Your Principled Studies Group may want to continue on to more in depth study with the following courses:
Nation Makers, the Art of Self-Government
This course equips teachers and parents to form habits of thinking that will propel students toward their fullest expression in Christ. The emphasis on character and self-government fulfills Noah Webster’s ideal of an American education to sustain the Christian Constitutional Republic. This course demonstrates the contrast between traditional methods and the Principle Approach. Materials include a 142-page book and a teacher planner. Helpful for teaching this course is a workshop also entitled Nation Makers, The Art of Self Government, 10 hours of instruction by Dr. Carole Adams, Dr. Max Lyons and Margie Lyons.
Free Men and Free Markets: Biblical View of the Economy
Do you know what the Bible teaches concerning economics? This five lecture course by Dr. Max Lyons will give you a Biblical understanding of how man satisfies his material needs, how the market system works, how the free market differs from socialism, how government and economics intersect and how the Bible answers severe economic problems like poverty and injustice. This course includes ten hours of lecture, PowerPoint slides, and handouts.
The Welfare State: The Biblical and Constitutional View on Poverty and Welfare
Romans 13 delineates the role of government as a “punisher of evildoers.” Our founders understood this and strictly limited the powers of the federal government as they drafted the Constitution. They did not see government as a “provider” but knew God designed us to provide for ourselves (II Thessalonians 3:10). They also knew, based on I Timothy 5, that the “safety net” was the family, and for those with no living relatives or family capable of assisting, it was the church. This course includes six hours of video lecture, PowerPoint slides, and handouts. The Welfare State is a four-lecture course taught by Dr. Gai Ferdon, Liberty University Professor of Government. Topics of this four lecture course include:
- General Overview of the US Constitutional Order and System: The Nature of the Declaration of Independence as the Charter of the Nation and the Rise of Federalism with the U.S. Constitution
- Rise of the Welfare State: Misconstruction of the General Welfare Clause
- Rise of the Administrative State: The Origin of the Federal Budget and the rise of Administrative Law
- The Nature of Property and its Relationship to Liberty of Conscience: Moral Duties versus Legal Duties, Private Charity versus Public
American Education: How Do We Get Out of This Mess?
This four-session in-depth study of the history of American education is taught by Dr. Gai Ferdon. Sessions include:
- Historical Educational Role of Pastoral Leadership in the American Colonies
- Brief History of Education Policy in the Early American Republic: Constitutional Issue of Liberty of Conscience and Limited Civil Authority
- Creation of National Education Laws and Institutions in the United States
- Policy Prospects Relative to Education
Constitution and Law Course
Principle Approach teacher Ricki Pepin has produced a version of the Institute on the Constitution (IOTC) basic Constitution Course. In their lecture presentations, Jake MacAulay and Michael Peroutka establish the premises for properly understanding the Constitution, by exposing students to the Biblical Worldview of America’s Founders and the writings that influenced them, as well as to their deliberate design of the federal government. This course includes a student manual, teacher manual and twelve 20-minute lectures and is available from InstituteOnTheConstitution.com.
By gaining an understanding of the foundational principles and the worldview of America’s founders, students will see that a worldview revolution has occurred which has caused the Constitution to be widely misinterpreted and misunderstood in today’s world. The course concludes a roadmap for restoration of our Constitutional Republic.
The Truth Project
Learn the Biblical view of theology, government, law, economics, history and science, through The Truth Project, with Del Tackett as lecturer. This is an excellently produced curriculum that can serve as a “Biblical Worldview 101.” You may consider using this course as an introductory course to add members to your already fully functioning Principled Study Groups. This Focus on the Family course is in twelve sessions and contains one-hour lectures, a student manual, teacher materials and a website full of additional resources. Visit TheTruthProject.org to learn more.
The Worldview Course
A great follow up to the Truth Project, is The Worldview Course with teachers Jim Gilbert and Mark Nauroth. This course takes you deeper into the Biblical worldview by focusing on gaining a Biblical understanding of the all-important subjects of Politics, Education, Economics, Religion and Social Issues. It includes a pre-and post-PEERS test, and participants are sure to see their score go up! This course has 13 half hour video sessions, a student manual, teacher manual, PEERS test and website.