Dr. Larry Hurtado contends that worship of Jesus was a very early, widespread and radical practice for 1st century believers. A renowned professor at Edinburgh College, Hurtado is an expert in Christian origins. In this course, Hurtado utterly refutes those skeptical scholars that propose that belief in the divinity of Jesus grew incrementally over time. The more plausible explanation is that Jesus believed he had a unique relationship with God and that he was God’s decisive agent in human history.
Lessons Include:
- Introduction to Jesus Devotion
- Roman and Jewish Backgrounds
- Jesus in the Letters of Paul
- Jesus in Jewish Christianity
- Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels
- Jesus in the Gospel of John
- The Costs and Consequences of Jesus Devotion
- How Did It Happen? Why Does It Matter Today?
2.0 CEUs are available.
Quick Info:
Number of weeks: 8
Price: $100
CEUs: 2.0
Required books: No
Blackboard: Yes
Zoom: No
Certification or Series: Yes (Wesley Academy for Advanced Christian Studies)
Read course description for details.
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Past Students Said…
“I liked the thought-provoking questions that helped me to dig deeper into my beliefs.”
“I really, really, really appreciated solid theory on the timing of the writings in the New Testament, particularly as it related to Paul being active as a Christian such a short period after Jesus was crucified. That plugged an education gap I didn’t realize I had that comes up while leading Disciple Bible study. I also found it very valuable to consider the social context at or shortly after the time of Christ’s crucifixion. For me, I had this image of there being Jews, Romans, Christians and “over there” Gentiles. I didn’t stop to think that there were professional guilds, or neighborhood gatherings or just groupings that would put significant peer pressure on everything. Again, this aspect of the course really filled a gap for me.”
“The online discussions were very valuable, and I felt like most of the questions opened up avenues of thought for me that I would not have otherwise had. And I thought this was a good group in this class, participating and commenting in a very positive and constructive way.”
About the Instructor
Pamela Deck is a UMC Certified Christian Educator who loves to equip disciples to connect faith to real life. She has a passion for spiritual formation through small groups. Her education includes graduate work at Candler School of Theology and Emory University. With 35 years of experience in ministry, she was children and youth ministries coordinator at Spindale (North Carolina) United Methodist Church before moving to the United Methodist Publishing House as Cokesbury Action Team Conference leader and national workshop presenter. Currently she is a consultant and BeADisciple instructor for over 10 years. Pamela is an adult small group leader, lay delegate to Annual Conference, and former praise dance and youth group leader. She is a board member of Western North Carolina Conference (WNCC) Faith Formation Community.
About the Program Director
Michael Beardslee began working for the Institute for Discipleship and BeADisciple in early 2016, developing and facilitating courses for the new Wesley Lay Academy. This was a natural transition for him: He had been the Institute for Discipleship’s Visiting Scholar Southwestern College, then continued the work he began with BeADisciple.
Michael is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary (intercultural studies), working under Pentecostal theologian Amos Yong. His doctoral research concerns the way Christians from different cultural locations relate to one another in a globalized Christianity. His writing was featured most recently in “Breaking the Marriage Idol: Reconstructing Our Cultural and Spiritual Norms” (IVP, 2018), and in the Religion and Theology Journal (Brill, 2017).
In additional to his doctoral studies Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in religion and philosophy from Friends University, an M.A. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and a Th.M. in systematic theology from Trinity International University.
