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Cultivating a Scriptural Imagination

Cultivating a Scriptural Imagination

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructors: Laceye Cammarano Warner

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

5 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Describe what it means to have a scriptural imagination
Connect your church’s practices of worship and fellowship, teaching, and mission to the hope of the gospel as described in scripture
Explain how diverse communities of faith can embody unity without uniformity as they interpret scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Discuss how doing theology “from the way” helps us exercise practical divinity and become active participants in God’s unfolding story of redemption

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

What does it mean to have a scriptural imagination, and how do we develop this kind of imagination in Christian community? How can a scriptural imagination help us become more active participants in God’s unfolding story of redemption? This Duke Divinity+ course explores the common values and scriptural framework that is at the heart of Methodism.

Throughout four weeks, you will learn the definition of scriptural imagination — and how to connect this to your church and individual practices and forming diverse communities of faith. In each week of the course, you’ll be asked to reflect on scripture to guide you to take practical steps in how to incorporate theology in your own worship, fellowship, teaching, and mission. This course is part of the Rediscovering the Heart of Methodism series. This is one of five 4-week online courses designed to help engaged laypeople and clergy (including local pastors in licensing schools) develop core capacities for innovative leadership within the Wesleyan tradition. If you are a pastor or ministry professional in need of Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits for your professional development, CEU credits are available for this course. Upon successful completion of this course, you can provide your Coursera certificate and the course description to your employer for recognition of earning 0.5 CEUs. Contact divinityonline@duke.edu with any questions regarding CEUs for this course. Each of the 5 courses in the Rediscovering the Heart of Methodism specialization is worth 0.5 CEUs, for a total of 2.5 CEUs for completing all of the courses. Through this series, we hope you will experience a deeper grounding in the distinctive elements of Methodism at its best, and a renewed capacity for hopeful, imaginative participation in the mission of God.

Module details

Scripture offers us incredible hope as we await Christ’s return. How might the New Creation shape our vision of what life in the here and now could look like? This week, you’ll begin to consider what it means to have a “scriptural imagination” by looking more closely at the astounding hope to which we have been called, how it shaped John Wesley’s vision for ministry, and how it might help us rediscover the heart of Methodism.

What's included

1 video10 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts

1 videoTotal 12 minutes

Scriptural Imagination and the Heart of Methodism12 minutes

10 readingsTotal 64 minutes

General Course Information10 minutes
About Duke Divinity+10 minutes
Course Entry Survey5 minutes
About the Group Discussion Guide5 minutes
Group Discussion Guide2 minutes
Coursera Online Discussion Guidelines10 minutes
Report a problem with the course5 minutes
About This Week's Presenter10 minutes
Key Terms5 minutes
Forming Scriptural Imagination (Optional)2 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Reflective Quiz5 minutes
Week 1 Quiz15 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 20 minutes

Introduce Yourself!10 minutes
Plan one small step you can take to broaden your familiarity with scripture.10 minutes

A scriptural imagination conceives of what the present might look like in light of the hope of the gospel. As the early church worked to bring this hope to life, it emphasized practices of worship, teaching and mission. The book of Acts narrates how these familiar features of church were grounded in the good news of God’s redemptive work. This week, you’ll be challenged to examine (and possibly reimagine) how your church’s expressions of these practices reflect the incredible hope described in Scripture.

What's included

1 video3 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

When we look to scripture to shape our sense of what is possible, it becomes exceedingly important that we interpret scripture faithfully. But what happens when we disagree about what scripture says? When we read the Bible in community under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our commitment to the authority of scripture need not become a threat to our unity as the body of Christ.

What's included

1 video3 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

1 videoTotal 10 minutes

Scripture Embodied in Communities of Faith10 minutes

3 readingsTotal 15 minutes

This Week's Presenter5 minutes
Key Terms5 minutes
United Methodist Church Theological Guidelines (Optional)5 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Week 3 Graded Quiz15 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Reflecting on unity and how to cultivate diverse communities of faith. 10 minutes

Exercising a scriptural imagination requires going beyond academic or theoretical conversations about what God is doing in the world. To actually experience the renewal described in the Bible, we must embrace John Wesley’s understanding of practical divinity. In this final lesson, you’ll be challenged to consider how God invites us to get off the balcony and work alongside “the people on the street” to bring to life surprising stories that culminate in the glory of the New Creation.