In the twenty-first century piracy has regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to a surprising combination of Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as well as the dramatic rise of modern-day piracy around Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
In this global history of the phenomenon, maritime terrorism and piracy expert Peter Lehr casts fresh light on pirates. Ranging from the Vikings and Wako pirates in the Middle Ages to modern day Somali pirates, Lehr delves deep into what motivates pirates and how they operate. He also illuminates the state's role in the development of piracy throughout history: from privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth to pirates operating off the coast of Africa taking the law into their own hands. After exploring the structural failures which create fertile ground for pirate activities, Lehr evaluates the success of counter-piracy efforts-and the reasons behind its failures.
In the twenty-first century piracy has regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to a surprising combination of Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as well as the dramatic rise of modern-day piracy around Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
In this global history of the phenomenon, maritime terrorism and piracy expert Peter Lehr casts fresh light on pirates. Ranging from the Vikings and Wako pirates in the Middle Ages to modern day Somali pirates, Lehr delves deep into what motivates pirates and how they operate. He also illuminates the state's role in the development of piracy throughout history: from privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth to pirates operating off the coast of Africa taking the law into their own hands. After exploring the structural failures which create fertile ground for pirate activities, Lehr evaluates the success of counter-piracy efforts-and the reasons behind its failures.
Pirates: A New History, from Vikings to Somali Raiders
Narrated by Joan Manuel Marqu?s
Peter LehrUnabridged — 7 hours, 30 minutes
Pirates: A New History, from Vikings to Somali Raiders
Narrated by Joan Manuel Marqu?s
Peter LehrUnabridged — 7 hours, 30 minutes
Related collections and offers
Overview
In the twenty-first century piracy has regained a central place in Western culture, thanks to a surprising combination of Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as well as the dramatic rise of modern-day piracy around Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
In this global history of the phenomenon, maritime terrorism and piracy expert Peter Lehr casts fresh light on pirates. Ranging from the Vikings and Wako pirates in the Middle Ages to modern day Somali pirates, Lehr delves deep into what motivates pirates and how they operate. He also illuminates the state's role in the development of piracy throughout history: from privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth to pirates operating off the coast of Africa taking the law into their own hands. After exploring the structural failures which create fertile ground for pirate activities, Lehr evaluates the success of counter-piracy efforts-and the reasons behind its failures.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170658718 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 07/16/2019 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Read an Excerpt
Renegade Gospel
The Rebel Jesus
By Martha Bettis Gee
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2014 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-63088-037-8
CHAPTER 1
DISCOVERING THE REBEL JESUS
Planning the Session
Session Goals
As a result of conversations and activities connected with this session, group members should begin to:
• examine the portrait of Jesus often presented in the church and compare it with the Jesus revealed in Scripture;
• encounter some of the stories and teachings of Jesus presented in the gospels;
• explore four compelling and challenging identities of Jesus;
• embark on an exploration to rediscover the rebel Jesus;
• recommit to journey with Jesus as disciples.
Biblical Foundation
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6)
Special Preparation
• If possible in advance of the first session, ask participants to bring either a spiral-bound notebook or an electronic means of journaling such as a tablet. Provide writing paper and pens for those who may need them. Also have Bibles for those who do not bring one.
• Gather some images of Jesus—framed pictures found in your church school rooms, curriculum pictures, or images from the Internet. Set up a display of pictures around your learning space, or plan to project digital images for the group. If possible, include Warner Sallman's "Head of Christ," the image to which the author refers.
• Locate a small cross to display for the duration of the study. Choose a simple cross constructed of wood rather than a more ornate or decorative example, or use a picture of a cross.
• On a large sheet of paper or a board, print the following: "As I think back on my early experiences at church, I picture Jesus as ..."
• On another sheet or board in another location, print the following: Warner Sallman's "Head of Christ"; John Perkins, Tom Skinner, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Tony Campolo; Uncle Gilbert; high school rock band; University of Cincinnati.
• Also read over the material in Chapter 1 in which Slaughter reviews some of Jesus' teachings. Depending on the size of your group, post some or all of the following Scripture references: Mark 1:21-28; John 5:1-9; Luke 17:11-19; John 2:13-16; Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28; 31-32; 40-42; Luke 9:23-24; Mark 10:17-22; John 6:60-66; Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 20:1-16, 20-25; Matthew 22:34-40; Matthew 26:47-56.
• Remember that there are more activities than most groups will have time to complete, As leader, you'll want to go over the session in advance and select or adapt the activities you think will work best for your group in the time allotted.
Getting Started
Opening Activity
As participants arrive, welcome them to the study. Invite them to view the images of Jesus Christ you have on display or you have projected digitally. If group members are not familiar with one another, make nametags available. Provide Bibles for those who did not bring one.
When most participants have arrived, ask them to form pairs. Invite pairs to introduce themselves if they are not acquainted, respond to the posted prompt, and discuss their responses with their partner. ("As I think back on my early experiences at church, I picture Jesus as ...") After a few minutes, gather together. Invite volunteers to tell how they pictured Jesus. Discuss:
• What do these images communicate to you about who Jesus is?
• How would you describe what the author calls the "Sunday school Jesus"?
If they have not already done so, invite group members to silently read the Introduction in the study book. Discuss:
• Mike Slaughter, the author, suggests that we have taken the Jesus of history and recreated him to reflect our own cultural, political, ideological, and denominational perspectives. Do you agree or disagree, and why?
• What is your response to the last paragraph of the Introduction, in which the author characterizes Jesus not as a benign Savior but as a rebel who came to initiate the revolutionary movement of God? How closely does this picture of Jesus mesh with the way you have experienced him? Does it intrigue you? Does it make you uncomfortable? Why?
• The author observes that discipleship begins not with one's profession of faith but in the commitment to make a journey with Jesus. He quotes Will Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas, who write that we cannot know Jesus without following Jesus. How do you respond to this statement about following Jesus? How closely does it reflect how you have experienced your faith journey?
Invite a volunteer to read aloud that last paragraph in the Introduction. As you begin this study, ask the group to reflect on the two contrasting views of Jesus the author presents here, and to invite the Spirit to open their minds and hearts to fresh understandings of who Jesus is. Also point out the cross you have displayed in the meeting space. During Lent, we are reminded that the journey with Jesus leads to a cross. Explain that for the duration of the study, this cross will serve as a reminder of the true cost of discipleship.
Opening Prayer
As we begin the season of Lent, O God, we seek to more faithfully follow the Jesus revealed in the Scriptures and to truly know him. Strip away our conceptions of a benign Savior. Make us aware in new ways that the journey with Jesus leads to a cross. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Learning Together
Video Study and Discussion
The Session 1 video explores the difference between the real, resurrected Jesus and the Jesus of our imaginations. Briefly introduce Mike Slaughter, the book author and video presenter, using the profile found at http://ginghamsburg.org/bring/our-pastors/mike-slaughter.
Before viewing the video, remind participants of the images of Jesus they just viewed. Invite them to bring to mind the image of Jesus they carry from their early years in Sunday school. Tell them that in the video segments, they will hear Mike Slaughter fielding questions from members of the congregation he serves, Ginghamsburg Church.
• In response to a question, Slaughter describes how he first encountered the rebel Jesus. What was powerful for him about the people his uncle invited to table to break bread together with him?
• One questioner is curious about how Slaughter came to title his book. Why does he say that his congregation is not of the Democratic or Republican or Tea Party kingdom?
• Slaughter comments that he can't feed people, but he can show them the menu. What does his statement mean?
Invite the group to continue to reflect on what they saw and heard in the video. Encourage them to think about questions they might have asked if given the opportunity and to jot these down in their journals.
Book Study and Discussion
The Decline of Christianity
In Chapter 1, Slaughter observes that the fastest-growing religion in America is "no religion" and that as the commitment to Christianity has declined, Islam has become increasingly more attractive to Americans. Invite the group to discuss the following:
• The author suggests that this decline can be attributed in part to the fact that we have "dumbed down" what it means to be a disciple of Christ. How do you respond? Would you agree or disagree? Why?
• What does Slaughter mean when he says that we have turned "church" into a noun?
Call the group's attention to Slaughter's wry name for the congregation in which he grew up: "First Church of the Frozen Chosen." Ask them to think about their childhood church home. What name best describes that congregation? How might they characterize this congregation of which they are members now? Invite volunteers to tell the names they might choose.
Charting a Faith Journey
Woven into this first chapter is Mike Slaughter's account of his own early faith journey. If they have not already had a chance to do so, invite participants to read this account silently (book Chapter 1 in the section "A Subversive Movement," beginning "My initial discovery ..."). After allowing a few minutes' reading time, call their attention to the list you have posted containing names and terms from Slaughter's account. Ask volunteers to explain the relevance of each item in the list to Slaughter's faith journey.
Invite group members to consider their own faith journeys up to this point in their lives. Ask them to make a similar list in their journals of events or people who have shaped their faith in significant ways. Invite volunteers to name one event or person they listed and explain why that person or event was significant for them. Then ask each person to reflect on where they are currently in terms of their faith and to consider the questions Slaughter poses about his own faith:
• Have I become too comfortable?
• Have I fallen into the spiritual poverty of wealth (or of aspiring to more material success)?
Encourage them to consider these questions, to ask themselves what other roadblocks are inhibiting their own spiritual growth, and to make note of the roadblocks in their journals.
Bible Study and Discussion
Explore Some Revolutionary Teachings of Jesus
Slaughter relates a personal turning point in his own faith journey—a time when as a teenager he felt compelled to pull out the Bible he had previously not studied and began to read the Gospels. He notes that the Jesus he encountered bore no resemblance to the fairy tale Jesus he had heard about in Sunday school.He challenges us to explore how Jesus is presented in the "red letters," referring to the fact that some Bibles print the words of Jesus in red type.
Invite participants to explore some of Jesus' teachings. Depending on the size of your group, form pairs to explore some of the passages you posted, or assign passages to individuals. Explain that the passages in many cases are expanded beyond the verses cited in the book so that they can get a sense of the context of the verse. Ask them to read the verses, as well as Slaughter's commentary on the passage, and to discuss with their partner. Afterward, ask each pair to relate one insight from their passage to the larger group. Discuss:
• What words would you use to describe the Jesus revealed in these passages?
• Although Jesus challenged his followers, then and now, to pursue seemingly impossible standards, there was a key difference between Jesus and the Pharisees. What was it?
Discover Four Identities of Jesus in Scripture
In the book, four names are given by which Jesus is frequently identified in Scripture: Son of God, Son of Man, Servant of All, and Savior of the World. Form four smaller groups and give each group a large sheet of paper and markers. Assign one of the identifiers of Jesus to each small group. Invite them to read the portion of the book in which each name is discussed. Ask group members to discuss and then respond in writing on the sheet to the following:
• This name for Jesus conveys the following about who Jesus is ...
• Identifying Jesus in this way adds to my understanding of Jesus by ...
• In my own experience, seeing Jesus in this way helps me by ...
• I have these questions about naming Jesus in this way ...
When groups have had a chance to work, ask them to post their papers on the wall at intervals around your space. Have a spokesperson for each group report their group's discussion. Then invite the group to reflect in silence on the four names. Call for class members to respond out loud with the following:
• the name with which they most resonate;
• how the four names relate to one another to form a more complete picture of Jesus.
Commit to Lenten Disciplines
Slaughter challenges us to reread—or read for the first time—one of the four Gospels. Encourage group members to take this on as a Lenten discipline. Suggest the following plan:
• If persons have never read one of the Gospels in its entirety, suggest that they read the Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the Gospel accounts.
• If they have read one or more Gospel accounts, encourage them to choose one of the three so-called Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, or Luke—to reread now. These three Gospels are referred to as synoptic because they are so similar in structure, content, and wording, although each one has some content not found in the others. Invite participants to compare what they are reading with John's account of Jesus' arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection (the most important part of the gospel story).
An alternate plan might be to have first-time readers read Mark, and then to assign one of the Synoptic Gospels to the remaining group members. Ask volunteers also to read John's Gospel. In any case, invite the group to keep in mind these questions:
• How is Jesus presented in this Gospel that is different from your initial impression?
• What is Jesus, as presented in this Gospel, calling you to be and do?
Wrapping Up
Closing Activity
According to Slaughter, the crowds who came to hear Jesus were motivated by self-interest, miracles of healing, and free food. But Jesus reminded them to count the cost of discipleship. Ask:
• What would you name as equivalent reasons that people show up today for church?
• In what ways do our lives in institutional churches compare with the revolution that the rebel Jesus came to start?
• To what extent, if at all, do we reflect that countercultural community of people Slaughter identifies as church?
Encourage class members to reflect in the days ahead on the degree to which they are comfortable with the potential cost of being the kind of disciples we are called to be.
• What would we need to change in our individual lives?
• How might this congregation be shaped differently by answering such a call?
Remind group members to read Chapter 2 before the next session.
Closing Prayer
God of grace, we call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ, yet we confess to creating a Jesus shaped by our own cultural, political, and religious expectations. We want to follow Jesus, but we are a little uncertain, and frankly uncomfortable, with where he may lead us. Open our hearts to where you would have us go, and what you would have us do as disciples. Amen.
CHAPTER 2REVOLUTIONARY LIFESTYLE
Planning the Session
Session Goals
As a result of conversations and activities connected with this session, group members should begin to:
• explore the question of how challenging the Christian faith is as practiced in their congregation;
• learn about how the church of the first three centuries went from an incendiary illegal movement to an instrument of the state, and the implications for the vibrancy of today's Christian movement;
• express, through the creation of a word cloud, two heresies, and demonstrate an understanding of how these threaten the church today;
• learn about the role of community in establishing and assuring justice;
• encounter more challenging teachings of Jesus;
• explore a deeper commitment to journey with Jesus as disciples.
Biblical Foundation
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
(Isaiah 61:4)
Special Preparation
• Display a simple small cross or picture of a cross. Also continue to provide writing paper and pens for journaling, along with Bibles for those who need them.
• Post the following question on a large sheet of paper or a board: How challenging is the Christianity practiced in our congregation? You will need an additional blank sheet or a board for other activities.
• Provide two large sheets of paper, pencils, and colored markers for the word cloud activity.
• Remember that there are more activities than most groups will have time to complete. As leader, you'll want to go over the session in advance and select or adapt the activities you think will work best for your group in the time allotted.
Getting Started
Opening Activity
As participants arrive, welcome them. Call their attention to the posted question. Invite them to line up along a continuum from "very challenging" on one side of your space to "not challenging at all" on the other side of your space. When everyone has found a place along the continuum line, invite volunteers to explain why they chose to stand where they did. Allow a few minutes for the group to discuss what factors come into play in the life of your congregation to make discipleship more or less challenging. Discuss:
• Is a rigorous, challenging faith appealing to you? Why or why not?
• What does it mean to you to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Encourage the group to reflect on the question of how challenging faith is in your congregation as they continue to explore what constitutes a revolutionary lifestyle.
Opening Prayer
O God, we stand in awe of your power and affirm your strength, but we present to the world a domesticated and docile Jesus. We acknowledge that you are in control, but we present to the world a Jesus we can control. We say "Jesus is Lord," but we may act as if "God and country" is our lord. Open our eyes to challenging truths about what it means to follow Jesus. Amen.
Learning Together
Video Study and Discussion
Video Session 2 explores what constitutes a revolutionary lifestyle and how to transform ourselves into radical, risk-taking disciples. Before viewing the segment, invite the group to think about the assertion that Jesus was a rebel and to ponder the question of whether we, too, should be rebels.
After showing the video, discuss the following:
• In response to a question about why men stay away from church, Slaughter suggests it may be due to the benign Jesus the church presents to the world. What do you think of this observation? What other reasons would you give for the absence of men?
• What does Slaughter say is better than the NFL?
• What reason does he give for the fact that the U.S. flag is not displayed at Ginghamsburg Church, and for why he himself does not personally recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag?
• What was the potential cost to the believer of the early church for the greeting, "Jesus is Lord"? Why?
Invite the group to read silently Genesis 22:1-19. Ask someone to briefly summarize the story of Abraham and the command to sacrifice Isaac. Discuss:
• In exposing his own children to what he calls the hard places of the world, Slaughter says he came to better understand this story of Abraham and his son Isaac. What do you think he means, and how do you feel about the story and Slaughter's comments?
Suggest that participants make a note in their journals of questions they have after viewing the video. Explain that the group will return to the issues raised in the video and explore them in more depth as they discuss the chapter itself.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Renegade Gospel by Martha Bettis Gee. Copyright © 2014 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
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