Winter 2011 - Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Transcription
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
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