RELIGION DEPARTMENT
Six semesters of Religion course work are required.

Church History, Pre-Dordt
Church History is taught from the basic premise that the Son of God from the beginning to the end of the world powerfully gathers, defends, and preserves His church through the events and history of the church militant and the church institute. Special emphasis is given to the christological heresies, Pelagianism, the development of the anti-Christian papacy, and the history of the Reformation in England and Europe up to the Synod of Dordt.

Church History, Post-Dordt
The student is brought to see the importance of sovereign, particular grace and the unconditional covenant of grace in light of the rich heritage God has given His church. Special attention is given to the development of the Reformed faith in the Netherlands and America culminating in the history of the Protestant Reformed Churches. Because the student must know and understand the spiritual culture in which he lives, this course teaches the history of the contemporary Christian scene in America and provides an understanding of the mainline denominations and churches found around us. We study the Puritan movement, Revivalism, the rise of Fundamentalism, and the history of Presbyterianism in America.

Bible Survey
The student is led through the Old and New Testaments and their history, developing a sense of the chronology of the periods and the canonical significance of the individual books as they reveal the history of the covenant, point to the coming of the Messiah, and proclaim the fulfillment of that promise.

Non-Christian Religion and Cults
This course's purpose is to help students identify the differences between Christianity and other false ideas and religions that bombard us in the 21st century. We focus on such heathen religions as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. The course also teaches the history and basic errors of the 19th century cults that arise in the U.S. (Seventh-Day Adventism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Christian Science, and Spiritism). In addition we discuss the contemporary proliferation of occult movements such as Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, and the Unification Church. Our study includes the method and content of defending Christianity from heresy by trying the spirits and refuting false teachers who bring damnable heresies.

Practical Theology
This required course focuses on various contemporary issues and modern challenges that confront the student as he strives to live as God's covenant friend in the midst of the world. The goal of the course is to encourage students to apply the truth of God's Word to all of life for the glory and honor of God. Sectionals include the subjects of prayer, missions, discipleship, social action, Christian Philosophy, developing a Protestant Reformed Worldview, and living the antithesis.