This fall semester I’ll be co-teaching a 6-week seminar on Sunday mornings with Dr. Matt Hickey on the topic of Christian doctrine. The goal of the seminar will be to provide an introduction and survey of core Christian doctrine. However, rather than teaching it systematically, we’ll attempt to do so through the narrative of God’s history. Namely, we’re choosing four key points (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation) of the Christian narrative around which we’ll explore the classical elements of Christian thought (The Trinity, revelation, humanity, sin, the incarnation, salvation, eternity, etc.).
The point of this particular post is more for your feedback. I’d love to get some of your thoughts on how we might approach this 6-week seminar. What are key ideas that you believe should be addressed? What preliminary issues should we be sure to cover in discussing Christian doctrine? Here’s a basic outline of where we’re going:
WEEK 1: Intro.
WEEK 2: Creation
WEEK 3: Fall
WEEK 4: Redemption
WEEK 5: Consummation
WEEK 6: Q&A and Discussion
This 6-week seminar will take place Sunday mornings @ 10:00 a.m. in room 202 here at Timberline Church. It will run from Oct. 14-Nov. 18, 2007.
2 Comments on “How would you teach Christian doctrine?”
I like the sequential format…Here’s what I hope will also be discussed…
* How to live redemptively in a fallen world
* How being mindful of the big picture of the consumation can enoble our everyday living
* How an understanding of creation can evoke a deeper understanding of the Creator Himself
I think it is a great idea to do it differently then just using a Systematic Theology textbook.
For example in Creation and Redemption – all three persons of the Trinity are at work and it can be a basis of showing their similarities and differences in attributes, personality, etc.
Also in Creation is the doctrine of man and sin.
The plan of God in Redemption can be a backbone throughout with the finale at the Consummation.
Of course it very much depend on the depth of the course – it sounds more like an introductory course to Christian doctrine rather than an in-depth one, right?