Fall 2020 Class Syllabi

A Treasury of Christian Literature

Dave Shields
Mondays 7:30-8:30 PM EST

Syllabus (week by week):

Introductions, Class requirements, Blog, Who was Andrew Murray
Chapters 1, 2, 3, Note 1
Chapters 4, 5, Note 2, 17
Chapters 6, 7, Note 3
Chapters 8, 9, Note 4, 5, 6
Chapters 10, 11, Note 7, 8
Chapters 12, 13
Chapters 14, 15, Note 9, 10
Overflow – Everyone prepare to share something

Books: The Spirit of Christ by Andrew Murray

Each student is expected to obtain a copy of the text before the first class. It is available through Amazon for $6.99 here. We will cover chapters 1-15 this quarter. Chapters 16-31 will be covered in the winter quarter 2021

Class Structure

Most of the class time will be used for mutual discussion, led by the instructor, over the week’s reading assignment. Everyone should come on time prepared to speak up and volunteer something profitable. Students who do not volunteer will be called on. No one will be left out.

Homework:

Reading: Each student will be expected to read the relevant chapters (about 20 pages per week) and attend class ready to discuss the material.

Blog Posting: Each student will post something weekly about that week’s reading assignment on the class blog located at Christian-Lit.mystrikingly.com.

Posts could be about what you especially enjoyed, how something changed in your understanding, how you experienced something Murray wrote about, or questions where you need clarification. The key is to be specific, and not post something general like, “I really liked it.” Please include page and chapter numbers in each post so that others can find what you are writing about.

Feel free to read other’s posts, and if inspired, give a polite reply or a thoughtful answer to a question. This is intended to become an avenue of fellowship between us.

Young People in God’s Plan

Mark Miller and Ben Sheu
Tuesdays 8:00-9:00 PM EST

Throughout history, God has touched the lives of young people, causing them to live for Him and for His purposes in their generations. To be such a young person today, we must love the Lord and be committed to Him and His process for us. Therefore, in this class, we will study the first portion of Song of Songs and several sections of David’s life before he became king. This class is best for those aged 30 and below, but we hope all who participate would be encouraged that God can work with them, no matter how young or old, to love Him and to be after His heart.

Syllabus (week by week):

Introduction, Song of Songs 1:1-4
Song of Songs 1:5-11
Song of Songs 1:12-2:1
Song of Songs 2:2-2:7
Song of Songs 2:8-17
David: His Purity
David: His Refining
David: His Companions
Review & Next Steps

Books:

The Bible (both Old Testament & New Testament)
The Song of Songs: A Divine Romance, Titus Chu
David: After God’s Heart, Titus Chu

Class Structure

Lecture, Small Groups and Discussion

Homework:

Students should expect to spend about an hour each week outside of class time reading the Bible and reflecting on and responding to questions and topics from class.

The New Testament Survey

Rex Beck
Wednesdays 7:30-8:30 PM EST

Syllabus (week by week):

The difference between the New Testament and the Old Testament
The Gospels (1) Jesus’ life
The Gospels (2) Difference between the four gospels
Acts (1) Jerusalem etc.
Acts (2) Paul
Letters (1) Paul’s letters in chronological order
Letters (2) Peter and Jude
Letters (3) James and John
Revelation

Books:

Reference Works: A Concise Survey of the Bible, G. Campbell-Morgan. (This book is recommended for your library but will not be a textbook for the class. It will be a useful reference work as you take the class and is a great addition to any Bible student’s library.)

Class Structure

Lecture with a 10-15 minute question/discussion period

Homework:

Students should expect to devote 30 minutes minimum each week completing worksheets focused on finding crucial Bible facts relevant to the upcoming lecture. Many of these worksheets will be maps and charts that will become useful references for future Bible study.

Hymns: Bringing History to Your Personal Devotions

James Reinarz and Eric Yeh
Wednesdays 8:30-9:30 PM EST

Syllabus (week by week):

Introduction: Return to congregational singing
Isaac Watts: More than Psalms
John and Charles Wesley: Joy of Experience
John Newton and William Cowper: With Poetic Excellence
Translating the Mystics: Preserving Depths for the Ages
Francis Havegal: Set apart to Serve
Horatius Bonar: Longing for His Return
Keswick Convention: Consecration and Holiness
Keswick Convention: Working by Resting in Jesus

Books:

Songs & Hymns of Life Hymnal – Included in the cost of registration.

Class Structure

Each class will have three sections: 1) Lecture on the historical era, key figures and hymns that marked that period. 2) Discussion and singing of two or three key hymns. 3) Discussion of general principles about when and how to sing these hymns in our personal devotions.

Homework:

Daily time learning, using and singing 2-3 hymns per week.

Key Figures in Church History

Kurt Sheu and Jeff Brown
Wednesdays 9:00-10:00 PM EST

Instructors

Kurt Sheu & Jeff Brown

kurtsheu@gmail.com & jrbdoulos@gmail.com This is the best way to reach us

Prerequisite

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Required Materials

Bible, Internet, PC or Smart Phone

Recommended Materials (Purchasing these books is not necessary for participating in the class. Some are available online. All are good additions to a Christian’s home library.)

Schaff, History of the Christian Church
Tucker, Extraordinary Women of Church History: What we can learn from from Their Struggles and Triumphs. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016
Shelley, Church History in Plain Language, 4^th edition, Thomas Nelson Publisher 2012
Andrew Miller, Miller’s Church History
Broadbent, The Pilgrim Church

Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this course students should be able to:

Know the basic characters of servants of God through centuries and the movement of the Holy Spirit
Understand the background, growth of servants of God
Realize their impact and influences in our Christian life.
Encourage zeal for missions and evangelism
Learn faithfulness from examples of faithful men and women
Cultivate love and communion for all the saints

Teaching/Learning Methods: Interactive learning activities in-class and weekly assignments and projects will be posted.

Students will be expected to become familiar with the literature of Church History, by small groups’ researching and organizing material according to assignments. Each small group will present their findings in research to whole class at least twice a semester. At the conclusion of the course, students should have developed their own materials, which should prove valuable in their future Christian living.

Instructional Uses of Technology:

The content, delivery, and assessment of this course is augmented by the use of the following technologies: Google Meet, Google Classroom and YouTube

Attendance Policy:

It is expected that you will attend every class and arrive on time.

Google Classroom:

The site should be checked on a regular basis for the weekly assignments and announcements.

Assignment:

Personal Homework:

Bible homework will be assigned every week. All such exercises should be completed before the next class meeting. You will be expected to participate in class discussions.

Group Projects:

Projects will be assigned almost every week. We might have a few (2~3 saints) groups, who can pray and labor together every week. Each group may present twice what they discover within these nine weeks

Evaluation

Grades will be graded based on the total accumulated points

A: 90-100% B: 80-89% C: 70-79% D: 60-69%

Tentative Course Calendar: Fall Semester, 2020

WEEK	DATES	SECTIONS COVERED
1	OCT. 7	Introduction of syllabus and Overview of church history Activities: 1. All students introduce themselves which include where they reside, when do they receive their salvation, and why they choose this class. 2. What persons or events in church history they like to know. Topics or servants of God they are interested to spend time to discover as research projects 3. Start to read the book of Acts 4. Q/A & Discussion
2	OCT. 14	Key figures and events, and its influences in first hundred years Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their inspiration on the book of Acts. 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
3	OCT. 21	Key figures, practices, events and its influences in pre-Nicene (100 -311 A.D.) Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
4	OCT. 28	Key figures, practices, events and its influence in post-Nicene (311 – 590 A.D.) Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
5	NOV. 4	Key figures, practices, events and its influence in 590 – 1049A.D. Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
6	NOV. 11	Key figures, practices, events and its influence in 1049 – 1400 A.D. Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
7	NOV. 18	Key figures, practices, events and its influence in 1400 – 1516 A.D. Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
8	DEC. 2	Key figures, practices, events and its influence in 1517 – 1620 A.D. Activities: 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion
9	DEC. 9	Key figures, practices, events and its influence in 1517– 1620 A.D. Activities 1. One or two small groups present their church history projects 2. Lecture 3. Q/A & Discussion

The Old Testament Survey

Rex Beck
Thursdays 7:30-8:30 PM EST

Syllabus (week by week):

Overview of whole OT, Creation to Malachi
Adam to Joseph
Israel (1) Egypt to the Land, Tabernacle and Law
Israel (2) Joshua to David
Israel (3) Kings to captivity, Prophets
Israel (4) Captivity to Malachi, Prophets
World History during the times of Israel
The poetry of the OT, Israel and before: Psalms, Job, Song of Songs
Prophecies of Christ

Books:

Reference Works: A Concise Survey of the Bible, G. Campbell-Morgan, 156 Pictures of Christ in the Old Testament, Rex Beck. These books are recommended for your library but will not be textbooks for the class. They will be useful reference works as you take the class and are a great addition to any Bible student’s library.

Class Structure

Lecture with a 10-15 minute question/discussion period

Homework:

Basic Greek Class

Steven Chu
Thursdays 8:00-9:00 PM EST

Goal: Cultivate a habit of reading & studying the Greek-English interlinear New Testament and the Greek-English interlinear Old Testament, known as the Septuagint (LXX)

Syllabus (Week by week)

The Greek alphabet (1), Bible study methods (1)
The Greek alphabet (2), Group presentation (1), Bible study methods (2)
Basic grammar and syntax (1), Group presentation (2), Bible study methods (3)
Basic grammar and syntax (2), Group presentation (3), Bible study methods (4)
Basic grammar and syntax (3), Group presentation (4), Bible study methods (5)
Basic grammar and syntax (4), Group presentation (5), Bible study methods (6)
Basic grammar and syntax (5), Group presentation (6), Bible study methods (7)
Basic grammar and syntax (6), Group presentation (7), Bible study methods (8)
Basic grammar and syntax (7), Group presentation (8), Bible study methods (9)

Books:

All materials will be free e-books, website resources and free software.

Homework:

Students should expect to spend 2 hours per week on homework. This includes individual and group assignments.

Individual assignments will help students learn the Greek alphabet and learn to say Greek words. Students will make short recordings of their Greek reading each week for practice. (Don’t worry all technical matters are simple and will be explained.)

Group assignments will teach students to use

Lexicons to find basic meaning and spiritual significance of Greek words
Theological dictionaries to explore the Greek cultural background of key words
Key commentaries to find significant interpretations
Kenneth Wuest’s Expanded translation of the New Testament and the Amplified Bible to paraphrase some important Greek passages

Students will learn to present group assignments with different topics (such as God, Christ, Spirit, Salvation, Redemption, Kingdom) based on their study of the Greek language.

Born Again

Vern Yoder
Saturdays 10-11 AM EST

It is a momentous, metamorphic change of one’s life. It is an entry into a vibrant world of excitement and hope. It is a change of citizenship, an immigration to a new kingdom. It ignites a dynamic life with Christ that grows more profound each day. To be born again is like no other human experience. Those who think that the born-again experience is simply a door into heaven miss out on an ocean of riches and experiences of Christ. But how do you talk about it? How do you express this monumental change within. This class will use the book, Born Again, by Titus Chu to discuss three changes that the born again experience brings to our life: what happened within us, how it changed our status and the realm we live in, and how it changed the way we live. Reference text: Born Again, Titus Chu

Syllabus

1. What Does It Mean to Be Born Again?

2. We Have Received the Divine Life (1)

3. We Have Received the Divine Life (2)

4. Our Position Before We Were Born Again

5. Our Wonderful New Position

6. What We Have Become in Christ

7. Our New Life Demands a New Living (1)

8. Our New Life Demands a New Living (2)

9. Our New Life Demands a New Living (3)

Books:

Born Again, Titus Chu

Class Structure:

Chapter review; presentations; fellowship and discussion

Homework:

Read 1 chapter from the book, Born Again, each week. Using the content of this book, prepare either a 3-minute gospel for an unbeliever or a 3-minute exhortation for a believer during the 9-week class. Each student will also be given the opportunity to write one or more devotionals from their learning and experience and present them to the other class participants.