Spiritual Formation II

Course Code
MASM814
Level
Graduate
Credit Hours
1

Instructor(s)

Dr. Harry Allotey
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Course Description

It introduces spiritual practices, grounded in the Christian tradition, that sustain and nurture a life-long pursuit of union with God. The focus of this course will be on Holiness, Prayer, Worship and Fasting. The student will maintain a spiritual journal during the semester. They will interact with their Bible reading, prayers, and personal walk. Students will be required to attend at least 95% of all communal worship. Spiritual formation is not an individual, solitary process, but requires interaction and the involvement of many other people in our lives. This is why students’ class times together are very important. Each student has a role to contribute toward the spiritual formation of the instructor as well as fellow classmates. We will observe a silent prayer vigil on the Daniel Institute Student Awakening Day (DISAD) from Friday afternoon until Saturday noon, praying for one hour after every three hours every three hours.

 

Each student will be required to secure a prayer partner and submit their name to the professor. There will be an assignment called “Living the Life God has Planned”. This assignment is a series of three assignments that will be completed over the first three weeks of the course. Each week will require that the student read and meditate on a portion of a biblical text on either prayer or worship and then write a one-page response to his/her reading. The student is to embark on an Individual Spiritual Retreat. The individual retreat will be planned by the student with the facilitation of a mentor chosen by the student and endorsed by his/her instructor/professor. The retreat should be at least three hours on an evening (or afternoon) and then four hours the following day. (example – Friday evening, 6:30 – 9:30 and Saturday morning, 8:30 – 12:30). Students will be asked to write a 2-3 page reflection paper about the experience they select.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course the students will:

  1. Reflect on their spiritual formation and to assess areas of strength and needed growth. 
  2. Increase awareness of the value of Christian community in the pursuit of spiritual formation.
  3. Learning to periodically take stock of his/her spiritual life and ensure sustenance of devotion to God
  4. Strengthen his/her person and corporate worship and prayer life by increasing the number of hours spent in God’s presence.

Course Content

Topics

  1. Conversion: A New Allegiance
  2. Regeneration: A New Life (Ferguson
  3. Justification: A New Standing
  4. Adoption: A New Relationship  
  5. Sanctification and Holiness: A New Pattern, New Standard
  6. Prayer: Private, Corporate and Constant communication
  7. A Life of Prayer: Elijah, Daniel and Jesus
  8. Spiritual Warfare: The Enemy, the Battle and Our Weapons
  9. Intercessory Prayer: Biblical survey and the Moravian Model
  10. Worship: Personal and Corporate
  11. Praise and Revivals: Biblical and Contemporary Examples
  12. Fasting

Mode of Delivery

Through lectures, seminars, class interaction, group discussion, reading and assignments

Reading Materials

  1. Chandler, D. J. (2014). Christian Spiritual Formation. Westmont, IL.: IVP.
  2. Elom-Donkor, L. (2017). Christian Morality in Ghanaian Pentecostalism. Oxford: Regnum Books     
  3. MacArthur, J. F. (2013). Strange Fire. Nashville, TN.: Thomas Nelson.
  4. Nouwen, H. J. M. (2018). Spiritual Direction. San Francisco, CA.: HarperOne.
  5. Nouwen, H. J. M. at al. (2018). Spiritual Formation: Following the Movement of the Spirit. San Francisco, CA.: HarperOne.