Classes

This is an in-depth study of the nature and basis of a Christ-centered, God-honoring, comprehensive Christian worldview, with particular attention to the nature and interrelationship of biblical metaphysics (the nature of God, man, and all creation), epistemology (the nature, basis, and validity of knowledge), and ethics.  The nature, method, and sources of theology will be considered, with interaction, analysis, and critique of the fundamental bases of non-Christian worldviews.

This is a 12-week course overlaying the entire semester that orients students to the cultural and geographical setting of the Reformation and Renaissance.  Additionally, contemporary German and European geography, demography, government, society, culture, customs, politics, commerce and industry, education system(s), etc., will be addressed.  Learning will draw heavily on academic field trips and student travel as evidenced by each student’s Scholastic Journal.   The course is taught by a lead instructor coupled with guest speakers and lecturers.

An examination and analysis of critical theological issues of the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, Protestant Evangelicalism, and modern theology, including the nature of God, man, sin, salvation, revelation, and the church, with consideration of the basis and nature of worldview (including the basis and nature of authority), to the development of different Christian and non-Christian theological views.

This course provides an introduction to the history and theory of the visual arts in Western culture from Pre-history to the present day. Christians should be wise in understanding the ways of the world, while being conscious to avoid imitating the world. This is especially complex in the field of study involving human culture, and the visual arts in particular. This course should help.  We will discuss the major artistic trends, artists, and works of each period, especially through a Christian lens. We will also discuss the historical and philosophical settings of each period. Students will learn artistic terminology and will be able to recognize major works of art of these periods. By the end of the course, students will be able to place art and artists within their respective social, political, philosophical and religious contexts. We will travel to Venice, Florence, and other locations, viewing significant works in museums such as the Uffizi in Florence as well as cathedrals and monasteries. The course will also count toward General Education requirements.

Modern European Literature will study drama and fiction selections that reflect the changes in European thought from the fading of the Romantic Movement in the Nineteenth Century to the rise of Twentieth Century Existentialism, changes that reflect the influences of industrialism, the ideas of Darwin, Marx and Freud, and the political, emotional and spiritual devastation wrought by two World Wars, changes that include widespread rejection not only of Christian belief, but of a search for any sort of transcendent meaning for human existence.

In addition to some Keatsian odes to illustrate a Romantic attempt to experience some sort of transcendence, selected readings will include material from Scandinavian, French, German, Austrian, Swiss, and Romanian writers who gave up that kind of search and looked for meaning elsewhere.

As always, Christian readers come to our reading with the confidence of our understanding of our place in a world designed and redeemed by a God who knows us, loves us, and sustains us. This course will, in part, help us understand and feel what the world looks like and feels like to modern Western thinkers who have no such understanding or hope.