Formation

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The Lost Art of Kindness: Civility as a Christian Calling

In a time of deep division, explore ways to embrace kindness and civility as a Christian calling

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde explores the idea of civility as a Christian calling by delving into the powerful theme of kindness, as exemplified in both the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian teachings. Being kind, however, doesn’t mean abandoning our principles. Bishop Budde examines the importance of standing firm in our convictions while respecting the dignity of others, even during moments of strong disagreement. By studying both scriptural principles and personal experiences, this course aims to equip participants with the skills needed to balance confidence in their beliefs with humility. You’ll learn strategies for approaching conflicts with grace and clarity, encouraging mutual respect in both personal and public interactions.

Here’s a preview of the first class:

Make Me an Instrument of Peace: A Guide to Civil Discourse

No matter how far apart two sides are, there are effective strategies to bring people together, this course shows us how. How many of us have ever prayed, ‘Lord make me an instrument of your peace,’ then found ourselves in complex and polarized situations that made peace seem impossible?

Designed by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations and its Department of Faith Formation, Make Me an Instrument is a free, 5-week course designed to help us bridge the divides that keep us from moving forward.Taught by a team of experts in civil discourse, this course includes these five classes:

• Civil Discourse in Context with Ranjit Matthews
• Tenets for Civil Discourse with Shannon Kelly
• Values-Based Conversations with Alan Yarborough
• The Complexities of Policy with Rebecca Linder Blachy
• Sacred Space for Debate with Marcus Halley

Here’s a video preview:

Reading the Bible through the Lens of Conflict

Discover new ways to handle conflict by reading scripture through a different lens. The gift of conflict?

Sure, it sounds counter-intuitive, but Padraig O Tuama says conflict is the inevitable outcome of the gift of individuality. What’s more, he’s convinced that reading the Bible through the lens of conflict can bring us to deeper places of peace, not because we agree, but because we can learn to live in the tension.

In this class, O Tuama unpacks the topic, revealing how peace can come not through agreement, but through a shared regard for scripture and its teaching.
Here are the titles of his video presentations:

• What Is Spirituality of Conflict?
• Practice
• Table of Interpretation
• Peacemaking and Spirituality

Here’s a video preview:

Interested in Microcertifications?

Try Episcopal Basics, Racial Awareness or one of these below:

Praying with Saints

Deepen your spirituality by looking to the faithful who have gone before us. In this class, Episcopal priests Scott Gunn and Tim Schenck, the hosts of Lent Madness, show us how our faith can be strengthened by the age-old tradition of praying with saints.

In the Christian faith, the lives of exemplary Christians have inspired countless people to live more selfless and charitable lives. While a the word ‘saint’ can apply to any believer, as Scott Gunn and Tim Schenck explain, the term can also be applied to those who have lived particularly faithful lives.  In this class, they help us understand more deeply the roles of the saints in history – and in our lives.

Their lectures include:

• What Is a Saint?
• A History
• How Can We Be Saints?
• How to Pray with the Saints

Here’s a video preview:

Introduction to the Bible

This introductory course outlines the Bible, tells us about authorship, main themes, and how we might go about reading this amazing book.

A recent survey found that people know more about what goes into a Big Mac than what books are in the Bible – and they can name characters of the Brady Bunch far better than they can name the Ten Commandments. Another study found that one in ten adults thinks Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife (really). Yes, we can do better. That’s why we’ve designed this course.

The Bible is the world’s best-selling book for good reason: it continues to positively affect people’s lives.

In this course, The Rev. Marek Zabriskie, a pastor and founder of The Bible Challenge, introduces us to the Bible. Marek and ChurchNext have partnered with Forward Movement in our work to help more people discover the joys of regular Bible reading and increased Bible knowledge.

Included in this course are 5 video lectures:

• What Is the Bible?
• Who Wrote the Bible?
• Main Themes of the Bible
• To Whom Was the Bible Written?
• How to Read the Bible

Here’s a video preview: