HEART OF CHRISTIANITY STUDY GUIDE

Week of Sunday, Mar 12, 2006

Study Questions – Chapter 2

1.    Think about and share an example of someone or some organization that you have faith in.  What does “faith” mean in this context?

2.    For some people having “faith” means having the right set of beliefs:  believing the Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God, believing in Genesis instead of evolution, believing that Jesus is born of a virgin, believing that Jesus walked on water, believing only in adult baptism, believing in purgatory.  What are the strengths and weaknesses of this understanding of “faith”?

3.    Dr. Borg states that being a Christian means at least these things:  affirming the reality of God, affirming the utter centrality of Jesus, and affirming the centrality of the Bible.  What do you think of this summary?  What would you add?

4.    If the statement, “I have faith” also means, “I have given my heart to”, what have you given your heart to?  How does this question clarify what it means to have Christian faith?

5.    When have you seen examples of someone who has the “right beliefs” as a Christian but does not live those beliefs?

6.    What do you think the “test” should be of whether a person has “faith”?