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The Ministerial Training Institute of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church offers two courses this summer, taught by the Rev. Dr. William Dennison and the Rev. Stuart Jones. Dr. Dennison, an OPC minister and professor of interdisciplinary studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., and visiting professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology at Northwest Theological Seminary in Lynnwood, Wash. will teach Defending the Faith (Presuppositional Apologetics), which provides an introduction to presuppositional apologetics and why it is important for the OPC. In Book of Discipline, the Rev. Jones, an OPC minister, looks at the theory and practice of Presbyterianism as seen in the OPC Book of Discipline.
The MTIOPC courses are designed to supplement seminary education in regard to OPC distinctives. These courses help men learn these distinctives in a way that concentrates on the OPC, which seminaries with their broad constituencies can't do. Others seek to refresh their education through MTIOPC courses.
Ministers, licentiates, men under care, and elders of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church may apply. Also, ministers and men in training for the ministry from other ecclesiastical bodies may apply.
A detailed description of the MTIOPC courses follows:
By the Rev. Dr. Bill Dennison
(Two credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide a thorough introduction to presuppositional apologetics, and to highlight its importance in the theological encyclopedia and the life of the church. The first half of the course is an introduction to presuppositional apologetics. Topics include the history of apologetics; the nature of presuppositional apologetics; and the relationship between presuppositional apologetics and Scripture, the person of God, preredemptive revelation, the doctrine of the Fall, the covenant of grace – Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of the church.
The second half of the course deals with presuppositional apologetics and the marketplace. Topics include Cornelius Van Til and the theistic proofs for God’s existence, the problem of evil, criticisms of miracles from a scientific worldview, religious-mystical experience, psychology, and postmodernism. The course concludes with a discussion of why presuppositional apologetics is so important to the future of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
By the Rev. Stuart Jones
(One credit)
This course gives special attention to the theory and practice of Presbyterianism as it finds expression in the Form of Government and Book of Discipline of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Jurisdiction, charges, process, review, and censure are covered in detail. Some applied exercises in the area of church discipline are used to help students think through the challenges faced in this difficult area of ministry.
The term begins June 1, 2010. All students are required to attend the three-day Intensive Training, which will be held at Grace Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio. Intensive Training begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17 and goes through 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19.
Registration deadline is Tuesday, May 25.
A $50 per course registration fee is fully refundable upon course completion. There is an additional cost of registration for OPC elders and men from other ecclesiastical bodies.
The MTIOPC makes available a $350 travel scholarship to help defray the cost of traveling to intensive training for OPC ministers, licentiates, and men under care.
Applications are available at the OPC.ORG website. Enrollment is limited.
Applications may be sent to: Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Road, Building E, Willow Grove, PA 19090. Please address the $50 registration fee check to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and put MTIOPC on the memo line.
For more information, please contact Pat Clawson, MTIOPC coordinator, at: (215) 830-0900 or e-mail: ccesec@opc.org.
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