Cedarville Magazine Spring 2017

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24 | Cedarville Magazine
C r a s h
Coursee
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:
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 .
Campus News