Our grounding, central text
Accountability
(3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. The LORD paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. (6) And the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you distressed, And why is your face fallen? (7) Surely, if you do right, There is uplift. But if you do not do right Sin couches at the door; Its urge is toward you, Yet you can be its master.” (8) Cain said to his brother Abel … and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him. (9) The LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) Then He said, “What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! (11) Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (12) If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth.”
Questions to Consider:
- What does it mean to be accountable for ourselves and our actions?
- How does our attitude toward something effect our accountability?
- What is the relationship of blame to accountability?
- How can we account for our actions after the fact?
Responsibility
Questions to Consider:
- What does it mean to respond to a call with “Hineini”, or “Here I am”?
- What does it mean to independently assume responsibility for something?
- Does our feeling of responsibility change when someone else is putting it upon us?
- How does choosing to be responsible for something change our relationship to the task?