Attend Restorative Justice Launch Luncheon on MAY 22ND, 2018
Christian Leaders Institute and Michigan Department of Corrections
Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) is holding our annual ‘Lunch with Leaders’ on Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at the Spring Lake Country Club in Spring Lake, MI. The event will begin at 11:45 am and end at 1 pm.
Guests who attend this event will be inspired by the successes of our students and invigorated by the community of support that we are blessed by. You will enjoy a wonderful lunch, a behind the scenes look at our work, and inspirational stories.
Attend
Mark the date on your calendar, and join us for an unforgettable time – you won’t want to miss it. It is FREE to attend. Reserve your ticket now using the button below! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rhonda Sullivan at 616.777.0305 or rsullivan@christianleaders.net.
My name is Annette Williams, from the USA, and the training and certification I get at the Christian Leaders Institute prepare me for ministry (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). At a very young age, my spiritual journey started. My parents were not churchgoers or models of Godly living. However, my brothers, sister, and I grew up on Godly values. We had a family Bible which we read. It saw a lot of wear and tear over the years. That enormous white family Bible kept on the lower shelf of our living room coffee table lit a spark in me to find out if this God was genuine.
Godly Influencers in My Youth
My late paternal grandmother was a family leader in home discipleship, and she was the poster girl for reproducibility. Through evangelizing, teaching, and her life, she drew her own children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to the body of Christ. Over the years, I heard people say it is hard to minister to your family because they know you. Even though it may have been a challenge, my grandmother continued to proclaim Christ and the importance of Salvation. I remember thinking, what courage and endurance she must have to do this continually.
Although my parents did not regularly attend church, we had family members that attended church every week, and we were invited to come along. From time to time, my parents would visit for special services we were participating in, and they never kept my siblings and me from attending church services. I remember always being at church.
A New Desire in Christ
Growing up, I wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry, particularly dance and acting. This was not encouraged in my family or church family, but it was what I wanted to do. Only when the implantation of a new nature came that the Lord put a new desire in my heart. My curiosity peaked with my new life in Christ. I wanted to know more about God, Jesus, the infilling of the Holy Ghost, holy living, and what I was supposed to do with it.
For much of my younger life in the church, I participated in the youth choirs. The enjoyment and satisfaction of singing and bringing joy to people kept me in church. The leaders later transitioned me to work alongside the Pastor’s staff as support when needed. So I held dual roles as I remained with the choir.
The church leaders assigned the youth to various important roles during special services as a method of ministry training and discovering our gifts. I later discovered that I enjoyed leading Bible classes and workshops during our annual women’s and youth day services. Teaching is what gave me the most pleasure. I felt a desire to work more in that area of ministry. I currently serve alongside the pastor’s staff where needed.
Training and Certification for Ministry
Wanting to teach, I have a growing concern for believers who have little understanding of the Bible, what they believe, why they believe it, and how to serve and live for the Lord. If it is God’s will, may He move me into a position to teach by His grace and perfect timing. I pray that God blesses my teaching to be anointed and effective to draw people and enlighten them concerning His Word.
I hope that the Christian Leaders Institute will help me on this journey. CLI’s structured training and certification will help me to become an effective teacher for this generation.
Titus 1:9 “He must have a firm grasp of the word that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that he may be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it” (NRSV).
CRITICAL GRACE THEORY
Have you heard of Critical Race Theory? Critical Gender Theory? Critical Equality Theory? These theories are widely discussed in media, universities, governments, and businesses. It’s not surprising that Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) has created a free mini-course to address these theories from a Christian worldview.
At CLI, we welcome everyone to explore free courses. For those seeking academic credentials, CLI’s Leadership Excellence School offers low-cost degrees, empowering individuals to grow as image-bearers of God.
Critical Theory vs. Christianity
Critical theory often challenges the grand narrative of Christianity, sometimes portraying it as a false narrative. While not always Marxist, these ideologies tend to critique the foundations of Christian beliefs. At CLI, we approach these discussions with a Biblical perspective, introducing Critical Grace Theory as a lens for evaluating ourselves, society, and cultural ideologies through the message of grace.
WHAT IS CRITICAL GRACE THEORY?
Critical Grace Theory studies how Biblical grace applies to society, culture, and personal lives. It focuses on the redemptive message of Christianity, contrasting worldly narratives with God’s truth. This free mini-course, which takes less than 4 hours to complete, dives into pressing cultural issues and equips students with a Biblical framework for understanding them.
THE GRAND NARRATIVE
The Bible’s grand narrative begins with God creating humanity as His image-bearers, male and female, and giving them a purpose to steward the earth. Humanity was given the freedom to align with God’s will or choose their own way, symbolized by the choice between two trees in the Garden of Eden.
- Genesis 1:28 – God commands humanity to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth.
- Genesis 2:16-17 – Humanity is given the choice to obey or rebel against God.
The fall of Adam and Eve led to sin becoming the default setting of human society. However, the Bible unfolds the redemptive plan of God, culminating in Jesus Christ, who restores the broken relationship between God and humanity. Through Christ’s resurrection, believers are called to live lives of faith, hope, and love, empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel and steward the planet.
TODAY'S WORLD
In an age dominated by identity politics, the Christian grand narrative offers an alternative to the ideologies rooted in Critical Theory. As Douglas Murray argues in The Madness of Crowds, post-modernism has eliminated traditional grand narratives, leaving people searching for purpose. This void has been filled with the “Narrative of Identity” or identity politics, which Murray likens to a new religion with its own trinity:
- Social Justice: Framing everything as a social justice issue.
- Identity Politics: Segmenting people into conflicting groups based on identity.
- Intersectionality: A constantly shifting hierarchy that prioritizes perceived vulnerabilities.
This narrative seeks to replace traditional structures with a new ideology, but as Murray points out, it often leads to division and unworkable demands.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
The rapid spread of identity politics calls for a thoughtful Christian evaluation. Critical Grace Theory equips believers to approach these issues with Biblical grace and truth. It highlights how God’s redemptive plan transcends societal conflicts and offers a deeper, eternal purpose.
Christian Leaders Institute offers over 125 free courses and mini-courses, including the Critical Grace Theory course. In just a few hours, this course provides insight into today’s cultural debates and equips you to engage with them from a Christ-centered perspective.
CRITICAL GRACE THEORY MINI-COURSE
The Critical Grace Theory mini-course evaluates seven central struggles that are being played out in the lives of people and cultures throughout the world from the perspective of the gospel. The topics are:
Course Outcomes:
- Introduction to the subject of critical conflict theory and critical Grace theory.
- Evaluation of race issues from a grace perspective and a view into how the gospel opens up salvation for all peoples. Insight into race issues from the testimony of a leader from Rwanda.
- An understanding of the gender issues in our society from the perspective of critical Grace theory.
- A view of how the ancient epicurean philosophy of pleasure is killing people and how critical Grace theory offers hope.
- Learn the Biblical understanding of equality and why it matters.
- Understanding how the evolutionary worldview has become uncritically accepted by most people and about the chaos this has caused. Learn how critical Grace theory sees the central issues of change.
- Discover how the gospel is as relevant today as ever before in a world seeking to find fault and blame.
- Find out how conflict theory promotes counterfeit success. Learn how critical Grace theory helps you focus on the game humans were created to play.
- Grow as a Grace agent of gospel change.
Through this free mini-course at Christian Leaders Institute, you can deepen your understanding of God’s grace and how it applies to society, culture, and personal life. Join us in exploring the transformative power of God’s grand narrative.