DOE1 Original
The People of God's Presence
An Introduction to Ecclesiology
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Course Description
In an age when the church is sometimes viewed as irrelevant and inauthentic, leading Pentecostal theologian Terry Cross calls the people of God to a radical change of structure and mission based on theological principles. Dr. Cross offers an introduction to ecclesiology that demonstrates how Pentecostals can contribute to and learn from the church catholic.
Course Lessons:
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Lesson 1: Understanding the Church and its Missions
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Lesson 2: Understanding the Trinity
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Lesson 3: Encountering the Presence of God
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Lesson 4: The Connection Between the Encounter and Worship
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Lesson 5: How Orthodoxy Relates Orthoproxy
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Lesson 6: The Difficulty on Retaining the Next Generation
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Lesson 7: The Local Church as a Training Ground
Course Lessons
Meet the instructor
Dr. Terry Cross
I am Dr. Terry Cross, a Princeton University graduate, and a Pentecostal theologian who has studied and written extensively about Trinitarian theology, especially in relation to the writings of 20th century theologian Karl Barth. Prior to my teaching at Lee University, I pastored for 12 years and taught high school Latin and history.
This course, "The People of God's Presence," was birthed from research I conducted while involved in pastoral ministry. We explore questions such as: What is the purpose of the church? What is the real mission of the church? How do our methods of ministry compare with Biblical teachings? How do we persuade people to volunteer?
I realized my theological training had not prepared me well for ecclesiology: the "study of the church." As I searched for answers to pastoral issues, I understood that there is something about “who the church is” that is very important. The People of God should reflect the nature, the essence of God. As a theologian I have studied the nature of God, the Trinity, and as a pastor I have worked with the People of God. Join me as I began to ask the questions: “Who is this God?’ and “How does His nature relate to who we are as people of God?”
Patrick Jones - Course author