Adult Ed, Jun 29, 9:45am

So what can I do? What can my church do? In the fourth video in his series, “Roadmap to Resistance,” Dr. Jemar Tisby offers guidance on how we can plan our own actions to resist. View the video and enter into a discussion in adult ed, McFarland Chapel or on Zoom. Tillie Perkins facilitates the discussion.

In the fourth video Dr. Tisby suggests that church members and the church itself look at its strengths and how they can be used to help protect democracy and protect people from being harmed by an anti-democratic force. He suggests making people aware through programs, urges people to make relationships in different groups, and emphasizes faith and commitment. If you have time, look at the fourth video before the class to get a head start on thinking of ways we can help protect our democracy.

Dr. Tisby, a history professor who also has a master’s in divinity, launched his series in April and expressed the desire that churches pick it up and use it to guide discussions on what this means for them. Watch the trailer to his launch.

Our adult ed program based on this series is five classes:

• June 8 – The Signs Are Clear. In the first class Pastor Andrew gave an introduction to the series entitled, “What Is the Role of the Christian in Politics and Government.”

After Pastor Andrew’s introduction, Dr. Tisby’s first video was played. It looks at the signs in our country that democracy is being dismantled and appeals to churches to make their voices heard and take actions to resist such efforts.  View Dr. Tisby’s first video.

Handout at the end of class 1, also discussed at the beginning of class 2: How Democracies Die.

• June – 15 – Puppet Masters. In the second video, Dr. Tisby outlines and names the people and organizations that he classifies as funders, thinkers, sergeants, infantry, and power players in the effort to dismantle democracy. He states that they are well funded and have been working for decades on this effort. View Dr. Tisby’s second video.

Debra Sanderson also discussed How Democracies Die and distributed a handout for class 2.

• June 22 – Jesus Hijacked. In the third video, Dr. Tisby describes White Christian Nationalism and emphasizes that it is a corruption of the Christian faith. He discusses its adherents and its history, and he clearly ties it into what is happening today. After the video, Dennis Sanderson facilitates the discussion. View Dr. Tisby’s third video.

• June 29 – Resistance Starts Now. In the fourth video, Dr. Tisby suggests that church members and the church itself look at its strengths and how they can be used to help protect democracy and protect people from being harmed by an anti-democratic force. He suggests making people aware through programs, urges people to make relationships in different groups, and emphasizes faith and commitment. After the video, Tillie Perkins facilitates the discussion. View Dr. Tisby’s fourth video.

• July 13 – Our Role in Resistance. The fifth class is a more in depth discussion of what we believe our church should be doing. What does it mean to engage in resistance? What specifically should we be doing? And also, what can individuals do?

 

Add your voice to this important discussion.

Classes are given in the McFarland Chapel and on Zoom between worship services at 9:45am.

Classes are recorded for note taking purposes, but for privacy reasons, the recordings are not published. We will give links to Dr. Tisby’s YouTube videos after the class, so watch for those so you can “catch up” on classes missed.