Biblical Model of the Church: Part 1

I have seen this great “debate” in the media about how large, seeker-friendly mega churches were closed for Christmas, which happened to fall on a Sunday this year. This is not a post about Sabbath-keeping, but my thoughts on the Seeker-friendly model.

The way I see it, there is a sense of real irony in these kinds of churches, because in trying so hard to influence the unchurched (which I am not against in principle), they neglect the 2 kinds of legitimate "Seekers" in the audience of their shows.

First, they neglect the very Seeker of His lost sheep - For God searches out the hearts of men, looking for broken spirits and contrite hearts. But these Churches have turned worship into a circus show, being more interested in entertainment, than spirit and truth. The emphasis is more glory to the worship team and less grace in the heart; more sacrilegious joking and less sound preaching; more drama and less doctrine.

Who is to be the main audience of Worship? God, not man. Worship belongs to the one who is worthy - WorthShip. Notice what the Confession of Faith says about worship to God...

WCF 21.1 - The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.[1] But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.[2]

[1] ROM 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
ACT 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
PSA 119:68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
JER 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
PSA 31:23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
PSA 18:3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
ROM 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
PSA 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
JOS 24:14 Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
MAR 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

[2] DEU 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
MAT 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
ACT 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.
MAT 4:9-10 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (see also DEU 15:-19)
EXO 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Second, they neglect the regenerate Christian – seeking to hear the very Word of God. Instead they offer to him psychobabble, or health and wealth monologues. There are the occasional visits of the Holy Spirit. He always seems to disrupt the preaching part of the service.

But there is 1 thing that is always consistent at these events - he/she will hear the same Arminian false gospel preached every Sunday (or Saturday, which ever day is more convenient for him and the "Fam"), and never move beyond "Get Saved" in his Christian Walk.

The Gospel isn't simply watered down, but many times a false gospel is presented. There are no real doctrinal distinctions, except most of the statements found in the Apostles Creed. All are welcome, yet there is no real oversight. The hope of any oversight is given to the most promising novice who can lead a home small group. And they measure their success by the number of heads that come through the doors. It reminds me of that illustration Christ offers about the gate:

Mat 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

What I find amazing about this passage is the next verse:

vs. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Christ goes on to say that you can judge the prophet/teacher by their fruit.

So what kind of tree produces false gospels, no doctrinal distinctions, will worship, Sabbath-breaking, and wide gates?

Bad fruit, stripped of any real nutrition, produces malnourished Christians, and a fat Church feeding on empty calories.







I do plan on writing about what I think the Biblical model of the Church is - so feel free to come back.

Bible-in-a-year

We are definately in the age of information. It is amazing to me the resources found at one's fingertips.

I was looking for a Bible-in-a-Year program. I looked at a few, and have found Blue Letter Bible's to be very user-friendly.

It has accountability features for those who need a tugging reminder.

It also has 4 different tracks that include:

Straight Through
Chronological
Historical
OT/NT together

May your and my reading be heart-opening (and closing depending on the context)!

PS - Im looking for a daily readingin the Textus Receptus - any leads?

Gifting

If you didn't know, I hate Christmas. But I have to admit that one of my top 5 all-time favorite movies is, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The guests, gifts, Griswolds, griefs, more griefs - hilarious. I love the part where Clark Griswold, expecting to get this huge financial bonus from work finds out it's only a subscription to the "Jelly of the Month" club. Clark's sincere but dim-witted cousin-in-law exclaims, "Clark, that's the gift that keeps on givin' the whole year."

When you get the same question asked of you by three people, you figure it’s a good question to blog about.

Q: What do you do when people offer you Christmas gifts?

A: Well it is not as simple an answer as one would think. It really depends on where the giver is coming from. Generally I will have one of three responses.

1) To those who know my protest against the holiday, and decide to get me something anyway, because they suppose I am a Grinch or a Scrooge, and their gift will surely be like some offering of Special Revelation so that my stony heart will become a heart of flesh, and I will be converted by the spirit of Christmas… I usually say, thanks, but no thanks. That gift has too many strings attached. I can’t say I am a principled man, and then turn out to be some hypocrite, protesting the “cake” and eating it too.

Usually family members fit under this category. I have certain relatives that have given me things because “it was on sale, and has NOTHING to do with Christmas.” – I used to accept these things, because they went out of their way to qualify their gift. However, now that I am married, and have to consider the weakness of our future children, we have decided that unless our child has a birthday in December/January, we will not allow family to give them gifts at this time, until they show themselves mature enough to discern the issue at hand.

2) To those who may not know my position, and so ignorantly show some act of kindness, I consider their maturity. To most, I could explain to them that I am not offended by them, but at the day as a whole, and while I appreciate their love displayed towards me, I cannot accept this gift because then I would be approving of the holiday and its unbiblical traditions. To this some may qualify as above, that they are not interested in offending me, and in the future will be more sensitive, but for now, they have a gift for me because they want to show their care for me. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, take it, and enjoy it. And we will see if they really respect me as they say when the next Giftmas comes around.

As for the weaker in maturity, say a child or one who is sensitive. I will still make my position known to them, but will not reject the gift. I will request of them that the next time they want to give me a gift, please give it to me at a different time than Christmas. I don’t want to celebrate that day. It offends God. Again, I seek to do this in a nice and caring way – not judgmentally.

I used to work in the field of Psychology, and found that they youth I worked with were very sensitive to this, and yet they respected many of my convictions, like not asking me to watch a movie, or play video games on the Sabbath. They also were able to understand my convictions against Christmas and never sought to put the day higher than my convictions. They would not try to force the day upon me, or get me gifts. In fact I once had one youth (14) buy me a candy bar in July, and when I asked him what this was for, he said he knew I didn’t celebrate Christmas, but wanted me to know that he still cared enough to give me a gift, whether it was Christmas or not. That was awesome to me. This kid had the mentality of an 8 year old, but understood something that many adults think is complex or just stupid, and petty.

3) My third response is NOT an alternative to Christmas, but rather something of a further protest; a testimony against that holiday that pretends to celebrate family, by having a custom that truly celebrates family in a God-glorifying, God-pleasing way.

There is nothing wrong with family taking time to get together to enjoy each other’s company. There is nothing wrong with getting gifts for one another. There is nothing wrong with having a feast with loved ones. There is nothing wrong with getting some time off of work. There is nothing wrong with setting a familial day apart to esteem the day, and even be involved with the mixing of acts of piety with recreation.

So in this context I want my family to know that I love them, and enjoy them, and having nothing against showing love and gratitude toward them. I plan to offer to my family a time, a day that we set apart to come together and enjoy each other, possibly giving a gift (definitely not getting out of hand), feasting for sure (without gluttony), and even having a Bible study on the institution of Family, and how God seeks to effect the world through such institution.

That’s the summary. So I am curious - What do you do when people offer you Christmas gifts?

Don’t Merry “God’s-Name-In-Vain” me

***WARNING*** the following blog has grown up things to say and obscene errors to expose. Viewer Discretion is STRONGLY ADVISED

So I thought I would throw my buck-o-two in the pile of Anti-Christmass blogs.

My brother and I were talking recently, discussing among many things, his recent post at his blog. It’s rather entertaining. He threw this idea out there that to say “Merry Christmas” ought to be as offensive as using God’s name in vain any other way.

Could you imagine if someone said to you “Merry G** D*** to you” We’d go ballistic, or at least say, "Excuse me!?!". But never nod, or say thanks, and especially not return the greeting. We really need to be conscious of the words people use.

And don’t let the ignorance card fool you. After all, people use the Lord’s name in vain all the time subconsciously, and are only aware of it when someone who makes known their morals comes around. I know it is not an exact 1-to-1 because most think Christmas is a good thing and do not associate it with the Mass or Massacre of Christ. All I mean is, that is not a good excuse.

So I have been trying to think of a response to those who want to offer me an offensive holiday greeting. And understand my intentions. I am not trying to be vengeful, or bitter. I’m no Scrooge (which I will, Lord willing be posting about soon), but a Christian who desires to get peoples attention, and ear, rather than just shove that candy cane back down their throat.

What responses can be offered? I have thought of a few… some are meant to be a joke. So take a moment and actually think of yourself saying some of these to others who curse God every chance they get.

"You talkin' to me?" - Mafia voice
"God Hates Christmas!"
"You don't want to go there. Trust me."
"You wanna take this outside?"
"Aww man, they got to you too?"
"Merry wha? What's that?" and so after they explain it to you the door is wide open :D
"Shut up."
"Merry Shut up."
"Bah Shut up."
"I don't do Christmas" - the one I use most
"Oh go eat some figgie pudding."
"Merry Sabbath!" (I thought of Merry LORDs Day, but thought they might think it a reference to Christmas being a day to celebrate the LORD)
"Psalm 63:11"
"Psalm 31:18"
"Titus 1:10&11"
"Jeremiah 10" (For any of the Scripture References - feel free to add 'Merry' before them)

Any creative comments you have come up with?

The Gospel of Christ

Hey all, I have been in a great dialogue with a friend.

They asked this question and my answer is below. I am posting it here to edify first of all, but also as a way of evalutation. Any suggestions to help make my presentation more communicatable? Or better wording?

Finally, if you have nothing to say about it directly, can you offer any illustrations you give in presenting the Gospel?

Thanks
--------------------------------------------
“Here's another question of my own, I'd be interested in your take on it. Why did Judas have to go to hell? If God is all forgiven, and one is truly sorry for one's sin....why wasn't Judas forgiven---he obviously was very distraught enough to commit suicide. In the "Mystic City..." book Mary touched upon the subject a bit stating that she saw where his(Judas) soul was going and tried to intervene but he kept spiraling away from Jesus (put into my own words not quoted from book). So, then his (Judas) fate in life to turn Jesus over?”

Great question! My answer is longer than my previous answer to your previous question. However the nature of your question is not a simple one. IT is pretty big actually, but you have asked a great question, because it gets to the main roots to Christianity. Please do not faint, or grow weary, but read the whole answer. And I welcome any comments, or further questions to help clarify what I am saying. God bless you, Cheryl.

You have some assumptions here that might get in the way of the answer I would offer. You and I deserve Hell just as much as Judas does. And God is not all-forgiving, though there are many people whom God completely forgives. If God were all forgiving, then all would be in Heaven, right?

Does God forgive sinners upon the basis of their being truly sorry for their sins? Absolutely not. We have 2 clear examples, one being Judas, and the other Esau, who sought repentance with tears for his forsaking the birthright, yet did not find it (Heb 12:16, 17).

Forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ alone. God is perfectly just and will not simply look past sins committed. Rebellion against the eternal law of the eternal God requires eternal punishment. Since all of us have rebelled against His law, we all deserve eternal punishment.

And God, being perfectly merciful, made a covenant, between Father and Son. The Son was to go as a suffering servant and save His people from their sins. When He put Himself on the cross, He took upon Himself the actual punishment of Hell for sinners.

Christ’s work is not even 1% a waste, and so He redeems ALL that He died for. This has satisfied the Justice of God, and is the basis in which God forgives sinners. Not on the basis of their being sorry, but on the basis of the perfect sacrifice of Christ.

Christ, being without sin, could then transfer His status of “without guilt of sin” upon the Sinner, just as the sinner’s status of “guilty of sin” was transferred upon Christ. And on the basis of that sinful status took upon Himself the penalty of that sinful status.

The Christian then, is one for whom Christ died, and puts their faith in the finished work of Christ, believing that His righteousness ALONE is sufficient to satisfy the just wrath of God.

Judas was never a Christian. He never trusted in the work of Jesus alone, but rather trusted that God would wipe away his bad deeds, by his good deeds. This is as foolish as the murderer who tries to avoid his penalty by telling you all the good things he has done in life. Is he free of his crime? Will that satisfy the court? Is he no longer guilty because he is truly sorry? If our courts are at least to a small degree just in meeting out the penalty for the crime, how much more just is the True and Living God?

But what if there was one, a perfect one upon whom there could be no judgment of “GUILTY”. What if he took the penalty of the murderer upon Himself, and said that his “GUILTLESS” status was to be applied to the murderer (this is called imputation)? To then exact the penalty upon the murderer too would be unjust, for first, the murderer’s crime has been paid, through penalizing the Guiltless on his behalf, and second, the murderer’s status is now “guiltless” by way of imputation.

This is the glorious Gospel of Christ, that He came to save sinners from their sins, and offers freely, by His grace alone, redemption from the curse of sin, and eternal damnation. The apostle Paul was not ashamed to tell all of this truth (Rom 1:16). This you will never hear in the Roman Catholic Church, for they teach that Christ simply died to open the gates of Heaven, but it is your work to enter in. And so they want you to trust in your good deeds, and your faithful practices of all the rituals they have made up, so that hopefully when you meet your Maker, your good will outweigh your bad, and God will recognize this, and say, “by your good, you are righteous enough to come in.” *sigh, what a lie, a lie that keeps us from trusting in Christ and His righteousness alone. A lie that will keep many from Heaven, and a false belief that will lead many to Hell.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I look forward to any future dialogue. Please do try to answer the question I offer above, “What was that Standard you used to help you determine the church law right or wrong?”

COVENANTER SEMINARY PROGRAM

So this is hopefully my 3rd and final edition for a Seminary course for both the Teaching Elder Office and the Ruling Elder Office. I took many more of your suggestions and edited the course work. A few of you commented that this was too lofty for any Master’s course. While I disagree, looking at such prominent and not-so-prominent Seminary Curriculums as:

Puritan Reformed Theological Sem - MDiv.
- 4 years
- 136 to 140 Credit hours [114 if you already have Heb/Grk}

Greenville Presbyterian Theological Sem - MDiv.
- 4 years
- 124 Credit hours – M. Div.
- 31 Credit hours for a Ruling Elder Program

Calvin Theological Sem - MDiv.
- 3 or more years
- 138 Credit hours

Westminster Theological Sem - MDiv.
- 3 or more years
- 92 Credit hours

Reformed Presbyterian Theological Sem – MDiv.
- 3 or more years
- 135 Credit hours

Reformed Theological Sem – MDiv.
- 3 or more years
- 106 Credit hours

I did decide to cut programs down, and so the stats at present look like:
- 3 or more years
- 114 Credit hours in 38 classes

As I said before, I did use a lot of courses titled after Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary because they have many of their Seminary lectures taped, so they would make great supplements, until we have our own.

Notice that the red numbers are referenced at the bottom of the document and have new footnotes. Most of them justify changes made to classes. The terms are out of order just to fit full pages. The BOLD classes are one that would fit both the Ruling and Teaching Elder’s curriculum.

The next steps in this process is to
1) separate the classes into a 3 year to 5 year programs
2) determine which lectures from PRTS will fit with the courses outlined.
3) begin a collection of texts for each class (Please feel free to offer recommendations)
4) write a syllabus for each course

Thanks, and be enthused. May the LORD be pleased to use the simple things to advance the next Covenanted Reformation.
-Shawn

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- PRE-SEMINARY [1] -

1. Communicant Membership
2. Acquainted w/ Subordinate Standards
3. OT/NT Bible Introduction [2]
4. 1 semester of Biblical languages each
5. Logic/Critical Thinking Intro
6. Communications Intro(Research/Writing/Speaking/Listening)
7. ** Seminary Entrance Exam ** [3]
8. ** Liberal Arts Ed ** [4]

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TERM 1 - An acknowledgment of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God, and the alone infallible rule of faith and practice.

1. Hermeneutics (3) [5]
2-4. OT Exegesis: [6]
- 2E. OT 1 – Torah/Psalms (3)
- 3E. OT 2 – History/Proverbs (3)
- 4E. OT 3 – Prophets/Eccl/Canticles (3)
5-7. NT Exegesis:
- 5E. NT 1 – Gospels/Acts (3)
- 6E. NT 2 – Pauline Epistles/Hebrews (3)
- 7E. NT 3 – General Epistles/Revelation (3)
8. OT Biblical Theology (3)
9. NT Biblical Theology (3)
10-13. Biblical Languages:
- 10BL. Hebrew I (3)
- 11BL. Greek I (3)
- 12BL. Hebrew II (3)- 13BL. Greek II (3)

Teaching Elder - (14 Classes – 42 Credits)
Ruling Elder - (3 Classes – 9 Credits) [7]

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TERM 2 - That the whole doctrine of the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Catechisms, Larger and Shorter, are agreeable unto, and founded upon the Scriptures

1-8. Systematics:
1S. Intro/Formularies/Prolegomena [8] (3)
-- a. Universal Formularies
-- b. Scottish Formularies
-- c. Westminster Formularies:
-- d. RP Formularies
2S. Bibliology (3)
3S. Theology Proper (3)
4S. Anthropology (3)
5S. Christology (3)
6S. Soteriology (3)
7S. Ecclesiology (3)
8S. Eschatology (3)
9. Advanced Systematics/Advanced Covenanting [9] (3)

Teaching Elder - (9 Classes – 27 Credits)
Ruling Elder - (1 Classes – 3 Credits)

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TERM 3 - That Presbyterial Church Government and manner of worship are alone of divine right and unalterable; and that the most perfect model of these as yet attained, is exhibited in the Form of Government and Directory for Worship, adopted by the Church of Scotland in the Second Reformation

A) Liturgics/Worship
1. Ordinances: Intro – Directory for Worship (3)
-- a. Prayer
-- b. Psalmody
-- c. Reading
-- d. Sabbath/Special Occas. (Fastg/Thnksgivg/Scrmnts/CovRen)
2. Homiletics: (3)
-- a. Sermon Preparation, Construction, Delivery
-- b. Sermon Preparation for Special Occasions
3. Reformed Experiential Preaching & The Nature of the Gospel (3)

B) Form of Government
4. Due Right of Presbyterianism – Form of Church Government (3)

C) Work of the Ministry
5. Administration I (3)
-- a. Leadership
-- b. Ordination
-- c. Ecclesiastical Meetings
6. Administration II (3)
-- a. Counseling - Nouthetics
-- b. Visitations/Marriages/Burials (3)
7. Missiology (Postmillennial Maturity) (3)
-- a. Church Planting and Maturity in the Faith
-- b. Evangelism and Effecting Social Reformation

Teaching Elder - (7 Classes – 21 Credits)
Ruling Elder - (4 Classes – 12 Credits)

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TERM 4 - That public, social covenanting is an ordinance of God, obligatory on churches and nations under the New Testament; that the National Covenant and the Solemn League are an exemplification of this divine institution; and that these Deeds are of continued obligation upon the moral person; and in consistency with this, that the Renovation of these Covenants at Auchensaugh, Scotland, 1712 was agreeable to the Word of God

1. Biblical Civil Magistracy (3)
2. Covenanting & Covenant Renewals (3)

Teaching Elder - (2 Classes – 6 Credits)
Ruling Elder - (1 Classes – 3 Credits)

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TERM 5 - An approbation of the faithful contending of the martyrs of Jesus, especially in Scotland, against Paganism, Popery, Prelacy, Malignancy and Sectarianism; immoral civil governments; Erastian tolerations and persecutions which flow from them; and of the Judicial Testimony emitted by the Reformed Presbytery in North Britain, 1761 with supplements from the Reformed Presbyterian Church; as containing a noble example to be followed, in contending for all divine truth, and in testifying against all corruptions embodied in the constitutions of either churches or states

1-3. Church History:
- 1CH. Patristic Church & Medieval Church (3)
- 2CH. Reformation Church (3)
- 3CH. Post-Reformation Church & Contemporary Church (3) [10]
4. Historicism (3) [11]
5. Apologetics (3)
-- a. World Religions
-- b. Popular Heresy in the Church

Teaching Elder - (5 Classes – 15 Credits)
Ruling Elder - (4 Classes – 12 Credits)

----------------------------------------

TERM 6 - Practically adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour by walking in all His commandments and ordinances blamelessly

1. Ethics (10 Commandments) (3)
2. The Pastor’s/Elder’s Family & Personal Piety (3)

Teaching Elder - (2 Classes – 6 Credits)
Ruling Elder - (2 Classes – 6 Credits)

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Total: (38 Classes – 114 Credits) (15 Classes – 45 Credits)

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- ELECTIVES - [12]

1. The Christian School
2. Ministry to the Jews
3. Ministry to Roman Catholics
4. The Urban Church
5. Martyrdom, the Confessing Church, & Historic RP Testimony Bearing (3)

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All plans can be rearranged and only offer a sample of a 3 year [PLAN A], 4 year [PLAN B], and Ruling Elder program bridging into a Teaching Elder program [PLAN C].

I think that it is important how we put together each semester. I think it best NOT to put classes from the same Term in a semester, unless necessary. I have put much thought into why I have ordered the semesters as I have, basically seeking to build more advanced classes upon more fundamental classes. An approach similar to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, prior to Algebra, etc.

Realistically I don't see myself doing this program sooner than 4 years (30 credits a year) with the idea that if I happen to finish a particular section early, than I can move onto the next section early. The BOLD classes are Ruling Elder classes.

[1] The Pre-seminary tract is simply a set of prerequisites that ought to be considered prior to entry into a seminary education/oversight.
The rest of the classes are split up into categories best suited for the Term of Communion cited above. There is also a list of possible electives at the end of the list. A candidate would normally not move into the Seminary training until having this completed.
[2] Instead of just a read-through of the Scriptures, it would be better if one had an introduction to the Scriptures. This is a Master’s Course, so the bar needs to be raised.
[3] The Stars represent a flexible requirement. There should be an interview of some sort to determine the potential student’s testimony of their faith, abilities and understanding of the ministry. This helps when the examiners do not know the candidates well enough.
[4] The Stars represent a flexible requirement. While a Liberal Arts Education is desired, it may not be necessary depending on present circumstances. Candidates may need to supplement their training. Transfer classes should also be considered.
[5] Next to each course is listed the credits per class. At this point all classes are (3) Credits each.
[6] Each student is required to study Exegesis for each section of the Scriptures. This is after taking 3 semesters of both Greek and Hebrew – That is one semester each in Pre-sem, and then 2 semesters for each in the first 2 years of Seminary training.
[7] There is a sum of the classes/credits for each Term of Communion for both Ruling and Teaching Elder programs.
[8] This class spends time in the differences of particular formularies (creeds, confessions, church orders, etc), principles of development, along with goals and outcomes (scholasticism, orthodoxy), and the history and context surrounding the actual formularies (different from Church history in that it spends detailed time in debates had at these assemblies); Basically setting the ground work for the next ecumenical assembly. The content of the formularies themselves would be "woven into the other classes".
[9] Advanced Systematics – A course that would introduce the student to those issues that have not yet been handled by a General Assembly, but will need to be handled (Of 2 kinds, I – Further Development of the Standards, II – Those issues which former Divines have chosen to wait for a more settled Church and greater Reformation to decide).
Advanced Covenanting –Like Advanced Systematics, it is a course that seeks to put on the table some issues that have gone unanswered, or oppositions that we have not seen answered. It considers further implications of Covenanting in general and the SLC more specifically in its application, seeking to prepare the student with an advanced understanding so that either they would be interested in working on the subject while in ministry, or again, preparing for an ecumenical assembly. We would be influential to this assembly if we had already anticipated pressing issues of reformation. Notice that both topics have been combined into one course (of 2 kinds, I – Further development of Covenanting Principles related to future social Covenanting, II – Principle development to aid in the technical side of social Covenanting).
[10] It seems that the Reformation covers a broader area and longer timeline and so would be a greater amount of content, compared to the Post Reformation Church.
[11] This class would be an introduction to the Historicist Hermeneutic, as well as comparing this hermeneutic to the other prophetic systems. It then takes on a superficial history, outlining the works of the World and the Church side-by-side through history marking major events prophesied. Finally it lines out the future events based upon Scripture.
[12] There really has not been much consideration of electives, because the classes chosen are already of basic and necessary value to the Terms of Communion and a Seminary education. However, you will find elective courses offered at most Seminaries so I thought even a list of them could be helpful if electives were considered in the future.

New Look

Hey all, so I am trying to really do this blog thing.

I have been slow in the past, but never out of the game.

I hope you enjoy, and if you have any suggestions to help make my blog more pleasing, let me know. seriously... let me know.

thanks
-shawn