CURRENT COURSES

Systematic Theology I

Dr. Duncan Rankin

Class Details

Tuesday Evenings, 6:30pm-8:30pm, beginning January 29.

Location: Green Ridge Baptist Church, Roanoke 

Course details: please view the Course Syllabus HERE

Course description: 

This course will cover theology proper (God, Trinity, creation, providence), and anthropology (man, Fall, sin). Our study will be based on the exegesis of Scripture, but with continual reference to historical theology as well. We rely upon the Bible as our ultimate authority in matters of faith and life, but we also remember that we “stand on the shoulders” of approximately 2000 years of history in interpreting and applying the Bible. 

BIO

Dr. Rankin is an Honorably Retired Presbyterian minister living in SW Virginia who also serves as an Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Erskine Theological Seminary, Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, and now as a faculty member with BRITE. Raised in a Southern Presbyterian home with shared roots in the Moravian ministry, Dr. Rankin graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University in Ceramic Engineering, where he was founding president of the campus Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. After working for DuPont at the Savannah River Laboratory and Ph.D. studies in Materials Science at the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology, the Lord redirected Duncan’s steps from a successful career in the sciences towards the Gospel ministry in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). After completing his Master of Divinity studies at Covenant Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in Jackson, Mississippi, he took his Ph.D. at the New College of the University of Edinburgh by writing on “Carnal Union with Christ in the Theology of T.F. Torrance.” Appointed to the Department of Systematic Theology at RTS-Jackson in 1993, Duncan served 10 years full time, teaching courses in dogmatic and historical theology. Active on the Theology and Strategy Working Group of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, Duncan was also a recipient of a John Templeton Foundation 1999 Science and Religion Course Prize and taught a course in Science and Theology at RTS.  At the Millennium, the Rankin family escaped the ravages of Y2K by sojourning in the quiet Scottish Highland village of Muir of Ord, before Duncan served as guest minister for Dr. David Robertson at St. Peter’s Free Church of Scotland in Dundee, home of the historic pulpit of Rev. Robert Murray M’Cheyne and current home of the SOLAS Ministry. Since 2003, Duncan has pastored churches in Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and most recently as the Associate Minister of Christ Church (PCA), Katy, Texas.  In addition to his academic service, Duncan is also a member of the Board of Directors for GRACE—a Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment and a Visiting Professor for Ligonier Ministries’ Reformation Bible College, Sanford, Florida.  He and his wife Shirley have three fine children.

Greek 2

Rev. Timothy Decker

Class Details

Monday Evenings, 6:30pm-8:30pm, beginning August 26. 

Location: Rivermont Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Lynchburg.

Course details: Course Syllabus will be posted HERE when available.

Course Description:

Greek 2 continues building where Greek 1 ended. Therefore, completion of Greek 1 is a prerequisite to enrolling in Greek 2. Greek 2 is a three credit course that opens an entirely new world to the student of Scripture. While it must be understood that mastering this language does not settle all interpretive and theological problems, it does aid in understanding the New Testament more accurately. Therefore, it is vital that pastors and teachers engage with the original language of the New Testament. To this end, this course introduces the basic grammar and vocabulary of New Testament Greek, preparing the student to translate, exegete, interpret, and communicate that text for the benefit of the Church.

Course Objectives:

• For the sake of improving one’s reading ability in the GNT, the student is to memorize the foundational vocabulary of the GNT and prove competency with frequent vocabulary quizzes.
• Given that language is built on rules of grammar, the student will learn basic grammar and demonstrated through translation assignments.
• Because interacting with the text increases one’s awareness of the various exegetical issues, the student will translate from the GNT using various tools as aids but not crutches.
• Since the goal of learning the language is to properly exegete and communicate the GNT for the task of preaching and teaching in the local church, the student will learn the place of Greek in the task of communicating the Word of God.
• With the vast amounts of scholarly commentaries, lexicons, and other resources that require a knowledge of biblical Greek, the student will learn to interact with these aids in order to increase their ability to correctly interpret the GNT.