A fact filled survey of the unfolding of God’s plan in the church from Pentecost to the present. Highlights of the class include: early martyrs and life in the catacombs of Rome; a synopsis of the Greek and Latin church fathers; a summary of all major ecumenical church councils; the centuries long development of various doctrines, both true and false; Islam’s threat against the church; the crusades; specific incidents of Papal corruption in the “midnight hour of the Papacy”; the horrors of the Inquisition; the “Babylonian captivity” of the papacy and its subsequent popes and anti-popes; how denominational churches formed from “splinter groups” of believers dissatisfied with the status quo of their day; revivalists of England and America; the return of Pentecost and the Neo-Pentecostal church; biographical details about the men who shaped church history; and the analysis of factors determining the rise and fall of spiritual movements and counter movements over the centuries. As the instructor focuses on the complex family tree of Protestant denominations which originated in Europe and America, students learn the causes behind the many splits and how the various splinter groups prospered or declined. Many of the lectures are richly edifying; and students share the heartfelt emotions of joy, disappointment, suspense, humor, and spiritual hunger experienced by those whose stories are being retold.

A panoramic survey of God’s people in the Old Testament in relation to God’s plan.

A thorough survey of the geography of Bible lands interwoven with the most enlightening facts of history, customs, and archaeology. The instructor furnishes simple explanations for seemingly obscure Scripture passages, showing how ignorance of ancient customs can make elementary passages incomprehensible to the modem reader. Students are required to draw the geographical features of the Bible lands from memory on an outline map at the end of the semester in order to demonstrate that they have learned the locations of the cities, districts, plains, and mountains so that their other classes are more meaningful to them.

A rapidly paced overview of the entire Bible from creation to A.D.100. The student who is generally unfamiliar with the Bible is given an outstanding introduction to the Bible as a whole. The authorship, date, purpose, general content, and specific highlights of all sixty-six books are presented in a format which shows how the books relate to one another to form the single, harmonious Word of God. Students learn to correlate the key events in Bible history with the books which record these events. The ability to see the scope of the entire Bible and to mentally relate each book to its historical setting is of great advantage for a new Bible student.

Bible Archaeology