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Sure the Bible's hard to read - and going to church seems increasingly more difficult to commit to - but Christians know that both are needful if we are to live more deeply into our God-given faith.

Unlike any other piece of literature, the Bible has an amazing capacity to inspire and impart compassion, forgiveness, and peace. And the Church, or gathered Christian community, at its best, gives flesh and blood to these gifts. Scholar, author, and teacher Lauren Winner says making more room in our lives for this beautifully mysterious book is well worth the time. Meanwhile Pastor and writer Bruce Reyes-Chow tells us why churchgoing not only makes sense, but how it makes us more of who we're meant to be.

This course is produced in partnership with Augsburg Fortress Publishing, which offers the Animate Faith DVD curriculum as well as facilitator guides and journals for small groups. Click here to find out more.

This online course will take an average learner about 45 minutes to complete and is appropriate for those who are just beginning to explore their spiritual journeys, as well as those who are more seasoned in their faith. It is part of a series of three courses, animate: Faith 1 and animate: Faith 2.

Here's a video preview:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take me to complete this course? It will take an average student about 45 minutes to complete this course. You can pause at any time and come back. You can even re-take lessons. Each course features 3-6 video lectures that are from 5-7 minutes in length. Also included are downloadable Mp3s of each lecture plus Discussion Questions and a one-page synopsis of the course called The Takeaway

Who’s teaching this course? Our instructors come from a variety of traditions, mostly mainline Christianity - Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian. They meet two criteria: 1) they are well-studied, even experts, in their fields, 2) they offer a moderate viewpoint

How long will I be able to access the course material? Those who purchase individual courses (for $10) can access all the course materials for 6 months from the date of purchase. Those who purchase individual subscriptions ($15/mo unlimited) can the course materials for all of our courses as long as their membership is current.

Is this course downloadable? Parts of the course are - Mp3s of the lectures, the Takeaway, and the Discussion Questions. However, the course is designed to be an online learning experience and the video lectures, quizzes, and discussion are only accessible online. However, if you'd like to take the course in a small group, feel free to hook your computer up to a projector or big screen

Can I cancel my subscription anytime? You bet. It's easy, click here for instructions as well as answers to more Frequently Asked Questions.

Also, a technical note: This platform works best on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, which are both free downloads. Internet Explorer 9 and above also works well. However different computers have different anti-virus and spam filters installed that can inhibit the downloading of lots of different materials, so if one browser is not working for you then try another.

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