HIST/SPIR 500

The Christian Spirit

Course Description

This course offers an introduction to the Christian spiritual tradition up to the modern period. For two millennia Christians have been praying and responding to the self-giving love of God in Jesus Christ by the gift of the Holy Spirit. This response to God has taken place under the conditions of our humanity and it is therefore possible to trace a lived history of spiritual experience. This history exposes us to resources, exemplary models, and warnings of which we might not otherwise be aware.

This course is about more, though, than history. We begin with the Scriptures and their witness to God’s culminating revelation in Jesus Christ, for if spirituality is to be Christian it must start and end with Christ. We also ask ourselves what it means for us to encounter Jesus Christ today and to be formed into his likeness.

The course therefore has two parallel tracks as we journey together through the semester. The first half of each class will be a pilgrimage through history, tracing some of the key themes in the history of Christian tradition; the second half of each class will address our personal pilgrimage, our interior journey with Christ. 

Offered 2026 Winter
Dates Jan 13 - Apr 14
Days Tue, 01:30PM - 04:30PM
Format Onsite Only
Credit Hours 3
Audit Hours 3
Room Number Rm 100
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Teaching Faculty

Douglas Hindmarsh

Bruce Hindmarsh

James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology; Professor of the History of Christianity

Bruce Hindmarsh took his DPhil degree in theology at Oxford University in 1993. From 1995 to 1997, he was a Research Fellow at Christ Church, Oxford. Since then, Bruce has published and spoken widely to international audiences on the history of early British evangelicalism.

Carolyn Hindmarsh

Carolyn Hindmarsh

Sessional Lecturer

Carolyn Hindmarsh is an experienced speaker, retreat director, and spiritual director. She has a DMin in spiritual direction from Fuller Seminary. Carolyn and her husband, Bruce, co-authored a book on prayer, At the Feet of Jesus: A Guide to Encountering Christ in the Gospels (InterVarsity, 2025).