Topic V – The Just Society

 

What is God’s Vision of Justice?

 

7:00 – 8:30 PM, Tuesday Evenings

First Presbyterian Church, Lake Forest

Room 215

 

Starts Tuesday, 23 September

 

The Christian Ideas group resumes its weekly discussion sessions on Tuesday, September 23rd.  In keeping with this year’s worship theme, readings will focus on social justice – the Christian concept of a just society.

 

Christian Ideas uses a reading and discussion format.  There is a reading schedule, usually about two hours per week, followed by discussions on Tuesday evenings.  The readings are selected to span the wide variety of Christian (and some non-Christian) thinking on the theme at hand. 

 

New participants and guests are always welcome.

 

Please bring a copy of the work to the discussion sessions.

 

Reading and discussion schedule, subject to adjustment. (Click on the work title for on-line version):

 

23 September

Introduction and Welcome Back

Summary of our first topic – Right and Wrong

30 September

Classical concept of the just society

Plato, Republic (Book II)

7, 21 October (No meeting October 14th)

Old Testament concepts

Deuteronomy 12-26

Isaiah 1-4

28 October, 4 November

New Testament concepts

Matthew 25

Acts (selections)

1 Timothy 1-6

11, 18 November and 2, 9 December

Perfect societies?

More, Utopia

Orwell, Animal Farm

January 2009

Human rights and their origins

Hobbes, The Leviathan (Chapters 13-15)

Locke, Second Treatise on Government (Chapters 1-5)

January – February 2009

Human rights and government

Jefferson, Declaration of Independence

United Nations,  Universal Declaration of Human Rights

February – March 2009

Church teachings

To be selected