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Home , Theology proper

PROPER, BIBLIOLOGY,

Instructor: Alan Scholes Institute of Minneapolis, MN April-May 2013 CLASS SYLLABUS

Note: due to the accelerated schedule of the instructor-led sessions, you will be required to complete all the assigned readings before the live portion of the class begins.

I. Class Description:

This class will study the existence and attributes of the Triune God including selected historical and contemporary issues in theology proper. It also will examine the doctrines of revelation, inspiration, and inerrancy of the Scriptures including issues related to historical criticism, and contemporary postmodern thought. In addition the class will explore the nature, Person, and work of the , in both the Old and New Testaments.

II. Class Objectives: When you have completed this class you should be able to: 1. Have a greater appreciation for and excitement about theology and its practical value for ministry.

2. Apply insights from the study of Theology Proper, Bibliology, and Pneumatology to your personal life and ministry and to the function of the in the world. 3. Define and explain the significance of a number of theological words important to Theology Proper, Bibliology, and Pneumatology. 4. Demonstrate a comprehension of major doctrinal concepts as well as viewpoints, differences, and conflicts that exist in these doctrinal areas. 5. Defend the existence of God and refute inadequate views of God's person and work. 6. Incorporate an enhanced appreciation of the character of God into your ministries of evangelism, follow-up, and/or discipleship. 7. State and effectively argue for the doctrine of . 8. Walk more confidently and consistently in the power of the Holy Spirit. 9. Be better prepared to engage your culture in gospel ministry by discovering what various people think about God, the , and the Holy Spirit. 10. Deal confidently with selected contemporary issues in Theology Proper, Bibliology, and Pneumatology.

i III. Class Schedule: Class will meet each day 9-11 am and 1-3 pm Day-Date Session Title Assignments Due M 4/29 Where We Are Headed All readings and Study Guides 1-5 Bibliology Which Takes Priority (Faith or Reason)? How Can We Know? (Revelation: Natural and Supernatural)

What the Bible Says About Itself (Inspiration) T 4/30 The Spirit Of Our Times (Historical Roots of the Present Controversy) Can We Trust Our Bible? (Inerrancy and Authority) What Do We Have Today? (Collection, Canonicity, Transmission, & Preservation)

Off the Shelf: Into Shoe Leather (Interpretation, Illumination, Leading, and Application) Theology Proper W 5/1 The God Who Is There (Existence) The Interpersonal God () The Infinite-Personal God (Attributes) The All-powerful, All-good God (Problem of Evil)

Th 5/2 Before the Beginning (Decrees of God) Theological Survey Project due. God & His Power (Miracles, Providence, & Names of God) Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Deity & Personality) The Spirit Then and Now (The Spirit in the Old and New Testaments) F 5/3 Our of Power (Spirit Baptism & Tongues)

Equipped for Service (Gifts of the Spirit) Our Growing Walk Final Thoughts/Class Evaluation

ii IV. Readings: Grudem, Wayne A. . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Scholes, Alan Kent. “Our Approach: Convictions, Persuasions and Opinions” from Enjoying God: An Introduction to . Peachtree City, GA: Campus Crusade for , 2010. pp. 9-29. (Available for download on IBS website.) Scholes, Alan Kent. “Doctrinal Convictions and Persuasions” from Principles of Leadership. Orlando, FL: Campus Crusade for Christ, 2001. pp. 263-375. (Available for download on IBS website.)

V. Assignments A. Questions on Readings 1. Sets of Questions: You will be given a set of questions for each of the reading assignments. You are to write answers (one sentence to two paragraphs) for each of the questions. Please use complete sentences! Your answers should be inserted into the Word documents which can be downloaded from the IBS website. All study guides should be printed and turned in (in hard copy) at the beginning of the first class on Monday morning, April 29.

2. Note: you may skim the readings if you wish. Here is a recommended procedure. Pre-read the questions for each chapter or article. Skim the reading until you find the section where that question is addressed. Write down your answer to the question. Continue skimming until you find the answer to the next question, etc. When you have finished the chapter or article, review your answers to see whether they need to be revised in light of the rest of your reading. 3. Grading: Each of the five completed set of questions will be worth 15% of your total grade, regardless of the length of the reading assignments or the number of questions to be answered. If you show evidence that you have thoughtfully read (or skimmed) the readings, you will get full credit even if all of your answers are not perfectly accurate. The instructor and TAs will record whether you have completed answers for each of the questions and will “spot read” some of the answers from each assignment. 4. Reading Assignments: The five study guides on the following articles and chapters are due at the beginning of class on April 29. Please read these in the following sequence: Scholes Article, “Our Approach: Convictions, Persuasions and Opinions” Grudem, Chapter 1: “Introduction to Systematic Theology” Grudem, Part 1: “The Doctrine of the Word of God” (Chapters 2-8)

Scholes Article, “Doctrinal Convictions and Persuasions” Grudem, Part 2: “The Doctrine of God” (partial—read chapters 9-14 & 16-17 only) Grudem, Chapter 30: “The Work of the Holy Spirit”

iii Grudem, Chapter 39: “Baptism in and Filling With the Holy Spirit” Grudem, Chapter 52: “Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1): General Questions” Grudem, Chapter 53: “Gifts of the Holy Spirit (2): Specific Gifts”

B. Theological Survey Project. 1. Purpose: to help you gain a stronger awareness of God, the Bible, and The Holy Spirit, by discovering and evaluating other people’s views on those three subjects.

2. Please download from the IBS website one copy of “World View Survey – Introduction” and three copies of the specially designed “World View Survey”. Read the World View Survey – Introduction carefully. Take the World View Survey with three different people, looking for as much variety as possible, e.g., college student, business professional, farmer, homemaker, etc. Do not survey Cru staff, interns, or employees, or any other IBS students. Note: since a major point of this assignment is to ask the questions and discern when you have understood the answers, you will need to be the primary surveyor with three separate individuals. You are encouraged to pair up to do this assignment, but if you do, together you will have to survey six people (three each). The interviews must be conducted live. Do not send the questions (via e-mail or text) and have the answers returned. However, you may conduct interviews live over the phone, Skype, etc. Out of these three surveys, pick the one that is the most interesting. (That will usually be the one from the person with the most non-biblical views.) In 2-4 pages evaluate where the person is correct and/or incorrect or unclear in relation to biblical doctrine. For each non-biblical view, briefly explain what is wrong demonstrating your knowledge of correct doctrine. Do not just repeat what the person said on the survey. Show that you know what was wrong with what he or she said, and that you know the correct doctrine. This project is due at the beginning of class on Thursday 5/2. 3. Grading: See the “World View Survey – Introduction”. Turning in the three completed surveys will account for 60% of your grade on this project. The remaining 40% will be determined by the quality of your evaluation.

iv VI. Grading Procedure Percentage Completed Study Guides on Readings 75 % Theological Survey Project 25 % Total = 100 %

VII. Grading Scale:

94-100 A 91-93 A- 88-90 B+ 84-87 B

81-83 B- 78-80 C+ 74-77 C 71-73 C- 00-70 No Credit

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