Learning Communities

In Ephesians 3:16 Paul prays for believers to be strengthened in their "inner man." The Christian faith is fundamentally about what is inside--who we are more than what we do. Our class will focus on building the inner person through practicing the presence of God. Through Christian devotional classics and selected passages from Scripture we will seek strength inside out. Members live in Treefort and Cornerstone stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

This course will define the Kingdom of God as we seek to understand this reality in every aspect of our lives. God’s Kingdom advancing within a Biblical worldview and women’s issues will be studied in depth. Women in this class will gain a firm grasp on their identity as daughters of the King and begin to live out “Kingdom Principles” as we learn what God has saved us for. Please note: this class is restricted to female students. Members live in the Your Mom's House stairwell and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

Our class will explore what it means to purse maximum joy in Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (salvation, evangelism, marriage, money, suffering, etc.). We will also look at what the Holy Spirit is doing through the world in terms of radical evangelism through miracles, healings, sings and wonders. Finally, we will be focusing on what Christian evangelism and the Christian life looks like in oppressed countries. Members live in Treefort and Cornerstone stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

Tired of feeling like no one really knows you? When you look around is all you see “fake” people? Do you yearn to connect with other people in way that you can feel safe enough to really be known for who you really are without being judged? This section of FYI is devoted to challenging, encouraging, and maybe even inspiring your spiritual and emotional growth in way that you’ve never experienced before. We will be reading and discussing a variety of writers who will take us on a journey of honest self-examination, and provide us with a vision of what true, authentic , Biblical community really is. We will be reading from people like: Brennan Manning, Larry Crabb, Henri Nouwen, Andy Stanley, and Phillip Yancey. Members live in the Junkyard and Highlands stairwell and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

Explore the journeys of men and women whose longing for God resulted in various writings that chronicle the trials and triumphs of faith. A strong emphasis on personal growth and transformation helps to lay foundations for a deep and lasting connection with God. Members live in the Shelter and Barracks stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

This course will focus on analyzing the trends of the future (transportation, energy, food, genetics, nanotechnology, war & peace, Christianity, etc.). The future is embedded in the present and we will learn an array of techniques used in strategic foresight and "futuring" that are used in organizations around the world to ‘peek’ into the future. Members live in the Junkyard and Highlands stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

You’ve known for years that movies are about more than sappy love stories and action-packed drama. In this course, we will be talking about our faith as we interact with a foundational question that emerges from some films—what does it mean to be a Christian in this world? Along the way, you’ll sharpen your critical thinking skills, learn how to write about ideas in movies, learn more about yourself, and learn to appreciate films at a sophisticated level. *Not an option for athletes because of practice times. Members live in the Shelter and Barracks stairwell and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

The time and place that we live in is unlike any the world has ever seen. Information from around the world is readily available with the click of a mouse, yet we do not even know our neighbors. Technology steadily marches forward in an attempt to meet humanities insatiable desire for comfort and safety, yet the 20th century was the most violent century in history, and the 21st century shows no sign of relenting as rogue nations and terrorists race for nuclear weapons. People spend billions of dollars on specialty foods and hours in the gym refining bodies that will ultimately die. Where, in this world obsessed with comfort, image, and wealth, is the place for faith? What does the Christian faith look like in this day and age? Is there a place for truth? How do we stop wasting our lives, and live in such a fashion that one day we stand before the Father, and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant? Members live in the Cockpit and Quikstop stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

This course is directed at a strategic investigation of evangelism, discipleship, mission and leadership as a life-long praxis. The development of the disciplines of this praxis will transform all of society and culture within the coming generation. Imagine the impact of pursuing your personal dreams of a rich & satisfying lifestyle while sharing the fullness of the Christ-one lifestyle throughout all the earth. Members live in the Ghetto and Boondocks stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

We live in exciting times…but also times faced with great burdens and responsibilities. Our world today is shrinking through the advancements of technology and communication; through globalization.   We long to reach out to the world around us and to help, but we wonder if one person can really make a difference. Facing so many issues and problems in the world around us, how do we prioritize and how can we really make a difference? This class will look at key moments in history that have shaped our culture today by understanding our part in the Biblical narrative which shapes our worldview.  Together we will learn what it truly means to have a heart for the world. Members live in Kit Carson stairwell and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

Few men have impacted Christianity more than Clive Staples Lewis. He wrote Fantasy, Science Fiction, Apologetics, Literary Criticism, Poetry, Children's Literature, Essays, Sermons and more. Who was this man? Who were his friends? and influences? What lessons does he have to teach college freshman in the 21st century? Join us as we travel to Narnia and Beyond and find out for yourself! Members live in the Cockpit and Quikstop stairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

“Give me one pure and Holy passion.” A song that plays in our hearts asking, who is God creating me to be? What is my purpose as a woman after God’s heart? This class will explore how God is shaping us through practicing Spiritual Disciplines, studying women from the Bible, and identifying personal characteristics God has given us. We will explore how God wants to use us to glorify Him and expand His Kingdom. Members live in the Sandlot stairwell and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.

Everyone has a worldview. What’s yours? How does it correspond with Scripture? This class will explore both your personal questions regarding God and the philosophical questions regarding purpose, morality and destiny. *Not an option for athletes because of practice times. Members live in the Ghetto and Boondocksstairwells and take the corresponding First-Year Integration course.