Fuller proposal

Robert C. Jones

Bob@2ndBook.org

2 April 2025

Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley

President and CEO

Fuller Theological Seminary

135 N. Oakland Ave.

Pasadena, CA 91101

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Re: Proposal for a New Chair in Hermeneutics of Sensus Plenior

Dear Dr. Goatley,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am writing to present a proposal that I believe aligns deeply with Fuller Seminary’s legacy of thoughtful, Spirit-led scholarship and could significantly contribute to its future: the establishment of a Chair in Hermeneutics of Sensus Plenior. This Chair would offer a visionary approach to biblical interpretation that is both academically rigorous and spiritually transformative—centered on the rule-based, Christ-revealing hermeneutic grounded in the sensus plenior of Scripture.

As you know, theological education today faces numerous challenges: a crisis of confidence in Scripture, disengagement from traditional models of interpretation, and a rising generation of students and pastors seeking answers that are spiritually alive and intellectually satisfying. This Chair responds directly to those needs.

Rather than merely offering a Christocentric lens, the sensus plenior method reveals how every word, name, structure, and symbol in Scripture testifies of Christ—especially His death and resurrection. This approach includes:

• The symbolic meaning of Hebrew letters and their structural role in revealing divine truth,
• Word formations and gates that open prophetic understanding,
• Identification of cross-symbols and death-resurrection patterns in all genres of Scripture,
• A reproducible, verifiable framework for teaching others to hear the voice of God in the Word.

This proposal includes a fully developed curriculum for both MDiv and PhD students, with electives in areas such as AI-assisted interpretation, database development of symbolic meaning, evangelistic preaching, doctrinal reconciliation, and detecting false teaching patterns rooted in Balaamism or legalism. These courses are designed to restore both confidence in the authority of Scripture and wonder in the Spirit’s authorship.

Fuller is uniquely positioned to lead in this renewal. The seminary’s historic commitment to Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered scholarship provides fertile ground for a method that recovers the apostolic approach Jesus taught on the road to Emmaus—one that unveils Him in all the Scriptures and sets hearts ablaze.

I would be honored to review with you the attached proposal and course syllabi at your convenience. Thank you for your continued leadership and for stewarding Fuller’s mission with grace and courage in these times.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

Robert C. Jones

Our world

The decline of Christianity in the U.S.—especially evangelicalism and seminary enrollment like at Fuller—has deep and layered causes. It’s a convergence of cultural shifts, generational transitions, internal challenges, and broader spiritual disillusionment. Let’s break it down into some key areas:

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1. Cultural Shifts & Post-Christian Environment

• Secularization: American culture has moved from being predominantly Christian to more pluralistic and secular. Christianity no longer holds the cultural authority it once did.
• Individualism: The rise of personal autonomy and self-expression runs counter to the call of discipleship and submission to God.
• Mistrust of Institutions: Churches and seminaries are seen as institutions—and Gen Z and Millennials especially are deeply skeptical of institutions due to scandals, politics, and perceived hypocrisy.

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2. Political Entanglement of Evangelicalism

• Partisan Identity: Many people associate “evangelical” with a particular political stance (usually conservative/Republican). This alienates younger believers and outsiders who see the gospel as co-opted by political agendas.
• Culture Wars: Some churches became known more for what they oppose than what they love. The public witness of evangelicalism has often become defensive and combative, which feels un-Christlike to many.

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3. Moral and Sexual Abuse Scandals

• From the Catholic Church to Southern Baptists, scandals involving cover-ups and abuse have eroded trust.
• Many high-profile evangelical leaders (Ravi Zacharias, Mark Driscoll, etc.) have fallen, making some question the integrity of the movement as a whole.

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4. Shallow Discipleship & Deconstruction

• Consumer Christianity: A lot of evangelical churches offered emotional experiences or moralistic teachings, but little theological depth.
• When hard questions came—about suffering, gender, sexuality, or justice—many found they didn’t have answers. This led to deconstruction, and for many, departure.
• Exvangelicals: Entire communities have emerged online where people share their experiences of being harmed or disappointed by evangelicalism and find support in leaving.

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5. Demographics & Aging Congregations

• Boomers filled churches and seminaries in the 70s–90s, but younger generations are both smaller and less committed.
• Fewer people want to be pastors. It's a hard, underpaid job, often underappreciated—and with the church in decline, it looks like a sinking ship to many.

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6. Seminaries Like Fuller

• Fuller Theological Seminary once attracted a wide range of evangelical students from multiple denominations. But:
  • Denominational decline means fewer churches are sending students.
  • Shifting identity: Fuller has become more progressive in some eyes, which alienates conservatives, but it's still too evangelical for others. It’s stuck in-between.
  • Online theological content: People now turn to podcasts, YouTube, and platforms like The Bible Project or The Gospel Coalition for learning. Seminary isn’t the only path to theological formation anymore.
  • Cost: Seminary is expensive, and with church jobs drying up or paying poorly, many can’t justify the cost.

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7. Spiritual Disillusionment or New Paths

• Many still seek Jesus, but not the institutional church.
• There's growing interest in ancient practices (contemplative prayer, liturgy, monasticism), and some leave evangelicalism for Orthodoxy or Catholicism, feeling those traditions have deeper roots.
• Others reconstruct outside the church, finding ways to follow Jesus without formal affiliation.

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Conclusion

Christianity’s decline in the U.S., especially evangelicalism, is tied to:

• Cultural and generational shifts.
• Political and moral compromise.
• Shallow formation.
• Seminary's loss of relevance in a digital, skeptical age.

But here's the twist: beneath the rubble, there’s still hunger for truth. People want authenticity, beauty, and a faith that speaks to suffering and mystery. The old wineskin is cracking—but maybe that’s to make way for new wine.

Vision Statement:

At Fuller, we envision a renewal of biblical study through the recovery of sensus plenior—the deeper, Christ-centered meaning embedded by the Spirit in every word of Scripture. We believe that the authority of Scripture is restored when Christ is unveiled across all of it, not merely as doctrine, but as the living Word revealed through pattern, symbol, and riddle.

This rule-based hermeneutic provides answers to the difficult questions left unresolved by Greek frameworks applied to Hebrew texts. It teaches students to hear God propositionally, in ways that are verifiable, reproducible, and filled with reverent wonder.

We seek to equip a new generation—not merely with theological knowledge—but with eyes to see Christ in all of Scripture, and hearts set ablaze by the same unveiling He gave on the road to Emmaus. Through this, Fuller will once again lead in forming scholars, pastors, and prophets who do not just study the Word—but encounter the Word made flesh.

Proposal for the Establishment of a Chair in Hermeneutics of Sensus Plenior

The Chair of Christocentric Hermeneutics: Sensus Plenior and the Revelation of Scripture

Purpose and Rationale

In an era marked by spiritual deconstruction, declining seminary enrollment, and the fragmentation of biblical authority, there is an urgent need to return to a hermeneutic that restores both the unity of Scripture and its power to transform. This proposal recommends the establishment of a Chair in Hermeneutics at Fuller Seminary that will lead in the development and instruction of a rule-based, Christ-centered method of interpretation grounded in the sensus plenior.

This hermeneutic affirms the historical-literal reading of Scripture but goes further, recognizing the Spirit-breathed depth beneath the surface—a depth that unveils Christ in every passage, as He taught His disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:27). It provides a coherent framework that is intellectually rigorous, spiritually vibrant, and deeply rooted in the Hebrew narrative structure of the Bible, rather than imposing foreign categories derived from Greek rationalism.

This approach offers Fuller a way to reclaim its prophetic role in shaping how the Church hears God today—clearly, propositionally, and reproducibly.

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Core Objectives of the Chair

1. To Develop and Teach a Rule-Based Hermeneutic of Sensus Plenior, equipping students with systematic methods to uncover Christ in all of Scripture through symbols, patterns, word formations, and literary structure.
2. To Restore the Functional Authority of Scripture, showing how the unified voice of Christ speaks through every passage—not only doctrinally but prophetically, narratively, and experientially.
3. To Train a New Generation of Theologians, Pastors, and Scholars who can answer the deep spiritual and theological questions of our age with clarity, coherence, and reverence.
4. To Serve as a Center of Research and Publication, exploring how this hermeneutic resolves longstanding theological tensions, reclaims biblical typology, and restores confidence in the unity of the Old and New Testaments.
5. To Engage Globally, building bridges with Jewish and Messianic traditions by honoring the Hebrew literary roots of Scripture and fostering deeper understanding between Jewish and Christian readers of the Bible.

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Curriculum Focus

Courses and research under this Chair may include:

• Foundations of Sensus Plenior Hermeneutics
• Christ in the Torah, Writings, and Prophets
• Hebrew Structures and Symbolic Logic in Biblical Interpretation
• The Cross and Resurrection as the Lens of All Scripture
• From Riddle to Revelation: A Pattern-Based Approach
• Hearing God in Scripture: Verifiable and Reproducible Revelation

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Strategic Outcomes for Fuller Seminary

• Revitalization of Enrollment: A clear, compelling vision that speaks to hungry hearts and skeptical minds alike—offering both depth and spiritual vitality.
• Thought Leadership: Fuller can re-emerge as a center for the next wave of biblical interpretation that bridges traditional orthodoxy and contemporary relevance.
• Global Impact: By recovering a distinctly Hebraic view of Scripture centered in Christ, Fuller becomes a hub for international scholars seeking a faithful and vibrant hermeneutic.
• Interdisciplinary Integration: The hermeneutic has applications in preaching, counseling, theology, worship, and even interfaith dialogue.

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Conclusion

The establishment of a Chair in Christocentric Hermeneutics rooted in sensus plenior is not merely an academic proposal—it is a spiritual reawakening. It responds to the questions of our time by recovering the methods of the first-century Church and the voice of the resurrected Christ in all of Scripture.

This Chair will serve as both anchor and catalyst, holding fast to the Word while opening new doors for Fuller’s next generation of leaders.

Proposal for the Chair in Hermeneutics of Sensus Plenior

Vision

To establish a dedicated faculty Chair at Fuller Seminary focused on training pastors and scholars in a rule-based, Spirit-illuminated method of biblical interpretation—the sensus plenior—which reveals the unified voice of God declaring the death and resurrection of Christ through every name, pattern, structure, symbol, and word of Scripture.

This is not merely a Christocentric reading. It is the discovery of the deeper meaning God encoded in the original text—through the design of the Hebrew language itself, the interplay of letter meanings, word formations, and symbolic structure, to reveal the cross of Christ on every page.

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Curriculum: MDiv and PhD Tracks

Core Areas of Study

1. The Meaning of Hebrew Letters
   • Students will learn the consistent symbolic meanings of Hebrew letters, rooted in their form and function (e.g., א as “He spoke and created,” ב as “He revealed Himself to man”).
   • These meanings become foundational to interpretive work, as the Spirit constructed words with intention.
2. Word Formations and Symbolic Gates
   • Exploration of how word-pairs (gates), reversals, and internal consonant structures communicate deeper truths.
   • Tools like two-letter gates (e.g., אב vs בא), nested gates (e.g., א(ה)ב), and positional meaning (e.g., right = spirit, left = flesh) will be taught.
   • Students will learn to map words back to their conceptual roots, showing how Christ is hidden in the very structure of the language.
3. Patterns, Riddles, and the Cross
   • All Scripture speaks of the cross—not just prophetically or typologically, but symbolically and structurally.
   • Students will be trained to recognize cross-shaped patterns in narrative (death and resurrection arcs), names (e.g., Er, Tamar, Cain), and symbols (e.g., lifted stones, thorns, split animals, judgment waters).
   • They will be equipped with reproducible rules to identify these as the Spirit’s consistent testimony that “the Christ must suffer and rise.”
4. Sensus Plenior: A Second Telling
   • Every historical narrative in the Old Testament contains a literal surface and a spiritual second telling—written by the Spirit and only discernible through the cross.
   • Students will learn to treat the text not only as history, but as prophecy through structure, name meanings, and symbolic logic.
   • This second telling is always verifiable (by multiple witnesses), reproducible (by rules), and Christ-revealing (never abstract or Gnostic).
5. Practical Applications
   • Sermon construction and discipleship that help congregations see Christ in every passage—not by theological imposition, but by following the Spirit’s design.
   • Use of tools like symbol dictionaries, word maps, and rule-based exegesis to build a foundation for deep study.
   • Students will leave with not only theological fluency, but a spiritual framework that models how to hear God in Scripture as verifiably and faithfully as the apostles.

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Theological Foundation

1. God as Primary Author and Linguist
   • God didn’t merely inspire thoughts—He created language itself to embed revelation.
   • The Hebrew language was divinely formed so that the very letters, roots, and patterns bear testimony of Christ.
   • This is the basis for a revelatory hermeneutic that is scientific (rule-based), spiritual (Spirit-revealed), and Christological (cross-centered).
2. Christ as the Only Meaning of Scripture
   • All Scripture prophesies the death and resurrection of Christ—not through selective verses, but through every genealogical list, battle, ritual, and narrative.
   • Just as Jesus said, “Moses wrote of me,” this hermeneutic insists that every word Moses wrote speaks of the cross, when read with Spirit-taught eyes.
3. Apostolic Method as the True Hermeneutic
   • The early apostles re-read Scripture through the cross, discovering patterns that were always present but hidden.
   • This Chair restores that method—not through mysticism, but through disciplined, reproducible rules guided by the same Spirit.
4. Hearing God Propositionally
   • The Spirit’s voice in Scripture can be heard propositionally, not mystically. When a symbol consistently means the same thing (e.g., water = Word, hand = works, virgin = bride in the Spirit), we are not guessing. We are being taught.
   • Students will learn a reproducible approach that verifies its meaning across multiple contexts, returning to the confidence of the early church.

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Why Fuller? Why Now?

• Fuller has long stood at the intersection of scholarship and Spirit. This Chair would renew that legacy, offering:
  • A fresh reason to study Scripture deeply—not merely devotionally or critically, but as a Spirit-authored codebook of the cross.
  • A way to restore confidence in Scripture’s unity and authority—not by apologetics alone, but by showing how every part must speak of Christ.
  • A bridge to renewal—reigniting wonder, intellectual rigor, and spiritual life by returning to the Emmaus method Jesus Himself taught.

Course work

Course 1 (MDiv): Introduction to Sensus Plenior Hermeneutics

Course Description: This course introduces students to the foundational concepts of sensus plenior hermeneutics. Students will learn to identify the meaning of Hebrew letters, discover Christ in word formations, and uncover symbols of the cross embedded by the Spirit within Scripture. Emphasis will be placed on rule-based interpretation and how to hear God propositionally, verifiably, and reproducibly.

Course Objectives:

• Understand the definition and theological basis of sensus plenior
• Learn the symbolic meaning of Hebrew letters
• Recognize two-letter gates and directional meanings in Hebrew
• Begin identifying symbols of the cross in narratives and names
• Contrast Greek vs. Hebraic thought patterns

Topics Covered:

• Letter meanings and their theological implications
• Word formations and symbolic gates (e.g. אב / בא)
• Names and numbers as prophetic indicators
• Cross-symbols in Genesis (e.g. animal skins, thorns, altars)
• Hearing God propositionally: method and tests

Assessment:

• Weekly exercises in identifying symbolic word structures
• Midterm: short essay on one Hebrew word with symbolic analysis
• Final: project tracing a cross-symbol through three OT narratives

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Week 1 – The Living Voice: Foundations of Sensus Plenior

Exploring how Scripture speaks with verifiable, spiritual depth.

• Day 1: Introduction to Sensus Plenior – What It Is and Why It Matters
• Day 2: The Voice of God in Scripture: Hearing Propositional, Verifiable Revelation

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Week 2 – Letters of Fire: The Alphabet That Reveals Christ

Entering the divine language through symbolic Hebrew letters.

• Day 3: Structure and Meaning in Hebrew – Overview of Letter Symbolism
• Day 4: Hebrew Alphabet Part I (א–י): Creation to the new creation

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Week 3 – From Dust to Glory: The Alphabet’s Hidden Gospel

Tracing the movement from flesh to Spirit through letters.

• Day 5: Hebrew Alphabet Part II (כ–צ): Teaching to exchanging narrative arc
• Day 6: Hebrew Alphabet Part III (ק–ץ): Resurrection, fulfillment, and final conditions

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Week 4 – The Gates of Meaning: Unlocking Word Structures

How two-letter gates and formations reveal the story within words.

• Day 7: Two-Letter Gates: Understanding Symbolic Pairings and Direction
• Day 8: Word Formations: Ab-c, A-bc, and internal gate constructions

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Week 5 – Living Symbols: Themes That Shape the Narrative

Introducing recurring symbol families and finding the cross in Genesis.

• Day 9: Introduction to Symbol Families: Hand/Work, Water/Word, Bride Types
• Day 10: Cross-Symbols in Genesis: Coverings, Thorns, Sacrifice

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Week 6 – The Gospel Beneath the Names: Hidden Prophecies

Discovering the cross through stories, names, and their layered meanings.

• Day 11: Cain, Abel and Seth: Third? Narrative of the Cross
• Day 12: Names as Prophecy: Er, Tamar, Enoch, Noah

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Week 7 – Time, Space, and Spirit: Patterns That Speak

Symbolic numbers, genealogy structures, and spiritual orientation.

• Day 13: Numbers and Patterns: Symbolic use of 3, 7, 40, and genealogical structure
• Day 14: Directional Reading and the Flesh/Spirit Dynamic (Left vs. Right)

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Week 8 – Thinking Like Hebrews: Revisiting the Story

Contrasting Hebraic and Greek thought; midterm reflection and analysis.

• Day 15: Hebraic vs. Greek Thought: Narrative vs. Abstract Interpretation
• Day 16: Midterm Review & Essay Workshop (Symbolic Word Analysis)

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Week 9 – Fulfilled in Him: The Cross Hidden in the Gospels

Applying sensus plenior to New Testament fulfillment and narrative.

• Day 17: Applying SP to New Testament Fulfillment (Cross in Gospels)
• Day 18: From Individual Symbols to Narrative Cohesion (The Cross in Story)

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Week 10 – Telling the Story: Tracing the Cross in Every Page

Final synthesis: Presenting the narrative of Christ through the lens of sensus plenior.

• Day 19: Final Project Workshop: Tracing the Cross in Three Narratives
• Day 20: Presentations, Course Review, and Closing Reflections

Course 2 (MDiv): Patterns, Symbols, and the Voice of God

Course Description: This course deepens the student’s ability to see the Spirit-authored patterns in Scripture that declare the death and resurrection of Christ. Students will explore the consistent voice of God in symbol families, narrative structures, and typological patterns.

Course Objectives:

• Identify families of symbols (e.g. water/word, hand/works)
• Interpret narrative arcs through the lens of the cross
• Understand the four voices of Scripture (Prophet, Priest, King, Judge)
• Apply symbolic logic to teaching and preaching

Topics Covered:

• Symbol dictionaries and validation: 📖 confirmed / 🧩 proposed
• Life-death-resurrection structures in narrative (e.g. Joseph, Moses, Jonah)
• Bride types: prostitute and virgin
• Examples of sensus plenior in Psalms and Proverbs

Assessment:

• Symbol family map and analysis
• Teaching outline using four-fold voice structure
• Final sermon integrating multiple symbolic patterns

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Ten-Week Daily Class Outline (2 classes per week)

Week 1: Foundations of Sensus Plenior

• Day 1: Introduction to Symbol Families and Typology in SP
• Day 2: The Voice of God: Four-Fold Interpretation Framework (Prophet, Priest, King, Judge)

Week 2: Core Symbol Families and Their Extensions

• Day 3: Symbol Family: Water → Word → Rain, Mist, River, Sea
• Day 4: Symbol Family: Hand → Works → Fingers, Tools, Right/Left

Week 3: Bride and Resurrection Patterns

• Day 5: Bride Symbolism: Prostitute and Virgin in Narrative Arc
• Day 6: Life-Death-Resurrection: Joseph’s Pattern from Pit to Rule

Week 4: Cross Patterns in Prophets and Parables

• Day 7: Life-Death-Resurrection: Moses and the Exodus Pattern
• Day 8: Jonah and Gethsemane: Descent of the Flesh, Rise in Spirit

Week 5: Wisdom Literature and Symbolic Structure

• Day 9: Psalms as Patterns: Parallelism, Chiasm, and Cross-Symbols
• Day 10: Proverbs as Prophetic Riddle: Hearing the Voice in Wisdom

Week 6: Symbol Testing and Group Discovery

• Day 11: Symbol Validation Workshop: 📖 Confirmed / 🧩 Proposed Symbols
• Day 12: Group Analysis of Cross-Symbols in Narrative

Week 7: Preaching Christ in Pattern

• Day 13: Teaching the Cross Through Pattern: Thematic Preaching Lab
• Day 14: Preaching Through the Four Voices: Outline Development

Week 8: Sermon Crafting from Symbols

• Day 15: Constructing a Symbol-Based Sermon: Workshop I
• Day 16: Constructing a Symbol-Based Sermon: Workshop II

Week 9: Practicing Symbolic Teaching

• Day 17: Delivering Symbolic Teaching: Peer Presentation Round 1
• Day 18: Delivering Symbolic Teaching: Peer Presentation Round 2

Week 10: Completion and Commission

• Day 19: Final Project Presentations: Sermons and Symbol Maps
• Day 20: Closing Reflections and Integration: Seeing Christ in Every Pattern

Course 3 (PhD): Advanced Word Formations and Structural Prophecy

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Week 1 – Foundations of Structural Meaning

• Day 1: Introduction to Word Formations as Prophetic Structures
  • Overview of the sensus plenior approach to word construction
  • Review of gate theory and prophetic layering
• Day 2: Word Formation Templates: a-b-c, ab-c, a(b)c
  • How the placement and sequence of letters encode meaning
  • First decoding exercise: known examples

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Week 2 – Gate Structures and Directional Prophecy

• Day 3: Symbolic Gates and Reversals
  • Two-letter gates and their oppositional readings (e.g. אב / בא, אד / דא)
  • Gate reversals and spiritual movement (right ↔ left)
• Day 4: Interposition and Internal Gates
  • Examples of prophetic interruption and “bride in the middle” constructions
  • Exercises: decode gates with interposed letters

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Week 3 – From Words to Patterns

• Day 5: Mapping Word-Based Prophetic Arcs
  • Finding beginning-to-end cross patterns within Hebrew root structures
  • Introduce structural prophecy tracing techniques
• Day 6: Validation Rules and Witnessing Structures
  • What counts as a valid SP symbol?
  • 📖 Confirmed vs 🧩 Proposed tagging system
  • Begin building a symbol validation flowchart

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Week 4 – Case Study I: Cain

• Day 7: Cain as a Word Study and Narrative Structure
  • Decode קין and examine narrative structure
  • Explore his role as Christ-in-the-flesh, enemy of spirit
• Day 8: Cross Patterns: Judgment, Separation, Marking
  • Structural elements in Cain’s story as prophecy of the cross
  • Workshop: Student insights on Cain’s symbolic function

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Week 5 – Case Study II: Tamar

• Day 9: Unpacking Tamar: Word, Name, and Narrative Symbolism
  • Gate analysis in תמר
  • Death-resurrection pattern in the double death and birth
• Day 10: Bride-in-the-Gate Structures
  • Tamar as transition between old and new brides
  • Compare to Rahab and Ruth
  • Midterm assignment launch

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Week 6 – Case Study III: Leah and Rachel

• Day 11: The Prostitute and the Virgin: Structure of the Two Brides
  • Compare words, wombs, and symbolic roles
  • Explore hidden gates in their names
• Day 12: The Bride Who Dies and the Bride Who Lives
  • Death in childbirth as cross-symbol
  • Rachel’s name meanings and narrative arc as prophetic structure

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Week 7 – Case Study IV: Exodus Structure

• Day 13: Mapping Exodus Events to Word Patterns
  • Plagues, lamb, Red Sea as structural prophecy
  • Symbolic pattern of oppression → blood → death → escape → new life
• Day 14: Word-by-word analysis of Exodus terms
  • Decode מכת, פסח, ים, עבד, and more
  • Identify thematic gate reversals in the Exodus journey

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Week 8 – Symbol Validation Practice

• Day 15: Cross-Referencing for Validation: Canonical Witnesses
  • Using multiple texts to confirm symbols (law, prophets, writings)
  • How to strengthen 🧩 into 📖 with supporting layers
• Day 16: Workshop: Proposing New Symbols with Rule-Based Validation
  • Peer review of proposals
  • Student-led decoding sessions

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Week 9 – Structuring Research and Writing

• Day 17: Building a Research Paper in SP Methodology
  • Structure of a solid argument for a new symbol
  • Incorporating letter meaning, narrative support, cross pattern
• Day 18: Writing Lab: Midterm Paper Feedback and Revision Support
  • Instructor and peer consultation
  • Final project preparation strategies

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Week 10 – Final Presentations and Integration

• Day 19: Student Presentations: Cross-Revealing Word Structures
  • Each student presents research for critique and affirmation
• Day 20: Review, Integration, and Future Paths for Structural Research
  • How to expand symbol dictionaries
  • Applications in teaching, preaching, and AI-enhanced tools

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Course 4 (PhD): Sensus Plenior and Apostolic Method

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Week 1 – Recovering the Apostolic Lens

• Day 1: Introduction: The Apostolic Reading of Scripture
  • Overview of New Testament use of the Old
  • Apostles as Spirit-led interpreters post-cross
• Day 2: Emmaus Road as Methodology
  • Luke 24 as the foundation of sensus plenior
  • Discussion: “Did not our hearts burn?”

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Week 2 – Tools of Apostolic Interpretation

• Day 3: SP, Typology, and Pattern Recognition
  • Apostolic interpretive techniques
  • From shadow to fulfillment via structure and symbol
• Day 4: Thematic vs. Predictive Fulfillment
  • Prophecy is not prediction—it is patterned
  • Workshop: identifying layered prophecy in Torah

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Week 3 – Case Study: Peter in Acts

• Day 5: Pentecost and Joel: Rereading in the Spirit
  • Apostolic use of time and theme
  • Patterns of judgment and renewal
• Day 6: David and the Resurrection
  • Apostolic reading of Psalms (Psalm 16, 110)
  • Workshop: Peter’s logic in Acts 2

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Week 4 – Case Study: Paul’s Hermeneutics

• Day 7: Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah (Galatians 4)
  • Allegory, structure, and spiritual lineages
  • Reading backwards through the cross
• Day 8: Israel in the Wilderness (1 Corinthians 10)
  • “These things were written for our instruction”
  • Symbolic reading of physical events

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Week 5 – Case Study: Hebrews

• Day 9: Melchizedek and Eternal Priesthood
  • Genesis and Psalm 110 as pattern, Christ as fulfillment, the message
  • High priesthood revealed in layers
• Day 10: Tabernacle and Sacrifice
  • Physical layout as symbolic prophecy
  • From shadow to heavenly reality

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Week 6 – Apostolic Method vs. Modern Hermeneutics

• Day 11: Comparing Methods: Apostolic vs Historical-Critical
  • Where modern tools fall short
  • When literalism obscures deeper meaning
• Day 12: Workshop: Comparative Paper Planning
  • Choose a passage cited by an apostle
  • Outline modern vs apostolic approach

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Week 7 – Midrash and the Rule-Based Method

• Day 13: Practicing First-Century Midrash with Apostolic rules
  • Consistent symbol use, cross-confirmation, narrative layering
  • Case study: the serpent lifted up (Numbers → John 3)
• Day 14: Workshop: Student Proposals for Midrashic Readings
  • Group review and refinement
  • Emphasis on rule-based legitimacy

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Week 8 – Prophetic Structure in Torah

• Day 15: Narrative as Prophecy: Genesis Genealogies
  • Symbolic names and structural foreshadowing
  • Tracing cross patterns before Sinai
• Day 16: Prophetic Cycles in Exodus and Numbers
  • Egypt, wilderness, water, and rebellion as repeated arc
  • Class presentations begin

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Week 9 – Teaching the Emmaus Method

• Day 17: From Discovery to Discipleship
  • Making apostolic reading accessible to the church
  • Teaching others to trace Christ in narrative and pattern
• Day 18: Peer Presentations (Round 2)
  • Continued student-led Torah case studies
  • Group discussion and constructive critique

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Week 10 – Integration and Application

• Day 19: Final Project Presentations: Emmaus-Style Readings
  • Each student presents a pericope from the Prophets
  • Must include SP structure and apostolic logic
• Day 20: Conclusion: From Apostolic to Prophetic Teacher
  • Final discussion on implications for scholarship and preaching
  • Blessing and commissioning for rule-based prophetic readers

Course 5 (PhD/MDiv Elective): Building Symbol Databases and Validation Systems

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Week 1 – Foundations of Symbol Organization

• Day 1: Introduction to Symbol Cataloging
  • Purpose and scope of a sensus plenior symbol database
  • Overview of the 📖 confirmed / 🧩 proposed system
• Day 2: Symbolic Hierarchies and Allegorical Families
  • How symbols group: from water → rain, sea, mist
  • Practice: Categorizing example symbols into parent/child relationships

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Week 2 – Structure of a Symbol Dictionary

• Day 3: Defining Symbol Fields: Meaning, Verse, Usage, Validation
  • Metadata structure for each symbol entry
  • Building clean, reusable definitions
• Day 4: Case Study: “Water” and Its Relatives
  • Walkthrough: Word study, uses, layered meanings
  • Begin personal symbol map for project

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Week 3 – Validation Protocols

• Day 5: What Counts as a “Confirmed” Symbol?
  • Using Scripture itself as validation
  • Validation by repetition, fulfillment, apostolic use
• Day 6: Using Cross-Textual Support
  • Building citation chains
  • Workshop: Validate a 🧩 symbol using at least 3 witnesses

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Week 4 – Name Meanings and Symbolic Structures

• Day 7: Organizing Names by Symbolic Theme
  • Example: Er, Tamar, Judah, and their prophetic echoes
  • Incorporating names into database schema
• Day 8: Narrative-Type Symbols
  • From structure to entry: Cross-symbol in a story
  • Documenting narrative arcs as symbols

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Week 5 – Team Tools and Research Design

• Day 9: Spreadsheets as Symbol Entry Templates
  • Using tabs for symbol categories, validation notes, references
  • Collaborating with consistency
• Day 10: Converting Sheets to Databases (Beginner Tools)
  • Airtable, Notion, SQLite, and basic web pipelines
  • Demo: Simple interface for searchable dictionaries

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Week 6 – Group Project Launch

• Day 11: Team Project Planning and Role Assignment
  • Forming symbol research teams
  • Agreeing on internal tagging logic and scope
• Day 12: Team Work Session 1: First 10 Symbols and Cross-links
  • Focus on building consistent entry structure
  • Peer review checkpoints

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Week 7 – Ongoing Team Development

• Day 13: Team Work Session 2: Expanding Families and Definitions
  • Add complexity: variations, reversals, nested gates
  • Map out validation flow for each new entry
• Day 14: Midpoint Presentation: Symbol Set Demonstration
  • Each team shares their in-progress database subset
  • Group critique and suggestions

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Week 8 – Advanced Integration and Cross-Symbol Linking

• Day 15: Interconnected Symbol Networks
  • Mapping where multiple symbol families meet (e.g. water + bride)
  • Designing for teaching and AI-training applications
• Day 16: Teaching Tools from Symbol Sets
  • Sample outputs: devotionals, diagrams, teaching notes
  • Considerations for accessibility (non-Hebrew readers)

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Week 9 – Writing and Defending a Symbol Set

• Day 17: Drafting a Validation Defense Paper
  • Logic, evidence, and reproducibility
  • Template for the final paper structure
• Day 18: Peer Review: Symbol Set and Defense Logic
  • Trade papers and offer written feedback
  • Refine citations and tagging structure

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Week 10 – Final Presentations and Publishing Readiness

• Day 19: Team Presentations: Searchable Symbol Set Showcase
  • Demonstration of research logic, validation strength, and tools created
• Day 20: Final Integration and Next Steps
  • Discuss future contributions to a shared open-source symbol database
  • Invite participation in long-term academic and ministry resource development

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Ready for the next course when you are!

Course 6 (PhD/MDiv Elective): AI and the Sensus Plenior: Teaching Machines to Unveil Christ

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Week 1 – Foundations of AI + Sensus Plenior

• Day 1: Introduction: Why Teach Machines to Read Spiritually?
  • Overview of AI in biblical studies
  • The challenge: spiritual meaning through rule-based modeling
• Day 2: Sensus Plenior Recap for Machines
  • Symbol stability, word formations, gates, and patterns
  • Identifying structures machines can learn

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Week 2 – Preparing the Language for Learning

• Day 3: Encoding Letter Meanings for Models
  • How to tag Hebrew letters with symbolic definitions
  • Practice: construct training datasets from known symbols
• Day 4: Gates, Word Formations, and Machine Pattern Recognition
  • Symbolic gates and their reversals
  • Training the machine to associate structure with theme

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Week 3 – NLP and Symbolic Tagging

• Day 5: Natural Language Processing Basics for Theologians
  • Tokenization, embedding, prompt-based classification
  • Building input data from SP-formatted texts
• Day 6: Tagging Scripture with Symbol Metadata
  • Create sample tagged texts (📖 water, 🧩 serpent, etc.)
  • Tools for building a tagged corpus

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Week 4 – Human vs Machine Reading

• Day 7: Comparing Interpretations: Manual vs Model
  • Feed a symbolic passage into GPT or custom model
  • Evaluate symbol matches and misses
• Day 8: Feedback Loops and Model Improvement
  • Reinforcement: adjusting weights with better validations
  • Assignment: write a “teaching prompt” for AI

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Week 5 – Midterm Project Launch

• Day 9: Planning Your Model: Choose Passage + Symbol Set
  • Select a narrative for AI-assisted analysis
  • Outline known symbols, formations, and goals
• Day 10: Small Group Workshop: Symbol Logic for Training
  • Peer feedback on approach to encode structure
  • Begin constructing prompt structures and symbol anchors

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Week 6 – Training and Refining

• Day 11: Running a Model and Capturing Output
  • Using ChatGPT or open-source models with theological prompts
  • Save and annotate symbol candidates
• Day 12: Assessing Theological and Symbolic Fidelity
  • What’s valid? What’s noise?
  • Begin tagging outputs: 🧩 or 📖 with reasoning

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Week 7 – Model Refinement and Application

• Day 13: Improving Output Through Prompt Engineering
  • Feed symbol families, definitions, structure rules
  • Compare outputs with different instruction sets
• Day 14: Peer Review: Presentation of Outputs and Analysis
  • Each student presents their AI’s first-pass commentary
  • Group critique with improvement suggestions

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Week 8 – Ethics and Human-In-The-Loop Validation

• Day 15: Discernment and AI: Can Machines Be Spiritual?
  • Ethical limits of AI interpretation
  • Ensuring human responsibility in spiritual meaning
• Day 16: Building a Human-in-the-Loop System
  • Structured feedback models for improving accuracy
  • Assign final AI refinement cycle

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Week 9 – Writing and Drafting the Commentary

• Day 17: Drafting a Commentary with AI Assistance
  • Students compile outputs, annotations, and final interpretations
  • Formatting for theological clarity and symbolic reproducibility
• Day 18: Peer Editing Workshop
  • Student exchange for clarity, accuracy, and faithfulness
  • Final commentary refinement

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Week 10 – Presentations and Theological Review

• Day 19: Final Project Presentations
  • Each student presents: passage, training method, outputs, evaluation
• Day 20: Roundtable Reflection: Future of AI and Sensus Plenior
  • What did we learn? What can AI never do?
  • Vision-casting for tools to serve the church

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Course 7 (MDiv Elective): Tools for Non-Hebrew Readers: Accessing Sensus Plenior in Translation

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Week 1 – Orientation to the Sensus Plenior for Non-Hebrew Readers

• Day 1: Introduction to Sensus Plenior Without Hebrew
  • What SP is—and how it’s accessible without original languages
  • Spiritual meaning, symbolic systems, and cross-patterns
• Day 2: Tools Overview: Dictionaries, Symbol Maps, and Visual Aids
  • Tour of SP resources (PDFs, glossaries, web apps)
  • Assignment: explore tools and report findings

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Week 2 – Understanding the Hebrew Alphabet Through Symbol Sets

• Day 3: Hebrew Letters in Translation: Meaning Without Memorization
  • Using charts and guided maps to interpret letter-by-letter symbols
  • Examples: א = creation/speaking, ב = revelation, etc.
• Day 4: Word Patterns from English-Side Tools
  • Recognizing patterns like AB/C or inner gate structures with helper tools
  • Exercises: analyze English transliterations using visual guides

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Week 3 – Finding the Cross in English Translation

• Day 5: Symbol Discovery in Narrative and Structure
  • Learn to identify themes of death, separation, lifting, and restoration
  • Case study: Genesis 22 (Isaac’s near sacrifice)
• Day 6: Building a Symbol Chart from English
  • Assignment: Trace one symbol (e.g., thorns, stone, or covering) across 3-5 passages

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Week 4 – Working with Reverse Interlinear Guides

• Day 7: Using Free and Paid Interlinear Tools Effectively
  • Logos, BlueLetterBible, BibleHub, etc.
  • From Strong’s to structure: when and how to dig
• Day 8: Finding Word Roots and Symbolic Clues
  • Practice with Genesis 4 (Cain), Exodus 14 (Red Sea), Jonah 1 (storm)
  • Identifying structural meaning behind words

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Week 5 – SP in Preaching and Teaching Without Hebrew

• Day 9: How to Teach Symbolic Meaning Without Losing the Room
  • Crafting simple visual metaphors for cross-patterns
  • Case study: youth sermon on Noah’s ark
• Day 10: Workshop: Build a Teaching Plan Using One Symbol Family
  • Groups: water/word, fire/judgment, hand/works, bride/virgin/prostitute
  • Begin sermon/lesson construction

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Week 6 – Case Studies in English Sensus Plenior

• Day 11: SP in the Gospels Using English Patterns
  • Narrative arc of Jesus calming the storm, cleansing the temple
  • Identifying embedded symbols without language tools
• Day 12: Psalms and Proverbs in Translation
  • Repetitions, poetic parallelism, and symbol-based theology
  • Assignment: interpret one psalm using known symbol families

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Week 7 – Teaching Sensus Plenior to Lay Audiences

• Day 13: Preaching the Cross Through Pattern
  • Cross-structure storytelling and testimony
  • Workshop: refine a sermon or study draft with SP focus
• Day 14: Using SP in Discipleship and Family Devotion
  • Simple tools to teach deep truth through image and structure
  • Group brainstorm: tool ideas for children’s or small group use

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Week 8 – Cross-Symbol Case Study: Joseph

• Day 15: Joseph in English: Rejection, Descent, Resurrection
  • Find and list symbolic movements through the story
  • Assignment: build a SP teaching outline from Joseph’s life
• Day 16: Workshop: From Outline to Lesson
  • Peer critique and reshaping
  • Focus on clarity, simplicity, and accuracy

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Week 9 – Final Project Prep

• Day 17: Choosing a Pericope and Tracing the Cross
  • Student selects passage and outlines known and proposed symbols
  • Instructor and peer feedback on plan
• Day 18: Final Drafting Lab
  • In-class writing with peer and instructor support
  • Optional mini-presentations

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Week 10 – Presentations and Practical Integration

• Day 19: Final Presentations: SP Interpretation of a Passage
  • Students walk through their passage, showing structure, symbols, and meaning
• Day 20: Class Summary and Future Resource Guide
  • Review tools, online resources, and paths forward
  • Closing reflection: God’s voice for every learner

Course 8 (MDiv): Sensus Plenior in Evangelism and Preaching

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Week 1 – Foundations: Why Preach the Cross from Every Passage

• Day 1: Introduction to SP in Evangelism and Preaching
  • Preaching Christ through structure, not surface
  • Why the cross is always the central message
• Day 2: From Symbol to Sermon: The Evangelistic Use of Pattern
  • Case study: the serpent lifted up (Numbers → John 3)
  • Assignment: identify a personal favorite passage and reflect on how it may point to the cross

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Week 2 – Evangelism Through Narrative Structure

• Day 3: Telling the Story of Christ Through Typology
  • Joseph, David, Moses, Noah, Ruth—how they preach Jesus
  • Structure: descent, death, lifting up, and resurrection
• Day 4: Workshop: Mapping the Cross in a Familiar Story
  • Group exercise: trace death-resurrection arc in an OT narrative

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Week 3 – Symbol-Based Preaching Without Proof-Texting

• Day 5: SP Preaching vs Topical and Verse-Based Models
  • Avoiding disjointed proof-texts by preaching the symbolic unity
  • Learning to trust the deeper structure
• Day 6: Using Symbols to Shape Sermons
  • Building a sermon around a single symbol or symbol family
  • Assignment: draft a one-symbol teaching outline (e.g., stone, water, fig tree)

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Week 4 – Preaching Through Hebrew Narrative Logic

• Day 7: Hebrew vs Western Narrative: Story Arcs That Preach
  • Narrative as theology: how events embody meaning
  • Patterns like “there and back again,” “death before birth,” “the two sons”
• Day 8: Workshop: Preaching from Obscure or Difficult Texts
  • Practice: Gen 38 (Tamar), Judges 11 (Jephthah), 2 Kings 6 (floating axe head)

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Week 5 – SP in Public Proclamation

• Day 9: Restoring Confidence in the Bible Through Symbolic Coherence
  • Showing how disparate texts unite around the cross
  • Case studies: thorns, garments, coverings, altars
• Day 10: Evangelism in Secular or Skeptical Settings
  • Presenting Scripture’s depth and internal consistency
  • Crafting messages that invite the hearer to see God's design

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Week 6 – Visuals, Language, and Simplicity

• Day 11: Making the Invisible Visible: Visual Sermon Tools
  • Charts, icons, illustrations to show SP patterns in preaching
  • Using repetition and rhythm to reinforce symbolic arcs
• Day 12: Language that Builds Faith Without Jargon
  • Preaching Christ to the unchurched without oversimplifying
  • Rewriting the message for a 12-year-old or a seeker

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Week 7 – Workshop: Symbol-Based Evangelistic Message

• Day 13: Student Workshop: Evangelistic Message from a Symbol
  • Peer review and constructive feedback
  • Adjusting tone, structure, symbol clarity
• Day 14: Practice Preaching: Delivering for Impact
  • Short preaching rotations with audience feedback

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Week 8 – SP and the Gospels as Evangelistic Template

• Day 15: Jesus' Use of the Old Testament in Evangelism
  • Road to Emmaus, Parables, Isaiah 61, Jonah
  • Cross patterns in His evangelistic teachings
• Day 16: Case Study: Preaching from a Psalm or Proverb
  • Tracing symbols in poetry and wisdom for public use

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Week 9 – Preaching from Torah as a Series

• Day 17: Building a SP Sermon Series Through the Pentateuch
  • Example: Genesis 1–3 as the foundation of gospel preaching
  • Structuring continuity and call-to-action
• Day 18: Final Sermon Series Workshop
  • Student collaboration and refining outlines
  • Submission of drafts for review

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Week 10 – Final Presentations and Commissioning

• Day 19: Final Presentations: One Sermon or Series Sampler
  • Students preach or present selected portion with SP explanation
• Day 20: Closing: The Cross from Every Page
  • Review, testimonies, reflection, and commissioning to preach Christ with confidence and beauty

Course 9 (PhD/MDiv): Resolving Contradictions with Sensus Plenior

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Week 1 – Introduction: The Nature of Contradiction

• Day 1: Why We See Contradictions: Hebrew vs. Greek Frameworks
  • The limits of rational categories (e.g., binary logic vs pattern logic)
  • The Hebrew worldview: paradox, pattern, and purpose
• Day 2: Sensus Plenior as a Reconciliatory Method
  • Structure and symbol as unifying forces
  • SP is not compromise, but deeper coherence

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Week 2 – Doctrinal Tensions I: Grace and Law

• Day 3: Grace vs. Law in Narrative Structure
  • The law as shadow of grace through the cross
  • Symbolic readings of Torah as gospel foreshadowing
• Day 4: Reconstructing the Tension Through Symbols
  • Examples: Mount Sinai, blood, the veil, leprosy, garments
  • Workshop: resolving Exodus or Leviticus passages

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Week 3 – Doctrinal Tensions II: Justice and Mercy

• Day 5: Judgment, Sacrifice, and Substitution
  • SP patterns: the judge who is judged, the priest who dies
  • Christ as both justice and mercy in every structure
• Day 6: Narrative Resolution: Cain, David, Jonah, and the Cross
  • Comparing “justice withheld” stories through SP
  • Student reflection assignment: “How SP Reframes Justice”

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Week 4 – Doctrinal Tensions III: Sovereignty and Free Will

• Day 7: The God Who Commands and the Man Who Chooses
  • Symbolic resolution: two sons, two trees, two roads
  • Reading Genesis 2–3 structurally
• Day 8: Joseph and Pharaoh: Divine Control Through Human Conflict
  • SP resolution of providence and participation
  • Class debate: Is God orchestrating or responding?

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Week 5 – Contradictions in Proverbs and Wisdom Literature

• Day 9: “Answer a fool” / “Don’t answer a fool” – Which is true?
  • Parallelism, poetic tension, and the Spirit’s interpretive key
  • Application: how to teach paradox with integrity
• Day 10: Proverbs and the Cross: Resolution through Pattern
  • Case studies: wisdom vs folly, rich vs poor, reward vs judgment
  • Workshop: harmonizing conflicting proverbs

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Week 6 – Gospel Harmonies and Apparent Discrepancies

• Day 11: Why the Gospels Tell Different Stories
  • Gospel development as progressive revelation, not contradiction
  • Symbolic and theological reasons for variance
• Day 12: SP Reading of Gospel Discrepancies
  • The fig tree, the blind men, the resurrection accounts
  • Assignment: resolve one Gospel tension through the cross

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Week 7 – Contradictions in the Law

• Day 13: Legal Conflicts in Torah: Ritual vs Moral Law
  • Symbolic readings of dietary laws, Sabbath, leprosy, etc.
  • Unifying all through Christ’s fulfillment
• Day 14: Structural Reconciliation of Judgment Laws
  • Bloodguilt, stoning, and cleansing rituals through the cross
  • Workshop: choose one commandment and trace its fulfillment in Christ

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Week 8 – Reframing Theology Through SP

• Day 15: Historical Confusion: Theology Through Non-Hebraic Lenses
  • Church history, scholasticism, and Greek philosophy
  • The damage of separating Spirit and symbol
• Day 16: Restoring Theological Confidence Through SP
  • How to teach unity in Scripture with integrity and precision
  • Group reflection: “Where has SP brought peace to my theology?”

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Week 9 – Student Teaching Lab

• Day 17: Teaching the Tension: Student-Led Resolution Sessions (Round 1)
  • 5–7 minute teachings: one contradiction and SP-based resolution
• Day 18: Teaching the Tension: Student-Led Resolution Sessions (Round 2)
  • Continued with peer and instructor feedback

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Week 10 – Final Projects and Integration

• Day 19: Final Paper/Presentation Workshop
  • Refine logic, symbols, citations
  • Optional peer review + feedback sessions
• Day 20: Final Presentations: Resolving Three Contradictions
  • Each student presents one symbol-based resolution with a theological reflection
  • Class celebration and commissioning: peace through the cross

Course 10 (PhD): Balaamisms and the Doctrines of the Judaizers

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Week 1 – Foundations: The Spirit of Deception and the Spirit of Grace

• Day 1: Introduction: Balaamism and Judaizing Defined
  • What is a Balaamism? What is a Judaizer?
  • Distorting grace, adding law, or manipulating truth
• Day 2: Spiritual Compromise in Narrative Pattern
  • Cain, Balaam, and Korah as spiritual archetypes
  • Overview of their structural role in redemptive history

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Week 2 – Balaam: The Prophet Who Spoke Right but Walked Wrong

• Day 3: Narrative and Structure: Numbers 22–24
  • The spiritual split in Balaam’s journey
  • Talking donkey, angel of judgment, and the false blessing
• Day 4: Word Study and Symbolic Patterning of Balaam
  • Hebrew breakdown of בלעם
  • Cross-structure: seeing, resisting, speaking, falling

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Week 3 – Korah: Rebellion in the Name of God

• Day 5: Narrative Analysis: Numbers 16 and the Rebellion of Authority
  • Priestly structure and substitution patterns
  • The earth opens: symbolic death and false elevation
• Day 6: Symbolic Arc of Rebellion
  • Cain to Korah: Pattern of internal vs external sacrifice
  • False fire, unauthorized incense, and the gate of death

Week 4 – The Serpent: Casting Doubt as the First Balaamism

• Day 7: The Serpent as the First Balaamist
  • Genesis 3: questioning God’s word and motive
  • SP analysis: twisting, adding, and subtracting from divine command
  • Gate and word structure of נחש (serpent) as a deceiver
• Day 8: SP Comparison: Serpent, Balaam, and Korah as One Voice
  • The pattern of inner rebellion masked by outward speech
  • Jude and Revelation on the shared spirit of deception
  • Building a unified Balaamist structure from Eden forward

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Week 5 – Judaizing Doctrines in the New Testament

• Day 9: Galatians and the Threat of Legalism
  • Works of the law vs promise of the Spirit
  • Paul's use of allegory and structure (Hagar/Sarah)
• Day 10: Acts 15 and the Council at Jerusalem
  • SP view of how the early church handled legalism
  • Structure of grace, resistance, and compromise

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Week 6 – Levitical Law and the Cross

• Day 11: Reading Law Symbolically: Clean vs Unclean
  • Leviticus through the lens of substitution and death
  • Animal laws, blood, and garments as cross-patterns
• Day 12: Grace in the Structure of Ritual Law
  • Tabernacle layout as transformation of the inner man
  • SP application to modern debates about “biblical law”

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Week 7 – Patterns of Legalism and Spiritual Manipulation

• Day 13: Contemporary Balaamisms: Subtle Manipulation of Grace
  • Signs of coercion, mixture, and false authority
  • Workshop: students bring examples from modern contexts
• Day 14: Case Studies in Modern Judaizing
  • Law added to sanctification: performance-based faith
  • SP analysis of legalistic sermons or discipleship models

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Week 8 – Identifying False Teaching by Pattern

• Day 15: Narrative Structure as Diagnostic Tool
  • Spotting Balaam-type structures in teaching or leadership
  • Comparing narrative arcs to Gospel-based ones
• Day 16: Workshop: Develop Your Own SP Framework
  • Students design a rule-based diagnostic tool
  • Peer review and critique of structure

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Week 9 – Teaching and Guarding Against False Doctrine

• Day 17: Constructing a Redemptive Teaching Series from Balaamist Texts
  • How to teach hard texts to build trust, not fear
  • Turning rebellion into opportunity to reveal the cross
• Day 18: Student Presentations (Round 1): Case Study Analysis
  • Presentation and defense of SP analysis of false teaching

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Week 10 – Final Presentations and Commissioning

• Day 19: Student Presentations (Round 2): Teaching Frameworks
  • Tools for congregations, classes, and discipleship
• Day 20: Review and Sending: Contending for Grace in Every Generation
  • SP vision for discernment, healing, and freedom from legalism

Sensus plenior