Get the Newest Online Course on Jesus and the Gospels: Four Portraits, One Jesus

Today we are announcing a brand new online course about Jesus and the Gospels, taught by Mark Strauss.

If you’re like most Christians, you probably grew up learning about Jesus, but you’ve never devoted yourself to serious, sustained study of the life of Jesus as found in the four Gospels.

You might know the Sunday school version of Jesus, but there’s so much more to his life and story.

Perhaps you’ve wondered how to defend your faith—to others, to your family, or even to yourself:

• Did Jesus really perform miracles?
• Was Jesus who he said he was—the Son of God? How can we know?
• Did Jesus really rise from the dead? What kind of evidence exists, and what’s at stake?

Or perhaps you’ve wondered what Jesus says about today’s most pressing issues. What would he say about the challenges we face today?

Or maybe you have read and studied the Bible your entire life, and need a refresher:

• You’ve led more small group discussions on the Gospel of John than you can count.
• You’ve preached the Easter story so many times you’re not sure what new angle to put on it this year.
• You have a good understanding of the historical and religious context of Jesus’ ministry—maybe you’ve even done graduate-level study on the Gospels—but you have a feeling there’s still more you could learn.

Four Portraits, One Jesus is a significant learning experience that will help you go deeper into the life and ministry of Jesus as it’s presented in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

This is a robust, college-level course that will challenge you, deepen your faith, and help you ask the right questions—and find the answers—about the life of Jesus.

Here’s a summary of what you will learn:

• The genre and function of the four biblical Gospels
• The historical, religious, social, and cultural contexts in which Jesus lived and the Gospels were written
• How each Gospel portrays Jesus, and why it matters
• What the “search for the historical Jesus” is
• Why the Gospels are historically reliable
• The most important themes and events in each Gospel
• A unified overview of Jesus’ life, ministry, miracles, message, death, and resurrection.

The course includes almost seven hours of professionally-filmed video. The material is split into 15 separate units, and each unit contains video segments, readings, reflection questions, review exercises, and an assessment.

Introducing your instructor

Your instructor is Dr. Mark Strauss, who is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in San Diego. He has written several books and commentaries on Jesus and the Gospels, including the bestselling textbook, Four Portraits, One Jesus, on which this course is based. This textbook is used for classes on Jesus and the Gospels in seminaries around the world.

Dr. Strauss is a gifted communicator who has taught this material for years. When you enroll, you’ll be hearing lectures that have been delivered to more than a thousand students. It’s tried, tested, and proven to help you learn.

The entire course has been crafted to make sure you have the best learning experience possible.

Take the course on your own time at your own pace

Life is busy: errands, kids, jobs, volunteering, commutes. Taking a class is a big commitment, and it’s not for everyone.

If you’re serious about wanting to learn the material, the good news is that we’ve designed it in a way to make sure you succeed.

The course is self-paced. You can work on the material in your own time. Take a break whenever you need to. Resume when it fits your schedule.

Whether you’re a morning person and want to tackle it before you get into your day, or you study best late at night—either way, you have the option to take the course at a pace that works best for you.

Designed to help you learn

The video lectures are short—usually 15 to 30 minutes each. Even if you have a short attention span, you’ll be able to follow what’s going on.

Videos are supported with visual material, such as slides, photos, maps, and images, which means you have the opportunity to learn in multiple ways.

The course reading assignments are integrated right into the course itself. Readings are broken into small chunks, so you can be sure you’re understanding the material before you move on to the next section. And you’ll find reflection questions interspersed throughout the readings to keep you engaged.

You’ll also get access to an adaptive learning engine built right within the course. This tool will learn how you learn and adapt your experience as you review. If the tool detects that you’re not understanding a key concept from a unit, it will elevate that concept in priority. You’ll see that concept more frequently, and learn it better.

Plus, you’ll be prompted to review the material at regular intervals. This means no last-minute cram sessions, and it means you’ll have learned the material in a way that ensures you’ll remember it for months or years down the road.

The entire course is designed to enhance your learning experience and make sure you understand the material thoroughly and well.

An incredible value

Students often pay tens of thousands of dollars for a year of college, and courses like this usually cost more than $1,000. It’s no secret that the value of an excellent education is worth a lot.

Fortunately, we have been able to price this course at $99 for a limited time, which is incredible deal when you think about what you’ll learn.

As a 3-credit course, it will take you around 120 hours to complete—or roughly $1 per hour at this price.

When you think about what you pay per hour for a movie or an hour at a coffee shop (think: a $3 latte), $1 per hour is amazing considering you’re spending that time studying the life of Jesus with one of today’s foremost scholars on the Gospels—not to mention the benefits you’ll reap after you finish the course. It’s an incredible value.

The best part is that the course is self-paced, which means even if you won’t be able to start the course until weeks or months down the road, you can still enroll now and take advantage of the special price.

Start learning today

What are you waiting for? Enroll today at the special price, so you can begin to deepen and enrich your understanding of Jesus and the Gospels.

Interested in adding this online course to your college or seminary’s program? Contact us today!