Redeemer

Christian Essentials

One-Year School of Discipleship Curriculum

6 Courses, 6 weeks each
Offered Sundays, 9:00-10:15 am and 7:45-9:00 pm

Fall 2009

• Christian Essentials
• The Gospel and Your Relationship with God

Spring 2010

• The Gospel and Your Relationship with Yourself
• The Gospel and Your Relationship with Others

Summer 2010

• The Gospel and Your Relationship with the World
• The Story We Find Ourselves In

Christian Essentials

What is the gospel? Sept 20

The truth of the gospel is a bottomless well—you can always look into it and see more.

What is wrong with the world? Sept 27

Most people agree something is wrong with the world, that things are not as they ought to be. The Bible’s explanation for ’what’s wrong with the world’ is evil and sin. The first thing to notice is that “sin” is not the only thing wrong with the world. The Garden of Eden was far from perfect before sin entered it. For Evil was present, seeking to destroy God’s beauty.

Who is God? Oct 4

“We often hear people say, ‘I just can’t handle it,’ when they reject a biblical image of God as Father, as Mother, as Lord or Judge; God as lover, as angry or jealous, God on a cross. I find this choice of words revealing, however real the pain they reflect: if we seek a God we can “handle,” that will be exactly what we get. A God we can manipulate, suspiciously like ourselves, the wideness of whose mercy we’ve cut down to size.” Kathleen Norris  

Who is Jesus? Oct 11

In Matthew 16 Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” This latter question is the most important question you will answer.

Crucifixion and Resurrection. Oct 25

Many people get ‘stuck’ on the question: “Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn’t God just forgive us?” It’s a good question—was it really necessary for Jesus to die? And what does it really mean that Jesus was resurrected from the dead? Does it mean that he died and came back to life? That’s resuscitation; resurrection is different!

The Most Intriguing Story Ever. Nov 1

Good books or movies are good because we identify with the characters. We instinctively fit ourselves into the narrative. Unfortunately, most of us engage with the Bible in bits and pieces, bits and pieces pulled apart from the overarching story. This is like putting in a DVD, watching scene 12, and then turning the movie off. There is a broader story of the Bible beyond the individual verses and beyond the individual books.