Seminar Schedule

Thursday, Janury 17 - 10:45 am

Friday, January 18 - 10:45 am

Seminar Descriptions - Thursday, January 17

Everything Has a Reason

Dr. Abner Chou | Placerita Baptist Church Sanctuary

We look to the Bible to tell us how to live "practically" in the world today. At the same time, we live in a culture that increasingly derides the importance of the morality established by Scripture. Why should women submit to men in the church and in the home? Why is homosexuality wrong? Why is sexual promiscuity evil? How do we respond to these types of questions? Furthermore, these types of doubts are not only outside the church but also within. Christian young people often question why we need to go to church or why it is important to have a good marriage or why it is important to honor their parents. Ultimately, they wonder if obedience in all of these "small things" really make a difference. All of this causes us to go back to Scripture not merely looking to see what the Bible tells us to do but why it specifies so. In this session we will examine how application is thoroughly integrated with theology and see that everything has a reason and therefore, everything makes an eternal difference.

Bible Translation: The Unfinished Task

Dave Hare | BSC 202

This seminar will present the need for Bible translation worldwide, as well as explore the different ways people are currently involved and can be involved. It will also include a section on the challenges of international Bible Translation.

Art East of Eden

Prof. Grant Horner | EHC 100

From the second century onward, biblical narratives and themes have been central objects of representation in Western Art history. One of the most popular subjects has its basis in just a handful of Old Testament verses: the world of Eden. We’ll be looking carefully at a wide variety of images of Eden, of Adam and Eve and their family, and of the natural world in both the prelapsarian and postlapsarian states, as well as at the moment of temptation and transformation. Our goal will be an understanding of the relationship between art and biblical narrative, but we’ll also work towards thinking through a biblical theology of the visual arts – especially art as an expression of our longing for a lost world of perfect beauty and plentiful satisfaction.

Truth Remains: The History of the English Bible Translation

Dave Parsons | BSC 100

The seminar will look at the history of the Christian church, with an emphasis on the history of the English Bible.  An overview will be given of the work that such men as William Tyndale, John Rogers, and others took up in order to bring the English Bible to the common man.

Reformation, Revolution, or Renewal:
A Theological Take on 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Dr. Jo Suzuki | BSC 200

This session is a sequel to the one three years ago on The Dark Knight, which analyzed this popular film.  We will examine how society deals with the issue of justice and human conscience through The Dark Knight Rises, showing how contemporary society views the issue of personal and cultural reform. It contrasts Batman's, Catwoman's, and Bane's way of reforming themselves and/or the corrupt society, and discusses the place of fear and hope in this process. This session demonstrates Biblical Cultural Criticism: an approach to examining cultural objects through the lens of the Scriptures to exercise critical discernment.

Seminar Descriptions - Friday, January 18

The Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dr. George Crawford | BSC 101

This seminar will give an overview of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, dissident anti-nazi, and founding member of the Confessing Church.  His writings such as The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together continue to encourage and admonish Christians around the world.

The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders:
Reason, Revelation, Revolution

Dr. Gregg Frazer | BSC 200

Were America’s Founders Christians or Deists? Conservatives and Secularists have taken each position respectively, mustering evidence to defend their case. Dr. Frazer takes an in-depth look at the life and private writings of the Founders to show that the majority of these men were neither Christians nor Deists, but rather “Theistic Rationalists.”

The Word of God in the Urban Context

Andre Robinson | BSC 202

Failing schools, crime, sex trafficking, poverty, and homelessness run rampant in the city. The darkness and hopelessness seem to hover over the streets. Is there an answer? Does the gospel bring hope and light to these dark issues?  Yes! And it's found in the person of Jesus—who came to serve and rescue mankind. His Word brings hope in hopeless situations (single parents, kids in jail, prostitutes, drug dealers, and the homeless). The question is, who will bring that message of hope?

Finding Joy in the Word Made Flesh

Prof. Mary Somerville | BSC 100

To begin this semester and year we want to ask God to form our hearts according to the Word, according to the image of  The Word made Flesh.  We will consider how Paul made Christ his joy from Philippians chapter 3 and the practical effect of this path on our lives.  We want to see the divine beauty of Christ and consider how we can make Him the Sun around which our life orbits. 

How to Listen to a Sermon

Dr. Will Varner | EHC 100

There are many books and courses to help people preach sermons, but very little is said about how to listen to sermons.  Jesus stated, “Consider carefully how you listen.”  The fact is, much more is involved in truly listening to Bible teaching than just sitting and staring at the preacher.   Dr. Varner will provide helpful tools to become a better listener of God’s Word.