Licentiate of Exegesis and Apologetics

Fundamental to any Christian’s effectiveness in the world is the question of how they think. Thinking Christianly is what makes us able to evaluate the things going on around us and make a valuable contribution to our world under the lordship of Christ. Every person is trained to think within certain boundaries and along certain lines imbibed from their culture: this is the worldview everyone begins with. But as Christians we also need to bring a biblical perspective to bear on these assumptions, to critically evaluate them and where necessary replace them with truly Christian views.

This course enables students to analyse differing views and definitions of worldview discussing the shifts in worldview from the 17th century until today. Christian worldview in the light of the current context and construct their Christian worldview.

Course Curriculum

1. Course Description

Instructor

Dr Ian Grant

Ian is an experienced Vice-President Emeritus with a demonstrated history of executive leadership, curriculum development, postgraduate teaching and accreditation, in theological education and ministry training in Australian and international contexts, including in the e-learning industry. He is skilled in Lecturing, Coaching, Managing Teams, Conflict Resolution. Ian holds a PhD focused on cultural intelligence, anthropology, contextualised leadership, cultural and religious change, intercultural communication and Majority World Christianity from Monash University.

Fundamental to any Christian’s effectiveness in the world is the question of how they think. Thinking Christianly is what makes us able to evaluate the things going on around us and make a valuable contribution to our world under the lordship of Christ. Every person is trained to think within certain boundaries and along certain lines imbibed from their culture: this is the worldview everyone begins with. But as Christians we also need to bring a biblical perspective to bear on these assumptions, to critically evaluate them and where necessary replace them with truly Christian views.

This course examines how worldview has changed since the medieval days, especially on the European Enlightenment and development of modernism and more recent postmodernism. Finally forming a Christian worldview based on biblical teaching.

Course Curriculum

1. Course Description

Instructor

Dr Ian Grant

Ian is an experienced Vice-President Emeritus with a demonstrated history of executive leadership, curriculum development, postgraduate teaching and accreditation, in theological education and ministry training in Australian and international contexts, including in the e-learning industry. He is skilled in Lecturing, Coaching, Managing Teams, Conflict Resolution. Ian holds a PhD focused on cultural intelligence, anthropology, contextualised leadership, cultural and religious change, intercultural communication and Majority World Christianity from Monash University.

Christians face apologetic issues that affect people on a daily basis. This course gives the key evidence and reasons for the Christian faith and develops clear and well-organised arguments for presenting the Christian faith.

All Christian leaders face apologetic issues as they try to meet the needs and challenges facing the people they are leading or ministering to. How they deal with such issues can strongly affect their credibility and the spiritual growth of the people concerned. Therefore, developing good apologetic strategies is a highly relevant and significant part of ministry.

Curriculum Covered

1. Course Description
2. Introduction to Course
3. Introduction to Apologetics
4. Is Apologetics Scriptural?
5. Approaches to Apologetics
6. History of Apologetics
7. Worldviews & Apologetics
8. How the Western Worldview is Changing
9. Changing Views of Truth & Spirituality
10. Responding to Current Trends
11. A Practicing Apologist Interview: Bill Muehlenberg
12. New Atheists & Christian Responses
13. Issues in the New Atheism Debate
14. Dialogues with Atheists
15. Debates about God
16. Evidence for God (1)
17. Evidence for God (2)
18. Objections to Belief in God
19. Suffering & Evil (1)
20. Suffering & Evil (2)
21. Suffering & Evil (3)
22. 10 Lessons from the Book of Job
23. Your Target Audience
24. Reaching NT Target Audiences
25. Issues of Science, Faith & the Bible

About your instructor

Dr Jon Newton

John is an Associate Professor at Alphacrucis College after serving for nine years at Harvest Bible College, most recently as Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research. His goal is to promote Christian higher education and missions, including training students for Asia and Europe.

Dr Jon’s PhD was gained at Deakin University (conferred 2007) with a thesis entitled “Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation.” The author of two books: Revelation Reclaimed: The Use and Misuse of the Apocalypse (Paternoster 2009) and The Revelation Worldview (Wipf and Stock 2015). I also edited New Frontiers: Redefining Christian Ministry for 21st Century Contexts (Mosaic 2013). I have also had a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals such as Australian Biblical Review, Colloquium, Heythrop Journal and Journal of Pentecostal Theology. I am the editor of the Journal of Contemporary Ministry. Currently I am working on a commentary on Revelation for a new Pentecostal commentary series. My other main research interest is Australian Pentecostalism.

In other areas of life, I am married to Judy (since 1977) and we attend New Horizons Christian Church, Whittlesea, having served as senior ministers of Oasis Church in Hampton, a bay side suburb of Melbourne, 2011-2018.

Qualifications

PhD (Deakin University)

Dissertation Title Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation 2007

MA (Australian College of Theology) 2000

BA (Hons) (ICI University, Texas)

Christians face apologetic issues that affect people on a daily basis. This course gives the key evidence and reasons for the Christian faith and develops clear and well-organised arguments for presenting the Christian faith.

All Christian leaders face apologetic issues as they try to meet the needs and challenges facing the people they are leading or ministering to. How they deal with such issues can strongly affect their credibility and the spiritual growth of the people concerned. Therefore, developing good apologetic strategies is a highly relevant and significant part of ministry.

Curriculum Covered

1. Course Description
2. Free Will, Miracles & Underlying Issues
3. Creation & Evolution Defined
4. Strengths & Weaknesses of Evolution
5. Responding to Evolution
6. The Nature and Origins of the Bible
7. Evidence of the Reliability of the Bible
8. Objections & Difficulties with the Bible
9. More Objections and Difficulties
10. Evidence for Jesus
11. Jesus’ Identity
12. Jesus & Salvation
13. Evidence for the Resurrection
14. Discrepancies in the Resurrection Narratives
15. Other Explanations & Theories
16. Final Issues about the Resurrection
17. Other Religions
18. Pluralism
19. Strategies & Tactics in Apologetics (1)
20. Strategies & Tactics in Apologetics (2)
21. The Christian Church Negatives
22. The Christian Church Positives
23. Personal Experience & Apologetics (1)
24. Personal Experience & Apologetics (2)

About your instructor

Dr Jon Newton

John is an Associate Professor at Alphacrucis College after serving for nine years at Harvest Bible College, most recently as Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research. His goal is to promote Christian higher education and missions, including training students for Asia and Europe.

Dr Jon’s PhD was gained at Deakin University (conferred 2007) with a thesis entitled “Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation.” The author of two books: Revelation Reclaimed: The Use and Misuse of the Apocalypse (Paternoster 2009) and The Revelation Worldview (Wipf and Stock 2015). I also edited New Frontiers: Redefining Christian Ministry for 21st Century Contexts (Mosaic 2013). I have also had a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals such as Australian Biblical Review, Colloquium, Heythrop Journal and Journal of Pentecostal Theology. I am the editor of the Journal of Contemporary Ministry. Currently I am working on a commentary on Revelation for a new Pentecostal commentary series. My other main research interest is Australian Pentecostalism.

In other areas of life, I am married to Judy (since 1977) and we attend New Horizons Christian Church, Whittlesea, having served as senior ministers of Oasis Church in Hampton, a bay side suburb of Melbourne, 2011-2018.

Qualifications

PhD (Deakin University)

Dissertation Title Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation 2007

MA (Australian College of Theology) 2000

BA (Hons) (ICI University, Texas)

By studying this course, you should develop a real feel for reading Scripture carefully, develop skills in exegesis and basic hermeneutics and learn how to wrestle with issues of translating Paul’s writings into a 21st century local church context.

The Corinthian correspondence is highly relevant to issues faced by the modern evangelical-pentecostal-charismatic minister, not just because of the discussion of spiritual gifts but because of other highly relevant issues to contemporary churches, such as leadership and status, sexual ethics and marriage, raising and handling money and managing disputes.

Curriculum Covered

1. Course Description
2. Introducing this material
3. Steps to good interpretation
4. Ancient Corinth
5. The Church at Corinth
6. Ancient Letters
7. Why Paul Wrote
8. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
9. 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
10. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
11. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
12. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
13. 1 Corinthians 3:1-15
14. 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
15. 1 Corinthians 4
16. 1 Corinthians 5
17. 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
18. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
19. 1 Corinthians 7:1-16
20. 1 Corinthians 7:17-40
21. 1 Corinthians 8
22. 1 Corinthians 9
23. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
24. 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1
25. 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
26. 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

About your instructor

Dr Jon Newton

John is an Associate Professor at Alphacrucis College after serving for nine years at Harvest Bible College, most recently as Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research. His goal is to promote Christian higher education and missions, including training students for Asia and Europe.

Dr Jon’s PhD was gained at Deakin University (conferred 2007) with a thesis entitled “Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation.” The author of two books: Revelation Reclaimed: The Use and Misuse of the Apocalypse (Paternoster 2009) and The Revelation Worldview (Wipf and Stock 2015). I also edited New Frontiers: Redefining Christian Ministry for 21st Century Contexts (Mosaic 2013). I have also had a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals such as Australian Biblical Review, Colloquium, Heythrop Journal and Journal of Pentecostal Theology. I am the editor of the Journal of Contemporary Ministry. Currently I am working on a commentary on Revelation for a new Pentecostal commentary series. My other main research interest is Australian Pentecostalism.

In other areas of life, I am married to Judy (since 1977) and we attend New Horizons Christian Church, Whittlesea, having served as senior ministers of Oasis Church in Hampton, a bay side suburb of Melbourne, 2011-2018.

Qualifications

PhD (Deakin University)

Dissertation Title Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation 2007

MA (Australian College of Theology) 2000

BA (Hons) (ICI University, Texas)

By studying this course, you should develop a real feel for reading Scripture carefully, develop skills in exegesis and basic hermeneutics and learn how to wrestle with issues of translating Paul’s writings into a 21st century local church context.

The Corinthian correspondence is
highly relevant to issues faced by the modern Pentecostal-charismatic minister, not just because of the discussion of spiritual gifts but because of other highly relevant issues to contemporary churches, such as leadership and status, sexual
ethics and marriage, raising and handling money and managing disputes.

Curriculum Covered

1. Course Description
2. 1 Corinthians 12:1-13
3. 1 Corinthians 12:14-31
4. 1 Corinthians 13
5. 1 Corinthians 14:1-19
6. 1 Corinthians 14:20-40
7. 1 Corinthians 15:1-19
8. 1 Corinthians 15:20-58
9. 1 Corinthians 15 review
10. 1 Corinthians 16
11. 2 Corinthians: Occasion & Purpose
12. 2 Corinthians 1
13. 2 Corinthians 2
14. 2 Corinthians 3
15. 2 Corinthians 4
16. 2 Corinthians 5
17. 2 Corinthians 6
18. 2 Corinthians 7
19. 2 Corinthians 8
20. 2 Corinthians 9
21. 2 Corinthians 10
22. 2 Corinthians 11
23. 2 Corinthians 12
24. 2 Corinthians 13
25. Review & Conclusion

About your instructor

Dr Jon Newton

John is an Associate Professor at Alphacrucis College after serving for nine years at Harvest Bible College, most recently as Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research. His goal is to promote Christian higher education and missions, including training students for Asia and Europe.

Dr Jon’s PhD was gained at Deakin University (conferred 2007) with a thesis entitled “Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation.” The author of two books: Revelation Reclaimed: The Use and Misuse of the Apocalypse (Paternoster 2009) and The Revelation Worldview (Wipf and Stock 2015). I also edited New Frontiers: Redefining Christian Ministry for 21st Century Contexts (Mosaic 2013). I have also had a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals such as Australian Biblical Review, Colloquium, Heythrop Journal and Journal of Pentecostal Theology. I am the editor of the Journal of Contemporary Ministry. Currently I am working on a commentary on Revelation for a new Pentecostal commentary series. My other main research interest is Australian Pentecostalism.

In other areas of life, I am married to Judy (since 1977) and we attend New Horizons Christian Church, Whittlesea, having served as senior ministers of Oasis Church in Hampton, a bay side suburb of Melbourne, 2011-2018.

Qualifications

PhD (Deakin University)

Dissertation Title Postmodernism, Christianity and the Book of Revelation 2007

MA (Australian College of Theology) 2000

BA (Hons) (ICI University, Texas)

This course seeks to develop in students a greater skill in exegesis through the study of specific methods for studying the text and application of these methods to specific passages.

It builds on the simpler and less technical exegetical study in Exegesis: Corinthian Correspondence

Curriculum Covered

About your instructor

Pastor Graham Holman

Graham has had extensive experience in teaching, pastoral work and training. He is skilled in teaching, training, leadership and administration developed there. His experience in church life and ministry developed alongside this and was first ordained as an Ephesians 4 Teacher with the Apostolic Church in the early 1980s and serves in a lay capacity as an Assistant Minister for some years in numbers of Apostolic Churches.

This course seeks to develop in students a greater skill in exegesis through the study of specific methods for studying the text and application of these methods to specific passages.

The course is primarily focused on exegetical method with particular focus on the two main genres in the New Testament: Gospels and Letters.

It builds on the simpler and less technical exegetical study in Exegesis: Corinthian Correspondence

Curriculum Covered

About your instructor

Pastor Graham Holman

Graham has had extensive experience in teaching, pastoral work and training. He is skilled in teaching, training, leadership and administration developed there. His experience in church life and ministry developed alongside this and was first ordained as an Ephesians 4 Teacher with the Apostolic Church in the early 1980s and serves in a lay capacity as an Assistant Minister for some years in numbers of Apostolic Churches.

This course seeks to develop in students a greater skill in exegesis through the study of specific methods for studying the text and application of these methods to specific passages.

It builds on the simpler and less technical exegetical study in Exegesis: Corinthian Correspondence

It gives a comparative analysis of Pauline letters plus a structural analysis of the form and topics integrated in to Paul’s writings.

Curriculum Covered

About your instructor

Pastor Graham Holman

Graham has had extensive experience in teaching, pastoral work and training. He is skilled in teaching, training, leadership and administration developed there. His experience in church life and ministry developed alongside this and was first ordained as an Ephesians 4 Teacher with the Apostolic Church in the early 1980s and serves in a lay capacity as an Assistant Minister for some years in numbers of Apostolic Churches.

These course analyses the nature and content of ethics, and examines various approaches to ethics. It examines the biblical and non-biblical approaches to various ethical questions and controversies. It also discusses the nature and destiny of man, the meaning of being a divine image-bearer, and how personhood
should be regarded in the light of the current ethical debates.

Curriculum Covered

1. Course Description
2. Historical Forms of Ethics
3. What is Ethics?
4. Historical Ethics (1)
5. Historical Ethics (2)
6. Worldview & Ethics
7. Christian Ethics & the Bible
8. Old Testament Ethics (1)
9. Old Testament Ethics (2)
10. New Testament Ethics
11. In the World and not of it
12. Christian Ethics & Government (1)
13. Christian Ethics & Government (2)
14. Christian Ethics & Government (3)
15. War (1)
16. War (2)
17. War (3)
18. Social Justice
19. Justice & Punishment
20. Justice & Capital Punishment
21. The Bible & Wealth
22. The Bible & Poverty
23. The Poor You Will Always Have…
24. Christian Business Ethics
25. Sex
26. Sex & Homosexuality
27. Sex & Sexuality
28. Technology

About your instructor

Pastor Grant Buchanan

Prior to Bible teaching, Grant served as a full-time pastor and school chaplain. Although a lecturer in theology and biblical studies with a focus on Pauline theology and the Gospels, Grant also operates as a professional counsellor and is working towards the completion of this Doctor of Philosophy by exploring a pneumatological reading of Galatians in light of 6:15 and the impact this has on Christian identify.