The Seat of Faith

Consider this quote from Carl Jung, which highlights the distinction between faith and religion:

“The seat of faith, however, is not consciousness but spontaneous religious experience, which brings the individual’s faith into immediate relation with God. Here we must ask: Have I any religious experience and immediate relation to God, and hence that certainty which will keep me, as an individual, from dissolving in the crowd?”- Carl Jung

We can consider our Christian Education experiences as opportunities for our folks to have a "spontaneous religious experience, that brings the individual's faith into immediate relation with God." Taking into account your own faith experiences and what you have learned from this class, write a short mission statement which highlights how you will strive to create this type of educational environment.

The Faith Stage of Pi

See this quote from an article on the movie "Life of Pi" (see http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-tao-innovation/201211/meaning-faith-and-the-life-pi for the entire article):

"To understand the jewel of wisdom buried deep within the story – which is pronounced to be “a story that will make you believe in God” – we need to understand that the story is actually about wrestling not with a physical tiger, but metaphoric one... with questions of meaning and faith. This story is a gedanken experiment for the worst case scenario, a modern day story of Job, all about how you can find spirituality and the meaning of life in the throes of all that is horrible and terrible in the world today. It is by surviving and making sense of all that goes wrong in the world, that uncovers the meaning of man."

Think about Pi's progression through the movie in the context of developmental stage and the unfolding of his faith. What lessons can you pull from the story about your own faith journey? What lessons can you use to help reach others as a part of your ministry?