Page 72 - 2019-2020 Academic Catalog - Providence Christian College

2019-2020 ACADEMIC CONCENTRATIONS
Concentrations are in addition to the Core Liberal Arts Curriculum. A course may not be double-counted as fulfilling a requirement in both the Core and a Concentration.
 A course listed as fulfilling both Core and Concentration requirements will normally be counted as fulfilling the Concentration requirement, and another course taken to fulfill the Core requirement. With approval from the academic adviser, a course may instead be counted in the Core and another course taken in its place for the Concentration.
 No more than half of the courses in a Concentration may be transferred from another college. Biblical and Theological Studies (BTS) – Biblical Languages (BL)
The Bible is God’s written word, his special revelation about himself, his world, and how we are to live in it. A biblical perspective thus profoundly shapes everything else we study at Providence, and this means that students must know the Bible and what it teaches. The four semesters of Old and New Testament Studies and Theology in the Core enable students to study the entire Bible, its historical background, theological teaching, and relevance for living in today’s world.
With a Biblical and Theological Studies Concentration, students are able to build on this introduction and pursue in-depth biblical study, as well as systematic and historical theological study, drawing in particular on the riches of the Reformed heritage and its encounter with other views.
Students will typically begin their study in the concentration surveying the history of Christianity, and also learning the principles and history of biblical interpretation (Hermeneutics). Then they will have the opportunity for a close study of an Old Testament or New Testament corpus (Pentateuch or Pauline Literature), as well as a closer examination of historic and Reformed Christian doctrines (Doctrinal Studies I or II). Students will also study Apologetics, equipping them to defend the faith in today’s world, with both intellectual rigor and interpersonal compassion. For their summative experience in the concentration, students will participate in three advanced seminars, engaging exciting areas of current scholarship in biblical and theological studies. Thus, throughout their four years, students will be equipped to rightly handle the word of truth, to meet contemporary challenges, and to understand the difference theology makes for our service in the church and the world. Most of all, we seek by this study to know God better, and thus to be better ambassadors for Christ in a broken world.
A concentration in Biblical and Theological Studies prepares students to effectively and faithfully serve the Lord in many different callings in the church and society. The ability to think carefully with biblical principles is crucial for entrepreneurial careers in the business world. The concentration provides the biblical and theological foundation necessary for Bible teaching, missions, counseling, social work, international relief and refugee work, as well as for graduate study in those fields.
Pre-Seminary track: supplemental Biblical Languages training
For those contemplating seminary training, broad exposure to the liberal arts (in the Liberal Studies major) is ideal. Alongside that, the most important preparation is mastery of the biblical languages. The best seminary programs teach from the original Greek and Hebrew texts.
This language training provides a course of study in biblical Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament) and biblical Greek (the language of the New Testament). Students will learn to read and
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