few books (see book shelf above) I have also been viewing a number of courses offered (not for credit) by The Teaching Company. With one exception, I've been pretty pleased with the audio & DVD courses they offer. Here are some of them I've listened to / viewed:
History of Christian Theology
Taught By Professor Phillip Cary, Ph.D., Yale University,
Eastern University
Professor Cary teaches the class from a Christian point of view (he's Anglican) and with the exception of his admiration for Karl Barth sounds pretty orthodox. Cary has an excellent handle on the intellectual history of the Church and both Catholic & Protestant Christians. Cary is clearly passionate about what he is teaching and while he has a point of view, he remains pretty fair throughout to all parties concerned (Catholic, Protestant & Orthodox) and gives each their due.
Augustine: Philosopher and Saint
Taught By Professor Phillip Cary, Ph.D., Yale University, Eastern University
Another course by Prof. Cary. The 1st one I bought (it was really cheap on Amazon.com) and is available in audio format only. That said Cary really cares about Augustine as both a person and a subject and is one of today's experts on St. Augustine. He get's Augustine's theology, psychology and spirituality. He also sees both the commonalities and the differences between Augustine and his later admirers such as Luther & Calvin.
Luther: Gospel, Law, and Reformation
Taught By Professor Phillip Cary, Ph.D., Yale University, Eastern University
Another course by Prof. Phillip Cary. This one was good but Luther partisans probably would not like it for several reasons:
1) Cary seems uncomfortable with Luther's bondage of the will.
2) Cary seems disturbed with Luther's strong rhetoric.
3) Cary seems upset with Luther's attitude with 'others' such as Anabaptists, Catholics, Jews & Reformed.
4) Cary seems to have issues with Luther's psychology.
All that said it is a good course and while Cary does seem to fall into some traps (viewing Luther through modern eyes) he seems to otherwise understand Luther fairly well and appears to have a favorable view of parts of Luther's theology - but not all of it.
After the New Testament: The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers
Taught By Professor Bart D. Ehrman, M.Div., Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This is the one course I kind of gagged on. Bart Ehrman is a former 'born-again' Christian who went to a liberal grad school and lost his faith. He is often on shows on the History Channel, etc., usually spouting very hypothetical or speculative theories on religion. Much of his course wasted time on methodological issues such as historical criticism of the texts of the Church Fathers when more time should have been spent on the Fathers themselves. Don't waste your time on this one.
Early Middle Ages
Taught By Professor Philip Daileader, Ph.D., Harvard University, The College of William and Mary
Daileader is I imagine a former whiz kid / child prodigy. I can easily visualize him talking about his collection of Star Wars action figures or his high score on a video game - he just looks that boyish. That said, he must have the academic brain of a man 30 or more years his senior because the scope and depth of his command of the history of the medieval period is pretty impressive. His lectures gave me background and a bridge for my intellectual journey from the Church Fathers to Luther & the Reformation.
High Middle Ages
Taught By Professor Philip Daileader, Ph.D., Harvard University, The College of William and Mary
See above.
Late Middle Ages
Taught By Professor Philip Daileader, Ph.D., Harvard University, The College of William and Mary
Ditto that.
Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations
Taught By Professor Andrew C. Fix, Ph.D., Indiana University, Lafayette College
This course took me the longest amount of time to complete. Professor Fix obviously knows his topic and I learned a lot but often Fix sounded so tired and bored he put me to sleep. I found myself on more than 1 occasion waking up with an entire DVD having run it's course and I knew full well I only had viewed 1 or 2 lectures and slept through the rest. Thankfully I am not a student of his, I don't know how I'd stay awake in his lectures. That said, a lot of good content here if you can keep your eyes open.
History of Christianity in the Reformation Era
Taught By Professor Brad S. Gregory, Ph.D., Princeton University, University of Notre Dame
The Reformation taught from (probably) a moderate Catholic perspective - OK, I'll bite. I have just gotten into this particular class about 12 lessons in (24 to go) and Prof. Gregory seems to be the most thorough and systematic lecturer yet. His dry humor and enthusiasm for the topic help when his language gets a bit too dense (and he does do more than a little professional-speak bloviating) and you might find yourself hitting the << rewind button a few times as you think, "What did he say?" Still pretty good. The stand out thing with Gregory's lectures is he tries hard to remain 'fair & balanced' to all parties involved and especially tries to be fair to the Anabaptists rather than be an apologist for the Protestant or Catholic side.
BTW, many of these titles can be found on amazon.com for much less than the full retail that they cost on the Great Courses website.
Well, that's all for now.
TTFN & God Bless,
Jim
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