The Acts of the Apostles
What you'll learn
- Understand how the message of the reign of the resurrected Jesus spread throughout the Roman Empire.
- Describe the key events in the Acts of the Apostles.
- Express the overall purpose of this important book of the Bible in the context of the New Testament.
- Explain the theological importance of key sections of the Acts of the Apostles.
- Delineate the geographical movement of the story and the significance of that movement.
- Propose current day application of this study of the Acts of the Apostles.
- Learn to live out your commitment to King Jesus with the new reality of the one family of God
Requirements
- Students should have a hunger to learn more about the New Testament.
- Students should be ready to engage in theological thinking with other students and through interaction with the instructors.
- (Optional, but helpful) Students should acquire the textbooks Acts for Everyone, Parts One and Two
Description
The Acts of the Apostles is the second book written by the biblical writer Luke. Luke continues the story of the risen Jesus who will now extend His reign through the apostles and others to the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire. The story will provide rich insight into the working of God through the Holy Spirit to establish churches in cities large and small and we will see how Peter, Paul and others interacted with a sometimes hostile environment as they proceeded.
We follow the movement of the inaugurated Kingdom of God through this wonderful book. There are many exciting events that provide a sense of the amazement and the challenge of spreading the message of Christ throughout the Empire. The course won't answer every question we have about the Acts of the Apostles, but we shall follow the journeys where they take us geographically and theologically!
Who this course is for:
- Anyone with a desire to understand the New Testament book The Acts of the Apostles which describes the growth of the Christian Church after Jesus's death and resurrection.
- Students of virtually any age with a hunger to learn more about God and His ways.
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 student 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.