This two-study, seven-session premium study pack touches on some of the most challenging issues Christians face in contemporary society.

There are many things that influence the decisions we make every day. We all have certain rules by which we must abide, as well as local, state, and federal laws we are required to obey. But many of our daily decisions and interactions with others are driven by less well-defined guidelines.

While most people want to be good and to do good, their motivations may differ greatly. For example, a member of your church may volunteer at a local soup kitchen out of compassion for the poor while another person may volunteer to enhance his or her image. Still another may have been sentenced to twenty hours of community service for some legal infraction. They are all serving the community, yet most people would agree that someone who does good works out of compassion is more moral that someone doing the same thing because they have no choice.

Even Christians seem to run the gamut from those who do good things to honor God to those who serve others because they fear God's wrath. And what if our intentions are good but we don't act on them? Are we still "good people?"

"Making Moral Decisions" is the perfect lead-in to the last two sessions of the seven-week combined study--"The Death Penalty: History and Ethical Considerations--in which participants can apply their clarified concepts of morality to one of the most divisive issues of our time--the death penalty. How do we, as moral people--as followers of Christ--reconcile "Thou shalt not kill" with doing our civic duty by serving on a jury in a death penalty case? In session one participants will examine the historical background of the death penalty to set a discussion of current issues into perspective. Then, in session two, the group will consider the pragmatic issues of the death penalty: Does it work? Is it fair? Is it humane? Finally, participants will use the information and skills gained from the five-session "Making Moral Decisions" to tackle the moral issues inherent in what is truly a life or death decision: Is killing ever justified? And do we as mortal men and women possess the moral authority to kill what God has created?