Prior Adult Education Classes Available Online
| Our current classes are listed on our Adult
Education page. Beginning in 2007 some of our prior
Adult Education classes are being made
available on recordings in our church library and also on our
Adult Education Podcast plus as separate sessions in audio and/or
video format that can be downloaded from our church website from
the links below. |
First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton has two separate podcasts available
free through iTunes - one for sermons and a separate one
for adult education classes. You can subscribe to
either or both podcasts, or you can download specific episodes
through iTunes.
Click on either of these links to go directly to the podcast
in iTunes:
First
Pres Sermon podcast page in iTunes
First
Pres Adult Education podcast page in iTunes
If you prefer, you can just open your iTunes
software, search for First Presbyterian Church Wheaton, and then
click on either of these two podcasts. Please see our Podcasts page for more detailed information.
Alternate access to these messages
The four classes presented by
Dr. Paul Kirbas in 2007 and 2008, the class presented by Rev. Elizabeth G. Walker
in July 2008, the August 2008 class presented by Rev. Jay Moses and Dr. Paul
Kirbas, the Wednesday evening class presented by Dr. Paul Kirbas in September 2008, the December 2008 class presented by Dr. Paul Kirbas, the Summer 2009 class presented by Drs. Paul Kirbas and Jay Moses, and the December 2009 class presented by Dr. Paul Kirbas are available in our adult education podcast and/or by download from this page.. To
download these sessions and save them on
your own computer, with Internet Explorer or Opera
just RIGHT CLICK the hyperlink to the file and choose
'Save Target As.' Then
specify the directory where you want to store the file
and click 'Ok.'
With Firefox RIGHT CLICK the hyperlink and select 'Save
to disk.' You may then play the file with your favorite audio player.
 All three sessions of the Advent series presented by Dr. Paul Kirbas during December 2009, Jesus Comes With Clouds Descending, were recorded and are being made available in both .mp3 audio and .mov video format. Audio CDs will also be available for checkout from the church library. For many people, the season of Advent is all about the arrival of the Christ child in Bethlehem long ago. Yet, throughout history, Advent has been something else as well. It is meant to draw our attention to the future, and to the promise that this same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem ages ago is coming again. What do Christians today believe about the "Second Coming of Jesus Christ?" How do these beliefs interface with modern life and politics? Join Dr. Paul Kirbas for this Advent journey as we consider the future along with the past. Is Jesus coming....again?
All five sessions of the class The Magical World of the Inklings, which was presented by Dr. Jay Moses, Richard Smoley, and Rev. Seth Ethan Carey from September 20 through October 18, 2009, are available as audio files in .mp3 format and as CDs in the church library that can be checked out. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams wrote some of the most popular fantasy of the twentieth century; and their writing group was commonly referred to as “the Inklings.” This class discussed the magical concepts used within their writings.
The eleven sessions of the class Heroes through Different Eyes: How Christianity and Islam Differ in Viewing the Giants of our Faiths, presented by Drs. Paul Kirbas and Jay Moses June 7, 2009, through August 23, 2009, are availble as audio files in .mp3 format as listed below.
They are also available in the church library as CDs to check out.
Session Summary - How Christianity and Islam Differ in Viewing the Giants of our Faiths:
Among the many things that Islam and Christianity share, we hold in the heart of our faiths the great
heroes of the past: Abraham, Moses, Mary, Jesus, etc. How we view these Heroes, however, can be
very different. In the Pastors’ Class this summer, Pastor Paul and Pastor Jay took us on a
journey of discovery as we met some old friends, seen from new eyes!
Session 1 - 06/07/2009 |
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Session 2 - 06/14/2009 |
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Session 3 - 06/21/2009 |
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Session 4 - 06/28/2009 |
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Session 5 - 07/05/2009 |
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Session 6 - 07/12/2009 |
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Session 7 - 07/19/2009 |
to be provided |
Session 8 - 07/26/2009 |
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Session 9 - 08/02/2009 |
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Session 10 - 08/09/2009 |
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Session 11 - 08/16/2009 |
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Session 12 - 08/23/2009 |
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The three sessions of the class God Was in Christ - The Implications of the Incarnation presented by Dr. Paul J. Kirbas December 7 - 21, 2008, are available as video episodes in .mov format and audio files in .mp3 format. They are also available to check out from the church library as CDs for the audio format and DVDs for the video format. Please note that the video files are very large.
Three of the four sessions of Islam: Should We Fear It? presented by Dr. Paul Kirbas on Wednesday evenings in September 2008 are available in mp3 format. Although the first session is not available, it was reviewed during the beginning of the second session. This class addressed some of the most often-asked questions about Islam and the Christian relationship to it. At times
humorous and other times highly serious, at times optimistic and at other times worrisome,
this class took a respectful yet honest look at where Christian-Islamic relationships
have been and where they seem to be going.
The four sessions of The Politics of Jesus, presented August 3 -
24, 2008, by Rev. Jay Moses (Session 1) and Dr. Paul J. Kirbas (Sessions 2-4)
are available in mp3 audio format. The
teachings of Jesus have, and always have had, deep implications for the running of
a culture and society. Although the name has been used, has the same message
and movement been expressed? This class probed the civic and political
message of the one who went all the way to the grave (and beyond) to express it.
The three sessions of Sanctification, presented
by Rev. Elizabeth G. Walker July 6 - July 20, 2008, are available for
download in mp3 audio format. As Christians, we have all been “justified,” or
made right, with God, through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The
apostle Paul, in his letter, Romans (6:22), tells us what comes next: “But
now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get
is sanctification.” In this class we explored this process of sanctification
and learned how one grows in faith, gaining some perspectives and tools to nurture
us on our spiritual journey.
Four of the five sessions of A Christian Response to the Climate
Crisis,
presented by Dr. Paul J. Kirbas June 1 - June 29, 2008, are available for download
in mp3 audio format. The class on June 15, 2008, could not be recorded due
to a power failure in Wheaton that morning.
During this summer educational journey we were guided by E.O. Wilson and other
experts in acquiring a basic understanding of the sickness of our planet. E.O.
Wilson is one of the most acclaimed micro-biologists of our time and a self-professed
secular humanist who has spent much of his life explaining away religion as a purely
natural phenomenon of the evolutionary process. Recently however he has embraced
religion as a new-found friend. He has written a best-selling book entitled The
Creation in which he proposes a new partnership between science and religion
as we try to save our earth. We discussed the various Christian responses
that are possible, lifting up the response that seems most faithful to our call. This
class was not just be informative, but it also allowed each one of us to take some
positive steps in our own lives as we seek to live out the Christian Response to
the Climate Crisis. It is time
to save the earth!
Video episodes in .mov format as well
as audio files in .mp3 format are available
of Dr. Paul Kirbas' class, Navigating
the Uncharted Seas based on his
book on biotech ethics, Navigating Through a
Stipulated Freedom. The first four sessions
(Weeks 1 - 4) are also available as Audio CDs that can be
checked out from the church library. The session for Week 5 will be made available at a later date. The
episodes can be downloaded in audio .mp3 format and
in video .mov format from
the links below. Please note that the video
files are very large - around 275 MB each - while the
audio files are about 15 - 21 MB each.
Week 1
12/02/07 |
.mp3
audio |
.mov
video |
After re-establishing the basic premise of the
book as presented in a special class in October 2007, Pastor
Paul Kirbas addresses the ethical issues of bioengineering of
plants. |
Week 2
12/09/07 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
After a short review, Pastor Paul addresses the ethical issues
of bioengineering of animals. |
Week 3
12/16/07 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
After a short review, Pastor Paul addresses the ethical issues
of bioengineering of humans. This class was repeated on December
19, 2007. |
Week 4
12/23/07 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
After a short review, Pastor Paul addresses the ethical issues
of stem cell research. |
Week 6
2/24/08 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
After a short review, Pastor Paul addresses the ethical issues
of human bionics. |
Week 7
3/2/08 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
After a short review, Pastor Paul addresses the ethical issues
of artificial intelligence. |
Week 8
3/9/08 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
After a short review, Pastor Paul addresses the ethical issues
of cybernetic immortality. |
Week 9
3/16/08 |
.mp3 audio |
.mov video |
In conclusion, Pastor Paul addresses becoming Prometheus in our biotechnological world. |
There are four .mp3 audio files available from Dr. Kirbas' class, Dangerous Religious Trends of Our Time,
which was presented June 24 through July 15, 2007. They
can be downloaded from the links below, and CDs are available
in the church library.
Class
1
06/24/07
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Christianity's
Changing Face |
We began this four-week look at the most dangerous
religious trends of our time by looking at the global transitions
taking shape in the Christian landscape. Utilizing author
Philip Jenkins book The Next Christendom, we traced
the rising tide of southern hemisphere Christianity and observed
the impact it is likely to have upon the world. |
Class 2
07/01/07 |
Countries
with Changing Religious Flags |
Based on current and projected trends, it seems very likely
that within the next 100 years certain countries will undergo
major changes in their religious identity. How would the world
be different if France were a fundamentalist Islamic state? What
if radical Islam and fundamentalist Christianity lived side by
side in Africa?
In this session we looked at the evidence that is leading some
to think that these scenarios are very possible. With the
evidence in hand we considered the dangers that such a shifting
world map would present. |
Class 3
07/08/07 |
Apocalyptic
Showdown |
With a wave of fundamentalism sweeping over the major monotheistic
religions, more attention is being given to the particular visions
of how the world will end as viewed by the fundamentalists of
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Taking prophesy into
their own hands, some religious zealots are trying to pave the
way for God to act. The results are sometimes humorous,
sometimes scary, and sometimes downright bizarre. This
session built the case for seeing the inherent dangers that are
present in the apocalyptic visions of the major monotheistic
faiths, including our own! |
Class 4
07/15/07 |
Stepping
Back from the Brink |
In this final session we discussed the practical things we
can do to reduce the dangers and work toward a more peaceful
and secure world for our children and grandchildren. Even
though the issues are global in nature, we can combat the trends
one act at a time. Your ideas are welcome! |
There are six .mp4 movie files from the class In
the Beginning . . . . . . GOD. Can Creation and Evolution
Peacefully Coexist? presented by Dr. Paul Kirbas from April
22 through June 17, 2007. Any or all of them can be downloaded
from the links below. Please
note that these are large files to download - from 163 MB to
277 MB each. DVDs
of all six sessions are also available for checking out from
our church library.
Class 1
4/22/07 |
A Tale of Two
Kingdoms |
History boasts some tremendous conflict between the kingdoms
of faith and science. Most of us are familiar with the legends
of Galileo, who insisted that the earth wasn’t the center
of the universe; of Christopher Columbus, who insisted that the
earth wasn’t flat; and of John Scopes, who insisted that
the theory of evolution was the proper instruction of the origin
of life. In each of these cases, legend has superseded reality.
When we strip away the stuff of legend, we discover the real
controversies. Could it be that these debates were at a much
different level and that in each case both science and religion
had valid and true arguments? In this opening session we take
a look at these classic conflicts and discover a new possibility
of faith and science peacefully co-existing. |
Class 2
4/29/07 |
The Case for
a Creator |
Many of us maintain an embryonic concept of the theories
of evolution, both the evolution of life classically represented
in Darwinism, as well as the evolution of the universe represented
in our classic astronomical theories. But in recent years new
discoveries have caused each of these theories to undergo significant
change. Darwin has been challenged by modern paleontologists,
and the origin of the universe has been challenged by modern “Big
Bang” astronomers. Many of these scientists have come to
a new realization that given the most current understandings,
the case is much stronger for an actual Creator. Is science discovering
God? In this session we uncover some of the evidence that is
building a new case for a Creator. |
Class 3
5/06/07 |
The Blind Watchmaker |
Although many scientists believe that the newest discoveries
of the origins of the universe and of life on our planet point
to an intelligent design of a purposeful Creator, there are still
scientists who believe that all of this could emerge without
any designer and without any purpose. A chief proponent of this
view is Richard Dawkins, who took on a classical illustration
of creation in his book, The Blind Watchmaker. In this
session we discover this view and see how some scientists insist
that in spite of all that we have learned so far, life has no
real purpose and no real designer. Can you really design a watch
blindfolded? In this session we see how. |
Class 4
5/13/07 |
Busy as a Bee |
In this session Dr. Paul J. Kirbas combines thoughts and
viewpoints from two important sessions. We discuss altruism,
the human characteristic that threatens the “Blind Watchmaker” approach
to evolution. Altruism is the basis of most religions and becomes
a head-on collision with some of the most basic points of evolution
theory. |
Class 5
6/03/07 &
6/10/07 |
The World on
A String |
Where is the brave new world
of astronomy and physics taking us? What might be the future
of evolution for the human species? In this session we
enter the strange world of string theory, quantum physics, and
parallel universes. It is in the context of these emerging
ideas that the church of the 21st century must be able and willing
to engage. Is there room in our theology for a radically
new cosmology? In this session we ask the questions that
our forefathers never asked. |
Class 6
6/17/07 |
Conclusion:
Can't We All Just Get Along? |
In this final
session of our series we return to our basic questions. In
summary fashion we recount the serious challenges that remain
in the way of a religion-science truce. Most of all we
seek the ways in which our faith can be enlightened by science
and how science can be informed by faith. Can these two
kingdoms rest side by side? |
If you have any questions about or ideas for future adult education offerings, please contact our church
office at 630-668-5147.
If you have any problems downloading, viewing,
or listening to the classes, please contact Susan Miller by email
at GGM81@aol.com.
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