Exodus 90 now offers intellectual formation through ExodusU, which is designed to complement the spiritual and personal formation it offers on the app. The freedom God bestows through the Exodus experience also shapes the mind, enabling us to view the world with the eyes of faith. ExodusU offers courses throughout the liturgical year to go deeper into the biblical, theological, spiritual, and cultural themes of Exodus’s 90 seasonal challenges throughout the year. ExodusU and its regular courses will gather men into a community that together explores the great intellectual tradition and its application in modern culture.
There are four main pillars of formation, which men receive in seminary: personal, spiritual, pastoral, and intellectual. To experience true freedom in Jesus Christ, it is necessary to be liberated from every kind of slavery. For most men, this entails breaking out of sin, addiction, distraction, and unhealthy habits, laying the foundation for personal formation. This is supported by prayer, which is the heart of spiritual formation, and also fraternity, which enables men to experience pastoral formation in supporting one another and drawing other men into the freedom they experienced. The importance of intellectual formation cannot be forgotten, for we must learn to think with the mind of Christ. The Church Fathers drew upon Greek philosophy to support their understanding and articulation of the faith, and we need to deepen our own contemplation of the truth to overcome modern objections to faith.
Strong intellectual formation for men today must look back, rediscovering treasures of the great tradition, and also forward, tackling the difficult issues of contemporary culture. ExodusU will do both, entering into the Western canon of the greatest works of theology, literature, and philosophy with the aim of recovering wisdom today. Pulling back from frenetic activity, we will make space for leisure, allowing our minds to be shaped by the greatest works and ideas, as well as insightful analysis of contemporary culture. Initial themes include the historicity of the Exodus account and the deeper meaning of Christian freedom. Both topics emphasize the impact of God’s saving actions in the world and how we must interiorize them. Courses are designed to include readings, lectures, and live video conversations.
ExodusU’s first course, “The Reality of the Exodus: Its Spiritual and Historical Significance,” explores the difficulty of dating the Exodus and the abundance of archeological evidence that supports it when chronological problems are resolved. It follows the methodology of Pope Benedict XVI who encouraged us to take the historical reality of the Bible seriously while drawing it into a synthesis with its spiritual meaning. To complement the historical examination of the Exodus, the course also reads St. Gregory of Nyssa’s “Life of Moses” to enter into the ongoing unfolding of God’s liberating work. The Exodus happened, changing history, and it continues to change the world today when we open our lives to God’s intervention that brings us to true freedom.
