Masters in Biblical & Practical Theology

This course will center on the spiritual foundations of the NT believer. There will be a heavy emphasis on the believer’s identity as a child of God. The Father’s love is one of the most foundational aspects of the Christian understanding to build a solid spiritual identity. This course will cover the Father’s love, the Son’s sacrifice, and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. The basic foundational teachings of impartation, baptisms, and living the Spirit-filled life will be covered. A strong emphasis will be on the new identity and victorious life. It will include a study of spiritual disciplines and practices of the Early Church Fathers.

Pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been revealed in both the OT and NT. The life of the believer is heavily impacted by the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This class will examine the working of the Holy Spirit throughout biblical history: OT, Life of Christ, and the NT church. Different aspects of the outpouring and outworkings of the Holy Spirit for today in empowerment, giftings, and baptisms will be presented. An ecumenical study of the various streams of churches and their beliefs in regards to the gifts and baptism of the Holy Spirit will be presented. The course will be presented from a renewal and charismatics perspective. 

Christ and His work on the cross are a central theme to the entire Scripture. Atonement, justification, and salvation will be explored in-depth in regard to the Christian life and belief system. The claims of Christ to be the only way and his provision for sinful humanity to enter the Kingdom will be a central theme. The historicity of the Christ account of his death and resurrection will be given a strong apologetic. Salvation by faith and grace in the Pauline writings and the tension with James of a faith that is shown by works will be explored.  

Systematic Theology and Apologetics address cultural and societal questions about the Bible, God, and spiritual matters. Peter admonishes us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15). Christians should be prepared with the message of the gospel and apologetics to be able to defend the truthfulness of the faith. The goal is to win over those who are lost and have found the Christian faith confusing, illogical, or irrelevant in the past. This class will prepare students to share their faith.

This course will cover church history with an emphasis of Holy Spirit revivals. The Kingdom in action through church history and the legacy of the fathers and mothers of the faith will be explored. The discussion will focus on the move of the Spirit and continuing into the present day with a heavy emphasis on the last century. Key locations, events, people, and missions will be discovered. God has been moving in his Church through revivals and we should not miss learning from it.

Hermeneutics is the discipline of studying the biblical text. This course will focus on preparing students to teach and preach with sound Biblical hermeneutics. This course requires academic study of the bible and a listening heart to the Holy Spirit to bring it to life. While one main goal of Hermeneutics is to discover the original author’s intent for his ancient audience; this course will also show the connection of the OT and NT text to the modern reader and hearer. Many examples and studies of various passages and Biblical books will be conducted. Common hermeneutical errors and difficult passages will be examined. An diverse look at different emphases of hermeneutical practices will be discussed as students discover their hermeneutical leanings.

Biblical Theology will look at major themes and topics that span both the OT and NT. How do we view the certain themes and covenants of the Bible? This will include an examination of the history of theology through the church age and the formation of Christian doctrine. Theology of various streams will be included and how revivals have impacted that theology while giving guardrails to distinguish between heterodoxy and orthodoxy. The purpose is to show the unity of the Bible and the ongoing flow of the revelatory and redemptive process, structured around God’s major covenants, that reaches its climax in Jesus Christ. We will also learn a gospel-centered and Christocentric understanding of Scripture.

This can be a research project in a Biblical Theology topic with direct oversight from an instructor. Students will be expected to write about the topic or experience and how it better prepares them to minister in their sphere. This research can pertain to active ministry such as healing, prophecy, deliverance, or evangelism. Prerequisites: C or better on the final research projects in Hermeneutics and Biblical Theology classes, or professor approval.