Summer Kickoff

Hey everyone,

 

This summer we want to us as a group to spend time learning how to process through and discuss social issues together and how to learn to view the hot topics of our day through the lens of the Bible and Christian community.  To do that we want to encourage you to take part in a 6 week Bible study where you will study scripture and meet regularly with a small group to really learn how to submit your studies as a grad student to the Lord.  We also want to encourage you to join us as we go through both a small series of books and movies that we hope will help you learn to address specific issues that may come up in your walk with the Lord as an academic.

To kick things off this summer, we are going to watch the movie Expelled and discuss our thoughts over snacks.  We will meet at ______'s place... on Friday, June 5^th at 7pm.  We will also take some time and discuss other plans for the summer, such as planning a camping trip.  I hope you all can come!

________

Yeah!!!  That's the latest announcement for the GradCru group.  Boy, this is going to be fun!  I'm going to come up with a way to introduce this that ties in with Christ.  Oh yeah!  I got it!  Science is all about giving innovators their due.  How is it, then, that the first innovator -- Christ -- isn't acknowledged for what He's done?  I'll share some Scripture that describes Christ as Creator, and a passage that shows that one of the signs of the end is that people will reject His role as Creator. 

At the end, I'll have a sheet with some discussion questions.  For example,
1) What does "Jesus is Creator" mean?
2) Is Jesus the Creator? 
3) If Jesus was not the Creator, how would that change your worldview? (i. e. Should Christians care about evolution?)
4) Where do you stand on this issue?
5) What are some ways that Christians view evolution?
6) What are some ways that non-Christians view evolution?
7) What questions did this movie raise for you?

I need to watch this film and make a list of the key players.  Putting that on a sheet and handing it out should make the discussion a little easier!  I can also hand out Dr. Noebel's worldview chart that shows how foundational evolution is to every major worldview besides Christianity and Islam.  Another thing that would be good to hand out would be links to places like the Discovery Institute, and a list of books for more information (Behe's Darwin's Black Box and Berlinski's Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions for starters).

What are some other things you'd recommend that we discuss before/after watching this?

I want to do some creation- and evolution-related food.  How 'bout primordial soup (for a snack, it could be morphed into primordial fondue or salsa)?  Mutant cookies (either a sequence of cookies showing the purported progression of animals or a cookie that's a combination of animals)?  Seven-layer salad (double duty)?  Protoplasm (JELLO)?  Anything in sets of seven (the creation week) -- for example cupcakes with light/dark; water and atmosphere; sun, moon, and stars; etc.?  Warring gummy worms picketing with toothpicks ("I am your Great, Great, Great Grandpappy," "As I am now you once were; as you are I will one day be,"  "Don't be so specieist," vs. "And Charlie said... and there was blight," "Intelligent design or stupid design?" "Survival of the Fattest," etc.) and toothpicks in little sausages or others food?  Bananas with handy sayings written on them?  A cake with quotes from creation (And God said... and there was)?  Evolutionary tree (raw brocolli)?  A portrait of an evolutionary man who ended up being a pig (a tooth) on a cupcake or cookie?  The flood (ice water)?  Man made from clay (gingerbread Adam & Eve)?  Dirt (oreo pudding)?  Icthus fish, icthus fish with feet, icthus fish eating ichthus fish with feet on cupcakes?