Bible Survey, a review of both the Old and New Testaments, will help students understand scripture and scriptural principles as a whole. Students will study each book in context to other books and learn to locate key events and characters in the Bible.
Christian Living presents in-depth biographical studies from the Old and New Testaments. Using both positive and negative examples, students will learn how to meet the challenges of everyday living and how to cope with overwhelming experiences. In addition, students will examine the basic tenets of the Christian faith.
Christian Leadership is designed to develop and cultivate both spiritual character and maturity by following Jesus’ example of being a servant leader. Students will help plan, promote, and participate in the weekly Chapel Service and learn to be servant leaders to staff and students at VCPS (Valley Christian Pre-School). Enrollment in this course is limited. The teacher will interview all students who request this course and determine enrollment.
Life of Christ introduces the basic principles of Christianity, the Gospels of the New Testament, basic apologetics for the resurrection of Jesus, and the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus Christ. The life and teachings of Jesus will be studied using a harmony of the Gospels. Extensive study will be done on Jesus’ final week, death, resurrection, and ascension. The lives of Jesus’ apostles will be examined, before and after His resurrection.
Life & Letters of Paul focuses on New Testament Letters: Acts, Romans, and Revelation. This study of the history of Christianity will delve into the different religious councils, creeds and other documents that helped form the early church. As the New Testament is studied, emphasis will be placed on practical application of the Word in the student’s lives on a daily basis.
Chapel Leadership is an elective in the Bible department, and may be taken for a year of Bible credit. Biblical instruction will focus on Poetry Books in order to teach Christology from the Old Testament, focusing on Christian aesthetics, worship and community. In addition to the Bible, students will use the Experiencing God Bible Study. The Chapel Coordinator will teach this course, and the students will produce the weekly high school chapel. Chapel production will include programming, worship bands, tech team training and sanctuary set up, dramas, testimonies and media. Enrollment in this course is competitive. Students who request this course will be interviewed, and a faculty team will determine enrollment.
Church History (one-semester course) continues a comprehensive survey of the New Testament beginning with the book of Galatians and ending with the book of Jude. As the New Testament letters are studied, students will come to a greater understanding of God’s grace and instructions for living as believers. The study of the early church and history of Christianity through the 1800’s will include learning about different religious councils, creeds, saints and characters who helped shape the modern church and various denominations. Multiple projects, discussions, debates and lectures serve to emphasize the practical application of the Word in the students’ lives on a daily basis.
Ethics (one-semester course) is a study of ethics and morality from a Christian worldview. The text for this course, Exploring Ethics, published by Christian Schools International, includes works authored by twentieth century Christian thinkers who address the character and nature of God and its implications for our personal moral choices. Classes will include interactive discussion between both the students and the teacher, and among the students in tutorial style conversation. Through the readings, written response papers and a major project, the students will increase their ability to process complex issues; will practice comparing and contrasting viewpoints; and will grow in their ability to discern between truth and error in the reasoning process.
Pentateuch (one-semester course) covers the historical, literary and theological aspects of the first five books of the Bible. Students will become familiar with the textual, historical, cultural, historical, geographical and theological content of Genesis through Deuteronomy and be able to summarize the content of each book. Students will learn how God worked in the lives of the characters studied and make connections to the ways God continues to work in our lives today. They will discover how God’s redemptive plan was evident from the beginning of time and trace the story of the Hebrew people up to the book of Joshua.
Perspectives (one-semester course) explores the historical movement of the Christian faith with an emphasis on the intra relation and the inter relations of people groups from the past to the present. The course explores the historical expansion of Christianity, the motivating Biblical principles and actions of the early church, case studies of cross cultural communication and efforts in world relief. Students will learn what methods brought about the destruction of culture and which methods foster love and respect of culture while working to achieve peace, health, and self-sufficiency.
World Religions (one-semester course) examines various faiths and worldviews, and the importance of absolute truth in our society. As world religions are compared and contrasted, students are exposed to the truths of Christianity and how to defend those truths in a pluralistic society. Current world issues will be discussed and debated based upon Biblical standards.