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.
Cultivating a Scriptural Imagination
Cultivating a Scriptural Imagination
Taught in English
Beginner level
Recommended experience
4 hours to complete
3 weeks at 1 hour a week
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
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April 2024
Assessments
5 assignments
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There are 4 modules in this course
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 video9 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts
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
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.
What's included
1 video5 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts
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