Lake George Course on Christian Thought
Lake George, New York
// August 11 - 22, 2019
Lake George Course on Christian Thought
The aim of the two week session is primarily two-fold:
(a) To provide an opportunity for Christian students, as well as non-Christians, to engage deeply with the most arresting questions in relation to the viability of the Christian faith in today’s postmodern culture. The assumption and hope is that this sort of wrestling through the issues will strengthen the believers’ grasp of the Christian worldview as well as their ability to articulate it to their non-Christian friends, and it will also profoundly challenge the non-Christians who attend to take seriously the Christian claims.
(b) To provide a unique experience of Christ-centered community through both the discussions as well as the various work and play activities available at the beautiful Lake George property.
These two aims intentionally complement one another. The engagement with the topics would not be as enriching if not done in this kind of community, and the community experience would not be as powerful if not focused around such rich discussions on profound questions.
Travel:
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from the session. Students can arrive via Amtrak using either the Ethan Allen Express line to Castleton, VT or the Adirondack line to Whitehall, NY. Students arriving by train will be picked up at the station.
Capacity:
15 Students --- apply early to avoid missing out.
Leadership:
The Lake George Summer Session will be led by Christian Union Ministry Fellow Jesse Peterson, who serves at Columbia.
Cost:
The cost for the course is $395.
A non-refundable depostit of $100 is due by May 15, 2019. The remainder ($295) will be due when participants arrive at Lake George.
The $395 cost includes food and lodging. Students will need to cover their own transportation costs and any other miscellaneous expenses.
Potential Lecture Topics:
Introduction to Christian Apologetics; Authority of Scripture; Christianity and Culture; Creation, Evolution, and Genesis; Creational Theology; Divine Sovereignty & Human Freedom; Divine Hiddenness; Divine Judgment; Doubt; Epistemology; Ethics & Morality; Faith & Reason; Hermeneutics; Historical Reliability of Scripture; Intertextuality in Scripture; Jesus and the Gospels; Meaning of Life; Natural Theology; Relativism and Pluralism; Resurrection of Christ; Science and Faith; Vocation and New Creation.
Potential Schedule:
Day 1: Introduction and expectations (evening of arrival)
Day 2: Faith & Reason
Day 3: Meta-Ethics
Day 4: Ecclesiastes and the Meaning of Life
Day 5: Old Testament Exegesis
Day 6: Image of God
Day 7: Sabbath Day (no lectures)
Day 8: Creation & Evolution
Day 9: New Testament Exegesis
Day 10: Death & Afterlife in the Bible
Day 11: Hermeneutics
Day 12: Closing and Reflections (morning of departure)
Session Requirements:
+ Participate in lecture discussions and meal time discussions
+ Participate in both morning and evening prayer
+ Do all required reading
+ Perform chores
+ Submission of 2000 word position paper on one of the topics covered. This position paper will be submitted no later than one week subsequent the conclusion of the session and will be submitted for staff and peer review by the other participants in the session.
Daily Schedule:
8:30am - Breakfast
9:15am – Group Prayer (Devotional on Seeking God led by Faculty each morning)
10:15am – Break
10:30am - Lecture / Discussion Session #1
12:00pm – Break / Lunch Prep
12:30pm - Lunch
1:30pm – Study / Chores Shift #1
3:00pm – Lecture / Discussion Session #2
4:30 – Study / Chores Shift #2
6:00 – Break / Dinner Prep
6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Free time
9:00pm – Prayer
10:00pm – Free time
TO APPLY
. . . . . . . . . .
Check back soon to apply for summer 2020!
To learn more, please contact Christian Union Ministry Fellow Jesse Peterson >
We will update this page as more details for the trip become available.
Topics were well-chosen and I learned a lot from the discussion. The house is obviously great and very comfortable, and the setting is awesome. The Christian Union Worldview Course at Lake George is a great way to grow in your faith, to reassess some of the core questions you may have taken for granted.
– Alastair Su, Harvard ’14
“This trip was without a doubt the most academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating activity in which I have participated since joining Christian Union. The core of the experience was the engaged and lively discussions we had at each lecture, dinner, and random free moments throughout the day... It was really the ideal combination of work, study, play, good food, and intellectual engagement. This is not your typical retreat. It was at least as fun as any retreat I have been on, but it was so much more than that… This is an excellent place to prepare your heart and mind for another semester. I am one hundred percent thankful that I went on this trip.”
– Andrew Garbarino, Harvard ’13
“The home at Lake George is an ideal retreat setting. Our group was able to have truly excellent discussions as well as relax and play a little before we head back to school. Of course, the landscape and lake are absolutely beautiful. I also really enjoyed meeting and bonding with the students and ministry fellows from other campuses… Honestly, I can’t think of a much better way to spend ten days of my summer. I will definitely recommend this retreat to my friends in YFA and to freshmen who are interested in what we offer. I think the model - retreating with a small group of Christians to seek God through prayer, discussion, study, worship, work, and play – works perfectly.”
- Emily Poirier, Yale ’15
“Lecture and dinner discussions were conduits which allowed for meticulous consideration of many hard questions and topics that are present (e.g. how exactly do ethics and morality relate with God? what does ‘imago Dei’ really mean? how does evolution fit with Christian theology? How do we properly interpret the Bible?). Immediately, I found myself humbled in how little I knew and how little I have explored about these questions and topics... If I were to describe Lake George, I would say that it is the ideal place to dig into the hardest, most intriguing, and most fundamental questions of faith and life where you will have a community that both demonstrates the unity and diversity contained within the body of Christ. There will be challenge and doubt - mixed with fun and rest – such that, by God's grace, you will leave with greater insight and faith than you came in with.”
- James Lin, Columbia ’15
“The teaching from the trip has reoriented the way I think about my faith--I took away several key insights from the lessons, and got to really take the time to think them through throughout the week. I became much more comfortable with discussing difficult topics, and I'm much better equipped to handle these topics in conversations at Princeton. The lake and the house were beautiful, and getting to know the other students on the trip was great.
-Matt Superdock, Princeton ‘13
PERSPECTIVES
