15800 Calvary Road Kansas City, MO 64147-1341 Syllabus Course: TH111-C/CN Evangelism/Spiritual Life (Blended) Credit: 3 Semester Hours Semester: Spring 2019 (Cycle 5, March 11 May 10) Time: Monday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Instructor: Mr. Brent Harwerth (brent.harwerth@calvary.edu; 970-380-6867) *About This Class: This is a blended class, meaning that both campus and online students take this class together. Campus students attend the classes in person, online students attend the classes via the online classroom. All interaction and assignments for campus and online students are done in the online classroom. *About Disabilities: Students with disabilities have the responsibility of informing the DSS Director (dss@calvary.edu) of any disabling condition that may require support. *About Assistance for All Course Assignments: The Clark Academic Center (learning@calvary.edu), located in the library building, is dedicated to providing free academic assistance for all CU students. Student tutors aid with all facets of the writing process, tutor in various subject areas, prepare students for exams, and facilitate tests. Please take advantage of this service. *About Changes to this Syllabus: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus at any time during the course, but any changes made will only be done after clearly communicating the need for the change and the specific change to be made via in-class announcement and Canvas announcement. I. DESCRIPTION An introduction to the biblical principles of evangelism and spiritual life from a New Testament framework. Emphasis is on the practical methods of witnessing, discipleship, spiritual growth which includes our position in Christ by the Holy Spirit, and grace. II. OBJECTIVES A. General competencies to be achieved. The student will be able to... 1. Describe what it means to be a Christian and the nature of the Christian s spiritual life. (BOT #1, 5, 8; BI/TH #1 & 9) 2. Define spiritual maturity, spiritual warfare, and spiritual growth. (BOT #1, 2, 4, 5; BI/TH #1) 3. Identify the God-ordained relationships for a Christian and how to develop and maintain maturity in all of those relationships. (BOT #4, 7; BI/TH #2) 4. Articulate the Gospel message and confidently share it with others through actions and words. (BOT #2, 3, 8; BI/TH #3) Our Mission: to prepare Christians to live and serve in the church and in the world according to the Biblical worldview.
B. Specific competencies to be achieved. The student will be able to... 1. Articulate a biblical understanding of the Christian spiritual life and how it is developed and maintained. (A, B, C) 2. Write a personal testimony and Gospel presentations and share them with others. (B) 3. Define and practice selected spiritual disciplines. (C) 4. Articulate understanding of healthy relationships between Christians and practice relating well. (C) 5. Describe spiritual warfare and God s means for victory in it. (C) 6. Evaluate one s spiritual life and articulate understanding of God-given SHAPE and a personal spiritual growth plan. (C) III. REQUIREMENTS *Note: Specific instructions for each assignment are posted in Canvas. A. Entire Course Assignments. 1. Read three (3) textbooks one from each of the 3 categories below (see the listing below of specific texts for each category) and write three (3) papers (1 on each of the texts). a. Text categories: i. Evangelism. ii. Spiritual Warfare / Spiritual Growth. iii The Spiritual Life. b. Text papers content: i. The thesis of each chapter of the text. ii. One practical response to the content of each chapter or a practical question raised by the content of each chapter. c. NOTE: The volumes selected must not have been read before taking this course, and substitutes may be used but only with prior approval of the course instructor. 2. Answer nine (9) discussion questions. 3. Take four (4) quizzes covering the course material. B. Evangelism Assignments. 1. Write a three- (3) page personal testimony for use when presenting the Gospel. 2. Write answers to three (3) specific questions skeptics ask about Christianity (i.e. 2 pages for each answer 6 pages total). 3. Write two (2) ways to present the Gospel message (i.e. each presentation will be two (2) pages in length 4 pages total). 4. Share your personal testimony OR the Gospel message with another person and write a two (2) page observation paper of the experience. C. Spiritual Life Assignments. 1. Practice BOTH of the following spiritual disciplines. a) Memorize 12 Bible verses. b) Keep a prayer journal for 6 weeks of the course. Page 2
2. Write an eight- (8) page research essay on one (1) of the following aspects of the Spiritual Life. a) A specific spiritual discipline. b) A specific aspect of spiritual warfare or spiritual growth. 3. Write a three- (3) page research essay on a specific One Another concept in Scripture. 4. Write a ten- (10) page personal spiritual life paper to include a discussion of the following aspects of the spiritual life discussed in the course. a) Personal evangelistic style and the evidence of the style. b) Personal God-given SHAPE and the evidence for that design. c) Personal spiritual growth plan for each of the 5 categories of the spiritual life as presented in the course. IV. METHODS A. Presentation: 1. In-class methods: lecture, class discussions, and taking exams. *About Class Attendance: Research consistently demonstrates that class attendance and active participation correlate to higher performance on course assessments. Therefore, the following attendance policies will be followed to encourage greatest course engagement. -In-class students may miss one evening as personal days, but missing a second evening session will result in a reduction of the final grade one letter (e.g., an A will become a B ); each additional class session missed will reduce the final grade an additional letter for each missed session. -Blended students may miss 1 attendance deadline (i.e., attendance is marked the following week the day before the in-class session) without any academic activity (e.g., watching class video and answering discussion question, submitting an assignment), but when they miss a 2 nd attendance deadline, the final course grade will be reduced one letter grade; each additional deadline missed will result in an additional reduction of final grade an additional letter for each miss. -Medical / family emergency / school activities will be marked as excused absences and not affect course final grade; however, verification of these absences must be presented in writing to be considered as excused absences. -Any questions / appeals concerning attendance decisions must begin with the course instructor (per Matthew 18:15) before any appeal to others concerning the issue. *About Classroom Decorum: See the Student Handbook under Various Class Policies, Classroom and Chapel Decorum. *About Note Taking: Students are expected to take notes during each class discussion. (Note: Studies had consistently demonstrated that the process of doing hand-written notes is far superior for learning than those taken using computer devices; if computing devices are used they must not distract others or be used for non-class-related activities). Page 3
2. Out-of-class methods: reading, writing, research, memorizing, and studying for exams. B. Grading: V. MATERIALS *About Late Assignments: Assignments are due by 10:00pm of the date listed in the Class Schedule; after that time, late assignment grades will be lowered 5% for each day it is late. *About Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as copying any part of a book or paper without identifying that source. This also includes taking another person s ideas and presenting them as your own without identifying the source. Any assignment that includes plagiarism will receive a zero (0) grade. *About course grade: See the grading scale in the college catalog for specific grading scale that will be used for final course grade. 1. General grading criteria: A = completed assignment well beyond assignment criteria B = completed assignment as specified and very well done C = completed assignment with average work D = completed assignment but poorly F = did not complete assignment and/or unacceptable work 2. Grading criteria for all written assignments: -All class papers must follow the Turabian style according to A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition and the Calvary Style Guide, 2015 update. -An assignment-specific rubric will be provided for each assignment. 3. Possible points for each assignment: a1. Textbook Reading & Observations (3 @ 50 ea). = 150 points a2. Discussion Questions (9 @ 10 ea)..... = 90 a3. Exams (4 @ 25).......... = 100 b1. Personal Testimony (1 @ 40)...... = 40 b2. 3 Question Answers paper (1 @ 90).... = 90 b3. Gospel Presentations (2 @ 25 ea)..... = 50 b4. Evangelism Experience paper (1 @ 50)... = 50 c1. Memory Vss & Journal (18 @ 5 ea).... = 90 c2. Spiritual Life Research paper (1 @ 150)... = 150 c3. One Another paper (1 @ 60)...... = 60 c4. Spiritual Life Plan (1 @ 130)...... = 130 TOTAL = 1000 points A. Required: 1. English Bible (NAS, NASB-U, NKJV, NET, ESV, or other by approval). -The Bible is a required textbook in every course at Calvary University. To facilitate academic level study, students are required to use for assignments and research an English translation or version of the Bible based on formal equivalence (meaning that the translation is generally word-for-word from the original languages), including any of the Page 4
following: New American Standard (NASB, English Standard Version (ESV), New King James (NKJV), or King James (KJV). Other translations and versions based on dynamic equivalence (paraphrases, and thoughtfor-thought translations like NLT and NIV) may be used as supplemental sources. Please ask the professor if you have questions about a particular translation or version. 2. Evangelism Text (read 1 of the following): -Coleman, Robert E. 2010 The Master Plan of Evangelism, 2 nd Edition, abridged. Old Tappan, NJ: Revell. ISBN: 9780800788087. Price: $5.99. Pages: 166. -Comfort, Ry. 2006. The Way of the Master. Alachua, FL: Bridge-Logos. ISBN: 9780882702209. Price: $16.99. Pages: 347. -Hybels, Bill and Mark Mittelberg. 1996. Becoming a Contagious Christian. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN: 9780310210085. Price: $15.99. Pages: 224. -Moyer, R. Larry. 2009. Free and Clear: Understanding & Communicating God's Offer of Eternal Life. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications. ISBN-13: 978-0825-4357-20. Retail: $15.99. 288 pages. -Petersen, Jim. 1989. Living Proof: Sharing the Gospel Naturally. Colorado Springs: NavPress. ISBN: 9780891095613. Price: $15.99. Pages: 251. 3. Spiritual Warfare / Spiritual Growth Text (read 1 of the following): -Bridges, Jerry. 2007. Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. ISBN-13: 978-0891-0994-13. Retail: $19.99. 192 pages. ebook. 2014. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House. ISBN- 13: 978-1615-2150-58. Retail: $19.99. -Baker, Bruce. 2009. Spiritual Maturity: The Road to Wonderland. Larkspur, CO: Green Acres Press. ISBN: 9781602650244. Price: $19.95. Pages: 357. -Blackaby, Henry T. Richard Blackaby, and Claude V. King. 2008. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised & Expanded. ISBN: 9780805447538. Price: $14.99. Pages: 341. -Gilley, Gary E. 2014. Out of Formation: Spiritual Disciplines of God and Men. Grand Rapids: Evangelical Press. ISBN: 978-1783970414. Price: $14.99. Pages: 292. -Lewis, C. S. 2001. The Screwtape Letters. New York: Harperone. ISBN: 9780060652937. Price: $14.99. Pages: 160. -Ryrie, Charles. 1996. Balancing the Christian Life. Chicago: Moody Publishers. ISBN: 9780802408877. Price: $14.99. Pages: 191. -Tozer, Aiden Wilson. 2016. The Pursuit of God. North Charleston, SC: CreateSpace. ISBN: 978-1536-9696-89. Price: $6.99. Pages 48. OR Free ebook, pdf. Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25141. 4. Spiritual Life Text (read 1 of the following): -Bridges, Jerry. 2016. The Practice of Godliness. Carol Stream, IL: NavPress. ISBN: 9781631465949. Price: $15.99. Pages: 304. -Bridges, Jerry. 2016. The Pursuit of Holiness with Study Guide. Carol Stream, IL: NavPress. ISBN: 9781631466397. Price. $15.99. Pages 183. -Hull, Bill. 2004. Jesus Christ: Disciplemaker, Updated Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. IBSN: 978-0801-0916-98. Price: $17.00. Pages: 256. -Koessler, John. 2003. True Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus. Chicago: Moody Publishers. ISBN: 9780802416421. Price: $14.99. Pages: 208. Page 5
-Lewis, C. S. 2001. Mere Christianity. New York: Harperone. ISBN: 9780060652920. Price: $16.99. Pages: 240. -Platt, David. 2010. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah. ISBN: 9781601422217. Price: $14.99. Pages: 240 -Tozer, Aiden Wilson. 1978. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York: Harperone. ISBN: 9780060684129. Price: $13.99. Pages: 118. Free ebook, pdf. http://www.ntcgaylesbury.org.uk/books/knowledge_of_the_holy.pdf. -Whitney, Donald S. 2014. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Updatd 20 th Anniversary Edition. Carol Stream: NavPress. ISBN: 9781615216178. Price: $15.99. Pages: 304. VI. ABBREVIATED CLASS SCHEDULE [Note: A detailed schedule will be provided in class and posted in Canvas.] Week Dates Class Activity/Discussion 1 March 11-17 The Spiritual Life March 18 24 SPRING BREAK 2 March 25 31 Evangelism, Part 1 3 April 1 7 Evangelism, Part 2 4 April 8 14 Worship 5 April 15 21 Worship/Fellowship 6 April 22 28 Fellowship/Discipleship 7 April 29 May 5 Discipleship/Stewardship 8 May 6 May 10 Stewardship Page 6