Religion 103

pose a well-structured research paper on one of the topics below

related to the American Christian Experience. You should focus on

creating an interesting introduction containing a narrow, clear, and

arguable thesis, writing a clearly organized body with logical support

and external sources for your assertions, and a conclusion that makes

a reasonable and emphatic point.

Suittable topics for this essay include:



The Puritan settlement and Early Colonization.

Why did the

Pilgrims and Puritans come to America? (I’m looking for the

details of their persecution). Why did other denominations

come?



The American Religious map at the time of the War of

Independence.

By the end of the colonial period, what

religions were prevalent in which colonies? How did they relate

to the state and federal government?



The First Great Awakening.

What sparked this revival? Who

were the key figures of Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield,

and John Wesley? What did they do that was so different?



George Whitefield was a Calvinist; John Wesley was an

Arminian; both were called Methodists in their day.

What

do they share in common, and what are their differences?



The Second Great Awakening.

Who was Charles Grandison

Finney? What did he believe? What did he do, and how did he do it?

The Civil War and American Denominationalism.

How did the various denominations react to the questions of slavery,

states’ rights, and the Civil War? What happened before the

war? What happened after it?

Fundamentalism.

What is fundamentalism? How does the

theological (doctrinal) definition differ from what people

think

it

means? What are the differences between fundamentalists and

evangelicals?



Liberal Theology and Radical Theology.

What is Liberalism

in Theology? What is Radicalism in Theology? Specifically, what

are the beliefs of Feminist Theology and Liberation Theology?



Pentecostals and the Azusa Street Revival.

What was this

revival? How did Pentecostalism develop from it?



Charismatics and the Jesus People Movement.

Who were

the Jesus People? Who were some major figures in the

movement? How does it affect contemporary American

Christianity?

600 to 800 wordsas counted by Microsoft Word on the bottom

left-hand corner of the screen. (This is approximately 2-3 pages of

text, not including the Works Cited page at the end.) Text must be

double-spaced and written in 12 pt. font.