Category: Seminary Courses

Seminary Course; Biblical Theology

Main Texts

1.) http://www.bsmi.org/download/vos/BiblicalTheology.pdf

2.) When the Time had fully Come — Herman Ridderbos
3.) Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments — Geerhardus Vos

Assignments — Read the main texts.

1.) 7 page paper answering the question “What is Biblical Theology.”
2.) 7 page paper explaining what the “Now, Not Yet” hermeneutic is and how the future is in the present
3.) 10 page paper highlighting some of the main themes of Vos’s work

Supplemental Texts

1.) Pauline Eschatology — Geerhardus Vos
2.) Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos –Geerhardus Vos
3.) The Eschatology of the Old Testament — Geerhardus Vos
4.) The Coming of the Kingdom — Herman Ridderbos
5.) Paul: An Outline of His Theology — Herman Ridderbos
6.) A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New — G. K. Beale
7.) We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry — G. K. Beale
8.) The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative — Christopher H. Wright
9.) God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology — James M. Hamilton Jr
10.) The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament — Edmund Clowney
11.) A Theology of the New Testament — George Eldon Ladd

High School students must read the main texts and supplementary texts 2, 6, 8, and 10.

College Students must choose reading one of two following supplementary sets. Seminary Students must read all 11 supplementary books.

Set 1 — 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11,
Set 2 — 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10

Assignments

1.) None of these books are written by a Postmillennialist. Write a 15 page paper giving an overview, based on the principles of interpretation you’ve learned in this reading, on what a Postmillennial Biblical Theology of Dominion would look like.

2.) 5 page paper probing what the student sees as potential weaknesses in Biblical theology.

3.) Provide 1.5 page Chapter summaries for each book demonstrating that you’ve understood the material you’ve read

4.) Write a 7 page paper setting forth what you see as the macro story line of Scripture. Support your conclusions from Scripture and your reading. (for example, Hamilton sees the macro story line as “Salvation through Judgment.” Wright see’s the macro story line as Missions. Others have argued that the macro story line is Covenant, or Redemption, or God’s Glory, etc.)

5.) 4 page paper distinguishing Systematic Theology from Biblical theology. Spend 1 page explaining whether you think that Systematic theology or Biblical theology should be prioritized and why.

Seminary Course — The Federal Reserve; What It Is and Is Not

Main Text

1.) The Creature from Jekyll Island — G. Edward Griffin
2.) Collective speeches of Congressman Louis T. McFadden — Louis T. McFadden

Supplemental Texts

1.) Blood Money: the Civil War and the Federal Reserve — John Remington Graham
2.) The Roots of Inflation — R. J. Rushdoony
3.) The Federal Reserve Conspiracy Paperback – Antony C. Sutton
4.) The Secrets of the Federal Reserve — Eustace Mullins
5.) End The Fed Paperback – Ron Paul
6.) The Case Against the Fed — Murray N. Rothbard
7.) What Has Government Done to Our Money? — Murray N. Rothbard
8.) Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse — Thomas E. Woods

Assignments

Read the texts in this order

Supplemental — 5, 6, 7, 2, 3, 4 — provide 1.5 page chapter summaries for each chapter of each book.

Next read the Main Texts — 20 page paper demonstrating you understand the dangers of fiat money. Spend part of your paper setting out why fiat money is un-biblical and non Christian

End by reading 1, and 8 — Right a 15 page paper demonstrating the effects that Fiat money has on a social order. Use the historical examples to validate your points from books 1 and 8.

Modern Western Culture — Prolegomena

This is intended as only a survey course. Another advanced course may be added later. The purpose of this course is to begin to tease out how Western Civilization and culture has been hijacked by a alien people with a alien interest, and a alien belief system. By the end of this course the student should begin to recognize the influence of this Alienism as it redirects many aspects of modern Western culture.

Main Texts

1.) “Judaism’s Strange Gods” — Michael Hoffman
2.) “Waters Flowing Eastward: The War Against the Kingship of Christ” — L. Fry & Mme. Paquita de Shishmareff

Assignment — Read the main texts.

a.) Based on Hoffman’s works write a 15 page paper giving your Impression of the Talmud while identifying the principle of Hermeneutic for Judaism.

b.) Based on Mme. Paquita de Shishmareff write a 15 page paper identifying the Worldview of Judaism as well as its disposition towards Western Civilization.

Supplemental Texts

1.) “Liberalists and Jews” (Reprinted from ‘De Standaard,’ 1878) — Abraham Kuyper
2.) “The Jews” — Hilaire Belloc
3.) “The Zionist Factor” — Ivor Benson
4.) “For Fear Of the Jews” — Stan Rittenhouse
5.) “Behind Communism” — Frank L. Britton
6.) “Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution” — Anthony Sutton
7.) “Son of Liberty; No Apologies” –Marvin H. Clark Jr.

8.) “The Great Holocaust Trial: The Landmark Battle for the Right to Doubt the West’s Most Sacred Relic” — Michael Hoffman

9.) “Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel” — Alison Weir
10.) The International Jew — Henry Ford

Supplementary Texts assignment

1.) Read Abraham Kuypers Essay.

Write a paper answering these kinds of questions

a.) What is Kuyper’s main thesis
b.) How does Kuyper support his thesis
c.) What Warnings does Kuyper raise
d.) What solutions does Kuyper offer
e.) What does Kupyer offer as the heart of the problem

2.) Read Belloc’s short work. Do the same with Belloc as you were assigned with Kuyper above

3.) Read books 3-6 and 8-10. Provide 1 page of summary notes for each chapter of each book. Make sure to glean the authors main points.

4.) Write a critical book review covering Clark’s work.

Seminary Course — Nomology; The Kind Of Social Orders Biblical Christianity Creates and Sustains

Purpose: At the end of this course the student will have an understanding how beliefs concerning how the law functions ends up creating different social orders and peoples.

Main Texts

1.) Law and Revolution: The Formation of the Western Legal Tradition — Harold Berman
2.) Law and Revolution II: The Impact of the Protestant Reformations on the Western Legal Tradition — Harold Berman

Assignment — 30 page paper that demonstrates the student’s ability to recognize changes in Law codes and structures as identified with changes in worldviews. Give examples from the texts. Spend time delineating why
these shifts occur. Identify a shift in Law and Revolution subsequent to the Reformation. Tease out the implications of that change as Berman teases out the implications in the changes he notes.

Supplementary Texts

1.) Millennialism and Social Theory — Gary North

2.) Political Polytheism: The Myth of Pluralism — Gary North

3.) The Reformation of Rights: Law, Religion and Human Rights in Early Modern Calvinism — John Witte Jr.

4.) Roots Of Western Culture — Herman Dooyeweerd

5.) The Twilight of Western Thought — Herman Dooyeweerd

6.) Lectures on Unbelief and Revolution — Groen Van Prinsterer

7.) Calvin: His Roots and Fruits — C. Gregg Singer

8.) The Genevan Reformation and the American Founding — David W. Hall

9.) Living in God’s Two Kingdoms: A Biblical Vision for Christianity and Culture — David Van Drunnen

Assignment

30 page paper demonstrating your understanding of how Van Drunnen is offering a different model for the relation of God’s Law and Social Order. Compare and Contrast Van Drunnen’s work with the other works.

Seminary Course — Nomology; It’s Place and Role in the Christian Faith

At conclusion of this study the student will have an understanding of the importance of the role of Nomology as a guide to life and as the means by which social orders are informed and regulated.

Main Texts

Institutes of Biblical Law, Vol. 1 — R. J. Rushdoony
Theonomy in Christian Ethics — Greg L. Bahnsen

Supplementary Texts

1.) By This Standard: The Authority of God’s Law Today — Greg Bahnsen
2.) The world under God’s law; criminal aspects of the welfare state — T. Robert Ingram
3.) What’s wrong with human rights — T. Robert Ingram
4.) Biblical Law — H. B. Clark
5.) The Grace of Law: A Study in Puritan Theology… Ernest F. Kevan
6.) Ethics & God’s Law: An Introduction to Theonomy Paperback – William O. Einwechter
7.) Law & Liberty — R. J. Rushdoony

8.) God and Politics: Four Views on the Reformation of Civil Government : Theonomy, Principled Pluralism, Christian America, National Confessionalism — Gary Scott Smith (Editor)

9.) The True Bounds of Christian Freedom — Samuel Bolton

Assignments

Main Texts

Write summary pages for each chapter. 7 page summary for each Bahnsen chapter. 3 page summary for Rushdoony chapter. Make sure and hit the essential point that is being driven at in each chapter and give examples of that main point from the text.

Supplementary Text

1.) No assignment here as this text will serve to the end of becoming increasing familiar with Bahnsen’s main text.

2.) 10 page paper demonstrating the consequence of scuttling God’s law in the public square

3.) 7 page paper demonstrating that the student has a handle on the dangers of human rights. In the paper the student should tease out the eventual effects of a social order based on human rights. In the paper the student should explain why it is that social orders must be first and foremost concerned about God’s rights.

4.) 10 page summary highlighting points of interest you found.

5.) 10 page paper summarizing the Puritan view of the role of the law per Kevan.

6.) 1 page summary of each chapter.

7.) 4 page summary of each chapter

8.) 10 page paper detailing the role of God’s law in each of the 4 views that are offered in Smith’s book

9.) 10 page paper comparing and contrasting Bolton’s view and role of the law as compared to Bahnsen’s view and role of the law.