This is the second part of our discussion about the resurrection of Jesus. We tackle some of the most commonly cited "contradictions" in the resurrection accounts. Are they historically reliable?
Key Themes:
What did the sign say that hung over Jesus' head on the cross?
We're wrapping up our year of discussions on tough questions about the faith. This week we're exploring the importance of the resurrection of Jesus, which is a keystone of the Christian faith.
We're continuing to explore questions surrounding the origin and history of the Bible. This week we're surveying the development of the canon of the Christian Scripture. In other words, we're asking the question, "How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?"
We're continuing to explore questions
surrounding the origin and history of the Bible. This week we're wrapping up our discussion of the question, "Has the Bible been corrupted?" In other
words, is the Bible we have today the same as the one written 2000 years
ago?
Key Themes:
Brief review of last week's lesson
Excerpts of the debate between Bart Ehrman and Dan Wallace (2012)
We're continuing to explore questions
surrounding the origin and history of the Bible. This week we're
focusing on the question, "Has the Bible been corrupted?" In other words, is the Bible we have today the same as the one written 2000 years ago?
Key Themes:
Assertions from non-believers about the corruption of the Bible
How manuscripts were copied and preserved in the ancient world
Case studies:
John 7:53–8:11
The Lord's Prayer
1 John 5:7–8
Mark 16:9–20
Digging Deeper:
Video clip: "Snake Salvation" (example of using Mark 16 as a foundation for theology)
We're starting a new series of conversations. We will focus on questions surrounding the origin and history of the Bible. This week we're focusing on the question, "Can you trust what the New Testament says about Jesus?"
Key Themes:
Introduction to the doctrine of the Bible
Critical concept: relationship between theology and history
Argument #1: The Gospels preserve eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus.
Argument #2: External sources corroborate the accuracy of the Gospels and Acts.
Digging Deeper:
Chapter:“Are the Gospels Trustworthy Account of Jesus’ Life?” Without a Doubt, chapter 7
Book:Cold Case Christianity, by J Warner Wallace (This is a great resource to help Christians get started in the conversation about defending the faith. It's also appropriate to share with a high school or college student who needs reasons for their faith. If you're wanting a resource for an unbeliever, I'd recommend something more technical.)
We're wrapping up our series of conversations about questions our culture is asking about Jesus. This week we're focusing on the question, "Was Jesus a Real Historical Person?"
Key Themes:
Contemporary assertions about Jesus
Sources behind the New Testament were eyewitnesses of Jesus
Sources outside of Christianity provide compelling information about the origins of Christianity
What are the minimal facts about Jesus that (almost all) scholars agree on?
We're continuing our series of
conversations about what our culture is asking about Jesus. In this lesson, we focused on the question, "How Can Jesus be Both God and Human?"
Key Themes:
4 Arguments for the Incarnation:
The Bible teaches that Jesus is God.
The Bible teaches that Jesus was human.
The apostles taught that Jesus was God in human flesh.
Video: I interviewed my friend, Fr. Daniel Habib (who is a priest at St. John Coptic Church) about how he would respond to some of Bart Ehrman’s ideas about the deity of Christ from an ancient faith perspective. I'd like to invite you to watch some highlights from our conversation.
Part 1
Part 2
Book chapter: "How Can Jesus Christ be Both God and Man?" Without a Doubt, by Kenneth Samples
Worship: If Jesus is who He claimed to be, then He's not merely an idea to be apprehended, but a person to be worshiped.
This week we started a new series of conversations about Jesus. People make all kinds of assumptions and assertions about who Jesus is, so we want to take the time to get some clarity on the issue. We started by discussing the question, "Did Jesus claim to be God?"
Key Themes:
Setting the context: What are others saying about Jesus?
We wrapped up our short series on the Trinity. We briefly reviewed key concepts and then tied up some loose ends from our conversation last week. We introduced concepts related to historical theology and how this functions in the codification of our beliefs.
Video:"Using Extra Dimensions to Explain the Trinity," interview with high school science teacher, Mark Ritter
Homework:
Imagine someone in your OIKOS asks you the following question. How do you respond? "Matt. 24:36 says that Jesus doesn't know the day of His return. If Jesus is God, how is it possible that He doesn't know this?"
Use the following tools to build your answer:
Use the information from the in-class teachings on the Trinity.
Use information presented in the video on extra dimensions you watched above.
Use the universal teachings of the church in history:
Jesus is God and God is all-knowing
"all things that belong to the Son also belongs to the Father" (in other words, they share all knowledge in common with one another)
We are continuing to explore tough questions about our faith. Right now, we're focusing on the Trinity. We're fine-tuning our understanding of this foundational doctrine, but also meditating on how it directly applies to our lives.
Key Themes:
Common heresies related to the Trinity:
Tri-Theism
Modalism
Arianism
Trinity as the foundation of our worship: reflection on Ephesians 2:11–22
Trinity as the foundation of our prayer life: reflection on Romans 8:9–11, 14–17
We are continuing to explore tough questions about our faith. One of the toughest concepts for unbelievers to understand is the Trinity. But rather than throwing up our hands in despair, let's take some time to understand how this doctrine is actually the core of our entire faith.
This week we are introducing some foundational tools for doing good theology: creeds (or statements of faith). Talking to our OIKOS about what it means to be a Christian is a lot easier when we know what we believe.
Key Themes:
Establishing boundaries of the Christian worldview
In this conversation, we are exploring a foundational component to the Christian worldview: the Fatherhood of God. Many people in our OIKOS have broken relationships with their earthly fathers which damages their views of God.
Key Themes:
The biblical case for seeing God as Father
Parables of Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son
Discussion: "What if my dad was made God for a day?"
