Adult Education Classes offered by Westminster Presbyterian Church

Upcoming Adult Education Classes

DVD recordings are available to be checked out for two weeks at a time. These DVDs are of previous adult education sessions including:
  • Dick Rohrbaugh’s “Oral to Written Gospel” 
  • Carol Dempsey’s “Justice”
  • Rob Kugler's "Doing Theology through Scripture Study"
  • Elaine Park's class on "new Testament Women" 

Previous year’s sessions are available upon request. Contact David Hutchinson by email to check them out, or get on a waiting list.

  • Apocalyptic Through the Ages

    We'll look at the ancient near eastern origins of some elements, how it blossomed in early Judaism and Christianity, glance at some Medieval examples and close with contemporary expressions of it. The aim: to help us understand how this thing we usually think is restricted to certain Christian circles is not, but rather has a long pedigree and real contemporary relevance .


    Led by Lewis & Clark Professor of Christian Studies, Rob Kugler.

    Repeats every week until Mon Mar 22 2010 .
    March 14, 2010 - 9:15am - 10:15am
  • Joining Hands For Life

    Joining Hands For Life, or UMAVIDA, is an organization that partners with the Presbyterian Church in Bolivia. As part of a partnership between churches in Bolivia and The Presbtyery of the Cascades and San Francisco Presbyteries, an international Young Adult Congress was started in 2008. This year's third annual Young Adult Congress will be attended by Westminster member Jeff Harvey. 

    Jeff goes as a delegate from Presbytery of the Cascades, and Westminster has helped support his trip financially. The Young Adult Congress will look at environmentally sustainable practices and the problems surrounding safe drinking water and other ways to care for God's creation. Jeff hopes to share his experiences with us upon his return.

    March 28, 2010 - 9:15am - 10:00am
  • PURITY AND DANGER: The Lifestyle of the Community of Faith

    Professor Rohrbaugh will present.

    Most of us get the Ten Commandments.  But the Old Testament is full of laws and regulations that look either confusing or downright weird. 

    • Don't mix two different kinds of fibers in your clothing. 
    • Don't plant two kinds of seeds in a field. 
    • Don't resort to ghosts or spirits.  
    • No eating geckos, crows or anything that walks with flat paws on the ground. 

    Huh?   Most of us pay no attention to this stuff whatsoever.  So  where did these regulations come from?  Why are they there?  And are they as weird as the look?  In this class we will use these strange regulations as a way of getting at a fundamental question for all persons of faith:  How shall we live?  What style of life should characterize our Christian community?

    Richard Rohrbaugh is the Paul S. Wright Professor of Christian Studies. He teaches the courses on Jewish and Christian origins, including courses on both the Old and New Testaments. His special area of research is the anthropology of the early Christian period and especially the social and cultural world of the New Testament. He is the author of nine books exploring the social and cultural context of the earliest Christian writings, especially the Gospels in the New Testament.

     

    Repeats every week until Mon May 03 2010 .
    April 11, 2010 - 9:15am - 7:49pm
  • Is Afghanistan our Friend or Foe and do we Care?

    Many have invaded and sought to control the people of Afghanistan over the generations since Ghengis Khan. The people have their own way of being in the world and conquerors are not a part of it.

    Leaders: 

    • Zaher Wahab, professor at Lewis and Clark, advisor to the higher education department of Afghanistan.
    • Amin Waheb, City of Portland, Dept. of Environmental Services.
    May 9, 2010 - 9:15am
  • Presbytery trip to New Orleans

    Westminster Presbyterian Church members David Groff and Holly & Harvey Schmidt will report on their recent Presbytery work trip to New Orleans.

    May 16, 2010 - 9:15am - 10:15am
  • Great Books, Chapter Two: A Roman and Two Florentines

    Those who enjoyed the first "Great Books" class Pastor Scott Dalgarno offered in the fall, will be pleased to know a second class will be offered on three Sundays in late spring.

    Those who missed the first class are urged to come as Scott says this one is more fun.

    • May 30: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
    • June 6: Dante Alighieri, The Inferno and Purgatorio
    • June 13: Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

    Disclosure: This is a class on leadership disguised as part of a core curriculum you might find at Reed or any other pricey institution of higher learning.

    Promise: The wisdom of these three works will resonate as we look at them together.

    Grace note: There is no need to read these books before coming. The class is designed to give you a taste of each.

    Repeats every week until Mon Jun 14 2010 .
    May 30, 2010 - 9:15am - 10:15am