OAIM Christian Essentials Course

In a confusing world, it is becoming more and more difficult to know what the truth is. No longer can we rely on what others tell us, even if those others are friends or pastors. We must be constantly alert for subtle twistings of Scripture and theology, which can pull us from the path God has set before us.

Now more than ever we need to settle in our own minds the basic issues of the faith. What is it that makes a person a Christian? Where do our beliefs come from? Are they based on what the Bible really teaches or do we merely follow those beliefs out of tradition or habit?

In this course, you will examine the beliefs you have, where they come from and why you believe as you do. This will not be easy. It will require you to gather information, sift through it and analyze it, and then synthesize it together to form your own belief. In doing this, you will learn not only what it is you believe, but you will learn why you believe this way and be able to defend your stance if necessary.

There is no less popular stance in our society today than to be a Christian who believes in the fundamentals. If you stand for Christ, the real Christ, you must be ready with solid answers to give to those around you. It's important to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

How the course is structured:

For this course, there are five basic essentials we will cover:

The authority and reliability of the Bible.
The nature of God.
The character of God.
The nature of salvation.
Graceful Fundamentalism.

Be prepared, though, we do not give you answers. You will need to be like the Bereans and search for the answers yourself. We will give you guidance on where to look, but we will not tell you what to think about these topics. When you have concluded your research, we invite you to send us your conclusions. After our review of your submission, we'll send it back to you with our comments. We'll give our suggestions to challenge you to rework things that might not be clear before you move on to the next Essential. (If you are taking the course with the goal of becoming and OAIM counselor, it's important for you to pay close attention to these comments and to think through the issues we might raise in your answers.) You may resubmit your responses as many times as you need to. When we feel like you have a good grasp of the matters in this Essential, we will pass you on to the next level.

This is not a course that you should hurry through, just to get your answers sent in. The purpose of this course is to define for yourself what it is you believe and why and to learn to communicate your beliefs with others. If you only put down answers you think we would like to hear, it will not help you grow in your Christian life. If you've had theological training, you may already have researched some of these issues. But for the majority of you who will begin this course, you've never really researched why you believe as you do and you may even be confused about the various beliefs out there. The goal of this course is to help you clarify what it is your faith is and to prepare you to take a stance to defend it if necessary.

Feel free to look over the course before you make a decision to start it. We think it will be a growth experience for all who participate. Click here to see the first essential, The Authority and Reliability of the Bible. If you have decided you want to begin the course, you can sign up here.

In God's loving grace,

Parepidemos and Chalkbrd
founders, Open Arms Internet Ministry