December 18, 2015
Relationships: Dating, Marriage, Friendship, and Sexuality
Over the past several years I have perfected the artistry of escape regarding any singles functions-- cookouts, conferences, Sunday school classes, and my personal favorite, putt-putt. My avoidance mechanism is triggered not so much by a lack of patience with such activities as it is by a lack of stomach for the pervasive attitudes. Thoreau insists that most men lead lives of quiet desperation; I insist that many singles lead lives of loud aggravation. Being immersed in singles can be like finding yourself in the midst of "The Whiners" of 1980s Saturday Night Live--it gives a whole new meaning to "pity party."
December 18, 2015
Apologetics and Outreach: Giving a Reason for the Hope You Have
Every culture hostile to Christianity holds to a set of "common sense" consensus beliefs that automatically make Christianity implosible to people. These are what philosophers call "defeater beliefs." a defeater belief is Belief A - that if true, means Belief B can't be true.
December 18, 2015
Vocation: How Does One Discern the Will of God?
The guidance of the Holy Spirit is a controversial topic on which believers hold a wide variety of opinions. It is common to hear Christians defend their decisions by saying “the Lord directed me.” Sometimes we say explicitly that the Lord told us to do something, while at other times we speak of the Lord “opening doors” or “laying a thought or a matter on our heart.” We are so used to hearing these words that we do not often stop to consider what is being claimed...
December 18, 2015
The Gospel: Simple, Full, Free
What is Christianity? Some say it is a philosophy, others say it is an ethical stance, while still others claim it is actually an experience. None of these things really gets to the heart of the matter, however. Each is something a Christian has, but not one of them serves as a definition of what a Christian is. Christianity has at its core a transaction between a person and God. A person who becomes a Christian moves from knowing about God distantly to knowing about him directly and intimately. Christianity is knowing God.
December 18, 2015
Scripture: Our Only Rule of Faith and Practice
Introduction: How do we know truth? God breaks through Kant’s wall by revelation! "Revelation refers to both God’s activity in making Himself known, and the truth that God makes known as a result of this activity." Dr. David Jones Why do we trust the Bible as true?
