Required Text
Donald McKim, Introducing the Reformed FaithThe Book of Confessions. (Any version is fine as long as it has the Brief Statement of Faith in it; there is an annotated study version which might be helpful. If your version does not have an index, go to the link on the Book of Confessions and use the online index.)
Several books you might find interesting are Donald McKim's Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Jack Rogers' Presbyterian Creeds: A Guide to the Book of Confessions, and Elwood and Hill's Calvin for Armchair Theologians.
Description
Theology isn't some bland academic exercise, it's a vitally important function of faith. Everything you believe about God, even the way you think about God is essentially theology! As you seek to become a Commissioned Lay Pastor or just expand your own understanding, it is helpful to know the foundation of our beliefs, where and how they have been developed and refined. The basis of our knowledge is the Bible, of course, but there have been many wars and battles fought over the interpretation of some of the doctrine we take for granted!
The main things we want to happen for all of the participants are...
- Participants will grow in their understanding of main themes in Reformed theology.
- Participants will grow in their understanding of the Book of Confessions .
- Participants will grow in the ability to think about issues of faith and ministry in conversation with the Confessions--in other words, we will be Reformed Theologians in our lives as Christians and Pastors.