Copyright 2008 | Alleluia Lutheran Church and Student Center

Basic Christian Teaching Online
Mike Zehnder, Campus Pastor

Text Box: Topics covered: What is God like? Why are there so many different kinds of Christian churches when everybody believes basically the same thing? Why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Why do bad things happen to good people? What happens after I die? What is faith? Who is Jesus? Is the Bible just another book written by dead guys? Downloadable PDF Introduction What follows on these pages are the bare roots of Christianity. These questions - and many more - will be addressed. Whether they're answered to your satisfaction is up to you, but they do represent the basics of Christianity. This study is an updated version* of Don Ginkel's book, I Have Good News, which is sort of an updated version of Martin Luther's Small Catechism. All are typically used in order to teach adults about Christianity. Many students led through this course have agreed to join the Christian church (most typically, but not always, Lutheran.), but that is not its real purpose. Its real purpose is to teach, like any textbook. Incidentally, we make no apology for our Lutheran roots, but have usually designated where the Lutheran and other Christian denominations part company. Normally this course is taught in a classroom setting with several students. We would cover one chapter each week. In each class we would try to cover the material and discuss the questions anyone might have. In this virtual version, what we hope to do is have you email me questions about the different sections, and we can begin a dialogue that way. Typically, it takes 10 weeks, but can take quite a bit longer for those who have lots of questions. Remember, what you get out of this course will depend very much on the effort you put into it. Just a note about the basics of the chapters: Each chapter is arranged into 5-10 questions, which are then answered by the Bible verses. They are in regular type face. Clarification paragraphs are in bold (and not because they're more imporant!), and quotations by non-Biblical authors are in italic. At the end of each section is a short prayer and Points to Ponder, which might get some of your creative juices flowing. This is not the ideal way to learn about Christianity. The ideal is for parents to teach their children the importance of faith in an on-going and loving home environment (or, in the case of an adult, to learn in the context of genuine Christian community. The ideal is to read whole chapters and books of the Bible, instead of just isolated verses (called proof texts). Our prayer is that this flawed vessel will someday lead you to a deeper exploration of what Christianity is all about. God bless you on your journey. We will be glad to help if we can. (* updated several years ago by a friend of ours in campus ministry, Tim Ihssen)