Units (Subjects)
These are the individual units of study currently available.
Please go to Courses for information on our undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses.
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2018 Semester 2 Wednesday Daytime Unit
This unit develops a biblical framework for church planting and biblical principles which should direct the church planting process. Multiple models of and case studies of church planting will be evaluated. You will identify a set of principles to guide the church planting process and the development of a church planting strategy to fit a specific context.
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Foundational Unit
2018 October Intensive Unit
The church is far from perfect; whether we have in mind the early church or the church today. How did the church get started? What issues did those first Christians struggle with? How did God use his people to spread the light of the gospel from its beginnings in Judea and Jerusalem to the heart of the Roman Empire?...
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2018 August Postgraduate Unit
The human experience of disability keeps turning up on the pages of the Bible and raises questions about the core concerns of theology. What are God’s purposes? What does it mean to be human? How do faith and cognition connect? Who belongs at my church? What answers are on offer in Christianity and other systems of belief?...
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2018 September/October Postgraduate Unit
We are excited to be offering SMBC’s third Study Tour of Israel and Jordan. Join us as we visit some of the key archaeological sites connected with important events recorded in the Bible – and that relate to the life and ministry of Jesus...
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2018 Semester 2 Monday Daytime Unit
A study of selected texts from Ezekiel and Job. The purpose of this unit is to develop your skills in exegeting Old Testament texts to facilitate the effective use of the Old Testament in Christian ministry.
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2018 Semester 2 Monday Daytime Unit
The aim of this subject is to give you confidence in your use of the Psalms for preaching and pastoring. Whilst some attention will be given to the significance of the Psalter’s literary structure, most lectures will attend to the interpretation of individual Psalms. A variety of Psalms representative of the various types found in the Psalter will be studied in class. The use of the Psalms in the New Testament will also be studied.
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Foundational Unit, Pre-requisite for NT420, NT430, NT424, NT434
2018 Semester 2 Monday Daytime Unit
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter...
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Pre-requisites: LA004A-B, NT302/502
2018 Semester 2 Monday Daytime Unit
Want to explore in more depth the thorny issues raised in Paul's letter to the Corinthians and the theological depth of Hebrews? How did the values in 1st century Corinth impact the Corinthian church and their view of the Christian life and spiritual gifts? Why did the writer to the Hebrews warn them about falling away?...
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Pre-requisite: NT302/502
2018 Semester 2 Monday Daytime Unit
Want to explore in more depth the thorny issues raised in Paul's letter to the Corinthians and the theological depth of Hebrews? How did the values in 1st century Corinth impact the Corinthian church and their view of the Christian life and spiritual gifts? Why did the writer to the Hebrews warn them about falling away?...
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2018 Semester 2 Tuesday Daytime Unit
An exegetical and theological survey of the book of Isaiah with consideration of its application to Christian living and ministry.
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2018 Semester 2 Tuesday Daytime Unit
The aim of this subject is to equip you with skills in independent thought, evaluation and analysis. Topics will include basic arguments, rules of logic, fallacies in arguments, philosophical concepts, a history of philosophy and a brief overview of hermeneutics. This unit is compulsory for MDiv students and an elective for BTh students.
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Pre-requisite: LA004A
2018 Semester 2 Tuesday + Thursday Daytime Unit
This is a continuation of the Semester 1 unit LA004A. The unit prepares you to read straightforward parts of the Greek New Testament for yourself, be equipped for consulting New Testament commentaries based on the Greek text and reading books which discuss or refer to Greek words and expressions...
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Pre-requisite: LA004A
2018 Semester 2 Tuesday + Thursday Daytime Unit
This is a continuation of the Semester 1 unit LA004A. The unit prepares you to read straightforward parts of the Greek New Testament for yourself, be equipped for consulting New Testament commentaries based on the Greek text and reading books which discuss or refer to Greek words and expressions...
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2018 Semester 2 Tuesday Daytime Unit
This subject provides an introduction to the valid application of the entire Bible to the Christian. The course will survey possibilities with an emphasis on the Christ-centred nature of the biblical revelation. Practical issues in preaching the Old Testament to Christians will be explored.
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2018 Semester 2 Tuesday + Wednesday Daytime Unit
God has a global mission! And that means that we, as God’s people, also have a mission. But to know how we fit in, we need to understand what God has done, is doing and will do. This subject explores God’s mission by looking at the Bible, the history of mission since Jesus, the impact of culture on mission, the role of the local church and the various strategies we can use...
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Pre-requisite: LA003A
2018 Semester 2 Tuesday + Friday Daytime Unit
This is the continuing semester of the unit where you will be introduced to and given experience in reading the Hebrew language in which the Old Testament was written. This prepares you to: read the Hebrew Old Testament for yourself; be equipped for consulting Old Testament commentaries based on the Hebrew text; and read books which discuss or refer to Hebrew words and expressions...
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This is a foundational unit and pre-requisite for NT620, NT630, NT624, NT634.
2018 Semester 2 Tuesday Daytime Unit
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter...
More info
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Pre-requisites: PC447/647/CP01and CP02a
2018 Semester 2 Tuesday Daytime Unit
In our churches every week are people wrestling with life’s difficulties. The problems of death, disease, political unrest and terrorism create considerable angst and fear. In today’s church how do we address God’s people dealing with such turmoil? How do we communicate the timeless truths of the gospel and connect them with our broken world? How does Christ make a difference? In what ways do people best hear and understand these truths? How does the Bible speak to our deepest longings?...
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2018 Semester 2 Tuesday Daytime Unit
This unit aims to help you develop an understanding of the beliefs, practices, and worldview assumptions of Muslims and Buddhists, and to build on this understanding to develop a contextualised approach to sharing the gospel with Muslims and Buddhists.
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Pre-requisite: 8cp of foundational NT/OT and 4cp of CH/TH
2018 Semester 2 Wednesday Daytime Unit
Theology affects all of life. It is intensely practical. It answers the meaning of life questions such as, “Who am I? What is my purpose? How can I live well?” by stepping back to see the centrality of God himself to our lives and universe. As Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”...
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2018 Semester 2 Wednesday Daytime Unit
Sex, guns and babies – what is Christian ethics in a postmodern, post-Christian, culturally relativist, morally subjectivist world where "everything is OK as long as you are true to yourself". Can you give a Christian viewpoint on the mini-Pill, euthanasia, IVF, divorce and remarriage, same-sex attraction, war, gambling, or which political party to vote for?...
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2018 Semester 2 Wednesday Daytime Unit
God has a global mission! And that means that we, as God’s people, also have a mission. But to know how we fit in, we need to understand what God has done, is doing and will do. This subject explores God’s mission by looking at the Bible, the history of mission since Jesus, the impact of culture on mission, the role of the local church and the various strategies we can use...
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This is a foundational unit
2018 Semester 2 Wednesday Daytime Unit
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th century...
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Pre-requisite: OT302/502
2018 Semester 2 Thursday Daytime Unit
We live in beautiful but broken world, a world full of blessing and loss. In every circumstance, we are called to trust in a God who is sovereign and good, a God who has promised to save and protect his people. How do we respond when our prayers to God go unanswered? How do we live faithfully before God in times of blessing and in times of loss?...
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2018 Semester 2 Thursday Daytime Unit
An overview of the text and themes of Hebrews, as this book sheds light on the person and work of Christ, and what that means for us today.
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2018 Semester 2 Thursday Daytime Unit
An overview of the themes and content of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, with attention to their historical context. The letters’ contributions to our understanding of pastoral leadership, doctrine and ethics are highlighted.
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2018 Semester 2 Thursday Daytime Unit
Ministering to people is challenging - whether you're in a paid role or volunteer, a minister in a church or elsewhere. To practice Christian pastoral care well requires wisdom, courage and patience. This unit offers a model of Christian pastoral care that is grounded in a biblical and theological framework...
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2018 Semester 2 Thursday Daytime Unit
This unit looks at some biblical material that informs our concepts of learning and teaching, as well as reviewing the work of some educationalists and practitioners. It includes areas such as cognitive style, traditional learning processes, high/low context and expressive art, all with a view to developing culturally appropriate approaches for the teaching of biblical material in diverse cultures.
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Foundational Unit
2018 Semester 2 Friday Daytime Unit
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th century...
More info
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Foundational Unit
2018 Semester 2 Friday Daytime Unit
"Everyone is a theologian...they just don't know it!" If that's so, then the real question is whether you're doing good or bad theology. Theology absolutely matters. That's because what lies at the heart of life, love and the universe is the reality of the Triune God and his plan to create, redeem and perfect the world he has made for his glory...
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Pre-requisite: OT302/502
2018 Semester 2 Friday Daytime Unit
Our study of exilic prophecy will focus on the often-neglected book of Ezekiel. While this book offers a number of challenges for modern readers such as bizarre sign acts, oracles of judgment, and fantastic visions, these features communicate a unique and important message that should contribute to our picture of God and His relationship with His world...
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Foundational Unit
2019 January Intensive Unit 1
What does it mean to live a life worthy of the gospel? How can we discern what is ‘right’ and ‘good’ – and how should we seek to apply that understanding in our post-Christian world?
The aim of this unit is to apply the Bible to develop a coherent theological framework for how we should think and act, live and love, do and desire as disciples of Christ – by the power of his Spirit and in accord with the will of God. Our approach will be biblical, systematic and practical...
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Pre-requisite: 8cp of foundational NT/OT and 4cp of CH/TH
2019 January Intensive Unit 2
Theology affects all of life. It is intensely practical. It answers the meaning of life questions such as, “Who am I? What is my purpose? How can I live well?” by stepping back to see the centrality of God himself to our lives and the universe. As Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”...
More info
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Foundational Unit
2019 April Intensive Unit 1
As Christians, we want to affirm that the Old Testament is indeed the word of God and that it holds value for the contemporary church. Yet at times we struggle to know what to do with it. While some parts are familiar, there is much here that seems odd or strange. In fact, it can sometimes feel like we are travelers lost in a foreign country – and without a guidebook...
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2019 April Intensive Unit 2
Our God is a God of mission. The gospel is for people of every nation, tribe and tongue, in Australia and to the ends of the earth. We all affirm it but how should it impact our lives and our churches here? Should we just focus on our own neighbourhood and let others work out the rest? What does it look like to faithfully serve God’s global mission at home? What is our role locally and further afield?...
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2019 July Intensive Unit
Our study of exilic prophecy will focus on the often-neglected book of Ezekiel. While this book offers a number of challenges for modern readers with its bizarre sign acts, oracles of judgment, and fantastic visions – these features communicate a unique and important message that should contribute to our picture of God and his relationship with his world. In particular, the book of Ezekiel portrays the holiness of God and the betrayal of his people in confronting and shocking language...
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Foundational Unit
2019 October Intensive Unit 1
'Get Wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.’ (Proverbs 4:7). Would you like to grow in your understanding of the Old Testament’s wisdom and prophecy books? Would you like to deepen your knowledge of God, as well as be equipped with tools for doing your own study and teaching of some of the least read books of the Bible?...
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Foundational Unit
2019 October Intensive Unit 2
"Everyone is a theologian...they just don't know it!" If that's so, then the real question is whether you're doing good or bad theology. Theology absolutely matters. That's because what lies at the heart of life, love and the universe is the reality of the Triune God and his plan to create, redeem and perfect the world he has made for his glory...
More info
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2019 January Postgraduate Unit
We live in an era when Christian leadership is intensely challenging. It is more important than ever for leaders to find competent support for effective ministry and personal development. Christian Mentoring is an intentional 1 to 1 ministry that helps good leaders flourish as thoughtful and secure Christian disciples in the midst of the challenges of ministry and life...
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2019 March Postgraduate Unit
What does it mean to be justified by God? What is the ground of justification? What are the fruits of justification? Where do ‘works’ fit in to the picture? Is justification by faith really the article by which the church stands or falls? What difference does it make to personal assurance? What is its relationship to holiness? How does it impact prayer, preaching, evangelism and pastoral counselling?...
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2019 May Postgraduate Unit
Deuteronomy has been called the most important book of the Old Testament, and is often compared to Romans in the New Testament. To heed its call is to “Choose life!” (30:19). We’re familiar with its call to love God with all our heart, yet the remainder of the book is seldom read. In fact, Deuteronomy consists largely of the first major example of preaching in the Bible, yet the book is seldom tapped as a resource for preaching today...
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2019 June Postgraduate Unit
Christian ministry is hard work and stressful at the best of times, even when it is a joy and blessing. Following in the way of Jesus necessarily involves suffering and sacrifice. Caring for God’s people is demanding and costly. Unresolved conflict can demotivate us. Criticisms can hurt. The challenge is to keep holy, healthy and maturing in the midst of the ups and downs of Christian ministry. A vibrant spiritual relationship with the living God is vital. We are to attend to our physical, emotional and mental health. Loving relationships with family and friends are crucial aspects of our being and well-being...
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2019 August Postgraduate Unit
Paul’s letter to the Colossians has long been one of the most loved letters in the New Testament for Christians. It has the wonderful combination of teaching about the greatness of the Lord Jesus as well as application for Christian living, and all within four succinct chapters! The perennial temptation to minimise the person of Christ and find strength for Christian living elsewhere means that this letter continues to teach and challenge us today...
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 1 Monday Evening Unit - Northern Beaches Centre
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter...
More info
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 2 Monday Evening Unit - Northern Beaches Centre
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
The church is far from perfect; whether we have in mind the early church or the church today. How did the church get started? What issues did those first Christians struggle with? How did God use his people to spread the light of the gospel from its beginnings in Judea and Jerusalem to the very heart of the Roman Empire?...
More info
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 1 Monday Evening Unit
In this unit you are introduced to and given experience in reading the language in which the New Testament was written. This prepares you to read straightforward parts of the Greek New Testament for yourself, be equipped for consulting New Testament commentaries based on the Greek text and reading books which discuss or refer to Greek words and expressions. New Testament Greek is a prerequisite for study of degree New Testament units with Greek exegesis in the Bachelor of Theology and Master of Divinity...
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 1 Tuesday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Who I am is very much a product of my personal history and experiences. The same can be said of families, people groups, even whole countries. As Christians, we have a shared collective history of thought and experiences that make up who the church is today. Church History not only helps us to understand ourselves, but it also reminds us how God has sovereignly worked throughout the centuries...
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2019 Semester 1 Tuesday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Competence and charisma often outstrip character in Christian leaders. However, what God primarily requires of Christian leaders in Scripture is character. That’s because leadership in God’s church is to be exercised by those who are first and foremost, followers of Jesus Christ. We can only serve as leaders if we are disciples of THE leader, Jesus Christ...
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2019 Semester 1 Wednesday Evening Unit
This series of 10 lectures is for all Christians who want to apply biblical wisdom as they confront life's complex issues.
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 1 Thursday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Who I am is very much a product of my personal history and experiences. The same can be said of families, people groups, even whole countries. As Christians, we have a shared collective history of thought and experiences that make up who the church is today. Church History not only helps us to understand ourselves, but it also reminds us how God has sovereignly worked throughout the centuries...
More info
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Pre-requisite: LA004A
2019 Semester 2 Monday Evening Unit
In this unit you are introduced to and given experience in reading the language in which the New Testament was written. This prepares you to read straightforward parts of the Greek New Testament for yourself, be equipped for consulting New Testament commentaries based on the Greek text and reading books which discuss or refer to Greek words and expressions...
More info
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 2 Tuesday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th century...
More info
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Pre/co-requisite: Early New Testament Church (NT302/502)
2019 Semester 2 Wednesday Evening Unit
The apostle Paul was one of the most zealous evangelists and clearest thinkers in the early church. What we know about him comes from the Acts of the Apostles and from the letters that make up a large part of our New Testament. Our world is fast becoming as pagan as it was in Paul’s time. With individual Christians and churches exhibiting many of the problems that he addressed, his letters are of crucial importance to the modern church. They enable us to respond to those issues in a godly and courageous way, and remain faithful to Christ and his gospel in our own age...
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2019 Semester 2 Wednesday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
This is a unit of learning and practical skills related to the planning and conduct of effective children’s ministry. Areas of study include: skills and techniques for communicating with children; pastoral care of children and families; children and worship; children’s ministry teams; training children for ministry; group management of children; duty of care requirements...
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Foundational Unit
2019 Semester 2 Thursday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th century...
More info
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2019 Semester 2 Thursday Evening Unit
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Christian ministry is grounded in God’s love for people in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That means Christian ministry is necessarily about loving and caring for people, so that they love, trust and look to Christ. Ministry to people can be challenging at the best of times, and especially when people are faced with crisis such as relationship breakdown, death, mental illness or domestic violence...
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