NOTICE: This is an older course recorded with Adobe Connect and/or Vimeo recordings. We are currently working to replace the recordings with new Zoom recordings. Please don't hesitate to email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com with any questions.
Zombie apocalypse? Left Behind? What's the truth? Learn the theology of the “Four Last Things” – death, judgment, hell, and heaven -- and get a strong theological basis for why "eschatology" is important for us to know about now.
How to get the most out of Eschatology: The Theology of the End Times
with Mike Creavey:
- First, read the course details below.
- Prepare a notebook for note-taking and homework.
- Students begin the course by clicking on the "Recording" and watching the instructor's lecture for Class One.
- Complete the Week One Activities.
- If you need review, go back and watch the recording again and/or go over the Powerpoint.
- Repeat until all classes are complete.
- Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records. Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping.
Total Classes: 12
Duration: 55 min.
Prerequisite: None
Suggested Grade Level: 11th-12th grade
Suggested Credit: One full semester theology
Instructor: Mike Creavey
Instructor Email: creavey.mike@gmail.com
Course Description: “Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). None of us can escape the reality of the passage of time and our eventual death. But this should not fill us with fear, for Jesus Christ has come to conquer death and to draw human beings into the eternal joy of the Divine Life! The Church’s consideration of the “Four Last Things” – death, judgment, hell, and heaven – is called “eschatology” (from the Greek eschata meaning “last”, “ultimate”, or “final”). These topics fascinate people up and down the centuries because they deal with questions of universal importance. As we explore these crucial matters, you may be surprised how much more there is here than meets the eye!
Course Outline:
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Course “First Things” (Intro)
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Time & Eternity
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Sin & Death
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Judgment
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Hell
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Purgatory
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Heaven (part 1)
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Heaven (part 2)
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Special Topic: “I AM the Resurrection and the Life…”
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Special Topic: Will All Be Saved? (aka Apocatastasis)
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Special Topic: Depictions of the Last Things
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Course “Last Things”
Required Course Materials:
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The Holy Bible, preferably the Revised Standard Version - 2nd Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE) or the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)
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Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2nd Edition (ISBN: 978-0385508193)
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The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell by Fr. Wade Menezes, CPM (ISBN: 978-1682780428)
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Various free online articles, PDFs, video and audio links throughout the course (instructor will provide links in class)
Recommended Materials (i.e. NONE are required or expected, but all are helpful resources):
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"The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell" outstanding talk by Fr. Mike Schmitz, “Lighthouse Talks: Augustine Institute” (available online - click here); students would benefit greatly from listening to this talk before the first day of class
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Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (ISBN: 978-0813215167)
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Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved?: With a Short Discourse on Hell by Hans Urs von Balthasar (ISBN: 978-1586179427)
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On Hope by Josef Pieper (ISBN: 978-0898700671)
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The End Of Time: A Meditation on the Philosophy of History by Josef Pieper (ISBN: 978-0898707267)
Homework & Assessments: Students should expect to read approximately 20 to 30 pages per week, including selections from course texts as well as web-based readings and occasional video and/or audio material. Assessments will be comprised of five bi/tri-weekly online quizzes (70% of grade) and one culminating essay (30% of grade).
- Teacher: Mike Creavey