Course Catalog

PMI471E Preaching Difficult Texts (3 credits) 9303

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course addresses the issue and difficulties of preaching problem Biblical texts. Because of their difficulty, these texts are often overlooked by preachers who seek easier ground from which to cultivate their Sunday morning sermon. This course shall provide the preacher with the tools necessary for preaching these difficult texts. It shall also instill confidence in the preacher to tackle these problem areas of the Scriptures with the intended results that they shall preach from them rather than ignore them.

LEARNING RESULTS
At the completion of this course, the learner will be able to use the definition provided to identify difficult texts in both the New and Old Testaments. The learner will also be able to use a methodology to prepare and preach sermons from difficult texts, which are relevant to a modern American audience.
The learner will be able to:
• Write out the five-part definition of a difficult text provided in this class.
• Write out why a text is or is not difficult according to the definition provided in this class.
• Use the ladder of abstraction provided in this course.
• Determine both the exegetical and homiletical ideas for difficult texts covered in this course.
• Write, preach, and evaluate one sermon from a difficult text.

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS
No texts are required for this course. This course requires extensive library research.

INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND LEARNING
Faith and learning are naturally integrated in this course dealing with preaching. After all, you cannot preach effectively what you do not believe! As the learner works through this course on preaching difficult texts, they will be considering their own faith.

LEARNING DOCUMENTATION
To determine if the course learning results have been attained, students document their learning by submitting the following items:
• All assigned papers.
• Final project with all documentation.
• Sermon outlines and manuscripts.

There are 12 lessons and 0 examinations for this course.

LEARNING EVALUATION
Assignment #1 Required Reading 10
Assignment #2 Importance of Difficult Texts 10
Assignment #3 What is a Difficult Text? 10
Assignment #4 A Difficult Text Offends our Moral Sensibilities 10
Assignment #5 A Difficult Text Offends our Sense of Science 10
Assignment #6 A Difficult Text offends our American Sense of Justice 10
Assignment #7 The Main Idea of the Difficult Text is Not Clearly Stated 10
Assignment #8 The Application of a Difficult Text is Difficult to Determine 10
Assignment #9 Is the Text Difficult? 10
Assignment #10 Applying the Text and Writing the Sermon 10
Assignment #11 Determining the Homiletical Idea 10
Assignment #12 Final Project: Preaching a Difficult Text 50
Total Points 160