Monday, August 07, 2006

Art, Music & Apologetics: An Interactive Course

The following, from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, strikes me as a excellent way to use technology for edifying instruction:

Art, Music & Apologetics: An Interactive Course
Bill Edgar

Dr. William Edgar offers an in-depth look at the history and philosophy of Christian apologetics while exploring the ways in which art, music, and popular culture give the insightful apologist opportunities to better understand his audience and to offer a gospel of hope. Apologetics, Dr. Edgar argues, is the essential art of making that hope present to the world around us. The course is illuminated by the creativity of Dr. Edgar himself as he gives a jazz concert, analyzes Woody Allen’s films, looks at Renaissance and modern art, and explores the lives and times of America's greatest jazz artists.

This is a full-length, graduate-level course that includes over 23 video hours of lecture and interaction, offered here in the e4 learning software. e4 is a new environment for learning, one that combines the best of the classroom with the best of technology and the web. When you use the e4 courseware you are not only viewing top-quality video—you also have access to an outline and transcript of the full course, as well as a large research library linked to keywords in the text. You also become part of a wider learning community with web-based features like private study groups, weblogs, and the ability to share notes with other e4 users.

A 23-hour interactive video/web course that covers the history and philosophy of Christian apologetics while exploring the ways in which art, music, and popular culture provide opportunities to present a gospel of hope. Features jazz piano performances by Dr. Edgar himself!

1. Lecture 01: Christian Apologetics
2. Lecture 02: Foundations
3. Lecture 03: History
4. Lecture 04: Art & Cultural Analysis
5. Interaction: Apologetics & Art
6. Lecture 05: Christian Worldview
7. Interaction: Culture
8. Lecture 06: Faith & Reason
9. Lecture 07: Post(modernity)
10. Interaction: History
11. Interaction: Theology
12. Lecture 08: Unbelief
13. Lecture 09: Homecoming
14. Interaction: Apologetics
15. Lecture 10: The Problem of Evil
16. Lecture 11: Reflecting on Evil
17. Lecture 12: Worldwide Apologetics
18. Interaction: Pain & Evil
19. Lecture 13: Jazz and Spirituality (Concert)
20. Lecture 14: Pluralism and Truth
21. Lecture 15: Worship
22. Interaction: Redemption
23. Lecture 16: Reflections

Watch a video preview