I am not going to list all the questions from T&L here because it is copyrighted material. I will list my answers and discuss ideas but I am not going to copy and paste all the lessons. That wouldn’t be ethical (or legal!). It is up to you to go through these lessons yourself and answer the questions and do the reading.
What is a Leading Idea?
It is an idea that leads the reader down a certain line of thinking, toward a Biblical Principle. Leading ideas get you to think and not simply regurgitate facts. They help you to form your own thoughts on a topic.
Thoughts From the Leading Ideas
America is associated with the “principle of individuality” because we were founded upon Biblical principles, this being one. Without a Christian basis, the “principle of individuality” goes away. It is a distinctly Christian idea, so if the basis is removed the idea of the individual is replaced with a socialist one.
The socialist form of government is oppressive and over reaching as it demands conformity, redistribution and dependence upon the state in lieu of individual responsibility. This is what the founding fathers understood and worked to avoid. Their knowledge of God’s Word and His plan for human government helped the founding fathers to form a government that would maximize the potential of the individual without exploiting him for the state’s benefit.
I don’t know why, but learning how to come up with leading questions was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It became the first “hill” in renewing my mind to a full and complete, Biblical way of thinking. Once this began to happen, leading questions have been a part of everything in our lives–discipline, worship, decision making. It’s SO foundational, never “mastered”, yet a great growth detector. Sort of like the Holy Spirit! (a little sarcasm there!)
I’m glad you’re doin’ this! It’s always helpful to review and remember where you’ve “been” and where you’re “going”!
Blessings!
Well…That’s certainly a uniquely American take on Christianity.
Sorry. I thought better of the snarkiness in my lasy post and I apologize. That IS an American take on Christian theology. More specifically, it probably has roots in fundamentalism? I know it’s not something I see up here in Canadian churches. I understand the importance of teaching your faith but it might be useful to show a child where and out of what tradition this particular theology blossomed.
Dawn,
we are not discussing theology, per se, but America’s Christian history as the fullest expression of a Christian nation (and the Biblical principles behind it). Individuality is an American idea, for sure, but more than that it is a Biblical idea.
God created man as an individual, not en mass as the rest of creation (Gen 2:26). Salvation is individual (Rom 5:17 and Rom 10:13), as is the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22, 23) and the armor of God (Eph 6:13-18). Obedience to the Word of God is also an individual responsibility, as is our place in the body of Christ (Rom 12:4-8).
Katherine Dang defines Christianity as “the power of Christ at work in the life of the individual.” I like that definition very much.
You can also see individuality in the whole of creation, from snowflakes and sunsets to fingeprints and voice patterns.
Fundamentalism is not the issue, God’s Word is. I hope I have been able to clarify my point here. Please feel free to ask more questions and read some of my past posts as well.
I may be a bit behind, but I think you will understand why. I posted a response on my blog to lesson 1 part 1. A brief blog.
Leading ideas, for as simple as they are (conceptually) freak me out, so this will involve a bit more thought.
Thanks for doing these lessons. I have not had a chance yet to read the pages, but will this weekend.
I don’t know why I didn’t look ahead in T&L. There are so many great questions in there! I won’t get to all of them, but the review will be good.
I’m looking forward to this week’s lessons. I’ll even try to catch up from last week.