Suggestions to Leaders of ClassesSource: The Biblical World, Vol. 51, No. 1 (Jan., 1918), pp. 63-64Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3136302 .

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AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF SACRED LITERATURE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF SACRED LITERATURE

Io. Was religion weakened or strengthened by the changes in the course of history from Deborah to Jeremiah ?

i . Is our ideal of righteousness the same as that of Jeremiah ? 12. Which prophet cited gives us the great ideal of service as an element of

religion ? 13. What changes of emphasis came to our religion through Jesus' direction

of his teaching toward individual rather than national conduct ? I4. Can a nation move except as an organized group of individuals ? i5. (a) What was Jesus' method of meeting temptation?

(b) How did he discern duty ? (c) How did his conception of God appear in his conduct ? (d) What did he get out of his religion ?

i6. What was the particular aspect of God which gave St. Augustine the greatest satisfaction ? Why ?

I7. What were the characteristics of St. Francis' religion ? Why ? i8. What experience of the poet Milton threw emphasis upon patience and

inactivity as an expression of religion ? I9. What was Tennyson's religious problem ? 20. Describe the religion of a moder statesman as seen in Lincoln.

SUGGESTIONS TO LEADERS OF CLASSES The greatest service which this course can render to those who study it is

to enable them to form a habit of clear thinking, and so to secure a basis for right action. The majority of people do not relate their thinking on life in general to their thought on religion, or rather do not realize that in their thinking upon life they are expressing their religion. It is important to help people to distinguish between theology, which is a historical development, and religion, which is an expression of the human soul. It would perhaps be advisable for the leader to make this the theme of his introductory talk. A few stories of the origin of dog- matic doctrines as found in the history of the church would help to illustrate the one side, and the raising of a few fundamental questions which can be answered from personal observation and experience will suggest the other.

The material of this month is particularly rich in possibilities for definite work on the part of the members, resulting in definite reports contributing to interesting programs. Indeed it would .be wise to hold four meetings during the month rather than two, and to divide the programs suggested, to cover them.

PROGRAM I

Topics for members for the first meeting may be: I. The reading of Deborah's song by a proficient reader. 2. Religious ideals of the Hebrews in the days of the judges, as seen in this

song. (A class contribution.) 3. Stories of Saul and Samuel showing distinctive marks of their individual

religion. 4. David's religious ideas as seen in his conduct on various occasions. (Do

not omit the little story in II Sam. 23: 3-I7.)

Io. Was religion weakened or strengthened by the changes in the course of history from Deborah to Jeremiah ?

i . Is our ideal of righteousness the same as that of Jeremiah ? 12. Which prophet cited gives us the great ideal of service as an element of

religion ? 13. What changes of emphasis came to our religion through Jesus' direction

of his teaching toward individual rather than national conduct ? I4. Can a nation move except as an organized group of individuals ? i5. (a) What was Jesus' method of meeting temptation?

(b) How did he discern duty ? (c) How did his conception of God appear in his conduct ? (d) What did he get out of his religion ?

i6. What was the particular aspect of God which gave St. Augustine the greatest satisfaction ? Why ?

I7. What were the characteristics of St. Francis' religion ? Why ? i8. What experience of the poet Milton threw emphasis upon patience and

inactivity as an expression of religion ? I9. What was Tennyson's religious problem ? 20. Describe the religion of a moder statesman as seen in Lincoln.

SUGGESTIONS TO LEADERS OF CLASSES The greatest service which this course can render to those who study it is

to enable them to form a habit of clear thinking, and so to secure a basis for right action. The majority of people do not relate their thinking on life in general to their thought on religion, or rather do not realize that in their thinking upon life they are expressing their religion. It is important to help people to distinguish between theology, which is a historical development, and religion, which is an expression of the human soul. It would perhaps be advisable for the leader to make this the theme of his introductory talk. A few stories of the origin of dog- matic doctrines as found in the history of the church would help to illustrate the one side, and the raising of a few fundamental questions which can be answered from personal observation and experience will suggest the other.

The material of this month is particularly rich in possibilities for definite work on the part of the members, resulting in definite reports contributing to interesting programs. Indeed it would .be wise to hold four meetings during the month rather than two, and to divide the programs suggested, to cover them.

PROGRAM I

Topics for members for the first meeting may be: I. The reading of Deborah's song by a proficient reader. 2. Religious ideals of the Hebrews in the days of the judges, as seen in this

song. (A class contribution.) 3. Stories of Saul and Samuel showing distinctive marks of their individual

religion. 4. David's religious ideas as seen in his conduct on various occasions. (Do

not omit the little story in II Sam. 23: 3-I7.)

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THE BIBLICAL WORLD

5. The religious ideas of Jeremiah and their relation to the political and social situation of his times.

6. The mission of Jehovah's Servant to save others but in doing so to save his own soul, and parallels in history. (Is the present war one of these ?)

Question for discussion.-Were there some elements of religion which wor- shipers of Jehovah from Deborah down to Jeremiah held in common? If so, what were they ?

PROGRAM II

An excellent topic with which the leader may introduce the program by a brief talk would be "Social Responsibility as an Element of Religion," tracing very broadly the historical development of this idea.

Members may report upon the following topics: i. Evidences from incidents in the life of Jesus of what he regarded as worth-

while. 2. Stories of St. Augustine which illustrate his religion. 3. Stories of St. Francis of Assizi which illustrate his religion. 4. The story of Milton's blindness. 5. The story of Tennyson's friendship for Arthur Hallam and reading of

selections from In Memoriam. 6. Incidents from the life of Lincoln which illustrate the principles contained

in his words as studied on days 29 and 30. Question for discussion.-What elements of true religion do you see in the

attitude of our nation in the present war? Would such an attitude have been possible in the religion of Samuel, Saul, David, Jeremiah, the writer of the Servant passages in Isaiah, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assizi, or even Lincoln ? Why ?

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