Dates TBA
September to November, 2025
via Zoom
The Redemptive Story of God and Humanity: Christian Foundations I
If we are to share in God’s mission for the world, then we need to have a firm idea of “the-story-so-far” and do our best to write ourselves into it—and help others to do the same!
God has been walking with humanity throughout history, and that journey can be seen as a beautiful – if tumultuous – story that we are all a part of. But like any good story, it pays to know what came before so that we can understand where we are and how to make sense of what comes next.
This course provides a look at the ancient history of the faith, weaving together the Old and New Testaments into a coherent narrative, showing God’s relationship with us and with all people. Grounded in an examination of the nature and character of God, we will examine the Bible, set it in context, and explore how the many stories of scripture flow and come together in a stream that we still swim in today, all with an eye towards inviting others to join us in God’s loving story of redemption.
What You’ll Learn
How it works
Learn together
Participate in eight two-hour Zoom sessions with Matthew and the learning community.
Practice in your context
During the course you will be encouraged to apply your learning in your context in order to deepen your understanding.
Reflect in community
Your new knowledge and experience will become even more meaningful when shared with other learning practitioners like yourself.
Instructor
The Rev. Dr. Robert (Rob) Jones is an Anglican priest and biblical scholar. Rob serves St. John’s Episcopal Church in Huntingdon, PA, as a long-term supply priest, and he is also the assistant director of Jewish Studies and an assistant research professor of Jewish Studies and Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Penn State University. He was ordained a priest in the Anglican Diocese of Niagara in September 2022 after serving as an assistant curate at Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton, ON. He received an MDiv from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2014 and a PhD in Religious Studies from McMaster University in 2020. Rob is a recognized expert in the Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism. His first book was published with Brill in 2023 and he has published peer-reviewed articles in Dead Sea Discoveries, the Journal of Ancient Judaism, Currents in Biblical Research, and Catholic Biblical Quarterly. Rob has a passion for equipping Christians with the tools to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the Bible in its historical context, and for helping Christians prayerfully discern what God is saying to the church in and through the Bible today. He is also passionate about helping individuals and congregations discover what it looks like to follow Jesus in their local communities. Rob lives in Boalsburg, PA, with his wife, Kyle and his dog Lady. He enjoys hiking, canoeing, camping, reading, playing video games, and cheering for the Philadelphia Phillies.