This Focus Study will do a three-part discussion on Violence and Faith.
Much of the conflict in the world is attached to religion. Is violence ever justified? Is it all based on religion? Does religion (including Christianity) make people violent? Is it possible for people to live together in peace and friendship? If these are questions you have, consider joining a 3-week long discussion group focusing on the question “Is God violent?”.
- We’ll talk about why in the book of Joshua God instructs the Israelites to wipe out everyone–man, woman, and children–when they conquer a village, and yet in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to “turn the other cheek when struck”, and in Romans 12 Paul says we should pray for those who persecute us.
- Pastor Rob Tennant will share about his experience attending an Iftar meal (the nightly community meal where the Ramadan fast is broken) at the Institute of Islamic and Turkish Studies (http://www.iitsnc.org/) in Cary, NC.
- We will consider ideas from the book The Gods of War by Meic Pearse.
Pastor Rob will be leading this study on Wednesday nights July 15, 22, and 29 from 6:30-7:45 p.m. in Room 104. Come join us and bring a friend.
To prepare, read the following:
- Joshua 7:1-9, 18-20
- Matthew 5:38-48
- A provocative article by Brian McLaren at http://sojo.net/magazine/january-2011/god-violent.