People have many reasons for rejecting the Christian faith. Some may admire Christ but dislike His followers. Others find it difficult to accept any faith that claims to be the only way to God. Why would anyone limit themselves to only one of the world’s great religions? If the Christian faith is the true path to God, what is the evidence for this? This course will examine the credibility of its founder, the reliability of its book, its explanations for life, its impact on society, its offer of salvation, and other topics to discover “Ten Reasons to Believe in the Christian Faith.”

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Jesus Christ continues to be one of the most controversial people in history. Few people have much of a problem as long as he is portrayed as a kindly moral teacher. But his biblical claim to be God is often met with strong opposition and disbelief. “Ten Reasons to Believe God Became a Man” will examine the evidence, including Jesus’ claims, eyewitness accounts, fulfilled prophecy, miraculous signs and other sources.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

For centuries, thoughtful people have questioned the existence of God. They have proposed that the belief in a higher power was invented by people who needed a sense of protection and spiritual meaning. Yet despite this and other challenges, there are convincing evidences that support a credible belief in the God of the Bible. This course will examine the limits of science, the argument for intelligent design in nature, the claims of Christ, and much more in an investigation of “Ten Reasons to Believe in the Existence of God.”

0.5 Credit

90 Days

What happens after we die? Is it the end of our existence or the beginning of another journey? In this course you’ll examine what the Bible says about life after death, and gain a deeper understanding of how our view of death should radically affect how we live.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Hypocrites. The word carries with it a sneer and a skeptical view of a person’s religious claims. In fact, religious people are still only people; people who are flawed, weak, and sometimes failing. The question is, can someone experience times of spiritual failure and still truly be a person of faith? In this course, we will examine ten converging lines of evidence that can give clarity to a confusing issue, “Ten Reasons to Believe Real Christians Can Look Like They're Not.”

0.5 Credit

90 Days

A case could be made that the central premise of the Christian faith is that Jesus rose from the grave. To many, it is a claim that hovers somewhere between wishful thinking and foolish faith. It seems naive at best and preposterous at worst. But, is there good reason to believe in the resurrection? And, if so, what difference would it make? In this series of studies, we will consider the evidence of history that constitute “Ten Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection.” It is a study that could challenge conventional thinking, and offer you new reason for hope.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

We live in an extremely religious world—a world that can be very confusing, even bewildering. Is it enough to say that all beliefs are of equal value as long as you are sincere? Is there spiritual security in being a “religious” person? Or, is there a better way . . . a way that offers certainty and hope? In this study, you will have the opportunity to consider “Ten Reasons to Believe in Christ Rather than Religion” and see the evidence for Jesus as Savior. Decide for yourself if you will choose to trust in Christ or in religion.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

In a world full of religious books, all claiming authority over the lives of the followers, is there good reason to believe the Bible is any different? Any better? Any more reliable? The source of spiritual authority we choose to commit our lives to will impact how we live and who we become. Learn in this series of studies why you can have confidence in the teachings and wisdom of the Bible and why you can trust this Book with your life as you consider the evidence behind “Ten Reasons to Believe in the Bible.”

0.5 Credit

90 Days

The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York Times Bestseller List since its release and is one of the most widely read books of our time. This novel, however, is more than a page-turning murder mystery. The Da Vinci Code is a conspiracy theory that leaves many readers wondering whether everything they have believed about Christ and the Bible is wrong. This study will strengthen your confidence in God’s Word as you find biblical answers to questions raised by The Da Vinci Code.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

In the history of the world, many religious leaders making stupendous claims have come and gone. Why then has the life and message of Jesus endured as it has? The biblical answer to this is that his claims were shown to be true by supernatural acts. This verification, the words he taught and the life he lived place him a category distinct from all other religious leaders. This course considers the reasons for Jesus’ miraculous life.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

This study is intended to challenge us to wrestle with difficult issues of faith. The Bible calls us to “test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and we can do that because our faith is grounded in fact and well-reasoned thought. Difficult questions, such as, “Why God Allows Suffering,” can find deep, soul-satisfying answers in the pages of Scripture, resulting in confidence born out of eternal truth.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

New Testament Basics: Things We Thought We Knew provides an introduction to the New Testament as it surveys vital information that guides the student’s thinking in the study of the New Testament books. This information is both basic and essential to an accurate understanding of New Testament Scriptures.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Matthew - Mark: Two Presentations of Jesus introduces students to the Gospels as literature and then focuses in on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Students will study the specific purposes of each book and how the writers told the account of Jesus’ life to accomplish their unique goals.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Luke - John: Two Interpretations of Jesus provides two different renditions of Jesus’ life and ministry. Adding the perspectives of Luke and John to those given by Matthew and Mark will provide additional detail and explanation to the incredible life of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

During Jesus’ time in Galilee, He introduced the basic rules of life for the Kingdom He was offering to His people. This course, Jesus in Galilee: Popularity and Misunderstanding, studies the great Galilean phase of Jesus’ ministry, which is the setting for the Sermon on the Mount, and then actually studies the Sermon itself.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

As amazing as it seems, the people Jesus came to save actually rejected Him. In Luke – John: Jesus in Judea—Opposition and Rejection students will survey the Judean phase of Jesus’ ministry and gain insight into His teachings and actions that increased the Jewish opposition to the point where they would turn one of their own countrymen over to the Romans for crucifixion.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Most people recognize the fact that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the turning point of world history. After His resurrection and ascension, His disciples spread His Church across the Roman Empire and changed the world. Acts: Crucifixion, Resurrection & Proclamation will add depth to the student’s understanding and appreciation of these world-changing and individual life-changing events.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

The New Testament epistles to the Galatians and Thessalonians are Paul’s earliest preserved letters. In them he began to lay a theological and behavioral foundation for Christian belief and conduct. This course, Galatians - 1 Corinthians: Paul’s Earliest Letters, surveys these early writings.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

The Corinthian church was planted in a moral cesspool. The people who came to Christ and formed that church brought a wagon-load of philosophical, religious, and moral baggage with them that made this a tough church. The two letters we have from Paul to the Corinthians deal with some of the most thorny spiritual and moral issues addressed anywhere in the Bible. This course, 1 & 2 Corinthians: Two Letters to a Tough Church, contains essential help for the Church in any age.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Rome was the capital of the world. Although Paul hadn’t yet visited there when he wrote his epistle to the Christians at Rome, he wanted to make certain they were clear on what the Gospel really was. In the Roman epistle, we have Paul’s great theological statement on God’s salvation. Later, Paul was imprisoned in Rome while waiting for his trial before Caesar. While there, he wrote four letters. In this course, Romans - Ephesians: The Letter to the Roman Church & Letters from a Roman Prison, we study the letters Paul wrote both to and from Rome.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

This course, 1 Timothy - Hebrews: Letters to Pastors & a Church Struggling to Believe, combines three letters of instruction to young pastors and a letter to a church struggling with its foundational beliefs. The Pastoral Epistles provide doctrinal and tactical help to those who lead God’s people; and Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the sovereign Savior and Lord of His church and encourages its readers to pursue unreservedly their relationship with Him.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Unlike Paul’s epistles, the general epistles were not addressed to a particular city or person. These letters deal more with the broader topics of suffering and the dangers of false teachings and unbelief among Christians. This course, James - Jude: Letters to Everyone – General & Johannine Epistles, covers these epistles.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

In Revelation: The Book of Revelation – The End and the Beginning, the New Testament and the Bible culminate with this glorious description of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. All of history’s events are culminated in this fantastic story of Christ’s ultimate triumph over evil and the restoration of all things to their created design.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

Genesis - Leviticus: God Builds a People for Himself tells the story of Israel’s roots. From the creation of all things to the creation of Israel as a nation at Sinai, this course studies God’s process of building a nation to represent Him on earth. It is the foundation for understanding the struggles and triumphs of the relationship between God and Israel that is recorded in the rest of the Old Testament books.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Numbers-Joshua: The Tragedy of Fear and the Glory of Faith is a study of contrasts. Israel’s fear prevented them from entering the land God promised to give them, resulting in the story of wandering and death recorded in Numbers. In contrast, the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua record the preparation and triumph of faith as the people allowed God to win the Promised Land for them.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

This course, Judges-1 Samuel: Israel’s Choice From God-Rule to Human-Rule, covers the books of Judges, Ruth and the book of 1 Samuel. These books contrast Israel as they rebelled against God’s rule in the period of Judges, but Ruth gives a snapshot of obedience during that same period. 1 Samuel examines Israel’s amazing transition from having God-as-their-King to having men-as-their kings.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

2 Samuel-2 Kings: The Difference Leaders Make will guide students through a study of Israel’s kingdom era—as a united nation and as a nation divided into Israel and Judah. It not only covers this critical time in Israel’s history, but also provides an essential foundation for studying Israel’s prophets.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

1 Chronicles - Nehemiah describes the fact that while Israel and Judah flaunted their disobedience in God’s face and persecuted His prophets, He kept His commitment to His covenant promises. Chronicles traces the Davidic kings through whom God would bring His Messiah. Although God exiled His people, Ezra and Nehemiah tell how He restored them to their land and life.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Pressure and pain are realities of life. One of the verifying realities of the Old Testament record is its openness about the difficulties God’s people often suffered—and were often confused by. This course, Job-Lamentations: God’s Path Through Pain, studies three books that deal head-on with the pain and pressure often associated with being God’s people.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Times change and life’s issues take new forms. Solomon never sat in a traffic jam on the freeway and we never fret over an attack by the Philistines, but human emotions remain the same. In this course, Proverbs-Psalms: Singing the Sounds of Real Life, students will study the distilled language of Israel’s poets as they sang the songs of their lives. They are, amazingly, like the songs of people’s lives today.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

God’s prophets stood up and spoke out when it was very unpopular to do so. As men with a message from God, they were preachers with a message that God-rejecting Israel and Judah wanted no part of. This course, Daniel-Micah: Studies of Integrity—Good Men in Bad Times, presents the men, their messages and their times.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

This course, Ecclesiastes-Isaiah: God Guides His People Through Poets and Prophets, takes students through two of the Old Testament books of poetry and then introduces them to the writing prophets—who also used a great deal of poetry in their writings. Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs present the importance of living life under God’s direction. Isaiah introduces the prophetic literature, which is a series of calls to abandon the pursuit of alternative lifestyles and live life God’s way.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

In this course you will study two prophets whose ministry related to Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonians. This unthinkable event – that the city where God lived in His temple could be destroyed – is studied as a threat in Jeremiah and as a historical reality in Ezekiel. The miserable failure of God’s people, and God’s success in judging and yet preserving His people, are surveyed in this course that studies these two prophets.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

This course demonstrates the fact that while God had chosen Israel as His covenant people, His compassion extended beyond Israel to all people. We study prophets whom God sent to Israel’s great oppressor and prophets God sent to Judah.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

The prophets studied in this course ministered after Jerusalem’s destruction and, in Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, during the return and reconstruction of Jerusalem after the exile in Babylon. They demonstrate God’s concern for all His people, Jew and Gentile and emphasize the essential place of obedience to His moral will.

0.5 Credit

90 Days

Douglas K. Stuart, Ph.D.

Church history is the heart of His story, God’s kingdom work on earth. This course explores the development of the Christian church from Pentecost to the present day. It covers key people and events that God used throughout history to bolster His Church and also those negative influences that infected her.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

Garth M. Rosell, Ph.D.

In this course, students complete a chronological and synthetic study of the Gospels’ accounts of Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The course focuses on the time, place, circumstances, and people involved in the events of our Lord’s ministry. From the incarnation to the ascension, students will grasp a fuller understanding of Christ’s words and works in light of Old Testament prophecy and cultural context.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

Terry C. Hulbert, Th.D.

Correct theology is inseparable from correct living. The New Testament epistles reinforce this concept as they demonstrate both the why and how of kingdom living. This course surveys the New Testament epistles and the book of Revelation, examining both the introductory issues and the basic content of each book. Students will wrestle with significant and challenging passages by exploring the major issues and then interacting with specific passages through inductive Bible study. The goal of the course is to gain an increased commitment to and capacity for applying these portions of God’s Word to the world and Christian living today.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

Craig L. Blomberg, Ph.D.

In order to understand and apply any passage of Scripture faithfully, one must begin with the foundational concepts and theology that precede and inform it. Averbeck introduces the content and theology of the books of Genesis through Kings, identifying the foundational themes that emerge and tracing them through the rest of the Bible. In this way, he shows how the theology of the Old Testament is basic and essential for understanding Jesus Christ, the church, and the Christian life.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D.

In order to understand and apply any passage of Scripture faithfully, one must begin with the foundational concepts and theology that precede and inform it. In biblical theology, the foundation is developed in the Latter Prophets and Writings (Job–Malachi). The history, poetry, wisdom, and prophecy of these books are essential for fully grasping the meaning and message of Jesus’ teaching and the mission of the church today. Averbeck introduces the content and theology of the Writings and Latter Prophets, working through the books section-by-section, focusing on major passages and their theological connections throughout all of Scripture.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D.

This course will help to teach you the basic research and writing skills that are necessary for clear and accurate written communication.  The goal is to prepare you for research project requirements for courses at CUGN, but also in any academic endeavor you might pursue.  The course includes five lectures on topics including selecting a topic, conducting research, citing sources, ethics and legalities, and, finally, proofreading and publishing.  These topics, which are succinctly presented, will serve as an online resource for you to return to often in your academic pursuits.  The ultimate goal of this course is to equip you to deliver clear written communication, not just in your studies but throughout your life.

0 Credits

90 Days

Linda Triemstra-Cook

Spiritual formation is a topic of discussion in many circles. We all long for intimacy with God, but how is spiritual growth and maturity developed? What are the dynamics in which God most often works in the heart of believers to make them like His Son, Jesus Christ? In this seminar, Dr. Richard Averbeck addresses these and other questions in order to lay a biblical foundation for proper Christian thought and behavior. In this course, he identifies and describes specific practices that can be applied immediately to your walk of faith.

This course is designed to help students grow in intimacy with God and to mature in spiritual life and relationships. Averbeck traces the work of the Holy Spirit through the Old and New Testaments and identifies specific spiritual practices that encourage growth in the spiritual life. The course utilizes lectures from SF403 as a basis for the practice of contemplative exercises and online discussion of issues related to the spiritual life.

1 Credit

8 Weeks

Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D.

How is spirituality formed both in private and in community? This course explores the meaning of biblical Christianity and its relation to faith and practice, giving special attention to spiritual formation through prayer, meditation, and personal disciplines. The lectures form a paradigm of spiritual growth and maturity that will affect both the individual and the church.

1 Credit

8 Weeks

Gordon T. Smith, Ph.D.

Theology can be intimidating for beginners. Many students have been overwhelmed by the diversity of opinions and sheer volume of information to comprehend. If they are to succeed in theological studies they must first establish a foundation of concepts and terminology on which to build their theological framework. In this course, Dr. Frame covers the essentials of all major areas of systematic theology with the goal of orienting listeners to the basic material necessary to understand and study God’s Word. Focusing on the overarching theme of God’s Lordship, Dr. Frame uses three “Lordship Attributes” (control, authority and presence) to organize the doctrines and help listeners remember and apply them to life.

3 Credits

8 Weeks

John M. Frame, D.D.