Weekly outline

    GREETINGS
    GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE
    COURSE FORUMS
    Study weeks:
    INTRODUCTION
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    11
    12
    FINAL

  • A206 Approaches to Islam: Theological and Practical

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    Dear Students! Welcome to the Course «Approaches to Islam: Theological and Practical". We invite you to join us in a great adventure of exploring in-depth some of the fundamental issues of Islam. We hope and pray you will have a wonderful experience studying with us and complete this course successfully!

    The very first thing we expect you to do is to follow our weekly schedule. We strongly encourage you to complete your lessons within the suggested time frame, which will require maintaining the pace outlined in your course materials. It is recommended that you take a genuine effort in regular forum participation. This allows an opportunity to learn from other students and enrich their learning experience by your views, ideas and discoveries, as you navigate through the course together.

    Before you get started, please, review the Course Description and the Course Schedule.

    Updates on your group activities, further instructions and other relevant information will be available at “Announcements” forum page.

    If you have any questions or messages to the course tutor, please, do this on  “Ask a question” forum page. While the tutor will provide you with support during the course, you should be aware of the self-discipline required for the successful study.

    You are welcome to submit your prayer requests to «Prayer Room» forum page.

    • GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE 

      Before you get to the lessons, it is paramount that you review the course description and the timetable. They provide important information about the topics and readings, the required assignments and their purpose, etc.

    • FORUMS

    • Introduction

      It often happens that Christians and Muslims are afraid to talk with each other about their faith. David Shenk shares his life motto from 1 Peter 3:15 to emphasize four guiding principles which will help us look at the issues of this course. David W. Shenk tells us about his personal journey with Muslims. He believed that God was calling him to the world missions, but it didn't occur to him that he would work with Muslims. You will learn about his ministry in Somalia and Kenya and  enjoy his inspirational stories.

      Right at the beginning of this course you are going to have a quiz just to see what you know about Islam. There are 10 brief questions and you need to decide if the answers are true or false. You should stop your video, take the quiz and then listen to the correct answers.

    • Early Theological Formation in the Arabian Background

      This week  you are going to look at the early theological formation of Islam in the Arabian background and start with the Christian context and the dynamic interaction of Christian communities and the emerging Muslim community. Then you will look at the second dimension of the Arabian context in which Ummah was developing, namely the Jewish context, and then the Jahiliyya and the hanif contexts. The Muslim Ummah demonstrates a lively interaction with Christian, Jewish, the hanif and the Jahiliyya streams within the culture of the 7th century.

      Restricted Not available unless:

    •  This week David Shenk gives a brief historical sketch about Muhammad's life, his receiving the revelation from Gabriel, migrating to Medina and establishing the Muslim community with the mechanisms of military and political power. Just because this Muslim community traces its origin to Abraham, the teacher reads from the Bible the story about God calling Abraham to leave the land of polytheism. You will also learn about three Abrahamic movements, including Islam. Islam is the instruction on what you should do and believe and Qur'an is the final clarification of that instruction. And the Muslim Ummah is the community that is committed to embracing the Qur'an.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 1
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 1 is marked complete

    •  To introduce the topic of Muslim theology and praxis David Shenk begins with the first chapter of Qur'an where you can find the first prayer of the day. The teacher reads that prayer to the students and ask them if it's OK for a Christian to pray that prayer. You will learn about the way Muslims pray and ask God to show them the straight way. In this lecture David Shenk talks about the House of Islam and helps us to explore the five pillars of Muslim theology (Iman) and learn about the worldview in which these pillars reside.

      As we think of presenting the Gospel among any people we need to keep in mind what their worldview is. You will  also explore five pillars of duty and learn how  Muslims try to accomplish their mission to the whole world.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 2
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 2 is marked complete

    • This week David Shenk will move into a different direction and talk about Adam and Eve. The first three chapters of Genesis are extremely important to understand the Christian worldview. These chapters are very pertanent in understanding who we are as human beings. The islamic understanding of the first family of Adam and Eve is also important for their theology and mission. You will discover convergence and divergence within the Biblical account and Islamic understanding.

      In this lecture you're going to look at Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. Christians, Muslims and Jews believe that Abraham is the father of faith and are very impressed by the call of God to Abraham recorded in Genesis 12. All of them believe that they are spiritual progeny of that call to Abraham. David Shenk invites you to explore that idea.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 3
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 3 is marked complete

    • Muhammad and Jesus 

      Muslims and Christians are so close in many ways. But often when we find a convergence, within that convergence we find a divergence. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the seal of the prophets and Jesus is just one of the prophets. We both believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but for a Muslim it means that he had a limited mission for a limited period of time. In this lecture David Shenk talks about Muhammad's role in Islam and also about Jesus. The Messiah is a mystery for Muslims, even the name of Jesus in the Qur'an has no meaning.You will also look at the role of Muhammad in the Muslim movement. Muhammad is the model which reveals true submission to the Qur'an. A question that we need to ask is "What do we think of Muhammad and the Qur'an?" David Shenk explains the reasons for asking that question and the way we should answer it.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 4
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 4 is marked complete

    • The Qur'an and the Bible 

      Within the Muslim understanding revelation comes down and so it transcends history. After reading the Bible a muslim might say that it is corrupted because it has historical narratives.  David Shenk shows how different our understanding in regard to the nature of revelation is. You will also learn what the Qur'an has to say about the Bible. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the first one to memorize the revelations received from Gabriel. And the Angel brought it down in Arabic so that the Arab people might understand but it can't be translated. David Shenk explores the Quran to understand why Muslims think that the Bible is corrupted and interprets what the Qur'an says.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 5
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 5 is marked complete

    • Tanzil and Incarnation 

      Muslims believe that the final Word of God has come down as  the Qur'an. Within the Christian movement the eternal Word has become human. In this lecture David Shenk spends some time on interpreting the idea of Living Word and what we mean when we say that Jesus is the Son of God. You will also learn why there is misunderstanding about the Trinity and what the Qur'an says about that issue.

      In the second part of the lecture David Shenk compares the Muslim understanding and the biblical revelation about Jesus.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 6
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 6 is marked complete

    • The Hijrah and the Cross

      David Shenk uses a narrative form of describing the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina to explain what it means theologically in the islamic understanding of the necessary political mechanisms to bring about the will of God on Earth. That migration is called the Hijrah. You will also learn about the theology that was forming Iranian-Muslim revolution. Then you will look at a different journey. People wanted to establish the kingdom of God in Galilee and asked Jesus to become their king, but he refused their invitation.  The kingdom of Jesus is the way to the Cross. There are many dimensions to the meaning of the cross and Jesus crucified and risen.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 7
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 7 is marked complete

    • Medina and Jerusalem 

      Tawhid and Trinity

      For the first time in history a prophet of God brought together prophetic ministry and political power and put in place a political religious system  that potentially could extend to the whole world. That is why the Hijra is so extremely significant theologically, politically and practically.

      Christians look at Jerusalem experience and it is different from what happened in Medina. Jesus marches into Jerusalem with the army of singing children. Jesus initiated a new movement in which the people of God become the place where God dwells. Christ creates a new community, which begins bereft of any political or economic power.

      David Shenk also explains what it means for Christians when they attempt to share  their witness concerning the Trinity and the diversity within the church and the relationship between the church and the state.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 8
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 8 is marked complete

    • The Hajj and the Eucharist  

      Shari'a is Muslim Law

      This week David Shenk looks at some significant dimentions of the pilgrimage and then he compares it with Christian Eucharist.  You will also  learn about the formation of Shari'a, the system of Muslim law.  After the law system was developed the Sunni Muslims concluded that the doors of ijtihad were closed. David Shenk explains the doctrine of bid'ah which means that there can be no change or innovation. You will learn about the significance of this theology and the problems modern Muslims have with it. The teacher also talks about the law of Christ which is love and about conversion which doesn't expect the change of culture.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 9
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 9 is marked complete

    • The Shi'a or Shi'ite Muslims

      Sufi Mystics

      Folk and Secularist Islam

      David Shenk talks about different leaders of the community and how the struggle between different camps led to civil war.

      You will also learn  about the Sufi, who want to experience God and to know and meet Him, and about folk Muslims, who can be interested in spirit veneration and magic. David Shenk talks about the phenomena of marabout in West Africa. You will hear interesting stories about dealing with demons. The teacher says that in Jesus we have the authority over demons and this became one of the reasons people began to follow Jesus in some countries. There is a difference in a Muslim way of negotiating with demons and the Christian way of dealing with demons.

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 10
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 10 is marked complete

    • Principles for Ministry Among Muslims

      This week you will learn some principles for ministry among Muslims and discover characteristics which are important for a church that wants to engage in this ministry.

      David Shenk will also explain  the message to the church in Philadelphia from the third chapter of Revelation. He will answer the question: What can open the door for Christians to minister among the Muslims?

      Restricted Not available unless:
      • You achieve a required score in Weekly Quiz 11
      • The activity Answer if you watched and read all for the week 11 is marked complete

    • заключительная неделя

      This week is the deadline for submitting your literature review and the written assignment. These are the prerequisites to obtain the permission to take the FINAL TEST.

      Keep up the good work: "The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name."

      • Step 1. Final Paper

        Please, submit your final paper (1500 words)  on the theme: The Gospel is good news for Muslims.  This essay will explore the yearnings within Muslim faith and practice and suggest ways that Jesus Christ of the New Testament is a fulfillment of their quest.  

      • Step 2. Final Exam

        Please, take the final exam for this course. 

      • Step 3. Reading Report

        Please, submit your reading report. 

      • Step 4. Course Evaluation

        It is very important to know your opinion about this course . Please fill in the feedback form Evaluation of Online Course, which you will find below.

        If you have something to say about how this course helped you in your ministry, in your spiritual development, we will be glad to hear it. If you want to say something to the teacher, you can send any comments and suggestions to our email address : tvs.student@gmail.com 

        THANK YOU!