Union Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) » Education

Sunday Aug. 22 & 29: Film “Waiting for Armageddon”

adminBSKwp — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:26:10 +0000

On Sundays Aug. 22 & 29 (9:30 AM) we will view parts 1 and 2 of the documentary Waiting for Armageddon, a look at how conservative evangelical Christians view the conflict in the Middle East, and the resulting violence, as signs of the second coming of Christ. Each Sunday we will watch half of the film and follow-up with discussion. Richard Cizik, President of the New Evangelicals, says of the film: “Evangelicals need to see this movie to understand the unintended political consequences of what many of them believe.” See a trailer for the film below.

These presentations will conclude our summer-long adult study series on a faithful response to violence which has included a look at violent texts of the Bible with Dr. John Bracke, an introduction to the life of Deiterich Bonhoeffer with Dr. Douglas Brown, and a visit with Hedy Epstein, holocaust survivor and social activist.

Study Series: Responding to the Middle East Crisis

adminBSKwp — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:16:08 +0000

In August, we continue our summer-long study on a faithful response to violence. Join us each Sunday morning, 9:30-10:30 AM in the Fellowship Room, as youth and adults gather to consider how Christians might respond to war and violence, particularly as it relates to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Our August Schedule:

Aug. 1 – We will hear from Hedy Epstein, a German-born Jew and survivor of the Nazi Regime. Hedy will speak on her experiences escaping from Germany, her views on the Middle East conflict and her local with the local chapter of Women in Black.

Aug. 8 – Dr. Doug Brown will share in image and story about his numerous trips to the middle east working with medical students and on his personal experiences related to the Middle East conflict.

Aug. 15 & 22 – We will view parts 1 and 2 of the documentary “Waiting for Armageddon,” a look at how evangelical Christians view the conflict in the Middle East, and the resulting violence, as signs of the second coming of Christ. Each Sunday we will watch half of the film and follow-up with discussion. See a trailer for the film below:

Hedy Epstein of “Women in Black” to Speak Aug. 1

adminBSKwp — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:47:43 +0000

As part of our summer long series on the Christian response to violence, we will be joined on Sunday Aug. 1 (9:30 AM) by Hedy Epstein, a German-born Jewish-refugee and American political activist known for speaking out against the violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hedy fled to England during the Nazi regime and eventually immigrated to the U.S. in 1948. She became active in many causes related to civil and human rights and social justice including fair housing and antiwar activities. She has travelled internationally as a peace delegate including five trips to the Israeli Occupied West Bank and has participated in demonstrations with Israelis and Palestinians in opposition to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.

Hedy has written many articles on social issues for newspapers and magazines such as theCongressional Record, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Jewish Light, Frost Illustrated of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and others. In addition, Hedy’s autobiography was published in May 1999.

Hedy is the founder of the St. Louis Women in Black group which was inspired by similar such groups in the middle east made up of Israeli Jewish, Arab, and Palestinian women who, since 1988, continue to hold weekly vigils promoting peace.

See a video of Hedy Epstein below:

Bonhoeffer Study Continues Through July

adminBSKwp — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:06:59 +0000

Our summer series on “How Can Christians Respond to Violence?” continues in July with a series of conversations focusing on the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor and theologian, and his work opposing the rise of the Natzi party in Germany and the response of the Church during that chapter of history. Our study will be led by Dr. Doug Brown, Community Outreach Researcher and Ethics Educator at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Internal Medicine Department and longtime student of the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Join us for the conversation on Sunday mornings, July 4, 11, and 18 at 9:30 AM in our Fellowship Room.

Dr. John Bracke Hosts Teaching Series

adminBSKwp — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:12:28 +0000

Dr. John Bracke, Martha McCall Egan Professor of Biblical Studies at Eden Theological Seminary, will join us for three Sunday mornings in June to present the series “God and Violence in the Bible.”

While the church turns to the Bible as a primary source of authority, the way the Bible portrays God is sometimes troubling. At places in scripture, it is imagined that God sanctions violence. At other places, God even enacts violence. In this three part series we will study some of these troubling passages of scripture both to understand them in their ancient context and to ask how we deal with these passages today.

“God and Violence in the Bible” will be presented at Union Avenue Christian on Sundays June 6, 13, and 20 in the Fellowship Room, 9:30-10:30 AM.

Dr Bracke teaches Old Testament and Studies in Ministry courses at Eden Seminary. He also regularly teaches elective courses such as Hebrew Grammar, studies of the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and Old Testament theology. He has published commentaries on the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations and co-authored with Dr. Karen Tye (member at Union Ave. Christian) the text Teaching the Bible in the Church.