“In the Beginning”: Meeting God in Genesis 1-12

• Dates: September 2 – November 4, 2025
• Time: Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 pm
• Location: Class sessions will be held at the Emmaus Institute
• Class sessions are also offered live online or by recorded video

In this 10-week course, we will introduce the study of the Old Testament generally, the Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy) as a whole, and Genesis specifically, before embarking on a close reading of the Bible’s “Beginnings” in chapters 1–12. We will give special attention to the ways the story of Creation and its corruption and of God’s initial plans for its restoration establish the contours for the whole Bible. We will discuss what these chapters say about God and nature, the image of God, God’s design for a rest-work-leisure rhythm of life, God’s blueprint for marriage and family, original sin and its effects, Cain and Abel, the nature and function of genealogies in the Bible, Noah and the flood, the scattering into many languages at the Tower of Babel (and the corresponding gathering of many languages at Pentecost), and the call of Abraham. Whether for personal enrichment or formal teaching or more thoughtful engagement within the community of other Scripture readers, this course is designed to lay the foundations for making sense of the Bible from the Church’s perspective and for living and proclaiming its life-transforming message.

Vern Steiner Author

About the instructor

Prior to entering the Catholic Church in 2015, Vern enjoyed a long career as an evangelical protestant pastor, seminary professor, and founder and president of a Bible institute. His teaching specializations include biblical introduction and interpretation, languages and exegesis, and exposition and theology. He focused on Bible, History, and Philosophy in his undergraduate studies; he holds masters degrees in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Literature; and he earned his Ph.D. in Exegetical Theology. Vern has authored a number of published and unpublished materials at both general and technical levels. When he is not in his study, he enjoys watching sports, woodworking, and especially spending time with his wife Carol, their two married children, and their ten grandchildren.

Chad Steiner Author

About the instructor

Chad completed his undergraduate studies in Philosophy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln while studying the biblical languages and biblical introduction and interpretation on the side. Following graduation, he taught with his father at a small Bible institute in Lincoln for a number of years before moving to England with his wife Kacy to begin graduate work in biblical studies. Upon their return to Lincoln in 2005, Chad resumed teaching and writing full time with the institute where he remained until its closure in 2013. His interests lie especially in cultivating Christian unity, and in sharing the task of interpreting Sacred Scripture with Christians across denominational lines. He and his family were received into the Roman Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Peter in 2011. Since then he has enjoyed singing in the choir and serving as a regular catechist for the OCIA program at the parish. He and Kacy have eight children, a goofy pyredoodle, an opinionated Quaker parrot, an easier-going rabbit, a growing population of fish in multiple aquariums, and an ark under construction.