Topics for Young Adults
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Andrew
We're starting a young adults group that meets once a fortnight. I thought it would be a good idea to have something where people can put up a few ideas for what we can discuss. Some I thought might be good are:
-Predestination
-Hell, literal or figurative?
-Is the bible inerrant?
-Maybe something along the lines of critiques of the Baptist church
Much appreciated if you could give feedback on those and also come up with your own ideas on what we could do.
10:59 PM
Stephen Hunt's book "Anyone for Alpha?" (a sympathetic sociological analysis of the Alpha programme) had a list of discussion topics at the end of it that might be useful. I'll see if I can dig out the list.
10:30 AM
Sounds good BAndy. I might have a few books that can help - feel free to come and check them out. I'm really keen to encourage you in this, but to do a fair job of it will mean a bit of work (reading etc) by someone...
8:29 PM
Thanks Stephen, that'd be helpful.
I'm keen to see those book too PAndy. If not for use in young adults then for my own reading. I realise it might take a bit of work but it could be interesting to share some topics with the group and see if anyone wants to take them. Might bring it up in the next get together.
8:41 AM
sex is always popular.... not at dinner tho :-)
9:07 AM
There's a balance to be found somewhere here, I think. A balance between selecting cute topics for intellectual stimulation and simply wrestling with the plain call of scripture to know God more and follow Jesus more closely. I certainly don't want to discourage thinking and exploring the faith so long as it isn't separated from knowing God more and following Jesus more closely. I'm sure you've thought about it but I thought I'd enter that into the equation. The two (exploring the faith and following Jesus) are great when done together but not great when one is done without the other... Could a topic simply be read the words of Jesus (e.g. the sermon on the mount) and try and do what he says?
3:12 PM
Yeah, that's something I definitely have to work on. Me, Mike and Caleb were talking about how we need to think about what changes we make to our lives after taking a stance on something like predestination. I haven't come up with anything.
In light of what you say, my question is; if there are no implications (ie. by discussing predestination we won't be following Jesus any more closely), is there any point to even talking about it?
3:15 PM
Ok, so my last comment sounded really smug and judgemental. I didn't mean it that way! What I meant was please explore the faith as deeply as possible. Ask hard questions - not enough Christians do that! There are lots of questions to ask in Christianity and there's lots of crap that people feed you, so search, ask and wrestle! Don't stop searching, asking or wrestling because you're afraid of the answer you might get either! Be courageous enough to ask hard questions of God so that in the midst of it all God can ask hard questions of you. Let your tough searching, asking and wrestling be in the service of God and for God's glory.
3:23 PM
This is my take on predestination - I think some conceptions of it are simply frightening! I'm with Barth and that God has elected humanity in Christ (there's no mysterious will of God where some are elected to salvation and some are elected to damnation - humanity has been elected in Christ). By discussing predestination you should hopefully learn a little more about God's will and nature and therefore be able to follow God more closely. e.g. if God has destined some to be damned before they were born and some to salvation before they were born - why bother with evangelism? But if God has elected all of humanity in Christ - then there's some good news to share with all of humanity "repent and believe the good news". This isn't water tight (it is pretty general and sweeping) but a small example of how theology can be worked out practically.
3:43 PM
Why bother evagelising? Because we're not omniscient and we don't know the will of God. If God did elect people damnation, we wouldn't know who they were so saying that it's unless to evangelise would be incorrect because someone who has been elected for salvation may become a Christian through your acts. I believe it's only hypercalvinists who believe there is not reason to evangelise. That's why I can't think of any changes in life style due to be a calvanist.
Anyway, maybe you should come along to that discussion. I think you would bring some much need wisdom into the group.
4:31 PM
But someone elected to salvation is (supposedly) going to become a Christian anyway with or without you saying anything! - that's how God has (supposedly) willed it. That's the point about 'the mysterious will of God' - God has willed it that some are saved and others damned (hence, no need for evangelism) and we don't know who or why because it's bound up with the "mysterious will of God". Anyway, I think that's pretty screwy stuff (I could get myself into trouble here...). I think it makes much more sense to say there is no mysterious will of God - God's will has been revealed in Jesus - God is for us in Christ. Does it have practical application? You bet! It's a very different conception of the Christian faith and it produces very different types of Christians.
7:59 PM
I think that is the typical mistake when viewing Calvinism, though.
http://www.founders.org/FJ33/article2.html
"Since we do not know who belongs to the number of the predestined and who does not, it befits us so to feel as to wish that all be saved. So it will come about that, whoever we come across, we shall study to make him a sharer of peace . . . even severe rebuke will be administered like medicine, lest they should perish or cause others to perish. But it will be for God to make it effective in those whom He foreknew and predestined."
That's what the man himself said.
That article talks directly about how Calvinists (or at least Calvin) view evangelism.
10:50 PM
Wow, there are lots of big words in these posts above. Let's bring it back to earth shall we chappies?
I note a paper about 'important suggestions to make regarding Topical Study of the Bible' seems to lay the Big Heavy on whom ever it is that is likely to lead these studies - Being systematic; being thorough; being exact and being organised. As Andrew points out above, it will take a bit of work, reading and thinking through to really do a half decent job. Otherwise we share our collective ignorance. While Pandy will be equal to the challenge, I think he has quite enough on his plate - and I'd most likely be ducking of cover too. Pretty gutless, I know.
8:53 AM
BAndy, it would be worth you having a look at Arminianism and Karl Barth's views of election and double predestination. Go here: http://www.hccentral.com/delect.html for a resonable job of what the issues are. I'm not sure I'm making a mistake, John Gill, a Calvinist, refused to practice evangelism.
Anyway, I think Ian's on to it. This can become a total distraction from following Jesus in real time. If everyone in the group is passionate about it and willing to do some hard work then great. But if it's a horse called hobby for only a few, I'd still suggest reading the words of Jesus and doing what he says:)
10:34 AM
"This can become a total distraction from following Jesus in real time."
Yes, it's something I always need to keep in my mind when going about these kind of topics. It definitely has been a distraction for me.
You're probably also right about the horse called hobby thing too. Although, I think it's hard for people to be passionate about a subject they have never gone into in any depth. If anything like this comes up in light discussion at youth group or somewhere else it is usually just brushed aside by practiced, one-sentence rebuttal. It seems to me that you need a bit more than just one sentence.
Anyway, I'll drop it now. This post was to find topics to discuss not to discuss a topic.
10:59 AM
I think finding the right forums to talk about these things in is important. Probably the reason why people brush this aside is because most if us would be sharing ignorance (i don't mean that harshly - just that they don't know anything about it). Whilst it can be a distraction, it is also important and does have important repercussions for faith. So, don't drop it, just find the right forum to chew this stuff. What about you doing some reading on election from the different angles (Calvinism, Arminianism and Barthianism) and write a post on it - the strengths and weaknesses of each? This is a good place to chew on these issues, so go for it. People can choose to enter into the discussion on a post or they can choose to not enter in on a certain post.
2:57 PM
In terms of study stuff for young adults - what about Christian Life & Wrok or Christian Life & the Bible (from London Bible College). Ian, you've seen the Christian Life & Work one - would it fit?
6:05 PM
Right, found the list of topics and in a shameless plug for traffic to my blog I've posted them there :-)
Having read them I'm starting to think about putting something like this together.
http://www.greenflame.org/2007/08/04/topics-up-for-discussion/
Cheers,
Stephen