COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Acts
3 Credit Hours
The history of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the growth of the Christian Church in the first century. The principles and the Spirit that guided the Church in establishing and strengthening congregations in the first century are applied to the issues facing the church today.
Apologetics: Giving Reasons for Your Faith
1 Credit Hour
Apologetics is the art of explaining the truth of Christianity in a reasonable way to people who are beset by sincere intellectual doubts. In this class we review what some of the common intellectual objections to Christianity are and how they can be reasonably answered.
Bible Doctrine 1
2 Credit Hours
What the Bible teaches about the Way of Salvation
Are you “ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you?” Can you explain these things to a friend with sincere doubts and questions? This class will give you the clear answers from God’s Word that your friend needs to hear.
Bible Doctrine 2
2 Credit Hours
What the Bible teaches about the Christian life and Sanctification
Bible Doctrine 3
About 18 Class Sessions
What the Bible teaches about the Means of Grace and the Sacraments.
Bible Doctrine 4
2 Credit Hours
What the Bible teaches about the Church.
Christian Ethics
1 Credit Hour
Compares Ethics and Morality and considers the implications of a Biblical worldview and lifestyle in the modern world and applies Biblical principles to issues facing Christians today.
Church History 1
2 Credit Hours
Covers the history of the Christian Church from the time of the Apostles to about 1500 AD. Who we are today is the result of our History.
Church History 2
2 Credit Hours
Church History 2 covers from about 1500 AD to the present day. What can we learn from the experiences of Christians through the centuries?
I & II Corinthians
3 Credit Hours
Paul’s two letters to the Corinthians show us the Holy Spirit-inspired counsel given to a well-established church as it dealt with many of the same problems we see in churches today.
Cults and -isms
1 Credit Hour
Through the years there have been many who have called themselves Christians, but whose understanding of His person, character and teaching were faulty. Some of these pernicious doctrines still persist, and new errors or variations on old errors are spun to this day. How can you keep your faith pure in accordance with God’s revelation of Himself in the face of so much confusion? How can we best relate to people who have been caught up in one of these cults?
Ezekiel & Daniel
2 Credit Hours
These two major prophets spoke to the Jewish people in exile and gave them hope for the future. The things they revealed then are still being fulfilled today. The books are studied devotionally, with additional application of Daniel’s prophetic and apocalyptic content to the end times.
Ephesians & Colossians
2 Credit Hours
These two letters reveal the true nature of the Christian Church in the light of eternity, and God’s master plan for all of creation.
Galatians
1 Credit Hour
The clearest revelation of God’s doctrine of justification by faith and its application to Christian life is made in this Epistle.
General (Catholic) Epistles
3 Credit Hours
A survey of James, I and II Peter, I, II, and III John, and Jude. These are the Epistles that were not addressed to the context of one particular church, but directed specifically to all Christians everywhere, so we call them “Catholic” or “General” Epistles.
Genesis
2 Credit Hours
In addition to the study of origins, emphasis is given to the Holy Spirit’s work in the development of faith in the lives of certain individuals with whom God dealt throughout the book of Genesis.
Gospel of John
3 Credit Hours
John has a unique approach to the Gospel story, telling it from the divine perspective. This is a devotional study of the Gospel according to John with an eye to the expressed purpose of its writing: “...that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name.”
Hebrews
2 Credit Hours
This letter, written specifically to Hebrew Christians in the first century, addresses the grave danger of the believer’s drifting away from faith in Christ. It compares the Old Covenant, its tabernacle, sacrifices, and purpose with the New Covenant established by Christ.
How to Understand the Bible (Hermeneutics)
1 Credit Hour
This course acquaints the student with the proper approach to Biblical interpretation and the best way to approach God’s Word, to avoid the misunderstandings that have confused so many through the years.
Hymnology
1 Credit Hour
A course intended to bring the student to an appreciation of Christian music by coming to know the origin and history of many of the hymns we sing today.
Inter-Testament Period
1 Credit Hour
What happened between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New? The “deuterocanonical” books are referenced as source material.
Introduction to the Bible
2 Credit Hours
Covers the structure of the Bible, the different kinds of literature it contains, its origin, the history of the Canon, its inspiration and authority, and the history of how the Bible came to us in English.
Isaiah
3 Credit Hours
Isaiah is often considered the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. We study the book in its historical context, with special emphasis on New Testament fulfillment of the Messianic passages.
Jeremiah
2 Credit Hours
Jeremiah prophesied to the nation of Judah in the last days before the Babylonian captivity, speaking to a culture that had abandoned their faith in the true God and His Word. His message is as relevant to us today as it was to Judah in his own day.
Job
1 Credit Hour
Probably the oldest existing literature in human history, the book of Job has some vital information about our understanding of God and how He relates to us.
Synoptic Gospels
3 Credit Hours
We study the life and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, by comparing the full account given in all of the Gospels together.
Minor Prophets
2 Credit Hours
We study the 12 minor prophets with emphasis on their historical context, message, and application to our time, especially in the light of the New Testament.
Modern Missions
1 Credit Hour
We look at the state of the Christian missionary enterprise in the world today: the challenges, the opportunities, and God’s call to the work.
Non-Christian Religions
1 Credit Hour
An overview of the doctrines and practices of non-Christian religions, to promote better understanding of what different people believe and why they do what they do as a result.
Historical Books
3 Credit Hours
We study the 12 Historical books of the Old Testament, to trace the hand of God working in and through His people. Comparison is made to the historical content in several other biblical books as well.
History of Christian Missions
1 Credit Hour
We trace the spread of the Gospel and the planting of churches throughout the world from the earliest days to the present; the methods used, the formation of mission societies, and the support of missionaries in the work.
Personal Evangelism
2 Credit Hours
We learn and practice several approaches to the work of reaching others with the word of God’s call to repentance and His offer of forgiveness and grace.
Philippians
1 Credit Hour
We study this “Epistle of Christian Joy” in its historical context, with application to our own lives. This book shows how to develop a balanced Christian personality, living in relationships with God, ourselves, and others.
Prayer
1 Credit Hour
About 9 class Sessions
The biblical promises that undergird our prayer life, and the practice of prayer as worship, intercession, and warfare.
Psalms
2 Credit Hours
About 18 Class Sessions
The life of faith involves victory and defeat, joy and sorrow, fear and courage, conflict and peace. We study a series of Psalms as a way of encouraging the student to find in this wonderful book a source of devotional inspiration for their own lives.
Public Speaking
2 Credit Hours
About 18 Class Sessions
The principles of effective public speaking are presented, with opportunities for practice and constructive criticism.
Revelation
3 Credit Hours
About 27 Class Sessions
This culminating book of the Bible lays out God’s master plan for the ages and reveals how it all comes together at the end. Different views of the book are respectfully presented and compared, and prophetical passages of other biblical books are included in the study.
Romans
3 Credit Hours
About 27 Class Sessions
An intensive study of the book of Romans with emphasis on its historical background, the doctrines presented, and their application to Christian living today.
Teaching Methods
1 Credit Hour
About 9 Class Sessions
Explores different approaches to teaching the truth of God’s Word, with emphasis on finding an approach that is appropriate to the age, interests, and psychological development of the students.
Wisdom/Poetical Books
1 Credit Hour
About 9 Class Sessions
Covers Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, with special emphasis on the Holy Spirit inspired Wisdom of God in contrast to human wisdom and philosophy.
Extra Classes
We call classes that are not a part of the “regular” program “Extra Classes.” Entrance into these classes is by special permission of the faculty, and they are not part of the graduation requirements.
Biblical Greek
An introduction to the Koiné Greek language used in original manuscripts of the New Testament.
Biblical Hebrew
An introduction to the ancient Hebrew and Chaldean language in which the Old Testament was written.
Christian Ministry & Service Options
Special emphasis is given to opportunities to serve God’s Church and the communities in which we live. We focus especially on the opportunities for service as Parish Builders, Sunday School teachers and administrators, Church Officers, Church office administration, and looking for effective community service opportunities.
Parish Builder Course
This is the special course to prepare candidates for service as Parish Builders within AFLC Home Missions congregations.