It cannot be that the people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading. A reading people will always be a knowing people.
– John Wesley
Banning books is not anything new.
People have been banning books and censoring what is published for almost as long as books have been written. Governments, schools, religious institutions, or leaders of communities–if they believe that a particular work contains ideas and themes that threaten their goals, values, and ways of being, they will often go to extreme lengths to ensure it isn’t propagated. Since its founding, the church has banned books and writings that it considers antithetical to the gospel of Christ. But Christianity has always had a diverse way of interpreting the gospel and what it means for the world. For the next five weeks, we will be exploring this book of the bible, honoring how God has spoken and continues to speak through it.
Because ultimately, before a book is banned, it should at least be read.
Click the link below to access digital copies of the study guides:
Week 1 – The Right Kind of Wisdom – July 9, 2023
Week 2 – Patience in Suffering – July 16, 2023
Week 3 – The Essential Combo – July 23, 2023