Faith and Facts
There are many reasons we give for not growing in our faith - we’re busy, I know all the basics, I’m confident already. But is this really true? What exactly are we busy with? Many surveys of evangelical Christians have proven that we don’t know the basics, indeed, its not unusual for Evangelicals to agree with multiple heresies when they are surveyed! Not to mention - the elephant in the room is that we are afraid of being asked tough questions and get defensive very quickly when our faith is challenged.
That’s why we’re beginning this year by talking about apologetics. Apolo-what? An apologetic is a “defence of the faith” an explanation of why what we believe is true, reasonable, and good. This is not only helpful when talking with people who raise objections against Christianity, but also when we wrestle with our own questions and doubts. We’ll be talking about apologetics for several weeks to begin the year, but we’ll also be having a 6 week Apologetics Discussion Group that will meet Monday nights. Sign up in person at a Sunday Service or contact the office.
Anchor Texts:
John 20:30-31 ESVUK - The Purpose of This Book
Luke 1:1-4 ESVUK - Dedication to Theophilus
Acts 26:24-26 ESVUK - Paul’s Account of His Defence of the Faith
Questions to Ponder:
Apologetics revolves around questions: Does God exist? Did Jesus really Rise from the Dead? Can we trust the Bible? Are science and faith in conflict? As a group, list some of the toughest questions you think Christianity faces. Why are these questions important?
(This is a test of how comfortable you feel asking questions and raising doubts in your own connect group or family setting - please don’t take this time to try to solve other people’s questions and doubts - just listen.) What doubts about the faith have you wrestled with in your life? How did you overcome them or how are you addressing them?
What does “blind faith” mean to you? How does what Paul says in Acts 26 fit with his words in 2 Corinthians 5:7 - “We live by faith and not by sight.” How do we understand face to be rational and true and “without sight” at the same time?
Have you every been challenged by someone in your faith and attempted to make a defence? Describe how it went. What would you do differently now?