Teaching Nonviolent Atonement
Jesus the Forgiving Victim:
Listening for the Unheard Voice
An Introduction to Christianity for Adults
$79.95
Ground breaking theologian James Alison guides you on a journey of discovering anew the total nonviolence of God and what that means for how we read the Bible, interpret the Cross and live out our faith.
Study Guides for Adults by Suzanne Ross
Romulus & Remus meet Cain & Abel – $2.99
The Difference between Myth and Scripture
A one hour small group discussion for adults
Contemporary ideas about myths focus on their beauty and psychological truth. However, according to the work of René Girard, myths are beautiful because they are hiding truth, not revealing it. The truth they conceal is that real, human violence is at the origin of both human culture and ancient sacrificial religion. The Bible, on the other hand, is a record of the halting, imperfect history of the human discovery of the truth about our own violence and the complete nonviolence of God.
Because it does not conceal the truth about violence, the Bible wrestles more openly with whether or not God approves of violence. Through a comparison of two stories of a brother murdering his brother, one from Roman myth and one from the Bible, participants will discover for themselves the important difference between myth and Scripture and begin to wrestle with the question of divine violence for themselves.
This is a discussion style workshop. The facilitator’s role is to offer some basic information to ground the discussion and then to ask the provided questions. Suggested answers are also included as well as a reproducible handout. Purchase this study guide here.
Seeking the Glory that Comes from God – $2.99
An Introduction to Mimetic Desire
A 75 minute small group discussion for adults
This downloadable workshop provides an easy to lead introduction to the concept of mimetic desire. Because Jesus takes this understanding of desire for granted, some basic awareness of mimetic desire opens up new meaning in familiar texts.
Through discussion, activities and Bible study, participants will gain a working knowledge of human desire that drives much of Jesus’ teachings: that we desire according to the desire of another. Most fundamentally, human beings learn that we are desirable from others who respond to us lovingly. As we are loved, so we are able to love ourselves. This is illustrated by a look at John 5:39-44 in which Jesus explains that he receives his glory from God, not in the way most of us do, by seeking praise from one another. In contrast, Jesus receives who he is from the loving regard of his Father. The workshop will explore why it is so important to love one another and to follow Jesus’ advice to “seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God”.
This is a discussion style workshop. The facilitator’s role is to offer some basic information to ground the discussion and then to ask the provided questions. Suggested answers are also included. In addition, the study guide includes reproducible handouts and detailed instructions for the activities. Purchase this study guide here.
Study Guides for Teens and Youth by Adam Ericksen
The Bible, Justice, and Forgiveness – $2.99
A 45 to 60 minute lesson plan for youth ministry
Much of what our culture teaches about justice revolves around retributive justice, that is, justice that is based on punishment. This form of justice is found in the Bible, but there is another form of biblical justice that seeks healing, restoration of relationships, and forgiveness. That justice is called restorative justice. The youth will explore together the difficulty as well as the healing power of seeking justice through forgiveness. The concepts of genocide, sin, and injustice are also explored.
The downloadable lesson plan includes a discussion guide for a video about the Rwandan genocide called “As We Forgive: The Story of Rwanda’s Redemption” and instructions on how to find it on YouTube. A handout of the transcript of the video is included as well as questions to guide the class discussion. Suggested answers are also provided. This lesson plan would work well for a confirmation class and as a general youth group discussion for grades 7-12.
Purchase this lesson plan here.
The Power of Words: Gossip and the Image of God – $2.99
Reading James 3:5-10
A 45 to 60 minute lesson plan for youth ministry
By exploring James 3:5-10 together, the youth discover what it means to bless and curse one another. Our youth experience blessing and curse in the form of the gossip and judging one another according to labels such as “popular”, “jock” or “loser”. An opening activity invites a frank discussion of how it feels to be labeled and gossiped about. Then the class wrestles with what James means by “the power of the tongue” and how it can be used to harm others. The closing activity is to brainstorm together ways in which we can shift from labeling others to treating them as someone “made in the likeness of God”. Youth are encouraged not only to begin new habits of blessing, but to seek to heal the wounds caused by gossip and labeling in people they encounter in their communities.
This downloadable lesson plan includes instructions for how to conduct the opening activity as well as questions to guide the discussion. Suggested answers are also provided. This lesson plan would work well for a confirmation class and as a general youth group discussion for grades 7-12. Purchase this lesson plan here.
Does God Exist? – $2.99
A 45 to 60 minute lesson plan for youth ministry
This class is designed to facilitate an open discussion about the existence of God. Youth are encouraged to express their faith and their doubts in a supportive environment. The facilitator will introduce the class to the following vocabulary and traditional arguments concerning God’s existence: atheism, Unmoved Mover, First or Efficient Cause, Dependency, Degree or Comparison, and Design or Purpose. The class will be invited to share whether they find these arguments convincing. After reading 1 John 4:16 together, they discusses what it means for Christians to say that God is love. The class ends with prayer.
The downloadable lesson plan includes definitions and explanations of all the terms presented in the class. Questions and suggested answers are also provided. This lesson plan would work well for a confirmation class and as a general youth group discussion for grades 7-12. Purchase this lesson plan here.
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