Module Description

Kingdom of God

Of all the subjects preached and taught by Jesus of Nazareth, none are as significant and controversial as the subject of the Kingdom of God. Both conservative and liberal scholars agree that Jesus’ favorite subject, the one he preached and taught upon most often, is the Kingdom of God. It was his salvation message, master plan, and heart theology. Sadly, the modern Church seems to pay little attention to what Jesus considered to be most important in his prophetic and Messianic ministry. Our hope is that your heart will be gripped by the kingdom story - the King and his Kingdom - and see its importance in the life of personal discipleship and ministry.

Required Textbooks

The Capstone Curriculum

Reading Assignments

Reading Assignments

Each Capstone module has assigned textbooks which are read and discussed through the course. We encourage students to read, reflect upon, and respond to these with their professors, mentors, and fellow learners. Because of the fluidity of the texts (i.e., books going out of print), the required textbooks list will be different from what is listed in your Capstone Curriculum workbook. The textbooks list with each module is the OFFICIAL Capstone required textbook list.

Students: Part of our coursework requires that you purchase, read, and reflect upon the textbook(s) for the course. The assignment is to read each required textbook and write a precis (concise summary) of its main point, as you see it. Please summarize its major theme and argument, and then give your concise evaluation for each reading. Although the Student Workbook only shows space for two readings, the student must write a summary for each reading by using the back of the form. It is of utmost importance to us for our students to analyze a text, that is, to read it, understand its thesis (main point), articulate its argument in a respectful way (whether you agree with the author or not), and then respond as to why you agree or disagree with the thesis. This practice helps strengthen your ability to engage different opinions in a respectful way, and learn to listen to others and respond with clarity and respect. In this way, you learn to dialogue with and discuss with others whose beliefs are different than your own.

Mentors:  The reading assignments below are keyed specifically to the lesson format of this module.  Please note that, depending on how you are structuring your course sessions, you have complete flexibility to break up the reading assignments to match your actual class sessions.  In other words, if you are running an eight week course, simply break up the reading assignments to match your sessions (see Appendix 8 in For the Next Generation, TUMI Mentor Manual for sample course schedule options).  What is critical is that you focus on the lesson as the basic unit of teaching in your Capstone courses.

Kindle

Capstone is also available on Kindle and is a handy complement to your Capstone Students Softcover Workbook; the accessibility of the digital editions will be a lifetime resource for sermon preparation, Bible Study, and theological research.