Syllabus?
Dr. Creasy, Do you have a silibus for online study? I live in Ohio and am interested in your bible study and wonder about the order of study.
I'm writing an 80-lesson syllabus for our 1-year class through the Bible. The syllabus begins with Genesis and ends with Revelation. Each lecture has a title, a paragraph or so description, "Enrichment Material" (links to Bible Blasts, articles, introductions, etc), and "Dig Deeper" (links to all of the 7-year program lectures, which go into much more detail that the 1-year program). I've completed about 40 of these lecture materials. They will be on the home page before classes resume in January.
In the 7-year class, I weave back & forth between the Old and New Testaments for two reasons: 1) most Christians know the New Testament much better than the Old, so I have to get there fast! If I moved straight through Genesis to Revelation, I wouldn't get to the New Testament until year five; and 2) going back & forth allows me to make connections between the two with greater immediacy. So, the first reason is practical, and the second reason is pedagogical.
In your own study, feel free to go straight through, or alternate back & forth as you see fit. Typically, the order I use is: Genesis, Matthew, Exodus/Leviticus, Mark, Numbers, Luke/Acts, Deuteronomy, John (completing the Torah and the Gospels/Acts). Then I go to Joshua/Judges/Ruth (conquest and settlement), Romans, 1 & 2 Samuel (David story), 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Kings, Galatians, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ephesians/Philippians/Colossians/Philemon ("Prison Epistles"), Ezra/Nehemiah/Esther (Return from Babylonian Captivity), 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Job/Psalms/Proverbs/Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs (poetical books--I may break these up if the class seems to need it), 1 & 2 Timothy/Titus (finishing Paul's letters), Isaiah/Jeremiah/Lamentations/Ezekiel/Daniel (major prophets--I may break these up, too, if needed), Hebrews/James, 4 minor prophets, 1 & 2 Peter, 4 minor prophets, 1, 2 & 3 John/Jude, 4 minor prophets, Revelation.
Again, this isn't cast in stone. A lot depends upon the individual class. Sometimes it's necessary to "get to the New Testament," or to get back to some good stories in the Old Testament, and sometimes I'll throw in a "special topic" (like the Christmas story, the Passion, women in the Bible, etc.). As a teacher I have to sense the mood and energy of the class and play it by ear.
This is a general guideline, though. Hope it helps!
I am working through Psalms now. It looks like I did not cover all the Prison Epistles before hand, but as you say, the order is not cast in stone. I get the feeling from the "Dig Deeper" lessons that I am studying that you did Psalms last with the Thursday morning class when the lessons were recorded. Do you ever do Psalms last?
Having an order is really helpful, because you often refer back to material you have already covered. Thus when I study without knowing the preferred order, I feel like I missed a pre-requisite or something.
Anyway, thanks again!
Funny you should ask! I just finished the voice overs (VOs) for a video tutorial, or tour of the site, that gives you guidance. It should be on the site's home page where the current "banner ad" for our October Israel trip currently resides by the middle of next week.
Beyond that, I would like to develop a detailed syllabus for a variety of uses: 1) individual study through the entire Bible; 2) small group study through individual books; and so on. That is in the works, but it won't happen immediately. We'll need to involve people who specialize in curriculum development, and that will take a while.
Meantime, I hope the new video that we'll post next week will help.
I'm building a 1-year syllabus that ties everything together. Check it out on the home page, bottom right. The syllabus covers two academic quarters, roughly 10 weeks each. The "anchor lectures" are from the 1-year program, but the "Enrichment Material" links the 7-year in-depth lectures, the videos and the written material. I'd suggest using this syllabus as a good starting point.
I'm teaching the 2nd quarter now at Mission San Diego de Alacala. When I finish the 3rd and 4th quarters, they'll be on the home page, too.