WELCOME
Thank you for your interest in the online version of the Evangelism course. My name is Brad Boydston and I have been teaching PIU classes since 2006. When my wife Cheryl and I were missionaries, we lived for three years on Guam and taught on campus. I was also the Academic Vice-President for Pacific Islands University.
I have been a local church pastor, church planter, and chaplain. In 2022 I retired from serving as a chaplain at a senior adult community in Florida, USA — Covenant Living of Florida. My wife Cheryl and I then moved into the community where I had served. However, I didn't retire from one of the most important (and fulfilling) things I am doing with my life — teaching PIU classes. By choice, I am a volunteer teacher (that is, I don't get paid to do this). I am also the executive minister of SEEDS for PIU, a small mission organization that supports the ministry of PIU. I am an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Please feel free to address me as “Brad” unless you are uncomfortable with that level of informality. I’ve been known to answer to titles such as “Pastor,” Chaplain," “Doctor,” “Professor,” or “Teacher” — but am most comfortable being on a first-name basis with my students.
My wife Cheryl and I met in junior high school, and we have been married for over 40 years. We have three adult children, three grandchildren. If you're curious to find out more visit about.boydston.us.
I know that evangelism makes some people nervous but let me reassure you that if I see you making an effort you'll do fine in this course.
CONTACT INFORMATION
If for some reason there is a crisis and you cannot send email, call me on the phone or send me a note in the regular mail. Please explain what is going on and how I can help you. Here is my contact information:
Brad Boydston
9102 W Broward Blvd Apt C114
Plantation FL 33324 USA
Phone: 1-602-903-5085 (If you call or text, make sure you know the time in Florida.)
email: bboydston@piu.edu
OFFICE HOURS
I maintain online office hours using Google Meet. You are not required to visit the office hour but you will be rewarded if you do. An invitation is emailed during the weeks when I am available.
COURSE INFORMATION
The course will be delivered online through this blog. While there will be video presentations and occasional online group chats, your primary interaction will be with me, the teacher. Assignments can be submitted by email, by using the share button on your Google Doc, or through Populi, our favorite "Learning Management System." There are no established classroom hours — although as I mentioned above, I plan to maintain an online video office hour most weeks utilizing Google Meet. Drop by if you have questions or just want to talk with me.
Assignments will be posted on the class blog site.
This course is designed so that most people should spend about 8-10 hours per week to do the work right. Some sections in this class involve more work — some a little less. Please plan to spend an average of 8-10 hours each week working on evangelism assignments.
You are welcome to work at your own pace as long as you regularly submit assignments. I also expect you to email me a Monday Check-In each week. In that email briefly tell me what you are working on for the course, what you hope to accomplish in the course, on which days you plan to submit assignments, and anything else I should know. You will receive 12 points for each Monday Check-In.
ASSIGNMENT MARKINGS
I use the following system to mark assignments I've received from students. You might see any or all of this when you read the assignments that have been scored. This will help you as you improve and prepare to resubmit the assignment to earn additional points.
- Magenta/Pink = Excellent! Well said.
- Yellow = Look closely at this. Figure out what is wrong with it. It could be a writing mistake.
- Green = Add this to your writing.
- Red = Remove this from your writing.
- Orange/Tan = Instructor's comments.
- Blue/Cyan = Score or grade.
- 90/100 = You earned 90 points on an assignment worth 100 points.
RESUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
Once you submit an assignment I will read it, comment on it, and assign points to it. It will then be sent back to you. Once you receive the score and comments you are encouraged to go back over the assignment, make adjustments, and resubmit for a new score. You can do this until you are happy with the score you receive.
GRADING
Your semester grade will be based on the number of points that you earn in the course.
- Once you reach 600 points you have earned enough to get a D- grade for the course.
- Once you reach 650 points you have earned enough to get a D grade for the course.
- Once you reach 690 points you have earned enough to get a D+ grade for the course.
- Once you reach 700 points you have earned enough to get a C- grade for the course.
- Once you reach 750 points you have earned enough to get a C grade for the course.
- Once you reach 790 points you have earned enough to get a C+ grade for the course.
- Once you reach 800 points you have earned enough to get a B- grade for the course.
- Once you reach 850 points you have earned enough to get a B grade for the course.
- Once you reach 890 points you have earned enough to get a B+ grade for the course.
- Once you reach 900 points you have earned enough to get an A- grade for the course.
- Once you reach 950 points you have earned enough to get an A grade for the course.
- Once you reach 990 points you have earned enough to get an A+ grade for the course.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND READING
Students will choose and read one of the following books; and then write a book report according to a template that will be provided. All of these books should be in the PIU library. I don't agree with everything presented in all these books but I want you to be exposed to thinking beyond my own.
Students will choose and read one of the following books; and then write a book report according to a template that will be provided. All of these books should be in the PIU library. I don't agree with everything presented in all these books but I want you to be exposed to thinking beyond my own.
- Mike Bechtle, Evangelism for the Rest of Us (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006)
- James Choung, True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In (Downers Grover: InterVarsity Press, 2008)
- Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Revell, any edition is acceptable) -- available for free online reading here. (.pdf)
- Robert E. Coleman, The Master’s Way of Personal Evangelism (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1997
- George G Hunter, III, The Celtic Way of Evangelism by (Nashville, Abingdon Press; 10th revised edition, 2010)
- Paul E. Little, How to Give Away Your Faith (Downers Grove: IVP, 1988).
- Jay Moon and W. Bud Simon, Effective Intercultural Evangelism (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2021)
- Tim Morey, Embodying Our Faith (Downers Grover: InterVarsity Press, 2009)
- Randy Newman, Questioning Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2004)
- J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (Downers Grover: InterVarsity Press, Revised, 2012).
- Alvin L. Reid and David A. Wheeler, Servant Evangelism: Showing and Sharing the Good News (Gospel Advance Books, 2013)
WARNING
If I do not hear from you for a week, you will be dropped from the class. If it is early enough in the semester you will then receive a "W" (withdrawal) on your transcript. If you withdraw through inactivity after the tenth week of the class you will receive a grade based on the total number of points you have earned. See the current PIU catalog for more information. If there is a crisis and you cannot send me an email, you should call/text my phone or send me a note in the regular mail. Please explain what is going on and how I can help you.
ASSIGNMENT #1
Thank you for reading all the introductory information. Please send me an email introducing yourself and what you already know or think about evangelism. Perhaps you'll include in your email some comments about:
- where you live,
- where you're from,
- what you do in your spare time,
- how you started to have faith in Jesus,
- what you think evangelism is,
- why it should happen,
- how it should happen,
- how it should not happen,
- your level of confidence in talking about Jesus and matters of faith,
- your personal experience in sharing your faith with non-believers.
No comments:
Post a Comment