Pauline Epistles II With Joel Guido
Paul’s letters played a significant role in shaping the theology and practices of Christianity. This class is a survey of the letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. We will look at background and history and study the underlying themes in these four epistles. (A detailed introduction to the New Testament is given in our “Synoptic Gospels” course.) Ten themes, some of which overlap into more than one letter, will be examined.
Course Details
INSTRUCTOR: Joel Guido
Joel grew up as the son of missionaries in Cuenca, Ecuador, which played a significant role in shaping his worldview and passion for serving others. As a missionary himself since 2015, Joel has dedicated several years to serving the community in Ecuador. As an elder in the local church, he is responsible for overseeing various aspects of the church’s ministry, and more importantly, for shepherding the souls of the local church body. He currently supervises youth and high school home groups, Sunday school, and the multimedia team, and helps to run the day-to-day operations of the church.
Joel is a nurse by vocation and is driven by a desire to provide healthcare to those in need, especially in a missionary context. Additionally, the recent process of pursuing his master’s degree in religion with a focus on church administration has deepened his understanding of theological principles and enhanced his leadership skills within the church community.
Finally, Joel’s wife and three daughters are an essential part of his life and ministry. Overall, Joel’s unique combination of experiences, including his background as a missionary kid, nursing vocation, and theological education, makes him a compassionate and well-rounded leader in his church community, dedicated to glorifying God and leading others toward Him.
OBJECTIVES:
- Our goal will be to understand more deeply the message God wants us to understand in context through these epistles.
- Read through each book at least once. A plan for reading each book twenty-two times (six chapters a day) during the course period will be available in the Study Guide.
- To be able to map out an outline of an epistle, as well as identity and trace its major themes.
COURSE FORMAT
This directed study format enables you to receive college level instruction while studying at home. (Note, AIM Institute does not offer accredited college credits.) Course elements include:
- Weekly video assignments
- Required textbook reading assignments.
- Contact time with the instructor and classmates by means of a weekly Zoom debrief classroom.
- Study questions are for your personal benefit as well as preparation for the weekly debrief.
- Course will be graded as pass or fail. Bear in mind your weekly preparation will have a direct bearing on how much you gain from the course.
