Harbor, Pepperdine Bible Lectures

We are all on epic quest for truth and justice. Unfortunately, we too often forget ourselves among the hazardous obstacles and tantalizing temptations along the way. The struggle of pride and power overtake us. We long to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. We long to be heroes who are clothed in humility. How can we get back on the righteous path and fulfill what God requires of us? In this lecture, we will explore the topic of humility by examining epic stories illustrating the struggle between good and evil. We will put our trust in the example of Jesus and learn specific exercises on how to grow downward in holiness. Teacher: Joe Neal

Hebrews calls us to believe in the unseen while the skepticism of society beckons us to doubt everything. We scoff at reports of aliens, Bigfoot, and Nessy, but on Sundays we proclaim belief in giants, leviathan, miracles, and resurrection from the dead. Christians live in the tension between faith in God and skepticism toward just about everything else, or have we let the skepticism of the world slowly erode our faith? How deeply has our skepticism and disbelief affected our ability to have faith in God? Teacher: Chess Cavitt

Growing up in churches of Christ and eventually ministering within churches of Christ requires perseverance. Jeff offers an intensely autobiographical journey highlighting the reasons that he continues to serve as a minister and his hope for the future. Teacher: Jeff Dunn

The past few years have been a wake-up call for the American church. From the New York Times to the Atlantic to the Washington Post people on the outside of church are rightfully pointing out that American churches are more “sociological than Christological.” That’s a fancy way of saying American Christianity appears to be hollow . . . there’s nothing really there. People on the inside of churches are just as materialistic, politically idolatrous, misogynistic, and racist as people on the outside (sometimes even more so!). Churches of Christ have a history of failing to keep the main thing the main thing. From focusing on worship styles and forms to demonizing other churches in town we have historically often failed to reach out to new people and to disciple the people in our pews in the actual ways of Jesus. In order for our churches to flourish, in order for our cities to have a fair chance to see the real Jesus, we need to go deeper in the ways of discipleship that Jesus actually gave us. “Real Life Discipleship” will be a call to keep the center of the Gospel the main thing, with practical tools and training for how to implement a more robust form of discipleship in our churches. Teacher: Jonathan Storment

Identity matters in our culture, and identity is complicated. In this class, Zac will reflect on identity from the in-between location he inhabits as a Korean American adoptee and a Christian minister. Zac will suggest that the church can and should learn from those who inhabit the in-between spaces in U.S. culture as it moves forward in the 21st century. Teacher: Zac Luben

Teacher: Dave Lemley

Is it possible for followers of Jesus to reconcile faith with the violence of war? In this class, Dr. Vic McCracken will lead attendees through an exploration of the Christian tradition, exploring the church's nonviolent witness as well as the development of the Christian just war tradition. Teacher: Victor McCraken

This class will delve into how a church in North Texas is embracing kenosis to cultivate a healthy egalitarian church culture. By focusing on how Jesus viewed and used power, we will explore how a healthy understanding and utilization of power and privilege can help a local church to flourish, nurture collaborative leadership, deeper community engagement, and a culture in which every member is valued, empowered, and encouraged to participate fully in the life of the community. Teacher: Cheryl Russell

We live in a world full of big questions. Does faith matter? What do I do with my doubts? On top of this - there are so many big conversations happening in our culture. Conversations about sexuality, race, gender, immigration, and more. Many in our churches are wondering, “Where can I go to have discussions about these things? And why is it that church is often the last place where these discussions happen?” Come hear about one church’s journey toward creating an atmosphere for open dialogue and conversation where no topic is off limits. Teacher: Doug Page

Teacher: Chris Seidman