Adult education finds people at various stages of faith development. Some adults are stuck in certitudes of an earlier age while being vaguely aware the certitudes don’t work anymore. Some are in full flight from religious conventionalities and find freedom in discarding old forms of faith. Some are perplexed, wounded, and looking for a meaning that brings their life into focus and gives them hope. Some are exploring Christian meanings alongside alternatives provided by other religions, feminism or a passionate cause such as environmentalism. Adults in most churches, including ours, are all over the landscape!
Different forms of adult education meet different needs. The primary teaching function of the church is the sermon, which we call the Teaching. Based in the Bible and following the Common Lectionary, the Teaching relates faith and personal/public life by taking the Bible seriously but not literally. While the Teaching is usually the work of one person, we also use “talkbacks” to stimulate discussion and even disagreement.
Most adult education is done in small groups that covenant together to meet for an extended time to study a course. “Living the Questions” is one we have used with multiple groups for several years. It is a thoughtful, no-holds-barred exploration of pressing questions about Christian faith and it stimulates vigorous discussion. Courses on “Voluntary Simplicity” and “Choices for Sustainable Living” have also challenged groups to develop a more intentional lifestyle. These covenant groups often meet on a week night.
“Living the Questions” is resource in which John Shelby Spong, among others- was involved with. I think Spong should have had the personal intergrity to become a Unitarian years ago. In my opinion, “Living The Questions”, may be “no holds barred” approach to the Christian faith. It is certainly not Orthodox at all and I wouldn’t use it if one wanted to present an appreciation of the historic Christian faith. Lot of questions. No apreciation for traditional answers. Liberals and those who call themselves “progressive” seem to respond well to it. They think of it as a “progressive” alternative to the Alpha Course.
The question I have is what is being taught, the how is less important. The content sounds throughly revisionist.
The minister who wrote the article seems like an intelligent, interesting men who cares about his congregation. There did, however, seem to be a sort of condescending attititude about “certitudes” in faith, a suggestion that if you were an adult you would perforce realize certitudes don’t work anymore.
In addition ot that, I see nothing about intentional group studies designed to move people towards transformation into the image of Christ. It’s almost as if intentional discipleship was “optional”. What do you need that for as long as you were exploring feminist theology or enviromentalism?.