(Adult Study)

It's difficult to fathom that in America's earliest days Native Americans were pushed out of their homes and eventually sequestered to reservations, or that God-fearing white men buying and selling black slaves was perfectly acceptable to the ruling ...

(Adult Study)

Recycling one ton of paper saves seventeen trees, two barrels of oil (enough to run the average car for 1,260 miles); 4,100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for six months); 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space; and sixty pounds of...

Inside and Out
(Adult Study)

What is air pollution? What are its causes and effects? What can we do to help address it? There are many small steps we can take to improve the environment and our health. We can also protect ourselves from the threats of air pollution in our homes,...

Definitions and Moral Issues
(Adult Study)

While many Christians adhere to the notion that conventionally conceived children are a gift from God, many Christians who are infertile, homosexual, single, or who face other reproductive challenges consider the scientific technology that enables th...

A Christian Response
(Adult Study)

An atheist is someone who believes there is no God. There are at least five million atheists in the United States, and, by many accounts, it is not rare for them to experience discrimination because of their beliefs. A quick example might be seen in ...

(Adult Study)

This study offers lively activities that illustrate the challenge of "going green" at home; it also serves as a simple and unintimidating guide for greening our homes.For example, participants will be given an opportunity to design their dream house-...

(Adult Study)

This study provides some suggestions about how to form new "green" habits. Need some inspiration? If we look at lifestyle change as a form of spiritual formation, we can gradually form new habits.Ever darned a sock, cut down an adult-sized shirt or d...

(Adult Study)

The debate over how to regard same-gender sexual relationships is raging in the church, with shock waves rippling through society. Christians on all sides of the controversy often invoke Scripture. This situation raises questions: How can people of e...

(Adult Study)

Many of us know of the harmful ways in which the Bible was (and is) used to perpetuate systems of racial injustice and racism like slavery and white supremacy, yet we also know that the Bible says that "there is no longer Jew nor Greek, slave nor fre...

Are They the Same?
(Adult Study)

The modern country of Israel was established in 1948 and is located on the same land once governed by an ancient nation named Israel. Reusing this name was a deliberate attempt to claim for the country the legacy of ancient Israel as the rightful rec...

(Adult Study)

Buddhism is one of the world's major religions, with its roots in Indian theology and spirituality.The origins of Buddhism date back to the life of Siddhartha Gautama, a high-caste Indian born into a royal family in 563 BCE. Legend has it, his overpr...

(Adult Study)

In 2005 a United Methodist pastor refused membership in the church to a person on the basis that the man was a homosexual. His decision was ultimately upheld by the church's highest court.The United Methodist Church's stands on ordination of homosexu...

(Adult Study)

Democracy, of course, did not begin in the United States. The idea of democracy--a government by the people--originated with the ancient Greeks and has been embellished, enhanced, perverted, and, in some cases, nearly destroyed by governments and peo...

The Global Role of U.S. Denominations
(Adult Study)

Churches in North America are facing a crisis in global mission unlike any we have experienced before. Mainline churches send fewer missionaries overseas on long-term service, and mission programs have been drastically reduced in churches facing fina...

(Adult Study)

If patriotism requires absolute loyalty to one particular country, it can conflict with a religious vision that includes compassion for all humanity. Christians, therefore, must ask how the noble and valuable aspects of patriotism can be strengthened...