Courses

No follower of Jesus has shaped Christian theology as much as the apostle Paul, who in the course of his correspondence with a series of fledgling first-century congregations delineated the fundamental contours of a Christ-centred worldview. Because of his foundational importance and the complexity of his thought, the church in every generation since has continued to debate, interpret, and re-apply Paul’s theology for their own day. In keeping with this long tradition, this course will highlight current trends in Pauline interpretation, while focussing on the application of Paul’s theology to contemporary Christian discipleship and ministry, with special reference to congregational preaching. Our study will give particular attention to both the content and the method of Paul’s apostolic proclamation.

Knowing

• To provide a brief and non-technical overview of recent trends in Pauline interpretation
• To highlight major themes in Pauline theology
• To explore the content and method of Paul’s preaching
• To understand and appropriate a Pauline homiletic for preaching today

Being

• To reflect on spiritual and ministerial identity in relation to the theology, letters, and preaching of Paul
• To help students identify lines of continuity between the theological contours of Paul’s encounter with Christ and their own discipleship

Doing

• To develop critical skills through peer evaluation.
• To offer practice in biblical exegesis, and in the composition and delivery of sermons based on the letters of Paul.