Part 1 – Home
Jesus the Forgiving Victim Part 1: Starting human, staying human
Jesus the Forgiving Victim offers something quite fresh in the field of introductions to faith while embracing a straightforward Christian orthodoxy. Rather than a course of instruction which gives you information, this is a course of induction. The difference is that this course works cumulatively, allowing you to find yourself summoned into being on the inside of something new. Which is not to say that there is no information in this course! The videos are full of information, but imparting information is not the goal – finding yourself relating and perceiving in new ways is. By embarking on this course, you join others on a journey of discovery that will open your hearts and minds to discovering new things about yourself and your faith. It is a journey from fake goodness, from a false and insecure self, to relaxing into a goodness and security not your own, but in which you discover yourself held. And it is a journey from a unity that needs to create victims toward a unity received from the risen and forgiving victim in our midst. We hope that Jesus the Forgiving Victim will be a meaningful part of your journey toward a deeper faith and fuller life in Christ.
| Module 1 | An odd beginning | |
|---|---|---|
| The course begins by examining the usual way in which human beings learn and become proficient at something. We’ll receive a working definition of Christianity as the process of finding ourselves on the receiving end of an act of communication. | ||
| Unit 1 | 1.1 Welcome to Part One | |
| Unit 2 | 1.1 An odd beginning: Listen and share | |
| Unit 3 | 1.1 An odd beginning: Wrap-up | |
| Module 2 | The social other | |
| This module introduces two very important ideas that will be used throughout the course. The first is that the “social other” is everything in the world other than you and which brought you into being. The second is about desire: we desire according to the desire of the other. | ||
| Unit 1 | 1.2 The social other: Receiving a new story | |
| Unit 2 | 1.2 The social other: Patterns of desire | |
| Unit 3 | 1.2 The social other: Listen and share | |
| Unit 4 | 1.2 The social other: Wrap-up | |
| Module 3 | Memory and revelation | |
| In this module, James discusses the idea that a big part of being on the receiving end of Divine Revelation is being given a new story about ourselves. | ||
| Unit 1 | 1.3 Memory and revelation: Receiving a new story | |
| Unit 2 | 1.3 Memory and revelation: Receiving goodness from God | |
| Unit 3 | 1.3 Memory and revelation: Listen and share | |
| Unit 4 | 1.3 Memory and revelation: Wrap-up | |
| Module 4 | The Road To Emmaus | |
| In this module we explore the question raised by Luke in the story of the road to Emmaus: His question is not what does Scripture say, but how do you read? It’s a question of interpretation. | ||
| Unit 1 | 1.4 The road to Emmaus: Receiving a new story | |
| Unit 2 | 1.4 The road to Emmaus: What’s the news | |
| Unit 3 | 1.4 The road to Emmaus: Listen and share | |
| Unit 4 | 1.4 The road to Emmaus: Wrap-up | |
| Module 5 | Dead man talking | |
| This module concludes our look at the Emmaus story and is the final session of Part one. We wrap up with reflections on an unexpected reversal that happens over a meal near the end of the Emmaus account. | ||
| Unit 1 | 1.5 Dead man talking: Receiving a new story | |
| Unit 2 | 1.5 Dead man talking: Guess who’s coming to dinner? | |
| Unit 3 | 1.5 Dead man talking: Listen and share | |
| Unit 4 | 1.5 Dead man talking: Part 1 wrap-up | |