Académique Documents
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SBC Online
Lecturing Professor:
Recitation Instructor:
You will be assigned a Recitation Instructor (RI) who will grade all assignments
and field all questions, concerns, confusions, and the like. He or she will help
guide you through the material presented by Dr. Powlison.
Administration:
Office Hours/availability:
Your recitation instructor will email you the days during the week where he or
she will be available to respond to your email inquiries. Please note: You are
not permitted to contact the lecturing professor.
Class Procedure:
You are expected to watch the assigned video each week (approximately 2 to 3
hours), submit a community board posting, and complete and submit your
assignments as listed in this course syllabus.
SBC Online
SBC Online will be used to post course videos, audio files, course documents,
submit assignments, host community boards and to send class
announcements. Assignments will be submitted electronically through the SBC
Online learning path. If you experience an error uploading your file to SBC
Online, then please send an e-mail to your Recitation Instructor (RI), and copy
student.services@ccef.org, with your assignment attached by the deadline
given.
As a reminder, all materials provided to you for this course through SBC Online
are copyrighted by CCEF or other publishers, to whom CCEF pays a fee for their
use. This includes the course syllabus, assignments, articles, and video and
audio lectures. You may not reproduce or share any of these materials
without the prior permission of CCEF.
Course Objectives
At the successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
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SBC Online
Course Introduction
God is in the process of making right everything that goes wrong. So the working vocabulary of
Scripture is all about changing things: redemption, grace, repentance, turning, mercy, wrath,
deliverance, justice, reconciliation, peacemaking, salvation, regeneration, making disciples,
sanctification, the coming of a kingdom, and the like. Of course, such good words often get layered over
by distorted religiosity (another wrong that needs righting). But at heart these things are not religious
words. They operate in the domain of life lived, of everyday human experience.
Psalm 23, for example, deals directly with your deepest, grittiest, most pressing problems. Consider the
comparison between the psalm and the anti-psalm.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his
name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of
my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the
days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Antipsalm 23
Im on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I'm always restless. Im easily frustrated and often
disappointed.
Its a jungle I feel overwhelmed. Its a desert Im thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can't fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life's confusing. Why dont things ever really work out?
I'm haunted by emptiness and futility shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I'd rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I'm alone facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I cant really trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me except me.
And I'm so much all about ME, sometimes it's sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. Im left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, "Hell is other people."
I have to add, "Hell is also myself."
Its a living death, and then I die.
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What are you facing? What influences affect you? What is the meaning of your hardships (and
your felicities), your troubles (and your opportunities)?
What should you be like? Whats going wrong, becoming bent and darkened both inside and
out?
Why do you act, think, feel, react, remember, talk, fantasize, choose the way you do?
What makes wrongs right? Who will intervene and help you?
How do you change? What is the process of change like?
How should you now live? How can you help others?
The Dynamics of Biblical Change seeks answers to such questions. This is a course about people. It is
about how people change into the image-in-action of Jesus Christ. (The words image, likeness, and
character tend to sound static like a snapshot or icon rather than live stage production or streaming
video. The image of Jesus moves, feels, thinks, decides, talks, acts and reacts.) I intend our course to be
practical theology. Not abstraction. Well get onto the street and into the heart (where people live,
where the Bible lives, where Jesus lived and continues to live, where you live).
Week by week we will to address practical questions as they arise in our own lives, in people we love, in
case studies, and in Scripture. The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good
conscience and a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5).
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Why Me?: Comfort from Psalm 10 (JBC 16:3, 1998, pp. 27-37). Also in SwNE, pp. 91-108; also
retitled Why Me? Comfort for the Victimized (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2003).
Dont Worry (JBC, 21:2, 2003, pp. 54-65). Also in SwNE, pp. 109-124; also retitled Worry:
Pursuing a Better Path to Peace (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2004).
Ill never get over it (unpublished draft on SBC Online). For class use only; do not circulate.
A Slice of Life (JBC, 24:4, 2006, pp. 2-35).
Anger in Action (JBC, 24:4, 2006, pp. 2-35).
The Constructive Displeasure of Mercy, (JBC, 24:4, 2006, pp. 2-35).
The Madness of Anger (JBC, 24:4, 2006, pp. 2-35).
Making All Things New (from John Piper and Justin Taylor, eds., Sex and the Supremacy of
Christ, Crossway, 2005, pp. 65-106).
Idols of the Heart and Vanity Fair (JBC, 13:2, 1995, pp. 35-50).
X-Ray Questions (JBC, 18:1, 1999, pp. 2-9) Also in SwNE, pp. 129-143.
Unconditional Love? (JBC, 12:3, 1994, pp. 45-48) Also in SwNE, pp. 163-170.
Innocent Pleasures (JBC, 23:4, 2005, pp. 21-34) Also retitled Pleasure (USA: New Growth Press,
2005).
A Personal Liturgy of Confession (unpublished draft on SBC Online).
Who is God? (JBC, 17:2, 1999, pp. 12-23). Also in SwNE, pp. 35-58).
Familial Counseling (JBC, 25:1, pp. 2-16).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Grading Scale
A
95 and above
A92-94.9
B+
88-91.9
B
85-87.9
B82-84.9
C+
78-81.9
C
75-77.9
C72-74.9
D+
70-71.9
D
68-69.9
D66-67.9
F
< 66
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SBC Online
The purpose of the Community Board discussion groups is to give you an opportunity to
interpersonally interact with the conceptual, personal, relational/ministerial implications of the
lecture/reading material for that week. It is the venue for you to discuss the class material with your
fellow classmates. Therefore, your participation is required, and appreciated by your fellow
students.
a. Each week, the Community Board interaction question(s) will be posted in the section
following that weeks lecture. (Scroll down to the bottom of the page, below the video area,
to see the question and area for response.) You will pick one question to answer, if there is
more than one listed. You are required to post by midnight EST on the due date.
b. Please try to keep your initial posting to that weeks question(s) to 250 words maximum.
This will encourage discussion, and ensure that all class members postings are read.
c. Every member of the class is required to read at least 2 of the postings of the other students
in your class offering. Though not required, you are encouraged to respond to other
students comments, thoughts, and postings.
d. If you would like to post a question, comment, or lengthy reflection other than what is
covered through the weekly interaction questions, feel free to start a new thread!
e. All posts will be confidential and can only be accessed by the other students in your class
offering (including auditors), your recitation instructor, and the CCEF Student Services
department. Please do not share any of the information in the community groups with
anyone else.
f. Community Boards are graded based on your participation. The Community Boards are designed for
you to learn in community as you walk through this class, learning from the gifts and experiences of
your fellow students. Brief, thoughtful responses to the questions and responses to the comments of
other students will stimulate your thinking about the various topics in the lectures and readings, and
help you to benefit from the thinking of other students as you all interact with the material
presented.
2. Clyde Response Paper, (5%, 20 points)
Put your initial response to Clyde into a concise paper. See the pump-priming questions in the
Course Introduction. There is no one right answer to this assignment. This assignment will give
your recitation instructor a feel for how class members instinctively tend to approach people, to
guide feedback on Community Board discussions and other assignments.
1 to 1.5 pages
3. Significant Scripture Discussion, (5%, 20 points)
Give thought to the passage of Scripture that has most influenced your life. Here are pump-priming
questions:
What passage of Scripture has proved most significant for you, either lifelong or recently?
What makes these words relevant?
What do these words address in you and in your circumstances?
What does it say about God that you needed to hear?
How exactly does this passage make a difference? How have you been changed?
Write out the passage, and then discuss. Again, Im looking for your honest reflections, not some
supposedly right sort of answer. This paper also helps me to get a feel for the class.
1 page
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Grading Rubrics:
The chief purpose of a grade is accountability. Taking a course for credit challenges you to put in the
time and concentrated effort needed to do your very best quality thinking and work. Your life and
ministry depend upon your growing wisdom. We want to handle truth well; we want to walk well. Put
off the competitiveness or fear of failure that lurks within and competes with our Fathers goals for our
education. Jesus disciples are learners by definition, unashamed of our continual need to grow in
knowledge, wisdom, and love (James 1:5; Matt. 5:3). The grading is only a tool to help hold you
accountable to those goals and desires that led you to register in the first place.
With regards to grading your self-counseling projects, how does one quantify your life?! We will take
into consideration such things as your honesty and specificity in wrestling with questions of how to
change, the seriousness of your effort, personal meaningfulness, ability to apply classroom and readings
to your life, direction of movement, and the like. We dont expect perfection in the next 12 weeks!
When we see him, we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
The following table will provide a general guideline for use in considering what is expected in the various
assignments; not every element will apply to every assignment.
Grade and
Overall
Meaning
C-F
Discussion
Self-Analysis
Demonstrates understanding of
personal strengths and areas for
growth, but may not evidence a strong
commitment to growth and change.
Understanding
Demonstrates partial or no
understanding of the material;
student is unable to apply
concepts.
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Grade and
Overall
Meaning
SBC Online
C-F
Biblical/
Theological
Application
Grammar,
Mechanics,
Spelling, and
Sentence
Structure
Assignment Format:
1. All submitted papers/projects should be typed, 12-point font, Times New Roman, and double-spaced
unless indicated otherwise in the specific assignment directions.
2. Assignments will be uploaded in the SBC Online Classroom, at the assigned due date.
3. Papers should be submitted with one of the following file extensions: doc or docx. This ensures that
your Recitation Instructor will be able to open it.
4. Pay careful attention to page requirements!
5. Please type your name at the top of the first page of any assignments that you submit.
6. When submitting your paper you are to use the title provided on SBC Online.
7. Please note that you may be downgraded for not adhering to these guidelines.
Class Administration
Administrative tasks (such as keeping track of completed assignments, missing assignments, late work,
and requests for extensions) can be complex. The CCEF Student Handbook details policies, procedures, and
administration of our SBC Online program. Information that is relevant to all classes, including grading standards,
academic policies, and general Community Board instructions are provided in that document. Please read it
carefully (along with this course syllabus) before the class begins, and refer to it throughout the semester.
You may obtain a copy of the Student Handbook at http://www.ccef.org/student-services or by e-mailing
student.services@ccef.org.
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Please refer to the Expectations for Assignments for a description of each assignment (also posted
on SBC Online) and to the Required Readings/ Course Materials for the complete reading list.
Community board discussion questions are found below each video lecture; scroll down to the
bottom section of the page.
Due dates for assignments and community board posts are listed on SBC Online and are due by
midnight on the due date. The due date is always the same day of the week on which your class
started: i.e., if your class starts on a Monday, the first assignments will be due by midnight the
following Monday. (Note: Due dates for classes that start on a Sunday will also be on Monday).
Course
Schedule
Lecture 1:
Course
Introduction
Lecture 2:
Understanding
the Person
Readings: Reading the Bible for Personal Application, Think Globally, Act Locally, Counsel Ephesians,
and Frames Ethics: Working the Implications for Pastoral Care. Each of these deals with how the
relationship between the change process and the personal application of Scripture.
Assignments:
1. Community Board post
2. Give thought to the passage of Significant Scripture that has most influenced your life. Write out the
passage, and then discuss in a concise paper.
Lecture 3:
Understanding
the Heat
Lecture 4: The
Wisdom found
in Christ
Readings: Gods Grace and Your Sufferings, Peace, Be Still: Psalm 131, Why Me?: Comfort from Psalm
10, Dont Worry, and Ill never get over it. Each of these articles bears on our responses to suffering in
some manner.
1.
2.
Assignments:
1. Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
2. Start work your Suffering and Refuge project. Take the questions about significant suffering in the first
article above, and personalize it.
Lecture 5:
Understanding
the Situation
(part 1)
Readings: Why Does it Have to Hurt? by Dan McCartney, Pay particular attention to how God meets you and
how he works within your suffering.
Assignments:
1. Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
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Course
Schedule
Lecture 6:
Understanding
the Situation
(part 2)
Lecture 7:
Practical
Application:
James
SBC Online
Lecture 8:
Influences on
the Heart
Readings: Idols of the Heart and Vanity Fair, X-Ray Questions, Unconditional Love?, Innocent
Pleasures, and A Personal Liturgy of Confession. The first article traces the interplay between our hearts
and the situation that surrounds us. Sins of behavior and emotion dont pop up in a vacuum and for no
reason. The second article describes how the fallen heart operates in exactly the same ways as the redeemed
heart, but in opposite directions. The third discusses how our God of grace engages us. The fourth walks out a
case study in positive obedience. The final item is a worksheet to help you find words with God.
Assignment:
1. Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
Lecture 9: Sin
and the Heart
Assignments:
1. Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
2. Be doing outside reading for the sin and grace project
Lecture 10:
Sin and
Transformation
Readings: Who is God? and The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson. In the article, notice the immediacy of
our dealings with God and with each other. In Ferguson, pay particular attention to how different aspects of
Gods instantaneous acts and ongoing works apply to your struggles with sin.
Assignment:
1. Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
Lecture 11:
Living with
Personal
Integrity
Reading: Familial Counseling. Dynamics of Biblical Change has focused on growing in first-hand
understanding of the change process. This is foundational to other counseling courses that focus on how we
become helpful to other people. This article builds the bridge from first-hand understanding to helpfulness.
Week 12
Assignments:
1. Final Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
2. Submit your Sin and Grace Project, with your initial proposal attached to help us see where youve come.
Week 13
Assignments:
1. Community Board post and interaction with fellow students
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