Category: Seminary Courses

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.

Books Dealing with the how and why of Mass Manipulation. The goal of the course is to help the student understand why propaganda is used, the meaning of propaganda as a tool of manipulation, while giving the student the ability to recognize and identify propaganda. Further the Student will be able to explain how is it that propaganda is different than truth in the way it presents itself.

Main Texts

Jacques Ellul — Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes
Edward Bernays — Propaganda
Gustav LeBon — The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind

These three main texts will tell you

1.) The pervasiveness of Propaganda and its how it presents itself in a seemingly harmless way
2.) The technical means by which Propaganda is accomplished
3.) How Propaganda is advantaged by dealing with Crowds

Online Documentary

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-self/

Before reading any of the main text spend the 4 hours necessary to view the “Century of the Self.” This provides a good overview of what propaganda is and how it has been used in history.

After viewing the documentary read the main texts.

As reading the texts ask be prepared to look for the answer to the following questions

a.) Where is propaganda to be found
b.) What is the relation of propaganda to truth
c.) How does propaganda build a tapestry of false reality wherein people find meaning and definition of life
d.) Why does mass propaganda become easier to accomplish then propaganda on a person by person basis
e.) The names of the men who have been masters of propaganda
f.) How does propaganda change during war
g.) How does the individual arm themselves to detect propaganda
h.) What is the relation between truth as narrative and propaganda
i.) What is the role of public institutions and propaganda
j.) What are the consequences to the individual who lives contrary to culturally accepted propaganda
k.) Can propaganda be used to advance Biblical Christianity

Supplementary Texts

Daniel Boorstin — The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America
Neil Postman — Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman — Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
Neil Postman — The Disappearance of Childhood
Edith Efron — The News Twisters
Thomas Sowell — The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy
Marshall McLuhan — The Medium is the Massage
Michael Medved — Hollywood vs. America: Popular Culture And The War on Tradition
Philip Knightly — The First Casualty: From the Crimea to Vietnam: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist and Myth Maker

The Student will write 15 page book reviews on the three main texts as well as a 30 page paper identifying and documenting propaganda in modern culture.

The Student will make chapter notes at the end of each Chapter of the books in the supplemental and then summarize the thrust of each book in their supplemental reading.

In the Supplemental Reading the student will be careful to be aware of how propaganda is transmitted in media, technology, education and politics.

The purpose of this course if to make you familiar with what Multiculturalism is, how it has come about, and the methodologies that it uses to advance its agenda.

Main Texts

The Calvinistic Concept of Culture — Henry Van Til
The Gagging of God — D. A. Carson
The Politics of Guilt & Pity — R. J. Rushdoony

These three main texts will tell you

1.) What Biblical Culture is and where it comes from (Van Til)
2.) How it is that Biblical Culture is being displaced by multiculturalism (Carson)
3.) The concrete methodologies that are being pursued in order to implement multiculturalism (Rushdoony)

On line documentary

Agenda; The Grinding Down Of America — http://vimeo.com/63749370
CULTURAL MARXISM: The Corruption of America — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIdBuK7_g3M

In this course I am recommending watching the documentaries first because they do a good job over-viewing and highlighting what Multiculturalism is, and where its threat lies.

Supplemental Required Reading

The Supplemental reading will require an ability to read critically. Most of what is said in the bibliography provided is quite good but there are also some strains that need to be set aside. At the very least the list will provide the tools necessary to see what multiculturalism is doing.

The following books should be read in the order suggested.

1.) Cry Havoc — Ralph de Toledano
2.) The Poverty of Multiculturalism — Patrick West, Kenneth Minoque
3.) The Vision of the Anointed — Thomas Sowell
4.) Alien Nation — Peter Brimelow
5.) Suicide Of A Superpower — Patrick Buchanan
6.) Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends — Kevin J. Vanhoozer
7.) Hollywood vs. America — Michael Medved
8.) The Menace of Multiculturalism; Trojan Horse In America — Alvin J. Schmidt
9.) Christ & Culture — H. Richard Neibuhr
10.)Christ and Culture Revisited — D. A. Carson

If the order is followed sequentially as suggested the weaknesses in the later books will be more easily recognizable. The later books still have a treasure trove of necessary information but they also are afflicted with weaknesses as well.

Books #1-3, along with the main texts and documentaries, give a good foundation for what multiculturalism is and why it should be despised by all right thinking Christians. Book #4 deals with how Immigration patterns contribute to multiculturalism. Book #5 gives a plethora of concrete examples of multiculturalism in the works. Book #6 provides more Theological grounding along with that provided by the main texts. Book #7 reveals how Hollywood and the movie industry advances the agenda of multiculturalism. Book #8 has some presuppositional weakness but still provides some good information. Books #9 and #10 are important. Neibuhr gives a template for understanding the relationship between Christ and Culture. Carson challenges Niebuhr on some matters. Carson’s Baptist background shows through. The reader needs to be aware of that. As long as books 8-10 are read in light of all that went before the student will be able to strain out the errors in those books.

The Student will write 15 page book reviews on the three main texts.

The Student will make chapter notes at the end of each Chapter and summarize the thrust of each book in their supplemental reading.

The Student will mark down 15 time sections of each of the Documentaries that they view and discuss the importance of that time section with the Teacher.