Foundations

When we became a follower of Jesus, we started on the spiritual journey of our life. We went through the gate of conversion and started up the path of discipleship. As we travel the path, we will start to change, not because we have to but because we want to. We wouldn’t always make the right decisions; we will stumble, but Jesus and your fellow travelers are there to help you get back on your feet. The further you travel, the more you will learn about God, how to listen to him and how to talk with him. You will learn more deeply who God is, who Jesus is and what he did, and who the Holy Spirit is and what he does for us. And you will learn about walking with other believers (the “church”) and inviting others to join you (“evangelism”). Because life is a journey, God does not expect you to get everything right the first time; we are all on a learning curve and God is patient with us. However, we were never intended to walk alone. We were saved into a new family, with new brothers and sisters, and a new Father. In this study you are encouraged to find an older traveler and invite them to walk with you.

For some of us our knowledge of the Bible is like a refrigerator door covered with unrelated post-it notes. For some it’s like reading a dictionary; important pieces of information but no thread to the story. This course will help you make sense of all those pieces.

Choose one of the two sequences.

The Bible is one continuous story, from the story of creation to the story of Jesus' future return at the end of time. And yet there are smaller, pivotal stories that make up the basic structure of the one big story. This class is designed for those wanting an overview of the Old and New Testaments, but prefer to learn through story.

A survey of the content and themes in the Old Testament in a more traditional academic style. This is the same class as in Leadership.

A survey of the content and themes of the New Testament in a more traditional academic style.

Every Christian ought to have a working knowledge of Christian doctrine. This class attempts to give the basic essentials in short compass, so that the student may obtain a reasonably complete bird's eye view of the subject. It is a simple, straightforward introduction to the subject that most Christians will find they need.

We can no longer assume that their people trust their Bible. The popular media has launched such an attack on the believability of Scripture that our people have serious questions about the Bible. Are you ready to answer them? Did Jesus actually live? Did the biblical writers get it right, or did they slant/create the message? The gospels were written so long after Jesus lived; how can you trust them? How can you believe a Bible that is full of internal contradictions with itself and external contradictions with science? Why should we believe the books that are in the Bible; many good ones were left out, like the Gospel of Thomas. Why trust the Bible when there are so many and contradictory translations?

Dr. Thomas provides an introduction to the biblical and historical roots of Christian spirituality, the spiritual disciplines, spiritual direction, and the pursuit of personal and corporate holiness.

Worship is all about the revelation of the character and will of God, and our appropriate response. This class will help you understand not only Sunday morning but how you should be responding to God on a constant basis.

Dr. Tuttle walks you through the basics of the Gospel message and gives you practical steps to sharing your faith.