Four Gospels, One Way To Live Introduction

	Introduction to the Course
An Introduction to the Gospels with a View of Stewardship as a Way of Faithful Living	Session 1 Intro Gospels	Session 2 Mark	Session 3 Matthew	Session 4 Luke	Session 5 John

Overview

Rationale

Objectives

Strategies

Evaluation

Texts

Overview

This five-session course is an introduction to the Gospels that understands them to be providing direction and inspiration for a way of faithful living in Christ. Another term for such faithful living is stewardship. Stewardship is not a specific topic that needs to be extracted from the Bible and studied separately but is a basic underlying principle of the entire biblical narrative. This study of the Gospels, therefore, will be particularly attuned to how Jesus' life and ministry address a holistic understanding of stewardship.

The hope of this pilot project is for it to become an online resource in which the discussion and interaction of the material will take part in the local congregation or small group study. It is part of an initiative through the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in conjunction with the Larson Stewardship Council (see the information online at: www.stewardshipoflife.com/) to provide online instruction and resources for laypersons.

Course Rationale

The four canonical gospels have stood at the core of the Church's faith, confession, and witness. A basic understanding of these foundational Biblical books is essential for all Christians on order to listen to God’s Word in community and function as good stewards in the Church and the world through worship, education, service, and encouragement. Understanding the gospels includes engaging in critical reading and reflection on these texts as well as studying their social, literary, cultural, historical, and theological dynamics. Through studying the four gospels, students will come to a greater understanding of the early Christian proclamation of Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection as well as the meaning of discipleship and mission in the 1st century and the 21st century. The study of four distinct gospel narratives will also highlight the theological diversity that is fundamental to the biblical witness and to the life of the church at the crossroads of history and hope.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able:

to describe the basic literary and theological framework of each gospel story (including themes such as Christology, soteriology, discipleship)
to integrate the information and discoveries from this course with their own life experiences
and to begin to put these new insights into practice in their daily ministries as stewards of life

Course Strategies and Procedure

In order to accomplish the stated Objectives of this course, the following Strategies will be employed:

A group will be formed in a congregation or community that will commit itself to complete this study.
- A leader or leaders will take responsibility for publicizing and organizing the group, establishing place and time of meeting, arranging for hospitality, etc.
- The course is designed to be completed in five, once-a-week sessions. The group may choose to extend it to a ten week study.
Students will complete the weekly readings from the Bible, the course textbook, and other online resources in advance of the group meeting.
- Note that the book by Powell will need to be purchased and read in advance of the first group meeting.
- Weekly reading guides will be provided to assist in comprehension of the assigned readings
- Online PowerPoint shows/handouts will also be available
Students will meet with their group weekly for discussions.

Course Evaluation

There is no formal evaluation of students who participate in this course, but a good way to assess one's learning as a result of this study would be to compose a personal mission statement reflecting one's understanding of stewardship and how it applies to one's daily life and ministry.
Since this resource is still a work in progress, your feedback on its effectiveness would be appreciated. (Contact: mhoffman@ltsg.edu )

Required Texts

The New Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha (recommended: HarperCollins Study Edition or Zondervan's NRSV Student Bible or The Access Bible)
Powell, Mark Allan. Fortress Introduction to the Gospels (Augsburg Fortress: 1998)

These books are available at the LTSG Bookstore or at other local or online retailers.

Lutheran Theological Seminary
at Gettysburg

Mark Vitalis Hoffman
mhoffman@ltsg.edu

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