Announcement

WINTER/SPRING 2023

The UBF HQ Online School Program is designed to support and equip UBF leaders and local UBF ministries. This is a concise biblical program that relates to UBF ministry. For winter/spring 2023, we are offering three courses: Communication in Marriage; Biblical Hermeneutics and NT Interpretation; Christian Apologetics: Defending Faith Winsomely in an Age of Relativism.

*Course Instructor/facilitator: P. Mark Vucekovich (Chicago UBF Senior Pastor)

The Bible tells us that the marriage relationship is essential to healthy Christian households, and more broadly, to a healthy church body (Eph 5:21–32). If our marriages are not healthy, our church and ministry won’t be healthy either. So how can we as Christians have healthy marriage relationships? Most would agree that communication is crucial. Only through quality communication can a marriage relationship deepen and grow. But often, we’re not even aware of how we are communicating (or not communicating)--both in life, and in our marriages. So, how can we improve how we communicate in our marriages?

In this course, we want to look at what the Bible says about healthy ways of communicating and find how we can incorporate these Biblical principles into our marriage relationships. Using Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, Now You’re Speaking My Language (2014), we want to explore all areas in our marriages in which we need to improve communication. The classes will consist of a brief Bible study at the beginning, followed by a discussion of the reading assignment, and finishing with a Q & A session.

The course will begin on Saturday morning, January 28, 2023 (specific time TBD). We will meet for about 1.5 hours every other week, for six sessions, skipping Easter weekend and ending on April 15.

This course is open to currently engaged or married couples, and it is strongly advised that both husband and wife participate. If you are interested in this course (Communication in Marriage), please contact us at ubfonlineschool@gmail.com by Jan 23, 2023.

*Course Instructor:  Dr. Ezra Cho (PhD, New Testament of Asbury Seminary)

A Class in which participants explore through readings, practice, and critical discussion the biblical hermeneutics and the range of methods employed in contemporary New Testament study. In this class, representative books of each genre of the New Testament will be interpreted using the biblical hermeneutical method.

Having successfully completed this course, participants should be able:

• To understand the biblical hermeneutics and the major approaches to NT study
• To apply the critical methods employed in NT study today
• To determine what methods and what ways of interpretations are appropriate to particular problems or questions in NT Interpretation
• To be able to interpret each genre of the NT through proper methods of interpretation and with hermeneutical perspectives.

(Course Schedule)
Module I: General Introduction of Biblical Hermeneutics & NT Interpretation
Module II: Studies and Research of Strength & Weakness of the various Methodological    Approaches comprising NT Interpretation
Module III: Interpretation and Comparative Studies for Synoptic gospels and John’s Gospel
Module IV: Practice and Interpretation of Pauline Epistles (Romans/The Rhetorical Approach)
Module V: Practice and Interpretation of General Epistles (Hebrews)
Module VI: Practice and Interpretation of Apocalypse (Revelation/The Rhetorical Approach)
Module VII: General Discussion and practice of Interpretation (Acts)

(Required Books)
Gorman, Michael. Elements of Biblical Exegesis. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009.
Fee, Gordon. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Cho, JK Ezra. The Rhetorical Approach to 1 Thessalonians: In Light of Ancient Funeral Oration. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2020.

The course will begin on Tuesday, Feb 14, 2023 (time: 7pm CT). We will meet for about 1.5 hours every other week, for six sessions. If you are interested in this course, please contact us at ubfonlineschool@gmail.com by Feb 7, 2023.

*Course Instructors/Facilitators: Augustine Suh, PhD (Systematic Theology); Ben West, MDiv

Apologetics, the defense of the Christian faith, is a crucial competency for ministers of the gospel in our culture today. Apologetics equips God’s servants both to answer the objections of unbelievers and to strengthen the faith of young believers so that they can resist challenges from unbelieving culture, friends, and professors. Overcome your fear of facing difficult questions as you learn how to defend and support the Christian faith through considering questions such as: How can just one religion be true? How can a good God allow suffering? Hasn’t science disproved the Bible? Can we really trust such an old book? Why should I believe Christianity out of so many religions? How can God send good people to hell? Drawing from the wisdom of Tim Keller, Greg Koukl, and other resources, we will learn the content and strategy for mounting an effective and winsome defense of faith.

This course will equip students to

• understand the nature and role of apologetics in evangelistic dialogue
• identify and respond to objections of unbelievers
• articulate a thoughtful case for Christianity
• winsomely point others to the gospel of Jesus as our greatest need

The course will begin on Thursday, Feb 16, 2023 (time: 7pm CT). We will meet for about 1.5 hours every other week, for six sessions. The course will consist of presentations, followed by a discussion of the reading assignment and Q & A. If you are interested in this course, please contact us at ubfonlineschool@gmail.com by Feb 7, 2023.

File attachment:

• HQ Online School Winter_Spirng 2023.pdf
• HQ Online School Winter_Spirng 2023.docx