Cafe: Adult Sunday School 9 - 10 AM
Everyone is welcome at TLC’s Café (aka grownup Sunday School). We study the Bible and how God’s word applies to our lives today. Join us downstairs, in the café, which is next to the kitchen.
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Questions are encouraged. We look at different translations of the Bible, the historical and societal context of when the Bible was written, and protestant teachings from other denominations (some of us weren’t raised in the Lutheran church).
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We always have coffee and tea!
New to the café is a lending library of the book-club reads as well as other Christian books and Bible-study resources. Please look for the “Lending Library” signs on the book cases for books to share. Feel free to borrow at book anytime you're in the building.​
Links & Docs for Discussion
Bible Study of Genesis
Our Summer Bible study continues through Genesis, guided by the BEMA Discipleship podcast. Please try to listen to the episodes individually before Cafe; we will discuss each weekly episode on Sunday mornings. Feel free to join as your summer plans allow, you can always catch up on episodes while vacationing!
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Beginning August 27, we meet Abraham:
Buried in a Genealogy (27 minutes)
Letting Go - The Call of Abraham (40 minutes)
Walking the Blood Path - God's Covenant (49 minutes)
Here I Am (53 minutes)
A Mission Realized - Isaac (38 minutes)
Jacob - Grappling with God Part 1 (36 minutes)
Jacob - Grappling with God Part 2 (38 minutes)
Jacob - Into the Pit (46 minutes)
Jacob - Out of the Pit (46 minutes)
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June & July Study
Genesis Chapters 1-11: The Preface (episodes 1-7)
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June 4
We are studying Romans 12, God's instructions for living with others. In contrast to God's rules, listen to the Hidden Brain podcast Made of Honor, which is about honor culture around the world.
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The Gender of God
The Gender of God: the word for God in the Old Testament has a feminine ending; the Greek word in the New Testament indicates male gender. Why did the Greek word become the norm? Café continues the conversation about the treatment of women in the Bible, and attention to the translations of gender references to God.
What difference does it make today? Not many churches have many women in decision-making roles, at local and national levels. Why is that important for a church to grow? Is it because we refer to God mostly as a male?
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“More women need to be thought of for senior pastor positions,” said Norma Cook Everist, pastor and professor at Warburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. In following the careers of former students, Everist noticed a trend: “A lot of our women pastors, as they become middle-aged or older, can’t get calls. Thousands of strong, older laywomen serve our congregations. Why not more older women pastors?”
Is there a relationship between women's issues and the gender of God as young people question the church?
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Church and State
Church and state - where we've been, where we are, where we're going. What do the Constitution and the Bible say about the relationship between these two major forces in our lives? Join us for a lively discussion that will include history, politics, and faith.
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Handful of articles on the "Render to Caesar" passage, Mark 12:17, Matthew 22:21
Two articles from from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints​​
What does God call the faithful to do in the secular world?
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Consider the Witness of the Lutheran Church on Church & State
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Religion & Government: Addressing Civil Religion & Christian Nationalism
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ECLA's Declaration to the
People of African Descent
Video: Nikole Hannah-Jones on the Case for Reparations
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ELCA's Declaration to People of African Descent
TLC's Doin' the Work list of learning materials about white privilege, racism, and social justice.
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Groups/Events working for racial justice:
Power - an interfaith action coalition with local chapters for Philadelphia and the surround metro area
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Video: Systemic Racism in America
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ELCA's Declaration to People of African Descent
TLC's Doin' the Work list of learning materials about white privilege, racism, and social justice.
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Groups/Events working for racial justice:
Power - an interfaith action coalition with local chapters for Philadelphia and the surround metro area
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History of Slavery & Main Line Faith Communities, sponsored by the regional Interfaith Racial Justice Group
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Video: Repairing the Breach: The Episcopal Church and Slavery Atonement
This introduction is free but precedes a documentary series on the slave trade in the North (for "rent").
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Video: Danger of a Single Story
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Bible Stories We Don't Read in Church
Bible stories we don't read in church, but which raise questions about faith, life and human behavior.
2 Samuel 13: Amnon and Tamar
Acts 5: Ananias and Sapphira
Judges 4 & 5: the oldest known story in the Bible​
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The Beautitudes
A look at the Beatitudes - comparing the different versions from Matthew and Luke
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The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer dialogue continues with a look at Jewish roots, and Gentile influences, as well as changes over the first four centuries. Also a comparison between Matthew and Luke and the influence of the Qumran community northwest of the Dead Sea in what is called the West Bank.
From Bible Odyssey: The Lord's Prayer
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10 Things not in theSermon on the Mount
Café tackles chapters 5, 6, 7 of Matthew ... the Sermon on the Mount. What did Matthew report and what did he leave out, which may be just as important. The Sermon on the Plain is there for us to discover how these stories are remembered, and how they influence us today!
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10 things not in the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7
Same Topics in Luke 6
