I'm Going To Theology School (At Home!)

Just before I got my new job back in February, my wife and I discovered an online preacher who we took a liking to. His name was Carlton Knott and while he didn't have a huge following on YouTube his sermons were on another level.

One of the series he presented was called 'The Present Truth' and in it, he basically broke down how we could get a theological degree, just by following a set schedule of studies. Not only within the bible, but setting up a weekly schedule of topics and reading a book each day on the subject.

His thought was, if the information is out there, don't pay for a piece of paper. Invest in yourself, the material and do the work yourself. Obviously, I'm in no position to go back to school at this point in my life, so this attracted me.

Essentially, my dream is to one day get my degree in theology. But this would have to do.....

But then, I got a new job lol And as you have seen over the past 6 months, it's taken a big chunk of my attention. But this past weekend, I got fired up to start this process and give it a go over the next few months. I thought it would be a fun exercise to showcase 'the plan' and then go over each book / subject I'll be diving into in this 'semester' of theology school from home lol

Here's Evangelist Carlton Knott's game plan....

Sunday - Prophecy

He recommended books by Marvin Moore, a respected Adventist author. And thankfully, yours truly happens to work in a bookstore so lol. I grabbed this book, all about Revelation 13. This exact title was actually recommended to me by a customer that came into the store recently and raved about it. So I thought this was the perfect fit to start the week off :)

Monday - Physiology / Health

Health is a big deal in my church. And one of the most recommended books on the subject is 'The Ministry of Healing' by Ellen White. I own a physical copy of it, but I also own a study guide on the book by Jon Paulien. We are after all, living in the temples of God, so we need to take care of our health. I can't wait to dive into this classic as well as the companion study guide.

Tuesday - Church History

I just finished Testimonies Volume 9 so let's keep going backwards in time :)

These books are not only great advice for the church in today's day and age, but it also showcases the issues that arose during the creation and growth of the early Seventh Day Adventist Church. If we don't know our history, we'll never know our future so this is the perfect match for my Tuesday readings.

Wednesday - Christology

I'm cheating a bit on this day. Obviously, Christology means the study of Jesus. But I decided to slide in this classic from LeRoy E. Froom on the Holy Spirit. I've been wanting to read this for years and figured the Trinity includes the Holy Spirit so...We'll dive into this one first. When I'm done these 7 books in the 'first semester', I'll more than likely re-read Christ's Object Lessons or even Desire of Ages. But for now, we'll tackle this!

Thursday - Doctrines

This was a recommended book by Carlton Knott, and thought it would be a lot of fun to start reading during this adventure. What's so unique about this book is that it's done in a question and answer method. So each week, I'll tackle different doctrines and see what the bible says about each topic.

It's not a traditional 'text' book by any stretch, but to learn church doctrines, this this is a treasured resource.

Friday - Sanctuary Study

This is volume 5 of a 7 volume set on Daniel and Revelation. And a big part of understanding both of those books is a study on the sanctuary. And being an Adventist, the sanctuary plays a big role in our bible understanding so....This is a fantastic resource.

I have 6 of the 7 of these books, and apparently one of the volumes in no longer in print. So I'll dive through each of these and then begin the search for the missing volume.

Sabbath - Family

And finally, after church on Sabbath I plan on sitting down on my couch and diving into this book on raising kids for God. Because wow, I need a lot of help lol

One of the other books that was recommended was 'Adventist Home' which I read a few years ago. It is one of my favorite books on the topic ever written. The good news is my wife plans on doing this plan with me, so she will be reading that book while I read this one :)

And here's how it all looks on paper:

So each day of the week, I will dedicate an hour to my studies. This is on top of my current bible readings and devotionals that I already do. And yeah, all this will be done while having a full time job with 2 crazy kids in their prime :)

But hey, Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ!!!!

If I was going to 'real school' this work load would be light, so I'm kind of excited to see if I can follow through with this. I expect this first 'semester' of home school will take me about 2-3 months. And it's the first time in my life I'll be juggling this many books at once. But this is something I think will really help my spiritual growth, so I'm excited to dive in.

I'll keep you guys updated on the progress if it doesn't bore you to death ;)

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