SYLLABUS FOR "WE BELIEVE IN JESUS"
Course Description
Jesus Christ is the most important human being that has ever lived. He is God in the flesh, the center of all history, and the only hope for the salvation of humanity and creation. This course clarifies the biblical teachings about His person and His redemptive work. It is based on the videos produced by Third Millennium Ministries, with a variety of professors.
Goals and Objectives
GOALS
In this course, we would like to accomplish the following:
1. We hope you will develop a greater love for Jesus and an increased gratitude for what He has done for us.
2. We hope you will make use of all the instruction elements of the course to learn the biblical teachings about the person and work of Jesus.
3. We hope that you become a more faithful follower of Jesus and that you share the message about Jesus more frequently with others.
OBJECTIVES
When you have done the following, it will show that the goals are met:
1. Use all the instruction elements and complete all the written assignments of the course, expressing your attitude toward Jesus.
2. Obtain satisfactory grades on the tests, demonstrating that you can do the following: a) Correctly describe the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation in relation to the person of Jesus Christ. b) Distinguish the life and ministry of Jesus in the past, present and future. c) Correctly identify the key aspects of Jesus' work, especially in terms of his human offices.
3. Answer the application questions in the study guides, in which you demonstrate how this course has affected your life.
Resources
The course is based on materials distributed by Third Millennium Ministries. A wide variety of theology professors and pastors contribute to the lessons.
Credit
Birmingham Theological Seminary offers 2.5 hours of credit for this course, as part of the program leading to a Certificate in Christian Ministry.
Thematic Outline of the Course
Lessons Based on the VIdeo Lectures:
Lesson 1. The Redeemer
Lesson 2. The Christ
Lesson 3. The Prophet
Lesson 4. The Priest Lesson 5: The King
Required Course Reading:Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 2, chapters 3-13
Athanasius, On the Incarnation
Is Jesus God?, edited by Benjamin B. Warfield
Assignments
You should begin with the following for each lesson:
1. Read the "Preparation" document and complete any activity mentioned there in preparation for the lesson.
2. Read the instructions for the lesson.
3. Watch all the videos (or listen to the audio, or read the text version).
4. Complete the study guide for each section of the videos.While they are not required, and while they will not be graded, we recommend that you do the following for each lesson to prepare for the acummulative test and to get the maximum benefit from the lesson:
1. Take the quiz on each section of the videos.
2. If there are any, watch the videos of class discussion forums.
3. Browse through the glossary of the lesson.The accumulative test
Take the accumulative test on each lesson. This is required and will give you the grade for the lesson.
Required Additional Reading
After completing the lessons based on the video lectures, there is a final lesson based on required additional reading. The student should do the reading, complete the study guides, and take the corresponding test based on the reading.
Estimated Time for Study
While each student is different, we estimate that each lesson may take around 10 hours to do the required assignments, if the student is already familiar with how to use these courses.
Grades
You may see your grades at any time by clicking on the link. (It is in the left margin in the computer version, and at the bottom in other versions.)
1) Each accumulative test is worth 100 points and the test on the required reading is worth 100 points.
2) The quizzes on each section of the lessons are graded (10 points for each) so that you can evaluate your learning, but they will not be included in the official course grade. They are only for the purpose of practicing and learning.
3) The final grade for the course will be calculated by taking the appropriate percentages from each accumulative test and from the test on required reading, to make a total of 100%.
The evaluation scale has the following meaning:
90-100%: Excellent (A)
80-89%: Good (B)
75-79%: Average (C)
0-75%: Insufficient (F)
Include Other People
We highly recommend that you involve other people in your studies, in order to avoid isolating yourself. You may choose to form a study group with other students that are in the same program, or in a similar program of studies. You could share what you are learning, encourage one another, and pray for each other. It would also be a great idea to form a mentoring relationship with your pastor or with another person you respect, to make yourself accountable to him. You could meet once a week to share what you are learning and pray together.