This is a tentative schedule for Fall 2017 – Spring 2018. The purpose of this schedule is to provide an overview of the course. Please note that it may be necessary to change some of the topics, instructors, or class dates as we go along.

For each class, a blog article will posted and linked here summarizing the topic and allowing for continued discussion in the comments section.

The course kicks off October 10, 2017, and meets every Tuesday, 7:00 – 8:15 pm, in Room 2.120 on the main campus of HCBC.

Module 1: Introduction

1. What are the obstacles and forces opposing Christianity?
October 10, Dr. Dennis Wilson

• The problem of evil, religious pluralism, examining truth claims of world views, postmodernism, scientism, naturalism, etc.

2. The Christian foundation of modern science
October 17, Dr. Sarah Salviander

• An examination of the history of Christianity and science that shows Christianity was necessary for the rise of modern science

3. Made in the image of God
October 24, Dr. Dennis Wilson

• Summary of the scientific, historical, and philosophical evidence that human beings are unique amongst God’s creations

*** No class on October 31 ***

4. The intersection of philosophy, science, and theology
November 7, Dr. Sarah Salviander

• The domains of philosophy, science, and theology, and where they intersect
• Comparison of Christian and atheist religions

5. Historical evidence for the authenticity of the Bible
November 14, John Darms

• Accuracy of the transmission of the Bible
• Secular historical evidence for Jesus Christ

*** No class on November 21 ***

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Module 2: Science

1. The heavens declare the glory of God, part 1
November 28, Ed LaBelle

• Discussion of Ed’s sidewalk astronomy ministry, Psalm 19 Ministry
• Optional star party after the lecture, weather permitting. (The following week is a back up date in case the star party is clouded out.)

2. The heavens declare the glory of God, part 2
December 5, Ed LaBelle

• Many young people are leaving the church, in part due to the perception that there is a conflict between science and religion
• We can change this perception by:
  • Explaining how science shows the beauty and majesty of God’s creation
  • Emphasizing that the same God who created everything from subatomic particles to galaxies also created you and me
  • Showing that there is harmony between scripture and science i.e. dual revelation
• If the previous week was clouded out, this is a back-up date for the optional star party following the lecture (weather permitting)

3. The domain of science and religion
December 12, Dr. Dennis Wilson

• Do science and religion intersect?
• Is there harmony or hostility between God’s word and God’s world?

4. The Rare Earth hypothesis or “privileged planet,” part 1
December 19, Dr. Dennis Wilson

• Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates the Earth is unique and exoplanets are not logical candidates for life

*** No class on December 26 ***

5. The Rare Earth hypothesis or “privileged planet,” part 2
January 2, Dr. Dennis Wilson

• Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates the Earth is unique and exoplanets are not logical candidates for life

6. Analysis of the sequence of life described in Genesis 1
January 9, Dr. Martin Poenie

• How do biological organisms change?
• What does the Bible say that is relevant to the question of origins?
• When one understands the language of Genesis, the Genesis 1 account closely parallels the scientific history of life

*** Weather cancellation on January 16 ***

7. God and the big bang
January 23, Dr. Sarah Salviander

• Cosmology and astrophysics clearly point to a creator
• The creator looks like the God of the Bible

8. Near-death and out-of-body experiences
January 30, Dr. Walter Bradley

• Key Biblical passages and more than 3,500 carefully documented cases of near-death experiences will be high-lighted, giving a compelling empirical basis for answering questions about what happens to us after death

9. The fine-tuning of the universe for life
February 6, Dr. Sarah Salviander

• The universe is extraordinarily fine-tuned for human life
• Is this evidence for the God of the Bible?

Module 3: Philosophy

1. A critical examination of worldviews
February 13, John Weber

• Comparison of the major worldviews
• What questions are worldviews required to answer?

2. The philosophy of science, part 1
February 20, Dr. Robb Wilson

• What is science?
• How and why we do science the way we do
• The nature and types of proof

3. The philosophy of science, part 2
February 27, Dr. Robb Wilson

• What is science?
• How and why we do science the way we do
• The nature and types of proof

4. The cultural big bang
March 6, Dr. Dennis Wilson

• The explosion of cultural “complexity” and modern humans in Mesopotamia

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Module 4: History

1. Evidence for the Resurrection, part 1
March 13, John Murphy

• An examination of the historical evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

2. Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ documentary
March 20

• A viewing of the first half of the film version of Lee Strobel’s best-selling The Case for Christ

3. Archaeological evidence for the Bible, part 1
March 27, Dan Britton

• An introduction to the disciplines of archaeology and biblical archaeology
• Discussion of key archaeological finds of the Old Testament: the House of David Inscription, the Moabite Stone, and the City of Jericho

4. Archaeological evidence for the Bible, part 2
April 3, Dan Britton

• Continued discussion of key archaeological finds of the Old Testament, including: the Assyrian Lachish Reliefs, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the Pool of Siloam, and a discussion of the culture and customs of the Essenes followed by the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Discussion of two New Testament artifacts: the Galilean Boat and the Crucified Man

5. Evidence for the Resurrection, part 2
April 10, John Murphy

• An examination of the historical evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

2. The Face of Jesus Uncovered?
April 17

• A viewing of the History Channel documentary about the Shroud of Turn, The Face of Jesus Uncovered?

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Module 5: Theology and Evangelism

1. Morality and the problem of evil
April 24, John Weber

• The problem of evil is a major stumbling block for Christians and non-Christians alike
• If God is good, why is there evil and why does He allow good people to suffer?
• We will consider morality and the problem of evil in the context of the Christian worldview

2. What do Christians believe? Part 1
May 1, Victor Vigorito

• An overview of fundamental Christian doctrines and the inner logic that binds them together

3. What do Christians believe? Part 2
May 8, Victor Vigorito

• An overview of fundamental Christian doctrines and the inner logic that binds them together

4. The six days of Genesis, part 1
May 15, Dr. Sarah Salviander

• The question of the age of the universe has divided Christians for decades
• Is the universe six days + a few thousand years old or billions of years old?
• The relative nature of time shows that the universe is simultaneously very young and very old
• This lecture reviews the relative nature of time

5. The six days of Genesis, part 2
May 22, Dr. Sarah Salviander

• The question of the age of the universe has divided Christians for decades
• Is the universe six days + a few thousand years old or billions of years old?
• The relative nature of time shows that the universe is simultaneously very young and very old
• This lecture shows how the relative nature of time resolves the age controversy

6. Leveraging apologetics in personal evangelism
May 29, Chuck Barber

• What are the unchurched thinking today?
• What are my own attitudes toward others when witnessing?
• What are some ways I can leverage apologetics with the younger generation?

7. Genesis 2
January 9, Dr. Martin Poenie

• The relationship between Genesis 1 and 2
• Genesis 2 is not a rehash of the creation story that ends up making the Bible contradict itself
• If you let the words mean what they normally would, the relationship between Genesis 1 and 2 becomes completely plausible

*** End of 2017-2018 year ***