How can we approach politics from a Christian perspective? Beginning September 22nd, Charlie Winslow will address this topic in an adult Sunday School class at Friends Memorial. He will do so by describing a series of paradigms that model real-world ethical dilemmas.
One example of a historical ethical dilemma that will be used to illustrate change is the nuclear arms race that developed during the Cold War, which will illustrate a model called "Bending the Curve".
In the 1950s, "things started getting worse at an increasing rate." In other words, arms were being stockpiled faster than they had been in the past. Only by passing through a period of things getting worse at a decreasing rate --- arms still being stockpiled, but at a rate slower than in the past --- could the "curve be bent" and things started getting better instead of worse, and, as the graph above shows, at least on this issue, the curve seems to have been decisively bent.
This model can influence the policy decisions we might support in order to try to move any important issue ---- whether it relates to education or the economy or any other aspect of public life --- into to a state of things getting better, starting from a point at which things are getting worse. It's one thing to have an idealistic belief, it's quite another to have a framework that allows us to realistically try to achieve those beliefs from
where we are now, instead of from
where we should be, or worse,
where we should have been, and this class should certainly be attended by anyone who is interested in developing such a framework.
Adult Sunday school classes are held in the Goddard room at 9:30 every Sunday except the the third Sunday of each month. All are welcome. We usually get a lively group with a lot of good discussion representing diverse perspectives, resulting in a informative, fun, and challenging environment. If you haven't attended adult Sunday School class, either ever or recently, please consider giving it a try this fall!
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