8 Evangelism and Spiritual Warfare

[Hank Voss]

This was the most personally impacting of the Capstone modules for me to teach. The texts are especially challenging, they forced me to seriously revaluate my own commitment to the missional life. Mentor beware! This course could change your life and ministry! My students evaluations were especially positive on this module as well. Here are two sample quotes:

“Fantastic! I’ve completed two courses thus far. I can literally feel myself growing in Christ as I progress through the curriculum.”
Daniel Freemen

“These courses allow me to apply the content given even before the course was finished. What a practical way to learn.”
Chris Strode

I hope to write more later on this module, but if you are teaching this course in an eight week format, you may find this syllabus helpful. Feel free to adapt. John Price put together most of these syllabi originally, and his file is the one I have posted as a template. I have also posted a version I used in class. You will want to confirm textbook assignments, since some assigned readings have changed since these courses were taught.

I also uploaded a brief outline of the Handbook on Spiritual Warfare. This is the longest required reading in the Capstone Curriculum. The outline has not been filled in equally, but is a helpful starting place as you help your students assess the book's claims. The Handbook has also caused more contraversy with students then any other text we have used. Murphey relies heavily on his experience, which is different than that of most of my students. I found Clint Arnold's book' Three Crucial Questions on Spiritual Warfare (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997) to provide a helpful theological context for some of the key claims in Murphey's book. The three questions Arnold deals with are: 1) What is spiritual warfare? 2) Can a Christian be demon possesed/demonized? and 3) Are Christians called to engage teritorial spirits? I found Arnold's treatement of the second question especially helpful as we discussed Murhpey's claims and stories about the demonization of Chrisitans. If you feel like you need an additional resource as you teach this module, Arnold's book(s--he has writte a half dozen on spiritual warfare, but particularily Three Crucial Questions ), would be a good investment. On a personal note, Dr. Arnold was my thesis advisor at Talbot, and I have a very high respect for his research as well as his comitment to use his vocation in service to the church.

[bcully]

I liked the evangelism book for the class, Every Member Evangelism. This was a classic TUMI text--short, practical, stands the test of time, and imminently Biblical. The Spiritual Warfare Handbook I have some reservations on, but not for the reasons one might think. Yes, it was controversial in my class, but I do not mind that. Controversy forces people to address their presuppositions and argue for their stance, which usually allows for growth and a deeper understanding Biblically of what the truth is. I did not like that it was over 500 pages of reading. This might be okay if it were one of the final classes that a TUMI student took on their way to a certificate, but it is certainly not a good first class to take with all of this reading, as it might discourage people from taking another class. It is not typical, in other words.

I would also prefer for the class to be actually two different classes. There is more than enough material for one class to be devoted to Evangelism, and another for Spiritual Warfare. In fact, one of the TUMI courses I took a few years ago was simply devoted to Spiritual Warfare, and I enjoyed it and was helped by it immensely. It covered the topic far more thoroughly than did the two week coverage of this module.