Our Christian Studies program is grounded in our Anabaptist tradition and focuses on developing Biblical literacy and spiritual reflection. At the same time, we recognize and welcome the different Christian traditions and other faith traditions of our students. In this way, these courses invite our students to explore their beliefs within the context of a Mennonite school. Our hope is that through the progression of these courses, students will have a deeper and richer understanding of their own beliefs and the beliefs of others.
6 The Fruits of the Spirit
In this course, we will study the nine fruits of the Spirit focusing on Biblical stories and finding evidence in our own lives of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
7 Old Testament—The Story of God and God’s People
This course will provide a chronological survey of Old Testament history from Genesis to Esther with selections from the poetry and prophecy books. The focus will be on stories of God covenanting with God’s people.
8 Jesus’ Life and Teaching
This course focuses on a study of Jesus: his life and teachings. Students learn about his Jewish context and undertake an independent reading of the gospel of Luke and a study of the Sermon on the Mount. The course concludes with a basic study of Anabaptist history.
11G The Church and Faith Today
The Grade 9 course places emphasis on the current Christian church and the living out of faith. Students keep a faith journal and study how churches live out God’s vision for the world. The peace and justice emphasis of our church’s history is explored for relevancy and application to the world today. One major practical component is a community service assignment in which students participate throughout the year.
21G A Christian Response to Religious Plurality
This course will focus on a Christian response to other religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Indigenous Spirituality. We will also spend time looking at the many faces of Christianity in our world.
31G Christian Ethics
This course involves a study of Christian ethics, specifically from an Anabaptist perspective. It includes a look at morality and how people make moral decisions as well as discussions about, and research into, many societal issues facing Christians today.
41G Mennonite History
This course studies basic Anabaptist theology and then uses Mennonite History to examine the attempts of Mennonites to apply their theology to life. The historical focus of the course is mainly on the Russian Mennonite tradition where Westgate’s roots lie. However, questions raised should be
applicable to all students.