A Journey of Faith: Moving On

Wednesday 29th January 2014

A new Lent course in five parts has been written by John Churcher, vice chair of PCN Britain and is available free of charge.

This 5 week course, taking a progressive Christian standpoint, can be followed individually or in small groups. Each session comprises reading and questions to encourage discussion and further engagement with the issues addressed. To request a PDF copy please email John.

Week One: The Nature of Spirituality

Outcomes:

To affirm legitimate progressive alternatives to conventional or traditional creedal Christianity.
To define Spirituality and identify ways in which it differs from Religion?
To identify reasons why we may create the 'God' that 'supports' and encourages our prejudices, our psychological and social needs and our personal wishes.

Week Two: Carl Jung and Spirituality

Outcomes:

To decide the value and importance of various well-known people and their contributions to the realm of religion.
To consider critically Jung's attempt to create and to maintain balance and harmony in life.
To critique the archetypes described by Jung and state the extent to which these may or may not impact upon traditional and creedal Christianity.

Week Three: "Everything we hear is opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."

Outcomes:

To acknowledge that our understanding of Bible passages can be changed completely by the way in which the translators of a particular version of the Bible have done their work.
To critique the interpretation of the family situations in which Jesus found himself.
To identify reasons why the church remains important for you, and if not, why it has ceased to be important.

Week Four: Jesus the healer, wisdom teacher and sage

Outcomes:

To evaluate the religious importance of the concepts of repentance and judgement.
To consider or determine which is of greater relevance in our part of the world today, repent and believe or lost and found celebration?

Week Five: Does life have any purpose when I dispose of the 'Super Interventionist God Out There'?

Outcomes:

To evaluate the sacred stories within which we have grown up and developed our religious and social attitudes.
To determine the extent to which human language invented 'God' to explain and to enable tribes to survive in an evolving and hostile environment.
To decide upon the relevance or otherwise of the Charter for Compassion to the future of religion and humanity.

Study Methods:

Read each section and complete the discussion box tasks either individually or in the group before moving to the following section.
It will be useful to have several different translations of the Bible available.
Reflect on the weekly session as a whole before commencing the following session.
Additional suggested reading can be found at the end of each week.

Session requirements:

A copy of these notes for each participant.
Each participant should have a jotter for notes.

This course is available as a PDF. For a copy please email John Churcher

Published by: Permission to Speak 1 Maplefield, St Albans, AL2 2BD Photo: John Churcher, a church in Normandy