An Christian Education Course for People Interested in Joining the Episcopal Church

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Trinity Episcopal Church
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
An Inquirer's Course for Those
Interested In Joining the Episcopal Church
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A Course for People Interested in Joining the Episcopal Church
By The Rev. Bill Stroop, Ph.D.
Trinity Episcopal Church
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
February - May, 2008
(This page updated 18 April 2008)

Introduction

This course of study is designed to provide persons with little or no exposure to Christianity or to the Episcopal tradition the basic knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith and the history and tradition of the Episcopal Church. This course will not be comprehensive; not every topic or issue within Christianity will be covered or discussed in depth. The course is meant to provide a basic framework about Christianity onto which future learning can be placed.

This course of study will suffice for those who wish to join the Episcopal Church, and be confirmed or received by the Bishop. The course will consist of ten one and one-half hour long class periods from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. on the Sundays shown below.

Schedule of Classes

The schedule of topics is as follows. Click on any of the topics to be routed to that class session.

On a technical note, each class session will be accompanied by visual aids (slide projections). At Trinity Episcopal Church, these will be projected from a computer using a digital projector. For the on-line sessions, the same slide shows will be linked to the individual lessons. Periodically in the text there will be a button like this one: . If you left double click on the button you will be taken to the slide show for that class session. You can look at the slide(s), and then use the "Back" button on your browser to bring you back to th appropriate page. Try it now on the slide show button above.

Class	Date	Topic	Notes
1	Feb. 10	Introduction to Christianity and the History of Early Israel	This class will begin the discussion of the person of Jesus and the development of the Christ. The history of Israel to the Second Temple period will be presented in order to begin to understand the Jewish world in which Jesus lived.
2	Feb. 17	The History of Israel to 135 C.E. and the Development of Early Christianity Including the Trinity	This class will look at the Second Temple period, the history of Israel at the time of Jesus' birth, and the end of the Jewish state in 135 C.E. Christianity as an outgrowth of Judaism will be emphasized. The development of the Trinity in the early church will also be presented.
3	Feb. 24	Challenges to Orthodox Christianity	This class will look at the development of the creeds and some of the heresies that challenged the church to define orthodox Christianity. The works of some major theologians will be examined. The fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Christian Empire will be developed. The divisiveness over the nature of Christ between the Eastern and Western Churches will be discussed with reference to the East-West Schism of 1054 C.E.
4	Mar. 16	The Middle Ages and the European Reformation	This class will look at the papacy during the middle ages, to set the stage for the abuses of the Roman Catholic church that many reformers wished to address. The reformation took different shapes in Europe and England, and this class will look in depth at the reformation in Europe. We will examine the work of Luther and the other major reformers. The slide show and the notes were both updated 15 March 2005.
5	Mar. 30	The English Reformation and the Development of the Prayer Book	We will discuss Christianity in England, beginning with a brief look at how Christianity got to England, Scotland, and Wales, and the distinctive shape that Christianity took in those places. We will discuss the theology of the English reformation and the development of the prayer book. We will discuss the 16th and 17th centuries because these are the two centuries in which the church that gave birth to the Anglican perspective, and the via media. We will follow discussion of the English reformation with the history and development of the prayer book, tracing their development and the evolution of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer used today in the United States.
6	Apr. 6	The Three Legged Stool of Anglicanism and the Development of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America	This class period is devoted to the development of the Episcopal Church in America. We will begin with a discussion of Richard Hooker, and the emphasis on reason that occupied the thinking during the enlightenment and significantly contributed to a sense of American Spirituality. We will then discuss the history of the Episcopal Church. Finally we will talk about the controversies of racial equality, the role of women, and inclusion of persons other than heterosexuals in the Episcopal Church, with reference to the historical context of the time.
7	Apr. 13	Dissection of The Prayer Book and the Hymnal (American and Others)	This class will examine the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the 1982 Hymnal in depth. All sections of both books will be discussed in class. We will also analyze the Eucharistic celebration in depth and dissect one of the Eucharistic prayers.
8	Apr. 20	What the Prayer Book and the Canons Say about Spirituality and the Sacraments	This class takes an in depth look at the two major and five minor sacraments of the church as they are described in the Book of Common Prayer, and regulated by the Canons of the Church. The meaning of "sacrament" and an exploration of the outward and visible signs and the inward graces of these actions will be developed. Finally we will look at the concept of church itself as a sacrement.
9	Apr. 27	The Church Calendar and an Introduction to Prayer	In this class period we will continue our discussion of the Prayer Book and the sacraments as we examine the church calendar. We will look at how the church calendar combines feasts celebrated on fixed dates of the solar year with movable feasts dependent on the lunar cycle. We will explore the principle and lesser feasts of the church year and look at the seasons of the church year. We will look at how colors and liturgical vestments are used to mark specific services and observances. Finally we will end with a general introduction to prayer, looking specifically at tpes of corporate and private prayer.
10	May 4	Anglican Polity and Politics	This class discusses the world wide Anglican communion and the position of the Episcopal Church within it. This class will focus on pages 298-314 of the Book of Common Prayer.

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