The Basic Doctrine “Crash Course”
Both Basic Doctrine and Leadership Training Classes will take off in an unprecedented race to "do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings!" (1 Cor. 9:23) The following article answers questions about the first take-off: the "Basic Doctrine Crash Course."
What is "Basic Doctrine?"
"Doctrine" sounds like such a dirty word in our postmodern era. To be labeled "Doctrinaire" is an insult! But doctrine is actually a foundation for life. Despite what postmodern purists may claim, everyone establishes doctrines of life. Doctrine addresses questions which can steer a life, or destroy it:
- Is my life significant?
- What happens to me when I die?
- Where did I come from?
- Is there a God?
- How can I know God?
- Is the Bible really revelation from God?
Ask almost anyone who’s invested the time to learn material like this, and most likely they’ll say it was extremely worthwhile. Building a foundation is always difficult and costly. Students go into deep financial debt to get a degree, for example, but the foundation the Bible can build for a lifetime is incalculably valuable, as Christ says:
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25
The class will accomplish vital goals.
Some of the foundations we plan to build with Basic Doctrine:
- To help the Christian thinker grasp biblical answers to the above questions in an organized, logical fashion. Informal, friendly Bible studies are so valuable to Christian fellowship, but until the Bible student tries to organize the material, Bible knowledge will be confused and sloppy.
- To move knowledge of the Bible into practical, everyday life. This involves memorizing scripture. Without memorization, a Christian’s ability to use the Bible depends on having a book at hand. This is what people call "book-bound knowledge," or "ivory tower." Obviously it isn’t always possible to have a book nearby, and effective Christians of all ages can cite vast tracts of scripture.
- To equip Christians with solid answers for a confused, postmodern age. "What is ‘Truth’?" Pilate sarcastically asked Jesus Christ. The Bible was written in a culture just as confused about truth as our modern era. Christianity spread like wildfire because Jesus claims, "I am the truth!" fulfills our deep thirst for truth. As we study the Bible in this course, we will also compare it to modern world views.
- To launch the Bible student into more advanced theological study. The Bible is "deep enough to drown a wise man, but shallow enough for a baby’s bath," a Bible teacher once said. Without a basic, solid grasp of the Bible, it is impossible to engage in fruitful discussions about the deeper things of God - the conversation always gets confused! It’s not good when a Christian is perpetually stuck learning and re-learning elementary things, as the Bible says:
The bottom line: Basic Doctrine is a prerequisite for advanced courses. Students in the Leadership Training Class (LTC,) for example, must be able to share a common proficiency and feel free to discuss practical issues concerning ministry.
What is a "Crash Course" ?
This course will be different from the typical Basic Doctrine session in these ways:
- Faster-paced. Basic Doctrine is usually spread across a 10-week period, meeting every two weeks. Since LTC begins in about 5 weeks, we need to pick up the pace and push LTC candidates through this course immediately! It means less time to absorb the material, but we believe in the competency of our LTC candidates.
- More Fluid. To complicate matters, the course was unscheduled, so our students will be scrambling to clear busy schedules. But we’re flexible, and we’ll try to offer two sessions of the course to fit most students’ schedules.
- More Efficient. The sessions must be more efficient to squeeze into tighter schedule slots, and so we plan to hold 1-1/2 hour-sessions. This means students should come better-prepared so we can spend the time discussing the complex issues, answering questions, and understanding the all-important application points. We’re setting up an online Basic Doctrine Web with resources, handouts and some interactive learning. Students should visit the online classroom frequently to keep pace.
Above all, this course will be a blast!
What could be more exciting than a spontaneous, fast-paced lifestyle, especially during the Christmas break when most of us would otherwise be bored, shiftless and looking for trouble? We’ll hold sessions around the fireplace at the McCallum’s house, and warm Christian fellowship will be a part of every class!
What Do I Do?
If you’re scheduled to take the LTC class in January, but you’ve never taken Basic Doctrine, you must get into this course immediately!
If you are not scheduled to take LTC, but you want to get into this class, you can also sign up for it. Keep in mind that we must give preference to our LTC candidates. You might not get the time slot you preferred, or you might not get in. Still, it’s worthwhile to try, if you want to. Remember, we offer Basic Doctrine often, and you can take it soon anyway - the normal, "non-crash" version.
- Sign up for the course on-line at http://neoxenos.net/basicdoctrine. Instructions are available at the site.
- Take the Feedback Activity titled "Your Availability?" so we know what time slots are available for people.
- The course costs $15 for students, $30 for married couples, and otherwise $20 per person. Fees are collected the first week.
Related -basic doctrine classes equipping
