Covenant, Community and the Common Good
Overview
The Center for the Congregation in Public Life is in the early stages of developing a six-week
DVD curriculum based on a book by Christian social ethicist
Eric Mount, Jr., Covenant, Community and the Common Good.
In the national bestseller, Habits of the Heart, noted sociologist
Robert Bellah observes that America’s first language is
individualism, its second and weaker language that of covenant
and community
Purpose
We are seeking a means to assist church people to be global
disciples, to counter America's first language of radical individualism
with the language of covenant, community, and common good, which
has become no better than a second language. The idea is to
frame social problems using these normative expressions of the
Christian tradition (Catholic and Protestant) so that the saints
are equipped to think and act responsibly in a global society.
Audience
We seek to train, inform and motivate two target audiences:
• Volunteers in various social ministry programs in churches,
and
• Participants of adult education classes who may not
be directly involved in carrying out social ministry, but who
do support it.
Structure
Each 30 minute session will consist of three or four interviews
with theologians, pastors, and community activists, which will
help Christians to frame social problems such as family, work,
welfare, and the environment by using the normative expressions
of covenant, community and the common good. Each interview will
be seven minutes in length. Between interviews, relevant supplementary
material (such as newsreel footage or charts and graphs) will
be interspersed in two minute segments. The pastor or facilitator
will be provided multiple options for the use of the DVD and
book. An additional CD of downloadable documents will be created
for use in individual congregations.
Length
Each session will provide thirty minutes of actual viewing time,
and total resource material for one hour per class session.
The entire project will fit on two DVDs and contain about three
hours of video.
Timeline
In April 2007, filming will begin on a brief introductory DVD,
including an interview with Robert Bellah, which will be used
to support fundraising efforts. Advisers on content include
Don Shriver (President Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary)
and Peggy Shriver, (Former staff, Office of Research, Evaluation,
and Planning, National Council of Churches).
