This 24-credit certificate program through Wesley Biblical Seminary will give you a solid foundation in understanding the history and development of both Christianity and Islam. You will investigate deeply the core of Christian and Muslim worldviews. You will gain practical skills in evangelism, discipleship and church planting in Muslim contexts. The core courses in this certificate program are below. Other LTC courses can be substituted, in consultation with your academic advisor, for some of the first four LTC courses.​​

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1. Islamic Foundations: A Chronological Reading of the Qur’an and the Islamic Narrative of Muhammad (MS620) - Taught by Rev. Dr. Benjamin Hegeman
This course will give Islam’s supreme prophet, Abdul Casim Muhammad a full hearing through reading the Qur’an and the oldest biography of Muhammad. This course will enable you to render a verdict on Muhammad’s message based on his own words. You will do so as an ‘academic’ jury. The lectures will follow the life of Muhammad as explained by his biography and a chronological reading of the Qur’an. These two primary texts constitute the undisputed Foundation from which evolved all other texts in Islam: namely, the Hadiths, the Sunna, Shari’a laws, theology, as well as Islamic history, culture, architecture, and the relationship of Muslims with each other, with Jews and Christians, and with ‘pagan’ cultures.

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2. Christian Engagment with Muslims (MS612) - Taught by Dr. Don Little

This course will provide students with the historical, theological, missiological and practical foundational understanding needed to enable you to sensitively and fruitfully befriend and minister among Muslims. You will be exposed to a variety of Christian approaches to Muslims and understandings of Islam, and you will be equipped to eagerly, thoughtfully, and joyfully engage in personal and corporate ministry to Muslims.

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3. Islamic History: A Christian Interpretation (MS705) - Taught by Rev. Dr. Benjamin Hegeman

Islamic history is the pride and joy of Muslims worldwide, even if they do not agree on how to interpret it. After Muhammad’s death, the Islamic empire rapidly conquered surrounding nations, and the new Islamic caliphs had to violently wrestle with theological and political issues. It quickly led to inter-Islamic civil wars, which continue in various forms until today. Islam is a house divided, yet Muslims are exceedingly proud of their past.

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In this course we will examine these historical developments in the areas of theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, governance, literature and culture. Following a brief overview of Muhammad’s life, we cover the period from Muhammad’s death in 632 AD to the October 2023 war in Gaza. 

 

Relying on primary sources—the Qur’an, Hadith, Shari’a law, treaties, diplomatic correspondence, love poems, tales and accounts of Christian and Jewish interactions with Muslims—those taking this course will enter a fascinating world of facts, legends, infighting and conquest to understand how various Muslim interpretations of the past still impact the identity of Islamic communities today. We will discover, as we travel through the centuries, how Muslim intellectuals came into sharp conflict with classical Islamic fundamentalists as well as Christian theologians and historians. History matters supremely to devout Muslims, and anyone working among them needs a deeper and more nuanced historical understanding of Islamic history.

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4. Discipling and Planting Churches in Muslim Communities (MS640) - taught by Dr. Don Little

The course has two major inter-related topics: discipling believers of Muslim background (BMBs) and planting churches among Muslims. We will reflect biblically, theologically & historically on spiritual transformation and discipleship, and then explore practical challenges encountered in discipling BMBs in the churches that we plant. We will then reflect biblically, theologically, and historically on church planting and we will explore the critical issues involved in planting healthy churches and helping guide the development of CPMs.

 
Our journey of discovery together will explore historical realities and approaches, biblical and theological perspectives, missiological, cultural and religious challenges and practical approaches to both discipleship and church planting that will enable us to be more faithful and fruitful in our ministries in the 21st century. We will tackle the core issues and challenges that church planters encounter as we endeavor to see God birth healthy, flourishing and multiplying disciples and churches among Muslims.

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​5. Discipleship and Spiritual Formation

Examines the personal means of grace necessary for a dynamic Christian walk with the Lord and enables the student to incorporate the imperative to “make disciples” into local church ministry and the nuclear family. Included in this course the student will be required to engage in a supervised “works of mercy” ministry for the duration of the term.

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6. Inductive Bible Study I (The Gospels)

Helps students develop an accurate method of studying Scripture appropriate for use in life and ministry. One of the Gospels will serve as text for comprehensive instruction in the basic principles of inductive Bible study. Students will survey each section of the chosen Gospel and will analyze the structure and important terms of selected passages. Emphasis is also put on understanding the role of each passage within the entire Gospel.

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7. History of Christian Thought

Focuses on the historical development of Christian doctrine. Special attention is given to the Church Fathers, to the controversies that resulted in the ecumenical creeds, the theological development of Medieval Christendom, the concerns of the Reformation and counter-Reformation, the thinking of the Revivalists, and the issues that have resulted from the Fundamentalist/Modernist conflict of the twentieth century. Emphasis will be placed on the doctrinal development of many of the major themes in Christian theology. 

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8. Moral Theology and the Gospel

​Considers the metaphysical doctrines that are necessary for the development of an adequate moral theology regarding the essential ethical implications of Christian thought. The course looks at issues such as the relationship between the doctrines of creation and redemption to search for the best way to understand the idea that Christian morality is universal in its application without denying the uniqueness of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. The life of the local church and the challenges of specific moral questions in contemporary life are always in mind in this course.​

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NOTE: All credits earned in the Certificate can be applied towards a Master of Arts or Master of Divinity degree at WBS. For more information, email us at info@liliastrottercenter.org