Looking ahead, I’m preaching and doing trainings this weekend of leaders in the church in Buguruni, followed by 5 weeks of preaching and training at an international church, followed by a weeklong workshop of trainings for pastors in northern Uganda. There we will be covering a variety of theological issues and hot topics the Ugandan pastors deal with, such as the following:
1. Bibliology – Inerrancy – Authority – Inspiration – Revelation- Illumination – Canonization – Translations – Overview of biblical record (torah, historical, poetic, major/minor prophets, Gospels, epistles, apocrypha) – How to study and understand the Bible (hermeneutics, methods of interpretation, contextualization, authorial intent, context, background, writing styles, culture, application, descriptive or prescriptive, etc.), role of OT for believers today
2. Characteristics of God – Existence – Trinity – Communicable and Incommunicable traits, the will of God
3. Creation – Evolution – Dominion of man in relation to creation – responsibility
4. Angels and demons – Satan
5. Fall – sin – curse – depravity of man (spiritual death) – original sin vs. hereditary sin vs. common sin, are the heathen lost?
6. Messianic prophecies – Gen.3, Gen.12, etc.
7. Man – Anthropology – Where languages came from, people groups, etc. How is man like rest of creation and distinct from rest of creation.
8. Free will
9. Election – sovereignty – predestination
10. Covenants
11. History of Israel – Abraham à prophets – Jews and Gentiles
12. Law – Moses
13. Christology – person of Christ – work of Christ – pre-incarnation, homeostatic union, true God and true man, kenosis, incarnation, immaculate conception, life, miracles, preaching, purpose, death, resurrection, appearances, commissioning, ascension, present activity
14. Soteriology – regeneration, repentance, redemption, reconciliation, justification, propitiation atonement, grace, works, forgiveness, faith, legalism, sanctification, eternal security, salvation in OT vs. NT
15. Spiritual disciplines – Bible study – prayer – worship – fasting, etc.
16. Pneumatology – Role of Spirit – Work of Spirit – in church, in individual, in world – filling of Spirit vs. baptism of Spirit
17. Ecclesiology – Baptism – Communion – church governance – membership – how to build church – evangelism – discipleship – Ephesians – church discipline/ reconciliation/ restoration – Conflict resolution – counseling – the Church and State
18. Commission to church – role of missions – competing worldviews – Other religions – Animism, Islam, syncretism
19. Church planting
20. Transformational Development – community development – Christians and the environment – Business – A Christian’s relationship to government – submission – politics – Wealth and the poor/poverty – widows and orphans
21. Gifts – Fruit – Miraculous gifts – healing – tongues – different callings in church
22. Hot topics – Apologetics – Tough questions (HIV/AIDS, money – tithing – debt, music, divisive issues, war/killing/violence, relativism, pluralism, postmodernism, materialism, homosexuality, role of ancestors, alcohol/social drinking, abortion/infanticide, euthanasia, )
23. Persecution – bad things happen to good people, problem of pain,
24. Tribalism, ethnicity and race – ethnic cleansing/ genocide
25. Spiritual warfare – power encounter – demonology – superstition – Witchcraft – taboos
26. Dreams
27. Role of women – in home, in church, female genital mutilation, circumcision, rape
28. Polygamy – marriage, divorce, remarriage
29. Slavery
30. Sacrifices – in OT, in NT, today – blood
31. Death and afterlife – resurrection (of Jesus and people)
32. Eschatology – heaven and hell, eternal state for believers and unbelievers
33. Pastoral leadership – lifestyle matches preaching – purity – pornography – how to guard against failure
34. Ethical issues – bribery, etc.
35. Statement of Faith – EFCA
Please keep our finances in your prayers as some of supporters and a church, due to economy, has had to cut support. We know God will provide. Thanks for praying.
Also, please keep Adam in your prayers as he continues to struggle with health issues.
Pressing ever onward,
Eric