ISRAEL Education at Brookes Bible College consists of a variety of informal and cocurricular components and four major formal components:
- Study of Historical Texts, a historical-grammatical-contextual approach to Bible interpretation, foundational in every BBC class, which surveys the history of Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and other written histories,
- Theological Consideration of those descendants which arrives at a theological position that understands a partial spiritual-hardening of the hearts of the ethnic people group of Abraham-Isaac-Jacob's descendants and a future expectation of a comprehensive spiritual-softening of a generation of that people followed by the return of Jesus to earth to establish and sit as king over a new kingdom,
- a required Geography class (GE120) that thoroughly acquaints students to the physical, human, and historical geography of Bible lands, but especially the land covenantally promised to Abraham and his descendants, and
- our "IBEX" program, a travel-study tour throughout the biblical land of Israel as an extension of the learning enterprise begun at our St. Louis campus, involving students and friends of BBC, which explores the land as an ancient promised homeland as well as a modern state.
Please join us, the faculty of Brookes Bible College,
on our next IBEX travel-study tour!
A Lifetime Impact for You and Your Ministry |
Join the faculty of Brookes Bible College as we explore the land of Israel together for a lifetime impact as Christians and students of the Bible! We will embark on a 14-day travel-study tour filled with historical and biblical sites relevant to growing in understanding the Scripture.
This trip will not be a typical tourist stroll through the country but rather a fun and engaging learning experience. You will bring back to your ministry tremendous biblical understanding and insight, visual aids to remember your tour and for teaching, the refreshment that comes from the fellowship of other Christians—truly an impact on your ministry for a lifetime! Itinerary Highlights The following sites are a sample of our tour highlights: Joppa ✵ Caesarea Marítima ✵ Dan ✵ Jezreel ✵ Nazareth ✵ Mt. Carmel ✵ The Sea of Galilee ✵ Tiberias ✵ Capernaum ✵ Chorazin ✵ Beth Shean ✵ Caesarea Philippi ✵ Masada ✵ The Jordan River ✵ Jericho ✵ The Dead Sea ✵ Qumran ✵ En Gedi ✵ Beer Sheva ✵ Lachish ✵ Elah Valley ✵ Jerusalem ✵ Bethlehem ✵ Shiloh ✵ Mt. Gerizim along with many world-class museums.
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About Our Guide
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Joshua Clutterham, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology directs Israel Education and the IBEX program at BBC, and will serve as our trip guide. Professor Clutterham studied at the Israel Bible Extension of the Master's University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has led several church and school tours to Israel, and has years of experience teaching the Bible in pastoral and academic settings. We will also be accompanied by an Israeli guide to accent instruction about life in Israel today.
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Tour Distinctives
1. For most Christians in the United States, a tour of the Holy Land is a lifetime dream--something that if you are providentially privileged to realize, will likely be a trip that you take only once in your lifetime. Therefore, this tour is distinctively designed to steward that unique opportunity by supplying you with a lifetime impact as a student of the Bible.
2. This trip, therefore, will not be a typical tourist stroll through the country but rather a fun and engaging learning experience. You will bring back to your ministry tremendous biblical understanding and insight, visual aids to remember your tour and for teaching, the refreshment that comes from the fellowship of other Christians—truly an impact on your ministry for a lifetime!
3. Tour days will be full days of walking (including steps up and down). You will likely be tired at the end of the day. Your guide is mindful of the challenges that traveling itself brings, and especially traveling through the trails, paths, and roads of this majestic land. Many efforts will be made to help pace the group and provide respite along the way. Although tired, you should expect to be overjoyed at what you are learning and blessed by the fellowship of fellow-students of the Word. To prepare for the trip, plan on getting a good set of walking shoes, putting together a walking regimen, and watching your diet so as to shed any unuseful weight that you would rather not take with you.
4. Significant impact is gained from seeing the breadth of the land, recognizing the topographical challenges, making connections between places and seeing the distances between them. For example, considering what the life of a character in the Scripture was like given his daily commute or the scenery he faced while encountering life challenges. Therefore, the tour will visit many panoramic vistas where many Bible stories can be reviewed and gathered in context.
5. The tour will explore the gamut of topics related of interest to Christians related to the land of Israel: biblical place locations, geographical and regional aspects of the land, communication and travel routes, the practice of archaeology and major archaeological finds, the history of peoples in the land of Israel, the life of Christ (where Jesus walked), the Arab-Israeli conflict and a Christian's proper engagement of it, religious traditions and ritual within Christendom, faith becoming sight, the salvation of the Jewish people, Bible prophecy, the Christian and the law of Moses, among many others.
6. Finally, this tour will seek to live out the promise to Abraham to be a blessing to the residents of this land that we are sojourning.
2. This trip, therefore, will not be a typical tourist stroll through the country but rather a fun and engaging learning experience. You will bring back to your ministry tremendous biblical understanding and insight, visual aids to remember your tour and for teaching, the refreshment that comes from the fellowship of other Christians—truly an impact on your ministry for a lifetime!
3. Tour days will be full days of walking (including steps up and down). You will likely be tired at the end of the day. Your guide is mindful of the challenges that traveling itself brings, and especially traveling through the trails, paths, and roads of this majestic land. Many efforts will be made to help pace the group and provide respite along the way. Although tired, you should expect to be overjoyed at what you are learning and blessed by the fellowship of fellow-students of the Word. To prepare for the trip, plan on getting a good set of walking shoes, putting together a walking regimen, and watching your diet so as to shed any unuseful weight that you would rather not take with you.
4. Significant impact is gained from seeing the breadth of the land, recognizing the topographical challenges, making connections between places and seeing the distances between them. For example, considering what the life of a character in the Scripture was like given his daily commute or the scenery he faced while encountering life challenges. Therefore, the tour will visit many panoramic vistas where many Bible stories can be reviewed and gathered in context.
5. The tour will explore the gamut of topics related of interest to Christians related to the land of Israel: biblical place locations, geographical and regional aspects of the land, communication and travel routes, the practice of archaeology and major archaeological finds, the history of peoples in the land of Israel, the life of Christ (where Jesus walked), the Arab-Israeli conflict and a Christian's proper engagement of it, religious traditions and ritual within Christendom, faith becoming sight, the salvation of the Jewish people, Bible prophecy, the Christian and the law of Moses, among many others.
6. Finally, this tour will seek to live out the promise to Abraham to be a blessing to the residents of this land that we are sojourning.
FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions
Tour Dates: TBA, 2022
Cost: $4000 due TBD, which includes:
* Not Included: daily Lunches, single-occupancy hotel room fee (if desiring to room privately)
** Tour price for travelers wishing to meet the group in Israel (i.e., Tour without Airfare package) is $3000.
For more information, contact: Joshua Clutterham,
jclutterham@brookes.edu; (314) 773-0083
Cost: $4000 due TBD, which includes:
- Airfare from STL
- Tour (all entrance fees, transportation in private air-conditioned coach, and guide fees)
- Lodging (Double-occupancy accommodations in four-star hotels)
- Daily breakfast and dinners
- Tips for the bus driver, hotel staff, and Israeli guide
- Applicable taxes
* Not Included: daily Lunches, single-occupancy hotel room fee (if desiring to room privately)
** Tour price for travelers wishing to meet the group in Israel (i.e., Tour without Airfare package) is $3000.
For more information, contact: Joshua Clutterham,
jclutterham@brookes.edu; (314) 773-0083
Will I need a passport and visa? A current passport IS REQUIRED and must not expire until six months after our return date. Please apply right away as it may take several weeks to process.* Recent news alerts have stated that passport processing now seems to take more time than usual. Don’t delay in applying for your passport!!* A visa, however, is not required.
Are there any vaccinations required for this trip? Vaccinations have not been typically required for this trip; however, that may change due to COVID-19. We will inform tour participants of any requirements in this area as the dates approach.
I live outside of St. Louis, may I travel directly to Israel, or do I need to join the group in St. Louis? Yes, participants may make other travel arrangements, and join the group in Israel. You may work with our booking agent to make your reservation for the tour-only. Please note that you will need to arrange ground transportation or hotels for alternative travel arrangements if your flight schedule does not match that of the group's arrival and departure. Itinerary details are provided on this website so you can make accurate flight plans if you choose to make your own flight arrangements.
How safe is it to travel to Israel? In today's environment, security is always a consideration when traveling. Organization of this trip is duly concerned not to put anyone in harm’s way and therefore is monitoring news from the region closely. We won’t take the trip if we have any concerns about the safety of our group.
How can I best prepare for the teaching on this trip? Your guide and trip organizer will provide several resources for you to prepare yourself with study materials prior to the trip. These resources will help those interested in laying some groundwork for what we hope to learn during our time together. But we would also invite you, if interested in an academic experience, to participate in our spring course "Introduction to Israel and the Middle East" meeting on Monday evenings, 6:00 - 9:15 PM beginning in early January, 2022, taught by Professor Clutterham for a very thorough preparation experience. Please contact the admissions office (admissions@brookes.edu; 314-773-0083) for more information.
Are there any vaccinations required for this trip? Vaccinations have not been typically required for this trip; however, that may change due to COVID-19. We will inform tour participants of any requirements in this area as the dates approach.
I live outside of St. Louis, may I travel directly to Israel, or do I need to join the group in St. Louis? Yes, participants may make other travel arrangements, and join the group in Israel. You may work with our booking agent to make your reservation for the tour-only. Please note that you will need to arrange ground transportation or hotels for alternative travel arrangements if your flight schedule does not match that of the group's arrival and departure. Itinerary details are provided on this website so you can make accurate flight plans if you choose to make your own flight arrangements.
How safe is it to travel to Israel? In today's environment, security is always a consideration when traveling. Organization of this trip is duly concerned not to put anyone in harm’s way and therefore is monitoring news from the region closely. We won’t take the trip if we have any concerns about the safety of our group.
How can I best prepare for the teaching on this trip? Your guide and trip organizer will provide several resources for you to prepare yourself with study materials prior to the trip. These resources will help those interested in laying some groundwork for what we hope to learn during our time together. But we would also invite you, if interested in an academic experience, to participate in our spring course "Introduction to Israel and the Middle East" meeting on Monday evenings, 6:00 - 9:15 PM beginning in early January, 2022, taught by Professor Clutterham for a very thorough preparation experience. Please contact the admissions office (admissions@brookes.edu; 314-773-0083) for more information.
