Announcement the Sun prior to starting
Intro to the Intellectual Basis of
Christianity
You know how the sophisticated people of the world view
you as a Christian – poor, deceived, naïve, ignorant person who needs a
superstitious crutch. “Good for you”
they’ll say in a condescending way. But
didn’t Jesus say this would happen, “Blessed are you when men marginalize you
for following Me”?
[Yes He did, read the Sermon on the Mount
again.]
Next Sunday morning I plan to
introduce the Intellectual Basis of Christianity. You will be amazed at the utter lostness of man and his profound helplessness to tackle the
3 most fundamental areas of life: the question of being or existence; the area
of morals; and the problem of knowledge and truth. The biblical answers to these questions are
not merely the best, they are the only answers.
Class will begin at
____ and to run 2 Sundays. This is not a
lecture before a sermon; it’s a discussion, a good opportunity for you to join
in.
[e-mail accompanying attached 1st lesson]
It
is my overall purpose to demonstrate that the biblical revelation provides the
only intellectually sound answers to basic questions of life. There is no
faster way to lose the next generation than to say, check your intellect at
the door (never mind, just believe). What one believes are
conclusions and summaries, the tip of the iceberg, and are hugely important,
but so is the reasoning underlying, supporting, and tying together those
beliefs. Many people want teaching that is immediately practical and applicable
to their situation. Several of these applications were brought up by
participants during our discussion. I have always thought that the theoretical
framework must precede the practical because the framework forms the basis for
the application. It is the same with the material world where characteristics
of matter and energy together with the laws of physics and chemistry form the
basis for specific applications. This study expands upon the profound nature of
the lostness of man and opens a way to reach him with
the truth. Applications come and go and change, but the underlying principles
remain firm and serve as the source for new applications in a changing world.
It will not do to turn the Bible's use to strictly pragmatic and utilitarian
purposes. It satisfies our longing to know and to know why we can know with
certainty - the next lesson.
Next week I plan to begin by asking the class for a summary of this lesson. G