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Transforming Life and Faith: In the Media
Session 1:Transformation and Conversion
A. WEBSITES FOR BIBLE STUDY
1. The ELCA'sBook of Faith Initiative
What Lutherans Think About the Bible by Diane Jacobson
Four study methods
Short video on the Book of Faith Initiative by documentary filmmaker Tim Frakes for the August 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly
2. Select Learning FREE study materials;for example, Encountering God in Scripture
3. Luther Seminary'sEnter the Bible resources
glossary of Bible terms
Bible land maps
Short videos
4. Working Preachercommentary on the church year lectionary
5. Clearing house forBible study resources
6. DisplayBible passages and search for words and phrases in the entire Bible in several translations
6. Mark Allan Powell Introducing the New Testament downloadable resources
B. SESSION 1:TRANSFORMATION AND CONVERSION
1. Life of the Apostle Paul with Rick Steves; 2004 documentary filmed in Greece and Turkey by Tim Frakes.
2. A children's book about Christians and Muslims Together in 9thcentury Baghdad
Baghdad was a major center of Islamic learning during the time of the great Muslim theologian al-Ghazali. We can read about this city and era in Florence Parry Heide'sHouse of Wisdom, written for middle-school age children, but worthwhile for all ages. The young Christian boy Ishaq grew up in Iraq at a time when Muslims and Christians lived together in peace. His father Hunayn was a translator and scribe in the House of Wisdom, the world-famous library of Muslim caliph al-Ma'mun. With lush pastel illustrations we follow Ishaq's transformation from a sports-loving child to a young adult explorer bringing back books to Baghdad from Persia, India, China, and Greece. Although Heide does not stress the interreligious significance, both father and son were among the Baghdad scholars responsible for advancing medical and scientific knowledge and for translating Aristotle—enabling Jews, Christians, and Muslims to learn from ancient Greek philosophy.READ MORE
3. The OnBeing blog, “At a Crossroads: When a Young Hindu Converts to Christianity in Delhi.”This National Public Radio blog features a young woman in India who becomes a Christian and faces resistance from her Hindu family. Read about her transformation and listen to her talk about the afterlife with a Christian friend.
4. Five-minute video,Luther's Breakthrough, withinsights on how studying the Bible transformed Martin Luther's understanding of sin and righteousness