Tag Archives: Truth Matters

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Faith, Heart, and the Holy Spirit

Christian faith involves the whole person. The biblical term that best captures this concept is heart. Proverbs 4:23 puts it this way, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The term “heart” in the Bible includes the intellect, emotion, and will. Theologian Robert Saucy summarizes, “It is important to grasp the biblical truth that in the heart, the operating center from which all behavior flows, thought, feeling, and will all come together in a unified whole.” Taken in this holistic sense, a person trusts Christ with the heart. In this act, cognitive, volitional, and affective elements converge. Christian faith is neither irrational nor opposed to reason. However, it includes more than just rational content.

According to the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is intimately involved in any person’s coming to faith in Jesus Christ (cf. John 16:8–11). I can’t put it any better than David Clark does, “The Holy Spirit permeates this process. He works to overcome the blinding effects of sin and to lead a person toward openness to the Christian message. The role of the sensitive apologist [or evangelist] is to defend the truth that the Holy Spirit then drives home to a needy heart and mind. As minimal Christian truth initially sinks in and is intellectually acknowledged, the Holy Spirit persuades a person to respond to the Person the truth reveals. When response comes, understanding is deepened. Another step of deeper reliance is possible. And the process of growth continues.”

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Which Jesus did we just celebrate?

“Students of Jesus today are faced with a multitude of options, ranging from the traditional Jesus who was Savior, Lord, and founder of the church, to a Jesus who was considerably different—a Jesus who was a sage, a religious genius or social revolutionary. These latter three portraits though clearly drawing their energies from live wires in the Gospels, leave us with a Jesus who is not big enough to explain his crucifixion, his following, or development of the Church. If we today are going to be honest about Jesus, we have to choose a Jesus who satisfies all the evidence historians have observed and who will also explain why it is that so many people have found him to be so wonderful that they attend churches every week to worship him.”—Scot McKnight

This one: “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

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Just Preach the Simple Gospel?

Is apologetics, philosophy, and worldview training really necessary? After all, shouldn’t we just preach the simple gospel and leave all that intellectual stuff to the academics? Nancey Pearcey offers good insight here that I agree with:

“The ultimate goal is to preach the gospel. But the gospel is not simple to those whose background prevents them from understanding it. Today’s global secular culture has erected a maze of mental barriers against even considering the biblical message” (Saving Leonardo, 15).

That is why we must help people see that faith is reasonable and that belief in God is not religious wishful thinking (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

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The Birth of Freedom (DVD)

How has the judeo-Christian worldview impacted civilization over the past 2000 years? More than is commonly understood. I have greatly enjoyed this series. It is really well done; and has some great interviews (e.g., Rodney Stark). Christianity is good news for the world!

(Description)

Based on the popular documentary The Birth of Freedom, this seven-session DVD study, designed for use with the Birth of Freedom Participants Guide, shows the biblical roots of the concept of freedom and debunks the notion that Christianity held back the development of Western civilization. You willl learn about the historical development of the concept of freedom and see how it grows out of the Judeo-Christian worldview. Secular elites have long dictated the terms of Western history. Along the way, they have convinced many that the West is free and prosperous in spite of our Christian heritage. The Birth of Freedom video curriculum provides you with an invaluable tool for countering this revision of history and better grounding your faith in the biblical vision of freedom.

Sessions include: 1. A Civilization without Slaves 2. The Quest for Political Freedom 3. The Myth of the Dark Ages 4. Pilgrims Progress 5. The Abolitionists 6. The Tale of Two Revolutions 7. Relativism vs. Religion

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Recovering the Real Lost Gospel by Darrell Bock

The Gospel is Good News! In Darrell Bock’s new book, he provides a rich Biblical and Theological discussion of the Good News. This is a clear, crisp, and deeply biblical discussion of the message our world needs to hear (and only 176 pages!).

“What is the GOSPEL? Perhaps that seems like a foolish question. But Dr. Darrell Bock believes that the modern day Church is confused about what the Gospel really is.

“The gospel represents the Jesus community’s core email to the world. Yet when I hear some people preach the gospel today, I am not sure I hear its presentation as good news. Sometimes, I hear a therapeutic call – that God will make us feel better or prosper more. Other times, I hear so much about Jesus paying for sin that the gospel seems limited to transacting debt removal, a kind of spiritual root canal. Still other times, I hear a presentation that makes the gospel seem more about avoiding something from God versus experiencing something with Him. Other presentations make me think Jesus came to change politics in the world. Such political presentations make me wonder why God did not send Jesus to Rome rather than Jerusalem. None of these is the gospel I see in the Scripture, though some are closer than others.” – Darrell Bock, Recovering the Lost Gospel”

Check out this brief video: