Monday Ten Week Classes Starting September 12, 2011 Nov. 14, 2011 Monday, September 12, 2011 Nov. 14, 2011 4265 Public Speaking with Confidence Jennifer Brooks 11:30-1:00 pm. (Afternoon) One and half hour class People in all walks of life and all professions have a variety of opportunities for public speaking, yet public speaking often causes them to freeze. This class will help you by providing an unthreatening environment among fellow believers. This course teaches basic elements of performance through a variety of speech presentations which work on Stage Presence, Poise, Proper Diction, and Vocal Inflection. Textbook(s) No text book will be required Monday, September 12, 2011 - Nov. 14, 2011 0212 The Books of Chronicles: Mining Unearthed Treasures of God s Faithfulness Liling Hou 6:45-7:45 pm. (Evening Ten Week Class/ One Hour) It is clear that we are living in a fallen world, one devolving and full of bad news on a global scale or personal level. Yet believers have good reasons to be hopeful. The book of Chronicles, written to encourage the returning remnants, shows God s elective and preserving grace to His covenant people through David, the Messianic king and priest. Students will gain a deeper sense of hope in the face of hard world events. Textbook: The Holy Bible 2065 Christian Women Through the Ages: Their Purpose and Value Marnie Blackstone What role have women played in God's narrative throughout the centuries? Can historical contexts and cultural expectations shed light on the interpretations of significant Biblical passages? This course seeks to provide women with the dignity that is theirs by tracing biblical and cultural backgrounds that influence current understandings of a woman's purpose, role and value in God's redemptive plan from the Old Testament to today. James, Carolyn Custis. When Life and Beliefs Collide. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2001. 268 pages.
Monday, September 12, 2011 Nov. 14, 2011 0208 Jonah & Ruth : A Prophet and A Pagan On The Run Greg Anderson 8:00-9:00 pm. (10 Week, One Hour class) Do you ever feel like running away from your life for all the right reasons? Jonah knew God s character and it caused him to flee, while Ruth ran toward a God she didn t know. Using a literary and theological lens, this class compares the two characters, their successes and failures so that students will understand themselves and God better. 4300 Biblical Artistry Josh Gardner American Christianity has lost the art of subtlety. Make it simple, Give me the bottom line, cut to the chase, are well worn phrases we use to speed up life so we can get to what? Many of us long for the soul food found in beauty. Scripture, the product of a creative God and His creative beings, is full of art and subtlety written to inspire the deepest places of mankind s heart. This class explores how the biblical text has been sculpted, painted, composed and choreographed, and will teach the student how to infuse beauty into their own teaching techniques."
Tuesday Ten Week Classes Starting September 13, 2011 Nov. 14, 2011 Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Nov. 15, 2011 0213 Job: Why Do Good People Suffer? Tom Bailor 6:45-7:45 pm. Classes (Ten weeks/ one hour a piece) In Psalm 73, Asaph cried out to God as he compared his life to the wicked, 13 Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle. 14 I suffer all day long, and am punished every morning. This class studies the book of Job to find hints into why in God s design of the world He incorporates suffering and how suffering will ultimately end. This class provides a defense of God s judgment while also preserving Christian faith as the student will either face or know someone who faces traumatic circumstances. Textbook: Andersen, Francis. Job: An Introduction and Commentary. InterVarsity Press, 1976. Amazon cost: $10.97. 4269 Small Group Leadership: Skills for Changing Lives in Circles, Rather than Rows Patrick Fowler More and more churches and church-goers are seeing the benefits of small group gatherings. Unfortunately, some churches take the leadership demands of a small group too lightly and do not train the people they ask to lead their groups. Without good leadership, group experiences fail to foster genuine spiritual growth, fail to build Biblical community, and often leave their members feeling resentful and isolated. This course is hands on training that will teach skills such as conflict, asking good questions, designing effective lessons, and much more. Textbook: Arnold, Jeffery, The Big Book on Small Groups,, Intervarsity Press, 2004.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Nov. 15, 2011 1050 My Bible and the Original Manuscripts: Is What We Have Now What They Had Then? Mike Meiser 3670 How Matthew Saw Jesus in Old Testament Prophecies Michael Smelie 8:00-9.00 pm. (Ten Week Class/ One hour a night) Are you prepared for cultural attacks against Christianity? One such popular attack is against the inerrancy of Scripture. Scholars claim that Scripture is filled with mistakes that make the copies we carry today fallible. The objective of this course is to teach students about issues that arise when studying how the New Testament was passed from the pen of the original author to the printed text of today s Bible. By taking this class, the student will be prepared to combat contemporary, popular attacks against the New Testament. Komoszewski, J. Ed, M. James Sawyer, & Daniel B. Wallace. Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Culture. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2006. Matthew selected Old Testament prophecies to prove his case that Jesus was their fulfillment and the promised Messiah. Often, these prophecies, when viewed in the cultural context of the prophets, are not explicitly Messianic. So why did Matthew use these passages in his gospel? This class reviews ten Old Testament prophecies to answer questions such as how is the Old Testament relevant to the New Testament s doctrine of salvation? No text book. See website for further detail.
New Six Week Classes Monday, September 12, 2011- October 17, 2011 3050 How God Wins: The Cost of Atonement Joe Fessler 6:45-8:15 pm (Six week, One Hour and a half class) Recently, Christian blog sites were abuzz with controversial ideas about salvation. Will all people eventually be saved? Yet what does Scripture say? Were you aware that a proper understanding of Christ s atonement is foundational for many key themes in Scripture, such as sacrifice, forgiveness, freedom and reconciliation? Come be amazed and humbled at the magnitude of God s gift to us by his sacrifice on the cross. The knowledge can reorient your life. Textbook: No required textbook. Tuesday, September 13, 2011- October 18, 201 3075 Dispensationalism David Dafoe 6:45-8:15 pm. Classes (Six weeks/ 1.5 hours a night) Dispensationalism What in the world is it? How does it compare with non-dispensational systems? How does it shape how we view the end times and the mission of the church? Since dispensationalism has had a strong influence on both the American church and the political sphere, many Christians would benefit from understanding its precepts. This course presents an overview of dispensational theology, the development of its various viewpoints, and will compare it to non-dispensational systems. Textbook: Ryrie, Charles C., Dispensationalism or Scofield, C.I., Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.