Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies

INSTITUTE OF REFORMED BAPTIST STUDIES ST 703 DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH James M. Renihan, Ph.D. 760-233-9940

ST 703 DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH 3 CREDIT HOURS. This course is intended to teach the nature, purpose and centrality of the church; the structure and function of a church; membership and officers of a church; the sacraments of the church; church discipline; church reformation; associations, missions, and cooperative efforts.

Required Textbooks:

1. Mark Dever, ed., Polity: Biblical Arguments on How to Conduct Church Life, (Washington: Center for Church Reform, 2001) 63-91; 95-112, 295-404,527-550. 2. John Owen: Works, 15:188-373, 446-530; 16:2-208, 223-237, 241-253. 3. Thomas Goodwin: Works, 11:484-546. 4. John Cotton, “The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” in Larzer Ziff, ed. John Cotton on the Churches of New England (Belknap Press, 1968), pages 71-164. 5. James M. Renihan, ed., Denominations or Associations? Essays on Reformed Baptist Associations (Calvary Press, 2001). 6. Waldron, Nichols, Hufstetler, Chanski, In Defense of Parity (Grand Rapids: Truth for Eternity, 1997). 7. London Baptist Confession of 1689 (For reference purposes)

Course Requirements:

Regular attendance. Excessive absences may require grade adjustment. Class participation. It is expected that all students will participate in class discussions. Examinations: There will be two exams, one at mid-term, and the other during finals week. Reading: As noted above. Class projects: All students will complete a class project as described below. Grading will be according to Westminster Seminary standards.

Class Project: Several major Systematic Theologies have been published in the last two decades or so. Among them are works by Millard Erickson (1985), Wayne Grudem (1994), and James Leo Garrett (1990). The student will choose one of these texts and examine the treatment of ecclesiology found there. He will then write a paper describing the main features of the author’s presentation of ecclesiology. The student should interact with the author, showing points of agreement and disagreement. The paper should be approximately 12-15 pages and include full citation and bibliographic material.