This class will study the various portrayals of Christ as the glorious man and the slaughtered lamb in the book of Revelation in order to appreciate more fully the Christology of this apocalypse. Special attention will be given to the light that the Old Testament and Jewish apocalyptic literature sheds on these portraits of Christ. (3.0 CEU)

A worldview is a network of our most basic beliefs about the world and life within it. Observing and analyzing the dominant motifs of the most pervasive worldviews in America not only help Christians make sense of why people think and act as they do, but also provides some of the necessary equipment for interaction with those who do not share basic Christian convictions and beliefs. (1.5 CEU)

This class will study various portions of the New Testament, especially the words and actions of Jesus and Paul, to see and understand the guidance these texts offer for shaping our pastoral theology and practice. (3.0 CEU)

This course will focus on the theology of the ‘image of God’ as expressed in the Church’s reading of Scripture, her Christological vision, and her liturgical life. This class will give special attention to three main aspects. First, we will consider the scriptural narrative and the way images function as the very texture of God’s revelation to His people. Second, we will examine early Christian texts as testimonies to the way images have functioned in the Church’s proclamation of Christ crucified. Finally, we will explore the theological foundations of early Christian iconography and the aesthetic character of images as concrete expressions of the Church’s faith and her passionate confession of the Gospel. (1.5 CEU)

Knowing what good to pursue and what evil to avoid, in some ways, for the Christian, is simple. God’s commands direct us. Yet our sinful nature, the various needs of the neighbor and daily life circumstances can cloud our understanding of God’s will and how to carry it out. This course will explore methods for thinking about the will of God and carrying it out in our lives. Classical philosophical theories, such as virtue ethics, teleology and deontology, will also be considered from a Christian perspective. The significance of Luther’s natural orders or realms of life will round out the discussion in a concrete way. (3.0 CEU)

This course will be an investigation into the Scriptures, looking particularly at the way the apostles speak of compassion and mercy. Emphasis will be toward Clement of Alexandria’s approach to teaching the Christian faith in a gnostic world. Further, this course will examine scriptural texts exegetically and will consider how, in light of Clement’s approach, the Church may communicate the Scriptures and draw people into the Church in our modern-day gnostic and postmodern culture. (3.0 CEU)

North America embraces various world views such a deism and naturalism as well as many living religions which are in direct competition with Christianity. This course will provide insight into a number of world views and religions and offer ways to address them missiologically and apologetically. (1.5 CEU)

The Apostolic Council in Jerusalem has much bearing on the situation facing The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) today. Significant decisions were made by the apostles and other leaders in the Church in the first 20 years of the Church’s life that are instructive for us to observe. This course will take a tour of the early Church from the Ascension to the Apostolic Council with a view towards how decisions were made by the early fathers. The Apostolic Council is a watershed event in the life of the early Church, but it is also a significant marker for the history of the Church and programmatic for us today. This brief, highlighted tour will recognize significant events in the first 20 years of the Church’s existence, observing the leaders as they are described in Acts and Galatians, the decision-making process of the early Christians, as well as offering a brief interpretation of the Apostolic Council in light of the issues facing the LCMS today. (1.5 CEU)

The prophet Jeremiah, next to Moses, has been called the epitome of the Old Testament prophetic movement.  His prophetic corpus is not only the largest, it also communicates many details about his prophetic mission and his own personal reflections about his calling.  Jeremiah’s life and witness occurred in an historical context where both the religious and political cultures were abandoning Moses’ Torah and in free fall away from Jeremiah’s predecessors.  His fidelity to God’s calling, in the midst of multiple challenges and much personal sacrifice, will instruct, and by God’s grace, inspire—pastors and laity alike—in our contemporaneous setting to serve the blessed Holy Trinity with clarity, integrity and confessional conviction.

North America embraces various world views such a deism and naturalism as well as many living religions which are in direct competition with Christianity. This course will provide insight into a number of world views and religions and offer ways to address them missiologically and apologetically. (1.5 CEU)

Knowing what good to pursue and what evil to avoid, in some ways, for the Christian, is simple. God’s commands direct us. Yet our sinful nature, the various needs of the neighbor and daily life circumstances can cloud our understanding of God’s will and how to carry it out. This course will explore methods for thinking about the will of God and carrying it out in our lives. Classical philosophical theories, such as virtue ethics, teleology and deontology, will also be considered from a Christian perspective. The significance of Luther’s natural orders or realms of life will round out the discussion in a concrete way. (3.0 CEU)

This course will be an investigation into the Scriptures, looking particularly at the way the apostles speak of compassion and mercy. Emphasis will be toward Clement of Alexandria’s approach to teaching the Christian faith in a gnostic world. Further, this course will examine scriptural texts exegetically and will consider how, in light of Clement’s approach, the Church may communicate the Scriptures and draw people into the Church in our modern-day gnostic and postmodern culture. (3.0 CEU)

The Apostolic Council in Jerusalem has much bearing on the situation facing The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) today. Significant decisions were made by the apostles and other leaders in the Church in the first 20 years of the Church’s life that are instructive for us to observe. This course will take a tour of the early Church from the Ascension to the Apostolic Council with a view towards how decisions were made by the early fathers. The Apostolic Council is a watershed event in the life of the early Church, but it is also a significant marker for the history of the Church and programmatic for us today. This brief, highlighted tour will recognize significant events in the first 20 years of the Church’s existence, observing the leaders as they are described in Acts and Galatians, the decision-making process of the early Christians, as well as offering a brief interpretation of the Apostolic Council in light of the issues facing the LCMS today. (1.5 CEU)

The prophet Jeremiah, next to Moses, has been called the epitome of the Old Testament prophetic movement.  His prophetic corpus is not only the largest, it also communicates many details about his prophetic mission and his own personal reflections about his calling.  Jeremiah’s life and witness occurred in an historical context where both the religious and political cultures were abandoning Moses’ Torah and in free fall away from Jeremiah’s predecessors.  His fidelity to God’s calling, in the midst of multiple challenges and much personal sacrifice, will instruct, and by God’s grace, inspire—pastors and laity alike—in our contemporaneous setting to serve the blessed Holy Trinity with clarity, integrity and confessional conviction.

The Book of Concord is central to the life of our church, but it is often found underused or even misused. In this course, we will focus our attention on the Formula of Concord. Amazingly contemporary and invaluable, the Formula will be found as practical a handbook as the Small Catechism. This rich confession of the Gospel is open for anyone, pastors and the people of God. (3.0 CEU)

Written to thank Christians at Philippi for their generous gift to him, Paul gives hearty utterance in the letter to the Gospel of Christ Jesus: his thanksgiving to God for the Philippians’ partnership in his ministry (1:5), his being torn between going on and living in the body or departing to be with Christ (1:21–24), his joy amid the imprisonment (throughout), the Christ hymn (2:5-11) and the nature of their gift itself and its implications for their life together (4:14–19). The course covers all these themes and then some, while relating them to practical considerations in the parish and ministry.

This course will examine the post-baptismal catechesis from the classical age of the catechumenate and the liturgy of Baptism. Baptismal catechesis instructed the newly baptized concerning their initiation into the Christian faith, functioning as an act of pastoral care. The role of the pastor will be examined by investigating the catechetical writing of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, comparing his catechesis to that of St. John Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia and St. Ambrose of Milan.(1.5 CEU)

This course serves as an introduction to my commentary on Hebrews published by Concordia Publishing House this year. In this course we will explore the theology of worship in this letter. The following topics will be examined:

• the contrast between the divine service in the old covenant and the new covenant;
• the role of Jesus as our high priest and our sin offering;
• our entry into the heavenly place of rest by hearing the voice of the living God;
• our access to the heavenly sanctuary through the body and blood of Jesus;
• our purification and sanctification by Jesus in the divine service;
• our participation with the angels in the heavenly liturgy; and
• the presentation of God-pleasing offerings through Jesus.

The main focus will be on the practical relevance of this teaching to what is done and taught, given and received in the divine service.