Mobile Ed: TH191 Missional Approach to World Religions (8 hour course)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
In this course, Dr. Michael Goheen provides a framework for understanding and analyzing world religions. He discusses the theology of religions and gives an overview of three major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Goheen examines the heart or core behind the beliefs and practices of these religions and discusses how Christians might begin to dialogue with people of these faiths.
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
Product 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
About Michael W. Goheen
Dr. Michael W. Goheen, professor of missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary, served as the Geneva Chair of Worldview Studies at Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, and teaching fellow in mission studies at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He has taught worldview, biblical theology, mission, and world Christianity at Redeemer University College and Dordt College. He began his professional life as a church planter and pastor in the Toronto area. He is also recognized as a leading scholar on the thought of Lesslie Newbigin.
Dr. Goheen has authored several books, including A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church in the Biblical Story (Baker, 2010) and As the Father Has Sent Me, I am Sending You: J.E. Lesslie Newbigin’s Missionary Ecclesiology (Zoetermeer, 2000). He also coauthored the best-selling The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Baker, 2004), Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview (Baker, 2008), and The True Story of the Whole World: Finding Your Place in the Biblical Drama (Faith Alive, 2009). He has also coedited two volumes on globalization and the gospel, and on the unity of the church.
Dr. Goheen lives in the Vancouver area where he is minister of preaching at New West Christian Reformed Church. He’s been married to his wife, Marnie, for over 30 years and has four married children and four grandchildren.
Getting the most out of Mobile Ed
Logos Mobile Education is a highly effective cross-platform learning environment that integrates world class teaching with the powerful study tools and theological libraries available in Logos Bible Software. Every course provides links to additional resources and suggested readings that supplement the lecture material at the end of every transcript segment.
This course was produced with screencast videos. These videos provide tutorials showing you how to use Logos Bible Software in ways that are tied directly into the content of the course. We are now producing Activities resources as a replacement for screencast videos. We plan on updating this course to include this additional Activities resource in the future for no extra charge.
Reviews
1 rating
Timothy A. Hawks
2/25/2021
This course became a primary resource for a sermon series I taught on Major World Religions. Dr. Goheen shares deep insight into these major religions in a manner that prepared our congregation to dialogue with friends, neighbors and co-workers who embrace them. If you minister in a diverse context, this course is a great tool.
