SYLLABUS FOR "FATHER ABRAHAM" (GENESIS 11:10-25:18)

Course description

Why did Moses choose to tell the story of Abraham the way he did? What does it mean for us today? This course provides an analysis of Genesis 11:10-25:18, the life of Abraham, from a Christian perspective. It analyzes the literary structure, the meaning for the original audience, and modern application for us today. The course is based on the Third Millennium DVD series by Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr.

Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr.

Dr. Pratt is the president and founder of Third Millennium Ministries. He received his M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary and his Th.D. in Old Testament Studies from Harvard University. He formerly chaired the Old Testament department at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Then he transitioned in 2006 from his teaching role at RTS to work full time with Third Millennium Ministries. Among his published books are: Every Thought Captive, Pray With Your Eyes Open, He Gave Us Stories, and Designed For Dignity.

Goals and Objectives

GOALS

In this course, we would like to accomplish the following:

1. We hope you will become more interested in studying the life of Abraham in Genesis 11:10:-25:18, and in applying the teachings to your life.

2. We hope that you will make use of all the instructional elements of the course to learn the key information regarding the literary structure, original meaning, and modern application of Genesis 11:10-25:18.

3. We hope that you will apply the teachings of Genesis 11:10-25:18 to your own life.

OBJECTIVES

When you have done the following, it will show that the goals are met:

1. Use all the instructional elements and complete all the written assignments of the course, expressing your own thoughts and attitudes regarding Genesis 11:10-25:18.

2. Obtain satisfactory grades on the tests, demonstrating that you can identify the key information regarding the literary structure, original meaning, and modern application of Genesis 11:10-25:18. You will be able to identify the main purpose of Moses in writing this story, explain how Christ fulfills the promises regarding the seed of Abraham, and show how the promises also apply to the Church today.

3. Answer the application questions in the study guides, in which you express your own responses and opinions, showing how you have applied the teachings of the course to your own life.

Resources

The course is based on materials taught by Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr., produced and distributed by Third Millennium Ministries.

Credit

Birmingham Theological Seminary offers one hour of credit for this course, as part of the program leading to a Certificate in Christian Ministry.

Thematic Outline of the Course

Lessons on the Video Lectures:

1. Structure and Content
2. Original Meaning
3. Modern Application

Required Additional Reading:

John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis

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.