Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2017

24 | Cedarville Magazine C r a s h Course e A test drive of the classroom experience (without the final exam) PROGRAM TITLE Stratigraphy and Sedimentology COURSE COORDINATOR John Whitmore Professor of Geology DESCRIPTION In this course, students discover how to “read” the past by learning how to interpret various clues found in sedimentary rocks, like sandstones. The course includes short field trips around Ohio and a weeklong field trip during spring break to a place like the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, or Dinosaur National Monument. Students learn to find evidence in the rocks that indicates how fast they were made and under what conditions. They are taught how to trace various rock layers from one location to another. These skills are often used by professional geologists to find oil and gas. BIG IDEA • Provides geological field experience in places like the Grand Canyon • Prepares students to learn earth history from clues in the earth’s rocks • Teaches how to match up rocks from one location to another • Uses geological tools like maps, the Jacob’s staff, and the Brunton compass • Equips students to recognize how and under what conditions and circumstances various rocks formed LEARN MORE: cedarville.edu/ geology “My experience with the class was fantastic. We had several good discussions about the creation- evolution debate and how to view geology in light of our worldview. Besides the class/lecture time, we took a field trip over spring break to Arizona. It was one of my favorite geology trips.” Emily Jackson ’17 Cedarville Hosts First Apologetics Conference Cedarville hosted its first-ever apologetics conference February 16 in the Dixon Ministry Center’s Jeremiah Chapel. Cedarville’s Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity hosted the Finding Truth conference, featuring Nancy Pearcey, best-selling author and popular conference speaker; and Dan DeWitt, Center Director and Cedarville Associate Professor of AppliedTheology and Apologetics. The Finding Truth conference targeted high school and college-age students, as well as those who minister to them. This dynamic one-day event featured outstanding speakers and engaging, practical sessions to help students understand, defend, and share their faith. Sponsors for the conference included the North American Mission Board and Crossings Ministries. “Nancy Pearcey is one of the leading intellects in evangelicalism today,” noted DeWitt. “I’m excited about our students being exposed to the level of worldview, apologetics, and cultural engagement that she delivered.” In addition to Pearcey and DeWitt, the conference also featured a panel discussion titled “Flourishing Faith on the Secular Campus,” moderated by DeWitt. Graduates from Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and Yale University participated. Breakout workshops included a session on the use of imagination as an apologetic by J.R.R. Tolkien in his The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Another workshop focused on the ontological argument for the existence of God by Anselm. In a society going downstream fast, the Finding Truth conference aimed to help attendees keep moving upstream. “The Gospel is always under attack,” DeWitt added. “In Colossians 2, the Apostle Paul prays for young believers that they might not be deluded by plausible arguments and deceptive philosophy. The Gospel stands strong in the face of contemporary challenges.” According to DeWitt, every generation of Christians faces unique counter- truth claims that need to be addressed. “Apologetics is a tool of discipleship and evangelism,” he explained. “I pray that believers came away encouraged and better equipped for both tasks as they seek to advance the Kingdom of God.” The conference was an outgrowth of the mission of the new Center, established during the current school year. “We want the Center to be a resource for students struggling to respond to skeptic friends, family members, and co-workers,” DeWitt said. “We want to offer seminars and events that allow students to further explore their faith and develop deeper convictions about why they believe what they believe.” To hear Pearcey and DeWitt’s messages, go to cedarville.edu/apologetics . Campus News