Fall Session Classes

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The Fall Session of RHBI starts 9/27. Click here for more information.

Greg Koukl will be our guest speaker on 9/20 talking about the doctrine of Hell. Classes will included “Church and Society” (visiting Talbot Professor, Dr. Scott Rae), “Life’s Healing Choices” (Pastor Nate Aanderud), “New Testament Survey” (Rob Orr), “Survey of the Wisdom and Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament” (Sam Evans), “Overcoming Your Fear of Evangelism: How to Share Your Faith Naturally” (Pastor Steve Bunyard), and “Affirmations of the Faith: Reflections on the Evangelical Covenant Church” (multiple instructors).

Click here for more information.

2011 Fall Session Classes

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Here’s the list of the fall session classes and events. You can RSVP by clicking on the RSVP link here or above.

Special Kick-Off Event:

Greg Koukl, Hell Yes: The Terrifying Truth

  • Speaker: Greg Koukl is the founder of Stand to Reason, a nationally syndicated radio based apologetics ministry.
  • Description: What is the torment of hell? What will cause the anguish? Is hell a good place, or bad?In this teaching, Greg talks about why the concept of hell has fallen on hard times and gives good reasons why we should take the notion seriously. This teaching will not leave you unmoved because there is only one solution to avoid being in hell forever.
  • When: 7pm, September 20, 2011
  • Cost: Free
  • Where: Worship Center
  • Childcare Provided

The following classes start the week of 9/27. They take place from 6:30pm – 8:20pm and they run for eight consecutive weeks (unless otherwise noted). The cost for tuition is $35 per person.

Tuesday Night Classes:

  • Church and Society
    • Instructor: Dr. Scott Rae
    • Location: 293, Main Campus
    • Description: This class will provide a study of biblical ethics and the role the local church plays in the community. Special attention will be given to major social problems such as sanctity of life, chemical abuse, domestic violence, social ills, and the political process.
    • Note: this class starts at 7pm and ends at 9pm. As a result, childcare will not be provided. The tuition for this class is $45. Scholarships will require advanced approval as this class is offered in partnership with Talbot Theological Seminary. This is a 4 week class, rather than the normal 8 weeks. Though offered in partnership with Talbot, this does not count towards college credit.
    • No Childcare Provided
  • Life’s Healing Choices
    • Instructor: Pastor Nate Aanderud
    • Location: North Chapel, North Campus
    • Description: Everyone looks “together” when you see them at a weekend worship service. As a pastor and counselor, I can assure you that no one is perfect and that we all struggle with a hurt, habit or hang-up. I’ve seen two things that make our present miserable: guilt and shame from the past and/or anxiety about the future.This class will help us explore how we get trapped by shame/guilt, how we try to cope when we feel powerless, and what holds us back from being the people that God designed us to be? Whether you are struggling yourself, or love someone who is, this class will equip you with the biblical tools to overcome life-controlling issues and challenges, and help you begin to live free in Christ.
    • Format: A lesson taught by Nate and small group discussion.
    • Prerequisite: You must have at least one hurt, habit or hang-up!
    • Childcare Provided
  • New Testament Survey
    • Instructor: Rob Orr
    • Location: 296, Main Campus
    • Description: This course is designed to provide an overview of each book of New Testament, and to provide an understanding of the significant doctrines of each book, with an emphasis on why they matter for everyday Christian living.  The classroom time is interactive, with optional homework.
    • Childcare Provided

Wednesday Night Classes:

  • Survey of the Wisdom and Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament
    • Instructor: Sam Evans
    • Location: 301, North Campus
    • Description: Sam is completing an advanced degree from Talbot Theological Seminary this year which has sharpened his skills regarding Old Testament Studies. This class will survey the Wisdom Literature and Prophets of the Old Testament to help you understand how these portions of scripture fit in with the overall story of God’s interaction with mankind.
    • No Childcare Available
  • Overcoming Your Fear of Evangelism: How to Share Your Faith Naturally
    • Instructor: Pastor Steve Bunyard
    • Location: 304, North Campus
    • Description: Very few Christians actually share their faith. The reality is that evangelism can be natural and deeply interpersonal, if you know how to approach it. Learn the skills necessary to develop a lifestyle of evangelism that leads to naturally sharing your faith in an inviting manner as you go about your day.
    • Note: This is a four week class. Tuition is $15.
    • No Childcare Available

Thursday Night Classes:

  • Affirmations of the Faith: Reflections on the Evangelical Covenant Church 
    • Instructors: J.P. Poveda, Pastor John Thill, Pastor Joe Handley, Pastor Garrick Hanger, Pastor Bill McPhee, and Pastor Lloyd Gilbert.
    • Location: 301, North Campus
    • Description: Rolling Hills Covenant Church is one of the larger Evangelical Covenant Churches, but what does it mean to be a Covenant Church? What unifies this diverse 125 year old denomination? This class will survey the seven affirmations of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Each week you will be taught by a different Covenant Licensed or Ordained Minister. Learn more about what it means to be a Covenant Church while also getting to know a number of your pastors.
    • No Childcare Available

Dr. Scott Rae, Author & Professor, to Teach Fall Class on Church and Society

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Biography

Dr. Rae is Chair of Philosophy of Religion and Ethics and Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot Theological Seminary at Biola University.

Dr. Rae’s primary interests are medical ethics and business ethics, dealing with the application of Christian ethics to medicine and the marketplace. He has authored 10 books in ethics including The Ethics of Commercial Surrogate Motherhood; Moral Choices: An Introduction to Ethics; Brave New Families: Biblical Ethics and Reproductive Technologies; Beyond Integrity: A Judeo-Christian Approach to Business Ethics; and Body and Soul: Human Nature and the Crisis in Ethics. His work has appeared in The Linacre Quarterly, Religion and Liberty, Journal of Markets and Morality, Southern California Journal of Law and Women’s Studies, National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, and Ethics and Medicine. He is a consultant for ethics for four Southern California hospitals. He is a fellow of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity and a fellow of the Wilberforce Forum.

You can learn more about Dr. Rae by visiting his website.

Class Details

This class will be held Tuesday evenings for four weeks starting September 27, 2011. The two hour class will start at 7pm instead of the regular 6:30pm. As a result childcare will not be available. As this is a class offered in partnership with the Talbot Institute for Biblical Studies (TIBS), tuition will be $45. Scholarships will require advanced approval from RHBI. An instruction manual for the class will be provided by Talbot Theological Seminary, and refreshments will be available as well.

Dr. Scott Rae joins the up coming lineup of guest speakers Greg Koukl and Dr. Dallas Willard. Check back in the upcoming weeks for announcements about our other great fall session classes. RHBI works hard to provide you with access to meaningful biblically grounded classes taught by highly qualified instructors. Did you know that most of our instructors have advanced degrees in some area of theological studies? Did you know that RHBI has hosted guest speakers like Dr. J.P. Moreland and Dr. Craig Hazen in the past? If you haven’t tried out an RHBI class, Dr. Rae’s might be a good way for you to sample RHBI for four weeks instead of the normal eight weeks.

Why Study Theology

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You are a theologian, a bible interpreter, and a philosopher. I’m certain about this because I know that you have thoughts about God, about what the bible says, and about the world around you. Even an atheist has thoughts about God, namely, that He doesn’t exist. It’s not a question of if you will be doing theology, biblical interpretation or philosophy. It’s a question of whether or not you’ll be any good at it.

In Jesus’ day, the public had wrong thoughts about him. They thought he was John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet from the past. Jesus asked his disciples a profoundly simple question, “but who do you say that I am.” Peter answered, “The Christ of God” (Luke. 9:18 – 20). The crowd got it wrong; Peter got it right in mind and heart. That made all the difference in the world. Things have not changed. People think Jesus is a prophet, a guru, one of many ways to God, a wise man, a political revolutionary, a fairy tale, etc. But the question remains, who do you say that he is? Truth matters to Jesus; it should matter to you as well.

Getting good at thinking about God shouldn’t be thought of as a callous academic discipline. Sure, it requires some thinking and some effort; but it’s more than that. Getting good at thinking about theology and the bible can be an act of worship. Think about what we believe: God humbled himself, took on the form of a servant, lived a perfect life, was executed and rose from the dead so that we can have life (Philippians 2:1-11)! That’s amazing! Why wouldn’t you want to learn as much as you can about what God has to say through his written word?

Learning about God, however, isn’t just about truth and getting smarter. It’s about learning to love God and one another. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, he answered without hesitation, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:34-40). Learning about God is about developing your mind as an act of loving Him. It should also be something that transforms your heart and your soul, which naturally translates to you loving your neighbor as yourself.

The Rolling Hills Bible Institute (RHBI) is an opportunity for you to learn to worship and love God with your mind. It’s an opportunity for you to develop thoughts that are true about God. It’s an opportunity to learn to love God and one another more deeply. I hope you’ll take some time to prayerfully consider taking a class this year.

I look forward to hearing how God works though you as you engage your mind for his glory!

 

RHBI.org Bible References Link to Logos and to Biblia.com

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I just installed a new WordPress plugin that’s pretty neat. WordPress is the software that runs this website. The plugin is called RefTagger and it’s by Logos Bible Software. Soon, RHBI instructors will be blogging about different RHBI related topics (theology, mission, life, etc.). As those posts become available, you’ll be able to hover over bible versus and the scripture should just pop up. Additionally, if you click on the bible verse, you’ll be taken to biblia.com. One other neat feature involves the little box with an L in it that appears after a bible verse on this blog. If you have the Logos Bible Software system installed on your computer, you’ll be able to open up a passage posted on this blog in your local installation of Logos.

Here’s a sample passage to play around with: Matthew 22:37-40.

www.RHBI.org Has Been Updated…

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You might have noticed over the last month or two that this website has gone through some changes. The goal is to provide you with a constantly updated place where you can find information about our classes, as well as interesting blog posts about theology, mission, and life. To that end, welcome to our re-revised site. We’ll continue to update things as the months come. Don’t hesitate to email me if you have suggestions or comments; better yet, comment on this post!

Dr. Dallas Willard and Greg Koukl to Speak at RHBI Events

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Mark your calendars for two exciting special RHBI events. Greg Koukl, president and founder of Stand To Reason (www.STR.org), will be speaking Tuesday evening on September 20th, 2011 at Rolling Hills Covenant Church for the Rolling Hills Bible Institute (RHBI) Fall 2011 Kickoff. The topic is still being determined.

We are also really excited to announce that Dr. Dallas Willard, noted author on the subject of Christan spiritual growth and formation and professor of philosophy at USC, will be speaking the evening of January 24th, 2012 for the Winter 2012 kickoff. The topic is still being determined.

We have one more announcement for a guest speaker in January 2012, but we’re working out the details so keep checking back here at www.RHBI.org for the announcement!

RHBI is constantly working on offering you meaningful classes and leading special guest speakers to help encourage you as you seek to love God with all of your mind, your heart, and your soul (Matthew 22:37). Special guest speakers in the past have included Dr. J.P. Moreland, Dr. Craig Hazen, and Dr. Walt Russell (in partnership with RHCC Global).

Fall 2011 Session Has Moved to 9/27

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To coordinate with other ministries taking place at Rolling Hills Covenant church, the Fall session will start September 27, 2011 rather than October 11, 2011. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

Enrollment Still Open Through May 17th

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If you haven’t registered for a class yet, don’t worry. You can still attend either class by simply showing up this next Tuesday (5/17/2011). If you are a married couple, you might want to pay special attention to the Marriage Revival Class. This class is more intimately set so that you can fellowship and really grow along side some other couples that are also looking to infuse deeper biblical principles into their relationships.

As usual, scholarships are readily available, so please don’t hesitate to take advantage of them if you have need.

Here’s the two classes being offered this session:

  • Marriage Revival, Rob Orr, Conference Room (Main Campus)

This course offers an exciting, challenging & potentially life changing walk through God’s design for marriage as revealed in Scripture. It will focus on understanding & learning to rely upon the resources God has given us for a healthy & joyful marriage, with a special emphasis on the role of agape love, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, prayer, fellowship, forgiveness, & intimacy.  It will be taught in a small group setting, with time for interaction, questions & a discussion of the practical application of God’s timeless truths to our lives & marriages.

  • Christianity and Cultural Hot Buttons, Andy Noch & John Thill, Room 293 (Main Campus)

Pastors Andy Noch and John Thill will team up for this course which takes a Christian world-view at cultural hot buttons such as abortion, gay marriage, stem-cell research, relativism and other subjects. The course will include video teaching segments by Greg Koukl, Norman Geisler and Paul Copan. The goal of the course is to help Christians develop a biblical worldview and to charitably articulate that view with others in society.

Spring Session 2011

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Things Are Moving Forward

Here’s the schedule for the upcoming RHBI spring session. This will be a light session, but don’t take that to mean that we’re winding things down. We have exciting plans for the fall session (10/11 – 12/6) as well as for 2012. For the moment, however, we decided to keep the spring session light since Easter was especially late this year and it pushed RHBI into the summer.

Simplifying

RHBI has a lot going on in the background. To help simplify some of that, the registration process will change this session. We’re no longer offering pre-registration. Instead, you’ll register in class by filling out a form that will get sealed in a provided envelope with payment. Please bring either a check (made out to RHCC) or exact change. Instructors will not have change for cash payments.

One side effect of this change is that we will no longer offer the $25 pre-registration discounted price. The price for a class is $35. But don’t fear, if cost is ever an issue, you can take advantage of the Harle Damon scholarship (full and partial scholarships are available). No special action is required for the scholarship. Simply check the appropriate box for the scholarship on your first night of class and either make a partial payment (if possible) or take advantage of the full scholarship. You don’t even have to explain the circumstances of your need – we work on the honor system.

You’ve probably also noticed that the RHBI website is quite a bit simpler than before. Don’t worry, this is just a starting point. I’ve changed platforms and I’m recreating content. The hope is that this new platform will make it easier to keep everyone up to date (you might have noticed that the old RHBI website was often out of date).

Cost

Each class is $35 per person. Early registration discounts are no longer available. Full or partial scholarships are readily available. There is no special requirement to take advantage of the Harle Damon scholarship; it’s honor based. Simply pay what you can for the class (including nothing). We do ask, however, that if you take a book under the scholarship that you commit to doing the class work as well as completing the reading assignments. Registration will take place the first night of class.

Up Coming Class Schedule

Below are the classes being offered. Classes start May 10th and run through June 28th from 6:30pm through 8:20pm. Childcare is available.

  • Christianity and Cultural Hot Buttons, Andy Noch & John Thill, Room 293 (Main Campus)

Pastors Andy Noch and John Thill will team up for this course which takes a Christian world-view at cultural hot buttons such as abortion, gay marriage, stem-cell research, relativism and other subjects. The course will include video teaching segments by Greg Koukl, Norman Geisler and Paul Copan. The goal of the course is to help Christians develop a biblical worldview and to charitably articulate that view with others in society.

  • Marriage Revival, Rob Orr, 296 (Main Campus), moved to Conference Room (Main Campus)

This course offers an exciting, challenging & potentially life changing walk through God’s design for marriage as revealed in Scripture. It will focus on understanding & learning to rely upon the resources God has given us for a healthy & joyful marriage, with a special emphasis on the role of agape love, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, prayer, fellowship, forgiveness, & intimacy.  It will be taught in a small group setting, with time for interaction, questions & a discussion of the practical application of God’s timeless truths to our lives & marriages.

If you have any questions, never hesitate to contact me (J.P. Poveda).

Blessings to you,

- jp