Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion you should be able to:

• Describe the challenge religious plurality presents to the Church

• Explain the terms “missionary encounter,” “missionary approach,” and “subversive fulfillment”

• Communicate how the gospel permeates all aspects of life

• Describe the importance of having a theology of religions

• Discuss the beliefs and practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam

• Identify the “orienting core” of these religions and describe how the gospel fulfills it

• Articulate the mission of the Church and explain how Christians provide a witness by their lives and actions

Course Outline

Unit 1: Religious Plurality: An Urgent Issue

• The Fact of Religious Plurality

• Finding Charts That Represent World Religions

• Religious Pluralism

• Unit 1 Quiz

Unit 2: Proper Approach to Studying World Religions

• Missionary Encounter

• The Comprehensive Scope of the Gospel

• Creating Notes from the Resource Christ and Creation

• Religion as a Comprehensive Vision and Way of Life

• Comprehensive Religion: Testimony from the Third World

• Two Approaches that Undermine Missionary Encounter

• Western Humanist Faith

• Christian Pluralism

• Critiques of Pluralism

• The Need for a Theology of Religions

• Creating a Collection of World Religions Resources

• Unit 2 Quiz

Unit 3: The Truth of the Gospel

• Public Truth and Comprehensive Scope

• The Finality of Christ

• Exclusivism and Inclusivism

• Salvation of Those Who Have Never Heard

• Strong and Weak Inclusivism

• Questions about Inclusivism

• Unit 3 Quiz

Unit 4: God’s Revelation in Creation

• Revelation beyond Scripture

• Adding Resources on General Revelation to a Bibliography

• The Locus Classicus: Romans 1:18–32

• Performing an Exegetical Study of Romans 1:18–32

• Beneficial Effect of God’s Revelation in Creation

• Unit 4 Quiz

Unit 5: Theology of Religions

• Origin and Nature of Religion

• Religious Consciousness and Empirical Religions

• God’s Revelation and Humanity’s Sinful Response

• Content of Religious Consciousness

• The Rise of Empirical Religions

• Orienting Core and Various Components of World Religions

• The Orienting Core of Religions

• Using The Apologetics Study Bible to Study World Religions

• Unit 5 Quiz

Unit 6: A Missionary Approach

• Introducing a Missionary Approach

• Insider, Sympathetic Approach

• Outsider, Critical Approach

• Continuity and Discontinuity

• Subversive Fulfillment

• Subversive Fulfillment in the Bible

• Unit 6 Quiz

• Midterm Exam

Unit 7: Hinduism

• Introduction to Hinduism

• Using the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics

• Vedic Period: Vedas

• Vedic Period: Upanishads

• Period of Classical Hinduism

• Hinduism through the Ages

• Four Goals for Life

• Atman, Brahman, and Moksha

• What Does It Mean to Be Human?

• What Kind of World Do We Live In?

• Four Paths to Moksha

• Supreme Being: Transpersonal or Personal?

• Religious Pluralism

• Christian Outsider Analysis of Hinduism

• Unit 7 Quiz

Unit 8: Buddhism

• Buddha’s Quest

• The Four Noble Truths

• The Eightfold Path

• Basic Beliefs

• Three Rafts

• Amida and Zen Buddhism

• Vajrayana Buddhism

• Christian Outsider Analysis of Buddhism

• Unit 8 Quiz

Unit 9: Islam

• Introduction to Islam

• Saving Links to Websites in Logos

• Muhammad: The Seal of the Prophets

• Times of Muhammad

• Muhammad: Preparation for Public Ministry

• The Night of Power

• Helpful Resources for Studying World Religions

• Hijra and Political Power

• Ummah and Its Mission

• Unit 9a Quiz

• Pillars of Belief

• Pillars of Religious Duty

• The Qur’an

• Who Is Allah?

• Historical Developments of Islam

• Using Timelines to Establish Historical Context

• Sunni, Shi’ite, and Sufi Sects

• Islam in the 20th Century

• Christian Outsider Analysis of Islam

• Unit 9b Quiz

Unit 10: The Mission of the Church

• Missional Dimension and Missional Intention

• Review of Important Concepts

• Christian Witness in Plural Society

• Point of Contact: Attitude and Disposition

• Point of Contact: Fulfilling Religious Longings

• Point of Contact: Subversion

• Point of Contact: Universal Human Issues

• Fear of Dialogue

• Dialogue Based on Confessional Commitment

• The Importance of Dialogue

• Words, Lives, and Deeds

• Unit 10 Quiz

• Final Exam

Details

• Title: TH191 Missional Approach to World Religions

• Instructor: Michael W. Goheen

• Publisher: Lexham Press

• Publication Date: 2014

• Product Type: Logos Mobile Education

• Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts, audio, and video resources

• Courses: 1

• Video Hours: 8