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. Click here for the book list.

Section 1 (2011)	Mon	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Shaunna Howat
Section 2 (2011)	Mon	3:00 pm	-	4:30 pm	Closed	Shaunna Howat
Section 3 (2011)	Wed	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Shaunna Howat

Have you ever wondered how those sermons and Bible lessons you hear at church fit into the big picture? This course seeks to give students a "bird's eye view" of the Bible by studying chronologically and thematically from Genesis to Revelation. Students will read significant portions of the Old and New Testaments over the course of two semesters and will be guided to see how the Bible has practical value for their own lives and the lives of others. They will be introduced to the purpose and message of individual books of the Bible and study them within the historical and cultural framework of the Ancient Near-East and Greco-Roman world. This course is taught from a conservative theological viewpoint, but engages critical perspectives that students are likely to encounter in later reading, study, or college.

Section 1 (2011)	Mon	3:00 pm	-	4:30 pm	Closed	Myron Kauk
Section 2 (2011)	Tue	9:45 am	-	11:15 am	Closed	Myron Kauk
Section 3 (2011)	Tue	11:30 am	-	1:00 pm	Closed	Myron Kauk

Much of the world understands Jesus as a flat, two-dimensional rendering that bears little resemblance to reality.  The real Jesus is surprising and, at times, shocking.  Throughout the Scriptures, He evokes reactions in people ranging from unbridled devotion to murderous hatred.  There is little room for the tepid reaction to the bland image that most people envision.  The short life of this Jewish carpenter who lived 2,000 years ago in the Middle East affects virtually every aspect of our lives today, yet many downplay His significance.  In this course, students will examine the popular conceptions of Jesus including Jesus in media, art, and literature; the historicity and reliability of the accounts of the Gospels;  and, most significantly, will delve into the pages of Scripture to understand more of this Messiah, His miracles, His teachings, and His call on our lives.  Students in this course will gain a new depth of understanding for Christ, who was prophesied from the beginning of time and who has changed our world and our eternity.

Section 1 (2011)	Tue	8:00 am	-	9:30 am	Closed	Daniel Wiiki
Section 2 (2011 Overseas)	Wed	10:00 pm	-	11:30 pm	Closed	Daniel Wiiki

Luke notes that the Gospels recorded “all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1). The Acts of the Apostles documents the exciting continuation of Jesus’ work in proclaiming His message of salvation through the Holy Spirit indwelling His people, the Church.  Justo Gonzalez points out that this narrative is really a history of the “acts of the Holy Spirit” through the hands of sinners, like us. Their actions are at times inspiring, at times questionable, and at times disappointing, but always a lesson to us as we seek to carry out Jesus' Commission. We are heirs of this history, and understanding it is essential to our walk with Christ and to our witness to the world.  In this course, students will begin by following the disciples through the pages of Scripture as they move from discouragement and even cowardice to ultimately become a catalyst for bringing the message of redemption from Jerusalem even to the ends of the earth. After studying the early church in Acts, this course continues to a survey of Church History from the first century to the present. Throughout the course, students will interact with related media and texts in understanding the Church's progress, challenges, and controversies, as well as the significant doctrines of the faith as they relate to our day and to eternity.

Section 1 (2011)

Tue

8:00 am

-

9:30 am

Closed

Daniel Wiiki

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 (2011)

Wed

3:00 pm

-

4:30 pm

Closed

Guney Gul

How do we correctly interpret and apply a passage of Scripture?  "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 successfully.  In this course, students will learn how to interpret a text of Scripture within its original historical context based on the literary structure of the text and an understanding of how one passage of Scripture builds upon and is informed by previous Scripture (antecedent theology). Students will practice making detailed observations on the text of Scripture. They will learn principles for interpreting the different literary genres (parables, poetry, narrative, prophesy, etc.). Finally, they will learn principles for making practical applications from Scripture in its original context to our modern contexts.

Section 1 (2011)

Mon

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Myron Kauk

NEW! Apologetics may be simply defined as a defense of the Christian faith against the objections that unbelievers have to it.  In this course, students will be exposed to a variety of objections that have been raised against Christianity and will learn rational and biblical answers to them.  Among the topics discussed will be the existence of God, the deity and resurrection of Jesus, the accuracy of the Bible, creation/evolution, miracles, the problem of evil, and whether Christ is the only way to God. The course will consider presuppositional and evidential approaches to apologetics. It will help students to strengthen their beliefs and equip them to communicate confidently with others about what they believe. The course will use the Apologetics Study Bible and the Practical Encyclopedia of Apologetics as the primary texts, as well as other materials provided by the teacher.

Section 1 (2011)

Mon

9:45 am

-

11:15 am

Closed

Myron Kauk

This course includes study of biblical theology, systematic theology, and some hermeneutics. Students learn how to interpret various genres of Scripture as the original hearers would have understood them based on their literary structure and antecedent theology. Students also learn principles for applying the original meaning of the Scriptures to our own modern contexts. We then apply those hermeneutical principles to study major topics like sovereignty, responsibility, sin, grace, salvation, and redemption to gain a sense of the whole counsel of Scripture on each topic. From the topical studies, we consider the major theological systems (Calvinism, Arminianism) that offer sometimes compatible and sometimes competing frameworks for the topics. Then we trace the promise-plan of God from Creation to Glorification, considering views of prophecy and history (Reformed, Dispensational), and end-times (premillennial, amillennial, postmillennial). Beyond these "usual" academic topics of theology, this course looks at the biblical theology of worship, marriage, (including "dating" and "courtship"), family, labor, authority, fellowship (including transparency, accountability, trust), decision-making, emotional countenance (including "happiness," bitterness, anger, fear, insecurity), worth (including talent, success, beauty), idolatry, addictive behaviors (including substances, self-harm, pornography), and more. Through this course, students will understand how their theology matters to their life, relationships, labor, and service. The course consists of personal Bible study guided by questions provided by the instructor, followed by interactive lecture and discussion on the topics. There is no other required outside reading, nor are there exams or papers, though parents are welcome to assign these to support their transcript needs. All proceeds from this course go to support TPS service trips and projects.
NOTE: This course is intended for students in grades 10-12, and priority approval will be given to students based on age. Taking TPS Worldviews and Issues after this course will complete a thorough integrated package that gives a student a strong personal biblical foundation for his own life, and a strong understanding of other worldviews from a biblical perspective.

Section 1 (2011)

Thu

3:00 pm

-

4:30 pm

Closed

Jeff Gilbert

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. This course not only explains the "isms" of this age, but it considers the foundational thought processes behind them. It also applies that understanding to moral issues that face this generation. We start with a study of Genesis 1-11 to understand theism and build a biblical foundation for the rest of the course. During this portion we also consider how Old Testament thought differs from the Hellenic thought that was later to influence it in the New Testament and ultimately form the foundation for western thought. We then trace the development of western thought, including the major "isms" (deism, naturalism, secular humanism, existentialism, post-modernism, and others) in the historical, philosophical, and cultural context that is essential for understanding them. From there we systematically consider the major worldviews of the west, east and middle east with special emphasis on how they affect the church and our faith today. Throughout the entire course we consider major moral issues, such as creation, intelligent design, and evolution; environmental stewardship and global warming; biblical principles of government; abortion and euthanasia; cloning; capital punishment; gun control; various cultural topics in media, music, and the arts; and others. Topical discussions will often be led by guest speakers with expertise in and passion for the particular topic under consideration. The major texts are: How Should We Then Live? (Schaeffer); Total Truth (Pearcey); and The Universe Next Door (Sire). The discussion material also references Understanding The Times (Noebel), though this is not a required text for the course. Discussions are interactive and will respectfully consider all major perspectives of each issue. In all topics and discussions, we affirm the centrality of salvation through grace by faith and the inerrant authority of the Bible. This course consists of the outside reading, which is not a high volume of work, and the class lectures and discussions. There are no exams or papers, though parents are welcome to assign these to support their transcript needs. To make this course accessible for all students, the cost is only $200 for the entire year with all proceeds going to TPS missions.
NOTE: This course is intended for students in grades 11 and 12. Priority approval will be given to older students. Taking TPS Theology Matters first will significantly enhance this worldviews course for the student.

Section 1 (2011)

Tue

3:00 pm

-

4:30 pm

Closed

Jeff Gilbert

NEW! How does a Christian approach Hollywood? Can we find kernels of truth in the midst of Hollywood? Whether you’re watching a movie “just for fun” or reading a book “just for fun,” you should always be thinking, considering, analyzing. This course will examine some of the most popular contemporary films. In this course we will watch and discuss many films: beginning with The Truman Show, we will establish a baseline for how we examine films; we will move on to the “Disney Philosophy” within The Lion King, Mulan, and Pocahontas; some epic films such as Avatar, Star Wars, Inception, or Lord of the Rings and their underlying worldviews--one is admirable, the others questionable; the difficulties of man trying to replace or box-in God with The Matrix, and Jurassic Park; and man trying to find his way in the world without God in Inception, Signs, and The Dark Knight. We will look at the worldviews contained within these films, the messages they espouse, and what our response should be as Christians. Assignments will primarily take the form of forum posts, which will either be a response to the film of the week or a question posed by the instructor. These online discussions will lead into the class discussion for the following week. There will also be two papers, a midterm and a final, applying what we have discussed in class to an outside film.

Section 1 (2011)

Mon

3:00 pm

-

4:30 pm

Closed

Tyler Howat

NEW! See course description for Worldviews in Film (1st Sem)

Section 1 (2011)

Wed

8:00 am

-

9:30 am

Closed

Tyler Howat