Steve Blackstock - sblackstock@iliff.edu
This course is designed to help students develop an awareness and appreciation for the creeds and confessions utilized by the Presbyterian Church (USA). As documents of history and theology, the creeds and confessions of the PC (USA) provide additional guidance for the life and faith of its ministers and laity. For those preparing for ordination as Teaching Elders, conversant knowledge of the Book of Confessions (BOC) is imperative for both the ordination exams and for conversations with the Committees on Preparation for Ministry.
The Book of Confessions
This course will be heavily discussion oriented. Each week, I expect an initial substantial participation in our discussion by end of day Wednesday and at least one additional substantial participation by end of day Saturday. Any alterations from this rhythm will be indicated in the course schedule.
This course is designed using modules to connect content and activities in narrative fashion throughout the course. To get an overview of the topics for the course or to begin navigating through the course, go to the Modules area.
Throughout the quarter, we will have several discussions which will compose a large part of our engagement with each other in this online learning space. For these discussions to be meaningful conversation spaces, we all need to take responsibility for consistent and substantial participation. Instead of grading discussions based on number of words posted or on frequency, we will assess discussions based on the degree to which you substantially engage in the conversation each week. Over the course of a conversation, substantial engagement means:
Each post need not do all of these things, but your overall participation in each conversation should demonstrate all of these components. You might have several short posts and a handful of longer posts in a week or you might have only a few strategic substantial posts. Either way, your overall participation in each conversation will be evaluated for substantial engagement. The goal of this discussion design is to encourage and reward interchange, so post often and engage each other with meaningful questions that open to other questions.
Date | Day | Details | |
Sep 12, 2017 | Tue | Getting to Know Eachother | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 14, 2017 | Thu | Why do Confessions Matter? | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 17, 2017 | Sun | Why do Confessions Matter Continued | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 21, 2017 | Thu | A - The Nicene Creed | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 21, 2017 | Thu | B - The Apostles' Creed | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 24, 2017 | Sun | A - The Nicene Creed Continued | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 24, 2017 | Sun | B - The Apostles' Creed Continued | due by 05:59AM |
Sep 28, 2017 | Thu | The Scots Confession | due by 05:59AM |
Oct 01, 2017 | Sun | The Scots Confession Continued | due by 05:59AM |
Oct 05, 2017 | Thu | The Heidelberg Catechism | due by 05:59AM |