Adult Education Materials

Title:  Paul and the Corinthians

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Format: Paperback; 7 sessions, no separate leaders guide; Sunday school curriculum

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=441836

Experience with the course:  Searchers, soon after publication in 1999

General comments:

“Paul and the Corinthians explores the sometimes tumultuous relationship between Paul and the Christians in Corinth who were struggling to make sense of their faith in a diverse and secular culture. Wingard relates his firsthand knowledge of the setting of Corinth and applies Paul's wisdom to some of the most pressing issues faced by the church today: The Church and the Bible, Making Moral Decisions, Christian Unity, Women and Men in Church and Society, The Resurrection, Christian Giving, and Reconciliation in a Broken World. Each of the seven sessions is self-contained and includes questions for reflection.”  Part of a series that together encompasses all of the letters of Paul. 

Title:  Paul and the Galatians

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Format:  Paperback; six sessions; no separate leaders guide; Sunday school curriculum

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=442454

Experience with the course:  Searchers, soon after publication in 2000

General comments:

“This is the second book in the series, The Life and Letters of Paul. It explores the difficult relationship between the Law of the Jews and the Christian faith of the Galatians. Drawing on historical data about the Galatian congregations and their origins, the author explains how Paul understood his audience and tailored his argument to address the particular threats to their faith and their misunderstandings of the relationship between law and freedom. The six sessions are: 1 - Who Were the Galatians? 2 - A "Second String" Apostle? 3 - Faith or Works? 4 - Faith Came First 5 - What Is Liberty? 6 - Life in the Spirit Each session is self-contained and includes study questions for reflection that are all you need to lead a group or to pursue the study on your own. The volumes in “The Life and Letters of Paul” series are especially appropriate for those who want an in-depth study of the Pauline epistles. Key Features: • Use of historical, archaeological, and geographical data for the region • Direct engagement of learners with the Scriptures • Learning helps interspersed with the study text • Based on the New Revised Standard Version Key Benefits: • Helps readers grasp the culture and context from which Paul’s writings emerged Paul and the Galatians explores crucial theological, ethical, and ecclesiastical questions in Paul’s famous epistle. Each session is self-contained and includes questions for reflection. The volumes in “The Life and Letters of Paul” series are especially appropriate for those who want an in-depth study of the Pauline epistles. The six session topics are: Who Were the Galatians? (1:1–10); A “Second String” Apostle? (1:11–2:10); Faith or Works? (2:11–2:21); Faith Came First (3:1–4:7); What Is Liberty? (4:8–5:24); and Life in the Spirit (5:25–6:18).”

Title:  Introducing the Bible, 25^th Anniversary Edition (William Barclay)

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Format:  Paperback; not designed for group study

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Web site: http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=442454

Experience with the course:  Searchers

General comments:

“William Barclay testifies to the Bible's unique value as an inspired book and gives clear advice on the best way to read it. He tells how the biblical writings came into being and finally gained acceptance as Scripture. And he explains the significance and the status of the Apocrypha. Most important of all, William Barclay presents the Bible as a book to be read and enjoyed today - a light in the darkness of a world that has lost its way.

Barclay's original text has been edited and revised by Professor John W. Rogerson, who has also written a new introduction. Rogerson is the head of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield and an authority on the Old Testament.  This is a required text for "Lay Speakers Lead Bible Study: Advanced Course." (Abingdon Press, 1997).”
A classic for a good reason.

Title:  Disciple 1:  Becoming Disciples through Bible Study

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Format:  34 weeks, 2.5 hours meeting per week; paperback study guide; leaders guide; video

Availability:  Do we have the most up to date materials?

Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/DynamicContent.aspx?pageid=204&id=17

Experience with the course:  Current text copyright date is 2003; DVD updated in 2005.  Aldersgate has used this curriculum since the series first became available.

General comments:

“DISCIPLE is a program of disciplined Bible study aimed at developing strong Christian leaders.  The study gives the Old and New Testa­ments equal time, emphasizing the wholeness of the Bible as a revelation of God. DISCIPLE draws upon the work of scholars, the personal Bible reading and study of the participant, and dynamic group discussion to aid understanding of the Bible.   The first study in the program is DISCIPLE: BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY, a thirty-four week overview of the entire Bible.

Title:  Disciple 2:  Into the Word, Into the World

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Format:  32 sessions of 2.5 hours:  study guide, leader guide, and video.

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/dynamiccontent.aspx?pageid=209&id=17

Experience with the course:  Aldersgate has used this curriculum since the series first became available.  Text copyright date is 1991.

General comments:

“INTO THE WORD INTO THE WORLD encourages persons to open themselves to hearing what God has to say to them through the Bible and to be guided into service in the world by Scripture and their study of it.

This thirty-two-week study selects specific portions of Scripture and delves deeper into them. Depth study of Scripture will be the work both of individual members and of the group in its weekly meeting. Equal attention is given to both the Old and New Testament with concentration on four books: Genesis, Exodus, Luke, and Acts (eight lessons on each book). Appropriate connections are made to other parts of Scripture both through reading and study assignments and through commentary in the study manual. Participants will read familiar passages, see them in fresh ways, and anticipate that God will speak through them.”

Course materials could usefully be updated.

Title:  Disciple 3:  Remember Who You Are

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Format:  32 sessions of 2.5 hours; study manual, leaders guide, video

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/dynamiccontent.aspx?pageid=210&id=17

Experience with the course:  Aldersgate has used this curriculum since its publication.  Text copyright date is 1996.

General comments:

“REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE is prepared for those who have completed BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY. Resident in the title is the driving idea in this study--the connection between memory and identity as the people of God. The word You in the title is meant to be heard both in its singular form (the individual) and in its plural form (the community). We are a community of memory. Participants in this thirty-two-week study will read the major and minor Old Testament prophets, with the exception of Daniel, and will read the thirteen letters traditionally attributed to Paul. To establish the historical context in which the prophets spoke for God, daily reading assignments also draw on the books of Deuteronomy through Chronicles. Study of the prophets will follow their historical sequence rather than their biblical sequence. The dating of Paul’s letters influences the sequence of their study.”

Title:  Disciple 4:  Under the Tree of Life

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Format:  32 sessions, 2.5 hours each:  study manual, leader manual, video

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Web site: http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/dynamiccontent.aspx?pageid=211&id=17

Experience with the course:  Aldersgate has used this curriculum since its publication.  Copyright date of text is 2001.

General comments:

“UNDER THE TREE OF LIFE is a thirty-two-week study prepared for graduates of BECOMING DISCIPLES THROUGH BIBLE STUDY. The word Under in the title is meant to convey invitation, welcome, sheltering, security, and rest--home at last.  The Hebrew version of what Christians call the Old Testament has three divisions: Torah (the first five books of the Bible), the Prophets, and the Writings. The Writings include all the books that are not part of the Torah or the Prophets.   UNDER THE TREE OF LIFE concentrates on the writings in the Old Testament – Ruth, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and Daniel. New Testament Scriptures include the Gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; James; Jude; and Revelation.

Emphasis on the Psalms as Israel’s hymnbook and prayer book leads naturally to an emphasis on worship in the study. Present though the entire study is the sense of living toward completion, toward the climax of the message and the promise, extravagantly pictured in the Revelation.”

Arguably the edgiest Disciple curriculum.  The Revelation worship experience is truly memorable.  The multi-week video presentation of Revelation is stunning.

Title:  Christian Believer

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Format:  30 sessions, 2.5 hours each:  study manual, accompanying text, leader guide, video

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/dynamiccontent.aspx?pageid=212&id=17

Experience with the course:  Aldersgate has used this curriculum since its publication in 1999.

General comments: 

“CHRISTIAN BELIEVER assumes that most people--though faithful followers of Jesus they intend to be--know little of the content of the central teachings of the Christian faith and its ties to Scripture. But they want to know. They want to know what is at stake in what the church teaches and how it makes a difference in their own lives, what it means to be Christian, and where we as Christians stand. CHRISTIAN BELIEVER aims at addressing the uncertainty about the substance of the Christian faith and the connection between believing and living.”

Many people like this course.

Title:  Jesus in the Gospels

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Format:  30 sessions, 2.5 hours each:  study manual, gospel comparisons, leader guide, video

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/dynamiccontent.aspx?pageid=51&id=17

Experience with the course:  Aldersgate has used this curriculum since its publication date in 2003

General comments:

“JESUS IN THE GOSPELS invites believers to look at Jesus in each of the four Gospels and ask the question, "Who is the Jesus that you see?" This study will deepen discipleship through better understanding of the biblical texts and their message.   Two questions frame this study: "Who is the Jesus you bring with you to this study?" and "Who is the Jesus you take with you from this study?" JESUS IN THE GOSPELS takes participants on a journey from one question to the other.

While distinct in format and approach, this Bible study builds on the foundation and carries forward the philosophy and ideals that shaped DISCIPLE—high-commitment, long-term, disciplined study that fosters community and builds toward transformation.  JESUS IN THE GOSPELS is different from DISCIPLE Bible study in its approach to Scripture; it looks more closely at the Gospel texts, in the kind of daily preparation and study required of the participants, in lesson layout and design, and in the nature of the study and discussion that takes place in the weekly group meeting.

JESUS IN THE GOSPELS focuses on the portraits of Jesus found in the four Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word in used in the title signals that this study takes an approach different from the familiar "life and teaching of Jesus" approach of reading stories and accounts of what Jesus said and did in order to draw conclusions about their meaning and about who Jesus was. This study looks at the way each Gospel writer presents events and teachings and at the picture of Jesus that emerges in each of the Gospels.”

Also known as “Disciple 5” and “graduate school,” the course is a Leander Keck masterpiece.  Easily the most challenging Disciple curriculum.  Ties with Disciple I for rewarding.

Title:  Short-Term Disciple Bible Study:  Invitation to Romans

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Format:  8 sessions, 1.5 hours each:  study guide, leader guide, vidoe

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Web site:  http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=446332

Experience with the course:  Aldersgate has recently begun to use the short-term Disciple curriculum.  Publication date for this text is 2006.

General comments:

“Exploring how people have interpreted Romans through the ages is a good lens to view the history of Christianity itself. Compare what Paul writes in Romans to what theologians like Augustine, Luther and Calvin say in trying to understand Paul in their time. At the end of this study your group will have a more informed commitment to Paul’s radical vision of God’s relationship to both Christians and Jews and to their relationship to each other, thanks to the ‘love of God in Christ Jesus.’  The weekly video segments first present text read aloud against a backdrop of a wide variety of church settings followed by a conversation between a church historian and a church theologian about the text. The second weekly video is led by story teller, Michael Williams, who shares snapshot views of how Romans has been read through history.  This study is meaty and extremely enjoyable for those students with some familiarity of Romans and with a strong biblical foundation to rely on.”

Not a class for beginners.  Recommended for folks who have been through Romans in a disciplined study at least once before.