The following books are required reading in the course Cultural Issues In Christian Perspective taught by Dr. Del Tackett and Dr. Chris Leland, at Focus on the Family Institute.
Boa, K.D. & Bowman, R. M. (2001). Faith has its reasons: An integrative approach to defending Christianity. Colorado Spring, CO: NavPress.
Bonhoeffer, D. (1954). Life together. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
Briner, Bob. (1993). Roaring lambs. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Colson, C. (1999). How now shall we live? Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Colson, C. (2003). Being the body. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group.
de Tocqueville, Alexis. (1835). Democracy in America, (Vol 1). (Reprinted by Vintage Books, New York, 1990).
Dobson, J. (2004). Marriage under fire. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
Ellis, E. S. (1884). Not yours to give. Philadelphia: Porter & Coates (Reprinted by Conservative Printing, 2003).
Grudem, W. A. (2003). Business for the glory of God: The Bible’s teachings on the moral goodness of business. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Kavanaugh, P. 1996. Spiritual lives of the great composers. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Lewis, C. S. (1974). The abolition of man. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancicso.
Minnery, T. (2001). Why you can’t stay silent: A biblical mandate to shape our culture. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishing/Focus on the Family.
Olasky, M. (1999). The American leadership tradition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Pollock, J. (1996). William Wilberforce: A man who changed his times. Mclean, VA: The Trinity Forum.
Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. New York: Penguin Books.
Schaeffer, F. A. (1984). The great evangelical disaster. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books
Schmidt, Alvin J. (2004). How Christianity changed the world. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Sire, J. W. (2004). The universe next door. A basic worldview catalog. 4th edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Schlossberg, H. (1990). Idols for destruction: The conflict of Christian faith and American culture.Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Sowell, T. (1995). The vision of the anointed: Self-congratulation as a basis for social policy. New York, NY: Basic Books.
White, H. (2006). Postmodernism 101. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Books.
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The syllabus describes the course as follows – - -
DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to deepen and broaden the student’s understanding of the core assumptions of the Christian worldview, and to apply this perspective to critical issues involving the contemporary family, church, and society. The goal is to enable students to think more clearly about the ultimate issues of human existence so that they may live more purposeful lives and participate more constructively in the calling of the Christians as a transformed and transforming community through which God heals individuals, families and societies.
The course focuses on the central issue of our understanding of the existence and nature of God, human beings, and the world around us. The aim is clearer insight into Christ’s ongoing redemptive work centered in the Christians and Christian community as God’s chief agent of societal change. Christ’s work extends beyond the individual to include all of created reality, especially the social aspects of human experience. Students are encouraged to go beyond mere understanding to actual participation in the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth.
OBJECTIVES
1. To awaken the student’s spirit, heart and mind toward God and the world which Christ came to restore.
2. To facilitate the understanding and communication of the essential elements of a Christian worldview, as it contrasts with other competing and counterfeit worldviews.
3. To equip students to develop a biblically and theologically informed understanding of the relationship between social institutions and God’s design for social order.
4. To expose the students to new ways of thinking about social institutions, current issues and pathologies and the Christian’s role in effecting transformation in each sphere of life.