Thursday, December 1, 2011 - Saturday, December 31, 2011

Location: Online Course

NOTE: This course is being repeated due to popular demand. It will be identical to the September version.

We're sorry, but "The Real Origins of Christianity" (Dec. '11) is

SOLD OUT



To express interest and be placed on a waiting list

for a future offering of this course, please email

the CFI Institute

Instructor: John Shook, PhD, CFI director of education

Visiting Lecturer: Richard Carrier, PhD, philosopher and historian of ancient religious and intellectual history



This course examines the historical origins of the Christian religion from a secular and skeptical perspective.

Course Topics:

The origins and composition of the New Testament

Sociological, cultural, and religious context and how they caused early Christian beliefs

Discerning the historical, mythical and theological Jesus

Explaining early belief in his resurrection

Readings: Not the Impossible Faith (2009) by Richard Carrier. Students will purchase their own copies (print or Kindle edition, or PDF edition available directly from Lulu.com). Additional lectures will be made available online at no cost to students.

About CFI Institute Online Courses:

CFI 200-level courses are taught at an intellectual level equivalent to an introductory college course. We expect students to participate in the class discussion at their own chosen pace, and there are no other writing requirements, and no grading. These classes are entirely online -- everything for the course except the book is provided on a CFI website. You will read the course lectures, follow links to other webpages, ask your questions, and participate in class discussion with the instructors and other students on our website.

There is no specific time that you must be online. There is no "live" part to these courses, and you cannot miss anything even if you can only get online at 6am, or 11pm -- you can log in and participate anytime, day or night, 24/7. A certificate of course completion is available to students who do participate online (as opposed to only lurking and reading, which is also an unobjectionable option for some students). Completion of eight courses at the Expertise 200-level is rewarded with the Institute's Certificate of Expertise.

This course can also be taken for college credit through the University at Buffalo; contact Dr. John Shook for details.

This is a one-month course, running from January 1st, 2012 through January 31th, 2012.

Cost: $60 for general registration; $50 for Friends of the Center; or $10 for college students (valid .edu email address required).

Additional questions? Contact the CFI Institute for further information.