Christians are to "examine everything carefully" (I Thess. 5:21) when looking at the world and its viewpoints. Solidifying your worldview will strengthen your faith and enable you to defend it to others. Do books and movies express a worldview? How can you tell? On what do I base my faith? How can I know for sure? What worldview did America's founding fathers look at when formulating a brand-new country? These and other questions will be explored through reading novels, viewing movies and examining ideas expressed by great thinkers. Using the Starting Points curriculum produced by Cornerstone Curriculum, we will examine all of these factors and more as we develop our biblical worldview.

Section 1	Mon	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Shaunna Howat
Section 2	Wed	1:15 pm	-	2:45 pm	Closed	Traci DeBra
Section 3	Wed	3:00 pm	-	4:30 pm	Closed	Shaunna Howat

In his book The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey states, "I first got acquainted with Jesus when I was a child, singing Jesus Loves Me in Sunday school...I associated Jesus with Kool-Aid and sugar cookies and gold stars for good attendance." Later in life he saw Jesus portrayed as a psychedelic hippie, a wild revolutionary and someone with the personality of a Star Trek Vulcan. The wild range left him wondering, "Just who is Jesus?" Looking to modern scholarship for an answer only muddied the waters. But when he turned to the Gospels, the fog began to lift. In them, he encountered someone less predictable, less tame and yet more purposeful and passionate than anyone he'd ever met. Ultimately, the Gospels reminded Yancey as to why Jesus Christ is the dividing point of history and humanity. This class will give students an opportunity to come face-to-face with Christ through the Gospels. This course will use two texts: The Holy Bible and Lee Strobel's The Case For Christ. The Life Application Study Bible is also highly recommended. Each week students must come to class prepared to discuss the following which pertains to the assigned reading: (1) One thing I read about Christ that bewilders me, (2) One thing about Christ that convicts me, (3) One thing about Christ that inspires me. This course also requires students to write several papers and complete weekly essay questions.  Click here for more information.  

Section 1

Thu

11:30 am

-

1:00 pm

Closed

Dan Ziebarth

Section 1

Thu

11:30 am

-

1:00 pm

Open

Dan Ziebarth

NEW! In this one semester course, students will learn about Islam in the United States and abroad. Islam has rapidly grown to become the second largest religion in the world, with almost one billion adherents, or nearly one in every five people on earth. In the United states there are presently more Muslims than Methodists. This course consistes of three parts: In Part One, students will seek to explore and explain the fundamental beliefs of Islam concerning God, creation, prophets, Muhammad, the Qur'an and salvation. In Part Two, students will respond biblically to basic Muslim beliefs in God, Muhammad and the Qur'an. In Part Three, students will examine the evidence for the Christian counterclaim. The teacher for this course was raised as a Muslim in Turkey and then the Netherlands before becoming a Christian.  Click here for more information.

Section 1

Wed

3:00 pm

-

4:30 pm

Open

Guney Gul

NEW! Hermeneutics is a technical term that refers to the science and art of interpreting and applying the Bible.  Hermeneutics is a science because it approaches the text of Scripture with specific rules or principles, and an art because it takes skill and practice for the student to apply these principles to a text of Scripture.  In this course, students will practice making detailed observations on the text of Scripture.  They will learn how to interpret a text of Scripture within its original historical context based on the literary structure of the text and the antecedent theology that informs it.  They will learn special principles for interpreting the different literary genres of Scripture.  Finally, they will learn principles for making practical applications from Scripture to their own modern contexts.  (This course is a good precursor to the TPS course "Theology Matters".)

Section 1

Thu

11:30 am

-

1:00 pm

Closed

Myron Kauk

This course looks at theology and doctrine topics from a unique perspective. Not only will students learn the strengths and weaknesses of major doctrinal views on various theological issues, they will consider the implications of these doctrines in their Christian faith, worship, obedience and service. The lessons and discussions of this course will confront students with the depth and breadth of God's expectations for the sanctification of their minds and hearts, and for a life of serving Him sacrificially in excellence. The overall goal of the class is that students will meet God through considering who He is, who they are, the economy of God's Creation, and how He establishes His Kingdom.This course is offered at a reduced cost to make it accessible to more students. All proceeds from this course go to support TPS service trips and projects. Click here for more information.

Section 1

Thu

11:30 am

-

1:00 pm

Full, Wait List (0)

Jeff Gilbert

This course will provide students with tools to identify and understand the assumptions, philosophies, and worldviews of those around them in order to effectively combat the unbelief and ungodliness these systems promote. The worldviews portion studies the shifting beliefs of Western culture from the Medieval to present. Our understanding of reality, God, humanity, and how we ought to behave is intimately tied to what we believe is true. Each dominant worldview has promised to explain truth, but where each has departed from God's revealed truth, it has brought misery and hopelessness. Unless these assumptions are understood and withstood, one's mind, and inevitably one's heart, will be led further from the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. The apologetics portion studies historical and modern approaches of defending the faith against empty worldviews and the attacks of our surrounding culture. Every Christian needs to understand that his faith is rational, plausible, and consistent in order to remain strong in the face of skepticism and doubt. In particular, students attending universities will be inundated with the corrupting effects of unbiblical mindsets. Unless each is well armed for combat with weapons guaranteed to overcome these strongholds, the strongholds may overcome him.

Section 1

Thu

4:45 pm

-

6:15 pm

Closed

Rich Yonts

NEW! One of our primary concerns is that our kids would leave home for college and beyond firmly grounded in God's Truth and able to discern the world's subtle deceptions. Studying worldviews and discussing issues is good, but studying the Bible is essential. Therefore, this course is built on a recursive in-depth study of Gen 1-11, as this account of the Fall and the rapid progression of sin in Creation contains the foundational background for truth-assaulting worldviews and issues throughout time. From this starting point, we will study these worldviews and issues biblically from Genesis through Revelation, and historically from Creation to the Present. In this approach, students will see the unity and consistency of the entire Bible applied to each worldview and specific issue. There will be selected readings from outside texts, such as: The God Who Is There (Schaeffer); Total Truth (Pearcey); The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog (Sire); Thinking Like a Christian (Noebel); Reading Between the Lines: A Christian Guide to Literature (Veith); and Art for God's Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts (Ryken); and more. Where possible, discussions will be led by guest speakers with expertise in and passion for the particular topic under consideration. Topics will include: (1) What is Truth and how is it discerned?; (2) Current prevailing worldviews (Deism, Naturalism, Secular Humanism, Post-modernism, modern Eastern mysticism, "Christian" Modernism, and others) found in major regions of the world and on college campuses; (3) Issues such as cloning, global warming, abortion, capital punishment, gun control, and others; (4) Various cultural topics in media, music, and the arts; (5) Plus many others. Discussions will be open and interactive, and will consider the biblical basis for the range of conservative Christian views on each topic. In all topics and discussions we will affirm the centrality of salvation through grace by faith and the inerrant authority of the Bible. There will be no papers or tests, although the teacher will work with parents who want to assign papers to their students for credit. To make this course accessible for all students, the cost will be only $200 for the entire year (if you desire for your student to take the course but cannot afford it, please let us know). All proceeds from this course will go to TPS service missions. For a more detailed description, including a more complete list of topics and texts, please click here.

Section 1

Tue

1:15 pm

-

2:45 pm

Closed

Jeff Gilbert

NEW! This course surveys the books of the Old and New Testaments in a chronological fashion from Genesis through Revelation.  Students will become acquainted with the major events and people of the Bible and will be able to place individual books of the Bible chronologically and thematically within the progress of God’s revelation.  Students will be led to see how the Bible has practical value for their own lives and the lives of others.  The course is taught from a conservative theological perspective, but engages critical perspectives that students are likely to encounter in later reading and study.

Section 1

Tue

11:30 am

-

1:00 pm

Closed

Myron Kauk