Knowing How to Know Course

REGISTRATION CLOSES: Friday, May 11th at 12pm PDT

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Professor: Dave Merrill, Ph.D. with Sarah Sumner, Ph.D., MBA

Full Hybrid Course Runs: Friday, May 11th, 2018 – Friday, June 29th, 2018

Weekend Intensive:

• Dates & Times: Friday, May 11 @ 6:00–9:30pm PDT and Saturday, May 12 @ 8:00am–4:30pm PDT
• Location: Reasons to Believe (818 S. Oak Park Rd., Covina, CA 91724) or Zoom Video Conference

Weekly Online Discussions:

• Dates & Times: Mondays, May 21, 28; June 4, 11, 18, 25 at 6:30-8:00pm PDT
• Location: Zoom Video Conference

Course Description:

In the Old Testament, God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). What is knowledge? Is it possible to have knowledge in a culture that rejects human judgments and the belief in absolute truth? Is it possible to know the things that you believe as a Christian? What can a person truly know? Given all the mistakes in intellectual history, how can anyone be sure of knowing anything? Is knowledge public? Proverbs says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). What does knowledge have to do with faith? How much moral courage does it take to acquire knowledge? If you want to learn to trust God more, then come to this epistemology course.

Key Questions To Be Explored:

• What does it mean to have knowledge, not mere opinions or feelings or beliefs?
• What is the spiritual gift of knowledge? Is there a difference between spiritual knowledge and scientific knowledge?
• Doesn’t the Bible say that knowledge makes people arrogant? If so, then why seek it?
• How might having knowledge increase our moral courage?