|
Encouraging scholarship, strengthening faith identity, and interpreting contemporary issues in Baptist life. |
||
 |
|
Certificate in |
|
Home • Staff • Local Church • News & Views • Issues • Bulletin • Conferences / Seminars • Sabbaticals • Certificate • Links |
||
|
Sponsored by The Center for Baptist Studies (CBS), Mercer University Walter B. Shurden, Executive Director, The Center for Baptist Studies Bruce T Gourley, Associate Director, The Center for Baptist Studies Wil Platt, Associate Editor, The Baptist Studies Bulletin
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to a period
of transition within the
The Mercer Certificate in Baptist Studies (MCBS) is a non-degree program designed to meet the needs of both laity and clergy. It is an effort both to clarify and extend the Baptist vision of Christianity. The program consists of two parts:
1. Reading/Response: A supervised reading and written response exercise, the MCBS will assist those who want to learn about the origins, spirituality, and distinctive witness of the Baptist people. This reading program will provide you the opportunity to study the writings of the leading Baptist historians and theologians in America. Among others, this includes people such as Charles Deweese, executive director, the Baptist History and Heritage Society; William Hull, Research Professor, Samford University;Tom Halbrooks, president, Colgate Rochester Divinity School; Glenn Hinson, retired distinguished professor from Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond; Carol Crawford Holcomb, professor at Mary Hardin Baylor; Claude L. Howe, Jr., retired professor of church history at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; Bill J. Leonard, dean of Wake Forest Divinity School; H. Leon McBeth, retired distinguished professor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; J. Brent Walker, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee; William M. Pinson, Jr., executive director emeritus, Executive Board, Baptist General Convention of Texas; and William R. O'Brien, former executive vice president, Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention. 2. The Practicum: In addition to the reading and limited writing assignments, the participant will also design and implement some modest type of practical program related to Baptist Studies. Examples of such projects are listed later in this document.
While The Center for Baptist Studies will provide some of the reading materials free, there is a one-time tuition charge of $25. The participant will also purchase one book and four booklets for the total price of $40. The book is by Walter B. Shurden, The Baptist Identity. The booklets are: Religious Liberty and Church-State Separation, by J. Brent Walker; Who Interprets the Bible for Baptists?, by E. Glenn Hinson; Issues Testing Baptist Polity, by William M. Pinson, Jr.; and The Meaning of the Baptist Experience by William E. Hull.
When the Center receives the student’s application and check for $65, all reading materials will be sent.
MCBS is projected as a six month program, though it can certainly be finished in less time. Much of this time will be spent in a scheduled reading program and an on-line written response to the readings. During the last two months of the MCBS program, the participant will design and implement a practical project based upon the readings.
I. The Reading Program for the Mercer Certificate in Baptist Studies A. Readings in Baptist Foundations (Click on title to view content) 1. Required Reading
a brief pamphlet by Walter B. Shurden
a brief pamphlet by H. Leon McBeth a brief pamphlet by William E. Hull 2. Required written response {Click for the printable set of questions } A minimum of a two page written response (email preferred) to questions posed by the Coordinator of the program should be sent to the center.
B. Readings in Baptist Spirituality 1. Required Reading a. Baptist Spirituality and Faith: (Click on title to view content)
a brief pamphlet by E. Glenn Hinson
an article by Walter B. Shurden b. Baptist Spirituality and Religious Authority: (Click on title to view content) a brief pamphlet by William L. Lumpkin.
a brief pamphlet by Claude L Howe
a booklet by E. Glenn Hinson c. Baptist Spirituality and the Church: (Click on title to view content)
a brief pamphlet by Carol Crawford Holcomb
a booklet by William M. Pinson, Jr. d. Baptist Spirituality and Congregational Worship: (Click on title to view content) a brief pamphlet by G. Thomas Halbrooks. e. Summary Reading:
a short book by Walter B. Shurden 2. Required written response {Click for the printable set of questions } A minimum of a two page written response (email preferred) to questions posed by the Coordinator of the program should be sent to the center.
C. Readings in the Baptist Witness 1. Required Reading a. The Baptist Witness to a Free Conscience: (Click on title to view content)
a brief pamphlet by Charles W. Deweese
a booklet by J. Brent Walker
Separation of Church and State,” a brief pamphlet written by Walter B. Shurden b. The Baptist Witness to Missions: (Click on title to view content)
a brief pamphlet by Bill J. Leonard c. The Baptist Witness to the Priesthood of All Believers: (Click on title to view content) a brief pamphlet by Bill J. Leonard
a brief pamphlet by Carolyn Blevins 2. Required written response {Click for the printable set of questions } A minimum of a two page written response (email preferred) to questions posed by the Coordinator of the program should be sent to the center.
II. The Practical Project for the Mercer Certificate in Baptist Studies The practical project is a way of implementing what you have learned into the life of a local church or a body of believers. Each participant’s practicum must have the approval of the coordinator of MCBS prior to work on the project. The possibilities for the practicum are limited only by one’s imagination. Here are only a few examples of the practicum:
of your church could perform on a Wednesday or Sunday evening.
This, of course, would be done with the approval of your church’s webmaster.
Contact information
Bruce T. Gourley, Associate Director gourley_bt@mercer.edu
Phone: 478-301-5467 Fax: 478-301-5663
|
||
|
The Center for Baptist Studies, Mercer University, 1400 Coleman Avenue, Macon, GA 31207 Phone (478)301-5457 |
||
Writing a brief play on some aspect of the
Baptist heritage that the young people