CH502 Medieval and Reformation History
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| Dr. Richard Johnson • Sacramento Saturdays, beginning January 16th Popes and patriarchs, Crusades and Confessions, iconoclasm and the Inquisition—all this and much, much more makes for a fascinating journey through some ten centuries of church history. We’ll encounter incredibly important people along the way—Pope Gregory the Great, St. Benedict, Thomas Aquinas, and then John Hus, Luther, Calvin, a panoply of characters whose faith and work left a strong imprint on Christianity that endures even today. Through it all, we’ll be asking the question: what does this mean for 21st century faith and ministry? – Richard Johnson Meets part B of Church History requirement |  |
| PR500 Homiletics | |
| Dr. Peter Hintzoglou • Menlo Park Wednesdays, beginning January 6th
We may know what the Word says. But how do we communicate it? Someone has said that “the greatest sin of a preacher is to be boring.” Homiletics is the one course designed to help you not only exegete the text but communicate it effectively in preaching through the gifts and personality God has given you in such a way as the Holy Spirit will have the opportunity to work through His Word and your words to touch the human heart at the point of each person’s need. - Peter HintzoglouRequires the Beginning Greek Series LG512 and Exegetical Methods
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| TC509 Theology and Pop Culture | |
| Dr. Steve Rabey • Menlo Park Saturdays, beginning January 9th
Just because all of us are swimming in pop culture doesn't mean we understand it or know best how to engage it in our own lives or the lives of those we impact. Followers of Jesus have struggled to connect the dots between Christ and culture since the earliest believers debated meat offered to idols. The challenge continues in our era of Google and vampires. I'm a pop culture consumer, critic and creator (www.rabeywords.com). I don't believe one can minister effectively without developing a robust theology of culture, and this class will challenge you to do just that. I've taught this class for a decade and am pleased to offer it in the Bay Area, home to Big Brother, whose aging guitarist waxed eloquent during this past summer's Woodstock anniversary: "We used to have acid flashbacks. Now we have acid reflux.” - Steve RabeyThis class meets the culture requirement.
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| PR525 Foundations of Biblical Preaching | |
| Dr. Lisa Lamb • Sacramento Beginning Friday, January 8th
What is actually happening when a preacher steps into a pulpit—or for that matter stands, hand in pocket, behind a music stand? What do you hope will happen when you preach? In this course, we’ll look biblically at what God intends to happen when we preach, and think theologically about how we participate in God’s ongoing proclamation of gospel to the world when we witness faithfully to that good news. I believe God intends the endeavor of preaching to be a ministry to preacher as well as listeners—one that involves sweat and struggle but also deep joy. In this course we will endeavor to create a gracious learning community such that whether the sermons you preach here are your first two ever or are part of sharpening skills you’ve been working at quite a while, you’ll actually enjoy the process of growing as a preacher. Assignments will include listening to and reading good sermons, reading excellent books that introduce the craft of sermon preparation, doing exegetical work to prepare to preach two sermons, and various exercises to strengthen writing, oral communication, and evaluative skills. I hope you can join us! - Lisa LambMeets the Communication requirement for MAT
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EV523 Evangelism and Media Culture
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| Dr. Kim Thacker • Sacramento Begins Saturday, January 23rd
Would it be possible to go through an entire day without contact with any media? How about just an hour (sleeping doesn’t count)? From cell phones to advertising to facebook to video games to blogs to online seminars to movies, our contemporary lives are intertwined with media - in how we work, how we relate, how we learn, how we play. Is there a Christian perspective on different forms of media? Are they neutral tools or do the forms of media affect how people process information? How does the prevalence of media in our contemporary culture impact how people view Jesus and the gospel? And how should we respond? Evangelism and Media Culture will explore these questions, seeking to navigate fruitful ways to share Jesus with people who increasingly interact with others and their world through media. - Kim Thacker
Meets Min 3 requirement for MDIV
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CF500 Teaching for Christian Formation
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Rev. Mary Naegeli • Menlo Park
Begins Saturday, January 9th
When you teach an adult Sunday school class or lead a small group Bible study, how do you plan so that your students actually become acquainted with the Living God and adopt faith as a way of life? How do you avoid the Seminarian Syndrome— teaching over the heads of ordinary church members—and instead foster authentic spiritual growth in a well-grounded and interesting way? This ministry skills class is designed to help you bridge the gap between the Bible and your students, set learning goals, plan a lesson, and even organize a church “program” for adult discipleship. The final challenge is to design a course for adult learners, and prepare a detailed lesson plan for one of its sessions. Practical stuff! And “Coach Mary” tries to keep it fun and interactive. - Mary Naegeli
MDiv Cohort class. Contact our office for more information | 
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GM550 Leadership and Character Development
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| Dr. Kevin Murphy • Menlo Park Beginning Tuesday, January 5th
How do we become the “best versions of ourselves” and how can we learn to lead from our authentic selves and not just reworked ideas of someone else’s strengths (and deficiencies)? This course will help you to discover your personality type, leadership style and how to do great team building so it isn’t “all about you.” - Kevin Murphy
A student writes, "I had the privilege of having Dr. Murphy as a mentor in the M.Div cohort program and as a professor in GM550, and he is nothing short of amazing. He is extremely insightful, helpful, encouraging, and professional. Leadership is clearly his "thing" and he teaches it well. I regularly reference what he has taught--it is extremely applicable to "real world" ministry! I would strongly recommend this class to anyone who is considering it. - Tom Butler, M.Div AlumnusMeets the MIN F requirement for most degree programs
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TM503 World Mission and the Local Church
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| Dr. David Strong • Menlo Park Beginning Saturday, January 9th
Having received his Ph.D. in systematic theology, missiologist George Peters was chagrined that his theology was static. Although he possessed a thorough knowledge of theological concepts, they did not lead him into the world. In contrast this course will endeavor to develop both a theology that leads to ministry and conceptual tools to investigate the contexts of ministry. Together we seek to envision, cultivate, and evaluate missional ministries at home and abroad. - David StrongMDiv Cohort class and meets MIN 8 for MDiv. Contact our office for more information
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NS515 Old Testament in the New
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| Dr. Daniel Kirk • Menlo Park Beginning Thursday, January 7th "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day according to the scriptures." This ancient Christian confession, quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, insists that the gospel we proclaim is the culmination of the story of Israel as told in the Old Testament. But the ways that the NT writers use the OT often surprise us, and are always reflective of the particular theological perspective of each author. In this class we will catch a glimpse of how the OT in the NT provides a window into the diverse perspectives of the NT writers, and wrestle with the implications for how we are called to read and apply the scriptures. - Daniel Kirk Fulfills the New Testament Theology requirement. Requires NT1 or NT2.
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| ST502 Systematic Theology II: Christology and Soteriology | |
| Dr. Margo Houts • Menlo Park Beginning Saturdays, January 16th
When I taught this course two years ago, God showed up and turned our classroom into a laboratory. We all became learners together in discerning not only what God wanted to show us, but what God wanted to give us - for keeps. We experienced Jesus' healing power and presence in tangible ways during our engagement with global systematic theologies. We grew in our awareness that theology is best forged in a community centered upon grace. As we journeyed together, we looked for signs of theology becoming incarnate, practical, and transformational, and we were not disappointed. We tasted Word and Spirit working together exquisitely. Won't you join us this January as we pursue our outrageously good God, mining the treasures that he has hidden for us in Systematic Theology II? - Margo HoutsMeets Part B of Systematic Theology requirement
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| OT501 Pentateuch | |
| Dr. Tony Petrotta • Menlo Park Beginning Saturday, January 9th
"When I go near the Old Testament, I get hurt ... "
These words were spoken by a pastor with more than 20 years experience of preaching and effectively pastoring a church. The OT, and maybe especially the Pentateuch, is for many of us foreign territory, a far land; strange, foreboding and forbidding. My desire is that in reading the stories, laws, poems, and songs of the OT you will not only not get hurt but will find in them sources of gaining "intimacy" with God. The characters of the Pentateuch are called by God "to a land that I will show you," and they respond to that call, as we all do, with both faithlessness and faith. This course will challenge many dearly held assumptions; it will press for intellectual integrity, and it will foster fresh perspectives on faith and community - and perhaps show us a greater intimacy with God. - Tony PetrottaMDiv Cohort class. Contact our office for more information
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| OT502 Hebrew Prophets | |
| Dr. Cindy Engle • Menlo Park Beginning Saturday, January 16th
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isa 6:3)
The prophets of the Old Testament were so captured, arrested, possessed by a vision or a word from God Himself that they could do nothing less than proclaim His message. The prophets did this in a variety of ways: anointing kings (Samuel), prophetic ecstasy (King Saul), calling down fire from Heaven and being taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire (Elijah), naming their children unusual names (Hosea, Isaiah), re-enacting strategic events (Ezekiel). Like the great prophet Isaiah, each of them could proclaim in some measure, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me….”. (Isa 61:1). So just HOW did the prophets of the Old Testament do this? How did they get “that way”? What made them “tick”? And what made them so “messy”? Come join us and explore the background, history and texts of the Old Testament to get a more complete picture of this fascinating period of Israel’s history. - Cindy EngleMeets Part B of Old Testament requirement
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