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Probably more than half the people who have ever used SEAN materials will think of Life of Christ, Book 1 in the same ‘mental breath’, such has been its impact over the last 30 years. It is The Life of Christ course, Book 1, which is often the defining moment that the discerning student discovers that TEE, as presented by SEAN, is a ‘gripping’ yet ‘easy’ way to understanding and applying the Christian faith within a sound theological framework. Translated into well over 50 languages and used all over the world, it has long since been held in very high regard as a training tool par excellence for growing churches who understand the vital role of ongoing discipleship and leadership training.
So, why is it such a ‘core’ course? And what’s new about this edition?
To someone not familiar with its contents, The Life of Christ, judged by its title alone, might mistakenly be categorised as a biography – a resource in the ‘Life and Times of...’ genre. In fact, the subtitle, A Compendium of Pastoral Theology, reveals so much more of its true content and intent. And, of that, perhaps the last word is the most revealing – ‘theo-logy’, at its root, being the ‘study of’ (~logy) ‘God’ (Theo~). But, being a SEAN course, we know to expect so much more – which, of course, it delivers.
Many new Christians, especially in the UK, find themselves swimming in the deep end of a murky pool of theology, aided only by snippets from Sunday talks (unrelated and imperfectly recalled), house group discussions (twenty views from ten people, per topic), newspaper God-slots, high profile but misconceived and misdirected pontifications (usually when politics and religion combine to miss the mark in spectacular fashion) and whatever else circumstance contrives to throw at them. My apologies for this rather long pre-amble, but isn’t that how the early days of coming to grips with our faith so often happen: long and pre-ambling? Enter Life of Christ to sort us out – because that, essentially, is what it does.
The next most revealing word in the subtitle is the penultimate ‘pastoral’, hinting at the ‘hands on’ nature of study method, the point at which head-learnt knowledge leads to heart-led outworking, where the unit to unit cycle of ‘study-discuss-act’ truly earns the label ‘pastoral theology’.
Of course, what makes SEAN’s use of TEE principles so compelling in the local church situation is its distinctive breadth and inclusiveness, bringing together people from all walks of life, and providing, through the shared discussion and practical assignments, a dynamic learning environment that few other methods can begin to approach. And the ‘fruit’ (faith-motivated action arising out of the confidence which this learning inspires) is the factor that draws together individual growth with church growth.
Little need be said here on the method itself. Those who have already experienced Life to the Full and Pure Gold will already know the delights of this type of structured learning – suffice to say that Life of Christ is the ‘full’ method from which the ‘cut-down’ methods used in Life to the Full and Pure Gold are derived.
Now for the ‘core’. Although Book 1 is only the first in a course of six, it provides the skeleton on which the subsequent five books build, and it is this skeleton, or ‘core’, which makes such an impact on the student’s thinking, so much so that Book 1 can easily be used as a standalone course, especially when the prospect of completing more than one book can be off-putting for some, and daunting for others. To be put off by the ‘Book 1’ aspect, and therefore not try it, would be sad in the extreme. And, needless to say, most people who complete Book 1 go on into Books 2 to 6.
Book 1 lays down many first principles in our understanding of God, including: the kingdom of heaven; systematic approaches to the Bible; the doctrines of divinity and humanity; historical and geographical parameters; analysis of Jesus’ life; etc. The fact that it achieves all this without using many of the ‘long words’ I’m using here reflects its unique asset as an invaluable tool for everyday Christians in everyday churches.
First, is the layout. Here in the UK, Life to the Full (updated Abundant Life) and Pure Gold (updated Abundant Light) paved the way for the new style that the latest edition of Life of Christ Book 1 uses. However, Forum has already expounded the thinking behind the new style – so see issues 4 and 5 for this.
Second, and the aspect which I would particularly like to highlight in this review, is the integrated training that ‘does what it says on the tin’. SEAN users in the UK will already be aware of the high priority that SEAN UK attaches to tutor training, and while, in an ideal world, attending ‘live’ tutor training is strongly recommended for new group leaders, one feature of Book 1 which distinguishes it from Books 2 to 6 is its accompanying Tutor Manual which forms a course within a course, in its own right, designed to hand-hold new group leaders through leading a Book 1 group. As such, it can be used either by someone who has little or no experience in leading small groups or by an experienced leader as a teaching tool for training new leaders. In this respect, the Tutor Manual provides the ‘instructions on the tin’ and therefore allows Life of Christ Book 1 to be used as an ‘instant’ two-in-one solution for a group of Christians needing discipleship and training, both for the group and for the leader, and to describe the 96pp Tutor Manual as an ‘accompanying’ book is somewhat of an understatement!
On a personal note, it was the Tutor Manual for Book 1 that originally ‘sold’ SEAN to me. The manual became almost a personal ‘tutor’ to me as I led my first SEAN group, allowing me to be both student and leader at the same time. Indeed, even though I have now been leading SEAN groups for eleven years, I still rely almost completely on the tutor manuals, and their integral role in each course provides me with a constant source of confidence in leading small groups.
So, whether you’ve not used The Life of Christ course before, or whether you’re familiar only with the older versions, there is every reason to use this new edition – maybe as a one-off trial or a pilot group in your church, or perhaps as part of your existing discipleship programme, building on the foundations of Life to the Full and Pure Gold.
Go for it!
JL
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