Study Resources
Progressive Adult Religious Education Resources designed for Individual or Small Group Study.
40 Days With God: A Lenten study looking at bible stories where searching or waiting for 40 days led to a profound experience.
Homosexuality Bible Course: What does the bible really say about same-gender love and attraction? The news is actually very encouraging for the Queer children of God!
Apostle Paul: Friend or Foe?: A very important examination of the 7 undisputed Pauline letters. This is a very important bible study curriculum for anyone who wants to understand the oldest writings of the New Testament better.
Gospel of Thomas: A look at the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas with comparisons to passages from the bible and with notes on the Gnostic tradition. At the end of the course there is bonus material on progressive thinkers going back three millennia which include the Gnostics. Students will need a copy of the Gospel of Thomas as well as a bible in addition to the course booklet. This is a six week course.
Revelation in Context: The most fascinating and misunderstood book in the New Testament is the Book of Revelation. Too often presented as a prediction of doom and violence, Revelation may be something much more liberating and optimistic. This course will explore the artistic, counter-cultural, historical, and political aspects of this lively and dramatic biblical fantasy. Once the source of fear and dread for many Christians, Revelation may now become for students in this course a treasured tool of hope and empowerment.
Teach Us to Pray: Lessons On Affirmative Prayer.
Six Lenten Prayer Lessons: Six Prayers for Lent.
Mind Power and Positive Prayer: How to use optimism, creativity, denials, affirmations, and a trust in the goodness of life to experience more power and joy in life.
Affirmative Prayer: Is there a more powerful way to pray than begging a remote deity for favors or pardon? Can we assume there is an omnipresent, omniactive, omnibenevolent Reality which is the Truth of our lives? And if so, are there ways we can consciously tap into the power of this Reality? In other words, if God is Good, is it possible to access God’s goodness more effectively in our lives. This course suggests that there is a divine Reality and there are ways to feel united with It and to access Its unlimited Power.
Happiness Course: Using the work of Positive Psychologist Robert Holden, this course explores ways to reclaim and maintain the gift of happiness.
Remedial Christianity: One of the most important courses ever taught at the Sunshine Cathedral and perhaps one of the most important courses that could be included in any Adult Religious Education program. This is an intellectually honest and fearless investigation of the Christian faith.
A Course in Miracles: An attempt to learn how to live a life of love, with less fear and less judgment, and how such a way of living can change how we experience and understand life.
Keep A True Lent: A six week course based on some of the topics covered in Charles Fillmore’s book, Keep A True Lent. The course draws from other great thinkers as well, such as St. Paul, Jesus, A Course in Miracles, Agnes Sandford, Mary Baker Eddy, Ernest Holmes, Buddha, Joel Goldsmith, Nona Brooks, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Thomas Shepherd, John Randolph Price, Louise Hay, Norman Vincent Peale, and more. While the course is designed to help a small group or class go “deeper” during Lent, it is also a good primer for basic theological concepts at any time of year. Topics covered include: The Trinity, Prayer, Divine Abundance, Spiritual Powers, Healing, Peace, Heaven, Miracles, Communion, Atonement, and reflections for Holy Week.
Buddha, Lao Tzu, & Jesus Walk into a Bar: Traditions in Dialogue: What do the teachings of Sidhartha (the Buddha), Lao Tzu (the Wise One), and Jesus (the Christ) have in common? What message is shared by these different traditions? What universal Truth keeps showing up in various scriptures and in the teachings of the world’s saints and sages? This introductory course will help us compare and contrast some of the core teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity and learn how being in dialogue with other religions can lead to a deeper experience of our own.
