______ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
Mission: To glorify God in partnership with local churches by training Bible teachers and equipping disciples for service in building up the body of Christ
CI-901 Spiritual Life
Course Syllabus
Bradley W. Maston Adjunct Professor Summer 2021 Tuesday from 2-4 PM MST [email protected]
CI-901 Spiritual Life Chafer Theological Seminary 1 Summer 2021
CI-901 SPIRITUAL LIFE SYLLABUS
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION This one-semester course is a study of the Biblical principles intended to enable and govern our Christian character and service. The students will also examine current systems of sanctification by works in contrast to New Testament spirituality by grace.
II. COURSE OBJECTIVES The purpose of this course is to bring the student to a clear and precise understanding of what it means to live a spiritual life as a believer, that we might glorify God with our lives and know how to help ourselves and others come to experience such a life.
III. COURSE TEXTBOOKS A. Lewis Sperry Chafer, He That Is Spiritual, 1918, Dunham Publ. Co., 1983, Zondervan B. George E. Meisinger, Spiritual Life, unpublished (provided by Chafer Theo. Seminary) C. Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology. Kregel/Accordance electronic edition, version 1.3. 8 vols. Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, 1976. D. Hixson, J. B., et al., editors. FREELY BY HIS GRACE: Classical Grace Theology. Grace Gospel Press, 2012. E. Dieter, Hoekema, Walvoord, et al. Five Views on Sanctification, Zondervan Academic; revised ed. Edition October 10, 1996
IV. ONLINE RECORDINGS, READINGS & LECTURES A. Brad Maston, Spiritual Growth – 4 lessons https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6i-Kkchjinreik8VRaiQhu0h2dZlAesV B. Lewis Sperry Chafer Lectures on the Spiritual Life – 18 Lessons (Supplemental) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqK41bqAanhXo34X2pRIcEwKdu61emaq7 C. Chafer Conference on Spiritual Growth – 10 Lessons (Supplemental) https://deanbible.org/conferences-menuitem/messages/series/2011-chafer-theological-seminary- bible-conference D. The Faith-Rest Life in the Dispensation of Grace (Supplemental) 04 - The Faith-Rest Life in the Dispensation of Grace - by Dennis Rokser - Dean Bible Ministries
V. COURSE REQUIREMENTS A. Reading Assignments
a. He That is Spiritual in its entirety
b. George E. Meisinger, Spiritual Life, in its entirety CI-901 Spiritual Life Chafer Theological Seminary 2 Summer 2021
c. Chafer, Lewis Sperry Systematic Theology
i. Vol. 2 Chapter 18-24
ii. Vol. 3 Chapter 13
iii. Vol. 3 Chapter 18 – Deliverance from the Reigning Power of Sin and Human Limitations iv. Vol. 6 Chapters 8-17 – The Holy Spirit in Relation to the Christian v. Vol 7 Doctrinal Summarization: Abiding, Confession, Grace, Standing and State, Sanctification
d. Freely by His Grace – Chapter 13 – Sanctification by God’s Free Grace – Kurt Witzig e. Abiding in Christ: Dispensational Spiritual Life 3 articles by Robert Dean f. The Five Views on Sanctification – View #5 – The Augustinian/Dispensational view by Walvoord
B. Written Assignments (All degree candidates should ensure that the paper format conforms to the standards outlined in A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th ed., by Kate L. Turabian.) a. Seven ½- to ¾-page papers (one per Chafer chapter), where you interact, respond and share your thoughts on one or at most, two points brought out in the chapter’s material. b. One 7-page paper relating your understanding of the Spiritual life. This paper is expected to sight each of the reading assignments and demonstrate a meaningful interaction with all of the course material.
C. Presentations: You will be assigned a chapter in Chafer’s book and your goal is to select ONE point from that chapter to develop into a core lesson that you’ll present to the class in four minutes or less. The point is to be very-to-the-point, though illustrations or other creative ways of presenting the lesson will be encouraged. Think about teaching this to middle-school age students so you don’t get too worked-up or nervous about it. (Each student will do three chapters/presentations)
D. Time Ratio of Assignments/Class
This two-credit hour class given in the summer session will involve 4-hours of class room time for week (lecture, classroom time). It will demand as much as 8-hours of reading per week depending upon the individual students reading ability. The assignments and papers should be possible to complete in less than a half an hour per week, the final seven page paper is expected to take less than two-hours.
E. Quizzes and/or Exams a. Quizzes will be administered on EdBrite
b. Final Exam will consist of an in-class essay where you will answer three of four questions presented, approximately ¾ to 1 page per answer.
CI-901 Spiritual Life Chafer Theological Seminary 3 Summer 2021
F. Course Requirements for Grading – https://www.chafer.edu/Catalog-Handbook)
Class Presentations 20% (or points) Class Participation/Quizzes 20% Final Exam 30% Project Paper 30%
G. Method for Turning in Assignments a. All work will be submitted on EdBrite.
H. Late Assignments
Assignments received after the due date will be docked 5% of the total available score per 24- hour period after date and time the assignment was due. Exceptions may be made for a true emergency at the discretion of the instructor.
I. Attendance The attendance policy for this course can be found at the following website: https://www.chafer.edu/Catalog-Handbook
J. Letter/Numerical Grade Scale The latest Chafer Seminary Student Handbook (published at https://www.chafer.edu/Catalog-Handbook) stipulates the following grade scale: Grade Percentages: A = 94 – 100 (Work of exceptional quality) B = 85 – 93 (Work of commendable quality) C = 70 – 84 (Work of acceptable but not distinguished quality) D/F = Failure to do minimal work with no credit given
VI. COURSE SEQUENCE OF ELEMENTS A. The Training Relationship of Professor to Student Through the Student’s Local Church Leadership. The Chafer Seminary model of training uniquely respects the New Testament authority of the local church by placing the local church’s leadership in between the seminary and the student. There should be only rare instances where this relationship cannot be established. Prior to beginning the course the instructor will provide each student a short memorandum of agreement given below for submission to the student’s local church leadership. The memo is to be filled out by the leadership and returned to the professor to help establish an explicit biblical relationship between the local church and the training of its participant by the instructor. Dialogue between the seminary professor and the local church leadership is encouraged throughout the course including sharing the course syllabus, encouraging the student, final grade and comments, and ministry opportunities for the student to utilize what he or she has learned.
CI-901 Spiritual Life Chafer Theological Seminary 4 Summer 2021
Model Memo Dear Pastor ______
As the instructor of (student name) for the seminary course Spiritual Life (CI-901), I want to assure you that Chafer Theological Seminary is unique in that it seeks to conduct all its training under the authority of local church leadership. It is a true “local church seminary.” This protocol ensures that you will have access to the training your student will receive so that you can exercise oversight and guide him or her in opportunities to utilize their training in your church’s ministries.
To establish a proper relationship with your church, therefore, I ask if you would fill out the following survey and email it to me at [email protected]. I encourage you to contact me with any questions or comments you might have throughout this course.
1. The best leadership person in my church to monitor this student’s training with encouragement, prayer, and suggestions for possible ministry opportunities is [name]______; [telephone]______; [email] ______.
2. Would you like a copy of the course syllabus so you can view the topics, references, and schedule? ______
3. Is there anyone in your congregation with graduate degrees in theology who might be interested in becoming adjunct faculty for the seminary to teach courses in your church? ______
4. Are there other participants in your church whom you think would benefit from the training that Chafer Seminary offers? ______
Bradley W. Maston 970-690-8831 [email protected]
B. Course Evaluation. Students are requested to complete a course evaluation and submit it electronically to the Seminary office. These evaluations can be found on the Course Information page of each course in EdBrite CI-901 Spiritual Life Chafer Theological Seminary 5 Summer 2021
C. Final Grades: Professors will send final course grades to all for-credit students without compromising student confidentiality. Professors will also submit final grades via email to the Seminary office for record. Students can obtain an official transcript at any time by submitting an online request accompanied by the fee.