Please HONOR the copyright of these documents by not retransmitting or making any additional copies in any form (Except for private personal use). We appreciate your respectful cooperation. ___________________________ Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN) P.O. Box 30183 Portland, Oregon 97294 USA Website: www.tren.com E-mail: [email protected] Phone# 1-800-334-8736 ___________________________ Ministry Focus Paper Approval Sheet This ministry focus paper entitled “INTIMACY WITH GOD: PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD”: A MASTER’S LEVEL COURSE Written by Patricia H. West and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry has been accepted by the Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary upon the recommendation of the undersigned readers: _____________________________________ Tom Schwanda _____________________________________ Kurt Fredrickson Date Received: August 30, 2012 “INTIMACY WITH GOD: PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD”: A MASTER’S LEVEL COURSE A MINISTRY FOCUS PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY PATRICIA H. WEST AUGUST 2012 ABSTRACT “Intimacy with God: Practicing the Presence of God”: A Master’s Level Course Patricia H. West Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2012 The purpose of this study is to establish and address the need for a graduate course, “Intimacy with God: Practicing the Presence of God,” among seminary students that includes experiential learning in regards to growing a deeper relationship with God. This project argues that scriptural knowledge alone cannot fulfill students’ needs for the intimacy they seek with God. This premise will be tested among the seminarians at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This project will be presented in three parts. Part One exegetes the culture of Regent University Divinity School, revealing the diversity among students and faculty. It also describes the need that exists among the student body for a deeper relationship with God. Part Two offers the theological basis for spiritual intimacy among seminarians. Here the concept of intimacy is defined, and its necessity in the life of the seminary student is supported by Scripture. Scripture also is used to establish the manner in which intimacy can be achieved. The spiritual lives of the saints from the past, examples of revivals, and today’s spiritual openness and receptivity to God’s invitation also are examined. The final part outlines the strategy for helping students move into an intimate relationship with God. The role of worship, specific spiritual disciplines, and the church community are set forth. The role of the instructor is defined, and the instructor’s needs in preparation are identified. Part Three also explains the course design, its purpose, and its implementation. This discussion also evaluates the course’s effectiveness. Student feedback and general insights from this project will guide future revisions and teaching of this class. Content Reader: Tom Schwanda, PhD Words: 266 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my daughter Lori who has stood by me during some of the most challenging events in my life, many of which occurred during my time of attending Fuller. Without her, it is unlikely this project would have been completed. I also want to express my appreciation to Dr. Tom Schwanda, who showed me what authentic Christian community is all about and how precious the gift of encouragement can be. I thank you for believing in me. To the Fuller Doctor of Ministry staff, I am grateful for your faith in my abilities and for your support in the many difficult moments I experienced during the journey to complete this work. Finally, to the Regent University Divinity School, I extend my deep gratitude for giving me an open door to survey divinity students and to teach this course to them. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iii INTRODUCTION 1 PART ONE: MINISTRY CONTEXT Chapter 1. EXEGESIS OF THE CULTURE 7 Chapter 2. THE NEED FOR A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 34 PART TWO: THEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS Chapter 3. INTIMACY WITH GOD 55 Chapter 4. HISTORICAL ANALYSIS 81 Chapter 5. DEVELOPING INTIMACY 113 . PART THREE: RESOURCES FOR GUIDING STUDENTS INTO AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD Chapter 6. THE ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTOR AND COURSE DESIGN 143 Chapter 7. IMPLEMENTATION AND ASSESSMENT 159 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 179 APPENDIX 184 BIBLIOGRAPHY 192 iv INTRODUCTION I remember sitting at my seminary graduation waiting to be called up to the platform to receive my hard-earned diploma. I should have been ecstatic with my accomplishment of a 3.97 grade-point average, but instead I was depressed. Something was definitely wrong. I tried to convince myself that I was exhausted from the long years of study, but I knew better. I was graduating with a master of divinity degree and had learned many things in the process. I was taught the proper way to study and research the Bible. I had learned Greek, ancient history, Christian ethics, world religions, missiology, vital information from various courses in advanced biblical studies, and much more. However, this head knowledge had failed to sink down to a heart level. I simply had not experienced God in all of my learning. I was not given opportunity to experience this knowledge in regards to my relationship with Him. I had not applied this information to my personal growth in Christ and felt this lack to be an indication of my own failing. Looking back, I realize that my long hours of study had become my “first love.” All of my study never penetrated deep down to the inner soul to affect my connection with God. So there I sat feeling a great sense of loss in regards to my desire to know God intimately. I wondered if other students felt the same way. At that point, I decided I would try to make a difference by becoming a catalyst in the lives of other students. It now was apparent to me that students not only need to study about God in the seminary setting, but they also need to experience Him. While balancing knowledge and experience is of the utmost importance, having spiritual knowledge without an 1 opportunity to experience it only serves to puff one up (1 Cor 8:2b-3). This deficiency amongst seminarians needs to be addressed. I have decided to meet this challenge by writing a semester-long course of study called “Intimacy with God: Practicing the Presence of God,” in order to deal with this experiential aspect of learning. God desires that we know Him in the most intimate way and experience Him, as others have experienced Him throughout Scripture (Deut 4:29). When a student has a close relationship with the Father, it overflows into other lives and as a result can “turn the world upside down.” Luke states this in Acts 17:5-6: But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.1 Regent University Divinity School in Virginia Beach, Virginia was chosen to host this course for several reasons. First, it is a multidenominational school that has a diverse cross-section of students: a mixture of domestic and international students, a variety of generational groups, and a gender mix. Second, it is a school that stresses leadership training, which will have an even greater impact on those who eventually will sit under the students’ leadership in the future. Finally, Regent is a university that remains open to fresh ideas that can enhance the programs already in place for the benefit of the students. Ultimately, it proved to be the right place for this research. Regent University Divinity 1 All Scripture in this paper is from the Holy Bible: New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), unless indicated otherwise. 2 School is not the only Christian school facing this challenge; therefore, it is my desire that the end results of this project will enhance academic programs in other schools as well. This course, “Intimacy with God: Practicing the Presence of God,” has been developed to help students grow deeper in their relationship with God. A survey was given to over 90 percent of Regent’s divinity students.2 This survey overwhelmingly revealed the hunger of students not only to know the deeper things about God but to experience Him as well. Over 95 percent of the students surveyed saw the need to integrate experience with knowledge. Knowledge alone cannot fulfill students’ needs for a deeper relationship with God, yet seminaries often offer courses based on biblical knowledge alone. These courses often lack this intimate connection. According to 1 Corinthians 8:1-3, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” Courses that draw students closer to God in this love relationship are few and far between. This leaves a hunger in seminary students that is not being satisfied. Many students attend seminary but graduate without the proper balance between the head and the heart—that is, knowledge of the Word coupled with experience of the Word. Integration of the two is essential. Without this integration, students will minister as pastors, missionaries, or into other areas of calling without truly knowing the God they hope to share with others.