The Nature of Everything, Part 3

Starting in April 2015, for seven weeks, I’ll be teaching a class based (loosely) on Martin Theilen’s What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian? at Springhouse Worship & Arts Center. The class is designed to cut through the clutter and excess focus on non-essentials and renew our faith with clear focus on the essentials.

Week 3 non-essential: Eternal vs Conditional Security, essential: the Godhood of Jesus

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Worksheet | Audio

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
To sum up the Trinity (which is what parts 1 through 3 were about) consider this great, succinct video explanation by Ravi Zacharias, the great apologist. Notice how he deals with complexity and continues using reason and philosophy. That the Trinity is uncovered in the Bible is theology. Trying to understand the Trinity is an exercise in logic and philosophy.

On the unforgiveable sin, see Hank Hanegraaff’s short video response from the One Minute Apologist webcast.

For a great video on the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism, check out this sermon clip by former head pastor of Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll.

For a constructive conversation between John Piper (Calvinist) and Rick Warren (Arminian) over the complete sovereignty of God, suffering, sin, and how God is in control of everything, watch this clip. They also discuss Unconditional Election – God chooses who will be saved – and also Conditional Election in this clip, which coincidentally is where I tend to find myself on this topic, if that matters. “Any apparent contradiction in scripture is my limited capacity… it’s like an ant trying to understand the internet.” – Warren.

For more information on Thomas Jefferson’s version of the Bible, called The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, visit Smithsonian Magazine. (You can also click on the title of the book for links to read it online.)

An interesting apologetics class by R.C. Sproul touches on the Deity of Christ. Move forward to the 14 minute mark of this video.

Pastor Mark Discholl has a great video clip on Jesus’ claims to be God and why he was arrested and killed.

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The Nature of Everything, Part 2

Starting in April 2015, for seven weeks, I’ll be teaching a class based (loosely) on Martin Theilen’s What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian? at Springhouse Worship & Arts Center. The class is designed to cut through the clutter and excess focus on non-essentials and renew our faith with clear focus on the essentials.

Week 2 non-essential: The Gifts of the Spirit, essential: the Godhood of the Holy Spirit

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Worksheet | Audio

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Some perspectives on tongues and other Gifts of the Spirit: John Piper on What is the Gift of Tongues? He is fully vulnerable on his own experiences. Mark Driscoll on Common questions about the Gift of Tongues. The whole sermon can be found here on the topic of Empowered by the Spirit to Follow Jesus. While Driscoll (like Piper) is Reformed, he is also open to the gifts being ongoing.

From John MacArthur’s Strange Fire Conference (Cessationalist), Nathan Busenitz, assistant to John MacArthur and professor at The Master’s Seminary, teaches on Charismatic Counterfeits: Do the Modern Gifts Meet the Biblical Standard? in this clip. You can also find quite a bit more on the Strange Fire Conference, which was basically a Cessationalist Conference. For John MacArthur’s own views, which are very strong, watch a sermon here.

For a clear explanation of how to discuss and not divide over the Gifts of the Spirit from an apologist who is not Charismatic, Hank Hanegraaff of the Christian Research Institute, listen to this video here.

The Nature of Everything, Part 1

Starting in April 2015, for seven weeks, I’ll be teaching a class based (loosely) on Martin Theilen’s What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still be a Christian? at Springhouse Worship & Arts Center. The class is designed to cut through the clutter and excess focus on non-essentials and renew our faith with clear focus on the essentials.

Week 1 non-essential: Evolution, essential: the Nature of God.

Right Click and Save As… the pdf and the mp3 for the full experience:

Worksheet  |  Audio

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Pastors Matt Chandler of Village Church in Dallas-Fort Worth, Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and Professor of Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California Michael Horton discuss how to disagree and not divide in this short discussion clip. A great primer for the central concept of this class: disagreeing agreeably.

Can Science Disprove God? is a short video clip with Frank Turek on the One Minute Apologist webcast.

Links to the ministries named in the Creation, ID and Evolution discussion: Biologos (Christian Evolution), Ken Hamm’s Answers in Genesis (Young Earth), Reasons to Believe (Intelligent Design).

For a perspective by Dr. Norman Geisler on the One Minute Apologist, on whether or not Christians can believe in Evolution, watch this clip. (Based on the feedback in class, it seems like most of you would agree with this.)