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The Biggest Issue Facing the Church Today

10 Barriers to Biblical Authority

What is the biggest issue facing the church today?

If you ask most people you will probably get answers like sexuality, gender, justice, tribalism, threats to religious liberty, cancel culture, consumerism, screen and social media addiction, and relativism—just to name a few.

And they’re not wrong. Those are significant issues.

But they are not THE issue.

Underneath ALL of those issues is the issue that I believe is the greatest challenge for the church today—authority.

As I teach and disciple high school, college, and graduate students year-round at Impact 360 Institute and study the next generation, I am more convinced than ever that the number 1 topic that must be addressed for the church is biblical authority.

Our Culture Has an Authority Problem

If the broader culture has an authority problem then it’s not surprising the church has a biblical authority problem.

Christians have drifted so far away from biblical authority. And it’s not just in progressive Christian circles that champion deconstruction.

Culture is simply what you come to see as normal without having to think about it. And it has become normal for people to see themselves as authoritative as I will unpack below.


10 Barriers to Biblical Authority Today

As I look around, I see 10 cultural challenges that are undermining Biblical Authority.

I will list them and comment briefly below but fully recognize that entire books could be written about each topic. In fact, I have addressed several of these challenges in depth in my book Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority. As you read through this list, you will see how many of these build on each other.

1. Culture of Corruption & Abuse of Power. Everywhere you look there are scandals, cover-ups, and abuse of power. Scandal sells. And the entertainment news cycle is buying so it can drive clicks to create controversy and sell ad space. Sadly some high-profile Christian leaders and churches have been in the news for these reasons as well. The result is that you see a general institutional distrust setting in–especially in Gen Z. And if we’re honest, it’s not hard to see why some people are wary of authority. (more…)

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What Are the 4 Stages of Faith Development for Students?

How Worldviews Develop in the Context of Biblical Discipleship

How do we help kids build a lasting faith? What does spiritual growth look like?

To better understand that process, we need to look at the stages of faith development that Christian students go through. After working with, training, and observing students for a long time, I think there are four general stages.

Knowing where the student you are trying to disciple is at spiritually or where your child is as you parent them, will help you focus on the right things in the right order.

In a post-Christian culture with confusion, distraction, and outright attack at every turn, it is more important than ever to aim at the right things. And awareness is the first step.

The Four Stages of Faith Development

Beginning.

The first stage is beginning. The key question here is do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?

This describes when a student receives Jesus by putting his or her faith in Jesus. This is the beginning of the journey. This can be at an early age like 5 or 6 or as a teenager like for me at 17, but the point is there is their entry into a relationship with God through Jesus (John 1:12; John 14:6). New life begins.

 

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What is a Worldview? (Video)

Answering the Biggest Questions in Life

What is a worldview? In this short video, I explain in a simple and clear way what a worldview is and why everyone has a worldview.

With all the talk recently about free speech and tolerance, it’s important to understand where people are coming from. This video shows that no one comes from a neutral position because everyone is either assuming certain things about reality or arguing for them. We need the right to disagree with one another. This is a public good worth protecting for one another.

I go into more detail in my book Welcome to College.

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5 Things Every Teenager Needs to Build a Lasting Faith Course

Get Lifetime Access and Start Building Your Plan Today!

You want to pass on your faith to your children and be more intentional in helping them grow spiritually. You want them to stand strong. But where do you start?

What’s Inside the Course?
• 25 Visually Engaging Videos (5+ Hours of Practical Teaching)
• 95 Page Downloadable Build a Lasting Faith Roadmap
• Downloadable Faith Ownership Dashboard
• Lifetime Access to the “5 Things Every Teenager Needs to Build a Lasting Faith” Course

Don’t let post-Christian culture steal your kid’s faith. I will help you build a step-by-step plan and create a personalized Faith Ownership DashboardTM .

Don’t waste another day. Let’s get started focusing on what matters most!

Learn More…

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#33: How to Clearly Share the Gospel with Greg Stier

Now more than ever it is important to be clear about the hope that we have as followers of Jesus. In this episode, I was excited to do a quick interview with my friend Greg Stier of Dare 2 Share ministries about how to clearly share the Gospel and offer a behind the scenes look at a brand new app that makes this easier than ever–even in a pandemic. I will share my quote of the week by John Stott and talk a little more about life during the quarantine. Enjoy! 

Resources:

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