The End of Greed: Consuming as if God, People and the Planet Matter
Welcome! In this Google site, I am developing a small group discussion companion resource to the book The End of Greed: Consuming as if God, People and the Planet Matter (Scott Higgins, Baptist World Aid Australia, 2015). This resource is being developed for Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) and is intended for a Canadian audience, aged high school to adult.
Each of the 5 studies (1. Consumerism, 2. Generosity, 3. Justice/Responsibility, 4. Care/Stewardship, and 5. Kindness/Compassion) explores 3 main questions:
(1) What is the issue? We will look at some aspect of the current Western culture of consumerism and explore how it affects our relationships with God (discipleship), with others (justice), or with the environment (stewardship).
(2) What does the Bible say? We will look at scripture passages and themes, as well as writings and wisdom passed down from Church history, that address the issue.
(3) How do we live it out? Suggestions and ideas for individual and group action to address the issue are provided. Simple, achievable actions are proposed, but larger lifestyle changes and directions are also discussed.
How to use this resource
This resource is intended to be used for small group discussion, Bible study groups, Sunday School classes, and/or fellowship groups.
Each study consists of a "basic" study, consisting of videos, readings, activities (e.g. Ecological Footprint calculator) and discussion questions, organized into an introductory discussion or activity, followed by the 3 main questions (What is the issue? What does the Bible say? How do we live it out?). Each "basic" study is intended to take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. Weblinks for all videos referred to in the "basic" study are available in this website, as are the links for activities such as the Ecological Footprint calculator.
Each "basic" study can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format to make hardcopies for distribution to discussion group members. Look at the top of the page, under the title, for each study (Consumerism, Generosity, etc.). For larger Sunday School classes or fellowship groups, a computer projector and internet connection would be helpful for viewing the videos and website, rather than printing out hardcopies.
Discussion facilitators can follow each basic study as written, using the provided discussion questions and video links. The facilitator can ask group members to take turns reading the stories, referenced bible passages and readings. For activities making use of web resources such as the Ethical Fashion Guide or Ecological Footprint Calculator, the facilitator may also encourage group members to use their smartphones to access the resources.
The "How do we live it out?" section of each study provides some action steps for individuals and small groups to take. People are more likely to take action if they are supported by their local community, so discussion facilitators should encourage their group members to agree to do the suggested actions together.
For some of these studies, the website also provides a "Going Deeper" section of discussion questions and resources. The purpose of this section is to prompt deeper reflection about taking action beyond the individual or small group choices and actions presented in the "basic" study, and towards church-wide or political organizing and action.
Finally, each study also provides a Video and Reading Resources section, for those who wish to do further investigation on the topics presented in this study resource. Please note that CBM does not monitor or review the content of the web resources linked to from this website, which is my creation. Opinions expressed or material appearing on these websites are not necessarily shared or endorsed by CBM.