The following books are required reading in the course “Family, Church, & Society Studies” taught by Del Tackett, at Focus on the Family Institute.

Agee, M. C., et al. (1996). The America we seek. National Review. March 25.

Beckwith, F.. J. (1990-1991). Answering arguments for abortion rights. Christian Research Journal.

Bonhoffer, D. (1954). Life together. San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins.

Briner, B. (1993). Roaring lambs: A gentle plan to radically change your world. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Burtoft, L. (ed.) (2003). Student reflections on the UNC Justice For All outreach.

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).

George, R. P. and Ponnuru, R. (1996). The new abortion debate. First Things 62.

Grudem, W. (2003). Business for the glory of God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Kavanaugh, P. 1996. Spiritual lives of the great composers. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Klusendorf, S. (2002). Pro-life 101: Making your case. Signal Hill, CA: Stand to Reason.

Lee, D. (ND). Frequently asked questions. Wichita, KS: Justice For All.

Lee, D. (2002). The use of graphic visuals in pro-life work. Wichita, KS: Justice For All.

Leman, K. and Pentak, W. (2004). The way of the shepherd: 7 ancient secrets to managing productive people. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Minnery, T. (2001). Why you can’t stay silent: A biblical mandate to shape our culture. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Olasky, M. (1998). The American leadership tradition: The inevitable impact of a leader’s faith on a nation’s destiny. Wheaton, IL: Crossways Books.

Parker, K. (2001). Time to say we’re sorry. Chicago Tribune. June 20.

Pollock, J. (1996). William Wilberforce: A man who changed his times. McLean, VA: Trinity Forum.

Schlossberg, H. (1990). Idols for destruction. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Schmidt, A. J. (2001). Under the influence: How Christianity transformed civilization. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Sowell, T. (1995). The vision of the anointed. New York, NY: Basic Books.

St. Benedict Center. (ND). The fathers speak – for life!

Sullivan, Andrew. (2001). Only human. The New Republic Online.
http://www.tnr.com/073001/trb073001.html

Wolf, N. (1995), Our bodies, our souls. The New Republic. October 16. [R]

The syllabus describes the course as follows – - -

DESCRIPTION:

This is a course in Christian sociological and political thought and leadership action. Students will be challenged to think carefully and deeply concerning their personal leadership role in effecting transformation in every social sphere of life.

The course consists of two concentrations. The first will focus on understanding God’s design for social order and the relationships between the social spheres. This includes the roles, responsibilities, purposes and boundaries of each sphere as God created them. The second will deal with application of this understanding. This includes examination of the pathologies associated with each sphere and the burning issues those pathologies bring to our culture. Students will be challenged with issues ranging from homosexuality to abortion to taxation. This challenge will occur in the classroom and in the field, where they will receive intensive training in “pro-life apologetics”, followed by a two-day outreach on the campus of University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado.

The final application will include a historical study of the key aspects of the founding of the United States of America, with special attention given to the founders’ social vision and their understanding of the relationship between religion, morality and the state. Additionally, this section will help the student defend the existence of objective moral principles against postmodern ethical relativism.

Students will be challenged throughout this course to examine their personal and unique call to leadership roles and responsibilities. The pursuit of that call and its personal application will be considered a critical aspect of the desired outcomes of this area of study.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

• Understand God’s design for social order and the relationships between the social institutions

• Develop a deep sense of compassion for those trapped in the turmoil and destruction of social pathology and a consequential hunger and commitment to become a world changer for Christ.

• Explain the authority structure, roles, responsibilities, purposes and boundaries of each social institution

• Describe current issues and pathologies that are manifested within each social institution

• Articulate the Christian’s personal role in effecting transformation in every social sphere of life

• Explain the historical foundations of the American State

• To equip the students to engage various contemporary social issues with Christ-like compassion and insight, with particular emphasis upon the defense of the existence of objective moral values
• Understand key elements of shepherd leadership

• Give thoughtful consideration to one’s unique leadership role as an agent of change in culture

TOPICS & ACTIVITIES:

• Understanding God’s general design for social order

• Contemplating the triune nature of God in social design

• Intimacy and the divine mark within the family

• Shepherd leadership and God’s delegating call to rule

• Unio Mystica: The awesome reality of being a child of God

• The mystery: Christ and the church

• Understanding the Divine delegation of authority and the design of the state

• Law, politics and the foundations of the American state

• Contemplating Divine creativity and God’s design for labor and the marketplace

• Examining the lost art of community and God’s design to love your neighbor

• Evaluating the burning issues within our culture

• Pro-Life Apologetics

• Pro-Life Outreach at University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

• Risk-takers and world-changers; being “light” and “salt” in a needy world