Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology presents the story of God's dealings throughout history for the salvation and redemption of the creation, starting with the book of Genesis until the book of Revelation. This course focuses on the fact that the story of salvation with its Old and New Testaments is one single integral story, through the patriarchs, then the kings, then the prophets, till Christ in His first and second coming. This course deals with issues related to the Church in the Middle East, such as theology of choice and theology of the land.
This course aims to enable the student to read the two covenants in the Bible as one single book, being aware of the central story integrated into the Bible and the concept of redemption through progression. The course also aims to help the students understand subjects such as Land, Covenant, Choice, and the Second Coming. Finally, the course aims to instill into the student the concept of the Gospel and the Kingdom today, and to motivate him/her for the mission of God’s Kingdom on earth and the concept of total inclusiveness in ministry.

Pastoral Counseling

The pastoral counseling curriculum, which is one of the branches of pastoral theology, specializes in the various disciplines and skills of pastoral care. It further specializes in the history of pastoral counseling as a science having many biblical and psychological foundations and being a first-class canonical science. Counseling has appeared in the Church to try and help people as they face challenges in their lives. This curriculum encompasses a small part of the science, which has now multiple branches in various areas of life.

The Nature of God and God’s Relationship with Humanity

The task of this course is "the study of God", who in fact is above and beyond any study. This course aims at knowing what God has announced about Himself in His creation and His interest in it, revealing Himself in the Bible at different stages and proclaiming Himself in His only Son Jesus Christ. Our knowledge of God through His various revelations about Himself enables us to discern wrong and erroneous thoughts, which are generated by various human philosophies, incomplete human experiences, or inadequate social foundations in all aspects of things. The purpose of knowledge is not abstract knowledge, but the vision of men and women to God, their creator and caregiver. God is not just the creator, He also takes full care of His creation. God is not just dwelling in His highest heavens, He is descending among us, hearing the cries of rebellious and supplicant humans and working with His absolute, total wisdom and understanding. The true knowledge of God leads man to be content in God, and live a life full of trust, peace, tranquility and stability. This would prompt the believer to share with others about this close and loving God.

Effective Bible Teaching

The objective of this course is against all expectations. It does not provide a new style or method to presenting teaching materials for preaching or for Sunday schools, nor does it provide guidance for preparing a Bible study. Instead, our main goal in this course is to emphasize that education is one of the most important pillars of Christianity, and that there is a fundamental goal that we must all aspire to in our churches and in every place or activity in which we offer Christian education, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This goal is to make and prepare mature believers in mature churches. And in order to confirm our goal, we present this logical study for serving the mechanism of education and interacting with it.

Introduction to Islam

The "Introduction to Islam" course seeks to go beyond mere descriptions of Islamic beliefs by trying to discover the nature of questions related to Christian-Muslim relations and the way that Muslims understand their faith. The course deals with multiple points of view around Muhammad's life, the interpretation of Qur'anic and Hadîth texts, the Muslim’s implementation of Islamic practices, and his/her understanding of Islamic history and doctrine. This course also reviews various approaches in responding to Muslim objections to the distortion of the Bible, the divinity of Christ, the crucifixion and the Trinity.
In addition to providing information, this course challenges learners to test their inner attitudes towards Islam, which in turn will affect how they deal with Muslims and deliver the Gospel message to them, whether they are among their families, friends or neighbors.

Elements of Christian Faith Between the Past and the Present

The church in the MENA region has its own issues, as it shares some of what the Church experiences around the world more generally. The purpose of this course is to enable emerging leaders to understand the fundamental elements of the Christian faith in light of pressing issues. We expect that the student will be able to effectively use the most important foundations of this faith in addressing what the members of his/her local church today will face throughout their growth and stability. This includes answering the dogmatic and behavioral questions of concern that may be raised by the community around them. To this end, most issues will be addressed by focusing on the Word of God and applying it to daily life.

Principles of Biblical Interpretation

God spoke to and through the writers of Scripture to give people an opportunity to know Him and follow Him in true obedience. He spoke in terms that suited their circumstances. How can we make sure that what God said with force and clarity will affect the souls in the present day with the same strength and meaning as the first believers who received these texts? This course discusses and presents three topics related to the study and interpretation of the Word of God, to understand how God wants these texts to impact our lives so that we can live according to His word.

Following Jesus and Growing with God

This course introduces the concept of discipleship in the Bible. It shows how to follow Christ based to what He states in His teaching and exemplifies in His life. Discipleship has its conditions and objectives: to live among people according to God's will and to fulfill this will. The first part includes a journey in the Gospel of Mark, in which the student sees how walking with Jesus connects man to God. This journey will allow the student to lead others towards following Jesus Christ. The following are topics we will discuss in the second part of the course: responding to the call of God in Christ, understanding the meaning of faith and spiritual life, ensuring to obtain forgiveness, salvation and growing through reconciling with God and others, and clarifying the concept of baptism and fullness in the Holy Spirit. The third part provides instruction and practical steps, allowing the student to grow through ministry, communion with brothers and behavior with love. The ultimate goal is to reach the likelihood of living as children and good stewards of God.

Effective Faith Sharing

Although God created a beautiful world and created man in His image, sin has brought man to the lowest levels. Because God loved man, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross, in order to forgive sin and give eternal life to all who believe in Him; but the world does not recognize this love. Therefore, God commissioned His church to present this message of love to the suffering world. This course seeks to motivate believers to understand their role in the world they live in. It helps them understand what others share in Christ's message, thus recognizing the role each Christian should play in sharing the good news. This course also provides a theoretical framework for the concepts of preaching, and provides some practical aspects that help the learner practice the role of evangelist on both the individual and collective levels.

Christian Identity in the MENA region

The course "Christian Identity in the Middle East and North Africa" seeks to help the student define the Christian identity in this region. Further, the course will highlight its existence throughout history as one of the main cultural components of the region, in light of "political Islam", which rejects the other and seeks to deny any identity other than Islamic. If the "hegemony of Islamization" succeeds, Christians of the Middle East and North Africa will become alien minorities in the region, and this is tantamount to stripping the historical role of Christianity and putting an end to it.
The aim of this course is to redefine and highlight Christian identity as part of the identity of the MENA. We will accomplish this by tracing the emergence of this identity throughout history until now, and spreading the awareness that it existed as an important part of the region before the advent of Islam. The Christian identity has contributed, and is currently contributing, to the formation of the identity of the region, being one of its constituent elements.

New Testament Survey

This course constitutes a basic brick for a deeper understanding of the New Testament texts in their historical, literary and theological context. The course deals with issues related to New Testament backgrounds of a political, social, literary and religious context, both direct and indirect, in which events originated. It also deals with the various teachings and beliefs documented in the pages of the New Testament. As it briefly deals with how texts constituting the New Testament law have been transmitted to the Church throughout the ages. The course addresses the life and teachings of Christ as contained in the four Gospels. The ministry of the apostles and their preaching, written in the Book of Acts, are detailed, as are their teachings – which are documented in the private, public and pastoral letters and in the book of Revelation.

Old Testament Survey

The course offers a comprehensive summary for the understanding of the Old Testament. We will study its essential parts: The Torah, the historical books and writings and the prophets. Emphasis will be placed on the intertwined themes of the various books of the Old Testament, including creation, fall, redemption, covenant, kingdom and land, and the emergence of the people of God. God’s presence amidst His people to save them, redeem them and guide them will be an element of stability in the Old Testament, thus showing coherence and unity between the Old and New Testaments. This is the feature that refers to the coming of Christ - the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament - "God’s grace and His faithfulness".

History of Christianity

This course represents a two-thousand-year journey in the richness of Christian history, with particular focus on the MENA region. The course is structured according to theme and chronology of events, to explore major Christian historical periods, critical events, important ideas, key features, persons of influence, ramifications, internal differences and external challenges.
This course aims to teach students about the major periods in the history of Christianity. It will provide them with an objective understanding of the Christian heritage with the goal of turning them into virtuous scholars of the past, educated servants in the present, and influential leaders in the future. History is a school for the virtuous and the wise, where we find stories of ancient Christians, reasons for current practices and beliefs of Christianity, and lessons for the Church of the future.

Home Groups

The course presents the small home groups as an effective way for the Christian Church to fulfill its role and call. It includes the biblical and theological foundations of this style and how to manage it effectively, its role in the growth of the believers, in meeting their needs and activating their talents and potential, so they become active actors in the service of the Lord and achieve their goals in the society in which they live. These lessons aim at learning how to use small groups effectively as a tool to build the Church of Christ in the Arab region. The main goal is to clarify their biblical foundation and their historical use by the Church. The course also aims at clarifying how to use this tool in an effective way to build the life of the believer, to strengthen his/her work, support the Christian fellowship in a profound but practical way, and activate the energies of the believers and their potential to build the church and spread the message of Christ so as to accomplish the role of the body of Christ in the world.

The Christian Stewardship

This course aims to provide the students with theological, linguistic, biblical and historical concepts to deal with Christian stewardship, highlighting matters and issues of life relating to behaviors and features of the good steward. This course underlines the importance of stewardship as taught by the Bible in its two covenants, determines its place in the life of the believer and the church, and refers to the responsibility that lies upon them. It also includes practical and pastoral applications that help the believer to have a deeper understanding of today’s concept for Christian stewardship.
These lessons have been developed to help the faithful servant of Christ realize the importance of living as a good steward, first towards the responsibility that God has given to the individual, then as a worker in the field of the Church and other life stations. In its two covenants, the Bible considers man as the one that God has entrusted with His creation, expecting him to become a faithful partner in the fulfillment of His will in the world.

Mission

In this course there are four sections, or four angles or perspectives, as per the title of the course. The first deals with the biblical view of God's ultimate goal: delivering the message of the Gospel to every nation, tribe, people and tongue. The second is the historical view, which shows how God completed His ultimate goal (despite the many times when believers deceived Him), and how He will complete this ultimate goal with or without us, though He calls us to join in His mission. This part is followed by a cultural outlook. In this section, the course gives the effect of cultural differences on the ultimate goal of God, and how we can deal with these cultural differences to help us achieve effectively the ultimate goal of God. Finally, we move onto the strategic view, which explains our role and God’s role, and how we carry out our God-given roles to effectively achieve God's ultimate goal towards the whole world. Therefore, the main purpose of this course is to provide awareness to students and their churches regarding their key role and how they can participate with God in the implementation of the Great Commission – achieving it according to His heart and will.

The Life of Spiritual Discipline

This course introduces the need for discipline in the life of the Christ-follower so that he/she can live a full and victorious Christ-like life. It includes clarifying the situation that mankind has to face as a result of sin, the need for change and how this can happen in life, how important it is to practice spiritual exercises such as study, meditation, prayer, fasting, retreat, silence, practical ministry, fellowship, confession, faith, obedience, and effective evangelism. The purpose of these lessons is to help the student understand how his/her life can grow and gradually change to become Christ-like. He/she can see how important it is to dedicate themselves to practicing the spiritual exercises on a regular basis so that he or she can receive God's life-changing powers.

Christian and Social Ethics

This course seeks to provide students with theological lenses to address life-related issues. It refers specifically to moral evidence in the history of salvation, in the kingdom of God, in redeeming love, justice, and strong methodology.

Effective Christian Leadership

The purpose of these units is to provide leadership from a Christian point of view according to the teaching of the Bible and as lived and taught by the Lord Jesus in His leadership and ministry, while rejecting the world's concepts of domination and monopole of influence and power. We will present the characteristics of the Christian leadership according to the biblical concepts. This course introduces the concept of leadership at the image of an aircraft, where the importance of the wings is equal when it comes to maintaining balance and continuity of flight in the air and transporting passengers safely. The first wing focuses on the spiritual inner world, the center of divine call, values and goals. While the second wing focuses on skills, or what is called the outside world. What distinguishes effective Christian leadership is that the success of the outside world depends on the success of the inner world first. In other words internal success precedes external success.

The Holy Spirit in Christian Life

This course deals with basic concepts related to the Holy Spirit, recognized by the Church as the guidance of the Holy Revelation. It also presents the historical Church doctrine for the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and addresses controversial topics in some Christian circles, such as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the baptism by the Spirit, and fulfillment with the Holy Spirit. This whole course is dedicated to transmit the principle taught by Christ that the Comforter was given to the disciples to remind them of all that He had taught them. The Spirit glorifies Christ by His descending into the believer and His guidance to the Church. Since Christians all over the world have lived a rich experience when renewing their concepts of the Holy Spirit, this course not only encourages the student to deepen his/her concept of the spirit, but also enriches the experiential, emotional and practical aspects of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

Church as a Reconciling Community

The purpose of this course is to provide effective tools for the Church to interact with the various cases of conflict that it faces at home and abroad, and help it activate its critical role in conflict resolution and peacemaking, thus reflecting the best image of God’s Kingdom in local communities. The lessons here aim to help the believer and servant in Christ understand the responsibility of being a peacemaker and spread the culture of peace in his/her environment. To this end, students will be challenged to reflect on the effects of the main biblical principles in all aspects of daily life.

The Life and Teachings of Jesus

This course aims to study the life of Jesus Christ, including His words and deeds, in order to provide students with the necessary knowledge about both the divine nature and the human nature of Christ in the context of what Christ said about himself and what the Bible said about him. Whoever studies the life of Christ through these lessons will be able to find practical applications for their daily lives. We will focus on the life and person of Jesus who is the center and source of Christian life. We will also show the uniqueness of his person, his words, miracles and life. These lessons help those willing to accept the redemptive work of Christ, and behave in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Preparing for Persecution

The reality of persecution for many Christians in the world today, including those in the Middle East and North Africa, raises many challenges and critical theological questions. Preparing for persecution is vital to the \ spiritual well-being of the followers of Christ in the region. This course aims to provide students with the ability to understand the complexity of the challenges that Christians face in today's world, in order to be able to serve more effectively in an environment where they face persecution, and to provide them with theological and practical tools that they can affectively use in their ministry.