Lesson Four: Contending for the Truth

Word to the wise: This is a complex lesson! Be sure that you allow enough time to cover the material adequately.

As you read these passages, consider the irony of the situation. Paul, a Jewish zealot who once condemned Christians, finds himself in the position of admonishing the leaders of the Christian faith for practicing Mosaic Law.

True to form, Paul logically and methodically defended the truth of the gospel--even when it meant taking on Peter, the man whom Jesus personally selected to lead his Church on earth.

Study Guide for Lesson Four

In addition to Lesson Four, I have also assigned Chapter 2 in the US Catechism for Adults. This may be an optimistic agenda. We'll do our best. Come prepared to discuss both, and we'll see how it goes.

See you on November 11.

Lesson Three: Confirmation of the Truth

Paul is convinced that he is teaching the true gospel. And Paul is convinced it is the true gospel because he was given this gospel by Christ himself. Even so, because he has encountered some conflict over his teachings, he decides to consult with the pillars of the Church in Jerusalem to settle the matter.

This lesson can teach each of us something about how we are to handle conflict regarding our faith. When are we called to speak up or to keep silent? And when we do speak up, how are we to do so? What are our responsibilities? How do we know when we are acting out of God's will or our own? Better to think about these things ahead of time, before you get caught up in the heat of the moment, than to respond out of reflex and regret the outcome.

Study Guide Lesson Three

In addition to Lesson Three, we will also be discussing Chapter One of the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.

See you on October 28!

Lesson Two: The Source of Truth

I did say that you shouldn't get used to my posting our study guide early, didn't I?

Here's my defense:
1. We went to Duluth for a few days.
2. It's been really nice outside.
3. The Twin's have been playing post-season baseball games. (Although that's not working out too well.)
4 And it's been really nice outside.

Enough excuses! I finally have the study guide finished.

Study Guide: Lesson Two

If you still have difficulty printing this guide, could you please let me know? I think that the key to success is to send the file to your printer by using the print command on the Google page instead of the one from your browser. Just follow the steps that I sent earlier in an email to the group.

Don't forget, we're also going to cover the Preface and Introduction in the US Catholic Catechism for Adults.
See you on Thursday!

Lesson One: Historical Background and The True Gospel

Look at that! The first week and I get the lesson done a day earlier than I said I would. Don't get used to that.

This first lesson gives us the opportunity to cover a lot of material. We will talk about Paul, his personal story and his writings, the Galatians, the reason Paul wrote the letter, and we'll even give an overview of some of the main themes of the letter.

If possible, please print out a copy of the study guide and use it as you complete your lesson. We will also use the guide in our group discussion, so bring it along to our meeting. Let me know if you have any problems accessing this document.

Lesson One Study Guide

In religious art and icons, St. Paul is usually depicted holding a book. In part, this it may indicate that he was a well educated man, but it primarily speaks to the fact that this guy gave us a good share of the New Testament!

Depending on who you talk to, Paul is credited with authoring between thirteen to fourteen letters of sacred scripture. (There's some argument over the authorship of the Letter to the Hebrews.)

Either way, we have Paul--and the Holy Spirit, of course--to thank for some of the most beautiful and eloquent passages of theology that have ever existed.

St. Paul, pray for us.

Kick-off and Life of Christ Discussion

Thanks for everyone who made it to this year's first Bible study meeting! I'm so glad to see a mix of old (as in familiar) and new faces. I think we're going to have another great year.

We spent some time talking about the year ahead, and then took the rest or the morning to talk about our summer book, Archbishop Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ. There was a definite consensus that this is one powerful book, so if you haven't had a chance to read it yet, be sure to get it on your list.

During our discussion, we used a study guide that I had prepared for that purpose. If you would like that guide, you are welcome to print a copy. I will also provide a link to the file of this same guide that I used to make my personal notes.

Life of Christ Study Guide

Life of Christ Study Guide w/Notes

Our next meeting will be on Sept. 30. Hopefully, I will have the study guide for that lesson available for you at this site before mid-week. Check back.

Solid Grounds Bible Study 2010-11

Welcome!

In just a few short weeks, we will begin another season of our morning Bible study. This year we are going to be reading St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians. And since this is one of Paul's shorter letters, we are going to supplement our discussions with a study of the US Catholic Catechism for Adults.

Our first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 16. We meet at St. Patrick's and begin our meetings promptly at 9:00AM. Most meetings last from 1 1/2-2 hours.

At our first meeting, we will cover the ground rules for our meetings, introduce one another to the group, and receive our class schedule for the year. It has also become our tradition to open the year with a discussion about a book that we have read over the summer. This year's selection is Archbishop Fulton Sheen's wonderful work, Life of Christ. We encourage all members to attend the first meeting, but the book discussion is optional.

If you would like to join us this fall, you will need the following materials:

Life Change: Galatians













Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Galatians & Ephesians (only)

Or

Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The New Testament (Available in paperback, hardcover, or leather)




US Catholic Catechism for Adults












Optional:
US Catholic Catechism Study Guide











These books may all be purchased on your own at Amazon or any other online provider or may be special ordered through St. Patrick's Book & Gift.

We hope that you'll consider joining us this year. Some of us are beginning our tenth year together, but we are always happy to welcome new members. See you in September.

Life of Christ Study Guide

Summer is flying by, isn't it? Even though there have been lots of fun distractions, I was finally able to complete a study guide for our discussion of Life of Christ on September 16.

The hardest part was to narrow this all down to something that can be reasonably discussed in one session. In the end, I went with fewer, broader questions in order to cover the most important aspects of the book. Let's face it, we could spend the entire year going over this incredible work, but we have other wonderful things planned for the rest of our time.

If you haven't already done so, be sure and pick up your books in the church bookstore soon. We are going to be closing the store for a few weeks to do inventory and move into our new digs, so keep that in mind.

Enjoy the rest of your summer! See you on September 16.

Study Guide: Life of Christ