Special Feature
During times of uncertainty and chaos, it is crucial to ground yourself in the truth of God’s Unfailing Word. Beeson Divinity School’s Lay Academy can help you do just that. All classes for the fall 2020 semester will be held online and center around Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.”
Dr. Gerald Bray will teach the class Classical Creeds: Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed and Athanasian Creed. Dr. Bray shares, “I hope that my course will help people understand their faith better and grow in their relationship to God.” He adds, “We shall be looking at the fundamental ways in which we express our experience as Christians and spread the good news of Jesus Christ in the world that he came to save.” The class begins on October 1 and will meet virtually for six Thursday afternoons from 1-3 p.m.
Finding Joy in the Gospel’s Progress: Paul’s Letter to Christians in Philippi will focus on the question: How can we find joy in the midst of difficult circumstances? Dr. Frank Thielman, who will teach this course, hopes that, “my Lay Academy class will help people understand the message of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi. Both Paul and the Philippians were experiencing hardship because of their commitment to Christ.” He explains, “In his letter, Paul models for the Philippians how to find joy in God’s advancement of the gospel despite- and even through- their difficult circumstances.” Beginning September 30, the class will meet virtually on six Wednesday nights from 6-8 p.m.
The Megilloth: Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Esther will be taught by Dr. Mark Gignilliat. The class will dig into each book’s scriptural significance and more. “I pray this course enriches people in their following of Jesus and in their study of Holy Scripture. These five little books press Christians to think long and hard about what it means to believe, even when circumstances suggest otherwise,” Dr. Gignilliat says. The class will meet virtually for six Monday nights from 6-8 p.m. beginning September 28.
Created in the Image of God will be taught by Dr. Piotr Malysz. He explains that humans are taught to think about reason, the body, emotions and more. “But what I want to bring into the picture – into our joys and anxieties- is how God has already addressed us about ourselves in Christ, about all these things we associate with being human. We can’t answer our time’s most pressing question, ‘Who am I? Who are we? What is a human being?’ without listening to God first.” The class will meet for six Wednesday nights from 6-8 p.m. starting September 30.
Find more details about each class and register by visiting www.beesondivinity.com/lay-academy.
-Melissa Armstrong
