Bible

Unlocking the Book of Romans

Bible

This class will serve as an introduction to Paul’s magnum opus (Romans), which informs us about the nature of the Kingdom, and the realities of being part of that Kingdom. Taught by Dr. Patrick Stefan. Runs 4/12-6/18/21.

Description

This Bible course will be taught by Dr. Patrick Stefan, and will run from April 12 through June 18. The syllabus is available here.

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:1-6). This passage accurately sums up this course – theology is all about Jesus. It’s about Jesus in his flesh, his power, and his resurrection. It’s about spreading the message of the Gospel and participating in the growth of Christ’s Kingdom. This class will serve as an introduction to Paul’s magnum opus (Romans), which informs us about the nature of the Kingdom, and the realities of being part of that Kingdom.

Dr. Stefan (Ph.D, University of Denver) served as an associate pastor for a Reformed Presbyterian Church in Longmont, CO and a reserve Army Chaplain for a Combat Operational Stress Control team (2011-2014). Following this he served as a lead pastor for a Reformed Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY and a reserve Army Chaplain for Civil Affairs (2014-2018). Patrick’s primary research interests are in Pauline theology, Gospels, material origins of Christianity, early Jewish-Christian relations, religion and cultural change, the Bible and its history of reception. He is the author of The Power of Resurrection: Foucault, Discipline, and Early Christian Resistance (Fortress Academic, 2020).

Online only, runs 10 weeks, meeting 2 hr./wk. via videoconference. Students will also have the option to participate in a class discussion board. Register to reserve your spot and schedule will be set after a poll of participating students; if the class time does not fit your schedule, you will be eligible for a full refund. Note: all classes are offered dependent on demand and require a minimum of four participating students. This is a graduate-level seminar. Although a Bachelor’s degree is not a necessary pre-requisite for this course, students should come prepared to do graduate-level work.