Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.<\/p>\n
The 23-24 first trimester runs from August 24th to October 26th.<\/p>\n
The 23-24 second trimester runs from November 9th to February 1st, with no class on November 23rd, December 21st, or December 28th.<\/p>\n
The 23-24 third trimester runs from February 15th to April 18th.<\/p>\n
Why Bible Education is Important<\/h2>\n
Research indicates that 80% of children raised in the church with Christian parents will disengage from the faith by age 29, and only 35% of those will reengage sometime later (a net loss of 72%). The numbers vary by research house and study, but the theme is consistent: as a culture, we are failing to pass on our faith to the next generation. The three largest contributors to this failure are Biblical illiteracy, lack of parental participation in discipleship, and lack of discipleship from adults outside the home. Parents are always invited to join the class.<\/p>\n The root cause of the lack of discipleship by both parents and adults outside the home is Biblical illiteracy. The crisis in Biblical literacy is widely acknowledged.<\/p>\n This crisis in Biblical literacy leaves Christians unprepared to face our times, unable to discern sound doctrine from false teaching, and unable to take the teachings of the Bible seriously. No matter how many good Christian books there are (including theology books), we should always be reading the Bible first and most.<\/p>\n My Bible classes increase Biblical literacy, and my character classes<\/a> help equip young men and their spiritual fathers for serious discipleship.This series of classes will help students to read the Bible first and most and to learn the hermeneutical circle described in this article\u00a0<\/a>by D.A. Carson. If we take RC Sproul's book and argument, Everyone's a Theologian<\/a>, <\/em>seriously, then the core components of the course series will prepare students to think theologically about all of life. Students who take the series starting in 6th grade and participate in the summer courses will read the whole Bible 13 times and build an introductory familiarity with Biblical Theology, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Leadership\/Pastoral Theology, and Apologetics\/Worldview. I pray that deep familiarity with Bible and Theology will equip students with resilient faith. I also hope that parents are deeply engaged in the discipleship of their students and that this course series is a complement and supplement to what they are already doing.<\/p>\n Years one through six invest one year each into the steps of the hermeneutical circle. Year seven is a synthesis year, helping students tie together the lessons of the previous six years.<\/p>\n **The reading burden in this course series is substantial. The full assigned reading will not be in reach for every student who takes the class. That's okay. Reading the Bible is like hiking the Grand Canyon. There is so much to see that you'll never see it on one trip or one read-through. Genuine effort is expected from all students to read as much as possible. If you can't see it all or read it all, you'll catch it on a future “trip” or read-through. You can go slow, or you can go fast. There is a benefit to both.<\/p>\n All new students, regardless of grade level, will start in Year One. Students may start this course series as early as the sixth grade.<\/p>\n All classes will be more focused on discussion than lectures. This helps students develop a sense of community and connection with each other as they study God's word, and it helps increase comprehension and retention. In general, the discussion questions will roughly follow the prompt questions for the papers. The specific mix of discussion questions in each class session will depend on the engagement of the class, the mix of students, grade levels, and the level of papers the class is writing as a whole.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_accordion _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Years One and Two” open=”on” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_level=”h3″]<\/p>\n Year 1: Chronological Bible Read Through, with a Bible translation of the student's choice.<\/p>\n Year 2: Canonical Bible Read Through, with a Bible translation of the student's choice.<\/p>\n First and second-year students will write one paper per week<\/p>\n Give at least one paragraph in answer to at least three of the questions below (you choose which questions to answer). A paragraph is three to five complete sentences. Correct spelling and grammar are expected. If you disagree with any of the notes or commentary, you are expected to phrase your disagreements as open-ended questions. An open-ended question begins with either who, what, why, where, when, or how.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Year Three” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_level=”h3″ open=”off”]<\/p>\n Read the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible<\/a>.<\/p>\n Third year students will write one paper per week.<\/p>\n Give at least one paragraph in answer to each of the following questions for each week's assigned reading. A paragraph is three to five complete sentences. Correct spelling and grammar are expected. If you disagree with any of the notes or commentary, you are expected to phrase your disagreements as open-ended questions. An open-ended question begins with either who, what, why, where, when, or how.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Year Four” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_level=”h3″ open=”off”]<\/p>\n![\"80%](\"https:\/\/danieltstephens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Children-Leaving-the-Church.png\")
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Key Learning Objectives<\/h2>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/danieltstephens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/The-Hermeneutical-Circle.png\")
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Course Series Outline<\/h2>\n
Reading<\/h4>\n
Papers<\/h4>\n
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Reading<\/h4>\n
Papers<\/h4>\n
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Reading<\/h4>\n