Winter 2011 - Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Foundations Newsletter
Winter 2011
Preparing
Pastors and
Laymen for
Outreach to
Muslims
O
ne of the unique aspects of the 20102011 academic year at
Greenville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary was
the initial offering of a new
mandatory course on Islam. While other seminaries
also offer Islamic studies as
electives, GPTS is believed
to be the only Reformed
seminary to require all
graduating divinity students
to have completed this curriculum. The two-credithours course, AP15, is part
of the Apologetics & Ethics
curriculum as is taught currently by Adjunct Professor
of Evangelism and Islam
Dr. Anees Zaka of Philadelphia, Penn.
T
he course will next be
offered at the beginning
of the Fall 2011 Semester.
The course is described in
the GPTS Academic Catalog as a "fundamental
course with an overview of
the Islamic faith and life.
Special attention will be
given to comparisons with
Biblical and Reformed
Christianity from a presuppositional point of view. Reformed methodology of
communicating the gospel
of Christ's redemption to
Muslims locally, nationally
and globally will be emphasized."
T
he course was originally urged by Dr. Zaka
out of his concern about
the growing threat to authentic Christianity that
worldwide Islam poses. Dr.
Zaka, pastor of Church
Without
Walls (CWW)
in Philadelphia, frequently cites
warnings
such as this
one
sounded by
outspoken
Dutch lawmaker Geert
Wilders:
There is a tremendous
danger looming, and it is
very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the
final stages of the Islam-
ization of Europe. This not
only is a clear and present danger to the future
of Europe itself, it is a
threat to America and the
sheer survival of the West.
The danger I see looming
is the scenario of America
as the last man standing.
The United States as the
last bastion of Western
civilization, facing an Islamic Europe.
Dr. Zaka's ministry notes,
however, that present-day
Western culture and Biblical Christianity are not synonymous terms. As stated
in one CWW publication,
We ... take
great pains to
help [Muslims]
realize that although there
is often a remnant of Christian thinking
still at work in
Western culture, there is
still a great deal of difference between true biblical Christianity and culture. On the religious
side, we try to help the
Muslim understand that
Christianity is fundamen-
Contents
Preparing for Outreach to
Muslims
pages 1-2
Spring Theology
Conference Examines
the Person and Work of
the Holy Spirit
pages 3-4
Preparing for a Future in
Christian Ministry? How
to Tailor Your
Undergraduate Studies
page 4
1
Preparing for Outreach to Muslims, continued from page 1
tally not a religion but a
relationship. It is also
God's new community
into which He is in the
process of gathering all
peoples through the gospel into one new society,
called the church.
I
n keeping with Greenville
Seminary's overall
approach to missions, the
Islam course, though
emphasizing the
importance of bridgebuilding to Muslims, makes
no room for a syncretistic,
ecumenical, all-embracing
approach but examines
Islam in the contrasting
objective light of Christian
Scripture and Reformed
theology. As one writer has
observed, syncretism is a
"key missiological
concept that refers
to the all-too
common practice
of overlaying one
set of beliefs with
another, disparate
one. People often
go to great lengths
to reconcile
different, even
opposing, belief
systems in order to make
sense of the world around
them. ... This kind of
syncretism is bad because
it ignores the transformative
power of Christ. It creates a
veneer of Christianity that is
devoid of the character of
the Most High. The result is
a broad misunderstanding
of what life in Christ truly
ought to be."
A
ccording to author Ian
Coulter, a colleague of
Dr. Zaka,
The CWW ministry among
Muslims is characterized
by the fruit of the Spirit,
Bible-centered teaching,
and bridge-building
literature. The Lord taught
us to approach Muslims
in the spirit of the cross, in
humility and gentleness,
and in complete
dependence upon the
Holy Spirit. All the fruits of
the Spirit are in full
display on the cross. By
bearing the cross, we can
at least attempt to leave
Muslims with a better
understanding of the
spirit of Christian faith and
practice. We also need to
do our homework so we
can answer provocative
questions firmly without
embarrassing or
embittering the
questioner. They are quite
used to argument but
don't know what to do
with a firm but gentle,
loving answer. This, of
course, demands the
cultivation of one's prayer
life and a vigilant watch
on oneself. It is
particularly important to
pray for the people with
whom we will speak, as
this will enable us to
respond in a loving way.
(Meetings for Better
Understanding: A Church
Without Walls Model for
Reaching Muslims for Christ.)
I
t is in this spirit of
diligently and
prayerfully "doing
our homework"
that GPTS
believes future
ministers and
other Kingdom
workers must be
trained, as more
and more Muslims
enter American
and European
communities and
as this religion pushes
relentlessly into the world at
large.
–
Foundations Newsletter
Winter 2011
2
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Spring Theology
Conference to
Examine the Person
and Work of the
Holy Spirit
Most Christians would
agree that few things are
more refreshing for the believer than the contemplation of the wonderful work
of the Holy Spirit, a work
that we at Greenville Seminary see as essential to the
well-being of the church
and the individual Christian.
Yet there is much confusion and imaginative thinking about the Spirit.
Scripture and the Reformed
Confessions clarify this issue.
This will be the focus of the
March 8-10 GPTS Spring
Theology Conference,
"Power From On High: The
Person and Work of The
Holy Spirit."
Although "early-bird" registration discounts are no
longer available, there is
still time to sign up for this
fascinating and perennially
popular conference. The
cost for the entire conference is $95. Children 12
and younger attend free
with their parents.
The annual conference will
be held again at Woodruff
Road Presbyterian Church
in Simpsonville, S.C. Com-
plete information and online registrations are
available at our web site.
Printed brochures and registration forms were mailed
in December. If you did not
received these materials
and would like to have
them, call 864-322-2717
ext. 318 or e-mail us at
[email protected]. (See our fullpage ad in the Jan. 1, 2011
issue of World magazine.)
Conference guests are invited to an Open House at
the seminary, 200 East
Main St., Taylors, S.C., from
9:30 to 11:00 on Tuesday
morning before the conference begins. You will have
an opportunity to tour our
facilities and meet with
available faculty, staff and
students. Prospective students are invited to stay after the Open House for a
free lunch in the Commons.
A catered dinner will be
held on Tuesday evening
and a lunch on Wednesday
at the conference location.
Cost for the dinner is $10
per person, and the cost of
the lunch is $7.00 per person. Children 4 and under
eat free. This is a popular
time of fellowship between
the attendees and speakers.
During the Wednesday
lunch period, the PCA
Foundation will provide interested guests an opportunity to attend a special
presentation on estate
planning and charitable
giving through estate design.
Refreshments are offered
for your convenience during breaks. No other meals
are offered. A local restaurant guide will be made
available.
Rev. Ian Hamilton, pastor of
Cambridge Presbyterian
Church in Cambridge, England, will be the keynote
speaker. Rev. Hamilton, a
member of the seminary's
Board of Trustees, will be
delivering the evening worship service messages on
Tuesday and Wednesday
of the conference at Woodruff Road Presbyterian
“Wherever
Christianity has
become a living
power, the doctrine of the Holy
Spirit has uniformly been regarded, equally
with the atonement and justification by faith,
as the article of
a standing or
falling Church.
The distinctive
feature of Christianity, as it addresses itself to
man's experience, is the
work of the Spirit, which not
only elevates it
far above all
philosophical
speculation, but
also over every
other form of
religion."
George Smeaton,
The Doctrine of the
Holy Spirit
Foundations Newsletter
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Winter 2011
3
Church. He will be speaking
on "Regeneration and Conversion" (Tuesday 7:00 p.m..)
and "Sanctification"
(Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.).
The roster of speakers, topics and times for the conference also includes:
A large selection of books
will be available at the conference at discounted prices. The conference location
is equipped with a “cry”
room with audio. Nursery
services will be available on
a limited basis during the
conference sessions for children ages 4 and under. The
cost is $45 per child and
covers all sessions. Pre-registration is required.
An MP3 CD of the conference may be pre-ordered for
$25 until March 1st and will,
Lord willing, be available at
the end of the conference.
All orders placed after
March 1st will be $35. To
order, please call the Presbyterian Bookshop at (864)
322-2717, ext. 306.
Preparing for a Future in Christian Ministry?
W
e are occasionally asked by
high school students how
they should design their
undergraduate college programs
if they intend to study later at
Greenville Seminary.
Our academic advisors at GPTS
recommend that young men
preparing for the ministry pursue
a bachelor of arts degree with an
emphasis on the so-called
“liberal arts” — history, philosophy,
classical languages, logic,
rhetoric, literature, and other
courses designed to stimulate
rational thought and intellectual
capabilities. Of course, if your
college offers biblically sound
Bible and religion courses, these
will be of benefit. If your school
offers courses in ancient Greek
and Hebrew, you should take as
many of these courses as
possible, giving you a solid head
start on your theological
education at GPTS.
“I recommend that young men
first begin a regular program of
reading through the Bible (I
especially recommend Grant
Horner's system, found online),”
says Academic Dean Dr.
Benjamin Shaw. “During the past
twenty years, the level of Bible
knowledge among students
entering seminary seems to have
dropped significantly, and men
don't seem to take it as seriously
as they ought. I also recommend
that they begin a program of
reading regularly through the
Westminster Standards. As a
suggestion here, I recommend
one chapter of the Westminster
Confession of Faith per day, and
four questions in each of the
Larger and Shorter Catechisms
per day. I also suggest that they
work on memorizing the Shorter
Catechism. When you get to the
end of each, simply start over
again. ... The repeated reading
through the Bible acquaints the
man with the Bible, while the
repeated reading through the
Standards acquaints the man
with Reformed theology.”
For guides to reading the Bible
and Confessions, visit our web
site at www.gpts.edu/resources/
print/articles/index.php.
Contact us (see below) for a
brochure with more details,
including undergraduate course
recommendations.
Building on an Old Foundation
an uncommon school for uncommon times
• Dr. Morton Smith, co-founder
and professor of Systematic
Theology at GPTS, "The Person
of the Holy Spirit" – Tuesday,
Mar. 8, 1:15 p.m.
• Dr. Joseph Morecraft III, pastor
of Chalcedon Church, Cumming, Ga., "Westminster Standards and the Spirit" – Tuesday,
Mar. 8, 3:00 p.m.
• Pastor William Shishko, Franklin
Square Orthodox Presbyterian
Church, Franklin Square, N.Y.,
"Witness and Seal of the Spirit"
– Wednesday, Mar. 9, 9 a.m.
• Pastor Ryan McGraw, Grace
Presbyterian Church, Conway,
S.C., and president of the GPTS
Alumni Association, "John
Owen on the Spirit" – Wednesday, Mar. 9, 10:35 a.m.
• Dr. George W. Knight III, chairman of the GPTS Board of Trustees and associate pastor of
Redeemer Presbyterian Church
(OPC), Charlotte, N.C.,
"Cessation of the Gifts" –
Wednesday, Mar. 9, 1:45 p.m.
· Dr. John Carrick, professor of
Homiletics at GPTS, "The Spirit
and Revival" – Thursday, Mar.
10, 9:00 a.m.
• Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr., president
of Greenville Seminary, "The
Spirit and Preaching" – Thursday, Mar. 10, 10:35 a.m.
PO Box 690, 200 East Main Street, Taylors, SC 29687, 864-322-2717
www.gpts.edu • [email protected]
Foundations Newsletter
Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Winter 2011
4