This course is designed to help you enter people’s interior lives at a meaningful level and make a lasting difference as they deal with life’s struggles and crises. Some people call this type of help “counseling.” Others call this help “pastoring.” And perhaps others think of this kind of involvement as what one friend does for another friend. Larry Crabb uses the word SoulCare, with its focus on the inner life, where we become who we were intended and long to be.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Larry J. Crabb, Ph.D.

Why are so many areas of our lives such a mess? What lies beneath the confusion, despair, and emptiness that so many of us experience? In this second course in the four-course SoulCare series, Dr. Larry Crabb offers a biblical understanding of what’s going on beneath the surface of our lives that results in the confusion, despair, and emptiness that so many of us experience. Does Christianity guarantee a better life? Can we really experience more satisfying soul-connection with God and with others? These are among the many questions Dr. Crabb will explore in this second ten-lesson course, which was designed to develop a deeper understanding of people and the problems we all experience.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Larry J. Crabb, Ph.D.

Welcome to SoulCare Foundations III: Provisions and Practices. In this third course in the four-course SoulCare series, Dr. Larry Crabb probes the provisions of the New Covenant that, when understood, will empower, enable, and liberate the SoulCarer to move into the life of another and make a difference. This course offers practical help on applying the New Covenant to change lives and relationships for the better.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Larry J. Crabb, Ph.D.

In this fourth course in the SoulCare series, Dr. Larry Crabb suggests ways in which SoulCare can become a reality in your life. What does it mean to join someone else where they are and walk with them on the journey to the center of their heart? Can SoulCare become a supernaturally routine reality in our communities? These questions and more are discussed in this final course in the SoulCare series.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Larry J. Crabb, Ph.D.

Group Dynamics is a  course for anyone who leads a ministry group of one kind or another. Groups are the heartbeat of any ministry. That is where the personal touch happens—where hearts are opened, needs are met, lives are changed. Without feeling connected, people may participate in our ministry groups, but will they be changed as a result? It isn’t what we learn in our groups that transforms lives; it’s doing something differently because of what we’ve learned. Join us in exploring 10 effective ways to guide ministry groups in “Group Dynamics.” We have to stop doing what comes naturally and start doing what works!

N/A

90 Days

Deb McCormick

Welcome to Introduction to Public Speaking. This FastTrax course is based on a series of lectures given by Dr. Haddon W. Robinson, who is the Harold John Ockenga Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is widely regarded as an expert in the area of preaching. Dr. Robinson was named one of the twelve most effective preachers in the English-speaking world in a 1996 Baylor University poll. This course provides a thorough perspective on several important, practical, and effective concepts in public speaking.

N/A

90 Days

Haddon W. Robinson, Ph.D.

New Testament Basics: Things We Thought We Knew provides an introduction to the New Testament as it surveys vital information that guides the student’s thinking in the study of the New Testament books. This information is both basic and essential to an accurate understanding of New Testament Scriptures.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Matthew - Mark: Two Presentations of Jesus introduces students to the Gospels as literature and then focuses in on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Students will study the specific purposes of each book and how the writers told the account of Jesus’ life to accomplish their unique goals.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Luke - John: Two Interpretations of Jesus provides two different renditions of Jesus’ life and ministry. Adding the perspectives of Luke and John to those given by Matthew and Mark will provide additional detail and explanation to the incredible life of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

During Jesus’ time in Galilee, He introduced the basic rules of life for the Kingdom He was offering to His people. This course, Jesus in Galilee: Popularity and Misunderstanding, studies the great Galilean phase of Jesus’ ministry, which is the setting for the Sermon on the Mount, and then actually studies the Sermon itself.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

As amazing as it seems, the people Jesus came to save actually rejected Him. In Luke – John: Jesus in Judea—Opposition and Rejection students will survey the Judean phase of Jesus’ ministry and gain insight into His teachings and actions that increased the Jewish opposition to the point where they would turn one of their own countrymen over to the Romans for crucifixion.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Most people recognize the fact that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the turning point of world history. After His resurrection and ascension, His disciples spread His Church across the Roman Empire and changed the world. Acts: Crucifixion, Resurrection & Proclamation will add depth to the student’s understanding and appreciation of these world-changing and individual life-changing events.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

The New Testament epistles to the Galatians and Thessalonians are Paul’s earliest preserved letters. In them he began to lay a theological and behavioral foundation for Christian belief and conduct. This course, Galatians - 1 Corinthians: Paul’s Earliest Letters, surveys these early writings.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

The Corinthian church was planted in a moral cesspool. The people who came to Christ and formed that church brought a wagon-load of philosophical, religious, and moral baggage with them that made this a tough church. The two letters we have from Paul to the Corinthians deal with some of the most thorny spiritual and moral issues addressed anywhere in the Bible. This course, 1 & 2 Corinthians: Two Letters to a Tough Church, contains essential help for the Church in any age.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Rome was the capital of the world. Although Paul hadn’t yet visited there when he wrote his epistle to the Christians at Rome, he wanted to make certain they were clear on what the Gospel really was. In the Roman epistle, we have Paul’s great theological statement on God’s salvation. Later, Paul was imprisoned in Rome while waiting for his trial before Caesar. While there, he wrote four letters. In this course, Romans - Ephesians: The Letter to the Roman Church & Letters from a Roman Prison, we study the letters Paul wrote both to and from Rome.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

This course, 1 Timothy - Hebrews: Letters to Pastors & a Church Struggling to Believe, combines three letters of instruction to young pastors and a letter to a church struggling with its foundational beliefs. The Pastoral Epistles provide doctrinal and tactical help to those who lead God’s people; and Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the sovereign Savior and Lord of His church and encourages its readers to pursue unreservedly their relationship with Him.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Unlike Paul’s epistles, the general epistles were not addressed to a particular city or person. These letters deal more with the broader topics of suffering and the dangers of false teachings and unbelief among Christians. This course, James - Jude: Letters to Everyone – General & Johannine Epistles, covers these epistles.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

In Revelation: The Book of Revelation – The End and the Beginning, the New Testament and the Bible culminate with this glorious description of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All of history’s events are culminated in this fantastic story of Christ’s ultimate triumph over evil and the restoration of all things to their created design.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Genesis - Leviticus: God Builds a People for Himself tells the story of Israel’s roots. From the creation of all things to the creation of Israel as a nation at Sinai, this course studies God’s process of building a nation to represent Him on earth. It is the foundation for understanding the struggles and triumphs of the relationship between God and Israel that is recorded in the rest of the Old Testament books.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Numbers-Joshua: The Tragedy of Fear and the Glory of Faith is a study of contrasts. Israel’s fear prevented them from entering the land God promised to give them, resulting in the story of wandering and death recorded in Numbers. In contrast, the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua record the preparation and triumph of faith as the people allowed God to win the Promised Land for them.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

This course, Judges-1 Samuel: Israel’s Choice From God-Rule to Human-Rule, covers the books of Judges, Ruth and the book of 1 Samuel. These books contrast Israel as they rebelled against God’s rule in the period of Judges, but Ruth gives a snapshot of obedience during that same period. 1 Samuel examines Israel’s amazing transition from having God-as-their-King to having men-as-their kings.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

2 Samuel-2 Kings: The Difference Leaders Make will guide students through a study of Israel’s kingdom era—as a united nation and as a nation divided into Israel and Judah. It not only covers this critical time in Israel’s history, but also provides an essential foundation for studying Israel’s prophets.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

1 Chronicles - Nehemiah describes the fact that while Israel and Judah flaunted their disobedience in God’s face and persecuted His prophets, He kept His commitment to His covenant promises. Chronicles traces the Davidic kings through whom God would bring His Messiah. Although God exiled His people, Ezra and Nehemiah tell how He restored them to their land and life.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Pressure and pain are realities of life. One of the verifying realities of the Old Testament record is its openness about the difficulties God’s people often suffered—and were often confused by. This course, Job-Lamentations: God’s Path Through Pain, studies three books that deal head-on with the pain and pressure often associated with being God’s people.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Times change and life’s issues take new forms. Solomon never sat in a traffic jam on the freeway and we never fret over an attack by the Philistines, but human emotions remain the same. In this course, Proverbs-Psalms: Singing the Sounds of Real Life, students will study the distilled language of Israel’s poets as they sang the songs of their lives. They are, amazingly, like the songs of people’s lives today.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

God’s prophets stood up and spoke out when it was very unpopular to do so. As men with a message from God, they were preachers with a message that God-rejecting Israel and Judah wanted no part of. This course, Daniel-Micah: Studies of Integrity—Good Men in Bad Times, presents the men, their messages and their times.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

In this course you will study two prophets whose ministry related to Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonians. This unthinkable event – that the city where God lived in His temple could be destroyed – is studied as a threat in Jeremiah and as a historical reality in Ezekiel. The miserable failure of God’s people, and God’s success in judging and yet preserving His people, are surveyed in this course that studies these two prophets.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

This course demonstrates the fact that while God had chosen Israel as His covenant people, His compassion extended beyond Israel to all people. We study prophets whom God sent to Israel’s great oppressor and prophets God sent to Judah.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

The prophets studied in this course ministered after Jerusalem’s destruction and, in Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, during the return and reconstruction of Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon. They demonstrate God’s concern for all His people, Jew and Gentile and emphasize the essential place of obedience to His moral will.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Theology can be intimidating for beginners. Many students have been overwhelmed by the diversity of opinions and sheer volume of information to comprehend. If they are to succeed in theological studies they must first establish a foundation of concepts and terminology on which to build their theological framework. In this course, Dr. Frame covers the essentials of all major areas of systematic theology with the goal of orienting listeners to the basic material necessary to understand and study God’s Word. Focusing on the overarching theme of God’s Lordship, Dr. Frame uses three “Lordship Attributes” (control, authority and presence) to organize the doctrines and help listeners remember and apply them to life.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

John M. Frame, D.D.

Christians are told to give an explanation for the hope they have in Christ and believers through the ages have prepared themselves accordingly for such a task. In this course, Dr. Victor Matthews introduces learners to apologetics as he shows the solid evidences for the Christian faith. Students will grapple with the relationship between faith and facts and understand the role that apologetics has played in the meaning of biblical Christianity.

3 Credits

6 Months

Victor M. Matthews, S.T.D.

From the protoevangellum in Genesis 3:15, proceeding through the other various Old Testament covenants, God’s people anticipated the coming Messiah. Hundreds of prophecies were spoken, and those longing for God’s kingdom reign waited for the day when their King would establish the throne of David forever. Still, when Jesus, the promised Messiah arrived, He received a mixed reception. Some embraced Him as the Savior of the world, while others rejected Him as a false teacher. But who was right? In this important study,  Louis Goldberg takes learners through an in-depth study of Messianic prophecy. He explores the prophecies Jesus has fulfilled and at those which will culminate in His future return.

3 Credits

6 Months

Louis Goldberg, Th.D.

Biblical preaching is a divinely ordained way of calling people to repentance and for edifying the people of God. It is communicating God’s Word to His people—standing between the world of Scripture and the world of people and speaking the truth of God. Some wonder whether preaching is an out-of-date form of communication and not of value to current church needs. Dr. Stott gives a clear presentation of the importance of the preaching ministry today. This course will enable pastors, teachers, and church leaders to understand the importance and power of preaching, to develop an awareness of true biblical preaching, and to receive practical guidance for preparing and delivering biblical messages. m

3 Credits

6 Months

John R. W. Stott, D.D.

Preaching is the primary way God has appointed for the teaching of the truths of His Word. Preaching well done honors God, expounds the Bible, and equips its hearers for spiritual growth and fruitful ministry. But, those who preach must make a study of the art. Dr. Haddon Robinson has taught preaching skills for more than five decades and offers tried and proven methods of teaching that have trained many who are either preparing for or are active in various areas of ministry. By focusing on the world of the Bible, the mindset of the expositor, and the development of teachable ideas, Robinson leads the student to the preparation and presentation of effective sermons.

3 Credits

6 Months

Haddon W. Robinson, Ph.D.

Is God too weak to stop suffering? Does God not care about my situation? In a world full of sin, pain and hardship remain daily realities. Throughout history, humanity has wrestled with the problems of suffering and has often questioned the goodness of God. Wood retells the story of Job and the struggles he endured. Throughout the course, students examine Job’s tumultuous life and the various responses to his suffering given by his friends and family. Ultimately, Job learns to praise God no matter what his circumstance. Despite Satan’s attempts to thwart the plans of God, the Lord remains sovereign over all.

3 Credits

6 Months

Leon J. Wood, Ph.D.

What is spirituality? How is it formed in private and in community? This course explores the meaning of Biblical Christianity and its relation to faith and practice within contemporary cultural contexts, giving special attention to the corporate dimensions of spirituality and spiritual formation as defined in the New Testament. The lectures analyze and discuss those historical and cultural factors that have led to the privatization of Christianity, and develop a paradigm of spiritual growth and maturity that focuses on the assembly rather than the individual.

3 Credits

6 Months

John R. Lillis, Ph.D.

With the contemporary interest in spirituality, it is imperative that the Church establish a comprehensive theology of Christian spirituality that can inform the life and witness of Christian believers. This course presents such a theology of spirituality: a theology that is biblical, practical, and contemporary, accounting for and enabling spiritual formation and nurture in a post-modern, pluralistic, materialistic society. In addition, the course provides a theological foundation for a life of prayer that will empower and sustain the believer in life and ministry.

3 Credits

6 Months

Gordon T. Smith, Ph.D.

Since His ascension, Christians have asked questions about Jesus. What was His nature? What role did He play in creation? For whom did He die? In this course, Dr. C. Fred Dickason takes learners through an indepth study of Christ in an attempt to understand His person, nature, teachings and work. Known as Christology, the study of Christ brings learners face-to-face with the most important event in history as individuals unpack the Bible’s teachings on Jesus. Learners will be stimulated intellectually and spiritually as they visit the decisions reached by the early church councils and explore the questions raised since then. Christology is a wonderful journey that reinforces the firm foundation of the faith and helps the church be equipped to share that faith with a lost world.

3 Credits

6 Months

C. Fred Dickason, Th.D.

As ambassadors for Christ and the Gospel, we must understand the true nature of man and the magnitude of his sin. This course presents a critical and historical overview of positions regarding the nature of mankind: both as the image of God and as corrupted by sin. The course presents a distinct Reformed anthropology coupled with a fair treatment of differing views and objections. Important and controversial questions regarding the origin of evil, the nature of man, and the effects of sin on humanity are all considered, allowing students to draw informed conclusions on these and other key issues.

3 Credits

6 Months

Roger R. Nicole, Ph.D., Th.D.

Post-Modernism is having a profound influence on the Church, from within and without. Changing ideas about the source and nature of truth are affecting Christians’ lives and ministry. In this course, learners examine current trends in contemporary theology, and how these trends arose. The course focuses on the theologies that were prevalent in the 1960’s, including Theology of Hope, Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, Process Theology, New Age Theology, and four forms of Post-modern Theology. Students are encouraged to draw from the course content so as to relate and communicate better to their post-modern world.

3 Credits

6 Months

John S. Feinberg, Ph.D.

God has one unified, global purpose for all He does. This course introduces the exciting biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions of His plan. It addresses key issues: the basis of and necessity for world missions, and the status of and plan for world missions. Students are introduced to the basics they need to pursue missionary training or to help lead their local church in its global ministry.

3 Credits

6 Months

William D. Taylor, Ph.D.

As the cities go, the world goes – politically, intellectually, economically, socially, and religiously. This course addresses Christian mission and ministry in the world’s growing cities. A biblical basis for urban ministry is presented and case studies of effective urban strategies worldwide are examined. The course provides key logistics, strategies, models, and insights from one of today’s leading experts in urban missiology. Throughout the lessons the instructor emphasizes holistic ministry, i.e., meeting all needs: social, civil, and political, as well as the spiritual.

3 Credits

6 Months

Roger S. Greenway, Th.D.

Liberation theology has sought to liberate the disenfranchised from poverty, oppression, and social injustice – but at what price? This course addresses the historical and thematic development of liberation theologies in the social and religious context of Latin America. The course covers the various denominational roots, as well as the various methodologies that those denominations utilize. Dr. Mulholland presents a systematic theology of liberation, analyzing its relation to the areas of soteriology, Christology, and ecclesiology.

3 Credits

6 Months

Kenneth B. Mulholland, Th.D.

With the broad expansion of Christianity in Africa, the African Church and African theology should be understood by us all. This course examines Christian theological formation in Africa against the background of African cultures and religions, and in light of its contemporary context. Also considered are how to study and understand Africa, and the factors that led to the debate on Christian theologizing in Africa. Throughout the course, descriptions and analyses of African religions are provided.

3 Credits

6 Months

Tite Tiénou, Ph.D.

The large cities of the world present enormous challenges and opportunities to the church of Christ. The purpose of this course is to develop a relevant evangelical practice for the church within the urban context, understood as contextual, or local theology. This course will expose the student to various dimensions of post-modernity as examined by several contemporary authors. The goal of the course is to help learners develop pertinent theological, missiological, and strategic initiatives for urban settings that can be applied to their own ministry.

3 Credits

6 Months

Glenn Smith, D.Min.