Mark’s gospel is unique and sometimes surprising, and reminds us that context is important. This course is for preachers and teachers in churches, especially those relatively new to these tasks. Participants will do a disciplined reading of Mark using a study Bible and will make preliminary preparations for sermons or lesson plans using assigned passages (but not completed sermons or lesson plans). The use of the study Bible will give you valuable practice in accessing this tool for sermon or lesson plan preparation.
Learners will need to obtain: CEB Study Bible portion for Mark (free download, https://www.commonenglishbible.com/files/uploads/CEBStudyBibleSampler.pdf)
On the first Monday participants will have asynchronous access to basic housekeeping tasks and to a link to download the study Bible portion. On the first Tuesday evening, February 4 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm EST there will be a required three-hour Zoom session in which we will begin our guided reading of Mark, using the study Bible portion. We will begin to do the kinds of hermeneutical work that we’ll continue in Blackboard with daily assignments for the rest of the course.” The Zoom session will not be recorded. The course continues through a second week. Participants will write sermon descriptions or lesson plans in response to Discussion Board assignments.
This course is eligible for 1.0 CEU.
Quick Info:
Number of weeks: 2
Price: $60
CEUs: 1.0
Required books: Yes
Blackboard: Yes
Zoom: Yes, required
Certification or Series: No
Read course description for details.
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Price: $60
About the Instructor
Ron McCreary earned a Master of Divinity degree from Candler School of Theology in1984. He has been working with Scripture for 30 years as a preacher and teacher in local congregations. As an occasional iconoclast himself who roots for the underdog, Ron loves Mark. He points out that John Wesley considered Mark an inferior copy of Matthew. But Mark is sparse and direct, and almost always close to the ground. Scholars think Mark wrote in the middle of the disasters of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the earliest Gospel, giving the account credibility. In this course Ron will be trying to give learners new things to think about and encouragement to do the thinking, things their prior background may not have provided.
