Biblical Institute for Theological Preparation

Brief History

In 1994, Evangelist Ghassan N. Haddad developed a Bible Institute for the labourers in the Middle East.It was not until 2001, when he was called from Lebanon to Jordan to pastor a church in Jabal Amman, that this became a reality.The Biblical Institute for Theological Preparation was therefore founded in 2002. The beginning was small and difficult, but the Lord blessed it. In the year 2003 was added two courses to help the students and to put solid theological materials in their libraries. The next year B.I.T.P expanded again with advanced courses from ROGMA (doctrine) and NETCASTERS (prosletyzing).There are now three courses that offer a degree upon completion. All of them are accepted by some fundamental Bible-Believing Seminaries outside Jordan.By opening the Institute to other churches B.I.T.P also have students in Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria. B.I.T.P currently established a branch in Sudan.

Purpose

The Biblical Institute for Theological Preparation is a ministry of NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH in Amman. It is an independent Biblical institute, which cooperates with Bible-Believing Baptist and fundamental independent churches in the Arab World.To fulfill its purpose, B.I.T.P cooperates with ROGMA, NETCASTERS, and CLARKSVILL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, and looks forward to cooperating with others of like faith and practice.

Objectives:

Spiritual Objectives

1. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to communicate the Word of God to others with a view to winning them to faith in Christ. 2. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to expound the Scriptures in a systematic fashion.

3. A graduate of B.I.T.P will demonstrate genuine concern for missionary efforts around the world. The demonstration of genuine concern might take the form of his being a missionary, volunteer, sponsor, or prayer partner.

4. A graduate of B.I.T.P will demonstrate Christian maturity that expresses itself in commitment to Christ and His Church. 5. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to continue a disciplined study of the Scriptures. This involves a lifetime of study and learning which is characteristic of a serious Christian in general and of ministers and servants in particular. 6. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to present a reasoned defense of his faith. A reasoned defense of one's faith refers to the presentation of an apologetic, which is based on biblical revelation and is also intellectually and rationally sound.

Educational Objectives

I. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to demonstrate how to acquire knowledge. The acquisition of knowledge includes the discovery of resources and their utilization and evaluation. 2. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to demonstrate how to apply knowledge that has been acquired. The application of knowledge includes demonstration of its relevance through written or oral activity. 3. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to demonstrate an awareness of Christian values and commitments. This refers to the considerations or points of view, conscious or unconscious, which are underlying a person's choice and actions. 4. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the skills of communication. Good communication includes perceptivity and sensitivity in grammar, adaptability to audiences, and flexibility in style. 5. A graduate of B.I.T.P will be able to cooperate with others in Christian ministry.

Statement of Faith:

We believe the Holy Bible, the Old and New Testaments, with it sixty-six canonical books in the original manuscripts is the verbal, plenary, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, entirely without error or contradiction in all matters of which it speaks; we additionally believe that God by His singular care and providence, has preserved His Holy Scriptures; therefore, we approve the VanDyck-Smith translation in Arabic and the King James Version in English. The Holy Bible is the only sufficient final and supreme rule and authority of faith and practice. Psa. 12:6, 7; 119:89, 108, 132, 160; Mat. 5:18; 24:35; Luke 16:17; 2Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:24, 25; 2 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 22:18-19.

We believe that God is Triune; that there are three persons in the Godhead, and these three are one God. Mat. 28:19.

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus; that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. John 1 and Mat.1.

We believe that the only way to be saved is by faith in the blood sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and to those who thus become His sheep He says, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Jn. 10:28 and Eph. 2:8-9.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father; that He ever liveth to make intercession for all that come to God by Him. Acts 1:9-11; Mat. 4:14 and Eph. 1:20-21.

We believe that the Church, which is the body of Christ, began with the decent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; and that each one who receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior is a member of the body of Christ, and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:12-28; 6:19-20.

We believe that the local church, is the fellowship of baptized believers, called from the world, to be Christ’s own, to cooperate in ministering the Word, building the members, proclaiming the Gospel, and practicing the ordinances. We believe also that it is an independent body according to the gifts under the lordship and the authority of Christ who is the only Head of the Church. We believe that the pastors and deacons are the only two offices that the Lord ordained. Acts 20:28.

We believe that the Great commission is for the church; that the Lord's supper and water baptism by immersion for believers only are divine ordinances and that Christ desires us to practice them in this age. Mat. 28:18-20 and 1 Cor. 11:23-29.We believe that Christ may at any moment return in the air to rapture the saints, and that the Tribulation period of approximately seven years shall follow, after which He will come to earth with His saints, and rule for a thousand years. After this the wicked will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire. I Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-57; Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15-21; 24:27; 25:26; Rev. 19:11; 20:10-12.

We believe that Satan is a person, the author of Sin, and he shall be eternally punished. Job 1:6; Gen. 3:1-19; Rev. 20:10.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust; in the eternal conscious punishment of the lost and the eternal joy of the saved. Rev. 20:11-15; 22:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:1-58.

We believe in civil government, but that there is a separation between the church and government.

We believe that the charismatic movement, in all of its forms is unscriptural. We do believe in the power of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, however, this power is not evidenced by speaking in an 'unknown tongue' or any other so-called 'gift.' The Word of God clearly states that when believers were filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke the Word of God with boldness. The modern day charismatic movement, which officially began in the early 1900's, sidesteps the very reason for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, when believers were filled with the power of God, they went out into the city, preached the Gospel, went soul winning, and had 3,000 souls saved. Luke 24:46-49, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 14:22, Acts 4:13-21, Acts 9:36-43, Mark 16:20 with Heb. 2:3-4.

We believe in spiritual freedom, we believe that every person has the right to proclaim and practice what he beliefs.

Biblical Positions:

We believe the following to be essential doctrines of the Christian Faith; the inspiration of the Scriptures; the virgin birth of Jesus Christ; the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ; the vicarious death of Jesus Christ; the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Charismatic Movement

We believe the sign gifts of the Spirit, in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, to be miraculous gifts, sovereignly bestowed by the Holy Spirit for a limited time and for specific circumstances. These gifts are all transitory in nature and limited in operation. By transitory in nature we mean, that by the time the New Testament canon closed, these gifts had gradually come to an end, with none of them being operative past the end of the first century. By limited in operation we mean that these were not gifts which were continually exercised by an individual over an extended period of time; and that the purpose of the usage determined the exercise of the gift.The purpose for which the Holy Spirit gave these gifts were: (1) as signs to unbelievers until the completion of the canon: (2) for authentication of the gospel; (3) as the seal of divine approval upon the church; (4) of revelatory significance to the believers. All of these purposes were and are served with completed Word of God.Therefore we are convinced that these gifts which were operative in the early church were discontinued by the time of the close of the New Testament canon and are not to be sought nor to be exercised in our day. The completion of the New Testament assured accessibility through the Word of God to knowledge and power adequate for the life and service of all believers. Therefore, to seek the transitory gifts is a denial of the efficacy of the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).No graduate from the B.I.T.P. shall allow himself to become involved with any group, movement, or organization, which fosters or tolerates the Charismatic Movement in any of its various forms. By this action, we can assure the continued propagation of the gospel through our Fellowship, as we rightly divide the Word of Truth.

Ecclesiastical Separation

We believe that it is imperative to the testimony of the Lord and our Fellowship that each church associated with the B.I.T.P. stand firmly and boldly against all ungodliness, apostasy, false teaching, and fanatical cults.We therefore shall not knowingly cooperate with nor encourage organizations or individuals that do not hold to the fundamentals of the faith as set forth in the Word of God, or that refuse to separate themselves from organizations that harbor modernism or support the World Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals, or other such organizations that are ecumenical.

Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that marriage is a divine and sacred institution uniting one man and one woman in a life-long bond. Our Lord declares that "a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together let no man put asunder." (Matthew 19:4-6) By God's design the marriage bond is only to be dissolved by death.We also believe it is contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures for any pastor or deacon to be divorced and remarried while the other party of the marriage covenant is still living.Believing that such a union would be detrimental to an individual's effectiveness in full-time ministry, we will not recommend to the ministry anyone who violates this statement.

Denominational Affiliation:

The Biblical Institute for Theological Preparation is committed to the doctrinal beliefs of historic fundamentalism and Indepndent-Baptist Beliefs as it is exhibited by the New Testament Church in Amman, independent, Baptist churches, and some Free churches in Europe. However, the doors of the institute are open to every person who agrees with its “Statement of Faith” and “Biblical Positions”.

Transfer of Credits:

1. From other Institutes to B.I.T.P.:

The Biblical Institute for Theological Preparation accepts credit hours having a grade of C+ and above from any program belonging to a fundamental Bible institute or college. The last 32 credits must be taken through B.I.T.P.

2. From one program to another program

If any student wishes to transfer his credits from one program to another program, some credits he has studied in the first program, may not be counted for the second program that he/she becomes involved in.

Program Time Limitations

- Certificate in Christian Doctrine 40 c/h One year and a half. There is no Academic requirement for this program.

- Diploma in Biblical Studies 64 c/h Two years and a half. Requirement for this program is certificate of grade 9.

- Diploma in Theology 70 c/h Three years. Requirement for this program is high school diploma or its equivalent. - Bachelor in Biblical Studies 96 c/h Three years. Requirement for this program is high school diploma. - Bachelor in Theology 130 c/h Four years. Requirement for this program is high school diploma

Class Attendance:

The student must attend a minimum of 80% of the class lectures, and if he misses more than 20% the class lectures he may receive an “F” in that course.

- Missing a class is only acceptable in case of sickness, family problems, or emergencies.

- It is not allowed for any student to enter any course after two weeks from the beginning of the semester.

- Every instructor must send a report to Student Liaison about every student:

1. Always late for his/her classes, and leaves early.

2. Misses three weeks of the semester.

3. Misses more than 20% of the class lectures in any course. 4. Showing no effort in studying or homework.

Every instructor must apply these rules in counting absences for a student:

1. A tardiness of 15 minutes counts 33% of one absence (a tardy).

2. Every three tardies count one absence.

3. A tardiness of 15-30 minutes counts as one-hour absence.

Grading System:

The Biblical Institute for Theological Preparation uses the GPA scale for its grading, and it is as follow:

98-100 A+

94-97 A Excellent 4.0

91-93 A-

88-90 B+

84-87 B Good 3.0

81-83 B-

78-80 C+

74-77 C Accepted 2.0

71-73 C-

68-70 D+

64-67 D Weak 1.0

60-63 D-

Less than 60 Failure 0.0

Withdrew a course W

Withdrew Failing WF

Incomplete I

Audit N

Note: For the Diploma in Theology, Diploma in Pastoral Theology and for the Bachelor level the passing grade is 70/100.

Graduation Requirements:

The graduation requirements for the introductory and basic levels are:

1. Completing all the credit hours required for the program of the student.

2. A minimum GPA of 2.0.

3. Passing the “Graduation Exam” with a minimum GPA of 2.3.

4. Passing the “Graduation Thesis” (Diploma in Theology and Bachelor program only) with a minimum GPA of 2.3.

5. Committing himself/herself to the standards of Christian living throughout his/her study and graduation.

Academic year:

First Year

Scientific Styles of writing

Introduction to N.T

Bible Doctrine 1

Personal Evangelism

Bible Doctrine 2&3

Hermeneutics

Survey of Exodus

Spiritual Gifts

Second Year

Introduction to Church History

Eschatology

Introduction to O.T

Introduction to Cults

English Language 1

Introduction to Missions

Preaching 1

Survey of Romans

Third Year

Preaching 2

Survey of Daniel

Introduction to Church Music

Introduction to Theology

"Diploma’s Graduation Thesis"

Survey of Haggai

English Language 2

Evangelicals in the M.E

"Graduation Exam"

Fourth Year

Christianity before Islam

Computer Skills

Baptist History Time and Eternity

Study in the Gospels

"Bachelor’s Graduation Thesis"

Survey of Acts

Foundations for Pastoral Care

"Graduation Exam"

Fifth Year

Survey of Pastoral Epistles

Intro. To World Religion

General Epistles

Church Growth

Survey of Pentateuch 1 Evangelical Thought

Church in Jordan

Survey of Pentateuch 2

"Graduation Exam"