PS-7103 Theology of Persecution and Discipleship

Study what the Bible teaches about suffering for Christ, and learn to teach and care for believers who pay a price for following him.

The course follows Glenn Penner's biblical theology of persecution and discipleship from Genesis to Revelation. It then turns to the church today: how Christians respond to persecution, and how the church can help those wounded by trauma. The course touches on persecution, martyrdom and trauma; if it stirs up pain, turn to your church or a professional.

What you will study

• Suffering for God's sake in the Old Testament
• The suffering God, and Jesus' call to take up the cross
• Persecution and witness in Acts, the letters and Revelation
• Defining suffering for Christ, persecution and martyrdom
• Persecution today: what it is and where it comes from
• How Christians respond, and the place of forgiveness
• Healing trauma, and learning from the persecuted church

Course materials

• In the Shadow of the Cross (Glenn Penner), a textbook you obtain
• Suffering, Persecution and Martyrdom (Sauer and Howell, eds.), a textbook you obtain
• Faith That Endures (Ronald Boyd-MacMillan), a textbook you obtain
• Standing Strong Through the Storm (Estabrooks and Cunningham), a textbook you obtain
• Sorrow and Blood (Taylor, van der Meer and Reimer, eds.), a textbook you obtain
• The Bible