Western Seminary

                                                                 Portland, Oregon

 

                                               THS-503 B THEOLOGY III

LIVING AS THE COMMUNITY OF THE SPIRIT

 

                                                             Mondays 6:00 B 10:00

                                                           Summer Semester, 2004

 

                                                           Todd L. Miles, Instructor

                                                        tmiles@westernseminary.edu

                                                                  (503) 517-1866

 

                                                                  SYLLABUS

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

You will culminate the process of learning to think theologically by exploring the Spirit=s life-giving work.  Then you will investigate the church as God=s covenant community and instrument of his present working, ending with the consummation of his kingdom program in end time events.  Throughout the course the Spirit will transform us as we see our part in his grand work.  Prerequisite: THS 501.  Credit hours: 2

 

 

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

 

1.           To be able to articulate and defend biblically a personal understanding of Pneumatology (the doctrine of the Holy Spirit), Ecclesiology (the doctrine of the Church), and Eschatology (the doctrine of last things).

 

2.           To understand the primary implications of Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology for life and ministry.

 

3.           To understand how to analyze theologically on temporary issues confronting the church and society, and how to communicate effectively the fruit of that analysis.

 

4.           To be able to think biblically and critically so that various truth claims can be effectively evaluated by embracing a biblical world view.

 

5.           To synthesize and personalize your theological understanding of the above doctrines in the writing of a personal doctrinal statement for each area.

 

6.           To gain deeper confidence and appreciation for Scripture as fully inspired, reliable, and authoritative.

 

7.           To appreciate those faithful believers who have gone before us by becoming familiar with the history of the doctrines of the Holy Spirit, the Church, and the last things, as well as contemporary discussions on them.

 

8.           To grow in our knowledge and awareness of, and appreciation and reverence for the third member of the godhead, the Holy Spirit.

 

9.           To enhance our understanding of, appreciation for, commitment to, and involvement in the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

10.       To stimulate our holiness and motivate our witness as we understand more fully and place our hope in the sure coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

Attendance:

 

You are responsible to regularly attend and participate in class lectures and discussions.

 

Reading:

 

You will read the following (32 hours):

 

_             Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998.

 

_       Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Holy Spirit, Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1996. 

 

_       Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Wheaton: Crossway, 2000.

 

Reading assignments are listed on the course calendar.  To aid in discussion and understanding of the material, each reading assignment shall be completed prior to the class session listed.  A reading log (attached) will be turned in at the end of the term where you will record your progress through the reading assignments.

 

Doctrinal Statements:

 

You will write a succinct statement of your own personal doctrinal commitment on each of the topics studied.  Your statement on the Holy Spirit should be one page, double-spaced; the doctrine of the Church should be three pages; and your statement on eschatology should be two pages.  A handout entitled ASuggestions for Preparation of Doctrinal Statements@ is available to help you, and your work on statements in THS 501 and 502 should serve as a model. (15 hours)

 

Each doctrinal statement is due when the corresponding exam is due.

 

Examinations:

 

Three examinations will be given.  These will be based upon the reading and class presentations.  Prior to each exam, a study guide will be distributed to guide your preparation.

 

Position Paper:

 

One of the great benefits of seminary education is the opportunity to explore a variety of theological questions, both to understand better the dimensions of the issues and to endeavor to come to some resolution on them, tentative though this may be.  In this course, you will be asked to become engaged in such theological reflection through the writing of one position paper (7-10 pp., double-spaced, 12 pt. font).  

 

Each student will select an issue from either pneumatology, ecclesiology, or eschatology.  Students should make their selections from the suggested list of topics that follows (or suggest another topic, in writing, for my approval).  Although these are position papers and not full-blown research papers, there should be ample evidence of substantive research (i.e., six to eight legitimate sources directly related to your issue) assuring competence in handling the issue (use either footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography to show research consulted and used).  The structure of your position paper (YES! Use these as section headings in the paper itself) should be as follows:

 

1)           Issue:        State clearly and precisely what the issue is you propose to discuss (1/2 p.)

2)           Positions:   Summarize the leading positions (not fewer than two, not more than four) taken on the issue (1.5 pp.).

 

3)           Support:    State and give support for the position you favor (3 pp.)

 

4)           Objections:        Explain why the position you favor with its argumentation is able to address at least two of the strongest objections that might be raised against it (1.5 pp.). 

Suggested Topics:

 

Ecclesiology

1.           When does the Church begin and what is its nature vis-a-vis Israel?

2.           What view of baptism is most strongly supported biblically and why?

3.           What view of the Lord=s supper is most strongly supported biblically and why?

4.           Has the office of apostle continued from the first century of the Church?

5.           May godly, gifted women rightly serve as teaching elders or senior pastors in the Church?

6.           What form of church discipline should be exercised toward a pastor found guilty of committing adultery?

7.           May a Afallen@ church leader be restored to leadership in the Church?

8.           Which view of church polity is most biblically defensible and why?

 

Eschatology

1.           What happens to believers immediately upon their physical death?

2.           What happens to babies who die in infancy?

3.           What view of the millennium (i.e., a-, post-, or pre-millennialism) is most strongly supported biblically and why?

4.           What view of hell (i.e., eternal conscious punishment, annihilationism, conditional immortality) is most strongly supported biblically and why?

5.           What view of Christ=s return vis-a-vis the tribulation (i.e., pre-, mid-, post- tribulationism) is most strongly supported biblically and why?

6.           Are there degrees of punishment and reward in the final judgment?

7.           What is the destiny of those who have never heard of Christ and the gospel?

 

Pneumatology

1.           In what sense (if at all) does the role of the Holy Spirit in the NT exceed his role in the OT?

2.           What view of the duration of the Asign@ gifts is most biblically supported and why?

3.           What view of the procession of the Spirit within the immanent Trinity is most biblically supported and why?

4.           What is the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit? 

 

5.           What is the role of the Holy Spirit in world religions? 

 

Scripture Meditation:

 

A much-neglected discipline of the Christian life and theology is Scripture meditation.  Essentially, Scripture meditation involves 1) a continuous process of remembering and musing over Scripture=s teaching, and 2) a reassessment and a reshaping of one=s life in light of that teaching.  In this course, we will encourage growth in this discipline by engaging our minds and hearts in some consistent, but non-burdensome, Scripture meditation.  For each major section of our course we will commit ourselves to reading thoughtfully and prayerfully (preferably out loud) some assigned Scripture portions.  We will read each of these Scripture sections once a day, three days a week, for the weeks prescribed below.  At the end of each section, each of us will write, in one to two pages, our personal reflections on these passages, particularly focusing on how our lives and ministries have been (or need to be) challenged by the truths we have thought so much about.  Note: Meditation reflection papers are due at the beginning of class periods on the dates due (see course calendar).  (3 hours)

 

 

Pneumatology                     Ecclesiology                       Eschatology

 

5/3 - 5/23                           5/24 - 6/6                           6/7 - 6/20

Rom 8                                1 Pet 2:1-12                       Rev 19:1 - 22:21

Gal 5                                  Eph 2:11 - 3:13

 

COURSE POLICIES

 

Course Grade Structure:

 

Reading and Participation                             10%

Doctrinal Statements                            25%

Exams                                                         40%

Position Paper                                             20%

Scripture Meditation                                    5%

 

 

Grading and Late Assignments:

 

The basic grading scale is:

90-100% = A

80-89% = B

70-79% = C

60-69% = D 

 

Borderline grades will be determined on the basis of class participation and pattern of improvement.  To receive audit credit, you must attend at least 80% of the class sessions and report that fact to the instructor by the day of the final. 

 

Assignments must be turned in at the beginning of the class period on which they are due.  Due dates may be varied to allow for your demanding schedule.  If you need to make such arrangements, please do so well in advance and formalize them in writing.  If prior arrangements have not been made, the penalty for a late assignment is a 10% reduction for each week that the assignment is late (5% if turned in within one week of the due date).  The maximum deduction for a late assignment is 25%.  Unless you qualify for an incomplete as defined in Western=s catalog, all assignments must be turned in by 5:00 PM of the day of the final examination.    

 

Absence Policy:

 

In the event that you are unable to attend class, you should make arrangements to get notes from a colleague.  You may make arrangements in advance with a colleague to tape a session you know you will miss, but that tape is for private use only.

 

 

Assignment Format:

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments must meet the following criteria:

A.         1 @ margins on the left, right, top, and bottom;

B.          Double-spaced;

C.         12 point font (Times New Roman or Arial);

D.         A cover page that contains the assignment title, class title and number, your name, mail box number, and date;

E.          One staple in the top left corner.

 

COURSE CALENDAR

 

 

Date

 

Course Topic

 

Preparation for Class

 

5/3

 

Introduction

Pneumatology

 

 

5/10

 

Pneumatology

 

Erickson 41-42

 

5/17

 

Pneumatology

 

Ferguson 1-4, 6-7, 9-10

 

5/24

 

Ecclesiology

 

Pneumatology Reflection Paper Due

Erickson 50-53

 

5/31

 

Ecclesiology

 

Erickson 54-55

 

6/7

 

Ecclesiology

 

Ecclesiology Reflection Paper Due

Dever

 

6/14

 

Eschatology

 

Erickson 56-57

 

6/21

 

Eschatology

 

Erickson 58-60 Eschatology Reflection Paper Due