opportunity: online bible interpretation class

In my “bibledude manifesto for 2009” one of the areas that we identified as important for all Christians is being “biblically literate”. So I’d like to offer an opportunity for you to focus on development in this area. One of my many roles is that of Instructor of Biblical and Ministerial Studies at Sarasota Bible College. This is a small school that my church started several years ago to help train people for global missions and/or local ministry. Recently we have broadened our focus to help individuals simply increase their knowledge on the topics that we teach on.

Well, this Spring semester I am teaching my Bible Interpretationclass, and for the first time we would like to open this class up to remote, online-only students. The online version would be run in a private Facebook group where students could access the video of the lectures each week, post assignments, and interact with other students (even the local, in-the-classroom ones).

The class covers some history and background on where the Bible came from and how we got the versions that we have today. Then it moves into the interpretation skills and techniques that are required to properly study and apply the Scriptures. We will move through each type of literature used (narrative, poetry, epistle, wisdom, etc.) discussing techniques specific to each genre and spend time doing some actual study in each area.

At the time of this writing, we are still working out some of the registration details, but we do know that since this is a trial-run that we do not plan to offer the class ‘for credit’ this time around. That means that there are NO TUITION fees for you! There would be a small fee for registration and materials that you’ll need, but I think that we are only talking about around $20-30 or so. I should know the exact cost soon…

The class starts on January 19th, so if you are interested then please let me know right away. I am happy to talk about more details with you, and work with you to get you registered if needed. If you miss registration for this class and are still interested, then let me know. We have not worked out the plans for the archived classes yet, or if we want to offer them in a non-linear format (meaning you take it when you want at your pace).

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the Bible and how to study it, then please do not let this opportunity pass you by. I believe that this is a great class that every believer should take, and it is my heart to share it with as many people as possible. Trust me when I say that this class will bless you and encourage you! Let me know if you are interested…