Learn to Discern - Adult Course

In today's society, "you do you" is the prevailing message. The "Learn to Discern" Semester Adult Course goes beyond the Essentials Series to hone you into a Truth Ninja.

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Based on Transparent: How to See Through the Powerful Assumptions That Control You

The innovative book that started the discernment revolution

“This is an important book on a tremendously important subject. That there has been an intentional and systematic indoctrination of Americans with false and pernicious ideas is horrific, but this fine book helps us understand what has happened and helps us also see how we can—and absolutely must—oppose those ideas.”

Eric Metaxas — New York Times best-selling author and host of the Eric Metaxas Show

Course curriculum

1. Introduction
2. Course Overview
3. Instructions
1. Unit 1 - What is Truth? - Overview
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2. Unit 1, Section 1 - Main Lesson - Truth
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3. Unit 1, Section 1 - Activities 1-4
4. Unit 1, Section 1 - Quiz
5. Unit 1, Section 2 - Main Lesson - Assumptions
6. Unit 1, Section 2 - Activity 1
7. Unit 1, Section 2 - Background Reading - Columbus and the Flat Earth
8. Unit 1, Section 2 - Activities 2-5
9. Unit 1, Section 2 - Quiz
10. Unit 1, Section 3 - Main Lesson - Reality
11. Unit 1, Section 3 - Activity 1
12. Unit 1, Section 3 - Background Reading - Robin Hood and Reality
13. Unit 1, Section 3 - Activity 2
14. Unit 1, Section 3 - Quiz
1. Unit 2 - Types of Core Assumptions - Overview
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2. Unit 2, Section 1 - Main Lesson - Types of Assumptions
3. Unit 2, Section 1 - Background Reading - Types of Assumptions
4. Course PowerPoint
5. Unit 2, Section 1 - Activity 1 and 2
6. Unit 2, Section 1 Quiz
7. Unit 2, Section 2 - Main Lesson - Type 1 Assumptions
8. Unit 2, Section 2 - Background Reading - Type 1 Assumptions
9. Unit 2, Section 2 - Activities 1 and 2
10. Unit 2, Section 2 Quiz
11. Unit 2, Section 3 - Main Lesson - Type 2A Assumptions
12. Unit 2, Section 3 - Background Reading - Type 2A Assumptions
13. Unit 2, Section 3 - Activity 1
14. Unit 2, Section 3 Quiz
15. Unit 2, Section 4 - Main Lesson - Type 2B Assumptions
16. Unit 2, Section 4 - Background Reading - Type 2B Assumptions
17. Unit 2, Section 4 - Activities 1 and 2
18. Unit 2, Section 4 Quiz
19. Unit 2, Section 5 - Main Lesson - Type 3 Assumptions
20. Unit 2, Section 5 - Quick Review
21. Unit 2, Section 5 - Background Reading - Type 3 Assumptions
22. Unit 2, Section 5 - Activities 1 and 2
23. Unit 2, Section 5 Quiz
1. Unit 3 - Testing Assumptions - Overview
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2. Unit 3, Section 1 - Main Lesson - Critical Assumptions Test (CAT)
3. Unit 3, Section 1 - Background Reading - Critical Assumptions Test (CAT)
4. Critical Assumptions Test (CAT) - PDF Version
5. Unit 3, Section 1 - Activities 1 and 2
6. Unit 3, Section 1 Quiz
7. Unit 3, Section 2 - Main Lesson - Secondary Assumptions
8. Unit 3, Section 2 - Background Reading - Origins
9. Unit 3, Section 2 - Background Reading - Operations
10. Unit 3, Section 2 - Background Reading - Final Destinations
11. Unit 3, Section 2 - Project 1
12. Unit 3, Section 2 Quiz
1. Unit 4 - Overview
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2. Unit 4, Section 1 - Main Lesson - Humanity, Knowledge, and Good
3. Unit 4, Section 1 - Background Reading - "What is a Human Being?"
4. Course PowerPoint
5. Unit 4, Section 1 - Project 1
6. Unit 4, Section 1 - Background Reading - "How Do We Acquire Knowledge?"
7. Unit 4, Section 1 - Project 2
8. Unit 4, Section 1 - Background Reading - "What is Good?"
9. Unit 4, Section 1 - Project 3
10. Unit 4, Section 1 - Unit Extension Activity
11. Unit 4, Section 1 Quiz
1. Unit 5 Overview
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2. Unit 5, Section 1 - Main Lesson - Humanity's Basic Problem and Solution
3. Unit 5, Section 1 - Background Reading - What is Humanity's Basic Problem?
4. Unit 5, Section 1 - Background Reading - Solutions to Humanity's Basic Problem
5. Unit 5, Section 1 - Project 1
6. Unit 5, Section 1 Quiz
1. Unit 6 - Understanding Reality, Human Nature, and Good - Overview
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2. Unit 6, Section 1 Main Lesson - Reality
3. Unit 6, Section 1 - Activity 1
4. Unit 6, Section 1 Background Reading - Reality
5. Unit 6, Section 1 Course Video #1
6. Unit 6, Section 1 Quiz
7. Unit 6, Section 2 Main Lesson - Human Nature
8. Unit 6, Section 2 - Background Reading - Human Nature
9. Unit 6, Section 2 - Activities 1-3
10. Unit 6, Section 2 - Course Video #2
11. Unit 6, Section 2 - Handouts #1, #2, & #3
12. Unit 6, Section 2 - Course Video #3
13. Unit 6, Section 2 Quiz
14. Unit 6, Section 3 Main Lesson - Ideal vs. Good
15. Unit 6, Section 3 - Activities 1-5
16. Unit 6, Section 3 - Course Video #4
17. Unit 6, Section 3 - Background Reading - Idealism and John Lennon's Imagine
18. Unit 6, Section 3 - Handouts #1 & #2
19. Unit 6, Section 3 - Background Reading - Idealism vs. Christianity
20. Unit 6, Section 3 - Course Video #5
21. Unit 6, Section 3 Quiz
1. Unit 7 - Big Issues - Overview
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2. Unit 7, Section 1 - Main Lesson - Race and Reality
3. Unit 7, Section 1 - Background Reading - Race and Racism
4. Unit 7, Section 1 - Activities 1-4
5. Unit 7, Section 1 - Course Video #6
6. Unit 7, Section 1 - Handouts #1 and #2
7. Critical Assumptions Test (April 2019)
8. Unit 7, Section 1 - Background Reading - Realism and Idealism?
9. Unit 7, Section 1 - Course Video #8
10. Unit 7, Section 1 Quiz
11. Unit 7, Section 2 - Main Lesson - Critical Assumptions Test (CAT) Applications
12. Unit 7, Section 2 - Background Reading - Critical Assumptions Test (CAT) Background
13. Unit 7, Section 2 - Activity 1
14. Unit 7, Section 2 - Handout #1 - Suggested Big Issue Topics
15. Unit 7, Section 2 - Handouts #2 and #3
16. Unit 7, Section 2 - Critical Assumptions Test
17. Unit 7, Section 3 - Main Lesson - Gender and Other Big Issues
18. Unit 7, Section 3 - Activities 1-3
19. Unit 7, Section 3 - Background Reading - Gender
20. Unit 7, Section 3 - Course Video #7
21. Unit 7, Section 3 - Handout #1 - Suggested Big Issue Topics
22. Unit 7, Section 3 Quiz
1. Unit 8 Overview - The Solutions to Humanity's Basic Problem
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2. Unit 8, Section 1 - Main Lesson - The Solution to Humanity's Basic Problem
3. Unit 8, Section 1 - Background Reading - The Solution to Humanity's Basic Problem
4. Unit 8, Section 1 - Activities 1 and 2
5. Unit 8, Section 1 Quiz

About this course

$297.00
117 lessons
1 hour of video content

FAQ

What subjects are in the course?

Learn to Discern teaches people how to quickly and reliably find hidden assumptions which determine what is true and what is not...and WHY...in real-world issues and situations. You will discover precisely what truth is and what it isn't. You'll understand what assumptions are and the power they have for honing your discernment skill. You will use that power to explore the assumptions that control how people think about today's moral, social, and cultural issues. We'll reveal the assumptions that form people's beliefs about inequality, race, gender, what really is good, and much more. Then you will find how to relate truth from God and the Bible to these real-world issues because at the level of a person's assumptions it is easy.
How long is the course?

The Learn to Discern Semester Home Course will take about 120 hours to complete.
How is Learn to Discern different from other critical thinking courses?

Learn to Discern uses a ground-breaking critical thinking system that is entirely different from ANYTHING you have ever seen. It is the next generation of discernment training based on assumptions. It is far superior to worldview. With a little practice even learners who are not particularly intellectual can discern what is true and what isn't in the classroom, the media, and the culture. With practice a learner can reliably discern truth in real-world issues and situations in as little as 30 seconds.
Why have I never heard of Learn to Discern?

This training course is the first of its kind. That doesn't mean that our assumptions method is unknown or untested. Some of the best Christian scholars and apologists have reviewed and endorsed our revolutionary new discernment process.

LEARN TO DISCERN may be the ultimate resource for honing discernment skills!

Here’s what others who have “Learned to Discern” have said:

“…helps people discover what is really true in the confusion of voices in the age of the internet.”

Josh McDowell - Internationally acclaimed author and speaker

“…the most innovative thing I’ve seen in education in 40 years!”

Bill Gibbons - Creator of nationally acclaimed HOSTS Learning

“Dave Richardson’s discernment system is the result of decades of reflection and hands-on experience ministering on secular university campuses. He has developed an effective method to help us excavate the assumptions that underlie much of what we hear in the classroom, the news, movies, lectures, or just conversations with friends.”

William Lane Craig - Internationally acclaimed professor, scholar, and debater

“When David first explained his Critical Assumptions Test to our staff, I was blown away and immediately saw the wisdom of his apologetic.”

Daniel Fusco - Author and Lead Pastor, Crossroads Community Church, Vancouver, WA

“Dave’s book and Critical Assumptions Test are a must in the existing environment of ideas, lifestyles, and concepts.”

Nolan Hertel - Professor, Nuclear and Radiological Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

“The main approach that Christians employ to defend their faith in the world is apologetics and worldviews. David Richardson goes beyond these and does something better. He does not simply ‘defend.’ He is the only one that I know who uncovers the weakness of the intellectuals in universities, the media, government, and culture. David provides a powerful offense and does so in a winsome fashion. His thinking redefines what it means to be a public Christian.”

Stan Oakes - Chancellor, The King's College, New York City

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