SPIRITUAL FORMATION 2016 (Fall Courses)
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Is this your first time taking a Spiritual Formation class? If yes, please enroll in Bible Basics for September OR November.
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September
Bible Basics (CLOSED) (Mondays, 9/12 - 9/26; 7-9 p.m.; Pastor Desiree Allen and Yolanda Richard, facilitators) This foundational course introduces participants to the creation of the Bible, its components, and authorship. The facilitators will explore the societal context in which the Bible was created and the political climate that birthed the Bible. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation that engages questions about the Bible and more. The class will be presented in three parts: What is the Bible, What is the Old Testament, and What is the New Testament. This course is a prerequisite for most of the Spiritual Formation courses at FCBC.
Women in the Bible: There are Two Sides to Every Story (Thursdays, 9/1-9/22; 7-9 p.m.; Min. Aretha Flucker, facilitator) Women in the Bible: There are Two Sides to Every Story course is designed to reimagine the stories of women in the Bible in ways that are empowering and liberating – especially for women – in our current climate. Stories that are featured in the Bible are often told from a patriarchal view, or one that is void of a female perspective and is based on a male point of view. Without all necessary voices helping tell these stories, biblical stories can often be biased and disempowering to the women involved. Participants in this course will have the opportunity to engage biblical stories more deeply and from a fresh perspective that is free from preconceived ideas about women featured in biblical stories. Each night of this course, participants will delve into the life of a different female figure from the Bible. While reimagining the stories of these women, participants will also reimagine their own lives and reclaim the inherent power within. The facilitator will be using Brenda Poinsett’s text, Wonder Women of the Bible: Heroes of Yesterday Who Inspire Us Today as a text for this course.
October
The New Jim Crow (CLOSED) (Mondays, 10/3-10/24; 7-9 p.m.; Deacon Charles Powell, facilitator) In addition to examining the history of slavery, discrimination, and racial caste in America, this course will study the current system of mass incarceration of persons of color as a newly formed caste system. The New Jim Crow is a call of introspection to create deep and meaningful dialogue among persons of faith and conscience about race, racism, and inequality. Participants in this course will be asked to courageously engage in a search for the truth – about ourselves, our own biases, stereotypes, and misconceptions and how our silence and inactivity contravenes God's command that we must love beyond the limits of our prejudices. The course will also examine the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of recent government responses to mass incarceration and police militarism, misconduct, and biases. The facilitator will be using Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness as a text for this course.
Spiritual Warfare (CLOSED) (Thursdays, 10/6-10/27; 7-9 p.m.; Min. Aquarius Gilmer, facilitator) In this course, participants will unpack the identifiers among Christians and disciples. Participants will engage in rich discussion of how these identifiers shape the global realities of people and what it means for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Participants will discover the real movers and shakers of the Religious Right - the propagandists, fundraisers, and "freedom fighters" who aid and abet the most regressive foreign domestic U.S. government policies. Using Sara Diamond’s text, Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right, participants will be challenged to think about American and theological ideals of freedom, democracy, justice, God, the kingdom of God, and the role of God in government.The facilitator will be using Sara Diamond's Spiritual Warfare: The Politics of the Christian Right as a text for this course.
November
When Did Christians Get So Civilized? The Barbarian Way (CLOSED) (Thursdays, 11/10 and other dates TBD; 7-9 p.m.; Pastor Michael A. Walrond, Jr., facilitator) This course is based on author Erwin McManus’ text, The Barbarian Way, in which he seeks to reawaken the teachings of Jesus to live in the way of risk, passion, and sacrifice. The Barbarian Way calls for disciples of Jesus to unleash the untamed faith within and to follow a path that is far from the easy road. In world in which individuals are marginalized and treated as outcasts, disciples are called to the barbarian way of uncertainty, adventure, and unlimited possibilities. The facilitator will be using Erwin McManus' The Barbarian Way as a text for this course. (Class size is limited. Please only register for this course if you've completed Bible Basics, can attend ALL class sessions, and have flexibility for the TBD class dates.)
Bible Basics (CLOSED) (Mondays, 11/7-11/21; 7-9 p.m.; Min. Kim Arango and Rev. Eugenia Cooper, facilitators) This foundational course introduces participants to the creation of the Bible, its components, and authorship. The facilitators will explore the societal context in which the Bible was created and the political climate that birthed the Bible. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation that engages questions about the Bible and more. The class will be presented in three parts: What is the Bible, What is the Old Testament, and What is the New Testament. This course is a prerequisite for most of the Spiritual Formation courses at FCBC.
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