homework

he Grace School of Divinity is focused on the study, praxis and proclamation of Renewal Theology.

Renewal Theology is the believing reflection on the activity of God in Holy Scripture and in the history of

the Church from the point of view of the renewing work of the Holy Spirit. It operates within a

Trinitarian framework with a Christological focus, and is shaped by the normative voice of Holy

Scripture. Renewal Theology values the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, while acknowledging the role

of love as “the most excellent way” (1 Corinthians 13).

Renewal theology aims to strengthen the faith of the Christian community and emphasizes the

conviction, formalized by Augustine in the fourth century as credo ut intelligam, “I believe in order to

understand” and by Anselm in the eleventh century as fides quaereus intellectum, “faith seeking

understanding.” In our pursuit of Renewal Theology we know that we are treading on holy ground. God

is never “summoned into the presence of reason; reason is summoned before the presence of

God.” Renewal Theology is not merely free speech, but rather holy speech.

Renewal theology is rooted in the idea that the triune God alone is the source of all genuine reviving and

awakening, and thus it seeks to foster within all people an inner experience of treasuring the beauty and

worth of God in an ever-growing love for God and the Lordship of Christ over all of life. To this end, the

Bible is the primary means through which God makes his nature, beauty, and will known to humanity. As

such, the Old and New Testament are God’s self-disclosure, through the many genres of literature, like

the many colors of the rainbow. No one literary type or literary device is preeminent over all others

(e.g., propositional, metaphor, etc.). Rather, God’s renewing and reviving works are mediated through

the multi-colored spectrum that constitute the palette of literary forms. The Spirit of God carries out his

restoring and reviving work primarily through the Scriptures, by which he confronts, convicts, imparts

faith, produces repentance, and creates life-sustaining joy in the heart, so that people begin to value

and intentionally display his worth in their lives. These displays of his worth are expressed through our

natural giftedness, as well as the Spiritual gifts he grants for the purpose of building up the Church—

which is Christ’s body—and to empower us as his witnesses, with the biblical text adjudicating these

expressions; making it both the means and the standard of renewal.

MISSION AND VISION

The Grace School of Divinity exists for the glory of God by providing Biblical, theological and ministerial

education that seeks to be faithful to the Scriptures and emphasizes the renewing work of the Holy

Spirit in order to train laborers who will bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Church, the

world, and the academy. We support the mission and vision in the following ways:

1. Biblical fidelity: We are committed to excellence in theological and ministerial education that is

grounded in the authority of the Bible as the eternal, infallible and inspired Word of God.

2. Trinitarian worship: We seek to offer our labor in education and research as worship of the

Triune God and aim to declare His holiness and glory in all that we do.

3. Spiritual renewal: We are focused on the renewing presence of the Holy Spirit from creation to

the consummation, and embrace the Biblical, historical and contemporary expressions of His

renewing work.

4. Holistic formation: We understand the call to formation to be the lifelong process of being

conformed to the image of Christ by His Spirit and seek to promote holistic habits of spirit, soul

and body that promote human and ministerial flourishing.

5. Ecclesial focus: We desire to serve the Body of Christ with humility and integrity, recognizing the

central role of the Church in the eternal plan of God.

6. Missional leadership: We participate in God’s mission by providing education, training,

empowerment and equipping to all whom God calls, regardless of ethnicity or gender.

7. Prophetic relevance: It is our vision to graduate Christ-centered leaders that will be prophetic

witnesses in their generation, standing firm in their commitment to Biblical values of holiness

and morality.

In a reflective paper of 700-800 words:

• Summarize and define each of the Grace School of Divinity’s seven core commitments

• Choose one of those core commitments for special focus

• Define that core commitment and how it applies to training for ministry

• Present a strong biblical and theological case for the necessity for the core commitment

• Reflect on how that core commitment will influence the way you approach your studies

• Reflect on how that core commitment has the potential to impact your personal life and

ministry. (My ministry is feeding the homeless and educating Pastors/leaders on preaching and

caring for people outside the walls of the church.)

• Research and citation from at least 7 unique sources

• Excellent use of Turabian (9th Edition) formatting

• At least one source from the Web that you have evaluated for its validity

• At lease one source from e-book and one source from e-journal.

Contents area is not needed in the front matter of your paper.