Simply Good News
What you'll learn
- How the 1st Century concept of 'good news' has relevance today
- delineate how the idea of 'God' may mean something different in the modern era in contrast to how it would have been understood by the New Testament writers.
- describe why the common theme existing is present day Christianity is that the goal is to 'go to heaven'.
- understand the type of king Jesus was in contrast to 1st Century expectations and describe false pictures of what 'the gospel is' as part of a larger problem.
- discern how important the whole concept of 'good news' is.
Requirements
- Students may wish to acquire the book 'Simply Good News' by N.T. Wright (HarperOne, 2015). ISBN: 0062334344.
Description
There is a lot going on in the news these days and it seems to travel quickly! 'News’ is about something that has happened—something as a result of which the world is going to be different. News is also about how other things are going to happen for which we have to get ready. It is far more than mere 'advice' or simply an event like any other. This is good news about the past (the events of Jesus's life) and good news about the future (the renewal of all creation).
We invite you to enroll in this short course based on Prof. N.T. Wright's book, Simply Good News. You will instantly get into the heart of the idea of what makes something 'good news'. You will also be brought into the world of the 1st Century writers of the New Testament in order to make more sense of what 'good news' means in our world today. You may wish to acquire Prof. Wright's book, Simply Good News, in whatever format that works for you. This course will be a great introduction to Prof. Wright's book that will allow you to live in a place where 'good news' makes a difference.
Who this course is for:
- Simply Good News is an introductory course based on the teachings of Prof. N.T. Wright and his book bearing the same title. The student will be guided through the idea of what 'good news' meant to the 1st Century person living in the Roman Empire. The course will also guide the student to understand how that 'good news' is to be understood by readers of the New Testament in the 21st Century.
Instructors
N.T Wright received his BA, MA and D.Phil. from Oxford University. He taught New Testament at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities 1978-1993. He was Dean of Lichfield, then Canon of Westminster, then Bishop of Durham (Church of England), 1994-2010. Prof. Wright is Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and is currently Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He has published over 85 books and hundreds of articles. In 2014 Prof. Wright received the Burkitt Medal from the British Academy for services to New Testament scholarship. He enjoys music, golf the Isle of Harris, and spending time with his family in the midst of a busy schedule of writing and travelling.
David Seemuth has a Ph.D. from Marquette University in the field of Religious Studies with an emphasis on New Testament Theology. He has taught at the graduate level for over 30 years at numerous universities and seminaries. He also has 21 years of on-line teaching experience. His passion is to see that people not only understand the Scripture, but also apply them to daily life.
Jennifer Loop is currently a doctoral candidate at Durham University. She is the Director of Ministry Engagement for the Wisconsin Center for Christian Studies, and plays a critical role in the online education, both organizational and theological, by guiding the online student experience. Jennifer enjoys engaging with a ‘virtual community’ of diverse students and learners to explore how theology, faith and practice intersect.