“We want to give this seminary away”
That was a famous, profound, and often-repeated phrase from Dr. Irv Busenitz, Professor Emeritus at The Master’s Seminary and former Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Busenitz wasn’t suggesting free tuition or implying the school shouldn’t charge for its services. What he was saying was simply that the school should be eager to spread its mission—theological education and pastoral training—as far and as wide as it could, for the glory of God and the good of the church. Dr. Busenitz recognized that the biblically grounded education at TMS, led by a world-class faculty of pastor-theologians, could serve any Christian, whether in the pulpit or the pew.
With Dr. Busenitz’s vision in mind, The Master’s Seminary launched ICL—Institute for the Christian Life—seven years ago. This series of online courses provides advanced doctrinal, biblical, and ministry training for church leaders and committed students of God’s Word. Over the years, thousands of men and women of all backgrounds and ages have taken courses on hermeneutics, theology, church history, and so much more. The newest class, “How to Study Your Bible” with Dr. Brad Klassen, is on pace to be one of ICL’s most popular courses.
This fall, The Master’s Seminary is thrilled to announce a new addition to the ICL curriculum: a series of books, written for both pastors and layman, that covers foundational topics for the Christian life. The first line of the ICL book series includes four books from TMS professors and alumni. As John MacArthur says in his foreword to this book series, the videos and the books that complement them are “indispensable tools accessible to believers at all levels of spiritual maturity and church leaderships. This book series complements those online courses as an aid for small group discussion and individual study.”
The four ICL books released in 2023 cover a range of theological, exegetical, and practical subjects, each foundational to the Christian life. Whether you are a pastor or not, whether you’ve been a Christian for 50 years or five months, these books can help you grow in your knowledge of God and His Word. Below are the four titles.
The Forgotten Attributes of God: God’s Nature and Why It Matters by Dr. Peter Sammons, Associate Faculty in Theology at The Master’s Seminary
Heaven and Hell: A Survey of the Biblical Doctrines of Personal Eschatology by Dr. Kevin Zuber, chair of the theology department at The Master’s Seminary
Old Testament Survey 1: Genesis to Esther by Dr. Nathan LeMaster, Associate Professor of Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary
Well Done: A Strategy for Life Stewardship by Reagan Rose, an alumnus of The Master’s Seminary and the founder of Redeeming Productivity, a media ministry focused on a biblical approach to personal productivity.
All four books are available at gracebooks.com.
In the coming three years, the Institute for the Christian Life book series will release five titles annually, covering a range of topics, from the art of biblical discernment to the purpose of the church, the truth about sanctification, and much more. Again, these reasonably priced, theologically rich books are intended to complement the video classes that are available at tms.edu. Together, they are ideal for any student of Scripture.