Intercultural Studies Courses
ICS 104 - Missions and Evangelism 1 (3 credits)
Practical instruction on a lifestyle of active involvement in the Great Commission, including the steps needed to take the Gospel across linguistic, geographic, and cultural boundaries.
ICS 106 - History of Missions (3 credits)
Lectures and readings designed to analyze the historical development of the missionary movement from the beginnings of Christianity until the present time, focusing primarily on evangelical missions during the past two centuries. The goal is to learn from both the successes and failures of well-known missionaries.
ICS 212 - Missionary Life and Work (3 credits)
An in-depth consideration of guidelines and practical principles related to preparation for missions. Major aspects of a missionary's life and work will be explored, and complex missionary problems will be analyzed with a view to suggesting practical Biblical solutions.
ICS/REL 204 - Religions in America (3 credits)
An exploration of America's religious background. Emphasis will be placed on the variant religious teachings of groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and New Age. May be used as a humanities elective.
ICS 214 - Missions and Evangelism 2 (3 credits)
An introduction to the Great Commission, the biblical and theological foundations of the Gospel, and the practical implications of these for every Christian. Lectures and discussions include a historical sketch of key figures in evangelism and discipleship, and the state of the Gospel today.
ICS/REL 216 - Judaism (1 credit)
An exploration of many facets of modern Judaism including Jewish life cycle, holidays, practices with an emphasis on the differences between the doctrines and practices of Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform groups. The student will also learn the difference between rabbinical Judaism and biblical Judaism. May be used as a humanities elective.
ICS/REL 308 - Comparative Religions (3 credits)
An examination of the major world religions will be undertaken along with a comparison of their teachings with the teachings of orthodox Christianity. Religions such as Animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam will be analyzed for the purpose of determining how best to reach adherents of these faiths with the gospel. May be used as a humanities elective.
ICS 310 - Church Planting and Growth (3 credits)
A study of the principles and strategies of church planting and growth as revealed in the New Testament and practiced in the contemporary world. Each student will analyze his own church and its growth carefully and then prepare a strategy for its future growth.
ICS/SOC 314 - Cultural Anthropology (3 credits)
An examination of the major facets of culture, such as language, gender roles, family structure, and religion. Students will be challenged to become less ethnocentric and more objective and biblical in their evaluations of other cultures. May be used as a social science elective.
ICS/SOC 330 - Cross-Cultural Communication (3 credits)
An in-depth study of a range of common types of cultural thinking and behavior that generally vary from culture to culture such as male/female relationships, friendship obligations, view of time, body language and individual vs. group mentality. These cultural patterns will be examined within the context of Biblical truth, and the relevance of awareness of these cultural differences to successful missionary work will be emphasized. May be used as a social science elective.
ICS/SOC 341-347 - Context Courses
ICS/REL 341 - Roman Catholic Context (3 credits)
Roman Catholicism is an upper-level college course that aims to understand details important to Roman Catholics. This course looks closely at the history and theology of Roman Catholicism with practical implications of ministry in that context. May be used as a humanities elective.
ICS 342 - Far Eastern Context (3 credits)
A study of Far Eastern history, culture, language and religions with practical implications of cross-cultural ministry in that context.
ICS 343 - Islamic Context (3 credits)
A study of Islamic history, culture, and religion with practical implications of cross-cultural ministry in that context.
ICS 347 - European Context (3 credits)
A study of European history, culture, and religion with practical implications of cross-cultural ministry in that context.
ICS 406-408 - Intercultural Ministry Project (1-3 credits)
This independent study course has three components: involvement in a short term cross-cultural ministry experience, reading in preparation for the experience, and upon returning, a paper analyzing the experience. The student's participation will be evaluated by the team leader. The number of credit hours given will be based on the length of the experience, the quantity of the reading, and the length and quality of the paper. Approval for this course must come from the Intercultural Studies department three months before travel. ICS 406 = 1 credit ICS 407 = 2 credits ICS 408 = 3 credits
ICS 422 - Cross-Cultural Internship (12 credits)
The capstone experience of the Intercultural Studies program consists of one semester of supervised ministry in a cross- cultural setting, usually outside of the United States. In preparation for the internship, the student will write an extensive research paper on the country of service. During the internship, the student will study the language, engage in ministry, and keep a journal of his or her experiences. Upon conclusion of the internship, the student will write a reflection paper about what he or she has learned about missions through the cross-cultural experience.
ICS 451 - Issues in Missions (3 credits)
A comprehensive study of current issues in missions. Issues are explored in a highly interactive, student-led seminar format. Students are required, in writing, to summarize each issue and biblically defend their personal point of view on the issue. The course is the capstone course for ICS majors. Other students require special permission to register.
ICS 461 - Urban Ministries (3 credits)
An in-depth study of urban ministries. The course is designed to make the student aware of the rapid, worldwide trend of urbanization and how this trend should affect the deployment of missions resources. Other topics include the biblical theology of urban ministry, barriers to reaching cities, strategies of urban church planting, and specialized urban ministries.
ICS 410 - Issues in Church Planting and Revitalization (3 credits)
A study of selected issues inherent in church planting and church revitalization. Issues are explored through assigned readings and an interactive seminar format, and include the broad categories of planting, leadership, and church life and ministry. Prerequisite: ICS 310 Church Planting & Growth.
ICS 412 - CPR Practicum (3 credits)
An opportunity to integrate classroom instruction with field application, the CPR practicum consists of a minimum of 30 hours of faculty-supervised ministry working alongside a qualified mentor involved in either church planting or church revitalization. This is a capstone course for the Church Planting and Revitalization Minor.