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CCISS is desiged to help encourage the advanced study God's Word for the fulfillment of the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Go to the CCISS Registration Page for current course offerings and registration.

Ethical Preaching?: Interpreting the Influence of 2 Timothy 4:2

Upon reading this passage from the second letter to Timothy, 4:1–5, some Christian ministers today might be encouraged to proclaim the gospel in the form of preaching each Sunday in church worship, even in the midst of hardship and even, perhaps, in the midst of sharply differing theological opinions about the gospel. Have such readers made an ethical mistake in reading this passage in this way? Some more critical readers might object to this reading because it embraces the text’s negative view of the audience, accusing them of turning away from the “truth” and only listening to what they want to hear. This reading might cause the Christian minister to think of his or her audience each Sunday as outsiders who must be “won back” to the truth, which is the minister’s responsibility alone to dispense with authority. In this paper I propose to do three things: 1) critically evaluate a traditionally evangelical way of understanding 2 Timothy 4:2, 2) answer the question of whether the preaching and teaching commands in 2 Timothy 4:2 and its context are unethical, and 3) as a result, briefly sketch a new interpretation of its significance for current preaching practices. Ultimately, I will argue that the commands of 2 Timothy 4:2 are not unethical, and can be used fruitfully to inform an ethical understanding of preaching, though one that differs from the traditional view.

Copyright by Justin Allison (May 2013)

An Exegesis of Philippians 3:17–4:1

This passage is a crucial window into the radical nature of Paul’s leadership by example. Paul leads the Philippians in collective self-denial in order to remain faithful to Christ and each other in the midst of a hostile Roman world, all while waiting for the parousia of the true Lord and Savior. Paul’s example exposes his deepest motivations as a pastor: to love Christ and the Philippian church wholeheartedly and recklessly, instead of selfishly seeking his own interests. His model has much to teach us about Christ-centered leadership.

Copyright by Justin Allison (April 2012)

An Exegesis of Romans 8:26–27

Paul’s letter to the Romans is profound and theologically dense, and two selected verses in chapter 8 of that letter are no exception. The goal of this study is to draw out the meaning of Romans 8:26-27. These verses describe the process by which the Holy Spirit prays for the needs of Christians from within the midst of their suffering, providing for their needs and drawing them closer to God the Father. There will be three stops along the way: an analysis of the historical context, the literary context, and the text itself. While studying the text specifically, this interpreter will use grammatical, lexical, and stylistic features to mine for understanding.

Copyright by Justin Allison (November 2011)

Pauline Church Leadership and the Rise of the Monarchical Episcopate

What is the relationship between the church leadership of the Pauline letters in the New Testament and the monarchical episcopate of the earliest post-apostolic literature? This paper seeks to answer this question in detail by comparing some secondary treatments of these historical witnesses. Ultimately it will be argued that the Pauline letters, both disputed and undisputed regarding authorship, present a unified model of church leadership development that stands in distinction to the monarchical episcopate of later generations. Some tendencies begun in the Pauline churches are understood to provide pieces to the puzzle of the later rise of the monarchical episcopate, but Paul’s letters do not provide evidence for its existence before Ignatius.

Copyright by Justin Allison (May 2012)

Critique of the Community-Based Hermeneutics of A. K. M. Adam

What is the role of the community in the interpretation of Scripture? In the process of learning how this question has been answered, I came across a hermeneutical trajectory that placed the community at the center of interpretation to the exclusion of all other factors. This trajectory is sometimes called socio-pragmatic hermeneutics, and I will also refer to it as community-based hermeneutics in this paper. Ultimately I will argue that the community-based interpretive relativism championed in Adam’s work is problematic because it caricaturizes the distinction between “integral” and “differential” hermeneutics, it entails three significant philosophical problems, and it isn’t uniquely helpful for Christian life. A hermeneutics based in critical-realism, not community-based relativism, is the most fruitful stance to take regarding hermeneutical truth and the problem of interpretive difference.

Copyright by Justin Allison (November 2012)

CCISS is now offering BIblical Hebrew, to help the body of Christ better understand the language of the Old Testament, roughly 3/4 of our BIble!

The course will have two segments: Biblical Hebrew 101 and Biblical Hebrew 102, roughly dividing the basic grammar and vocabulary of Biblical Hebrew into two classes. Both will be six month courses of independent study assisted by weekly, internet-based discussions on the coursework.

Each student should expect to spend 5-10+ hours per week on the course outside of the weekly lectures.

The required texts for both classes are:

1) Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: 2nd Edition, by Gary Pratico and Miles Van Pelt (ISBN10: 0310270200)

2) Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Workbook, by Gary Pratico and Miles Van Pelt (ISBN10: 0310270227)

3) A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, by William L. Holladay (ISBN10: 0802834132)

Biblical Hebrew 101 will begin in July, 2013.

Syllabus, precise start date, and more information coming soon!

-Justin Allison

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CCISS: Biblical Hebrew 101

Instructor: Justin Allison

Contact:

Email:Justin.r.allison@gmail.com

Cell Phone: 407-416-3524

Course Description/Expectations:

This class is for anyone who has a strong desire to learn Biblical Hebrew for personal study, teaching, and preaching of God’s word. Learning Hebrew is not just a fun adventure; it’s a journey into deeper intimacy with the Old Testament. The goal of the course is to provide the basics of Biblical Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, and to introduce the student to using the language for further study and understanding of God’s Word.

The class will assume a strong inner motivation (and adequate study time) to learn independently, as interaction time with the instructor is limited. The class will run for 15 weeks.

The basic format of the class is a once-weekly meeting to work through the material step by step, followed by independent study. Each week (except the first), a cumulative quiz on the grammar and vocabulary of the previous chapter will be taken, homework will be reviewed, new material will be introduced, and homework will be assigned for the next class.

Depending on the student, this class requires at least 5-10 hours of hard study per week including the ~1.5 hour weekly class meeting (location and time TBD). The burden of learning is heavily weighted upon the student in this class.

This course has two segments: Biblical Hebrew 101 and Biblical Hebrew 102, roughly dividing the basic grammar and vocabulary of Biblical Hebrew into two 15-week portions. Biblical Hebrew 102 is scheduled to be offered in the Spring of 2014. (Knowing Hebrew is only ~30 weeks away!)

Required Texts:

1) Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar: 2nd Edition, by Gary Pratico and Miles Van Pelt (ISBN10: 0310270200)

2) Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Workbook, by Gary Pratico and Miles Van Pelt (ISBN10: 0310270227)

3) A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, by William L. Holladay (ISBN10: 0802834132)

Course Schedule: 15 Weeks

Week 1 - Introduction and the Hebrew Alphabet

Week 2 - Hebrew Vowels; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1

Week 3 - Syllabification and Punctuation; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-2

Week 4 - Hebrew Nouns; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-3

Week 5 - The Definite Article and the Conjunction ; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-4

Week 6 - Hebrew Prepositions; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-5

Week 7 - Hebrew Adjectives; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-6

Week 8 - Hebrew Pronouns; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-7

Week 9 - Hebrew Pronominal Suffixes; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-8

Week 10 - Hebrew Construct Chains; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-9

Week 11 - Numbers and Intro to Verbs; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-10

Week 12 - Qal Perfect Strong Verbs; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-12

Week 13 - Qal Perfect Weak Verbs; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-13

Week 14 - Qal Imperfect Strong Verbs; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-14

Week 15 - Qal Imperfect Weak Verbs; Quiz: Grammar and Vocab Ch. 1-15

Upon reading this passage from the second letter to Timothy, 4:1–5, some Christian ministers today might be encouraged to proclaim the gospel in the form of preaching each Sunday in church worship, even in the midst of hardship and even, perhaps, in the midst of sharply differing theological opinions about the gospel. Have such readers made an ethical mistake in reading this passage in this way? Some more critical readers might object to this reading because it embraces the text’s negative view of the audience, accusing them of turning away from the “truth” and only listening to what they want to hear. This reading might cause the Christian minister to think of his or her audience each Sunday as outsiders who must be “won back” to the truth, which is the minister’s responsibility alone to dispense with authority. In this paper I propose to do three things: 1) critically evaluate a traditionally evangelical way of understanding 2 Timothy 4:2, 2) answer the question of whether the preaching and teaching commands in 2 Timothy 4:2 and its context are unethical, and 3) as a result, briefly sketch a new interpretation of its significance for current preaching practices. Ultimately, I will argue that the commands of 2 Timothy 4:2 are not unethical, and can be used fruitfully to inform an ethical understanding of preaching, though one that differs from the traditional view.

Copyright by Justin Allison (May 2013)

One of the projects I worked on this past semester was an exegesis of Galatians 3:12, in which Paul says "The Law is not of faith" and then quotes from Leviticus 18:5, "The one who does them (the commands of the Law) will live by them."

I certainly have not figured out all the details of this scripture puzzle, but I wanted to let y'all look at the paper as it might be helpful in explaining the continuity and discontinuity in the Old and New covenants.

In abstract, I think Paul is not saying that the Mosaic Law was a system of works-righteousness where you had to earn your way to God (the Law is not of faith), but instead Paul is saying that the Law is a God-given, gracious, but limited gift for His people that has now come to an end, and is fulfilled in Jesus, who alone gives us complete forgiveness of sins, final justification, and His Spirit, empowering us to fulfill the Law as Israel was meant to (see Jer 31:31–34), so that we can be God's people through whom His blessing flows to all nations!

Skim the intro and the talk about Leviticus, and the last half of the paper, where I talk directly about Galatians 3:12, to get the most bang for your buck time-wise (unless you want to read a lot of detail about Second Temple Jewish interpretations of Leviticus 18:5!).

The advice Paul gives to Corinthian women about proper behavior in worship often makes modern people wince. In this paper I will use a basic instruction on culture formation to show how our own personal enculturation sets up prejudicial blocks to understanding the meaning of the ancient text. To that end, a small introduction to the historical and cultural realm of New Testament people is made; in particular, the focus shines on the important Mediterranean values of honor and kinship. Through examination of the cultural context, Paul’s advice to women is seen to be very much in harmony with social conventions of the times. The cultural values of honor and kinship, and the historical facts of Greco-Roman gender roles are foundational for understanding Paul’s challenging advice to Corinthian worshippers. Understanding his original meaning confirms the appropriateness of women speaking to the church body today.

Prayer and fasting are fundamental aspects in the life of a Christian in order to build an intimate relationship with God. Jesus’ model of prayer found in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, provide great insight into the purpose and proper practice of prayer in the lives of Christians today. In Mark 2 and Matthew 6, the purpose of fasting is revealed as it changed from a Jewish custom to a closer fellowship with God. The purpose of both prayer and fasting can be summarized from the first few lines of the Lord’s Prayer which give honor to God’s name, usher in the kingdom of God, and call for the accomplishment of God’s will through Jesus Christ.

The aim of this monograph is to provide a socio-historical exegetical analysis of 1 Corinthians 10-14 and Matthew 5-7. Paul's letter to the Corinthian church was written to a specific culture during the first century. In order for one to properly understand the letter in context, one must understand the audience and the historical background from which he is writing. The New Testament culture of the Greco-Roman world operated under certain social systems, or codes, that were understood by everyone, one of these being the honor/shame code. First Corinthians addresses the honor code of the time period, and counters it as Paul outlines the proper way that the "Jesus-group" members must conduct themselves. In doing so, he urges the members of the Jesus-group to avoid the practices of their pagan neighbors and live in such a way that is righteous and attractive for evangelism. There are predominant themes that emerge out of 1 Corinthians 10-14 that will be discussed at length. These themes include honor for the individual as it relates to their piety in worship, the individual acquisition of wealth and prestige and how that relates to their involvement in the Church and finally how one's personal reputation reflects the honor of the whole group. These themes will be the predominant ideas discussed in this critical analysis of the 1 Corinthian 10-14 chapters.