...

a little word from me…

For a while in my early twenties I worked as a landlady in a

local pub. Most of the punters knew I was a Christian, but

they also knew my golden rule; on my shift we don’t talk

politics, money or religion. This was mainly because I don’t

like arguments, and that’s often what those asking these

questions want, just an argument, a battle to win… On the

other hand there are those who have deeper questions behind

these, they need pastoral one on one time not me behind a bar!

You can spot them, they will take the time to listen, now you

must take time to listen to them, and remember:

it’s not about

winning battles

Sometimes giving the answer right then and there is not what

they need. The idea behind this is to equip you with some ways

of answering questions, but if you do it without grace and

love then you might as well give up. I’d suggest reading and

meditating on 1 Corinthians 2 before you enter into this

course, and take time to remind yourselves that some things of

God are a mystery, and that’s ok! If we knew everything about

Him, He wouldn’t be God!

A PEOPLE OF GRACE…

…that is what we are called to be. Now we’re not talking about

being a walkover but we must remember not to answer questions

as though it were an Olympic sport. We are called to love

people, help people understand, reveal Jesus to them, often

through relationship and YOUR character. Sometimes this may

mean you need to be ready to walk away from an ‘argument’ that

is just a distraction playing at getting a grip on your

character. I'm not the greatest example of this, I have a lot

to learn myself, but the more I listen to these questions

outside of a RE lesson context, the more I see many times

these questions only exist to reveal hidden stories. I need

God’s help, not to win points, but to win people and that is

done with grace, prayer, humility and peace. So share stories,

share questions, laugh together, get confused together, pray

for your friend to see Jesus; and continually with your words,

actions and character point them to the real answer.

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 1

FEFoRaCusrfif'

O MEETING AIMTo explain the nature of'proof': not a scientificor mathematical demonstration, but an evalu-ation of the evidence and the probabilitiesconcerned, pointing faith in the right direction.

O pReplnllor,rYou could read the opening section of TomWright's Simply Christian (SPCK) whichcompellingly outlines evidence for God'sexistence. You'll need two MP3 players for'Leader of the Pack', and a bag with fourbilliard balls in it (red, green, black, blue).Download instructions for the personality testlrom www.yo uthwork.co. u k / I i n ks.

Finally, prepare six abstract'works ofart' - three by random means (e.9. droppingink blots on paperr or scattering paint at an A4sheet) and three by getting people to draw ordoodle something deliberately on paper.

WOULD YOU MARRY THIS GUY?lO mins

Divide into small groups. Say: your friend hasreceived a marriage proposal from someoneshe knows. Heret some basic informationabout him. Should she marry him or not?Give them Clue l, then in a minute ask themto vote: marryor not? Thenfeed in CIue 2 andrepeat the process. Do the same until Clue 5,

and see whichvotes change as time passesl

Clue l: He's handsome, intelligent and haslots ofmoney.Clue 2: Het eight years older than yourfriend, and awidower.Clue 3: He's usually charming, but his friendssay he can be moody and unpredictable.Clue 4: His wife died suddenly in mysteriouscircumstances abroad.Clue 5: During the relationship your friendhas developed unexplained bruises on herarms andneck.

Ask: how confident do you feel about yourfinal verdict? There's still a chance that hemay be a dream husband - but mostly thesigns point to the opposite. You ve probablydecided he's a bad bet on the balance of evi-dence available.

Point out: similarly, the Bible neverattempts to prove the existence of God.Theret no watertight formulawhich nobodycould deny. But then not much in life can beproved in this way, especially the importantthings. In most situations (e.g. law courts,and medical diagnoses) we make decisionsbased on which way the evidence points. So

in this meeting we'll examine five 'signposts'to Godwhich point to his reality...

28 www.youthwork.co.uk

WHYANYTHING8 mins

Write on a whiteboard or flip chart'SIGN-POST I: LIFE, THE UNIVERSE ANDEVERYTHING'. Shake up the billiard ballsin their bag, and challenge each group to tryto take them out, one at a time, in the order:red, black, blue, green. (Give them three trieseach) Point out: it's difficult to make thishappen randomly! You'd have to try again

and again - there are 24 different orders inwhich the balls could come out. So what'sthe chance of the universe 'just happening'random$ Answer: vanishingly small. Usesources from www.youthwork.co.uk. If therewere no God, youruniversewouldn tbe here.

GOD'S FINGERPRINTSe* 6-is-cr\P€,1$\Write up 'SIGNPOST 2: THE WAY THEWORLD IS'. Read together Job 38:4-Z 31-33,

then ask: whichthree ofthesewords describewhat God claims you can see in his creation?(Order, chaos, ugliness, beauty, randomness,waste, joy, futility, boredom). Ask: whywouldyou expect this if there was no purpose-ful Creator? Exhibit your 'works of art' andask: which three are random, and which aredesigned? You can usually tell can'tyou? Theuniverse looks much more likelyto have beenplanned than to have lust happened'.

KEY POINT: The fact that theret somethinginstead of nothing - and that the 'some-thing'includes beauty,joy and order - pointstowardsGod.

LEADER OFTHE PACK8mins

Now divide into two teams, giving each anMP3 player with a well-known, catchy songon it. Eachteam must electa'leader'whowilldo movements to the song changing thosemovements everyfewseconds. The rest mustcopy whatever the leader does. After threeminutes' practice, they'perform' to the otherteam, who mustguesswho the leaderis.

Say: perhaps you couldn't work out whowas leading, but you knew somebody was! Itall had to start somewhere. Similarly, people

sometimes ask,'Who made God?'as if hehadtobe madebysomebodyelse. Butthere needsto be somebody - or something - to start thewhole process off. Write up: 'SIGN POST 3:

THE NEED FORA STARTING POINT"

YOUR MOVE8mins

Run the doodle personality test. Ask: whycan you do this with humans but not otherspecies? Answer: we have the freedom todraw different things and think differentthoughts; we're not hard-wired to followour instincts blindly. Discuss: what else isunique about us? (E.g. consciousness, per-

sonality, education, communication) Thegulf between humans and other speciessuggests that maybe we are made in theimage of God - notjust randomby-productsof natural processes. Write: 'SIGNPOST 4:THE HUMAN DIFFERENCE'.

WELL BAD8 nins

Ask which of the following offences is worst?How would you punish each of them? Put-ting cyanide in your mother's coffee; stealingfrom a disabledtoddler's piggybanlg murder-ing a stranger who upset you; emb ezzlingthesavings of thousands of poor people.

Point out: we all assume there's 'right'and 'wrong', and that 'wrong' ought to bepunished. We're outraged when twistedpeople get away with evil. We expect every-onet life to have a value and some purpose.Where does this moral sense come from? Itisn t strictly necessaryfor our evolution - yetit's inbuilt. Could it be yet another indicatorof God? Write: 'SIGNPOST 5: RIGHT ANDWRONG, PURPOSE AND MEANING'

KEYPOINT: OnlyGodcanexplainwherewestarted, whywe're persons, andwhywe burnto geejustice done.

@Remind them of how you started the meet-ing. When you marry, you can't prove 100%thit you're making the right choice. You takea step of trust and faith - based on the bestevidence you have. It's the same with believ-ing in God: you take the step and the conclu-sive proofcomes afterwards, in your person-al relationship with him. Pray, asking God tohelp you all - and aII your friends - reach outto Him andfind His reality.

NOTES FORADAPTING

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS..,

Perhaps take only three of the 'signposts'.

FOR OTDER GROUP5.,.

Cohsider going straight into discussion -perhaps introducing the'signpost' with a briefPowerpoint slide or two instead.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPIE.,,

Start by asking: what are the main reasonspeople don't believe in God? Make a list. Showthat you are aware of the arguments against be-fore making your case! (Promise to tackle thesearguments later, but say: in this session, we'regoing to look at the case for the defence...)

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE.,,

People who have known comfortably aboutGod from childhood often don't appreciatehow different the universe looks if God is ruledout. Stress the bleakness and bankruptcy of auniverse without God and without hope.

IOHN ALLANis the chaplain of Exeter school and a regularcontributor to Youthwork.

WHY BELIEVEGOD EXISTS?('

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 2

WHY BELIEVEGOD EXISTS'E'

I BEFOREYoUSTART )

O MEETING AIMTo outline five reasons Christians believe inGod. This meeting will stand alone, but isintended to follow Part 1, which provides fiveother reasons.

g pneplnlnoltGet a copy oI The Truman Shorv on DVD.Make a pack of cards with one of thesephrases on each: 'at that moment', ,how-

ever', 'but', 'and then', ,as a result', ,to theirhorror', 'fortunately', 'suddenly', ,over the nextfew years'. Make copies of the Bible studyquestions for'God everywhere'. prepare 3-4people (leaders, guests or senior members)to lead the'We're this close' activity (instruc-tions below). And make (or have madel)enough fairy cakes for the whole group, withtwo-thirds orange-flavoured, one-third straw-berry and one-third mint. They should lookidentical but ensure you can tell them apart!

ll|TRODUCT!ONlO mins

Show the final scene of film The TrumanShow - in which Jim Carrey finally reachesreality, realising he's been living in illusionsthroughout his whole life. Say: today we,regoing to examine five more .signposts, givingus clues about God's reality. They,re helpfulbut not conclusive - until you erperienceGod for yourself, and escape the illusions.

If you did Part I, remind them of thefirst five signposts (have them written upon whiteboard or flipchart). Say: there areothers too. Let's examine five more...

LIKELYSTORY8 mins

Ask the group to invent a story beginning'One dayX andYmet inthe HighStreet..., (Xand Ybeing two of the group members). Getsomeone to suggest the next sentence. Thentake a card from the packyou have prepared(see above) and get somebody to make upthe next move in the story, beginning withthe words on the card (e.g. .however,, .but,,

or hnd then). Continue like this. Soon youwill have produced an odd, rambling storywith little sense and no shape...

Say: ifhistorywere like that - a randomsequence ofhaphazard events - youd haveno reason to believe in God. But it isn,t. It,spossible to see Godt purposeful working inhistory. How did the Jews develop such asophisticated religion, when much greaterneighbouring nations didn,t? How werethey preserved throughout history, againstall odds?

Why did Jesus appear at precisely theright moment for his message to travelinternationally with speed? Why is therestill no other credible explanation of theresurrection? How did Christianity growfrom a small, persecuted cult to take overthe Roman Empire in only three centu-ries?

It's hard to believe it could all be chance!Add to your whiteboard list: .SIGNpOST

6:THE WAY HISTORY UNFOLDED"

GOD EVERYWHERE8 mins

In small groups, do a mini-Bible study onRomans 1:I8-2O and 2:18-16.l. How has God made it plain to us what

het like (r:19-2O)?2. What particular facts about God can we

learn from the world around us (l:2O)?3. How do people know naturally how God

wants them to behave (2:lS)?Check answers. Sum up: through cre-

ation outside us and conscience inside us,God has provided powerful pointers to hisreality. That's why there,s no human cul-ture anywhere without a religion. Even indeterminedly atheist cultures (the USSR,Communist China, Albania), the churchjust keeps increasing. Human beingseverywhere show a natural bias towardsbelieving. Nowwhere did that come from?Write:'SIGNPOST 7: BELIEVING COMESNATURALLY.

KEY POhllI: When you examine humancivilizations, and history so far, you can seeGod involved within the story repeatedly.

WE'RETHIS CTOSESmins

Get your 3-4 prepared leaders (see .prepa-

ration' above) to take a small group each,and describe to them someone they know.Explain to the group that some leaders aretalking about a person they know person_ally, and others will talk about someonethey haven't met, but just .know about,.The group has to decide, after listening andasking questions: 'Does he really know thisperson, orjust know about him?'

Check results afterwards. Discuss: whogot it wrong, and why? What clues toldyou which leaders 'knew, their subject,and which merely 'knew about,? Read 2Tim l:12. Paul could face death confidentlybecause he knew his Lord personally; hedidn't just have good information aboutHim! Personal experience of God is theclincher.

Ask: what are the things Christiansclaim to experience when they .know

God'? (E.g.: peace, power, purpose, a senseof pardon, a new love for others..) Writeup: 'SIGNPOST 8: EXPERIENCE THATCHANGESYOU"

STRANGETHINGS HAPPEN8 mins

Get some members to play'paper, scissors,rock'. After a few games, ask: did anybodyget it right everysingle time? probablynot -the chances are stacked against it. By coin-cidence, you might win quite a few games;but if you just kept on winning consistently,we'd know it wasn't chance; there wouldhave to be a reason (e.g. you were cheating,or telepathic, or it was rigged!).

If Christians could point to one singleanswered prayer, or just a few instances ofGod at work in their lives, you could dis-miss it as mere chance. But when the toin-cidences' go on happening almost dailythroughout a lifetime - it can,t be chanceany more. Write up: 'SIGNPOST 9: COIN-CIDENCES TOO OFTEN'.

NOTES FOR ADAPTING:

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS,,.As with Part 1, avoid information overload!Perhaps take on three'signposts' ratherthan five.

FOR OTDER GROUPS,OR U]TCHURCHED YOUIIIG PEOPLE,..

For the introduction, forget the film clip;instead invite a guest to answer the ques-tion 'What made you first believe in God?'.Let the group interrogate the guest. Makethe point: certainty about God starts withexperience - not just logical arguments andbits of evidence.

FOR UI'ICHURCI{ED YoUNG PEoPLE...Consider including in the final prayer an op-portunity for individuals to reach out to Godpersonally and give their lives to him.

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE...

For Signpost 8, play the clip of Francis Col-lins at. Emphasize that this eminent scientistfound Christ as an adult from an entirely un-churched, non-Christian past. you don;t haveto be brainwashed into it by your backgroundl

JOHN ALLAI{is the chaplain of Exeter school and a regularcontributor to Youthwork.

HAS SCIENCEDISPROVEDGOD" o)

FEFoRE you srARi)

g ntteetrrc nrnaTo help young people think through the rela-tionship between Science and Christianity.

I pnepanlrtorPaper, pens, mugs, hot chocolate and akettle (and probably lots of sugar!). Readthrough Genesis I and 2 a couple of timesso when it's read aloud to the group, you arefamiliar with its rhythm.

@@POLLY PUT THE KETTLE ONlO mins

Take a kettle, some mugs and some hotchocolate powder. Fill the kettle withwater, plug it in and turn it on. Write outon large sheets of paper 'The water is boil-ing because...' Ask members of the group tocomplete the sentence before the kettle hasstopped. Once they have all finished looktogether at what they have written. Unlessgroup members are feeling particularlysubversive they will have generally givenanswers that are true though not necessar-ilythe same. E.g.'electricityispassingfromthe plug socket, through the flex into thekettle, heating up the element, which, byprocess of conduction, is heating the water.,Or: 'you turned the kettle on'. Someone elsemay have scrawled: 'we're having hot choc-olate!' They are all correct.

Point out that something as simple asboiling some water in a kettle has severaldifferent, though true, explanations. Any-one who managed to completely explain allthe reasonswhythe kettlewasboilingwouldhave been writing for a very long time! yourgroup may now appreciate it ifthey are actu-ally allowed to have some hot chocolate...

KEYPIOI]\LT7:

Science and religion are better seen as com-plimentaryrather than contradictory. Theymay have different answers but they arenot necessarily in opposition to each other.Think ofthem as a doubles partnership intennis not competitors on opposite sides ofthe net. We don't need to spend time argu-ing about which player is better but seeinghow they can work best together.

BIG WORDS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW1O mins

While you'Il want to put things as simplyas possible, it will be helpful to define a few

28 wwwyouthwork,co.uk

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 3

importantwords:Creationist The word is often used to

describe those who believe God createdthe world in 6 x 24 hours, about 4OO4 BC(known as young earth, six-day creation-ists). However, limiting its use can beconfusing since all Christians affirm thewords of the Apostles Creed: 'I believein God, the Father Almighty, Creator ofheaven and earth'.

Evolution The word tends to be used inthree different but related senses:

Microevolution The gradual develop-ment of living things from one form intoanother. E.g. domestic dogs evolved fromthe wolf. Plant breeders utilise microevolu-tion all the time. It is uncontroversial.

Macroevolution The gradual develop-ment of all living things from one forminto another. This is accepted as true in thescientific community and taught in mostschools, but it is counterintuitive. It is sur-prising, for example, that the whale and theflea should have a common origin. Six-daycreationists challenge evolution from one'kind'to another,

Evolution with a capital.E Basically theprinciple of survival of the fittest, justify-ing bankrupting the uneconomic and/orexterminating the handicapped. Capital-ism, Communism, Nazism, abortion andeuthanasia have all appealed to Evolution.

DOES GOD'SVOICE SOUND LIKEA BIG BANG?15 nins

Since lots of the arguments about Scienceand Christianity come from the first fewchapters of Genesis, it is a good idea to readthrough Genesis I and ask the followingquestions: What did you notice about thepassage? Was anything surprising or con-fusing? Did you notice any repeated phras-es in the passage? What do you think is themainpoint of the passage? You maywant topoint outthatwhen Genesis was beingwrit-ten there were many different explanationsfor how the world had come about.

OKAY... BUTWHY?lO mins

One way to really annoy people who knowthings is to ask 'Why?' after everythingtheysay. By doingthis you can quite quicklydiscover the limits of their knowledge. Askmembers of the group to make basic state-ments (e.g. 'My name is Jack' or 'Butterfliesmake me smile'). Then allow each memberof the group to ask why after each subse-quent explanation (e.g. 'because my Grand-dad was named Jack', 'Why?' or 'Becausethey are very pretty', 'Why?'). See who canlast the longest giving explanations with-out pausing, repeating themselves or get-ting angry and shouting 'Because that'sjust the way it is, OK!?' Hint: You may need

to keep an eye on this as some members ofthe group may decide to continue asking'Why? \Mhy? Why?'Iong after the activityis finished!

A similar situation can occur in sci-ence, in which explanations offered onlyreveal another level of stuff that presentsmore questions. Imagine a biology teacherexplaining what we are made of: You are ahuman andyouhave a body. Thatbodycon-tains blood. Blood contains red blood celIs.Red blood cells contain oxygen. Oxygen ismade up of two oxygen atoms. Each atomcontains neutrons. These neutrons containquarks, and those quarks are about as smallas we know things to be! It's possible tounderstand how all ofthese things relate toone another and still notbe anywiser aboutthe meaningbehind any of them.

KEYPOII{T2:We've apparently got further than everat explaining what things are made of. Bydoing this we have learned how to help peo-ple live longer. But what about the meaningof life in the first place? How does livingIonger help us to be any better at it? Moreabout this next week...

NOTES FOR ADAPTING:

FOR CHURCHED YOUTH...

Encourage them to discuss these things withtheir friends and pray for those who strugglewith these issues. Ask them to talk about theirscience teachers ahd pray for them and theirfamilies.

FOR UII-CHURCHED YOUTH...

Point out that believing in young earth six-daycreationism is not a requirement for beinga Christian and that the central message ofthe Christian faith is the good news of Jesus.You may want to read John chapter 1 and/or Colossians 1 with them, to help them seewhere the Bible's emphasis lies: the glorifica-tion of Christ!

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS...

Towards the end of the session, help them toexplain what they have understood by drawinga picture of the relationship between Scienceand Christianity.

FOR OLDER GROUP5...

Challenge them to debate these issues in afuture session. Point them to UCCF Apologet-ics website www.bethinking.org which has afantastic range of resources to help peoplethink through issues around Christianity.

NATE MORGAN LOCKEis a youth leader at All Souls Clubhouse Londonand Youth Evangelist at Christianity Explored.

HAS SCIENCEDISPROVEDQQpetzr

To help young people continue to thinkthrough the relationship between Scienceand Christianity.

O pneplRarrotRead through the relevant Bible passagesand find the video. lf you want to set the roomup as a'science museum' (see notes foryounger groups) you'll need to have the 'talkybits' recorded for them to listen to, or distrib-uted amongst your helpers for them to say.

ARE YOU MISSING THE POINT?lO mins

There is a rather Ionely page on Facebookcalled 'Kicking a bag of air around a fieldwith 2l other eejits trying to get it betweentwo bits of metal'. So Iong as you're nottalking about things of deep personal sig-nificance, it can be quite funny to reducehuman activities down to their basic physi-cal properties. Split the group into twoand ask one half to explain the followingin purely physical terms for the others toguess: playing a musical instrument; kiss-ing; shopping; arguing. When someoneexplains these things in purely physicalterms it's silly, they're missing the point.When people do this with theworld aroundus they are missing to point too.

THEWORSHIPOFWONDERlO mins

Pop scientists have a real problem. Theyend up worshipping the creation. Thoughthey can be desperate to argue that theydon't believe in any god, they offer praise totheir discoveries just as Christians praiseJesus. Next time you watch a documen-tary on science and nature just look to seehow similar some of the conclusions are tothings said in Church.

KEYPOI]VT1

The factthose who do notbelieve in the Godof the Bible find themselves worshippingis not very surprising. Human beings areworshipping creatures by nature. The cru-cial question to ask is not'Does someonebelieve in a god?'but'What kind of god arethey worshipping?' Check out this video atwww.youthwork.co.uk/inks to see how oneguyhas made fun ofthis. Itwould seemthathis intention is to make Christianity looksilly by parodying a famous hymn, but it

4lI

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 4

EFoRE you srARi)

O MEETING AIM

actually reveals something very importantabout the scientific position; that it, just asany religion, it uses a variety ofways to cel-ebrate and communicate its beliefs.

@While there are many different views ofthe world and many people say they don'tbelieve in an actual 'god', we all put ourtrust in something. Those who hold firmlyto Science generally commit themselves tothings they can prove scientifically, but ofcourse there are other areas of life that arenot so easily proven in a laboratory. Thereare basic assumptions about the worldbeing made by everyone. In Science webelieve that performing the same experi-ments in the same conditions will producethe same results.

IS SCIENCE AN IDOI?l5 mins

Read Jeremiah 2:11-13 in small groups.Explain that the prophet Jeremiah wasspeaking to the people of Israel about 70Oyears before Jesus was born as a baby inBethlehem. Ask: What are the two sinsthat the Lord accuses them of in verse 13?(Forsaking God; making their own gods).How do you think this might apply to peo-ple who believe that Science has disprovedGod? (Theyhave replaced Godwith the godoftheir owl intelligence and discoveries).Why do you think God describes Himselfas a 'spring of living water? (People needwater to live; 'Broken cisterns which can-not hold water' will ultimately let peopledown and not meet their needs).

KEYPOilVT2As we sawin the previous session, scientificfacts canbe veryuseful but theyrarely offerpeople any comfort in difficult times or joyin times of celebration. This is because wehave deeper needs than those met by scien-tific discoveries. People don't need to buildthemselves better and better cisterns; theyneed to come to the 'spring of living water,.In John chapter 4, while sitting by a well,Jesus says,'Everyone who drinks this waterwill be thirsty again, but whoever drinksthe water I will give him will never thirst.Indeed the water I give him will become inhim a spring of water welling up to eternalIife' (verses l3-I4).

WARNING5 mils

Ifscientists have learned anythingfrom thehistory oftheir subject it should be to treadcarefully. Scientific theories are commonlyreplaced with new theories that contradictthem. The good scientist says 'I'm right...for the moment.' Every major civilizationtriumphantly declares that they have moreknowledge and are superior to everyone

else. That these civilizations eventuallydecline and are replaced should act as a

warning for those who believe themselvesto be superior in knowledge and under-standing.

CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS5 mins

While contributions to the world of sciencehave come from other faiths, Christianityhas encouraged more scientific explorationand discovery than any other religion. Thisis because from a Christian perspective,God has made something to be enjoyed,cherished and explored. Adam and Eve aretold to 'Be fruitful and increase in number;fiII the earth and subdue it. Rule over thefish ofthe sea and the birds ofthe air andover every living creature that moves onthe ground'(Genesis l:28).AIso see Genesis2:I9-2O.

, Isaac Newton who discovered (ratherthan invented!) gravity said 'God cre-ated everything by number, weight andmeasure.' His point was that God put usinto a world of science. Looking back onhis life Newton likened himself to a smallboy playing with pebbles and shells on thebeach, while a great ocean ofknowledge laybefore him.

To understand how the world around usfits together and to be able to experimentwith the things we find is great, but to knowthe One who put it all together in the firstplace (the One who did invent gravity) is somuch better!

NOTES FORADAPTING

FOR CHURCHED YOUTH...

Ask them how they would communicate someof these things to their non-Christian friends.Spend time praying for those who are not put-ting their trust in the 'spring of living water.'

FOR UN-CHURCHED YOUTH.,.

Some of the points being made here may bechallenged more readily than with a Christiangroup, so you may find it easier to drop somepoints to allow more room for discussion.

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS...

To help with concentration, put the sectiontitles up at various points in the room and havethe kids move around. You could set the roomup like a museum with the different'talky bits'recorded for them to listen to on headphonesor delivered by different leaders.

FOR OTDER GROUPS,..

They may want to discuss the different'majorcivilizations'and their rise and fall.

NATE MORGAN LOCKEis a youth leader at All Souls Clubhouse Londonand Youth Evangelist at Christianity Explored.

ww.youthwork.co.uk 29

http://youtu.be/Wx-QNISuJWA

AIM: Any Creation theory needs faith; no matter how „scientific‟ it seems…

UNDERSTANDING

Each take a balloon, and blow up, aim is to be the one who blows up the biggest balloon

(hopefully one will burst!)

Use some sand and a globe (unless you have a map of universe)

Big bang theory [basic]: at one time, all the matter in the universe that currently

makes up our planets was condensed into a tiny speak smaller than grain of sand, and

then we had quantum fluctuation whereby there was an almighty explosion and

everything expanded!

Did the universe have a beginning? SHELDONS LESSON

Some people used to believe that the universe was always in

existence then came „Einstein‟s General Theory of Relativity‟

which in its most basic terms showed that the universe was

expanding (like the balloons!). Most atheists and scientists

believe this is true, there was a beginning. The Hubble

telescope also confirmed that galaxies are moving away from

us and the universe is getting bigger.

Penny asks: Just an accident?

Take one of the following

The most likely outcome: sealed room, 7 – The mysterious suicide

• A man‟s dead body hangs from a rope tied to the centre of a ceiling beam in a large,

empty room. The feet are 10 feet from the floor. No other items are in the room. The

man killed himself by hanging.

• Answer – He climbed a stack of dry ice, attached the rope, then waited for the ice to evaporate.

4 – John and Mary

• John and Mary are on the floor. There are pieces of broken glass, and a puddle of liquid

on the floor. Mary is dead.

• Answer – John, a cat, knocked over the fishbowl of Mary, a fish.

If there was no cause and effect then life wouldn‟t make sense (although it might be

easier). Life revolves around cause and effect life needs an explanation!

The Perfect Fit

Quick fire questions…

How much closer can we be to the sun before we burn?

If the moon was any bigger the earth would flood?

What colours of the rainbow prevent the earth’s core form burning us?

There are ratios that mean this world exists that are a „most exquisitely delicate balance

of competing forces‟. And they had to appear just at the right time at the correct ratio at

very start of universe for anything to exist. Some examples…

If we were any closer to the sun then we‟d burn and any further and we‟d freeze

Moon size is exactly right to prevent the tides from flooding us

Ultraviolet light and infra-red prevent us from heat and meteorites from above

and earth‟s core from below us burning the earth

Rate of expansion is perfectly controlled if it was one millisecond less the universe

would have re-collapsed. Even some scientist describe this as a miracle. The

chance of it „just‟ happening is like aiming a bow and arrow the other side of the

universe and hitting the mark.

If the rate at which it all began had begun any faster nothing would have settled,

too slow and nothing would have started.

There are four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, strong

nuclear force and week nuclear force that were all on cue and began to exist for

no reason. In fact there are around 200 forces who‟s ratios had to exist and

develop perfectly

The thing is THE BIG BANG THEORY takes just as much faith

Time + chance + billions of years = people (just as much faith)

How did the first living thing come to live on this planet? Was it inevitable, bound to happen, did things just occur?

“There is a massive gap between rocks and a living organism, even

between the most complex snowflake and a basic cell. The chances

of a living cell constructing by chance is unlikely, amino acids would

magically exist as would the life creating proteins even now you

can‟t just put them together in a room and create life.” Adrian Holloway

Ask your friends about DNA

Where did it come from? Did you know the means of translating it,

and the existence of it were both needed from the start and there‟s

quite a lot of intelligence needed to translate it. Francis Crick who

discovered it said there was 0 probability of life happening by

chance (and he was an atheist!).

So science and faith are no as far apart as often stated!

Optional thoughts:

Multiverse: Some may ask „maybe there is an infinite number of possible universes‟.

Would it not be more scientific to observe that here – no scientific evidence for others

and it would still be happening. It still doesn‟t get rid of God.

Big bounce: same kind of answer as above

Watch Indescribable by Louie Guiglio (available on you tube 90min)

What about 7 day theory? Some say yes some say no- its an open handed Christian

viewpoint. Gen 1-2 is capable to be true but also you can read it to fit in with an old

universe theory.

Read Aftershock by Adrian Holloway

DO ALL RELIGIONS LEAD TO GOD

Opening Activity: Building a tower (straws and marshmellow)

Learning Activity: Core Beliefs and Religions Give each person a red or black

statement. Ask them to match up the belief (red) with the religion (black). How quickly

can they find their partner the quickest

(red and black sheet, the religion is above the corresponding statement)

Discuss: Do all religions believe the same thing? Is it just the same God represented

differently by culture?

Learning Activity: Split the group into teams, each team wins points for nearest

correct answer…

What is the probability of…?

It being a Monday morning 1/7

Winning the Lottery: (6 numbers are drawn at random from the set of integers

between 1 and 49.) There are 49!/(6!*(49-6)!) combinations of numbers (the

draw order doesn't matter). The means that the jackpot chance is 1 in

13,983,816 or approximately 1 in 14 million.

There are 6 beads in a bag, 3 are red, 2 are yellow and 1 is blue. What is the

probability of picking a yellow? The probability is the number of yellows in the

bag divided by the total number of balls, i.e. 2/6 = 1/3

Tell me something that has the probability of 1. (something which is certain)

One of the things we can be certain of is that we are born and that we die. Quite

morbid but death is one of the topics the religions tend to have an opinion on. If

all religions were the same then surely their views on a certain event should be

the same or at least could work together

Learning Activity: What do I believe happens when I die?

Give the sheet (coloured) to the teams and award prizes to those who complete

it the quickest. Obviously they are very basic versions of these beliefs but even

with that you can see how vastly different they are.

Learning Activity:

Storytelling: The Elephant Three blind men are brought before an elephant and asked to describe it to others. The

first blind man goes up to the elephant and puts out his hands which touches the large

stomach. He runs his hands up and down the belly feeling the immensity of the

elephant. He says "The elephant is like a wall, it is big, solid and firm".

The second blind man goes up to the elephant and first touches a leg. He feels the

gnarled and almost knot like nature of the leg. He puts his arm around the leg feeling all

about him and he says "The elephant is like a tree trunk, firm and upright, with crinkly

bark all over".

The third blind man goes up to the elephant and first encounters the elephant's trunk.

He runs his hand up and down the leathery trunk and around it. He stops to think for a

moment and says "The elephant is like a snake, long and sinuous, with rough skin".

So some might say..

Well the first question is who was right amongst the three blind men, whose description

was accurate and whose was wrong? The answer clearly is that all three were right, but

how can that be as the answers about this same one thing, the elephant, were so

different. Simply, because their perspectives were different that's how.

Now let's draw a parallel between the elephant and God. In all religions God is seen as

an unknowable unimaginable entity/person/force. Cannot it not be then that in our

efforts to describe that unknowable unimaginable entity that we have come up with

different perspectives OF THE SAME GOD just as the blind men did about the elephant.

We are like blind men trying to describe the same thing from different perspectives. In

this way God as perceived by all the religions of Earth is like the elephant to the blind

men.

But what about all the different commandments and ethical instructions of the many

different religions - are these not all different from each other and, that being so, how do

they relate to the elephant? Well I would contend that every commandment and ethical

instruction can be reduced to a simple two words "be nice". Be nice to each other, be

nice to the environment, be nice to yourself, be nice to ......

Some responses you could give

The core of Christianity isn‟t about commandments and ethical instructions

Theoretically, both possibilities exist. Therefore, a proper evaluation of such opposite

views must be done before we decide on a course of action. If the first is true (all

religions lead us to the same finality), and we choose the second (only one of them is

right), we have not lost anything. Despite our ignorance, we will arrive at the same

happy end as the other travellers who have chosen other spiritual paths.

A less happy situation would be given by the second possibility, that a single spiritual

path is valid and we have chosen the wrong one. In this case religious pluralism

misleads travellers to spiritual disaster, so they at least should be warned.

A third possibility, that all spiritual paths are wrong, is denied by the nature of our

spiritual quest itself, which demands a real fulfilment. Otherwise, our hunger for ultimate

truth could not be justified and all religions would be nothing but human fantasy.

This is not aimed at fuelling intolerance. We need to understanding the uniqueness of

world religions. Even if world religions are not compatible with each other, we can still

love each other. Tolerance cannot be achieved by being ignorant or superficial, but

rather by understanding each other's faith. by Ernest Valea

By Adrian Holloway: The reality is, you‟ve each got a unique insight, you‟ve each got a

piece of the same truth, you‟re just describing it in different ways. If only you could see

the bigger picture. And that‟s why it‟s so arrogant of you to say that you‟re right and

that all the others are wrong.”

or

To which the Christian can reply: “But isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”

And they say: “what?”

The Christian can ask: “Surely, you‟re saying everyone else is blind except you? You‟re

saying „It‟s not a rope or a hose or a tree. You‟re all wrong.‟ You‟re saying that Muslims,

Hindus and Christians are all mistaken. You‟re saying that you and you alone can see the

big picture. You‟ve got a true picture of the real situation, and everyone else has only

got a small piece of it. You‟ve just invented a story about four people in which three of

them are blind and the fourth person is you, and you are the only one in your story who

can see. You‟ve invented a story in which you‟re right and everyone else is blind and

wrong.”

And the Christian can say: “At no point in this whole discussion have you told me how

you know so much about God. Your religious claim is as exclusive as everyone else‟s. In

fact, your religious claim rules out everyone else‟s, but unlike my Moslem and Hindu

friends, you don‟t feel the need to reveal your sources. You haven‟t let us in on your

secret! How did you find out the truth? Where‟s your information coming from? It sounds

so open-minded and generous when you say that all religions lead to God, but you don‟t

seem to notice that you‟ve just said that you‟re right and everyone else is wrong.”

And it‟s at this point that I find so many people realize, perhaps for the first time in their

lives that they have a religious faith. It may not be Christianity or Islam, but it‟s a

religion just the same. It‟s actually called relativism. The term doesn‟t matter, what does

matter is this: They have just come to realize that their religion is just as exclusive and

narrow as any other. In fact it seems to me, that relativism is the most narrow-minded

religion of all, because it says: “We‟re right and everyone else is wrong. Muslims,

Christians, you‟re all wrong. We know what‟s really going on.”

Listen: http://theshockofyourlife.com/content/don%E2%80%99t-all-

religions-lead-god

Q. Surely all religions are basically teaching the same thing?

So people say things like: “You call him God, Muslims call him Allah, what‟s the

difference?” as if all the differences between world religions can be boiled down to

terminology. Many people think that there‟s nothing at stake in the choice between

Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism. And it would be no exaggeration to

say that some people taking this view seem to think that it‟s about as big a deal as the

choice between strawberry, chocolate or vanilla ice cream, but they are not trivial, the

differences between world religions are massive. The real question should be “how can

all religions be equally true when they contradict each other so blatantly?”

A. The Bible and the Qur‟an are NOT teaching the same thing about Jesus of

Nazareth

Christianity and Islam both contain accounts of the life of Jesus. But they are so radically

different that they cannot both be historically accurate.

The Qur‟an says that Jesus never died on the cross. If that is true, then Christianity

totally collapses, it is totally dependent on Jesus actually dying on the cross. Jesus death

on the cross is the be-all and end-all of Christianity, because it deals with the problem of

sin, and this, the Bible says is a universal barrier that separates every human being from

God. Jesus death on the cross destroys this barrier for everyone who follows Jesus.

It‟s difficult to believe that Jesus was being crucified and not being crucified at the same

time. In the same way, it is very difficult to believe that I am in London and Los Angeles

at the same time. Common sense then does seem to put the skids under this initially

attractive view that “all religions are equally true.” Either Jesus of Nazareth was crucified

or he wasn‟t. History is terribly brutal to relativism.

In Surah 4 of the Qur‟an, there are six long arguments directed against the Jews at

Medina. The sixth is a condemnation of their boast that they got Jesus killed. The Qur‟an

says:

“They claim, „we killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Apostle of God.‟ But

they killed him not, nor did they crucify him. They were under the illusion they

had. . . . Assuredly they did not kill him. On the contrary, God raised him to

himself.”

Yet the crucifixion of Jesus by Pontius Pilate is attested by Josephus the Jewish historian,

by Tacitus, the major Roman historian of the period and by other non-Christian

historians. In other words, you can demonstrate the historicity of Jesus‟ crucifixion,

without even using the Bible.

So on this fundamental, crucial point, the Qur‟an is at odds with secular history, and the

Bible. But I‟m sure we can all agree that, on this point the Bible and the Qur‟an cannot

both be equally true.

Looking at the whole question more broadly, the contradictions between the different

religions are endless. Hinduism teaches that when you and I die, we will be re-

incarnated. Islam says no, everyone goes to heaven or hell, and stays there forever.

Hinduism and Islam cannot be equally true. Buddhism says there is no creator God.

Judaism, Islam and Christianity say: “On the contrary, there is a God who created the

universe.”

So it is possible to say “All religions are equally true,” or “All religions lead to God.” But

that statement would be in the same category as saying “all flights from Heathrow go to

Australia.” Or “all roads out of London go to Bristol.” We might want to believe it, but

common sense and real life tell us it can‟t be correct.

3 unique claims Christianity makes:

1. Jesus claimed to be God. None of the other founders of the historical religions ever

claimed to be God. Jesus is unique in this.

2. Jesus claimed to be sinless. He claimed to be perfect

3. The Bible is unique in claiming that only perfection is acceptable. All have sinned and

fall short of the glory of God. And what we deserve is death. The wages of sin death.

God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, won‟t

perish, but can have eternal life.

So if our second point, which is that Jesus was and is perfect, is true . . .

And if our third point, which is that everyone else has sinned and fallen short of the glory

of God is true . . .

Well then no-one‟s good enough for heaven except Jesus. If that is true then it‟s quite

reasonable and rational to say that you‟ve got to follow Jesus to get into heaven.

Which is why Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth and the life, no-one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

(Acts 4:12)

At this point, people quite understandably point out that: “Look, however logical your position is, it still sounds arrogant for you Christians to say there’s only one way to heaven.” The answer to that is “Yes, it sounds arrogant,” but it isn‟t arrogant. Becoming a

Christian is a very humbling thing, because you‟re saying, I‟ll never be good enough for

God, but I‟m trusting in Christ, who is good enough, and he‟s the only one who is good

enough. Besides, sometimes in life there is only one way through a problem.

For example, is it arrogant for a doctor to say there is only one cure for a disease? If

your doctor says “there‟s only one course of anti-biotics which can heal you,” do you

think she‟s being narrow-minded? Of course not!

Sometimes people say Christians are too narrow-minded: But when you‟re on an

aeroplane and it‟s coming in to land, do you angrily unbuckle your seatbelt and march

into the cockpit and say to the pilot as he‟s closing in on the runway: “Don‟t you think

you‟re being a bit narrow-minded? I mean what‟s so special about the runway? Why not

land on the grass, or in that lake over there?” No, you sit tight in your seat and you

thank God that the pilot is narrow-minded and is homing in on the runway. The pilot is

not being arrogant. He knows what he‟s talking about. The runway is the only place to

land.

Sometimes sincerity isn‟t enough. When you‟re doing a maths exam, there‟s only one

correct answer. A sincere wrong answer is a wrong answer.

None of these other religions deal with the problem of sin, as far as the next life is

concerned. In fact most of them don‟t even claim to deal with the problem of sin. Jesus,

however, went straight to the heart of the matter, and through his death on the cross,

Jesus dealt with sin, and that is why he is unique.

New Age

God is found in me

Muslim

God is powerful but not personal

Atheist

There is no God

Hindu

We believe in over 300,000 gods

Christian

There is

judgement but I‟ll spend eternity in heaven

Buddhism

death is not the end of life, it is merely the end of the body we inhabit in this life

New age

I become part of the earth

Jehovah‟s Witness

Depends how hard I work

Atheist

Nothing Happens

Isalm

God will judge

Hindu

I will be Reincarnated

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 2

IS RELIGIONDANGEROUS?

tBEFodyoGrARf\

O MEETING AIMTo explore and respond to the questionof whether religion is a dangerous thingfor society.

O pnepnnlnolCheck out the video link, get hold of theequipment needed (paper, pens, post itnotes etc.) and as always, ensure that yourteam have worked through the issues raisedin the session first so that no-one is caughtcompletely off guard by anything raised.

ICEBREAKER5-lomins

Grab a few common items lying aroundin the building you meet in (e.g. bin, pen,hat etc) and put them in the middle of theroom. Ask your young people to choose oneitem each and set them the challenge ofselling the item to the rest ofthe group in a3O second advert pitch. When everyone haspresented, ask the group vote for the advertthat convinced them the most.

SOWHATIS REI.IGION?lO mins

Ask: what comes to mind when you hearthe word 'religion'? Write responses on awhite board. Discuss the contributions andsee if everyone agrees. Pin up the follow-ing quotes about religion around the room.They are all famous sayings about religionfrom people throughout history:. 'Religion enables us to ignore nothing-

ness and get onwith the jobs of life.,. A religion without the element of mys-

terywould not be a religion at all.'. 'It is doubtless true that religion has

been the world's psychiatrist through-out the centuries.'

. 'Religion is the metaphysics of the mass-es.'

. All religions are the same: religion isbasically guilt, with different holidays.'

. 'No religion is a true religion that doesnot make men tingle to their fingertipswith a sense of infinite hazard.,

' 'Religion is regarded by the commonpeople as true, by the wise as false, andbythe rulers as useful.'

' 'Religion often gets credit for curing ras-cals when old age is the real medicine.'

' 'Religion is a monumental chapter inthe history of human egotism.,

, 'Religion has the potential to change notonly the individual, but also the worldfor good.'

Ask the group to walk around and look atthe various quotes, adding a post-it notewith their names on to the quote they agreewith most. Ask them to put another post-it note on another quote to show how theythink the world perceives religion.

KEYPOINTThe dictionary defines religion as 'a set ofbeliefs concerning the cause, nature, andpurpose of the universe, especially whenconsidered as the creation of a superhu-man agency or agencies'. Religion has morerecentlybeen defined as a'cultural system.'Ask: do you agree with these definitionsand do they sound like they have the poten-tial to be dangerous?

RELIGION : FOR AND AGATNSTlO mins

In pairs, ask your young people to writedown as many ideas they can think of infavour of religion. Ask them to do the samefor arguments against religion. Encourageas many ideas as possible and feedback tothe group afterwards. Have a discussionto see ifeveryone agrees with each other,sideas and then ask the young people to holdonto their pieces ofpapeq as theywill needthem later,

A FORCE FOR GOOD!15 mins

Read together Matthew 22.86-4O. HereJesus is responding to the question .What

the greatest commandment'. Your youngpeople will probably know this verse andmay have heard it a number of times, butask them to think about whether they haveever really lived this out in their lives as thenumber one rule. Have a discussion aboutwhat the world would be like if Christianslived this out at every opportunity? youmay wan to run this discussion as an artreflection or drama activity depending onthe dynamics ofyour group.

Set the challenge of designing ways thatthe Church can begin to live out Matthew22:36-4O in apracticalway. Howwould thislook? What would the church need to do?Would this change peoples perception ofchurch around the world?Ask: What couldthe Christian religion do on an individualbasis? What could the Christian religion doIocally? What could the Christian religiondo nationally? What could the Christianreligion do internationally?

A FORCE FOR EVIL!lO mins

Unfortuantely however, religion has beenthe cause for some evil in our world. Therehave been wars, crusades, jihads, inquisi-tions. In recent times we have seen differ-ent religions clash over land and fight over

different views on faith and life. As an out-sider, may seem to be a dangerous force thatleads to conflict and pain.

Show your young people the video thatdepicts an interview in America with theWestboro Baptist Church available at www.youthwork.co.uk/inks. You may wish towarn the young people about the content inthe video beforehand, and that they mightfind some of the content upsetting. TheWestboro Baptist Church are an extremistgroup who regularly go to funerals of deadsoldiers and hand up signs telling peoplethat they will burn in hell. Ask your youngpeople: Does this prove that religion can beevil? How should Christians respond to theWestboro Baptist church? Howcan religiongo from 'Love your neighbour' to the West-boro Baptist Church?

@RELIGION ON TRIAT2O nins

Set out your room into a courtroom sessionwith a row of seats for some jurors, a seatfor ajudge, and some seats for the accused.Write 'religion' on a piece of paper and putit on the seat. Split your group into two.Half of them will be arguing that religionis evil while the other side will be defend-ing religion. Give them some time to planour their arguments and then ask them toselect on lawyer from each team. The restof the group will become jurors and willsit in the courtroom. You may select one ofyour team to be thejudge.

Playoutthe scene like acourt roomwitheach team taking it inturn to put forwardtheir arguments. After both teams havefinished, ask the jurors to break and reacha verdict. The judge will pass sentence. Sohow will your young people decide - is reli-gion the root ofall evil?

NOTES FORADAPTING

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS..-

Add a few more games and remove the videoscreening from the'Religion is evil'section.

FOR OLDER GROUPS...

Expand the dicsussions and go deeper in'How religion can be a force for good'.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE,,.

Focus more on what is meant by the Christianfaith and discuss whether it is somethingworth getting involved in.

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE...

You may want to include some more Bibleverses and some Biblical study on the topic,expand the final debate section to include aselection of Bible verses to choose from.

TOM WADEis a.philosophy teacher in Harpenden.

www.youthwork.co.uk 25

HOW CAN GODATLOW SUFFERING?

FEFoREyoGanr\

O meente llnaExplore this theme and equip young Chris-tians to respond to the question: How can agood God can allow suffering?

O pneplnrnotFamiliarise yourself with the concept ofworldview. James Sire's Naming The El-ephantis an excellent read. For somethingquicker see www.youthwork.co.ukllinks andprint off a copy of The Long S/ence.

THE PROBLEMl5 mins

Create a spread of newspaper articles ofrecent disasters, big and small. How cana good God allow suffering? The officialterm for this question is 'theodicy' - whichliterally means 'to justify God'. Ask: Whywould God be to blame? Centuries ago, anancient Greek philosopher Epicurus notedthat the presence of suffering in the worldcast three problems regarding a deity:. Is he willing to prevent evil but not able?

Then he is impotent.. Is he able but not willing? Then he is

malevolent?r Is he both able and willing? Then he is

evil.Ask: do any of these possibilities sound

Iike the God Christians believe in? Lateranother philosopher concluded there mustbe no God. Discuss: Does the existence ofsuffering mean there is no God?

PHILOSOPHYLESSONlBoffin Alister McGrath says that in all hishefty research, he's never come across anyChristian theology before the 17th centurythat saw the existence ofsuffering as a seri-ous obstacle to the Christian faith. But inthe ITth century some Christian apologiststhought that the best defence to Christi-anity was from philosophy. Rather thanappealing to the person ofChrist as proofofGod's existence, theylooked to reason; rath-erthan Iookingto the Christian experienceofthe HoIy Spirit, they appealed to nature.Later, philosopher Descartes focussed onthe perfection of God, and rationally thiscould not exist alongside suffering. Suffer-ing became a major challenge to the beliefin the existence of God.

Can you really answer the problem ofsomething we experience with a rationalanswer?

WHAT TO MAKE OF SUFFERING?lO mins

Write the following rationales for suffer-ing on sheets ofpaper and ask your young

3O ww.youthwork.co.uk

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 3

people to evaluate them in small groups. A)It's God's will and we have to endure it. B)It's not real, it's just imagined. C) You werebad in a former life and must pay for it. D)There's no 'meaning'behind it, it's just partoflife.

Get feedback. Reveal that each of theseare the viewpoints of major schools ofthought. A) Islamic B) Buddhist C) Hinduor D) Non-theist.

@Introduce the idea of 'worldview' - theposition from which we view the whole oflife. Think ofa fish in its tank. It sees every-thing through the water it swims in, andknows no different! It's difficult to identifyour worldview because it is so familiar tous, yet it influences howwe see everything.

THE CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW2O mins

Ask your young people to think of charac-teristics of a Christian worldview. E.g. Godcreated the whole universe; human beingsare important because they are made byGod. How does suffering fit into the Chris-tianworldview?. Suffering entered the world with the

disobedience of human kind (Gen 3)

_. Psalms of lament show that God's peo-ple had a form of writing in which theycould express their suffering to God

. Even in bad things, God can bring aboutgood (Gen 5O:2O)

. We are to help those who are suffering

. Christ suffered (Gospels)

. For those who trust Him, God promisesan end to suffering in the life to come

KEY POINT: Suffering fits into a coherentChristian worldview.

A CLOSER LOOK: TRUE FREEDOM?lO nins

Does the fact that there is the possibilty forhumankind to do evil mean that God cre-ated it? Discuss the benefits of 'free will'.Was it all worth it?

PHILOSOPHYLESSON2Some philosophers have argued thatbecause we can imagine a world wherepeople freely choose to do good, God mustbe able to create one; aworld where our freewill is not overidden but we always chooseto do good. But contemporary philosopherPlantinga shows that:. God cannot guarantee the benevolence

of a truly free will without interven-tions

. To have a truly free will we must becapable of moral evil

. A world with free will has more valuethan one without

. Free will is not against God's omni

science or His goodness

KEY POINT: Ultimately, God allows suffer-ing because He is completely committed tofree will. But maybe the best response toan experiential problem is an experientialanswer...

A GOD WHO SUFFERSlO mins

Inthe Christian story, the remarkable hap-pens. God Himself confronts the pain ofthe world and suffers Himself. In WWItrench padre Edward Shillito wrote: 'to ourwounds, only God's wounds can speak' inhis poemJesus of the Scars.ReadThe LongSilence.

A FUTURE HOPE5 mins

We know that God can sympathise withour suffering because of Christ's Iife onearth and brutal death, but His resurrec-tion overcame it too. In the same way thatJesus took on the pain and suffering oftheworld, and itbecame His pain and sufferingon the cross, His resurrection means thatall that suffering is restored. In this lifeforgiveness restores our relationship withGod and with each other, healing reversesphysical suffering, and God comforts us inour suffering with a future hope.

Look at Revelation 21:4, a picture ofhowthings will be. There is suffering now, butwe have hope for the life to come, as well ascomfort in the present. Christ's miraclesand current-day healings are a sign of thisfuture and show God's commitment to ourrestoration.

NOTES FOR ADAPTING....

FOR OTDER YOUNG PEOPLE...

Delve deeper into the intellectual arguments(see www.youthwork.co.uk/links). Suggest abook-club style reading of lhe Shack to allowfurther exploration of the theme.

FOR YOUNGER YOUNG PEOPLE...

Simplify the philosophical arguments andfocus more on the overarching storyline of suf-fering in Scripture.

FOR UNCI{URCHED YOUIIG PEOPLE...

Spend longer explaining the significance ofJesus' death and resurrection. Explain thathowever they're suffering, they can talk to Godabout it and encourage them to try praying.

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE...

Remind them that there is real pain involved inthis topic. When talking about the presence ofsuffering in the world, be sensitive! Encouragethem to offer to pray for their friends.

HELEN CRAWFORDis Deputy Editor of Youthwork.

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 4

WHAT ISTRUTH?

FEFoRE You srARr\

O ueenxcatuTo explore and respond to the question ofwhat truth is and whether we can ever becompletely sure about what we believe.

O pneplnrrrorCheck out the video link and ask yourselfand your helpers the questions that you'llbe raising in the session. You might needto do some homework. The session wontwork unless you're all prepared to face thehard questions your young people will haveto face.

ICEBREAKER5 to 1O mins depending on group size.

HoId a round of '2 truths, I lie.' It's such aclassic that you've probably already doneit to death, but ifyour group knows eachother well encourage them to come up witheven more creative ideas. Perhaps theirtwo truths could be something that no onein the room knows. This could be a chanceto find out something new about eachother, and hopefully have some intrigu-ing lies that might just be true... From thisgame Iead into a discussion with the ques-tions'what is truth'and'how do we knowwhether sornething is true?' Don't worryabout deep answers at this point and thesequestions will be looked at in more detailIater on.

AREYOU ASKING THERIGHTQUESTIONS?lO mins

After your icebreaker, show the followingclip from the Matrix Qtouthwork.co.uk/ftnlts). Would we choose the pill that led totruth like Neo? Throughout history Philos-ophers have askedwhattruth is andwheth-er we should seek it, read out the followingquotes to your young people:

Andre Gide'Believe those who are seekingthe truth; doubt those who find it.'Molly lvins 'I believe that ignorance isthe root of all evil. And that no one knowsthe truth'Albert Einstein'Truth is what stands thetest ofexperience'Buddha 'Believe nothing just because a

so-called wise person said it. Believe noth-ing just because a belief is generally held.Believe nothing just because it is said inancient books, believe nothingjust becauseit is said to be of divine origin. Believenothingjust bpcause someone else believesit. Believe only what you yourself test andjudge to be true.'

After each quote, discuss what the youngpeople think the quote is saying. After that,tell your young people Plato's analogy of thecave (if you're unfamiliar with it check outa rundown of the story - youthwork.co.uk/lrnlrs ). Ask your young people whether theyare prepared to search for truth or whetherthey would rather live in ignorance. It's a

harder choice than it first seems...

WHY DO WE BELIEVE?5 mins

Read together John 14: 5-6. Discuss:. WhatdotheythinkJesus is sayingwhen

he talks about truth?. What doesthis meansforourlives?. How do you think Jesus'disciples felt

upon hearing his response?It can be hard sometimes to know whattruth is, perhaps we need to discover whatJesus meant by truth before we can be pre-pared to believe him.

@@SOWHATISTRUTH?!lO mins

What is truth? Pilate asked that questionof Jesus in John 18:38. Read John 18:37-38with your young people. Ask them how theythinkPilate is responding. With sarcasm?Agenuine question? Is he implying that truthcannot be known or is he feeling defeated in.his response?

The Law of Noncontradiction is comingthrough in Jesus's response. The law sim-ply means that ifA and B contradict eachother then they both cannot be true (i.e ifyour religion is true, then mine is false. Orif my religion is true, then yours is false)C.S Lewis, when writing about whetherJesus was the son of God or not, or whetherit really mattered said the following:

'I am trying here to prevent anyone say-ing the reallyfoolish thing that people oftensay about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesusas a great moral teacher, but I don't acceptHis claim to be God." That is the one thingwe must not say. A man who was merely aman and said the sort of things Jesus saidwould not be a great moral teacher. Hewould either be a lunatic - on the level withthe man who says he is a poached egg - orelse he would be the Devil of Hell. You mustmake your choice. Either this man was,and is, the Son of God: or else a madmanor something worse. You can shut Him upfor a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Himas a demon; or you can fall at His feet andcall Him Lord and God. But let us not comewith any patronising nonsense about Hisbeing a great human teacher. He has not leftthat open to us. He did not intend to.' (C.S.

Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 40 - 4l)Ask your young people which side of

the argument they fall on, was Jesus really

the son of God or simply a lunatic? To sumup this section show this brilliant briefclip from the Apologetist Ravi Zacharias(ltouthwork.co.uk4inks). Ask: what is yourresponse to this - who is Jesus to you?

SOWHATNOW?5 nins

After looking at truth and what the truth ofGod is, ask your young people where theyfeel they should go next. How should theirlives be different if they believe in God?

There are many choices they can make, buttwo of them are: 1) Continue believingwhatthat what they believe is true, or what otherpeople tell them is true. 2) Investigate theevidence for themselves and make theirowndecisions.

If they are to do the latter, encouragethem to read the Bible and ask questionsabout life. To reflect on everything they'vediscussed in the session, and how peopleact differently when they see the worldfrom a new perspective, show the musicvide'Savin Me' by Nickleb ack (www.youth-work.co.uk/linlts). Close with the followingquestions:. Whatdotheythinktruthis now?. How can theybe certain that something

is true?. Do they believe in God and the truth

that Jesus spoke about and why?

NOTES FOR ADAPTING

FOR YOUIIGER GROUPS...

You may want to add a few more games andremove the arguments for the existence ofGod section.

FOR OTDER GROUPS...

Expand the discussions and go deeper.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE...

Look up some conspiracy theories (www.

youthwork.co.uk/inks) and discuss how itcan be hard to determine what is true out inthe world. Give the young people a chanceto respond to what they've heard. Followthis up in a few weeks to see if the sessionhas changed anything in their lives.

FOR CHURCHED YOUl{G PEOPLE...

Delve a bit deeper into scripture; expandthe 'why do we believe' section to includethe whole of John 14.

TOM WADEis a philosophy and R.E. teacher in Harpenden.

wwwyouthwork co.uk 3l

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 2

CAN WETRUSTTHE BIBLE? E'

To show that we know what the Bibleoriginally said, that there aren't mistakes allover it, and that therefore we can confidentlyaccept what we have today as God's Word.

O pneplnltror,rPrepare a list of jobs to be mimed. Set upany videos you plan to use. Do the back-ground reading necessary (details below).

INTRODUCTION7 nins

Divide into two teams. One person in eachis the Actor and one the Interpreter; theothers are Guessers. The Guessers go nextdoor, or out ofsight.

Youwhisperto eachActor a job whichhehas to mime (e.g. piloting an airlinerflip-ping burgers). The Actor mimes this job tothe Interpreter, who runs off and mimes itto the Guessers, who write down what theythink he's doing. The Actor meanwhile isgiven another job to mime. RepeatxS.

Reassemble. Count up which team scoredmost highly. Ask: what made this a difficultactivity? Two things, probablyl inaccuratereporting, and misinterpreted miming! Say:

in this session we'll examine how the Biblehas survived over the four thousand yearssince it started to be written. Surely therehavebeenbigchanges init?Andloads of mis-takes?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE7 mins

Point out: when changes are small, theyoften creep bywithout being noticed. Showthem one ofthe spot-the-changes puzzlesfrom www.youthwork.co.uk/infts. Has theBible gradually altered like this? WelI,there are a few puzzles still to solve (e.g.

how does Mark'end?) But they aren't veryimportant. And for that we have to thanksome true heroes,..

HEROES7 mins

Briefly tell the story of Jerome, who pro-duced abrilliant Latin translationby search-ing out the verybest Greek manuscripts justwhen theywere being lost; Erasmus, a thou-sand years later, who put together the origi-nal Greek New Testamentwhen many man-uscripts had vanished; Tischendorf, whodedicated his life to finding older and bettermanuscripts, and discovered a much moreancient copy than anyone had ever seen

before. The key facts are aL www.youthwork.co.ukflinks. Say: the work of these scholars(and others) rescued the Bible from corrup-tion and loss again and again. But the big-gest, most exciting find of the lot happenedonly last century, in 19 47.

OUMRAN CACHE6 nins

Explain the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls(perhaps screen the clip from wwwyouth-work.co.uk4inks). Emphasise: people

thought the Scrolls might explode Christi-anityas a myth,butfar from it, they've givenus more solid proof than ever before of theBible's reliability. The Isaiah Scroll is 1OOO

years older than any copy we'd had before;yetoverthat millennium-wide gap, it checksout almost completely. The text hasn'tchanged abit.

KEY POINT l: The Bible has been reliablyhanded down to us, and the abundant man-uscript evidence makes that pretty clear.

DEPENDS WHAT YOU MEAN...8 mins

So why do so many people claim there aremistakes inthe Bible?Well, sometimes seem-ing'errors' arenlt. For one thing, the Bibledoesn't always claim to be absolutelyprecise.

Put a 1 kg bag of sugar on some scales.It's unlikelyto be exactly I kg in weight...

Say: sometimes we don't speak precise-ly but just as accurately as you need tolfloreveryday purposes. In the Bible, when theGospels change the order of events, or putspeeches in the mouths of different speak-ers (e.g. Mk 5:35), that isn't a mistake, justa well-understood convention. Write onflipchart or whiteboard: 'PRINCIPLE l:READ THE BIBLEAS ITEXPECTS TOBEREAD'.

THAT'S NOTWHAT I SAIDTnins

Now ask someone to read out the words onthe WILL image at www.youthwork.co.uk/ftnlrs. If they get it wrong, ask somebody else

- and keep going until someone gets it right.Why do people get it wrong? Sometimes wemisread what's really there. That happenswith the Bible too! Lk6:17 (down to a plain)seems to contradict Mt 5:I (up to amountain).But Mt 5:I maymean only'into the hill coun-try' . See www.youthwork.co.uk /links for loadsmore examples. Write these words: 'PRIN-CIPLE2: BE SURE YOU'VE READ WHATITREALLYSAYS"

HOWWOULD I KNOW?8 mins

Iifetime (he died in a BC) if the census by

Quirinius wasn't taken until 7 AD (Lk 2:f-2)? We don't have enough information. Say:

here are some'contradictory' newspaperheadlines. If you were a Martian who sawthese 5OOO years from now... what mightyou think? What else would you need toknow in order to make sense of them?. Queen's grandson marries his fiancee/

Still no steady girlfriend for Queen'sgrandson

. Rooney the star in hat-trick thriller/Rooney shamed byban for misconduct

. Coalition leader wants change in votingsystem/Coalition leader wants to keep

voting systemSimply, the Queen has two grandsons,

Rooney managed to do both things in onegame, andboth Clegg and Cameron are coali-tion leaders! A little more information sortsit all out! Ask: can you think of any moreexamples? Write: 'PRINCIPLE 3: DON'TJUDGE BEFORE YOU KNOW ENOUGH'.We'll have to live with a few difficulties. Butnone are crucial to our understanding ofScripture - or our faith in its reliability.

KEY POINT 2: The Bible isn't full of mis-takes; we just have to read it properly.

@WRAP-UP5 mins

End by reading out 2 Peter I:16-21. Empha-sise: down fhrough the ages millions ofChristians have put their faith in God'sWord like this, and theyhaven't been disap-pointed. We can trust it too. Let's ask Godto help us use it more confidently, know itbetter and better, and learn how to defendits truth when it's attacked. Pray togetherthat God wiII do these things for you!

NOTES FORADAPTING

FOR YOUIiIGER GROUPS..,

ln SPOT THE DIFFERENCE, use the video atwww.yo uthwork. co. u k / I i n ks

FOR OLDER GROUPS...

if they can handle a bit more information,also mention the Masoretes, the most carefulcopyists in the world's history; details aboutthem at www.youthwork.co.ukllinks.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE...

An alternative wrap-up would be to ask themto volunteer all the biblical contradictionsthey've heard of. Make a list, and promise toprovide some answers next time!

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE-..

Under THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID, show theOne Minute Apologist video at www.youth-work.co.uk/links

FEFoRE You srfii\O ueenne lrm

Butfinally, there are stillsome questionswecan't answer. How did Judas die (Mt 2715,

Acts I:I8X How was Jesus born in Herod's

JOHN ALLANis the chaplain of Exeter school and a regularcontributor to Youthwork.

www.youthwork.co.uk 27

WHO ISTHEREAI JESUS?

O MEETIilG AIMTo explore and respond to the question ofwho the real Jesus is and ask; is He who Heclaimed to be?

O PREPARATIoNCheck out the weblinks and research thebackground of Maximilliam Kolbe. Have a lookat the Bible verses listed for Jesus' miraclesand prepare your own answers to the ques_tion so that you can model and example toyour young people. Meet with your team andpray about the topic and your young people.

ICEBREAKER: HOttyWOOD JESUS5-lomins

Askyouryoungpeople to have athink abouthow Jesus has been represented or spo_ken about in Hollywood movies or in artthroughout history. Ask: what is the imageof Jesus like in these frlms and pictures? Setthe challenge of casting the role of Jesus ina new film. Who would they choose to playthe part and why? you maywant to choosesome celebrities for them to pick from. Takereasons and ask: what important qualitieswould theybringto the role ofJesus?

WHAT DID JESUS COME TO EARTH TODO?lO mins

Ask: does anyone know why Jesus came toearth?Assign groups of youngpeople versesfrom the list and ask them to come to an ideaof what Jesus'mission statement was: John6:32-35; John 6:38-40; Matthew lg:ll; John12:46; John 10:10; 1 John 4:9; I John 3:8; John3:16; John 6:47-5I. Have some time feedingback to the group - can they think of a one_sentence statement that Jesus could haveprinted on a T-shirt to let everyone knoww]gt he is about? Using their knowledgeoJ.Jesus and his life, do your young peoplethink that Jesus achieved his missionf ts.there anywaythat we can prove that He did?

THIS IS YOUR LIFEl5 mins

Sometimes there can be some misunder_standing of what Jesus did during his timeon earth. Have a look at the timeline of!12s's life at www.youthwork.co.uk/inks.Bither 1) Run through the timeline on thewebsite/print out and talk through variousbits highlightingvarious stories, or 2) Layout some key events of Jesus, life and askthem to rearrange them in the right order.

We can't be l0 OVo accutale on each indi_vidual event, but this process will give an

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 4

WERE JESUS' ACTIONS IMPORTANT?15 -2O min

Jesus performed many miracles on earth.The question is whether they revealed any_thing about the character ofJesus to us, andwhethertherewere anypointtothe miracles.Below are some examples and references ofmiracles that Jesus performed. Split youryoung people into groups and assign a mira_cle to each group. Hand out some Bibles andask them to research their miracle passage:

Changing water into wine (John 2:1_tl);Healing of the royal official,s son (John4:46-54); Healing of the capernaum demo_niac (Mark t:2I-28, Luke 4:33-87); Catch_ing a large number of fish (Luke 5:3_tO);Healing a paralytic (Matthew 9:l_8, Mark2:1-12, Luke 5:18-26); Calming the stormysea (Matthew 8:28-27, Mark 4:85_41, LukL8:22-25); Healing a woman with internalbleeding (Matthew 9:20 -22, Mark E:25_54,Luke 8:43-48); Walking on water (Matthew14:22-33, Mark 6:45- 52, J ohn 6:t6 _2t).

Set the challenge of researching themiracle that took place. provide the youngpeople with some large paper and pens andask them to think about the following ques_tions:. Whathappenedintheevent?. Whywasitamiracle?. Whywasthiseventimportant?. What does this tell us about the charac_

ter ofJesus?. How did people respond (if recorded) to

the miracle?Have_some time feeding back each storyand the research to the rest of the group.Encourage discussion about the questionscovered after each group has completedtheir presentation. If you have an activegroup, encourage them to create a smalldrama sketch on the.miracle to perform tothe rest ofthe group.

JESUS - RADTCAI OR WIMP?lO mins

indication of what Jesus did and in whatorder. Is there any significance to order ofwhich He did things? Which of the eventsdo your young people think is most impor_tant? You may need to discuss some of theevents chosen, but encourage some peerteaching amongst young people. This canlead to an excellent discussion.

If Jesus was the real deal why did He allowhimself to be mocked, tortured and killed- does this mean that He wasn,t really aperson worth following? How can we tellpeople about Jesus dying for us in way thatshows the huge sacrifice involved?

Maximillian Kolbe was a Catholic priestwho gave his life for another in a Germanconcentration camp. He took the place ofanother man and allowed himself to be

starved, tortured, and ultimately killed bylethal injection. Read out his story and thatof other martyrs at www.youthwork/tinksor.Saints and Martyrs, p.Bl and ask for theirresponse. Some questions to get discussionsgoing could include:. Do we feel our faith is strong enough to

make a stand against something?. Are we motivated by our faith and love

to act in ourworld?. Are there situations where we would not

want to talk about our faith?. So why would Jesus dying for us mean

anything?Have a look at the following scriptures tosee what the Bible says about the issue:Luke l7:5-lo, Matt. 28:16-20, Luke 4:18_19,Luke 12:48.

REFTECTION5-lO mins

Sometimes we get the impression thatJesus's every decisionwas easy and that HisIife was one almost detatched from humanemotions. To finish this session off look atMatthew 4 and Jesus, 40 days and nightsin the desert. Start by taking everyonethrough the story and outlining the maineVents that took place. you maywant to askthese questions in a discussion format orplay some music and have these questionsvisible for your young people to see:. Whywould Jesus choose to isolate Him_

selfand go offinto the desert alone?. Faced'yfith the temptation He received,would you have given in to any of them?. Howdid Jesus respond in His time alone- how does this contrast when you arealone?

, Howdid Jesus's timealonechange Him?Do we need to find time to be along withGod?

, Based on everything that has been cov_ered today, who is the real Jesus?

NOTES FOR ADAPTING

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS...

You may want to add a few more games andavoid the Maximillan Kolbe story iiinappropriate

FOR OI-DER GROUPS..,

Expand the discussions and go deeper intoJesus'actions and miracles. Encourage goodresearch and presentations.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE.,.Focus more on what Jesus did in the timelinesection. You may want to give a brief introduc_tion to just who on earth Jesus is.

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE,..You may want to include some a more detailedlook at Jesus' death and resurrection.

TOM WADEis a philosophy teacher in Harpenden.

www.youthwork.co.uk 27

Mad Bad or God

The idea of this is that three people are stood in three separate areas of the room. Each

person has one set of cards (in order) Ask the rest group to individually move to their

preferred choice, each time you read out one of the groups.

Card set

Group 1 2 3

Hair blonde brunette ginger

Eyes blue green brown

Drink tea coffee hot choc

Sweets skittles starburst minstrels

Holidays Easter Christmas Birthday

fizzy Coke Pepsi 7up

Place London New York Paris

Season winter summer neither

Lifestyle healthy wealthy dead

Listen: Life is about choices but there is one choice I want us to focus on today that I

believe affects our life. Our choice on who Jesus is. Is he who he says he is?

The bible tells us that one day we are going to meet him, and on that day the answer to

that question will be set in stone, and what we believed in this life, will count!

Watch: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Quick summary

This clip shows a ‘groomer’ preparing street children for business and can be used to

show an example of a manipulative leader.

Equipment / resources needed

A copy of the film Slumdog Millionaire, Celador Films Ltd and Channel 4 Television

Corporation, 2009. Certificate 15.

Start of clip: Chapter 8: 0:23:11

End of clip: Chapter 9: 0:25:33

Projector and screen (or a TV) and a DVD player.

Some people believe that Jesus was like this, that he deliberately deceived people about

who he was and simply told them what they wanted to hear. (actually there was a lot of

stuff He said which they wouldn’t have wanted to hear!

Game: Stand up if you think Jesus said this about himself I am the sandwich, you can get me from every good corner shop (No but he did say ‘‘I am the bread of

life’ meaning he can satisfy our spiritual hunger, John 6:35) ‘If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed’ (John 8:36)

‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12)

‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (he will overcome death and give us eternal life, John 11:25)

‘I am the way, truth and the life’ (we get to God through him, John 14:6)

‘If you have seen me, you have seen God’ (John 14:9)

I’m a bit like Buddha and Mohammed, we all hang together. (no)

Talk:

Jesus also made some pretty big claims that show he thought he was God:

He claimed that he could forgive sin – in Mark 2:5 he said to someone, ‘Your sins

are forgiven.’ People knew that only God could forgive sin. It was this sort of

comment that annoyed the religious types and led to Jesus being killed

He claimed to be the one who would judge the world (Matthew 25:31-32, 40, 45)

He claimed to be the Messiah (Mark 14:61-62)

He claimed to be Son of God (Mark 14:61)

There’s the story of Jesus appearing to ‘doubting Thomas’ after his resurrection

(John 20), and Thomas says, ‘My Lord and my God’, and Jesus basically says,

‘Yeah, that’s me’

But of course it is possible that Jesus’ claims were wrong

There are three logical options:

Jesus wasn’t God, and knew he wasn’t, so he was lying: he was a fraudster, an evil,

deceptive person (BAD)

Jesus wasn’t God but thought he was: he was genuine, but deluded – insane (MAD)

Jesus was telling the truth: he is GOD!

what do you think? Was he bad, mad, or God?

Play choices game from beginning: was Jesus mad bad or God

It’s Unlikely...

Jesus’ teaching supports his claims – ‘Love thy neighbour’, ‘Love your enemies’, etc, is

generally accepted as the best teaching ever, and no one has ever spoken any wiser

words since

His life and works support his claims - Imagine going with Jesus to a

party (he turns the tap water into wine!)

picnic (five loaves and two fish become a feast for thousands!)

hospital (the sick and lame get up and go home!)

funeral (the dead man gets out of his coffin and walks out!)

His character supports his claims:

Living for others, a selfless life

Courageous – dying for others

So perfect, his enemies couldn’t find anything to convict him of

His fulfilment of prophecy supports his claims:

He fulfilled 300 Old Testament prophecies – 29 in a single day!

Could he have made some of these happen so it looked like he was the promised

Messiah? Maybe – but only if he could have planned his birth, birthplace, mother,

death and burial with perfect accuracy … no easy feat!

His resurrection from the dead supports his claims:

If true, it is proof he is God. The physical resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of

Christianity

who moved the stone Or download the script for the case of the vanishing corpse

1. He did not die, he was unconscious when buried

2. Grave Robbers stole the body

3. Religious leaders stole the body

4. The Roman authorities stole the body

5. The Disciples stole the body

6. ?

How was he crucified?

He had been whipped with the Scourge so his back was raw, he’d also been beaten

around the head, it looked as though his beard had been pulled out and a crown of

thorns had been shoved down onto his head. He looked a mess. He was so weak that on

the way to the execution sight we had to get another man to carry his cross piece, while

he stumbled on ahead.

He was offered the usual wine mixed with myrrh to deaden the pain but he refused it. He

was stripped and stretched out on the crossbeam and then nailed to it through either

wrist. The cross beam was then hauled into position and then a nail was driven through

the ankles. This was at 9 o’clock in the morning. It was then a question of waiting,

through the hottest part of the day. About midday it suddenly got dark and there was an

earthquake. The darkness lasted about three hours. At about 3 o’clock he cried out in a

loud voice and died. For a centurion to fail to execute prisoners was more than their life’s

worth. Often to insure a hasty death they broke the prisoner’s legs, but that wasn’t done

to Jesus because he was already dead. To make absolutely sure one of the guards thrust

a spear right into his side. The water and blood that flowed out showed that he was

dead!

This prisoner was like no other they usually cursed and struggled but he didn’t. In fact

he called out to GOD asking him to forgive the people for what they were doing. Some of

the religious leaders who were there mocked him and told him to come down off the

cross if he really was the son of GOD. Later he asked someone to take care of his

mother. He was in agony but he thought about others. What a man! I

HE WAS DEFINATLY DEAD!

Why set a guard over a dead body?

Why indeed? The religious people were worried that his followers would steal the body

and claim that he had risen because Jesus had claimed he would only be dead 3 days.

They asked the governor himself for a body guard. Roman soldiers, were the best and so

the best deterrent. A large stone covered the entrance, sealed with a Temple seal,

making it all official.

It certainly couldn’t be the religious leaders who touched the corpse. If THEY had the

body, we could show the body to everyone and prove that Jesus is dead!

Did the guard fall asleep? The penalty for falling asleep on duty is a flogging and

dismissal at the very least if not an execution and yet there is no record of this

happening.

Other questions you could ask…

GRAVE ROBBERS: Why leave grave clothes as if he’d slipped through them, and the

head cloth was neatly folded up and lying in a different spot. why would anyone steal a

corpse and unwrap the body before taking it, particularly one that was so battered. Who

would want to steal it?

FOLLOWERS: Why make up that a bunch of women as the first to see Jesus, the first

witnesses of Christ’s resurrection when a woman’s testimony was of no value in a civil or

religious court.

4 quick bits of evidence before we finish:

Jesus’ body wasn’t in the tomb

o Did his followers take it? No, they all died for Jesus; would they have died

for a lie?

o Did the authorities take it? No, as they could have simply shown his body

to stop rumours about Jesus rising again (think how quick the Iraqi

authorities were to prove that they had executed Saddam Hussein by

showing his body)

o Did thieves steal it? No, because all that was left in the tomb were Jesus’

grave clothes (the most valuable item, and the only thing graverobbers

wanted in those times)

Jesus’ presence with the disciples

o In the Bible he appeared eleven times after his resurrection, once to over

500 people. It’s hard for 500 people to have the same hallucination at the

same time!

The immediate impact afterwards

o When Jesus died, the disciples were scared and went into hiding. Their

leader, who they thought was going to fight the Roman authorities on their

behalf, had just died. Yet just days later, they were ready to change the

world!

Christian experience over last 2,000 years

o millions, even billions, have followed Christ over the years and have

experienced a So to sum up what I’ve talked about today:

Jesus is real. He is a real figure in history, he existed

o he claimed to be the Messiah – God’s son

o he died on the cross and rose again

o trusting Jesus is a step of faith – but there is proof to help us make that

step

AND WE CAN KNOW HIM…

1 The following is presented to Year 6 as the penultimate lesson/session in a series on the Life of Jesus (The Later Life and Passion of Jesus, Merton LAS)

L: Ladies and Gentlemen, we have brought you here this afternoon to put before you the Case of the Vanishing Corpse, what happened to Jesus of Nazareth? (Whiteboard: the possibilities)

1. He did not die, he was unconscious when buried 2. Grave Robbers stole the body 3. Religious leaders stole the body 4. The Roman authorities stole the body 5. The Disciples stole the body 6. ?

I am going to call a number of witnesses to find out what happened. What you will hear this afternoon is based on the eye witness accounts of the 1st 4 books of the New Testament. L: First we need to establish whether or not Jesus actually died. Call the Centurion on execution duty that day. L: Are you the Centurion who was on duty on the Friday of the feast of Passover? C: Yes, sir. There were three prisoners that day, 2 thieves and a political prisoner. L: It’s the political prisoner that we are concerned with. What condition was he in when he was handed over to you? C: He had been whipped with the Scourge so his back was raw, he’d also been beaten around the head, it looked as though his beard had been pulled out and a crown of thorns had been shoved down onto his head. He looked a mess. He was so weak that on the way to the execution sight we had to get another man to carry his cross piece, while he stumbled on ahead. L: How was he crucified? C: He was offered the usual wine mixed with myrrh to deaden the pain but he refused it. He was stripped and stretched out on the crossbeam and then nailed to it through either wrist. The cross beam was then hauled into position and then a nail was driven through the ankles. L: What time was this? C: 9 o’clock in the morning. It was then a question of waiting, through the hottest part of the day. About midday it suddenly got dark and there was an earthquake. It was eerie! The darkness lasted about three hours. At about 3 o’clock the prisoner cried out in a loud voice and died. L: Wasn’t it rather early for him to have died? I put it to you centurion that he was merely unconscious and in your hurry to get the job done, you failed to insure that the prisoner was in fact dead! The pressure was on because the site needed to be clear before the Jewish Sabbath started at sunset.

2

C: No sir! It’s more than my job is worth; in fact more than my life’s worth to fail to execute prisoners. I’ve supervised numerous crucifixions and to insure a hasty death we break the prisoner’s legs. L: Ahh! But that wasn’t done to Jesus, was it? C: No Sir, because he was already dead but to make absolutely sure one of the guards thrust a spear right into his side. The water and blood that flowed out showed that he was dead! L: You are absolutely sure? No minute doubt? C: Oh no I’m 100% certain. In fact Governor Pilate asked me the same question, when he sent for me to report to him. Sir, may I add something? L: Go on. C: This prisoner was like no other I’ve ever dealt with. They usually curse and struggle but he didn’t. In fact he called out to GOD asking him to forgive us for what we were doing. Some of the religious leaders who were there mocked him and told him to come down off the cross if he really was the son of GOD. Later he asked someone to take care of his mother. He was in agony but he thought about others. What a man! I can’t help thinking that it was all some dreadful mistake…… I mean he really was a very special person …… I wonder…? L: Thank you, Centurion. C: Oh, sir there was one more thing. L: Yes? C: Well as you know bodies of those who are crucified are thrown on the town dump with the rest of the rubbish but Mr. Arimathea, a prominent citizen of Jerusalem, asked the governor’s permission to bury him. I saw the permit myself! L: Thank you, Centurion you may step down now. L: Call Governor Pilate! L: You are Pontious Pilate, the Governor of Judea? P: I am. L: I understand that you ordered the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth? P: I handed him over, I tried to release him but he didn’t speak up for himself. If I didn’t know any better I’d say that he wanted to die! But that doesn’t make sense does it? My wife warned me to leave this case alone, have nothing to do with this man she said. I just can’t stop thinking about him…… L: Your Excellency?

3

P: Yes? Sorry……… L: You gave permission for the prisoner to be buried. P: Yes a local merchant came and asked permission. Well I was surprised that he was dead so soon so I sent for the Centurion in charge wanting to make sure that this Jesus was actually dead. I couldn’t have him claiming a miscarriage of justice or for that matter run the risk of having some of the Religious leaders on my back with their threats of writing to Caesar. The officer confirmed his death and so I gave permission for the burial to go ahead. I did try to release him…… L: Your Excellency? You granted permission and then…………? P: Uhm? Oh yes, no sooner had I given permission for the burial when a delegation of priests arrived demanding a guard to watch over the tomb! L: Why set a guard over a dead body? P: Why indeed? They had remembered something the prisoner had said about dying and rising from the dead on the third day. I ask you!? Well they were worried that his followers would steal the body and claim that he had risen!! I find these Jews difficult to govern so to keep them happy I sent a guard with orders to make the tomb as secure as possible. Anything for a quiet life ………! L: So as I understand it the tomb was sealed and a guard was left on watch? P: That’s right. I couldn’t do any more. He was dead and buried! L: Thank you, your Excellency! You may step down. P: (off muttering) I couldn’t find anything wrong with him. She warned me to have nothing to do with this man. L: It would be helpful at this stage in the investigation for you to see a picture of a tomb like the one in which the body of Jesus was placed. (Slide) L: The next witness would not be able to continue with his religious duties if we questioned him in this court. So we have recorded Rabbi Shimon’s account 4 days ago. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury if you could now watch the screen. Thank you. On DVD: L: This is a deposition taken four days before the investigation into the Case of the Vanishing Corpse. As a member of the Jewish priestly order this witness cannot be questioned in a Gentile court. To do so would make him ritually unclean and therefore unable to do his job in the Temple. L: You are Rabbi Shimon and I understand you work with Caiaphas the High Priest? RS: That is correct, sir!

4

L: I understand from my enquiries that you were part of the delegation that went to Governor Pilate? RS: Yes sir. You see we remembered something this Jesus claimed before he died. Quite impossible of course! He said he would in fact die and then 3 days later come back to life! Wishful thinking! But we thought his band of followers might steal the body and claim he had come back to life. We wanted to insure against such claims and so asked the governor himself for a body guard. Roman soldiers, as we all know are the best there are and so the best deterrent. We also had the large stone covering the entrance, sealed with the Temple seal, making it all official. L: You certainly went to a lot of trouble. So what happened? RS: Well the soldiers stood guard and at some point they err, must have fallen asleep. Whilst they were so err, occupied the followers of the dead man stole the body. L: You expect me and these good people here to believe that the soldiers realised who had stolen the body, while they were still ASLEEP? RS: Well someone did because the tomb was empty and (shuddering at the thought) it certainly wasn’t us who touched the corpse. If WE had the body, we could show the body to everyone and prove that Jesus is dead! NO! His followers MUST have done it, what other explanation is there? L: Thank you Rabbi Shimon. L: Call Private Marcus. L: You are Private Marcus of the Imperial Roman Army? PM: Yes, sir! L: You were part of the guard that was assigned to guard the tomb of the prisoner, Jesus of Nazareth? PM: Yes, Sir! L: Tell the court what happened during your watch. PM: (parrot fashion as if remembering lines) We kept watch over the tomb and then in the early hours of the morning we fell asleep. While we were sleeping the followers of the prisoner came and stole the body away, Sir! L: Do you usually sleep with your eyes open? PM: (puzzled) Sir? L: Oh come now, how do you know that it was Jesus’ followers that stole the body if you were all asleep? PM: Well mm, we, that is … it must have been them. I mean the body was gone! L: Does the Governor know that you fell asleep whilst on duty?

5

PM: Yes, er, no…… L: Come on, He either does or he doesn’t! PM: Yes sir, he does sir! L: But the penalty for falling asleep on duty is a flogging and dismissal at the very least if not an execution…… and yet I see you are still in the army..! PM: (muttering) Well sir, Pilate was told L: Speak up man, we can’t hear you! PM: Pilate was told, Sir! L: I don’t understand. PM: (conspiratorially) This is off the record? L: Yes PM: We were told to say that we fell asleep! L: Who by? PM: Some of the Priests. L: But why? PM: They were worried how it would look if we told the truth! L: So what actually happened that morning? PM: We were ordered to guard the tomb which contained the body of Jesus. Just before dawn we heard some women coming along the path when there was an earthquake and well, sir, have you ever seen a heavenly being? L: A what? PM: An angel, sir. Well that’s what we saw, a great man in shinning robes. He came and rolled that stone away from the entrance of the tomb, without any effort at all! Then he sat down on it. This angel being was awesome, my mates and I were scared stiff and we’ve seen some pretty hairy things in our time, but nothing like this. We couldn’t move. We could only stare. L: What about the women, did they see this man? PM: Sure and we knew they were scared ‘cos the angel told them not to be afraid. He said he knew they were looking for Jesus but that he was not there but had come back to life! Well, you can just imagine the shock. I mean we were supposed to be guarding a corpse and this angel said he had come back to life again!

6

L: So what did you do? PM: Well some of the men stayed behind to stand guard over the empty tomb, whilst the rest of us went to the Temple to report to the priests. We told them everything and they were shocked I can tell you. They made us wait outside while they called an emergency meeting. They called us back and told us to spread the story that we’d fallen asleep and that his followers had stolen the body while we were sleeping! But we’re not that stupid, even when they gave us each a large sum of money, we weren’t keen. So I spoke up for all of us when I asked if they would see us right by Pilate. I mean we wanted to live to enjoy the bribe…er money. They agreed to inform Pilate of their plan and we agreed to spread the story of the tomb robbers! L: Anything more to add? PM: No, Sir though I’d love to know if he really is alive! L: Thank you, Private Marcus! L: Call Mary of Magdala to the stand. L: You are Mary of Magdala? MM: I am L: You knew the man, Jesus of Nazareth? MM: Yes I know him. L: Could you please tell us what happened that first day of the week. MM: We were all stunned, shattered and frightened because our teacher and master, Jesus, was dead. I couldn’t sleep. Mary, Joanna and I had decided to pay our last respects to the Master. You see he’d been buried in a hurry so we weren’t able to anoint his body. L: (in a patronising tone) Ah, yes it must have come as a great shock, very distressing, all your hopes dashed… So it’s possible that the tomb you saw was the wrong one. One that hadn’t been used and was therefore lying open? MM: Oh no, sir, we were watching when they buried him on that awful Friday. We wanted to return and embalm his poor broken body. But we had a problem. L: Yes? MM: Who was going to move the stone that was blocking the entrance? But we needn’t have worried because there was an earthquake and the stone had been rolled back. We peered inside and realised with a shock that the body had disappeared! L: Vanished?

7

MM: Yes that was the peculiar thing, his grave clothes were in the same place, it was as if he’d slipped through them. Although the head cloth was neatly folded up and lying in a different spot. As you can imagine we were shocked. So we ran back into the city to tell Peter and John. They didn’t believe us! Typical men assumed we were overwrought and hysterical. So they decided to look for themselves. I followed them. L: So that’s it! The tomb was empty? MM: Oh no Sir! By the time I arrived for the second time, Peter and John had left. I was exhausted and too upset. Where was the body? I was convinced someone had taken the body. Anyway I decided to look inside again and well, (leaning towards the lawyer) do you believe in angels? L: (taken aback) Go on. MM: Well there inside the tomb sat two angels. They asked me why I was crying. So I told them. I turned round and saw someone and thought it was the gardener. He asked me why I was crying. So I explained once more and asked if he knew anything about the body and who had taken it. Imagine my surprise when he called me by name and... well then I knew! L: Knew what exactly? MM: Why it was Jesus of course! L: (patronisingly) Given the traumatic events you’d witnessed surely you were hallucinating, seeing what you wanted to see? MM: Oh come Sir, I wasn’t looking for Jesus; I was looking for his corpse. Why would I suddenly imagine him alive? Isn’t it wonderful, Sir He’s Alive! L: Yes, well…thank you Mary... you may step down. L: Call Peter, the Fisherman from Galilee. L: You are Peter, previously known as Simon bar Jonah and former disciple of Jesus? P: I am Peter and I am a disciple of Jesus. L: I put it to you that you’ve made all of this up, you and this bunch of followers; you’re trying to convince everyone and yourselves that he really did come back to life. P: (laughing) L: Peter! I’ll have you for contempt of court! P: Sorry sir but do you honestly think we’d have a bunch of women as the first to see Jesus, the first witnesses of Christ’s resurrection? You must know that a woman’s testimony is of no value in a civil or religious court.

8

L: True, so what did happen that morning? P: Well we’d had an awful time. Our leader and teacher was dead. For all my bragging, I’d denied him. When it came to the crunch I was scared to be associated with him. Crucifixion is a terrible way to die. I felt rotten and had done all week-end. Then a bunch of hysterical women come and wake us up with tales of earthquakes and stolen bodies. John and I eventually realised that they were telling us that Jesus tomb was empty. So we went to look for ourselves. Like I said, a woman’s evidence is not as trustworthy. John got to the tomb before me and was peering in. I rushed in and sure enough the tomb was empty, well not quite! L: Oh? P: The burial clothes had been left behind. Now why would anyone steal a corpse and unwrap the body before taking it, particularly one that was so battered. Who would want to steal it? We went back to the home we’d been staying in and were still puzzling over the mystery when Mary came bursting in full of excitement saying she’d seen the LORD. We thought she’d finally cracked. The last 48 hours had put us all under a tremendous strain. Later that day Cleopas came banging on the door telling us that he’d seen the LORD. We still weren’t convinced; we put it down to the heat of the day and thought that the trauma of the past few days had finally taken its toll. By this time all of us had gathered except Thomas. We’d locked ourselves in because we were worried that the authorities would now come after us. All of a sudden Jesus was there in the room with us. His first words were Peace be with you! We were terrified thinking we were seeing a ghost. He encouraged us to touch him and see for ourselves that he was flesh and blood. He even asked us for something to eat. So Mary and Cleopas weren’t deluded. Jesus is alive! L: Peter, are you sure you weren’t all hallucinating? P: With all due respect sir, you can only hallucinate something you believe can happen or want to happen. L: My point exactly! P: But we were all so devastated over Jesus’ death that we didn’t believe; I mean whoever heard of someone coming back to life? For us the empty tomb meant that someone had taken the LORD’s body. So we didn’t believe Mary or Cleopas when they told us that not only had they seen the LORD but had also spoken with him! But now we’ve seen and spoken with him ourselves. Jesus died and now he is ALIVE! Isn’t that amazing? L: Yes, well thank you Peter, you may step down now. L: Call Thomas Didymus. L: You are Thomas Didymus, a former follower of Jesus of Nazareth? TD: I am Thomas Didymus and I am a follower of Jesus. L: You are by reputation a sceptic, I believe? TD: Well if you mean I’m not gullible, then yes. I like to see things with my own eyes, investigate for myself.

9

L: So what happened the Sunday of Passover? TD: Well we were all scared stiff, our leader, the one we thought was the Messiah, GOD’s promised one, had been publicly executed. In fact he was betrayed by one of us. L: (looking at notes) That would be Judas Iscariot? TD: Yes. I still can’t believe he could sell the LORD for 30 pieces of silver though I hear he tried to make amends, telling the Priests that he’d made a terrible mistake. Anyway we were all worried that as close friends of Jesus we would be the next to be arrested so we met in secret, behind locked doors. By Sunday I’d had enough and decided to find out what was happening. When I eventually got back that night the others were all full of excitement, I couldn’t understand it, they were like a completely different bunch to the ones I’d left! They explained that they’d seen Jesus, that he’d been with them. It was then that I realised the full extent of the enormous strain we’d all been under. All this meeting behind locked doors, watching our backs, jumping at any sound, they’d all lost it! L: Quite TD: I told them all there and then that I wouldn’t believe unless I could actually put my finger into his nail prints. Not me- no visions for me. Flesh and blood, hard proof! L: So you’re still a doubter, thinking the rest are deluded? TD: Oh no, sir. I’m certain that Jesus rose from the dead. You see he came again a week later. We were altogether this time and he simply appeared right there and turned to me and told me to put my fingers in his wounds. I was shocked. I just couldn’t believe it at first. It just isn’t natural but it was true, he was there, living proof that death had been conquered. I... I was ashamed and fell down at his feet ‘cos I finally realised who he was! L: You mean you realised it was Jesus? TD: Yes but more than that, he really is the chosen one…… in fact he is GOD! Jesus then told us there would be many more who would believe in him even though they haven’t seen him. So you see sir, I’m no longer a sceptic but a Believer! L: Thank you, Thomas you may step down. CofC: That’s all the witnesses your honour. L: So, Ladies and Gentlemen it’s over to you. What do you think happened to Jesus of Nazareth?

The children are then sent to their jury rooms where they then discuss the evidence and decide which of the 6 options they agree with. They choose a foreman explain their decision back in the courtroom. A good idea to get the teachers to take them for this then we cannot be accused of influencing the children’s decision.

10

Good to insure that all actors know to state “some of the religious leaders” rather than “the religious leaders” and thus avoid sweeping statements. Based on: The original Eye Witness Accounts: The Gospels The Case of the Vanishing Corpse Kel Richards. Who moved the Stone? Frank Morison The Easter Enigma John Wenham

Ii

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 1

at thousands of funerals because it sumsup a universal feeling: it isn't over; there'smore, in a realm where 'I don't belong';something precious continues. Clapton'sbeliefs were vague but certain. Belief in lifeafter death is almost universal throughouthuman societies. That's natural.

We see growing humans develop intosomething special, unique and precious(produce the handkerchief from your rightpocket, which most people wiII assume tobe the one they've already seen!) and thennature simply smashes it up (take the ham-mer and hit the handkerchiefviolently, pro-ducing an iPhone-smashing noise!). As thegroup gasps in horror, say: surely it makesmore sense to believe that if nature worksconstantly to produce unique complexbeings, it doesn't just discard them. Perhapsthey're somewhere else (produce the otherhandkerchief and unwrap your iPhone).

Produce your two laptops. PIay the DVDon the older one, then demonstrate how dif-ferently it performs on sophisticated equip-ment. Say: physicist Douglas Hofstadtersuggested our minds and consciousnessmay be 'software' which normally runs onthe 'hardware' of our body's brain - butperhaps could run equallywell, maybe bet-ter, on different hardware. And that's whatthe Bible claims will happen to us (read outI Corinthians I 5:42- 44).

KEYPOINTIIt isn't natural or probable to assume thatour physical reality is the full story.

CAN'T GET NO SATISFACTION1O minsNow go back into small groups and do a

mini-Bible study.l. Read Ecclesiastes 3:14-17. The world is

full of oppression and injustice. Howwill justice finally come?

2. Ecclesiastes 3:1O-lI: what unsatisfiedlonging does God put in people's hearts?

3. Ecclesiastes 6:7: what sorts of feelingsand desires are 'never satisfied' in life?Check answers; Sum up: humans have a

fierce desire to see justice done and wrongrighted - yet it rarely happens here. Some-thing in us looks forward to justice beyondearthly existence. And we feel'eternal', as ifwe could go on for ever - yet we don't. Life iscruellyshortfor allwe hope and dream of. Weall knowthe experience C S Lewis described.Read the quotation from Mere Christianity,available at www.youthwork.co.uk/links.

TOUR GUIDE TRIALS8 minsGet your three 'holiday destination' leadersto give their description. Ask: which wouldmake the best tour guide?Whose judgmentwould you trust most? Answer: the onewho'sbeenthere. Say: the reasonwe believein life after death, ultimately, is becauseone man has been there already. Sketch out

the evidence for the resurrection.

TRUST ME I'M HONEST8 minsPlay a 'Call. my bluff'-type game in whichthree people explain the meaning of aword,but two are lying, and others have tovote forthe correct answer. PIay three rounds, withthe same person giving the correct answereach time. In round three most people willvote for that person! Say: you began to votefor the person you knew you could trust.You judged by past performance.

Similarly, we trust Jesus when he tellsus about Iife after death (read John ll:25-26) because of our Christian experienceso far. If he hasn't ever let us down yet, hewon't on this big issue either! His trackrecord inspires our confidence!

KEYPOINT2The unsatisfied promptings inside us, andthe imp4ct of Jesus - both in history andour experience - point strongly towardsIife beyond death.

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?8 ninsPlayBrooke Fraser's'C S Lewis song'(www.youthwork.co.ukflinks) which is based onthe quotation you've already featured. Thenslowlyread the secondpart ofthe quotation:

'If that is so, I must take care, on theone hand, never to despise, or be unthank-ful for, these earthly blessings, and on theother, never to mistake them for the some-thing else ofwhich they are only a copy, orecho, or mirage. I must keep alive in myselfthe desire for mytrue country, which I shallnot find tiII after death; I must never let itget snowed under or turned aside; I mustmake it the main objective of life to presson to that other country and to help othersdo the same.' Pray together to close.

NOTES FOR ADAPTING

FOR YOUNGER GROUPS...

Use the clip al www.youthwork.co.uk/linksas an alternative starter.

FOR OLDER GROUPS...

Spend longer on the wrap-up. Get them tothink about what Lewis's suggestions mightimply for them personally.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE...

You might need to quote more of Jesus'promises about eternal life. Ensure they un-derstand clearly what Christian hope truly is.

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPIE...

Don't be diverted into a full-scale discussionof the occult in '.lnadmissible evidence'. lfnecessary, promise to tackle the subject inmore depth some other time!

NATE MORGAN LOCKEis a youth leader at All Souls Clubhouse Londonand Youth Evangelist at Christianity Explored.

LIFE AFTERDEATH

g meerrruo atuTo explore why it's possible to believe in lifeafter death.

O pRepaRanonFind two laptops (one elderly, one brand new)plus a DVD which will run on both. .. Get thesong'Tears in Heaven';two identical hand-kerchiefs;washers, bolts and small bits ofglass and metal; a hammer; and an iPhone ormp3 player. Wrap the metal and glass bits inone handkerchief and put in your right pocket.Find a leader who has been to an exotic holi-day destination, and ask him to be preparedto talk about his experience of the place forjust one minute. Find two other people whohaven't been there; ask them to read a littleabout it, and talk for a minute on the subject.Find three people for'Call My Bluff'.

INTRODUCTION6 mins

Get them brainstorming a personal list of'Six things I must do before I die'. Compareresults; ask: how much of this wiII we reallyachieve? One lifetime often seems terriblyshort, which is why humans are constantlyfascinated with immortality. Is there lifeafter death? How canwe know?

INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCElO minsDivide into three groups; give each oneof the statements below. Ask them to dis-cuss: does this experience prove anything?Could there be other explanations?

'When hypnotised, an uneducated manstarts ta-lking as if he is a fifteenth centuryprofessor of logic. He gets all the technicalterms and historical details right. Did he

|ive before - in the fifteenth century?''Three weeks after my uncle's funeral,

I saw him clearly, standing by my bed onenight. Now I know he still survives.'

'Over the years, many people haveglimpsed Sir Roger's ghost walking the cor-ridors. It proves there is life after death.'

After a few minutes, share results. Listalternative explanations - e.g. coincidence,exaggeration, wishful thinking, faking,'cryptomnesia' (absorbing informationunconsciously), even demonic deception.Say: this kind of evidence really provesnothing. Christian belief in life after deathisn't based on this.

HARDWARE, SOFTWARElO minsProduce your iPhone; wrap it carefully inthe remaining handkerchief; put it in yourleft pocket. Play 'Tears in Heaven' andexplain the song's meaning. Say: it's played

24 www.youthwork.co.uk

RESOURCES

ADAPTABLE MEETING GUIDE 3

EEFoa;you srfii\g meettHe arna

To analyse how we can be absolutely certainof our Christian faith, and rely confidently onJesus' reality.

O PREPARATIoNYou'll need a typist chair that can spin roundin a full circle, a blindfold, and if desired acopy of the Robert Persinger video fromwww.youthwork.co. u k/ I i n ks. Prepare asimple magic trick and ask a good maths stu-dent to learn how to demonstrate that 1:0(guides for both at www.youthwork.co. u kl/rnks) Persuade a leader to dress up outland-ishly and burst into the room as describedin 'What happens in others'. Prime a groupmember to act as your'winner' in 'What hap-pens outside'.

PROVE ITSminsDivide into small groups. Ask them to placethese statements in order of probabil-ity: Australia exists; Andy Murray will winWimbledon; Cabbage is good for you; JustinBieber is a famous athlete; Aliens will invadenext week. Take feedback. Ask: how did youdecide? What principles determine what'strue, false, improbable?

Ask them to state what is wrong with thefollowing: 'I know that David Cameron islunatic, I just feel it inside.'/'Black people areinferior. I was brought up in that belief andit's never let me down.'/'There is life on Mars.It's just somethingyouknow.'/'When I go to amatch, and the crowd starts chanting, some-thing comes over me and I just know thatScunthorpe are the world's greatest team.'/'Iknow things disappear in the Bermuda Tri-angle. I read abook about it once.'/'John Len-non is still alive because I feel his presenceinside me.'

Have you ever heard Christians say: 'IknowJesus is real, I just feel it inside.'/'God isgood. I was brought up in that belief and it'snever let me down.'/'There is a God in heaven.It's just something you know.'/'When I go tochurch, and I get caught up in the worship,something comes over me and I just knowthat Jesus is Lord.'/'I know Jesus rose. I reada book about it once.'/'Christ is still alivebecause I feel his presence inside me'?

We need better reasons to convince theworld (and ourselves) that Christian experi-ence is real!

FOOLED BY FEELINGS8 minsSay: you can't rely on 'how you feel inside'. Ablindfolded volunteer sits on the typist chairand somebodyelse spins him round gentlyat aregularspeed.Askthevolunteerto announce

26 ww.youthwork.co,uk

when the chair is slowing down or stopping.After a few seconds he will announce it'sslowed - although it's still moving at the samespeed - and shortly after, that it has stopped.You can't trust your senses! (See alternativeactivity at www.youthwork.co.uk/inks). Inboth examples, because you can't see the trueexternal data, you're fooling yourself.

THE GOD HELMET8 mins

Show the Persinger video, explaining that hebelieves religious experience is just a func-tion of the brain. Then discuss: (f) Is thiswhat 'religious experience' is really like? DoChristians have experiences like this all thetime? (2) Even if this is where the experiencebegins physically, does this mean it isnlt real?If you could find a brain area that produces'love', would that mean all love was an illu-sion? (3) Vilayanur Ramachandran, apioneerphysicist doing similar research, believesthese areas ofthebrainmaybethe'antennae'God has planted within us to help us sense hisreality. Could he be right?

KEYPOINTTYou can't base your faith on feelings - andyou can't demolish God's reality by neuro-science. You need solid reasons forbelieving,ordisbelieving.

,EWSANDGREEKS8minsAsk: what's the difference between Christi-anity and other faiths? Read I Cor I;22-23:it's based on a relationship with a person, not'signs' or'wisdom'. Performyour magic trick.Ask: does that prove I have superpowers?Are'signs'and miracles enough? Get your math-ematician to prove that 1=0. Ask: are you con-vinced? So why isn't'wisdorni enough? Sumup: we don't rely on specific miracles (e.g.

answers to prayer) or clever argument (e.g.

logical proofs of God) but an ongoing rela-tionship with somebody real. It affects us inthreeways...

WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE6minsGive each group some ofthese verses: Philip-pians 4:7, Romans 8:5, Romans 8:16, Galatians5:22-23, John 15:16, I Petei I:8, John 13:35, 2

Corinthians 3:18. Ask: what difference does

knowing Jesus make, internally?

WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE6minsSay: but we could still be fooling ourselves.Love, power, peace could all be a psycho-Iogical delusion! Does God have any impacton life outside our heads? Ask three volun-teers to compete in a brief quiz, with reallydifficult questions. One gets every answerright (because yorive secretly given her theanswers beforehand!). Very soon people willsuspect something's wrong - why? Too manycoincidences! Similarly, Christians rely on

Godt answering prayer, shaping our lives,doing amazing things we can't just imagineinside our heads. Archbishop William Tem-ple said:'When I pray, coincidences happen.When I don t, theydon't.'

WHAT HAPPENS IN OTHERS6minsTurn round andpretend to get something outofyour bag. As you dq your dressed-up adult(see 'Preparationi above) runs silently acrossthe room waving his arms and making faces.When you turn around he's gone; ask thegroup what they're laughing at, and refuse tobelieve any such thing happened. Let themtry to convince you for a few minutes.

Then say: why are you so sure? Becauseeveryone (except me) had the same experi-ence. Similarly, if one person claimed to knowJesus, it might be a delusion. When millionsmake the same claim, over centuries, it mightjust be true!

KEYPOINT2Certainty isn't based on one isolated experi-ence or argument, but on a continuing rela-tionship with Jesus.

@WRAP-UPg mins

Ask people to think, in a moment of silence,why they believe (if they do). Parental pres-sure? Habit? Emotional experiences? Ora continual experience of following Jesuswhichworks on all three levels? Praytogeth-er that God will help you discover and trusthis reality more every day.

NOTES FOR ADAPTING

FORYOUI{GER GROUPS.,,

The 'God helmet' segment may be too dif-ficult; if so, omit. Spend more time on 'Fooledby your feelings'.

FOR OTDER GROUPS...

Spend some time discussing why peoplesometimes give up their faith. They probablyknow some ex-Christians ... if only 'celebs'like Jimmy Carr, Jonathan Edwards, BritneySpears, Derren Brown. Throw in 2 Pet 1:5-9,2Tim 4:1O, Luke 8:5-7 as appropriate.

FOR UNCHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE..,

After'Jews and Greeks', a real-life personalstory could be powerful. Tell your guest whatpoinis you'll be making so that they tell theirstory appropriately.

FOR CHURCHED YOUNG PEOPLE,..

ask them to consider their experience of churchlife. Can they see what you're examining, goodand bad, in Christians they know? (Careful:don't veer into gossiping about individuals!)

JOHN ATLANis the chaplain at Exeter school and a regularcontributor to Youthwork.

KNOWING FORSURE

SIGH NOMORE(2009, lsland Records)

ARTIST:Mumford and Sons

SYNOPSIS:A long-standing top 40 favourite from aunique band.'Little Lion Man' containsoffensive language, but most tracks offerglimmers of Biblical truth.

Ready-to-Use Music takes one albumand breaks it down to provide threesession outlines. Track to dissectworks well within a youth group dis-cussion session and provides youngpeople with the opportunity to examinethe lyrics of some of the music theyare listening to withrn a Brblical con-text, Track to reflect suggests waysof using music as a tool for worshipor personal reflection; such as in aservice or an act of worship. Track toact provides a trigger to motivate youryoung people into action.

RESOURCES

READY.TO-USE MUSIC

ALBUM:TRACKTO DISSECT: (12) After the StormLength:4 mins 8 secsThis session can be used in response to a

tragedy or at a more regular session explor-ing issues associated with life after death.Read Revelation2I:4-S;22:5, and ask: Whatdoes it mean for God's Kingdom to come?

Explain to your young people that dur-ingtimes of grief theymayfeel hopeless, butthat God promises us a brighter future. playthe trackand light acandle to aidyouryoungpeople's reflections. Allow time to discussany of the lyrics that your young people canrelate to at this time and allow time to fol-lowup with individuals as needed.

TRACKTO REFLECT: (a) Roil Away yourStoneLength:4 mins 24 secsAsk your group to consider if they everdesire a fresh start. Provide some art mate-rials and invite your young people to createa picture that represents that idea of start-ing again. Photograph or scan the images tocreate a digital presentation, interspersedwith images of an empty tomb.

Show the presentation as you play thetrack, allowing your young people time toreflect on what it means to receive a fresh

start, and what 'grace' actually is. As youryoung people leave the venue, invite themto wash their hands as a demonstration ofthe fresh start they have received.

TRACK TO AGT: (10) Awake My SoulLength:4 mins t6 secsThis session is designed to empower youngpeople to question their life priorities, pro-tecting their soul and enabling them to livelife as God intended.

Play the track. Ask what they think'Where you investyour love, you investyourlife' means. Can they think of any exampleswhere someone has invested their life forgood or for bad?

Read Psalm 25. Ask: what does it meanto lift up our soul before God? How doesthis compare with the line, 'awake my soulfor you were made to meet your maker'? Setyour young people the challenge ofwritinga modern day version of Psalm 25. Whatwould the enemies to the soul be nowa-days? How would God protect your soul?Take feedback before you close.

BECKY COSTERis Children's and Youth ministry co-ordinatorat Cotton End Baptist Church, Bedfordshireand Chair of Hope in Bedfordshire.

RESOURCES

READY-TO.USE STORYBOARD

FOR DTSCUSSTON

:,t-'i r :---tool comblnrng textrtDw ruD(rr'r[r-rr:heaoy-f,o-usestoryboardlsaninnovativerrewcliscuSsioritdofEoHEmifrETdftwith distinctive and engaging visuals. Download the hi-res image from wwwyo uthwork.co.uk einks- then print or display it to aid a conversation about faith with young people. A few suggested ques-tions areprovidedbelowtogetyou started,but make sure you adaptthlm foryourown context!

ffi4

r) what are some of the scientific arguments used to disprove the existence of God?2) How does the Cheese Robot illustrate the shortcomings ofscientific arguments against God?3) What does it mean for you to .taste God'? (See psalm 34:8). JASON RAMASAMI

is an illustrator and RE teacher

OTHER RESOURCES

This will be added to, please let us know your suggestions

Aftershock by Adrian Holloway (speak to Lou for 10% off)

Explaining Evil by Andrew Wilson (mobilise main session 1 2009)

http://www.newfrontierstogether.org/Groups/102523/Newfrontiers/Resources/Talks_and_Preache

s/Select_Event/Mobilise_09/Main_Sessions.aspx

A personal account of suffering by PJ Smyth

http://www.newfrontierstogether.org/Groups/174932/Newfrontiers/Resources/Talks_and_Preache

s/Select_Event/Leadership_International_11/Videos.aspx