“…for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light….the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 13:11b/ff)
Take up the Quest
Assessment is a ‘Pass/Fail’ system based on either written or dialogue work (whichever the students prefers). A student will receive a ‘Pass’ when they demonstrate adequate and competent work; ‘Notable’ when they demonstrate marked understanding; ‘Exemplar’ when they demonstrate remarkable understanding and wisdom. For brothers in the Order of the Rood, the cord colour they wear with their formal dress corresponds to the Level in which they are presently studying.
Resource lists are not comprehensive but do present the primary texts that will be engaged. It is not typical that every book will be read in its entirety, but students should be prepared for significant portions to be assigned at least. It is possible that some resources will not be gotten to based on the time spent on others. In those cases, the student will at least have a recommended resource for them to acquire and read on their own. Alternate suggestions for resources will be considered; where a quality film adaptation of a work of fiction is assigned (or substituted), some engagement with the original work will still take place, namely with material cut or altered.
You can find additional resources that demonstrate what fruit Corbenic formation can produce, at the College’s official online journal and repository, The Quester. (Currently, the majority of posts come from the Substack of Corbenic founder, Rev. Joshua J. Radke. The journal hopes to feature many additional guest writers—both friends and students.)
Level I (Black Cord)
The Cosmic Arch-Epic
[each student must begin with and pass this course to move on]
Resources: Lewis: “The True Myth” (letter to A Greeves, 18 October 1931)/”Myth Became Fact” (from God in the Dock)/Mere Christianity, Tolkien: “On Fairy-story”, Hummel: The Word Becoming Flesh, Franzmann: The Word of the Lord Grows, Veith: Imagination Redeemed, Guite: Lifting the Veil—Imagination and the Kingdom of God, Esolen: Nostalgia, Bonhoeffer: Christ the Center, Farrer: “An English Appreciation” (a response to Bultmann’s essay on ‘demythologization’, from Kerygma and Myth)/”Important Hypotheses Reconsidered (on Typology)”, Alter: The Art of Biblical Narrative, Koontz/Fisk: “Civilization is Theology” (A Brief History of Power, Eps. 75-78), Guiness: Prophetic Untimeliness, Sayers: Letters to a Diminished Church
The Holy Scriptures
Wisdom Literature
Resources: Psalms, Proverbs/Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs, Job, Chronicles, Parables of Jesus (selections), John (selections), Corinthians, James;
Bonhoeffer: Psalms—The Prayerbook of the Bible, Wright: The Case for the Psalms—Why They are Essential, Herbert: Poetry (selections), Donne: Complete Poems (selections), Lewis: The Pilgrim’s Regress/The Screwtape Letters (selections)/The Problem of Pain (selections)/The Great Divorce/Reflections on the Psalms, Guite: David’s Crown—Sounding the Psalms & other selections, Bailey: Poet and Peasant, Capon: Hunting the Divine Fox/Kingdom, Grace, Judgment—Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus, Grimm: Fairy Tales (Bramwell), Hans Christian Anderson: Collected Works, Pressfield: A Man at Arms
Protestant–Catholic Tradition
The Catechisms
Resources: Book of Concord (1580), Book of Common Prayer (1549/1928) Albrecht Peters’ commentary series on Luther’s Catechisms,
Fisk: Echo, Love’s Redeeming Work—The Anglican Quest for Holiness, Wolfmeuller: A Martyr’s Faith in a Faithless World, Veith: The Spirituality of the Cross, Chesterton: Orthodoxy
Anglicans & Saxon-catholics in America
Resources: Nelson: The Lutherans in North America, Forster: Zion on the Mississippi—the Settlement of the Saxon Lutherans in Missouri {1839-1841}, Charles Chapman Grafton: Selected Writings, Moving Frontiers: Readings in the History of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Mayer: Religious Bodies of America, Wolf: Documents of Lutheran Unity in America
Christianity in History, Philosophy & the Arts
From the Roman Persecutions to the Norse Raids
Resources: Eusebius: Church History, Letters of St Ignatius, Varagine: The Golden Legend, Bede: An Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Moorman: A History of the Church in England, Radke: “The Sacraments and Martyrdom”, Quo Vadis (1953), Secret of Kells (2009)
The Classical to Early Medieval Philosophers
Resources: Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy, Pelikan: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition {100-600}, Hägglund: History of Theology, Kelly: Early Christian Doctrines, Copleston: Greece & Rome and Medieval Philosophy
Ancient Literature/Theatre/Culinary
Resources: Esther, The Apocrypha (select), The Book of Enoch, Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer: Iliad/Odyssey, Sophocles: Oedipus Rex/Oedipus at Colonus, Euripedes: Herakles, Aristotle: Poetics, Virgil: Aeneid, Hesse Jr/Chiffolo: Cooking with the Bible—Recipes for Biblical Meals, Rossner: Eating the Bible—Over 50 Delicious Recipes to Feed Your Body and Nourish Your Soul, Colbert: What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook, Neel/Pugh: The Food and Feasts of Jesus—The Original Mediterranean Diet, with Menus and Recipes, Michalski/Stamatis: The Heavenly Gift—The Ancient Art of Liturgical Bread-Making
Level II (Blue Cord)
The Cosmic Arch-Epic
[each student must begin with and pass this course to move on]
Resources: Virgil: Aeneid, Fisk: Without Flesh, Bird: The Christ Key, Hahn: The Fourth Cup—Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross
The Holy Scriptures
Exodus to the Promised Land
Resources: Exodus thru Joshua, Isaiah (selections), Matthew, John, Hebrews, I-III John, I/II Peter;
The Lutheran Bible Companion (2 vols.), Wright: The New Testament in Its World/Jesus and the Victory of God, Herberger: The Great Works of God—The Mystery of Christ in the Book of Exodus, Edersheim: The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah/Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ, Farrer: Sts. Matthew & St. Mark, Ingraham: The Pillar of Fire, Wallace: Ben-Hur
Protestant–Catholic Tradition
The Augsburg Confession & The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion
Resources: Book of Concord (1580), Book of Common Prayer (1662/2019-ACNA use), Allbeck: Studies in the Lutheran Confessions, Newman: Remarks on Certain Passages in the Thirty-nine Articles (Tract No. 90), Grane: The Augsburg Confession—A Commentary, Little: Confessional Lutheran Theology, Davie: Our Inheritance of Faith—A Commentary on the Thirty Nine Articles, Sasse: We Confess trilogy, Giertz: Christ’s Church, McGrath: Christian Theology—An Introduction & Reformation Thought, MacCulloch: Thomas Cranmer—A Life
Anglicans & Saxon-catholics in Maine & the Canadian Maritimes
Resources: Dallison: Hope Restored—The American Revolution and the Founding of New Brunswick, “The History of the Little Dutch Church in Halifax NS” (just one ecumenical story of Lutherans and Anglicans from the Candian Maritimes), Nelson: The Lutherans in North America, Moving Frontiers: Readings in the History of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Mayer: Religious Bodies of America, Wolf: Documents of Lutheran Unity in America
Christianity in History, Philosophy & Literature
The Shadow of Islam to The Crusades
Resources: Stark: God’s Battalions—The Case for the Crusades, Ibrahim: Sword and Scimitar/Defenders of the West—The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam, Riley-Smith: The Crusades—A History/The Crusades, Christianity, and Islam/The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, Madden: The New Concise History of the Crusades, Tyerman: God’s War, Howarth: The Knights Templar, Moorman: A History of the Church in England, Keen: Chivalry, Becket (1964), El Cid (1961), Knightfall (2017-19; brothers of the Rood), Turold: The Song of Roland, Giertz: The Knights of Rhodes, Shakespeare: the Henriad (or The Hollow Crown duology), Twain: Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
The Medieval Development of West and East Philosophy
Resources: Lombard: The Sentences (4 vols.; selections), Pelikan: The Growth of Medieval Theology {600-1300}/The Spirit of Eastern Christendom {600-1700}, Hägglund: History of Theology, Copleston: Medieval Philosophy
Medievalist Literature I
Resources: Caedmon: “The Dream of the Rood”, The Pre-Vulgate Arthuriad (Robert de Boron, Chrétien de Troyes, The High Book of the Grail, Williams: Taliessin Through Logres/The Region of the Summer Stars), Beowulf (Tolkien), Dante: Divine Comedy (Esolen), Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare: Macbeth, First Knight (1995), King Arthur—Legend of the Sword (2017), Hesse Jr/Chiffolo: Cooking with the Bible—Recipes for Biblical Meals, Rossner: Eating the Bible—Over 50 Delicious Recipes to Feed Your Body and Nourish Your Soul, Colbert: What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook, Neel/Pugh: The Food and Feasts of Jesus—The Original Mediterranean Diet, with Menus and Recipes, Michalski/Stamatis: The Heavenly Gift—The Ancient Art of Liturgical Bread-Making
Level III (Green Cord)
The Cosmic Arch-Epic
[each student must begin with and pass this course to move on]
Resources: Chesterton: The Everlasting Man, Wright: Simply Jesus/How God Became King, Ratzinger: Jesus of Nazareth (3 vols.), Bailey: Jacob & the Prodigal/The Good Shepherd—A Thousand-Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament, Limbaugh: The Emmaus Code, Sayers: The Mind of the Maker
The Holy Scriptures
Christ the King
Resources: Judges/Ruth-Kings, Ezra & Nehemiah, Isaiah (1-39), Jeremiah (and related Prophets), Luke & Acts;
The Lutheran Bible Companion (2 vols.), Wright: The New Testament in Its World/The New Testament and the People of God, Edersheim: The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah/Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ/The Temple and Its Ministry and Services at the Time of Jesus Christ, Bailey: The Cross & The Prodigal/Finding the Lost Cultural Keys to Luke 15/Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Schreiner: The Ascension of Christ—Recovering a Neglected Doctrine, Douglas: The Robe, Costain: The Silver Chalice, Paul: Apostle of Christ (2019)
Protestant–Catholic Tradition
Smalcald Articles/Treatise on the Pope, Early Anglican Divines
Resources: Book of Concord (1580), Luther: LW 31-34-37-39 (selections), Chemnitz: The Examination of the Council of Trent (4 vols.; selections), Bayer: Martin Luther’s Theology, Before the King’s Majesty—Lancelot Andrewes and His Writings, Heaven in Ordinary—George Herbert and His Writings, Love’s Redeeming Work—The Anglican Quest for Holiness, Moorman: The Anglican Spiritual Tradition, Brecht: Martin Luther (3 vols.; selections), Schmid: The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, Scaer: Holy Baptism, Sasse: This is My Body, Marquart: The Church
The Divine Service and its Theology
Resources: Dix: The Shape of the Liturgy, Winger: Lutheranism 101—Worship, Foley: From Age to Age—How Christians Have Celebrated the Eucharist, Just: Heaven on Earth, The Sacramental Life—Gregory Dix and his Writings, Von Schenk: Lively Stone/The Presence—An Approach to the Holy Communion, Ratzinger: The Spirit of the Liturgy, Elert: Eucharist and Church Fellowship, Reed: The Lutheran Liturgy, Precht: Lutheran Worship—History and Practice, Schmemann: The Eucharist—Sacrament of the Kingdom
Christianity in History, Philosophy & Literature
The Reformations
Resources: Duffy: The Stripping of the Altars—Traditional Religion in England, 1400-1580, MacCulloch: The Reformation—A History, Moorman: A History of the Church in England, McGrath: Reformation Thought—An Introduction, Lindberg: The European Reformations, Roper: Martin Luther—Renegade and Prophet, Pettegree: Brand Luther, Luther (2003)
Philosophy in the Renaissance & Reformation
Resources: Lombard: The Sentences (4 vols.; selections), Pelikan: Reformation of Church and Dogma {1300-1700}, Hägglund: History of Theology, Copleston: Late Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy
Medievalist Literature II
Resources: Lewis: The Discarded Image/Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature/The Allegory of Love—A Study in Medieval Tradition, The Vulgate/Post-Vulgate Arthuriad (Malory: Le Morte D’Arthur, The Quest for the Holy Grail, Tolkien’s Sir Gawain & The Green Knight, Barber: The Arthurian Legends—An Illustrated Anthology/The Holy Grail—The History of a Legend, Green: King Arthur & His Knights of the Round Table), Tennyson: Idylls of the King (Arthur & modern Britain), Pyle: Arthuriad cycle (selections; Arthur & America), Chute: Shakespeare of London, Hesse Jr/Chiffolo: Cooking with Shakespeare, Segan: Shakespeare’s Kitchen—Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook, Cinderella-2015, Hesse Jr/Chiffolo: Cooking with the Bible—Recipes for Biblical Meals, Rossner: Eating the Bible—Over 50 Delicious Recipes to Feed Your Body and Nourish Your Soul, Colbert: What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook, Neel/Pugh: The Food and Feasts of Jesus—The Original Mediterranean Diet, with Menus and Recipes, Michalski/Stamatis: The Heavenly Gift—The Ancient Art of Liturgical Bread-Making, Geweke: Fairytale Baking—Delicious Treats Inspired by Hansel & Gretel, Snow White, and Other Classic Stories
Level IV (Purple Cord)
The Cosmic Arch-Epic
[each student must begin with and pass this course to move on]
Resources: Wright: Surprised by Hope—Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church/The Day the Revolution Began—Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion, The High Book of the Grail
The Holy Scriptures
The Eschatology of the Eternal Kingdom
Resources: The Four Gospels & Acts (selections), I Corinthians 15 (with Sapir: The Body), Thessalonians/I John 2, II Peter 3, Revelation (selections);
The Lutheran Bible Companion (2 vols.), Wright: The New Testament in Its World/The Resurrection of the Son of God, Stephenson: Eschatology
Protestant–Catholic Tradition
From Golden Ages to Wesleyan Holiness & German Pietism
Resources: Book of Concord (1580), Chemnitz: “Justification” (from his Loci)/The Lord’s Supper/The Two Natures of Christ, Beauty of Holiness—The Caroline Divines and Their Writings, Love’s Redeeming Work—The Anglican Quest for Holiness, Moorman: The Anglican Spiritual Tradition, Krauth: The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, Elert: The Structure of Lutheranism, Preus: The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism (2 vols.), Scaer: Christology/Law and Gospel, Stephenson: The Lord’s Supper, Herl: Worship Wars in Early Lutheranism
Sacred Art, Architecture, Music and its Theology
Resources: Veith: State of the Arts, Stroik: The Church Building as a Sacred Place—Beauty, Transcendence and the Eternal, McNamara: Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy, Churches Conservation Trust Lunchtime Lectures video series (selections), Esolen: Real Music—A Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church
(This course will also look at several of the notable churches and their related history in Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.)
Christianity in History, Philosophy & Literature
The Reformation Wars
Resources: Swiss Wars at Kappel, The Schmalkaldic Wars, Dano-Swedish Union Wars, French Wars of Religion, The Thirty Years’ War, The English Civil Wars, Moorman: A History of the Church in England, Giertz: By Faith Alone, Cromwell (1970), Dumas: The Three Musketeers
Dawn of Modern Philosophy
Resources: Pelikan: Reformation of Church and Dogma {1300-1700}, Hägglund: History of Theology, Copleston: Modern Philosophy (vols. IV/V), Lewis: The Pilgrim’s Regress/The Abolition of Man/”Learning in War Time”, Swift: Gulliver’s Travels
Contemporary Literature
Resources: Shakespeare: The Tempest, Cervantes: Don Quixote, Dickens: Great Expectations/Nicholas Nickelby, Austen: Sense and Sensibility, Bronte: Wuthering Heights, Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Burnett: Secret Garden, Leroux: The Phantom of the Opera (with the 2004 film adaptation), Crichton: State of Fear, Anderson: Jane Austen’s Table—Recipes Inspired by the Works of Jane Austen, Walsh: A Literary Tea Party—Blends and Treats for Alice, Bilbo, Dorothy, Jo, and Book Lovers Everywhere/Literary Holiday Cookbook: Festive Meals for the Snow Queen, Gandalf, Sherlock, Scrooge, and Book Lovers Everywhere, Geweke: Fairytale Baking—Delicious Treats Inspired by Hansel & Gretel, Snow White, and Other Classic Stories
Level V (Red Cord)
The Cosmic Arch-Epic
[each student must begin with and pass this course to move on]
Resources: Tolkien: “On Fairy Stories”, The Silmarillion, Beren and Lúthien, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Gondolin, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings; Ch. Tolkien: History of Middle-Earth (select volumes), Shippey: The Road to Middle-Earth, Wood: The Gospel According to Tolkien
The Holy Scriptures
The Apocalypse of Jesus
Resources: Genesis, Daniel/Nahum, Ezekiel, Isaiah (40-66), Zephaniah, Zechariah, Malachi, Mark (plus ‘Olivet Discourse’ from Matthew/Luke), John (selections), Romans, Philippians, Galatians, Colossians, Ephesians, Hebrews (selections), Jude, Revelation;
The Lutheran Bible Companion (2 vols.), Wright: The New Testament in Its World, Luther: Lectures in Genesis, Rehwinkel: The Flood—In the Light of the Bible, Geology & Archaeology, Marquardt: “Luther & Theosis”, Farrer: Triple Victory/Sts. Matthew & Mark/A Rebirth of Images—The Making of St. John’s Apocalypse
Protestant–Catholic Tradition
The Nature of Anfechtungen
Resources: Stephenson: “Let Your Holy Angel Be with Me” (Luther’s Angelology), Donne: Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions/Death’s Duel, Love’s Redeeming Work—The Anglican Quest for Holiness, Gurnall: The Christian in Complete Armor, Kleinig: Grace Upon Grace—Spirituality for Today (selections), Radke: “The Gifts of the Holy Spirit—I Cor. 12-14″, Lewis: The Screwtape Letters, Bunyan: The Holy War, Dickens: A Christmas Carol, Moller: Dear Soul—A Manual for the Rightful Art of Dying, Gerhard: Handbook of Consolations
Cosmic Battles
Resources: Luther: “Against the Heavenly Prophets”, Fisk: Broken, Ristau: My First Exorcism—What the Devil Taught a Lutheran Pastor about Counter-cultural Spirituality, Blumhardt: Battle with the Powers of Darkness, LiBrizzi: The Nelly Butler Hauntings—A Documentary History/Dark Woods, Chill Waters—Ghost Tales from Down East Maine
Christianity in History, Philosophy & Literature
Pax Britannica Dawns, Unionism & Empire,
Columbia Comes of Age
Resources: Chadwick: The Victorian Church, Bonomi: Under the Cope of Heaven—Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America, Wood: The American Revolution—A History, Finke & Stark: The Churching of America, 1776-2005/Irving: A History of New York selections; with the article “Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus”, The Last of the Mohicans (1992), April Morning (1988), Johnny Tremain (1957), Ferling: Almost a Miracle—The American Victory in the War of Independence, The Patriot (2000), Cecere: General Peter Muhlenberg—A Virginia Officer of the Continental Line, Dallison: Hope Restored—The American Revolution and the Founding of New Brunswick, Koontz/Fisk: A Brief History of Power (select episodes), Leithart: Between Babel and Beast, Williamson: The History of the State of Maine, Taylor: Liberty Men and Great Proprietors—The Revolutionary Settlement on the Maine Frontier {1760-1820}, Dekker: French & Indian Wars in Maine, Ellis: A Ruinous and Unhappy War—New England and the War of 1812, Greenburg: The Court-Martial of Paul Revere—A Son of Liberty and America’s Forgotten Military Disaster, Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934; 1982, based on sequel novel, Eldorado)
The Enlightenment in Practice: Deconstruction to Neo-Gnosticism
Resources: Pelikan: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture {Since 1700}, Hägglund: History of Theology, Copleston: Modern Philosophy (vols. VI-IX), Scruton: The Soul of the World/The Face of God
Cosmic Battlefields
Resources: Stoker: Dracula, Lewis: The Cosmic Trilogy, Bunyan: The Pilgrim’s Progress (Parts I & II), Williams: War in Heaven, Milton: Paradise Lost/Regained (with Lewis: A Preface to ‘Paradise Lost’), Poe: Greatest Works (selections), Irving: The Sketch Book (selections), Anderson: Recipes from the World of Tolkien—Inspired by the Legends/The Elven Cookbook—Recipes Inspired by the Elves of Tolkien
Level VI (Scarlet Cord)
The Cosmic Arch-Epic
[each student must begin with and pass this course to move on]
Resources: Lewis: “Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What’s to Be Said”/The Chronicles of Narnia, Sayers: The Mind of the Maker, Veith: Imagination Redeemed/Reading Between the Lines, Esolen: Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, Guite: Lifting the Veil—Imagination and the Kingdom of God, Godawa: Hollywood Worldviews
The Holy Scriptures
Understanding the Word in its Original Languages & Context
Resources: Hebrew & Greek Interlinears;
Primers/Syntaxes/Theological Dictionaries to the Biblical Languages, Preus: The Inspiration of Scripture, Farrer: The Glass of Vision, Bird: Unveiling Mercy (plus additional essays and select videos from The Old Testament in 40 Minutes series), Tverberg: Rabbi Jesus trilogy
Protestant–Catholic Tradition
Orthodox Lutherans & Continuing Anglicans Today
Resources: Krauth: The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, Sasse: Here We Stand/The Lonely Way (2 vols.), Love’s Redeeming Work—The Anglican Quest for Holiness, GAFCON: “The Jerusalem Declaration” (2008), Marquart: Anatomy of an Explosion/Church Growth as Mission Paradigm, Kolb/Arand: The Genius of Luther’s Theology—A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church, Woodford: Great Commission, Great Confusion, or Great Confession?, Bramwell: Come In, We are Closed, Wolfmeuller: Why Has American Christianity Failed?, Bonhoeffer: Sanctorum Communio—A Theological Study of the Sociology of the Church/The Cost of Discipleship, Radke: “The Implications of the Corpo-real Nature in the Holy Communion”, Koontz: “A Lutheran Response to Tyranny” (video series, with The Magdeburg Confession), Chadwick: The Mind of the Oxford Movement, Griffith: Grace and Incarnation—The Oxford Movement’s Shaping of the Character of Modern Anglicanism
Christianity in History, Philosophy & Literature
Against Marxism & Fascism
Resources: The Twilight Zone: “The Obsolete Man”, Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities, Veith: Modern Fascism, Tinker: That Hideous Strength—A Deeper Look at How the West Was Lost, Bonhoeffer: various letters and writings, Spencer: A Religion of Peace?—Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn’t
The Christian in Contemporary American Community
Resources: Luther: LW 44 thru 47 (selections)/“The Freedom of a Christian”, Lewis: “On Living in an Atomic Age” (with The Magician’s Twin)/”The Necessity of Chivalry”/The Weight of Glory & Other Addresses/The Four Loves, Fisk/Koontz: A Brief History of Power (selections), Veith: Postmodern Times/Post-Christian/Loving God with All Your Mind/God at Work, Bonhoeffer: Spiritual Care/Life Together/Ethics, Guinness: Prophetic Untimeliness/Fool’s Talk, Chesterton: Heresies, Kolb: Speaking the Gospel Today—A Theology for Evangelism, De Tocqueville: Democracy in America, Esolen: Out of the Ashes/Nostalgia—Going Home in a Homeless World/Sex and the Unreal City—The Demolition of the Western Mind, Fisk: “When the System Bends—Dalio’s Stage 5 Civil War”, Leithart: “The Apolitical Politics of Christendom”, Dreher: Live Not by Lies, Metaxes: Letter to the American Church, Sophocles: Antigone, O’Connor: The Complete Stories, Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Patterns (1956)
History & Literature of Maine
Resources: Gratwick: Hidden History of Maine; “The History of the Republic of Madawaska” (related to the bloodless Aroostook War), Chamberlain: Blood & Fire at Gettysburg/The Passing of the Armies/”20th Maine Monument Address”, Wallace: Soul of the Lion, Pullen: Joshua Chamberlain, Blaine: Twenty Years of Congress, Muzzey: James G. Blaine, CE Hamlin: The Life and Times of Hannibal Hamlin, Rich: We Took to the Woods, MacDonald: The Little Island, Hawthorne: House of the Seven Gables, Thoreau: Walden, Stowe: The Pearl of Orr’s Island/Oldtown Folks/Agnes of Sorrento, Longfellow: Poems & Other Writings, Jewett: Country of the Pointed Firs, E.B. White: Charlotte’s Web, King: ‘Salem’s Lot, Carousel (1956)
Level VII (Flax Cord)
Dissertation
10K-word Research Paper/Two-class Presentation (student’s choice)
Free Electives x3
The student may choose courses from any of the Levels I-VI that they have not yet taken. Alternatively, the student may choose from the below list (subject to teacher availability).
Biblical Hebrew I/II
Biblical Greek I/II
Theological Latin
Theological German
The History of the Church in Britain (either a survey or a specific period is a appropriate; other European countries will be considered if there is a suitable connection to Maine history)
Non-Fiction of C.S. Lewis (God in the Dock, Christian Reflections, Present Concerns, A Grief Observed, An Experiment in Criticism, Letters to Malcolm, Surprised by Joy, The World’s Last Night and Other Essays, Studies in Words, Of Other Worlds, Image and Imagination, Selected Literary Essays)
Works of Shakespeare (to be worked out with student)
Fiction of Charles Dickens (to be worked out with student)
Fiction of Charles Williams
Fiction of G.K. Chesterton
American Fiction (Irving: The Sketch Book/A History of New York selections; with the article “Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus”, O. Henry: 101 Stories, Alexander: The Chronicles of Prydain, Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Rand: The Fountainhead, O’Connor: Wise Blood/The Violent Bear it Away/The Complete Stories, L’Amour: How the West Was Won/The Daybreakers, Grey: Riders of the Purple Sage, Kinsella: Shoeless Joe, King: The Stand)
The Classic Star Wars Saga
The Harry Potter cycle
Christianity at the Cinema: Golden Age (High Noon, The Gunfighter, The Searchers, Ox-bow Incident, Pollyanna, Treasure of Sierra Madre, King Creole, The Fountainhead, The Hustler, The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood)
Christianity at the Cinema: Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life, You Can’t Take it With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, State of the Union, sections of Capra’s autobiography)
Christianity at the Cinema: Hitchcock (I Confess, Rear Window, Saboteur, Vertigo, Lifeboat, The Birds, select episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
Christianity at the Cinema: Modern (Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Natural, Field of Dreams, Eight Men Out, The Majestic, The Matrix, TRON: Legacy, Speed Racer, Indy/Raiders-Crusade, Hook)
Christianity at the Cinema: Disney Fairy Tales (Tangled, The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast-1991, Ratatouille, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella-2015)
Christianity at the Cinema: Westerns (Tombstone, True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma, Winchester ’73, Seraphim Falls, Sgt. Rutledge, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Fastest Gun Alive, Shane, The Shootist, Good Day for a Hanging, Pale Rider)
Christianity at the Cinema: The Infinity War Saga (selections from the MCU)
Christianity at the Cinema: Adapting the Faith (DeMille’s King of Kings, Ten Commandments, The Nativity Story, King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus of Nazareth, The Passion of the Christ, The Chosen, Ben-Hur, The Robe, Risen, A.D., Paul Apostle of Christ, Solomon Kane, Sergeant York, God’s Not Dead)
Poetry I/II (Shakespeare, Donne, Herbert, Frost, Dickinson)
Woodcraft (in-person only with retired carpenter/contractor; may be taken multiple times)
Corbenic Bible College 