December 17, 2003
World Order of Baha'u'llah: Selected Letters To be Offered Three Times in 2004

The Wilmette Institute has decided to offer its course The World Order of Baha'u'llah: Selected Letters three times in 2004 and once in 2005. The three letters covered by the course were singled out by the Universal House of Justice in its Ridvan 2003 message as important works for the friends to study. Consequently, they will constitute the annual education theme for the American Baha'i community in 2004-05.

The course is being offered right now; it started in early December. Students can STILL register for it. But if the timing proves inconvenient this time around, students can sign up for its future reruns on May 1, August 1, and November 15. It will probably offered a final time in March 2005, then be suspended for 12 to 18 months, depending on demand.

The three letters are "The Goal of a New World Order," "America and the Most Great Peace," and "The Unfoldment of World Civilization." The course will examine them, provide background information, offer extensive discussion of them, and provide ideas for preparing local study classes on them. Baha'is interested in fulfilling the request of the Universal House of Justice should consider taking the course some time in the next year.

The other course that just began, How to Study the Baha'i Writings, seeks to provide basic assistance to those who wish to understand the Baha'i revelation. Registration will be open for several additional weeks. The course uses John Hatcher's Ocean of His Words and other works that deal with metaphor, literary images, and Islamic terminology.