This site comprises the lecture-style Sunday school lessons given by the Open Ring Class of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.  The lessons utilize The Present Word, a Bible study series published jointly by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), The Moravian Church in America (North and South), and the United Church of Christ.

The permanent teacher is Dr. Daniel W. Foster, former Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine, Southwestern Medical School, University of Texas.

The lessons involve in-depth theology, illustrated with extensive medical experience.

The Open Ring Class believes that these lectures are such outstanding presentations of the Word of God that we want to share them with all the people in the world. 

In 1960, the Foster Open Ring Class began as the Double Ring Class, reflecting that it comprised married couples. Later, the name was changed to the Open Ring Class to make it more comfortable for singles to attend. Subsequently, the class prevailed on Daniel W. Foster, M.D., to teach for a quarter.  Dr. Foster presented his first lesson in August of 1975. This lesson stayed with many people because it ended with a real life story of honesty, using his wife’s experience with an ethical situation regarding a school examination. The timing was perfect as First Presbyterian Church had a surge of new members, many of whom visited the Open Ring Class and liked what they heard from one of the premier lay Bible teachers in the denomination.

Dr. Foster soon became the permanent teacher, the class grew, and, based upon many outside requests, the officers began taping his lessons in the mid-80s and distributing them to members who were teaching in the children’s and youth departments and to friends and family.  The tape ministry grew and tapes are now distributed world-wide to over 200 subscribers. Also, the class eventually grew to over 200 members.

In 1995, to honor its long time teacher and mentor, the class voted to change its name to the Daniel W. Foster Open Ring Class (the Open Ring Class).  In 2002, the class spearheaded a campaign to raise $400,000 to permanently endow the Foster Scholarship Fund, which provides funds for FPC members enrolled full time in college or graduate school.

Dan brings in-depth theology to the class based upon his life-long devotion to the scriptures and his exhaustive collateral reading on all aspects of them. The stories which Dan uses to illustrate his lessons always center on an individual or group practicing real-life Christianity and generally derive from his extensive medical experiences. In addition, Dan’s love for science and learning bring many new words and phrases to the class: synchronism, concatenate, theophany, epistemology, pneumatic inscrutability, effulgence, chemiluminescence, aphorism, aseity, tetragrammaton, noetic, anomie, enthymeme, and prolepsis. These always enliven and energize the class.
 

He has had long service with the National Institutes of Health, serving on the Advisory Committee on Diabetes and Endocrinology and the National Diabetes Advisory Board.  He was the chair of the Metabolism Study Section, was a member of the National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council and served 10 years on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Clinical Center of the NIH.

Dr. Foster's research has focused for many years on the intermediary metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids.  With his colleague, J. Denis McGarry, he discovered the malonyl-CoA regulatory system for fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis.  Awards have included the Banting Medal (1984), the Joslin Medal (1984), the Founders Medal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (1992) and the Lukens Award (1993).  He has been named the Outstanding Clinician in the Field of Diabetes and Outstanding Physician Educator in the Field of Diabetes by the American Diabetes Association.  He received the Robert H. Williams Distinguished Chair of Medicine Award of the Association of Professors of Medicine in February 2001.  He was named Great Teacher by the National Institutes of Health in 2002.

Dr. Foster was Associate Editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation from 1972-1977 and was Editor of Diabetes from 1978-1983.  He is co-editor (with J.D. Wilson) of the 7th, 8th and 9th editions of the Williams Textbook of Endocrinology and writes for a number of other textbooks.

Dr. Foster was the host of the nationally televised program, "Daniel Foster, MD" for four seasons on the Public Broadcasting System.  The weekly program was also seen overseas in Europe.  He was a member of the Board of Education of the Dallas Independent School District from 1969-1972, serving during the desegregation litigation, and chaired the Dallas Urban Council from 1967-1969.  He has long been active in the Presbyterian Church.  He was appointed to the President’s Council on Bioethics by President Bush in January 2002 and was reappointed for a third term in 2005.  He is a Board Member of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas and currently serves as President.