christian union universities
A Deeper Level
Ministry Fellow Leads Course on Christian Thought by eileen scott , senior writer c h r i s t i a n u n i o n : : t h e m a g a z i n e
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In November , students with Christian Union ’ s ministry at Columbia participated in the careful examination of God ’ s Word during a Saturday seminar on biblical exegesis . The seminar is one of many opportunities provided throughout the year to help students grow spiritually and understand life through a Christian worldview .
Jesse Peterson , a Christian Union ministry fellow at Columbia , led the seminar . Peterson also teaches several Christian Union Bible Courses each semester , facilitates a theological discussion group with students , serves as a mentor , and speaks at the ministry ’ s leadership lecture series .
The recent seminar presented 12 independent steps for researching a given biblical text , including historical background , lexical data , grammatical data , literary context , and structure . Peterson taught the students how to work through the steps of a rigorous methodology for doing exegesis .
The Lake George Course on Christian Thought is another opportunity for students to break down some of theology and philosophy ’ s biggest questions , and to reference a diverse range of texts .
“ This was much more in-depth exegesis than what we normally do in the Bible courses ,” Peterson said .
The seminar was a follow-up to Christian Union ’ s Lake George Course on Christian Thought this summer . A student who attended the course at Lake George was so impacted that she wanted fellow students at Columbia to enjoy a sample of the in-depth teaching .
Ministry Fellow Jesse Peterson leads Christian Union ’ s Lake George Course on Christian Thought each summer .
The annual Course on Christian Thought , held at Christian Union ’ s retreat center in picturesque Lake George , New York , is designed to foster deep reflection about the critical issues of life , faith , and culture . Held over 12 days with students from leading universities , the course included lectures , dialogue , and other activities in a community setting . Topics of discussion included : Faith and Reason ; Meta-Ethics ; Meaning of Life ; Death and Afterlife in the Bible ; Creation ; and more . This year ’ s Lake George Course on Christian Thought will be held August 13-24 .
Peterson noted that participants often pursue careers in the academy as professors or scholars .
“ I think the course provides the most theologically and philosophically-minded students — who are generally in the minority even within Christian ministries — with a means to engage with one another as peers ,” said Peterson . “ They become excited once the course starts and they meet all of these other students from the various campuses who enjoy thinking through faith at a deeper level .”
For Isaac Elysee , Cornell ’ 19 , the intellectual nature of the course was appealing .
“ It is somewhat easier for me to understand philosophy and logical arguments for God and for my emotional response to flow out of that …[ this experience ] made me love God more ,” he said . “ I believe I came away with a greater appreciation for God and affirmation of many things that I held true .”
Elysee said the Lake George experience exceeded his expectations , religiously and philosophically . Additionally , he found living among nature calming and conducive to quiet reflection and spending time with God .