Presbyterian Confessions and Creeds

Instructor

Steve Blackstock - sblackstock@iliff.edu

Course Synopsis

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.

Course Objectives

Books for the Course

The Book of Confessions

Course Rhythm

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.

Online Discussion Guidelines

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:

  1. Extend the conversation - creatively and critically push the conversation forward, do not just regurgitate what has already been said. If 1 or 2 other students have already responded directly to instructor provided prompts for the week, do not simply write another response to the prompts unless it adds something new to the conversation. You need to extend the conversation by adding an additional or different insight from the course materials, by asking a new question that stems from one of the posts already offered, by offering a related and contextualized example of the issue being discussed from your own experience, or by creatively integrating your own perspective with what has already been posted.
  2. Ask contextualized questions - situate your questions within the discussion by referencing the course materials and other parts of the conversation thread that inform your inquiry. Give us a little background as to why this question matters to you and how it relates to the course.
  3. Engage others in the courseĀ - thoughtful engagement with other students in the course and with the instructional team.
  4. Engage the course materials - thoughtful engagement with readings, lectures, student presentations, and any other materials related to the course. Referencing and citing course materials in your posts where appropriate is encouraged.

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.

DateDayDetails
Sep 12, 2017TueGetting to Know Eachotherdue by 05:59AM
Sep 14, 2017ThuWhy do Confessions Matter?due by 05:59AM
Sep 17, 2017SunWhy do Confessions Matter Continueddue by 05:59AM
Sep 21, 2017ThuA - The Nicene Creeddue by 05:59AM
Sep 21, 2017ThuB - The Apostles' Creeddue by 05:59AM
Sep 24, 2017SunA - The Nicene Creed Continueddue by 05:59AM
Sep 24, 2017SunB - The Apostles' Creed Continueddue by 05:59AM
Sep 28, 2017ThuThe Scots Confessiondue by 05:59AM
Oct 01, 2017SunThe Scots Confession Continueddue by 05:59AM
Oct 05, 2017ThuThe Heidelberg Catechismdue by 05:59AM