Course Syllabus
MIN202: New Testament Foundations
Instructor & Contact Information
The People tab in Canvas provides information on the course instructor and you can send a message to your instructor following these instructions. Faculty are expected to: 1) grade and return assignments, with feedback, within 7 days from the date of submission; 2) reply to your Canvas messages within 72 hours; 3) reply several times each week in total in the discussion forums (not to each individual student); and 4) demonstrate the core values of City Vision University.
Course Description
This class is designed to introduce you to a “life of Jesus” survey that concentrates on the historical accounts in the Gospels, beginning at the announcement of his birth to his ascension after his death at Calvary. It will also explore how Jesus' life is witnessed to through Paul’s letters, the General Epistles, and the book of Revelation.
Course Outcomes
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the historical context which surrounded Jesus at the time of his appearing in his public ministry, including the various details which defined Rome’s domination of the world and their relationship to Jesus’ contemporaries and be able to outline the overall chronology of events in the New Testament as well as relate those events to the life of Christ.
- Explain the critical perspectives and processes associated with a profitable study of the life of Christ. Understand the background and context in which the New Testament books were written, including their historical, political, and cultural setting, as well as issues related to the human authorship of the books, such as theories of authorship, dates of composition, and their reception into the New Testament canon.
- Show from the New Testament Scriptures how Jesus’ Messianic identity is powerfully revealed through his perfect life and character, his masterful leadership of the Apostles, his submissive sonship to his Father, and his resurrection from the dead.
- Interpret the New Testament text according to established principles of Biblical hermeneutics, with sensitivity to issues such as literary genre, style, and cultural context and apply the New Testament’s moral teachings to contemporary social issues and to one’s personal conduct.
- Identify how specific scriptural texts have personally shaped their own life during the course as they have participated in spiritual practices such as memorization and meditation upon Scripture.
Degree Program Outcomes
Degree outcomes are the overall skills and knowledge we expect you will have after successfully completing a degree program at City Vision University. After completing the degree, you will be able to do the following in each of the listed domains:
- Bible. Use sound principles of Biblical interpretation to analyze the structure, themes and content of the Bible and apply that to local contexts.
- Theology. Apply the foundational truths of Christian theology grounded in Scripture to local contexts.
- Calling. Create a synthesis of a reflective life vision and plan to enable 24/7 ministry based on God’s purposes for work and their own unique calling.
- Leadership. Develop a personal philosophy and plan for leadership based on principles of leadership and effective ministry management.
- Life Balance. Develop plan for him/herself and others to establish life balance in a society saturated with technology and addiction.
- Urban Ministry. Understand and develop strategies for Christian community development, urban youth ministry, and urban evangelism and discipleship.
- Cross-Cultural Ministry. Develop strategy for effective cross-cultural management and ministry and apply that to their own organizational or ministry context.
- Specialization. Develop skills and apply learning and concepts in one area of specialty ministry.
This course supports degree outcomes 1 and 2.
Required Texts
Students are required to purchase these texts before the first day of classes.
- New Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom. Don L. Davis. 231 pages. The Kindle edition is cheapest; at this time, there is not a print version available. This is a student workbook. It contains outlines for the lectures we will be watching each week.
- The Incomparable Christ, John Stott. 264 pages.
- Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, Walter A. Elwell, Robert W. Yarbrough. 448 pages. There are a wealth of student resources available for this book here.
- To Understand the Bible Look for Jesus, Norman L. Geisler. 128 pages. The Kindle version is the only version currently available. It has been retitled as Christ: The Theme of the Bible
Recommended Texts
- A NIV (Kindle version) or ESV (Kindle version) Study Bible. A hard copy is also fine and may be preferable if you plan to use the Bible for personal study after this course.
- For your exegetical paper you will want to make use of some of the items linked in the resource from Dr. Voss entitled “Free Biblical and Theological Resources for Urban Church Leaders Available Online.”
- Vanhoozer, Kevin J., Craig G. Bartholomew, Daniel J. Treier, and N. T. Wright, eds. Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.
Guidelines for Written Work
All written work must follow our Writing Format and Forum Requirements. You must read these to understand how to cite sources appropriately.
Critical Policies to Read for This Course
Note: These policies are critical for all students to read. In case of change, we have linked to the versions on our website to make sure you have the latest version.
This syllabus is subject to change without notice up until the first day of the semester. Last updated: December 15, 2021
Course Summary:
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