NT501 New Testament Survey Spring, 2018 Gerry Wheaton gwheaton@gordonconwell.edu Course Dates Spring term: Jan 16 May 7, 2018 Module 2 weekend sessions (meeting on campus or Zoom on Saturdays only from 9 am- 3 pm): Jan 27, Feb 24, Mar 24 Course Description The purpose of New Testament Survey is to deepen students knowledge of the context, content, and theology of the New Testament and so to prepare them for subsequent coursework in which they will delve into more focused study of individual New Testament books and learn skills for robust interpretation of God s Word and appropriation of Scriptural teaching in ministry. Students will be introduced to select aspects of the cultural backgrounds of the New Testament, the history of the earliest Church, and the essential teaching of the New Testament and its Biblical Theological framework. Substantial emphasis will also be given to learning how to do basic research on a New Testament book or topic. This will be done using electronic resources. Learning outcome The primary goal of this course is to ground students more deeply in the New Testament for future study and ministry of the Word of God in whatever capacity they are called. Students will acquire essential knowledge of the content, context, and theology of the New Testament. Course components
Several different methods of instructions will be employed throughout the semester to introduce students to the content of the course in ways that serve and engage different learning styles. Saturday meetings We will meet on three Saturdays either on campus or virtually via Zoom. These meetings will be used for discussion of some of the most formative aspects of New Testament teaching as well as for instruction on how to do research for course projects. Mini-lectures Brief videos will be posted and made available to students during the semester as a supplement to other components of the course. These will introduce the various aspects of New Testament history and teaching. I will provide more details about this as the semester gets underway. Full-length lectures (Podcasts) Longer-form content (audio recordings) will serve to ground students more deeply in matters of history, culture, and theology in order to facilitate their study of the New Testament for course projects. Students are responsible to listen to these presentations and study their essential content ahead of weekly quizzes which will draw on the big ideas from each presentation. Weekly live show I will be experimenting with the role that a live YouTube-style show might play in achieving course goals. Each week we will meet to discuss aspects of the longer lectures that you are listening to or viewing ahead of the week s quiz. This is an opportunity for me to highlight key elements of the topics before us and for you to bring questions and comments about the material. Please plan to attend live unless you have permission not to do so from the professor. Course reading The primary focus of reading in this course is the New Testament itself! Students will study a NT book each week ahead of a quiz that will focus on the essential content of this book. Students should read and re-read each book slowly and carefully, as though for the first time, observing the kinds of things described, discussed, reported, declared, etc. Multiple choice questions on the weekly quizzes will NOT focus on interpretation ( What does Paul teach about
justification? ) but, more basically, on the content of each NT book. The following questions are representative of what will appear on quizzes: - In which chapter of Matthew does Peter declare Jesus to be the Christ? (a) ch 4, (b) ch 16, (c) 20 - Jesus quotes Isa 29:13 ( This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me ) in which context? (a) the failure of the disciples to trust Jesus during the storm at sea, (b) the request of James and John to sit at Jesus side in his kingdom, (c) the conflict with the Pharisees over washing of hands, (d) the conflict with the Sadducees in the Temple - When in 1 Corinthians does Paul address the failures of the Corinthians regarding the Lord s supper? (a) in ch 10 following his discussion of meat offered to idols, (b) in ch 11 following his discussion of head coverings, (c) in ch 6 in connection with the presence of immoral believers in the congregation - Where in 1 Corinthians does Paul say, All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good but the good of his neighbor? (a) ch 1, (b) ch 5, (c) ch 9, (d) ch 10 Supplementary to the study of each NT book will be the reading of one or more articles or book chapters on that NT book. This is specified in the schedule under Accompanying reading. For example, during week two, students will read and study the Gospel of Matthew. Under Accompanying reading, they will choose the article or chapter on Matthew s Gospel in one of the reference works listed (DJG, or Carson & Moo, or Hagner; see schedule for abbreviations). This reading is meant to enhance your study of the Biblical book and/or the lecture topic for that week. Quiz questions will not be drawn directly from this reading, but students will be better prepared for the quizzes if they have invested the time to do this additional reading and reflection. Weekly quizzes In addition to questions on the content of NT books (which will comprise the bulk of each week s quiz), a few multiple-choice questions will also be drawn from the lectures associated with each week. These questions will be of a general nature and will not assume detailed command of the subjects treated. The purpose is simply to ensure that students have listened to the lecture and made some effort to familiarize him/herself with the basic contours of the material. Quizzes will be auto-graded, and students will be informed of their score immediately upon finishing the quiz. **Students will have the option to re-take their quiz if they believe their score does not accurately represent the preparation for the quiz or if they wish to do additional preparation for a higher score. Quizzes are meant to be taken by 11:59 pm Saturday, each week.
Those wishing to re-take a quiz have until 11:59 pm the following Monday to do so. It is strongly suggested that students not make a habit of taking quizzes on Monday since this will interfere with preparation for the next week s quiz. It is best to aim to take each quiz on Saturday and make a fresh start the following Monday on the new material for that week. Team projects Students will be formed into teams of 5-6 people that will represent the primary learning vehicle for the course. Teams will execute several projects during the course aimed at appropriating and integrating the knowledge and study skills acquired in the course for real-world ministry challenges. The two major projects to be executed by each team are: 1. Creation of wiki pages for three New Testament books. These are meant to serve the needs of a discipleship program or Christian education program at a church. 2. Discipleship project: Due by the last day of the semester, each team will prepare a discipleship plan for a new church plant in an urban neighborhood. Details of the project will be supplied later in the semester. Teams may not begin work on this project prior to one month before the end of the semester. Evaluations 30% Wiki pages 45% Weekly multiple-choice quizzes on the New Testament and recorded lectures 25% Discipleship project Canvas resources This course will be built around Canvas, an excellent learning management system that will contain all relevant information and tools for the various components of the course. Students will benefit by having the ios/android app on their phone (available in the App Store). The following instructional resources will orient students to Canvas: - Guides - https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/doc-10701 - Videos - https://community.canvaslms.com/community/answers/guides/videoguide#jive_content_id_students
Headphones required! The success of our Saturday meetings will depend upon robust interaction between team members during breakout sessions. Since many students in the course will attend virtually, all students attending in-person will be required to bring a laptop computer and headphones with a microphone so that they can communicate with students attending virtually. This is a requirement for full participation in this course and your final grade depends, in part, upon the quality of your engagement with your fellow students during these break-out sessions. Reading material Full-credit students D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament (Zondervan; 2nd ed.; 2005) ISBN-10: 0310238595 Bruce Longenecker, The Lost Letters of Pergamum (2 nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016). ISBN-10: 0801097967 Timothy Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism (Penguin Books, 2016) ISBN-10: 0143108719 Auditors Bruce Longenecker, The Lost Letters of Pergamum (2 nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2016). ISBN-10: 0801097967 Timothy Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism (Penguin Books, 2016) ISBN-10: 0143108719 Recommended Carl G. Rasmussen, Zondervan Essential Atlas of the Bible (Zondervan, 2013) ISBN-10: 0310318572 ISBN-13: 978-0310318576, OR, Carl G. Rasmussen, Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (rev. ed.; Zondervan, 2010) ISBN-10: 0310270502; ISBN-13: 978-0310270508 I. Howard Marshall, New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel (IVP, 2014) Fee, Gordon D, and Robert L Hubbard. The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich., Eerdmans, 2011.
Joel Green and Lee Martin McDonald eds., The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (Baker, 2013) ISBN-10: 0801039622 ISBN-13: 978-0801039621 Barnett, Paul. Jesus & the Rise of Early Christianity: A History of New Testament Times. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1999. N.T. Wright, After You Believe (HarperOne, 2012) ISBN-10: 0061730548 ISBN-13: 978-0061730542 Syllabus Addendum Academic Standards Cheating and plagiarism are considered serious breaches of personal and academic integrity. Cheating involves, but is not necessarily limited to, the use of unauthorized sources of information during an examination or the submission of the same (or substantially same) work for credit in two or more courses without the knowledge and consent of the instructors. Plagiarism involves the use of another person s distinctive ideas or words, whether published or unpublished, and representing them as one s own instead of giving proper credit to the source. Plagiarism can also involve over dependence on other source material for the scope and substance of one s writing. Such breaches in academic standards often result in a failing grade as well as other corrective measures. For more information, please consult the Student Handbook. ADA Policy The seminary complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A student with a qualifying and authenticated disability who is in need of accommodations should petition the seminary in accordance with the stated guidelines in the Student Handbook. Cancellation of Class In the event the seminary has to cancel a class meeting (impending storm, professor illness, etc.), the Registration Office will send out an email (via the GCTS email account) notification to all students registered in the respective course. If the cancelation occurs the day of the scheduled
meeting, the Registration Office will also attempt to contact students via their primary phone contact on record. The professor will contact the students (via GCTS account) regarding makeup. If a weekend class is cancelled, the class will be made up during the scheduled Make-Up weekend (see the Academic Calendar for the designated dates). For more info, consult your Student Handbook. Extension Policy Arrangements for submission of late work at a date on or before the end date for the semester as noted on the seminary s Academic Calendar are made between the student and professor. Formal petition to the Registration Office is not required in this case. This includes arrangements for the rescheduling of final exams. However, course work (reading and written) to be submitted after the publicized end date for the semester must be approved by the Registration Office. An extension form, available online, must be submitted to the Registration Office prior to the stated date. Requests received after this date will either be denied or incur additional penalty. For a full discussion of this policy, please consult the Student Handbook. Grades Faculty are expected to turn in final grades by January 15 for fall-semester courses, by June 1 for spring-semester courses, and by September 15 for summer-term courses. Grades are posted online within twenty-four hours of receipt from the professor. Students are expected to check their CAMS student portal in order to access posted grades (unless instructed otherwise). Those individuals who need an official grade report issued to a third party should put their request in writing to the Registration Office. Writing Center Free assistance in writing papers is available to all GCTS-Charlotte students through the Writing Center, online in Sakai. The Writing Center is staffed by writing instructors who are Gordon
Conwell graduates, or graduates of other programs with specialized knowledge in writing and/or ESL. Writing assistance is available to all Charlotte students for any course paper. Also, ESL writing tutors are available to ESL students even if they are not currently enrolled in a degree program. Email writingcenter@gordonconwell.edu for more information