Strategic Thinking/Apologetics

Dealing with Faith Filters – 3 or 4 Sessions

Based on Glenn’s book That’s a Great Question:  What to Say When Your Faith Is Challenged

·         More than just an apologetics book, this book trains the reader in strategic thinking principles

·         Published by David C. Cook publisher, Colorado Springs

·         Awarded finalist status in Outreach magazine’s Fifth Annual Outreach Resource of the Year competition in the personal evangelism category

·         Endorsed by Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell, Darrell Bock, Jim Garlow, and Ken Boa.

·         Picked up by German publisher Aussat Verlag/Neukirchener Verlagsgesellschaft mbH for translation into German under the title unglaublich, oder?!:  warum man heute wieder glauben darf.

Session 1 - The Problem of Faith Filters

Those outside the Christian faith often read the Bible through one of five filters that reinforce their skeptical presuppositions.

Filters that add:

·         The Filter of New Revelation

·         The Filter of Outlandish Speculation

Filters that subtract:

·         The Filter of Atheism

·         The Filter of Anti-Supernaturalism

·         The Filter of Selective Christian Theology

NOTE:  This topic can be spread over two sessions to allow for more in-depth discussion

Session 2 – The Filter of Faith – Part 1

If we believe that the Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible Word and we see passages that seem to contradict each other, either our assumption that the Bible is infallible is wrong or there is some way to resolve what appear to be hopeless contradictions.  The Filter of Faith presents 18 principles for handling problem passages. 

Session 2 covers the following principles:

1.      Pray for insight

2.      Settle for one reasonable explanation

3.      Think outside the box

4.      Reframe the challenge

5.      Consider the writer’s unique purpose

6.      Remember that biblical writers didn’t share our obsession with time

7.      Don’t listen to “nothing”

8.      Recognize that timeless treasures and limited lessons are not the same thing

9.      The fact that it’s there doesn’t guarantee that it’s right

 Session 3 – The Filter of Faith – Part 2

This session covers the following principles:

10.  Remember that details are just details, not the whole story

11.  Study the details for clues

12.  Keep in mind that similar does not mean the same

13.  Recognize that discrepancies can be good

14.  Blame my agent

15.  Recognize the difference between a paradox and a contradiction

16.  Look for linguistic or translation mix-ups

17.  Look for cultural confusion

18.  Give the Bible the benefit of the doubt

Basics About the Bible
 

Among the eight topics to choose from are:

·       Why should I believe the Bible?

·       How do I know the “right” Gospels made it into the Bible?

·       What do we mean when we say the Bible is inspired?

·       Which Bible translation is best?

·       How am I supposed to read and study the Bible?

·       What do I do with passages that seem to contradict each other?

·       Should I interpret the Bible literally?

·       How do I apply the Bible to my life today?