Why Think? There are a lot of reasons that Christians have problems thinking, and reasons why Christians are afraid to think. The church's view of truth and reason has been influenced by the philosophies of the world around us. This is a study of the Biblical view of truth and reason. Reasons Why People Don't Want to Think - Naturalism. We have believed the lie of naturalism, the belief that there is no supernatural. If we think about our faith, it will fall apart. Ernest Hemingway said, Every thinking person is an atheist. Existentialism. We have believed the lie of existentialism, the belief that truth is based on experience. Something must be emotional or spontaneous for it to be true. In the Bible, God claims to have revealed the truth from His infinite mind to mankind. So, we can know true truth. Pantheism. We have believed the lie of pantheism, the belief that all that exists is deity and of one essence. People are afraid to use their minds, because their minds will lead them astray. Pantheism says that your mind, because it is tied to the physical world, which is an illusion, will lead you astray. Dualism (Greek or Platonic). We have believed the lie of Platonic dualism, the belief that there is a spiritual/physical dichotomy. Augustine brought this pagan philosophy into the Christian church. He held that, Man is not a body alone, nor a soul alone, but a being composed of both… the soul is not the whole man but the better part of man; the body is not the whole but the inferior part of man… and when both are joined they received the name of man. (Augustine, The City of God, Book XIII, Chapter 24) The Secular/Sacred DichotomyIf Christ is Lord, then nothing is secular. True TruthSuper-Spirituality. The belief that thinking isn't a spiritual activity or that thinking is actually opposed to spirituality, that we need to shut off our minds and just believe. We have been told that thinking is not spiritual,Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1 - NIV) The balanced biblical view is that if love rules the mind then thinking is spiritual, and that neglecting or misusing the mind is unspiritual. 'Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?' (Luke 12:57) But Peter and John answered and said to them, e Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;' (Acts 4:19) I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. (1 Corinthians 10:15) Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? (1 Corinthians 11:13) We can be intimidated by intellectual unbelievers, afraid that our faith won't stand up to scrutiny, we seek shelter in a blind faith. Sometimes those who fall away give intellectual arguments as an explanation. Mental deception always follows moral deception, not the other way around. Jesus said, So Jesus answered them and said, My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. (John 7:16-17) To be truly spiritual is to be truly human.
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Bible Studies

The following are the outlines and audio recordings for Bible studies I have given. The outlines are what I prepared for myself to help guide me through the studies as I talked. They are not necessarily complete nor even coherent, but should nonetheless be useful in some respect. As I get time I will fill them out to be more useful. I will add more audio recordings of Bible studies as they become available.

Foundations Series

This series takes a "from the ground up" approach to understanding Christian concepts. It is designed to establish a comprehesive foundation of Christian doctrine by cutting through all of the confusing and contradictory doctrines being taught by so many and examing what the scriptures say on the key issues. It will provide a key to understanding scripture and equip the believer to walk closer with God and to be a more effective witness for the Gospel.

Lesson Modified Notes Audio

Why Think

There are a lot of reasons that Christians have problems thinking, and reasons why Christians are afraid to think. The church's view of truth and reason has been influenced by the philosophies of the world around us. This is a study of the Biblical view of truth and reason.

3-30-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

Philosophical Basis for the Existence of God

Beginning from our reason, we examine all of the basic possible types of gods. This is an important precursor to a study of the Bible's description of God's natural attributes.

4-3-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  
 

Philosophical Basis for the Existence of God—Chart

A hierarchical representation of the eight possible types of gods.

4-4-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of this chart.  

The Nature of God

A study of the scriptural view of God's natural attributes.
(Includes proofs of the Deity of Christ.)

9-13-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  
 

The Nature of God—God and Time, Biblical References

A list of verses that show that God has duration and sequence.

9-13-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of this chart.  

The Character of God

A study of the scriptural view of God's moral attributes.

10-31-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

The Nature of Man

A study of the scriptural view of man's natural attributes.

1-29-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  
 

The Value of Man

In this study we focus on one of man's natural attributes—his value.

3-5-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

The Character of Man—Part 1: How God Governs

Man's moral attributes (his choices) change from person to person and vary over time, so we will exam how the Scriptures define our character and what God has done to influence our character with His government.

3-24-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

The Character of Man—Part 2: How God Governs Man, Problems in Redemption

When God's character and man's character clash, God has a dilemna. The Bible teaches us how He solved his problem.

6-29-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

Walking in Sanctification

We examine what the Bible's teaches about how Christians are to live.

5-16-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

Christian Living Series

These studies take a Biblical approach to basic issues of the Christian's life.

Lesson Modified Notes Audio

Overcoming Anxiety or A Tale of Three Cats

This is a discussion about something that has been an issue in my life and seems to be a problem for a lot of people: overcoming anxiety.

5-26-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.
Click to listen to the auio recording of this lesson.
1 Hour
3 Minutes

Living by Faith

Faith is an important Christian doctrine. But the world's definition of "faith" clashes with the Bible's. The resulting confusion can render us spiritually dead.

7-8-2008 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.
Click to listen to the auio recording of this lesson.
59 Minutes

Prayer

Prayer is part of an integrated life of walking with God, in love.

9-7-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.  

Book, Passage, Verse

These are studies that deal with particular sections of scripture.

Lesson Modified Notes Audio

The Metaphors of John

This study delves into John's explanations of the metaphors that Jesus used frequently.

2-25-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.
Click to listen to the auio recording of this lesson.
1 Hour
17 Minutes
 

The Metaphors of John—Addendum: Word Studies

These are the verses that support my understanding of the metaphors in the Gospel of John.

3-16-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.
Click to listen to the auio recording of this lesson.
1 Hour
3 Minutes

The Metaphors of John—Murray Park Church of Christ Sermon

This is the similar to the previous study but with an introduction explaining the relevance of John's Gospel in evangelism; and shorter, missing some very useful points contained in the full lesson.

8-2-2009 Download an Acrobat PDF file of the notes for this lesson.
Click to listen to the auio recording of this lesson.
41 Minutes

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