The Athanasian Creed: Second Month—Day 30
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
Scripture
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than your companions. (Psalm 45:6-7)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 1
11. And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.
Scripture
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
Apart from Me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 2
12. As also there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, but one uncreated, and one infinite.
Scripture
There is none like You, O Lord;
You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.
Who should not revere You, O King of the nations?
It is Your rightful due.
For among all the wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is no one like You. (Jeremiah 10:6-7)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 3
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
Scripture
The Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven. In the presence of the Ancient of Days, He will be given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and men of every language will worship Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
The Forward To Choose The Life By Dallas Willard
By Dallas Willard
There are now signs that significant groups among professing Christians are ready to take up discipleship to Jesus as the core of their religious life. A realization has been setting in that the redemption Christ offers is for all aspects of life, from the deepest parts of the human being outward to the last details of our actions. Many who previously had only a superficial connection with Christ are coming to understand that whole-life discipleship to him is the easy way to live: the “easy yoke” and the “light burden” that Jesus promised to those who step into the yoke with him to learn of him.
We will see great progress for Jesus’ work on earth, and great blessing upon the lives of groups and individuals, if this new seriousness about discipleship stays focused on three things.
First, there must be no mistaking the fact that discipleship to Jesus means primarily learning from him how to do—easily and routinely do—the very things he said for us to do. Obedience is the only sound objective of a Christian spirituality. Of course, we do not obey to earn anything—earning is out of the question—but we obey because doing the things that Jesus said is what is best for us and for everyone around us.
Second, we do not become able to obey by trying to obey, but by becoming the kind of person who naturally does obey. That means our intention is to acquire, by intelligent effort and grace, the inward character of Jesus Christ himself. We think and feel like him; our will has his habits of choosing; our very body is poised toward righteous deeds; and our way of relating to others is governed by his kind of love.
Third, the activities of our fellowship groups and their leaders are explicitly designed to make disciples—not some lesser version of “Christian,” but genuine apprentices to Jesus in kingdom living—and to teach everyone n the group to do the things Jesus said. Leaders do this by bringing their fellowship groups through effective processes of inward transformation of the dynamics of human life.
In this way we will do what Jesus told us to do: “Make disciples as you go, submerge them in the Trinitarian reality, and train them to do everything that I commanded you” (paraphrase of Matt. 28:19-20). That is what it means to choose the life. The ills of the church and of the individual derive almost totally from the simple failure to do what Jesus told us to do in the Great Commission. There is no excuse whatsoever for not doing it, and every rationalization is simply a wound to our own souls, an injury to our groups, and an insult to the Christ who told us what to do.
Bill hull has learned a lot from his years in the church as a pastor and leader. Most importantly, as this book shows, he has learned about himself. He has a vivid sense that what matters is what you are on the inside; that is the place where discipleship takes hold and where the only possible foundation for uncomplicated obedience is laid. He is delightfully candid and fresh, and conveys profound substance with stark clarity. You will wince as he relates painful experiences incurred while trying to lead his church to “great things” with thoughts and feelings remaining un-Christlike. But you will see with joy how character—not just bright ideas and slick techniques—has genuine power in human relationships under God.
He has found that “an environment of grace is a community in which disciples accept each person where they are, celebrate how God has made them, and encourage each other to train to be godly.” We can only hope and pray that the desire to build such communities will now become widely contagious, as has been gloriously so in past times among Jesus’ people.
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 4
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
Scripture
The Lord who created the heavens, He is God.
He fashioned and made the earth and established it;
He did not create it to be empty
But formed it to be inhabited.
He is the Lord, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:18)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 5
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
Scripture
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
TTP - A Survey of Theological Traditions
Syllabus
Enroll Now: Class begins June 12
Course Description:
This course surveys the major Theological traditions of Christendom including Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism and then Examine Protestantism in its major sub-traditions including Lutheranism; Reformed (Calvinism), Wesleyan-Arminianism; Dispensationalism; Liberalism; Neo-Orthodoxy and Liberation Theology. Its primary purpose it to expose you to the breadth of historic Christianity in its diverse forms and by so doing to give an understanding and appreciation for the motivating factors, key conceptions and thought forms of the various traditions. Particularly, you will grasp that the traditions have arisen out of particular historical circumstances and are wedded to particular philosophical conceptions and epistemologies.
Course Objectives:
The student will come to understand that each theological tradition is a time-bound contextualization of the gospel.
The student will come to understand the historical circumstances that gave rise to the various traditions.
The student will begin to understand the various traditions “from the inside” rather than just critiquing traditions foreign to him/her from the perspective of his/her own tradition.
The student will realize that his/her tradition is not to be equated with the TRUTH but is instead a fallible human interpretation of the truth.
The student will gain a genuine appreciation for theological systems and traditions outside his/her own.
Course Texbooks:
Required:
Sawyer, M. James. The Survivor’s Guide to Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006.
Recommended (NOTE: Not necessarily honors reading books since they are textbooks):
McGrath, Alister. Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of the Christian Church. Malden MA: Blackwell, 1998.
McGrath, Alister. Reformation Thought: An Introduction 2nd ed. Cambridge MA: Blackwell, 1993.
Course Requirements and Grading:
Certificate students take the course for a grade to receive a certificate that can be applied towards the TTP diploma. You must pay the tuition, attend or listen to all five sessions, and complete enough of the homework according to the grading system below to receive a passing grade. This applies to both online and campus students.
Honors credit can be earned in this course by completing all the coursework and completing an additional reading assigned by the teacher. See list below for honors reading options.
Assignment Description – see course schedule for due dates
Attending Classes: Students are required to attend or listen to all five sessions of the course. These sessions will take place on Monday nights on Paltalk from 9-11pm central standard time. While attending or listening to the sessions is required for all certificate students, it does not apply toward your grade and you cannot receive credit without it. If you happen to miss a course, they will be recorded and available to view the day after the course on the TTP student website.
Five hours of theological community time: All online certificate students are required to spend one hour a week in the online TTP forums where you accrue theological community time by asking or answering questions of other students, blogging your thoughts, reading the posts of others, and discussing issues relevant to the course. While theological community time is required for all online certificate students, it does not apply toward your grade and you cannot receive credit without it.
- Reading: Reading assignments are listed in this syllabus. Each student is expected to read the material according to the session schedule provided in the syllabus.
- Case Study: The student is to attend a church service of a major tradition outside his/her own and to write up the experience.
- Comparison study: the student will write a paper comparing and contrasting two of the traditions studied.
- Reading & Reflection: The student will read on one tradition outside of his own and write his/her analysis of that tradition giving both positive contributions as well as problems found within the tradition. This assignment is based upon his/her reading beyond the required reading listed in the syllabus. (Every chapter includes a bibliography for further reading. The reading for this assignment will be drawn from these lists).
Grading System
Complete 1 of 4
D
Complete 2 of 4
C
Complete 3 of 4
B
Complete 4 of 4
A
Complete all 4 plus honors reading
A
With honors
Schedule
Session No.
Session Date
Topic
Assignments
Due Date
1
June
12
Introduction; Contextualization & Systematic Theology
Survivor’s Guide
71-108; 203-233
June
12
2
19
Orthodoxy; Roman Catholicism
Survivor’s Guide
239-253; 257-280
19
3
26
Lutheranism, Reformed (Calvinism)
Survivor’s Guide
285-301; 305-336
26
4
July
3Wesleyan-Arminianism, Dispensationalism
Survivor’s Guide
345-371; 373-392
July
35
10
Liberalism, Neo-Orthodoxy
Survivor’s Guide
397-414; 419-444
10
Honors Reading Options:
Orthodoxy:Daniel Clendenin, Eastern Orthodox Theology: a Western PerspectiveTimothy Ware, The Orthodox ChurchCatholicismRichard McBrien, CatholicismLutheranismDuane W. H. Arnold & C. George Fry, The Way The Truth and The LifeEric W. Gritch and Robert W. Jensen, LutheranismReformed:John I Hesselink, On Being ReformedJohn Leith, Introduction to the Reformed TraditionWesleyan-ArminianismThomas Oden, The Transforming Power of GraceJ. Kenneth Grider, A Wesleyan-Holiness TheologyDispensationalismCraig Blaising and Darrell Bock, Progressive DipensationalismVern Poythress, Understanding DispensationalistsLiberalismAdolf von Harnack, What is Christianity?Lloyd J. Averill, American Theology in the Liberal TraditionNeo-OrthodoxyDavid L Mueller, Karl BarthJ. Edward Humphery, Emil BrunnerBernard Ramm, After FundamentalismLiberation TheologyLeonardo Boff and Clodovis Boff, Introducing Liberation Theology
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 6
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
Scripture
How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that I have heard with my ears. (2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life
The Athanasian Creed: Third Month—Day 7
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord.
Scripture
Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in them, will sing:
“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
Be blessing and honor and glory and power
For ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13)
Reading (Lectio)
- Slowly read the Scripture passage several times.
Meditation (Meditatio)
- Reflect and ruminate on the words and phrases in the text.
- Which words, phrases, or images speak most to you?
Prayer (Oratio)
- Offer the internalized passage back to God in the form of a personalized prayer of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, or thanksgiving.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
- What word or image encapsulates the spirit of the passage for you?
- Take a few minutes to present yourself before God in silence and yieldedness. When your mind wanders, center yourself by returning to the spirit of the passage.
Related Topics: Spiritual Life