SYLLABUS FOR "THE HEART OF PAUL'S THEOLOGY"

Course description

We often struggle with individualism, legalism, and confusion regarding Christ's second coming. This course will help you deal with these issues as you explore the central message of Paul, and review the teachings of Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and 1 and 2 Corinthians. You will gain a better understanding of the kingdom of God, and rejoice in Jesus and the amazing plans He has for His people and His world. The course is based on the DVD lessons of Dr. Reggie M. Kidd produced by Third Millennium Ministries.

Dr. Reggie M. Kidd

Dr. Reggie M. Kidd is a seminary professor and ordained minister. He earned his M.A.R: and M.Div. at Westminster Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. at Duke University. He currently teaches at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He has published the following books: Wealth and Beneficence in the Pastoral Epistles and How Can I Keep from Singing?

Goals and Objectives

GOALS

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

1. We hope you will be encouraged as you understand more about the kingdom of God and that you will become seriously interested in studying Paul's epistles.

2. We hope that you learn the key information regarding Paul, his theology, and his epistles to the Galatians, the Thessalonians, and the Corinthians.

3. We hope that you will apply the teachings of these New Testament epistles to your own life.

OBJECTIVES

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

1. Use all the written elements of the course to express your attitude regarding the kingdom of God and regarding the epistles studied in this course.

2. Obtain satisfactory grades in all the tests, demonstrating that you can identify key information about the life and ministry of Paul, the background of his epistles to the Galatians, the Thessalonians, and the Corinthians, and that you understand the key emphasis of Paul's theology.

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 taught by Dr. Reggie Kidd, produced and distributed by Third Millennium Ministries.

Credit

Birmingham Theological Seminary offers 1.5 hours of credit for this course, as part of the program leading to a Certificate in Christian Ministry.

Thematic Outline of the Course

1. Paul and His Theology
2. Paul and the Galatians
3. Paul and the Thessalonians
4. Paul and the Corinthians

Required Additional Reading

J. Gresham Machen, The Origin of Paul's Religion
Martin Luther, Preface to Romans

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.