Faith in the Company of Doubt

What does it mean to be a Christian in today’s world. How do we find meaning in a society committed to critical thinking, a world of science where doubt is an essential component of our culture?

We began on March 3 and are providing eight weekly sessions. Join us for a thoughtful look at living the life of faith in today’s post-modern society.

This is a hybrid class, with some participants attending in person and others via Zoom.

Session DateTopics and Guiding QuestionsPresenter
March 3In a scientific-secular age is God, God? What is theology?
Herman Greene

Video from this class
Herman Green
March 10What role does the Bible play in today’s American society? What role should it play in the Church?

Video from this class
Micheal Palmer
March 17How did we get the Canonical Scriptures? How are the Hebrew and
Christian scriptures related? Does the bible need updating?

Video from this class
Micheal Palmer
March 24Who was the historical Jesus? Was he human? What did he do? When and how did he become the Christ? Does he matter today to non-Christians?

Video from this class.
Herman Green
March 31Easter; No Class
April 7How did the church come to view Jesus as God? Did God send Jesus into the world to die for our sins? Could Jesus perform miracles? Can he do miracles today if we pray in his name? What is the Trinity? What is the meaning of incarnation? The Holy Spirit?

Here are the slides from this class
Video from this class
Micheal Palmer
April 14What does it mean to be a Christian? Is there one Christianity or many Christianities? How can I be a Christian when I disagree with so many Christians and so much Christianity? Can I really be a Christian when I disagree with words in hymns, in liturgies, and in the Bible? What does it mean to be a “Christian”? Must I be a Christian to be saved? Herman Green
April 21Joint Class with Susannah Tuttle, follow up to April 20 forum on “Religion, Ethics, and Law in a Time of Planetary Crisis.”
April 28What future can there be for the Church? With a smaller and smaller percentage of young people attending any church and many adults leaving the church, what needs to happen for the Church to survive?

Given the shift that has occurred over the last generation in what the term “Baptist” means, what is the significance of progressive churches continuing to use that label? Should we used a different term to distinguish us from the fundamentalists that have come to dominate our tradition?
Micheal Palmer
May 5Is Christianity the one true religion? How should Christians relate to other religions? Why has religion been the cause of so much destruction? What about the “nones”? Can one be spiritual but not religious?Herman Green
Class Schedule