Do yourself a favor, and watch this today:

Hi friends,

There are moments when I feel guilty for the opportunity God has granted me to study with the scholars at Oklahoma Christian University. It really has been a wonderful experience.

I realize not everyone has the time to do what I've done, but fortunately that doesn't stop us from having access to world-class scholars teaching in a seminary setting. There are a number of online resources I could share with you, but to keep things simple, I'd like to share just one:

http://www.biblicaltraining.org/allclasses

If you will take a moment to look at all the free video classes available at this website, I'm sure you will find something to interest you. If, like me, you are a bit overwhelmed when you first see all the classes you can freely view, consider starting with this one--a New Testament Introduction--with world-renowned NT scholar, Dr. Ben Witherington III:

http://www.biblicaltraining.org/new-testament-introduction/ben-witherington

Perhaps you might commit to viewing an entire class every 1-2 months? Imagine the growth in knowledge in the church over the next year!

I hope you might benefit from these resources.

Blessings to you,

Matt Dowling

On Friday, April 20th at 7:00 PM Dr. Charles Rix, Professor of Old Testament in the College of Biblical Studies at Oklahoma Christian University (and occassional teacher at Alameda) will be giving a piano recital to benefit the Center for Global Missions at Oklahoma Christian University. Admission is free. Donations will be taken for the Center for Global Missions which will assist students who go on mission trips and participate in mission internships. Please RSVP by emailing the number of seats you want to concertoc@gmail.com.

On Sunday I started a new sermon series entitled "Shocking Statements of Jesus."  In the series, we will be looking at some of the things Jesus said in his "Sermon on the Mount" that turns conventional wisdom on its head and raises the bar of ethical expectation for his disciples.  We began the series with Jesus' statement from Matthew 6:25-34: "Do not worry."  What's shocking about that statement is that Jesus really means it!  He really does believe that we can live lives that are centered and at peace, as opposed to anxiously reacting to any and every little thing or being paralyzed by worry.

The speech by Jesus that is recorded in Matthew 6 is also recorded in Luke 12.  Luke's accounting of Jesus' sermon gives us some clues as to how we can overcome worry and anxiety. Here's the outline that I shared on Sunday about the causes of anxiety and the remedies to our anxiety:

Causes of Anxiety/Remedy

Fear (Mt. 6:25-34)/Trust God

Hypocrisy (Lk. 12:1-3)/Authenticity

Insecurity (Lk. 12:4-7)/Identity

Denying Christ (Lk. 12:8-12)/Confessing Christ

Coveting (Lk. 12:13-21)/Prioritization

Getting (Lk. 12:22-34)/Giving

You can listen to or watch this entire sermon by following the sermon links on our website.

Theology is a widely used term. It is therefore necessary to identify more closely the sense in which we are using it in this blog series. In the broadest sense the word encompasses all subjects treated in a theological or divinity school. In this sense, it includes such diverse subjects as Old Testament, New Testament, church history, missions, systematic theology, philosophy of religion, preaching, Christian education, pastoral ministry and leadership, and counseling. A narrower sense of the word refers to those endeavors that treat the specifically doctrinal character of the Christian faith. Here are found such disciplines as biblical theology, historical theology, systematic theology, and philosophical theology. This is theology as contrasted with the history of the church as an institution, the interpretation of the biblical text, or the theory and practice of ministry. Within this collection of theological subjects (biblical theology, historical theology, etc.), we may isolate systematic theology in particular. It is in this sense that the word theology will hereafter be used in this blog series (unless there is specific indication to the contrary). Finally, within systematic theology, there are various doctrines, such as bibliology, anthropology, Christology, and theology proper (or the doctrine of God). So how does all this related together? Sometimes a map can be very helpful. The following figure may be helpful in visualizing these relationships.

Theology in a Christian context is a discipline of study that seeks to understand the God revealed in the Bible and to provide a Christian understanding of reality. It seeks to understand God’s creation, particularly human beings and their condition, and God’s redemptive work in relation to humankind. Biblical, historical, and philosophical theology provide insights and understandings that help lead toward a coherent whole. Theology has practical value in providing guidance for the Christian life and ministry.

A good preliminary or basic definition of theology is “the study or science of God.” The God of Christianity is an active being, however, and so this initial definition must be expanded to include God’s works and his relationship with them. Thus theology will also seek to understand God’s creation, particularly human beings and their condition, and God’s redemptive working in relation to humankind.

Yet more needs to be said to indicate what this science does. So let's propose a more complete definition of theology: that discipline which strives to give a coherent statement of the doctrines of the Christian faith, based primarily on the Scriptures, placed in the context of culture in general, worded in a contemporary idiom, and related to issues of life.

1. Theology is biblical. It takes as the primary source of its content the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This is not to say that it simply draws uncritically on surface meanings of the Scriptures. It utilizes the tools and methods of biblical research. It also employs the insights of other areas of truth, which it regards as God’s general revelation.