[UPDATE 5/26/15: In June 2014, Liguori Publications purchased Catholic Update and other parish resources from Franciscan Media. As such, the text for any small group series I’ve created utilizing Catholic Update or Scripture From Scratch is no longer available to view for free online, however, I will do my best to provide links to purchase hard copies, which are available at the Liguori Publications website.]

Are you looking for a cost-effective way to provide reputable Scripture-based resources to your small group or bible study? The bible studies listed below are provided for free at AmericanCatholic.org. Most of the articles used by each mini-course are provided for free online, with some exceptions (the user would have to place an order for the hard copies). Suggestions for 4-, 6-, and 8-week courses are also provided. (Click here to read a full description of the mini-courses.)

From the website:

In order to encourage Bible study groups to use Scripture from Scratch, we have created ten mini-courses that suggest ways to organize sessions around a particular theme. This will enable groups interested in a particular aspect of Scripture to draw on the work of some of the best Scripture scholars writing today, in easily digested four-page articles.

These mini-courses can be used for a variety of purposes: adult education, Christian initiation (RCIA), catechist formation or enrichment, post-RENEW groups, Bible study groups, Newman centers, college curricula and departmental in-services for Catholic educational, medical or financial institutions.

Each mini-course, with their objectives, is listed below. Just click on the link to get to the list of articles associated with each mini-course:

• Advent/Christmas: To offer a biblical grounding for the observance of Advent and the celebration of Christmas.
• Catholic Approach to Scripture: To learn the Catholic approach to interpreting the Bible.
• Christology: To better grasp both the human and divine natures of Jesus and, as a result, enjoy a closer relationship with him.
• Easter: To help Christians to see Easter as the crowning season of the liturgical year rather than a single Sunday.
• Gospels: To explore the four Gospels as the center of Christian faith.
• Hebrew Scriptures: To encourage in Catholic Christians a greater awareness of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
• Lent: To foster a closer relationship with Jesus through a deeper acquaintance with Lenten themes in Scripture.
• Morality and Justice: To see what light the Bible can shine on questions that are vital to anyone living in today’s world and are of special concern to Christians.
• The Nature of God: To create a mindset in which our ideas of who and what God is mature and magnify on a daily basis.
• Prophets: To recognize what the primary role of biblical prophets was, how they lived it out, and what messages they have for us today.

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