Covenant Theological Seminary

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Edinburgh

1-5 July, 2019

Edinburgh Summer School

Cambridge Summer School is now Edinburgh Summer School.

Covenant Theological Seminary is again partnering the Chalmers Institute in St. Andrews to deliver a week-long Summer School combining the best theological resources with application to the Church’s discipleship and mission. The curriculum is now even more affordable and will offer a unique opportunity to learn in the beautiful location of Edinburgh, Scotland.

This opportunity comes with the Summer School distinctive: learning in fellowship with instructors who embody what they teach and students who walk away transformed, serving Christ more faithfully wherever He has called them to be. Dr. Jack Collins will offer the Theology/biblical studies track on Psalms & Wisdom Literature. Professor Jerram Barrs and Dr. Mark Stirling will lead the apologetics track, Engaging Contemporary Challenges to Christianity.

The result: students will gain a deeper understanding of who God is, how to understand the Bible, what he has called us to do as his people, and how to engage our neighbors with his life-giving message.

Choose your track

Students may choose one of two courses this summer: one in Theology/Biblical Studies and the other in Christian Apologetics.

Course #1: Theology/Biblical Studies Track

Psalms and Wisdom Literature

This class available for credit!

In this class we aim to get a grasp of how the Psalms and Wisdom Books of the Old Testament—Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs—serve to shape the people of God. More specifically, in this MA version of the class, we hope to explore such questions as:

  • How do these books function as Scripture?
  • How do these books address us in our brokenness?
  • How do these books offer God’s hope to his human creatures?
  • How do these books help to shape our hearts and form our discipleship?
  • What are some wise ways to use these books in our ministries?

 

Instructor: Dr. Jack Collins

Before coming to Covenant Seminary in 1993, Dr. Collins served as a church planter in Spokane, Washington. His background also includes advanced studies in linguistics and biblical languages, and practical experience in Bible study and discipleship ministry. He has written extensively on biblical languages and interpretation, and on science and the Christian faith.

Dr. Collins has received grants from the John Templeton Foundation and from the Center for Science and Culture for his work in science and faith. He is the author of Did Adam and Even Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care; The God of Miracles: An Exegetical Examination of God’s Action in the World; Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?; and Genesis 1-4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary. Professor Collins also served as Old Testament chair on the translation committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, and Old Testament Editor for the ESV Study Bible.



Course #2: Apologetics Track

Engaging with Common Objections to the Christian Faith

The goal of this course is to help participants engage in a Christ-like way with their non-believing friends and neighbors and with their objections to Christian faith. Participant will be helped in understanding why people (both the Christian and unbeliever) raise the objections they do and how we may better respond to these questions. This course will first lay a foundation for thinking about what apologetics is, developing a Biblical definition of the apologetic task. Common areas of objection will then be considered in depth, e.g. ‘How can prayer be meaningful when God does not speak to me?’ ‘Why should I serve a god who wants to interfere with my personal life?’ ‘How can anyone believe a religion that insists on dictating to people on the issues of gender, sexuality, and marriage?’ ‘What about those who have never heard the Gospel?’ We will then turn our attention to one of the most frequently raised objections: the problem of evil and suffering: ‘How can you believe in a good God in a world of such evil and misery?’

 

Instructors: Professor Jerram Barrs and Dr. Mark Stirling

A student of the late Francis Schaeffer, Professor Barrs joined the Seminary faculty in 1989 after 18 years with L’Abri Fellowship in England, where he also served as a pastor in the International Presbyterian Church. Upon his return to St. Louis, Professor Barrs helped to plant a PCA church in the city and began the Francis Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Seminary.

Professor Barrs brings to his teaching a special sensitivity toward those outside the Christian faith. He talks regularly on topics related to Christianity and the Arts. His publications include The Heart of Evangelism, Learning Evangelism from Jesus, The Heart of Prayer, Delighting in the Law of the Lord: God’s Alternative to Legalism and Moralism, and Echoes of Eden: Reflections on Christianity, Literature, and the Arts.

Dr. Mark Stirling is a former medical doctor who pioneered work amongst university students with the Navigators in Edinburgh from 1998 to 2004. In 2007 he completed an MA in Exegetical Theology at Covenant Seminary in St Louis and in 2011 gained a PhD in Biblical Studies from St Andrews University, his thesis examining issues of discipleship and maturity in Ephesians. He, his wife Jenny, and their four children now live in St Andrews, Scotland, where they have been involved in planting and pastoring a new church (Cornerstone St Andrews). Mark is the director of Chalmers Institute which exists to resource and equip men and women to exercise faithful biblical leadership in the church and in society.



Edinburgh Theological Seminary

The Venue

Edinburgh Theological Seminary is superbly located, right in the heart of Edinburgh, a city frequently labeled one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is surrounded by the quirky alleyways, city courtyards and cobbled streets that make up Edinburgh’s charming Old Town; and we have Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles Cathedral and the Writers’ Museum right on our doorstep. The capital boasts the largest collection of historic buildings, museums, art galleries and theatres of any city in Scotland.

Edinburgh Castle still dominates the skyline and is probably the best known and most visited of the historic buildings which surround our College – it is just a few hundred yards away. Right in the center of the city, Princes Street Gardens are the stunning view from the Seminary’s front windows. A few minutes walk from the Seminary is Holyrood Park, named after the adjacent Holyrood House, the Queen’s residence in the capital. It boasts a tiny loch, rocky crags and even an extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat, which only takes about half an hour to climb and provides excellent views from the top. Below the crags lies the building of the Scottish Parliament. Indeed, one of the most attractive things about Edinburgh Theological Seminary is that almost everything is within walking distance.

Edinburgh also holds a rich Christian Heritage. Read an in depth history at https://www.christianheritageedinburgh.org.uk/.

The Cost

Waged – £175

Vocational ministry and trainees – £150

Students and unwaged – £125

Registration prices include the course offerings as well as all meals. (Note that costs do not include transportation and accommodation costs, and students will be responsible to book their own accommodation).

Questions?

Contact Rebecca Giles (rebecca.giles@chalmersinstitute.org) who can guide you through the registration process.

 

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Academic Credit

Want a degree?

The theology/biblical studies track is worth 3 credit hours towards either a Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, or a Master of Arts in Ministry (Educational Ministries elective or General Track elective) or the Master of Divinity. In order to receive credit for them you’ll need to follow three easy steps.

#1 Apply to Covenant Seminary

  • Click here to submit an application in order to be received as a graduate student.
  • In the “Whom can we thank?” line of the application, please write “Edinburgh Summer School”.
  • Our admissions office will be in touch quickly to walk you through the rest of the process.

#2 Register for the course

  • Contact Stuart McClure in the Admissions Office. He can walk you through your next steps.
  • You will need to sign up through our registrar’s office in addition to purchasing a ticket online.
  • There will be a regular tuition charge to take this course for academic credit.

#3 Begin your degree

  • Since you will be receiving academic credit for this course, you’ll need to complete the written assignments to receive a grade.
  • This is the first step towards receiving a full Master’s degree for your work.