Hi Class!
We completed our reading of the Book of Acts last week. We thoroughly enjoyed and were blessed by our sharing as we read about the history of the early church and the adventures of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Acts concluded with Paul setting up shop in Rome, preaching the gospel first to the Jews and then to everyone from a residence there.
During the month of May, we will study the Book of Romans, which is a letter Paul wrote from prison to the churches in Rome. This book is much different than the history/narrative Acts. Paul's thoughts and teaching in Romans provide many of the foundational articulations of Christian belief that we still hold to today. Our study will be by way of a survey of the distinctively Christian ideas and practices Paul taught.
Dr. Leander Keck, a prominant New Testament scholar and teacher, has described the Book of Romans as . . .
...neither a systematic theology nor a summary of Paul's lifework, but it is by common consent his masterpiece. It dwarfs most of his other writings, an Alpine peak towering over hills and villages. Not all onlookers have viewed it in the same light or from the same angle, and their snapshots and paintings of it are sometimes remarkably unalike. Not all climbers have taken the same route up its sheer sides, and there is frequent disagreement on the best approach. What nobody doubts is that we are here dealing with a work of massive substance, presenting a formidable intellectual challenge while offering a breathtaking theological and spiritual vision.
We hope to see you Sundays in May for a great study, conversation, sharing, and growth together.
God bless!
Dan and Laura
