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Parabolic Perspectives on the Kingdom of Heaven
Read more: Parabolic Perspectives on the Kingdom of HeavenJay: We’ve been working through the idea that Jesus’ ministry is about change, particularly in terms of perception, ideas, and actions related to the Kingdom of Heaven being present here and now. This contrasts with the traditional view of the Kingdom of Heaven as something belonging to the past or future, or existing elsewhere. The…
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What On (or Off) Earth Is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Read more: What On (or Off) Earth Is the Kingdom of Heaven?Jay: We’ve been discussing some of the teaching methodologies in Christianity, particularly focusing on establishing prior knowledge. A significant theme we’ve delved into is the concept of change, notably the transformative nature of Jesus’ ministry, which emphasizes a shift in thinking. This change revolves around the understanding that the kingdom of heaven is not distant…
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Kingdom of Heaven Parables
Read more: Kingdom of Heaven ParablesWe’ve been discussing cognitive dissonance and prior knowledge in relation to the ministry of Christ. We’ve explored how Christ’s teaching methods help navigate through cognitive dissonance. Over the last two weeks, our focus on prior knowledge has led us to the idea that Christ’s ministry is centered around change. This change implies a new way…
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The Anticipation of Change
Read more: The Anticipation of ChangeJay: Last week, we explored the teaching methodology of Jesus Christ and His ministry. A foundational element in education, we noted, is establishing or recalling prior knowledge. We spent time discussing this, particularly the prior knowledge Jesus might have been trying to establish as a foundation for his teachings. As the conversation evolved, a theme…
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Cognitive Dissonance As a Teaching Method
Read more: Cognitive Dissonance As a Teaching MethodDon asked me to contribute a short series building on Michael’s recent exploration of cognitive dissonance. Michael covered themes such as grace and judgment. Don specifically requested that I examine the teaching methodologies Jesus might have used during His ministry. As Michael eloquently discussed, cognitive dissonance frequently appears in Christ’s ministry, exemplified by phrases like…
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The Realm of Judgment vs. the Realm of Grace
Read more: The Realm of Judgment vs. the Realm of GraceMichael: During last week’s class, the discussion shifted from Judgment to Grace. Judgment and Grace are very different from each other. Judgment is administered by people most of the time. However, our religions teach us that God is a grand judge as well. There are many verses in the bible to support this. On the…

Daoism would agree, I think. Freedom comes with accepting the Dao—the Way, God. Struggling against it is not freedom and…