Posts in category: Announcements

Christian Ethics is a study that answers the question, “What does the whole Bible teach us about which acts, attitudes and personal character traits receive God’s approval, and which do not?”  (Wayne Grudem). And if ever there was a day when Christians needed some clear and robust biblical answers to the issues swirling around us, then it is surely these days in which we live.

God’s word teaches us how to live as God desires. Christian ethics is the application of the gospel in our ongoing lives. In each moment we have a choice to live for God or for self and show our love for God and others by our words, attitudes and actions. We are daily exposed to many competing ideas and value-systems, and when unsure of our foundation can be tempted to embrace the morality of the gods of this age. God’s word and His character are timeless and unchanging and provide a sufficient and reliable foundation on which to address the issues we face and fulfil our responsibility as light and salt of the world.

This module, taught over ten two-hour sessions, will examine a number of contemporary moral and ethical issues on the basis of the solid biblical foundation, enabling participants to critically analyse and evaluate different ethical views, to consider ethical issues which may arise in church and para-church ministries and to formulate appropriate responses. The course will be taught over zoom so, wherever you are in the world, you can access it and take part.

There are two ways to get involved:

• You can audit the course – simply taking part, enjoying the teaching and online fellowship, and benefitting from lots of notes and materials
• you can submit assessments – completing an assignment for marking and gaining EBC study credits

If you have any questions or want more information, please email info@edinburghbiblecollege.co.uk

You can download a Module Description: here

Lecturer:

Dr Adele Pilkington, MBBS MSC FFOM MRCGP DDAM DMS BA(HONS)TH MTH

Dates and Details:

(Wednesday mornings from 11.00 – 1.00pm  on zoom)

September 27^th   God’s law – the timeless standard for ethical dilemmas

October 4^th  Ethical implications of alternative worldviews

October 11th   Freedom of expression in an age of social connectivity

October 18^th   The deconstruction of marriage and the family

October 25^th   Finding our true identity in an age of gender confusion

November 1^st   No class

November 8^th   Lost generations – the consequences of liberal abortion

November 15^th   What is a ‘good death’ – sacred and secular responses

November 22^nd  Biotechnology and genetic manipulation

November 29^th ‘Code red for humanity’ – exploring environmental ethics

December 6^th Learning contentment in a materialistic world

Cost and Registration:

The cost for the course is £150 (auditing) or £200 (assessments) and registration and pre-payment are necessary. You can register here.

Course Tutor:

Dr Adele Pilkington is a Consultant Occupational Physician who has worked across the UK, including mission and humanitarian aid organisations. For 17 years she was Executive Editor of the remote learning MSc programme for Occupational Medicine at Manchester University. Her part-time theology studies reflected mission interest and research into mental health and Christian identity. She is a voluntary drugs educator for Hope UK and pro-life groups, part of the PRIME tutor network, anti-trafficking groups and a Board of Reference member for the Scottish Council of Human Bioethics.

Here are some details of another of the modules which we are running this autumn.

Scripture encourages us to

That verse teaches us of the need to rightly handle the word of God; meaning, of course, that it is possible and easy to wrongly handle Scripture. There are basic principles of interpretation that will help keep us from mishandling and misapplying the truths of God’s word, and this foundational, year-long, course will give you the tools and skills you need to be a worker who has no need to be ashamed.

Over 30 Tuesday evenings between the end of September and next June, EBC’s Principal, experienced preacher and teacher John Brand, will guide you through the steps in interpreting Scripture – laying the foundation, observation, interpretation and application and how to see Christ in all of Scripture.

Held over zoom, you don’t even need to leave home to benefit from this course! And because all sessions are recorded, if the live teaching time doesn’t suit you, registered students can access and watch them at a convenient time of their own choosing.

There are two ways to get involved:

• You can audit the course – simply taking part, enjoying the teaching and online fellowship, and benefitting from lots of notes and materials
• you can submit assessments – completing assignments for marking and gaining EBC study credits

The course starts on Monday 26th September 2023 and runs from 7.00 – 9.00pm each Tuesday evening during College term time. Specific dates will be provided.

The cost is:

• auditing option: £150 per term (10 sessions @ £15 per night); £400 for the whole year if paid in advance
• assessments option: £200 per term (10 sessions @ £20 per night); £550 for the whole year if paid in advance

Please note that fees must be paid at least one term in advance. Registration is essential and can be done here.

If you have any questions or want more information, please email info@edinburghbiblecollege.co.uk

You can download a Module Description: here

Course Tutor:

John Brand was born to missionary parents in India and trusted Christ for salvation while at boarding school there at the age of 11.  He later trained at the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow, and then, for 12 years, pastored two Independent Evangelical churches, one in the inner city of London and then one in Liverpool, during some of which time he also served on the UK Council of Africa Inland Mission International (AIM). In 1993 he took on the role of AIM’s Director for Scotland, becoming Director for UK and Europe in 1999. During his 8 years in this position he exercised a Bible teaching ministry throughout UK and Europe and made regular visits to many of AIM’s fields of service in Africa where he was involved in ministering to missionaries and nationals. After some years on the staff of The Faith Mission Bible College in Edinburgh, John, in partnership with several church leaders, established Edinburgh Bible College. Married to Caroline and with two grown up sons and two grand-daughters, John contributes book reviews and articles to Christian publications, and is author of three books – A Concise Chronology of the Bible, The Bible as it Happened and Mission Matters, which has also been published in Romanian. John recently stood down as Pastor of Grace Community Church in Broxburn and in the little spare time he has he enjoys reading, walking and family history research.

We’re delighted to be able to go public with our schedule for the autumn term at EBC which begins, God willing, on Monday 25th September. We are continuing to plan for all our classes to be on zoom, because we have learned how to maximise its potential and it also means we can continue to draw in students from, literally, anywhere in the world.

Over the next week or so we will post details of each of these subjects, so keep checking in to see what appeals to you.

As ever, you can simply join in the class with no commitments (our auditing option), or you can complete the designated reading and assignments and gain study credits towards one of our awards, a Diploma or Certificate (our assessments option).

If you already know which module(s) you want to join, you can register here.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: info@edinburghbiblecollege.co.uk or via the Contact Us page.

Since EBC was founded, back in 2012, it has always been our passion to make good Bible teaching available to as many people as we possibly can. Over that time, many people have been trained and equipped in one way or another – either through full-time study, distance learning, virtual classrooms over zoom or by attending one of our seminars or day conferences.

Over the past year we have tried running an evening timetable on one evening of each week during term time and this coming College year, beginning at the end of September, we are expanding that to two evenings a week. This means that, for example, if you work full-time or have other day time commitments, you can now benefit from some inspirational teaching one or two evenings a week and without leaving home, because all these classes are held over zoom.

Why not join an online class this autumn?

For the coming College year we are going to teach two of our most important, foundation subjects that every Christian should be familiar with – Bible Overview and Bible Interpretation.

In Bible Overview, over the course of the year, we will take you through each book of the Bible – introducing you to its background, structure and main theme as well as it’s teaching. Importantly, we’ll also show how it fits into the Bible timeline and contributes to the overall message of Scripture. (More details here)

In Bible Interpretation, we’ll give you the tools and skills to correctly handle, understand and apply any part of Scripture and show how these principles apply to different types of biblical text, such as parables, prophecies and historical narrative etc. (More details here)

Each of these subjects runs from 7.00 – 9.00 over 30 evenings during the College year that starts at the end of September; Bible Overview on Mondays and Bible Interpretation on Tuesdays. Each class comes with full study notes, powerpoint presentations and opportunities for questions and discussion, and since every class is recorded, you can revisit the material at your own convenience.

The cost depends on how you want to study. You can simply audit the course, which means attending and being involved but not submitting any assignments, or you can choose the assessment option in which you submit assignments and gain study credits.

For each course:

• auditing option: £150 per term (10 sessions @ £15 per night); £400 for the whole year if paid in advance
• assessments option: £200 per term (10 sessions @ £20 per night); £550 for the whole year if paid in advance

Please note that fees must be paid at least one term in advance. Registration is essential and can be done here.

For more information, please email us: info@edinburghbiblecollege.co.uk

Ian Hamilton of Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary talks with me about preaching

Sunday 16th July was a day of great rejoicing and significance at Grace Community Church, Broxburn as Ryan McKernan, a Graduate of EBC and former Ministry Apprentice at the church, was ordained to gospel ministry and inducted to the pastorate of the church. Ryan received a unanimous call from the fellowship and succeeds EBC’s Principal, John Brand, who was instrumental in starting the work in Broxburn back in 2014.

Ryan (centre) is prayed for by, from left, Pastor John Brand, Mr Adrian Lothian (Elder Emeritus at Grace) and Pastor Dr Thorsten Prill (former Vice Principal at EBC).

Suraj Kasula was described by Desiring God as Nepal’s “most unlikely church planter”, and you can read his dramatic story here.