The post-Christian cultural turn is creating the conditions for a crisis of confidence in the church and in pastoral ministry. There are plenty of voices out there diagnosing the post-Christian malaise; this course explores a biblical and creative solution: incarnational churches that are displaying the tenderness of Jesus in their local neighborhoods. We trace the restorative arc of Scripture and bring alive the original redemptive impetus in the Pentateuch, the Gospels, and Acts. From Scripture, we articulate what it means to witness in life, word, and deed, also discerning culturally appropriate ways of speaking for the kingdom. We unfold a biblical, creative, and practical vision for churches that seek to receive and extend the healing of Christ within their local neighborhoods, offering some creative pathways for how to do it.
This course is available onsite and online. Students must register for the online section to gain Zoom access to the course.
Course lectures will be recorded, and students may be captured in course recordings. Access to lecture recordings is normally only given to online students who cannot reasonably be expected to attend the course live due to time zone differences. These students should contact the course instructor for permission to access recordings.