NEW MAPI Course: "Trinity & Jesus' Christology" (Oct.23-Dec.11) with Dr Paul Blackham

We introduce the 8th of our ten MAPI courses for our 'Master's Degree in Apologetics and Polemics to Islam' program (MAPI).
This course is entitled IS508[23] "Responding to Islamic Christology", taught by Dr Paul Blackham, every Monday afternoon from October 23 - December 11, 2023.
This course responds specifically to the challenges by Muslims today against both the historic divinity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity, engaging with both the Bible and the Qur’an to support not only the doctrines of Christ’s divinity and the Trinity in the Bible but to simultaneously confront the doctrine of Tawhid in the Qur’an.
Beginning on Monday the 23rd of October (starting at 3:00 p.m. - Eastern Time) Dr Blackham will be lecturing for 8 weeks, with each lecture followed by a 'live' discussion and Q&A between the students and himself (as well as Dr Jay smith and Dr Daniel Janosik) on the material introduced in each lecture.
To register for the course just e-mail "Peter" before August 28th to: [e-mail]
Dr Blackham will be lecturing 'live', via Zoom Webinar, every Monday afternoon from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time - USA) until December 11.
Since all of our teaching is by Zoom Webinar, you can watch the lectures from the comfort of your own home, anywhere in the world, or at any time, as they will be recorded and the URL will be sent to you by Dr Smith the next day by email.
But you need to be a Christian to take this course, due to the fact that it is being taught at the 'Veritas International University' (VIU) which is a Christian seminary headquartered in New Mexico, and, therefore, only Christian students can participate.
Every lecture will be recorded, and the URL along with the PowerPoints and PDFs will be sent to every registered student, so that those who are asleep in another part of the world and cannot thus be at the 'live lectures', can still watch them wherever they are, and at any time they choose.
As we have in the past, we are offering this course for 3 categories of students:
1) Full-TIme Master's or Doctoral Degree Students:
The first category are those students who want to take this course for a Master's or a Doctorate academic credit. This is a 3-credit course, so the fee for each credit is $330, which makes the cost for the whole course around $1,000 (depending on whether you are a returning or a new student). For these full-time students, the full course itself continues for 15 weeks, stretching from October 23, 2023 - January 29, 2024 (though there are only 8 weeks of lecture). This will give you ample time to read and then write logs on the books required for the course, participate in the discussions, write your Research papers, and write your final 'open book' exam.
2) Audit Students:
The second category are those students who want to simply audit the course. The fee for this 8-week course is $325. An Audit student will not have any assignments, but will have access to the Populi site where the discussions and assignments are found (like the Full-time academic students), and will be able to listen to the lectures and will be sent the PowerPoints and PDFs to download.
3) Personal Enrichment Students:
The third category are those students who simply want to take this course for their 'Personal Enrichment'. Their fee for the 8-week course is $225. Unlike the Full-time students or the Audit students, they will not have access to the Populi site, but will still have "live access" to all of the lectures and will be sent the PowerPoints and PDFs to download.
To underline the distinctions, while all of the students in all 3 categories will have access to all of the lectures and to all of the PowerPoints and PDFs for the entire course, the full-time Academic as well as the Audit students will also have admission to the Populi site to participate in the ongoing weekly discussions, and will have access to the reading lists and assignments, though the full-time students will only be required to fulfill them.
If you are interested in any of these 3 levels, simply e-mail the registrar 'Peter Diaz' at: [e-mail]
But you need to hurry, as the first lecture begins on Monday, October 23, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US).
Just e-mail: [e-mail]
Lecture Topics:
Week 1 - Foundations
Week 2 - The Qur'an & the Islamic Traditions on the Trinity and Jesus' Divinity
Week 3 - Jesus in all the Scriptures
Week 4 - The Trinity in all the Scriptures
Week 5 - The Trinity and the divinity of Jesus beyond the Scriptures
Week 6 - What happened at Nicaea and why does mediaeval philosophy matter?
Week 7 - Dr Shabir Ally and Trinitarian debates
Week 8 - Dr Blackham on the "Hot Seat" with 20 questions
We're looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Monday, August 28th, but do register first at: [e-mail]
© Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, October 13, 2023
(86,370) Music: Rustic Ballad, by Alexander Nakarada, from Flmmusic-io

[@caroliner2029]

This sounds very interesting and useful.

[@nicxiondavids8213]

Dr Jay. How can we do this MAPI course in South Africa. I"m very interested

[@drdavidfoo6632]

Will you offer Patristic studies alongside your course?

[@wayofthenazarene303]

It is INSANE that Paul cannot defend the TRINITY using the NT?!?!

[@alfiras8604]

Dear Jay Smith, My name is Mohammed Al-Firas. I am looking to have a discussion with you regarding some of the stuff you discuss, like Quranic manuscripts, inscriptions, hadiths etc. (I'm not knowledgeable enough to address all of your claims, but I'm fairly confident with these topics. I'm not too well-acquainted with the materials for other topics like qiblahs, or whether Mecca had water etc. ) I'm not looking for a debate, just an online discussion, if that's fine with you.

[@trustmebrobro]

This guy is a snake oil salesman. He's no Dr. Anyone who believes their god was breastfed is sick in the head.

[@garybowings1538]

"Alonzo Harris" worships three gods.

[@YeshuaYaakov]

Got there before him 😅

[@mitchpeter5718]

Alat, Al uzat, Al manat!!

[@Dude0000]

Hey Jay. What do you think about the situation with the Palestinians in Israel? Not surprisingly following their book and their man, right?

[@etzelkaplan9677]

god protect the innocent victims on both sides. ps the killing of 40 babies was a hoax. propaganda [nyt]

[@ahler3973]

Gbu all

[@britanikothegreat8513]

Deuteronomy 18:18-19. Revelation 22:18-19. Matthew 3:11. Deuteronomy 4:35-36. Job 40:18-19. ENDLESS QUESTION ONE ANSWER. MALACHI 1:11. 2CHRONICLES 7:14.

[@britanikothegreat8513]

ISAIAH 28:9?!. HEBREW 5:13. PHILIPPIANS 2:6-7. HEBREW 4:12. ANG IYONG PANGALAN. AMOS 8:10. AASA SA AWA MO AMA. PSALMS 145:7.

[@britanikothegreat8513]

LEVITICUS 5:17. LEVITICUS 26:1-46. PROVERB 30:4?!.6. JOSHUA 1:1-8. PSALMS 1:1-2. 1SAMUEL 16:7. JEREMIAH 15:1-3. EZEKIEL 3:17-20. DEUTERONOMY 5:1-11. EXODUS 20:7-8-12. DO NOT COMPLAIN LIKE JESUS OR EMMANUEL!!! ISAIAH 7:14. LUKE 1:26-35. MATTHEW 2:1-15. MATTHEW 3:11-15. JOHN 10:30. JOHN 14:1-6. MATTHEW 27:46. PSALMS 22:1-20!!! 21!!! JOHN 19:28-30. HEBREW 9:27. HEBREW 10:28. JOSHUA 1:18. 2CORINTHIANS 5:10. HEBREW 4:12.

[@midimusicforever]

Jesus is God!

[@etzelkaplan9677]

Jesus ate food pooped in the woods. used a leaf to wipe. bible ' god is not a man ' oy vey

[@nitram46]

He never made that claim. You should read the first commandment

[@etzelkaplan9677]

@@nitram46 read your buy-bull mate

[@midimusicforever]

@@nitram46 Jesus sure made that claim, time and time again. And He didn't break the first commandment, because he and the Father are One!

[@nitram46]

@@midimusicforever Those that claim Jesus is God are the ones ignoring the 1st commandment. Not Jesus. Jesus said " I can do nothing without the father" Can quote any words from the bible where he claimed to be God ? ,,,, 'Question your teachers they may be wrong'

[@claudiozanella256]

There is absolutely NO DOUBT that no triune God exists! The reasons are that: 1. contrary to the doctrine only the Father is ALMIGHTY ("...only the Father knows", Mk. 13:32) and 2. the Son is WITH THE FATHER ONLY, that is crystal clear reiterated about 40 times in the gospels by Jesus, He is NEVER with both Father and Holy Spirit. Thus, from the DIRECT TESTIMONY of Jesus you are absolutely SURE that no trinity can exist! However trinitarians do not TRUST what Jesus says, they think to identify in the scriptures a third divine person: the Holy Spirit, who is the "Comforter". But it is NOT TRUE! The "Spirit of God" (aka Holy Spirit) simply is the SAME GOD who is a spirit "God is a spirit" (Jn. 4:24). In other terms God in Person (normal) sends the Spirit, but that Spirit is the SAME GOD (almighty) in the form of a spirit. That is, it is true that the Spirit is distinct from God, but He is is not a distinct PERSON. Thus that THIRD person simply does NOT EXIST. The "Spirit of God" (aka Holy Spirit) is actually originated by God (the "normal" God) who is AWAY in a distant dimension "No man has seen God at any time." "the world did not know you". You can see in the gospels that EVERYTHING is carried out by that Spirit here on earth, NOT PERSONALLY by God: the Spirit of God dealt with Mary's pregnancy, spoke when Jesus was baptized, led Jesus into the desert, later helped Him in speaking too. Further, the Spirit of God (aka "Spirit of your Father") also helped the apostles in speaking. There is ONLY one Spirit here and that Spirit is God, almighty.

[@etzelkaplan9677]

jesus in bible ' god is one ' church doctrine ' god is 3 coequal godheads ' today 61 percent of Americans do not believe Jesus is god [newsweek] that seems awfully low ....muslim since 2002

[@nitram46]

The minority seems the loudest. The rational ignored.

[@BanazirGalpsi1968]

God is one, manifesting as three, but he's still one. You are a soul in a body, with a mind. You are one. Manifesting as three but you are one. God can do something with this you can't. He can use his manifesting three in autonomous ways without loosing oneness. You can't do that but u r not God

[@etzelkaplan9677]

@@BanazirGalpsi1968 good luck with following church doctrine of 3 coequal godheads [foreign to Jesus] written by the same church clergy that delight in chasing 11 yr old altar boys around the rectory. just not for me or anyone under 40 living in christendom today

[@nitram46]

So if I have a mind, body and soul. I'm a God too ? Please refer to 1st commandment ! Jesus never said he was God. Parrot ! @@BanazirGalpsi1968

[@advocatus_diaboli_7777]

So if I have a mind, body and soul I'm a God. I said that to God and he wasn't very happy. Good luck with that. @@BanazirGalpsi1968