We
will be exploring the topic "Christians, Science, and Politics" in Adam
Hamilton's DVD study When Christians Get it Wrong on Sunday, September 15th. Kelly will be leading us in this conversation.
Join us in the Fellowship Hall during Sunday School (from 9:45-10:45am)! Everyone is welcome!
WOW! What a great start to "When Christians Get it Wrong" today! What follows are a few items from the video, the Leader's Guide, or the Participant Guide that moved me:
Jesus warned us about four different expressions of hypocrisy:
- Wrong motives
- Pointing out the sin of others with out seeing our own
- Majoring in minors - Hamilton said, "When you focus on the minutia, you forget the really important stuff."
- Being two-faced
We are ALL recovering Pharisees
One young adult said, "I don't mind that you Christians don't live up to all of your ideals. I don't live up to all of my ideals, either. In the end, I guess we're all hypocrites, it's just that my friends and I recognize that we're hypocrites. It seems that many Christians haven't figured this out yet."
"When Christians get it right, we love and give, work for justice, and demonstrate kindness. When we Christians get it right, we, like Jesus, befriend those who are outside the church rather than condemning them. And when we Christians get it right, people are drawn to, rather than repelled by our faith."
Closing Prayer:
Dear God, we want to be filled with your heart and goodness all the time. But we're not there yet, so sometimes we're tempted to fake it - and that can get ugly. Help us to live authentically in your love and grace, letting go of our need to look good even when we aren't. Teach us to own our struggles and claim your power to transform us. Amen.
Important reminders as we begin "When Christians Get it Wrong" (from the Leader's Guide pp.8-9)
- The purpose of this study is not to debate beliefs or opinions but to help you hear and understand the perceptions and feelings of young adults outside the Christian faith.
- Some issues and beliefs are complex and multifaceted and, therefore, will result in multifaceted perspectives; yet as followers of Christ we are called to demonstrate respect, acceptance, and love toward those with whom we disagree.
- This session is not intended to be a debate or a gripe session but an opportunity to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ as we learn more about the perceptions of young adults and how we can be more like Christ in communicating and interacting with those who are outside the Christian faith.
- Be willing to let go of your biases and to question your assumptions. You will agree with some points and disagree with others. But as you are willing to see things from the perspective of young adults outside the Christian faith, you will come to discover how you may be a more influential representative of Christ in a skeptical world.
"Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love. You are joined together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way." Ephesians 4:2-3, NCV
"Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they grow into quarrels. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and patient. The Lord's servant must gently teach those who disagree. Then maybe God will let them change their minds so they can accept the truth." 2 Timothy 2:23-25, NCV
We will be exploring the topic "When Christians are Unchristian" in Adam Hamilton's DVD study When Christians Get it Wrong on Sunday, September 8th. Traci will be leading us in this conversation.
Join us in the Fellowship Hall during Sunday School (from 9:45-10:45am)! Everyone is welcome!
Watch the trailer below for a great introduction to our newest study, the DVD study called When Christians Get it Wrong. It is based on a book by the same name by Adam Hamilton, but our group plans to go through the six-week series on DVD.
Introduction from the Leader's Guide: There is a growing frustration and sometimes open
hostility toward Christianity on the part of an increasing number of
people today, particularly young adults. In fact, according to the
research of the Barna Institute, 40% of young adults have turned away from Christianity and want nothing to do with Christians. In their 2007 book unChristian,
David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons outlined the Barna Institute's research
with hundreds of young adults who were outside the Christian faith. They
found that these young adults perceived Christians to be hypocritical, unloving, too political, anti-intellectual, insensitive, judgmental, and "anti-homosexual." My conversations with young adults substantiate their findings. Generally I have found that young people have rejected Christianity not necessarily because of beliefs, although sometimes the case, but more often because of the attitudes and actions of Christians they have known or observed.
See the post on our Facebook group to lead a session of this very insightful and important study. The more I read about these sessions, I think it could be very good for those of us who have children who, as they get older, may begin to question and drift away from the church. Adam Hamilton explores some of the reasons why they want to distance themselves. The Leader's Guide has very detailed goals, Biblical foundations, key insights, discussion points, notable quotes (from the book), and a closing prayer. With some preparation on the part of the leader, I think we could have some really good discussions each week!!
Sept 8 - When Christians are Unchristian - Traci
Sept 15 - Christians, Science, and Politics - Kelly
Sept 22- When Speaking of Other Religions - Tabitha
This coming Sunday - August 25, 2013 - Traci will be taking Just Coffee back to one of our favorite NOOMA studies - "Flame." She will lead us in a casual discussion of the topic.
This coming Sunday - August 18, 2013 - Marcie will be taking Just Coffee back to one of our favorite NOOMA studies - "Kickball." She will lead us in a casual discussion of the topic.
Remember that due to the Welcome Reception setup for the District Superintendent, the 8:30 Contemporary Service will be held in the Sanctuary and Just Coffee will meet in the Grundy Parlor upstairs on August 18th.
