Standing Firm

Equipping Christians to give a logical defense of the faith and influence our culture for Christ.

Empowering Christians to uphold a Biblical worldview

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www.PrepareTheWay.us

How Prepare the Way Began

Censorship of primary source documents led to a federal court case (video)

Prepare the Way:�Removing Stumbling Blocks

• Isaiah 40:3

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;”

• In the original Hebrew, “prepare the way” literally means to remove stumbling blocks.
• Isaiah 57:14

“Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every stumbling block out of the way of My people.”

Prepare the Way:�Demolishing Pretensions

• 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God”

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• Jesus said, “I am the Truth.”

Standing Firm

Equipping Christians to give a logical defense of the faith and influence our culture for Christ.

Outline

• Part 1. What are the key stumbling blocks?
• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

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• Part 2. Influencing Culture from the Inside Out
• Inner work of Christ in us
• Taking action in transforming our culture

What’s the Problem?

Christians are Confused

• A recent nationwide survey determined 4 percent of Americans had a “biblical” worldview.

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• More shocking, of “born again” believers in America, the results were a dismal 13 percent.

*Barna Research Group (2023)

The Stats

• LifeWay Research found that 70% of 18-22 year old Christians drop out of church.
• Barna research found that 5% of Christian teenagers have a Biblical worldview.

What are the �Consequences Now?

• Teacher’s survey, top problems in schools,1950’s:

- chewing gum; making noise; running in the halls; littering

• Currently:

- drug use; pregnancy; suicide; rape; robbery; and assault

* Heritage Foundation, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators

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• Rape arrests rate, age 13-18, doubled from ‘50s to ‘90s
• Murder arrests rate, age 13-18, 500% increase from the ‘50s to ‘90s

* Dept. of Health and Human Services & U.S. Dept. of Justice

What are the �Consequences Now?

• Christians are becoming “converted” to a secular worldview at a disturbing rate.
• Many people are hopeless and suffer the consequences of life without God (addictions, depression)
• Christians often feel ashamed of their faith, which compromises their ability to share the gospel and the hope of Christ.

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Why Are Christians �Losing This Battle

• Why are around 60% of Christian youth walking away from the church when they leave home?
• Why is there a worldview crisis in the body of Christ?
• What are the key lies that contribute to this compromise?

Part 1. What are the Key Stumbling Blocks?

• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

Stumbling Block #1: The Reliability of �the Bible

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”� - Martin Luther

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“My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible-bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.”�- John Wesley

Can We Trust the Bible?

• Why do we trust the Bible as God’s Word?
• What kind of evidence is there that the Bible is reliable?
• How can we respond to a generation that is skeptical that the Bible is the standard of truth?

Why Is Trusting the Bible Important?

• The Bible is the source of truth and the basis of a Christian worldview.
• If the Bible is not reliable, then we cannot have confidence in our faith.
• Personal testimony

Where Did the Bible Come From?

How many authors? Over what span?

• 66 Books, 39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament
• Over 40 authors from diverse backgrounds
• shepherds, kings, tax collector, fishermen, historians
• Written over a time span of 1,600+ years
• 3 different continents (Africa, Asia, Europe)
• 3 languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)

Where Did the Bible Come From?

Old Testament Canon

• 39 Old Testament Books (Genesis - Malachi)
• Generally agreed upon by the Israelites leading up to the Septuagint or LXX (seventy)
• Septuagint written arond 250 BC, (Greek Old Testament)
• Masoretic Text (Hebrew Old Testament)

Where Did the Bible Come From?

New Testament Canon

• 27 New Testament Books (Matthew - Revelation)
• All books likely written between 50-95 AD
• Generally agreed upon by all Christians in the 2nd & early 3rd century well before Constantine’s Council of Nicaea in 325 AD

Testing a Document’s Validity

• Bibliographic evidence: How do we know that our Bible is the same as the original?
• External evidence: How does the document align with facts, dates and people from history and archaeology?
• Internal evidence: What does the Bible claim about itself?

Bibliographical Evidence

• How do we know that our Bible is the same as the original?
• MYTH: The Bible we read today is totally different from what was originally written (e.g. telephone)
• Video

• Video has the Bible been changed

Bibliographical Evidence

• textual criticism:
• the scholarly study of the text of a written work to determine the original or most authoritative form of that work

Manuscript of Homer’s Iliad

Ceasar’s Gallic Wars

Tacitus Manuscript

Bibliographical Evidence

Bibliographical Evidence

Bibliographical Evidence

• The New Testament

• Over 5,600 Greek manuscripts extant
• Over 10,000 manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate
• Over 9,200 other translations

= over 24,000 manuscripts

Bibliographical Evidence

John Rylands Papyrus Manuscript Fragment P52

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• Dated ~ 90–130 A.D.
• Gospel of John 18:37-38,

a King I am. For this I have been born�and (for this) I have come into the world so that I would�testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth�hears of me my voice.” Said to him�Pilate, “What is truth?” and this�having said, again he went out unto the Jews�and said to them, “I find not one�fault in him.”

Bibliographical Evidence

Entire New Testament

Codex Vaticanus – Codex Sinaiticus ~350 AD

Bibliographical Evidence

• In these 24,000+ manuscripts, scholars have discovered 300,000+ “variants.”
• About 99% of the variants hold no significance whatsoever.
• Most of the variants involve reversing two words, omitting a letter, omitting a word, or other spelling differences.

An early manuscript fragment of Revelation 13 where the “number of the beast” is recorded as 616 not 666.

Bibliographical Evidence

“To be skeptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.” - Prof. John Warwick Montgomery

Testing a Document’s Validity

• Bibliographic evidence: How do we know that our Bible is the same as the original?
• External evidence: How does the document align with facts, dates and people from history and archaeology?
• Internal evidence: What does the Bible claim about itself?

External Evidence

• Can we be sure that the Bible is accurate historically?
• MYTH: The Bible is made up of stories and legends, not on actual history.

External Evidence

• Video is the Bible historically accurate

External Evidence

Christian Sources:

• The entire New Testament, except 11 verses, can be reconstructed from the writings of 2nd & 3rd century Church fathers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, and others, who quoted the Bible prolifically (36,289 times).
• This also shows that the accepted canon of the books of the Bible happened long before the 4th century when the Roman empire adopted Christianity.
• Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict

External Evidence

Christian Sources:

• In 180 AD Irenaeus, student of Polycarp (disciple of the Apostle John) wrote,

“For as there are four quarters of the world in which we live, and four universal winds, and as the Church is dispersed over all the earth, and the gospel is the pillar and base of the Church and the breath of life, so it is natural that it should have four pillars, breathing immortality from every quarter and kindling the life of men anew. Whence it is manifest that the Word, the architect of all things, who sits upon the cherubim and holds all things together, having been manifested to men, has given us the gospel in fourfold form, but held together by one Spirit.”

External Evidence

Non-Christian Historians:

• Roman Secretary Suetonius writes (~130 AD):

“As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Christ, he expelled them from Rome.” (Acts 18:2b)

“Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a body of people addicted to a novel and mischievous superstition.”

External Evidence

Non-Christian Historians:

• Greek writer Lucian satirically notes (~ 170 AD):

“The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day-the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account… You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws.”

External Evidence

Non-Christian Historians:

• Roman Historian Tacitus writes (116 AD):

“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated… called Christians by the populace. Christ, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus”

External Evidence

Non-Christian Historians:

• Historian Josephus in The Antiquities of the Jews (94 AD):

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate… had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”

External Evidence

“As I have dealt with one apparent discrepancy after another and have studied the alleged contradictions between the biblical record and the evidence of linguistics, archaeology, or science, my confidence in the trustworthiness of Scripture has been repeatedly verified and strengthened.”

– Dr. Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties

External Evidence

“We conclude that ancient extra biblical sources both provide a broad outline of the life of Jesus and indicate that he died due to the effects of crucifixion. Afterwards he was buried and his tomb was later found empty”

– Dr. Gary Habermas, The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ

External Evidence

Archaeology: Coins in the Bible

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External Evidence

Archaeology:

• Israel (Merneptah stela13th BC), House of David (inscription 10th BC), David (Tel Dan stela 9th BC), YHWH & Omri (Moabite Stone 9th BC), Ahab (Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser III 9th BC), Jehoram & Ahaziah (Tel Dan stela 9th BC), Jehu (Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III 9th BC), Joash (Tell Al-Rimah stela of Adad-Nirari III 9th BC), Uzziah, Menahem, Pekah, Ahaz, Hoshea, & Hezekiah (Annals of Tiglath-Pileser III 8th BC), Manasseh (Prism B of Esarhaddon; Rassam Cylinder of Ashurbanipal 7th BC), Jehoiachin (ration documents of Nebuchadnezzar 6th BC), Herod (Wine Jug 1st BC), Pilate (inscription 1st AD), James brother of Jesus (Ossuary 1st AD)

www.BibleandArcheaology.Blogspot.com

Excellent examples of how archaeology backs up the Bible.

External Evidence

Archaeology:

• “It may be stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible.”

- Noted Archaeologist Prof. Nelson Glueck

External Evidence

Is the Resurrection Reasonable?

Fact #1:

• After his crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea

“According to the late John A. T. Robinson of Cambridge University, the burial of Jesus in the tomb is ‘one of the earliest and best-attested facts about Jesus.’” – William Lane Craig, www.ReasonableFaith.org

External Evidence

Is the Resurrection Reasonable?

Fact #2:

• On the Sunday following the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of his women followers.

“In the words of Jacob Kremer, an Austrian specialist in the resurrection, ‘By far most exegetes hold firmly to the reliability of the biblical statements concerning the empty tomb.’” – William Lane Craig, www.ReasonableFaith.org

External Evidence

Is the Resurrection Reasonable?

Fact #3:

• On multiple occasions and under various circumstances, different individuals and groups of people experienced appearances of Jesus alive from the dead.

“Even Gert Lüdemann, the leading German critic of the resurrection, himself admits, ‘It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus’ death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ.’” – William Lane Craig, www.ReasonableFaith.org

External Evidence

Is the Resurrection Reasonable?

Fact #4:

• The original disciples believed that Jesus was risen from the dead despite their having every predisposition to the contrary.

“N. T. Wright, an eminent British scholar, concludes, ‘that is why, as a historian, I cannot explain the rise of early Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty tomb behind him.’” – William Lane Craig, www.ReasonableFaith.org

External Evidence

Is the Resurrection Reasonable?

“In light of all the positive evidence for the resurrection, skeptics must offer, first-century evidence for their alternative views… While skeptics have formulated numerous alternative theories to explain away the resurrection, there is no evidence from any first-century source supporting any of them.” – Geisler citing Gary Habermas, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

Testing a Document’s Validity

• Bibliographic evidence: How do we know that our Bible is the same as the original?
• External evidence: How does the document align with facts, dates and people from history and archaeology?
• Internal evidence: What does the Bible claim about itself?

Internal Evidence

• Can the authors of the Bible be trusted and couldn’t they have made much of it up?
• MYTH: The authors of the Bible conspired to make up a new religion and lied or embellished what happened.

Video funny one

Internal Evidence

What does the Bible claim?

• Psalm 119:160 “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous decrees endures forever.”
• 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”

Internal Evidence

What does the Bible claim?

• The Book of Genesis- 1^st Chapter, 9 times - “God said.”
• The Book of Malachi- “Thus says the Lord” - 23 times.
• The Old Testament- “The Lord spoke” - 3,800 times
• II Peter 1:21 “no prophesy (of Scripture) was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God.”

Internal Evidence

What does the Bible claim?

• Matthew 24:35 “heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”
• Luke 24:27 “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”
• Jesus quoted from 24 books of the Old Testament, verifying their inherent authority.

Internal Evidence

The authors were eyewitnesses, or their disciples

• Moses recorded the exodus as an eyewitness.
• John 19:35, “And he who saw it (the eyewitness) gives this evidence, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe also.”
• 2 Peter 1:16, “For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”

Internal Evidence

The authors were eyewitnesses, or their disciples

• Luke 1:1-4- “Many have taken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you…so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

Internal Evidence

The authors were detailed & accurate

• Luke 3:1-2, “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.”
• Lysanias - skeptics - & archaeology

Internal Evidence

The authors were detailed & accurate

• Historian Colin Hemer documents 84 specific facts in the book of Acts that prove Luke to be historically accurate.
• Archaeology Prof. William Ramsay has stated:
• “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness,”
• “Luke is an historian of the first rank… [He] should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”

– McDowell, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict

Internal Evidence

The authors were detailed & accurate

• 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living”

Internal Evidence

Could the authors have made it all up?

• “Why would the apostles lie?... what did they get out of it? What they got out of it was misunderstanding, rejection, persecution, torture, and martyrdom. Hardly a list of perks!”- Dr. Peter Kreeft
• “While many people will die for a lie that they think is truth, no sane person will die for what they know is a lie.” - Prof. Norman Geisler & Dr. Frank Turek

Internal Evidence

Unity and Consistency

• 66 Books, 39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament
• Over 40 authors from diverse backgrounds
• shepherds, kings, tax collector, fishermen, historians
• Written over a time span of 1,600+ years
• 3 different continents (Africa, Asia, Europe)
• 3 languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek)

=>God’s Redemption of Humankind Through Christ

Internal Evidence

Fulfilled Prophecy

• 16 Messianic Prophecies fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth – Born of a Woman (Gen 3:15 - Gal 4:4), Born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14 - Matt 1:21), Cutoff 483 years (Dan 9:24), Abraham’s Seed (Gen 12:1-3; 22:18 – Matt 1:1; Gal 3:16), Of the Tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10 – Luke 3:23, 33; Heb 7:14), Of the House of David (2 Samuel 7:12 – Matt 1:1), Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 – Matt 2:1; Luke 2:4-7), Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 – Matt 3:16-17), Heralded by the Messenger of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3; Mal 3:1 – Matt 3:1-2), Would Perform Miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6 – Matt 9:35), Piercing His Hands and Feet (Psalm 22:16 – Luke 23:33), Crucified with Thieves (Isaiah 53:12 – Luke 23:38), Praying for His Persecutors (Isaiah 53:12 – Luke 23:43), Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb (Isaiah 53:9 – Matt 27:57-60), Casting Lots for His Garments (Psalm 22:18 – John 19:23-24), Would Rise from the Dead (Psalm 16:10 – Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31), Would sit down at the Right Hand of God (Psalm 110:1 – Hebrews 1:3)
• => Chance one man could fulfill all these = 1X10⁴⁵
• # of people who have ever lived ~1X10¹⁰

Making a Conclusion

In light of all the evidence

“Is it reasonable to doubt that Christianity is true in light of all the evidence? Probably not. In fact, in light of the evidence, you ought to have a lot more doubts about atheism and every other non-Christian belief system. They are not reasonable. Christianity is.”

– Geisler & Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

How can we respond to a generation that is skeptical that the Bible is the standard of truth?

Keep the Gospel Central

Engage People In Conversation

• “What do you think about Jesus?”
• “What do you think about the Bible?”
• (Find out what myths they might have believed)
• (Start to open up a dialogue on the reasons and evidence for the Christian faith and follow up)

Ways to Respond

Changed Lives

• Testimony
• Hundreds of millions of people can share how the Bible, God’s Word, has changed their life.
• Personal testimony

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”

Conclusions

• We can trust the Bible as God’s Word not just based on faith, but based on external (archaeological/historical) and internal evidence.
• The Bible is the source of truth and the basis of a Christian worldview.
• Our confidence in the Bible should fire us up to share our faith boldly with a lost generation.

Discussion Questions

1. Of the three forms of evidence on the reliability of the Bible, which one was most convincing to you? Why?

2. How would you respond to a skeptic who says that the Bible is a book of myths and can’t be trusted?

www.ChristianYouthSummit.org

Video overview of Christian Youth Summit

Biblical Worldview Equipping

• Prepare the Way’s Seminar – Standing Firm
• 7 Hours of teaching on 4 DVDs
• Accompanying booklet with:
• Outline
• Powerpoint slides
• Discussion Questions
• Extended Reading List
• Homework Assignments

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Great small group or church curriculum.

Partner with Prepare the Way

• Join our ministry email update list
• Let us know if you are interested in having us come and present at your church, organization or small group.
• Prepare the Way is financially supported entirely by your tax deductible donations.
• See our web site for more information: www.PrepareTheWay.us
• Text “Give” to 541-399-8848

Outline

• Part 1. What are the key stumbling blocks?
• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

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• Part 2. Influencing Culture from the Inside Out
• Inner work of Christ in us
• Taking action in transforming our culture

Stumbling Block #2: Worldview Confusion

Christians are Confused

• A recent nationwide survey determined 4 percent of Americans had a “biblical” worldview.

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• More shocking, of “born again” believers in America, the results were a dismal 13 percent.

*Barna Research Group (2023)

What’s in a “Worldview”?

• Everyone has a worldview… but often people cannot define their own worldview.
• “A worldview, then, is a set of beliefs and practices that shape a person’s approach to the most important issues in life.” – Michael Palmer, Elements of a Christian Worldview

What’s a Worldview?

• “A pattern of ideas, beliefs, convictions, and habits that help us make sense of God, the world, and our relationship to God and the world.” – Dr. Jeff Myers, Summit Ministries

What is a Worldview?

Video, what is a worldview

What’s in a “Worldview”?

“Through our worldview, we determine priorities, explain our relationships to God and fellow human beings, assess the meaning of events, and justify our actions.” - Michael Palmer

Religious Worldviews

Three Major Religious Worldviews:

1. Theism (God made all):
• Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
2. Pantheism (God is all)
• Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, New Age
3. Atheism (No God at all)
• Secular Humanism, or Religious Humanism

The Core Building Blocks �of a Worldview

3. What is Truth?

- Can we know truth? Is it absolute?

1. Who

is God?

- Is there a God? Can we know God?

2. Who

is Man?

- What’s my purpose? How should I live?

Who is God?

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1. Who is God?�According to a Christian Worldview

• Transcendent and Holy
• Personal and Loving

God has revealed Himself to all Humans through creation, Jesus and the Bible.

Who is God?�According to a Christian Worldview

• Transcendent and Holy

Transcends Time, Space and Matter. Eternal. Holy – Set Apart. Sovereign. Perfect. Righteous. Just. All-knowing. All-powerful. Unchanging. True. Awesome.

• Personal and Loving

TriUne (1 God, 3 Persons): God the Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. Creator. God is love (agape). Caring. Merciful and gracious. Abba (Papa). Present. The Word.

Who is God?�According to a Christian Worldview

Who is God?

• Video from 1 minute apologist on who is god

Who is God �from a Christian Worldview?

• “…there is no assignment more daunting, no task more demanding, no challenge more overwhelming, than that of seeking to understand the being, nature, character, and attributes of the eternal Creator, who is Himself the ultimate source of truth.” – The Truth Project
• “So impossibly huge is this endeavor that we could not hope to tackle it at all except for the fact that He has graciously revealed Himself to us in His Word.”

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Who is God �from a Christian Worldview?

• A Christian worldview believes that there is an eternal God who created everything…
• …and that knowing God is central to the meaning of human life.
• God is holy, good, just, merciful, all-powerful, all-knowing and personal.
• This is in stark contrast to other worldviews.

Reasons for God

1. The Cosmological Argument
2. The Design Argument
3. The Moral Argument

1. The Cosmological Argument

• The Universe had a Beginning and is Finite.

The Universe had a Beginning

EEE (The 3 E’s) & the Law of Causality

• Expanding Universe
• Entropy & 2^nd Law of Thermodynamics
• Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
• Law of Causality
• Everything that happens or comes to be, has a cause.

The Universe is Finite

Philosophy – Time/Space – Infinity

• Kalam Cosmological Argument:

“You can’t have an infinite number of finite things.”

• Difference between abstract and concrete.
• Numbers are abstract, days are concrete.

Ockham’s Razor

The Law of Succinctness

• Logician, theologian and Franciscan friar Father William of Ockham
• “Shaving away” unnecessary assumptions

2. The Design Argument

• Design exists all around us… so we should assume a designer

Intelligent Design

Definition

• “Certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection.”

- New World Encyclopedia

Finely Tuned Universe

Perfectly Balanced Forces

• Fundamental Constants (~35): Strong & Weak Nuclear Forces, Gravity, Speed of Light, Electromagnetic Force, Mass of Proton & Electron, Cosmological Constant (Expansion Rate), etc.
• Probability that just the Cosmological Constant was perfectly tuned to allow for a habitable universe: ~10^-53

Fine Tuning:�Placement of the Earth

Conditions for Life

• Location in the Galaxy, Distance from the Sun, Protected by Giant Planets, Correct Type of Star, Large Moon, Terrestrial Planet with Plate Tectonics, Magnetic Field, Oxygen-Rich Atmosphere, Liquid Water, etc.
• Probability that all conditions happen: ~ 10^-15 (1,000 Trillionth of a chance)

Complexity of Life

Conditions for Life

• The complexity of life systems shows evidence of a designer.
• Sir Fred Hoyle, the famous astronomer, once wrote, “The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.” - Phillip Johnson, Darwin On Trial

3. The Moral Argument

• We know there exists a moral law; good and evil, right and wrong; there must be a moral law-maker.

Moral Law-Maker

• “If there is no God, then what Hitler did was just a matter of opinion!”
• “If at least one thing is really morally wrong – like it’s wrong to torture babies, or it’s wrong to intentionally fly planes into buildings with innocent people in them – then God exists.” – Geisler & Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist

Moral Law-Maker

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?... Thus, in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist - in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless - I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality - namely my idea of justice - was full of sense.” – Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

Video on moral argument for God

Without Excuse

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. – Romans 1:18-20

3. What is Truth?

- Can we know truth? Is it absolute?

1. Who

is God?

- Is there a God? Can we know God?

2. Who

is Man?

- What’s my purpose? How should I live?

The Core Building Blocks �of a Worldview

Who is Man?

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2. Who is Man?

• Identity – Where did I come from and who am I?
• Purpose – What should I do?
• Morality – How should I live?
• Destiny – Where am I going?

Who is Man?�According to a Christian Worldview

Identity – Where did I come from and who am I?

• God created you.
• God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness… So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1)
• God “knit me together in my mothers womb.” (Psalm 139)

Purpose – What should I do?

• Be in relationship with God and represent Him well.
• All humans “fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Therefore we are separated from God. It is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone that we can have a right relationship with God.
• When we repent and believe, He promises to fill us with His Holy Spirit and reveal our purpose in life.

Who is Man?�According to a Christian Worldview

Morality – How should I live?

• Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor. (Luke 10:27)
• Primary mission of all people is to share the gospel and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28)
• We are to uphold Godly morality, Biblical righteousness, in all areas of our culture and world.

Who is Man?�According to a Christian Worldview

Destiny – Where am I going?

• Heaven or Hell
• Through faith and trust in Jesus Christ you are destined for eternity with God. If you disown Jesus, you are destined for eternal separation.
• “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has in store for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2)

Who is Man?�According to a Christian Worldview

Who is Man �from a Christian Worldview?

• We were created in God’s image and have value and purpose.
• We are here to be in a relationship with God
• Our sinful nature separates us from God.
• It is through faith in Christ alone that our sins are forgiven and our purpose is revealed.

Who is Man?� from a Secular Worldview

– Abraham

Maslow

Who is Man?

• “If you think in terms of the basic needs; instincts, at least at the outset, are all ‘good’...careful study of them [instincts] will provide the values we need by which better societies can evolve.” – Abraham Maslow, from David Noebel, Understanding the Times

Who is Man?

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” – Galatians 5:16-17

Who is Man?�According to a Christian Worldview

• We were created in God’s image and have value and purpose.
• We are here to be in a relationship with God
• Our sinful nature separates us from God.
• It is through faith in Christ alone that our sins are forgiven and our purpose is revealed.

3. What is Truth?

- Can we know truth? Is it absolute?

1. Who

is God?

- Is there a God? Can we know God?

2. Who

is Man?

- What’s my purpose? How should I live?

The Core Building Blocks �of a Worldview

What is Truth?

​

​

​

What is Truth According to a Christian Worldview?

Truth is knowable and immutable.

• Jesus said, “In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” – John 18:37
• There is truth, God is the source of truth.

Scripture is Truth

• John 17:17
• “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
• 2 Timothy 2:15
• “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
• James 1:18
• “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

Logic 101

There are unchanging laws of logic.

• The Law of Noncontradiction
• A statement cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same respect.
• Our culture often values and prefers political correctness over logic.

The Law of Noncontradiction

• “Jesus Christ is God Incarnate.” (Christianity)
• “Jesus Christ is not God Incarnate.” (Judaism, Islam, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses)

One is true and the other is false. They cannot both be true.

The Law of NonContradiction

Video on Law of noncontradiction

The Truth About Truth

1. Truth is discovered, not invented.
• Gravity existed prior to Newton
2. Truth is universal and transcultural.
• 2+2=4 for everyone, everywhere, at all time
3. Truth is unchanging.
• When humans began to believe the earth was round, it didn’t change the truth about it.
4. All truths are absolute - Beliefs are relative.
• Beliefs can change, but truth does not
• People can have contrary beliefs, but not truth
5. Truth does not depend on how one delivers it.

Self-Defeating Claims

Learn to identify self-defeating claims.

• “I can’t spell a word in English.”
• “There is no truth.”
• “All truths are half truths.”
• “There are no absolutes.”
• “It’s true for you but not for me.”
• “You can never know anything for certain.”

The Source of Truth

“The sum of Your word is truth [the total of the full meaning of all Your individual precepts]; and every one of Your righteous decrees endures forever.” – Psalm 119:160

What is Truth?

• Video on absolute truth from living waters ministries

3. What is Truth?

- Can we know truth? Is it absolute?

1. Who

is God?

- Is there a God? Can we know God?

2. Who

is Man?

- What’s my purpose? How should I live?

The Core Building Blocks �of a Worldview

A Christian Worldview �Under Attack

The Current Worldview Battle Against Christianity

Video of flying news clips

worldview battle

Christian & Secular Humanist Worldviews Contradict

Christian:

​

• Theistic Religion
• Spiritual
• One God and Creator of everything
• Absolute moral truth

​

Secular Humanist:

​

• Atheistic Religion
• Naturalist
• Life arose randomly through evolution
• Moral relativism

Dewey: “Faith…is Outmoded”

“Faith in the prayer-hearing God is an unproved and outmoded faith. There is no God and there is no soul. Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion. With dogma and creed excluded, the immutable truth is dead and buried. There is no room for fixed, natural law or moral absolutes”

- John Dewey, 1933

A Major Battle Ground: �Public Schools

"The battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: A religion of humanity -- utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to carry humanist values into wherever they teach. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new -- the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism." John J. Dunphy, The Humanist (1983)

Hostility Towards Christianity

• Robert Reich, The American Prospect. Bush’s God:

“The great conflict of the 21st century will not be between the West and terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic, not a belief. The true battle will be between modern civilization and anti-modernists; between those who believe in the primacy of the individual and those who believe that human beings owe their allegiance and identity to a higher authority;

Hostility Towards Christianity

“…between those who give priority to life in this world and those who believe that human life is mere preparation for an existence beyond life; between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through Scripture and religious dogma. Terrorism will disrupt and destroy lives. But terrorism itself is not the greatest danger we face.”

• Reich identifies “America’s religious right,” as “mostly right-wing evangelical churches, but also right-wing Southern Baptists, anti-abortion Catholics and even a smattering of extreme pro-Israeli and anti-Arab Jews.”

– Robert Reich, Reason: Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America, 2004

Hostility Towards Christianity

Video of franky Schaefer on

Rachel madow

Understand Your Worldview

• I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, Norman Geisler, Frank Turek
• On Guard, William Lane Craig
• Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey
• The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel

Prepare the Way Events

Christian Youth Summit – Springtime in Bend

• Target audience – Teens (all ages welcome)

www.ChristianYouthSummit.org

​

Various events on apologetics, worldviews, history, science, navigating public schools, and mens purity… sign up on our email list.

www.PrepareTheWay.us

www.ChristianYouthSummit.org

Video overview of youth summit

Biblical Worldview Equipping

• Prepare the Way’s Seminar – Standing Firm
• 7 Hours of teaching on 4 DVDs
• Accompanying booklet with:
• Outline
• Powerpoint slides
• Discussion Questions
• Extended Reading List
• Homework Assignments

​

Great small group or church curriculum.

Keep the Gospel Central

Engage People In Conversation

• “What do you think about Jesus?”
• “What do you think about the Bible?”
• (Find out what myths they might have believed)
• (Start to open up a dialogue on the reasons and evidence for the Christian faith and follow up)

Partner with Prepare the Way

• Join our ministry email update list
• Let us know if you are interested in having us come and present at your church, organization or small group.
• Prepare the Way is financially supported entirely by your tax deductible donations.
• See our web site for more information: www.PrepareTheWay.us
• Text “Give” to 541-399-8848

Outline

• Part 1. What are the key stumbling blocks?
• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

​

• Part 2. Influencing Culture from the Inside Out
• Inner work of Christ in us
• Taking action in transforming our culture

Stumbling Block #3:�Historical Revisionism

“[T]he American people should know the history and nature of the civil institutions of their Christian republic… and thus be qualified to discharge with fidelity and conscientiousness all the duties of an American citizen!” – Benjamin F. Morris, The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States, 1864

Does God Care �About History?

• History is God’s unfolding plan.
• From Creation to the fall, to redemption in Christ, and ultimately to the restoration of all things; an accurate accounting of history shows God’s loving plan throughout all time.

History Reflects God’s Love and Human Kind’s Fallen Nature

• Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
• Have bad things been done by Americans?
• Overarching narrative of the U.S. shows 1) a battle against injustice 2) Constitutional freedom to fight that battle 3) a stable government that acknowledges God-given rights.

How Can “Revisionist” History Erode a Christian Worldview?

1. Biased Presentation of Christianity in History--they emphasize the bad and downplay the good. What’s the consequence?
• Myth - “When Christians are in charge, bad things happen.”
• Why would you want to embrace that worldview?
• Revisionist history can cause Christians to be ashamed of their faith and non-believers to be hostile towards Christianity.
2. When God is taken out of history, it’s easier to take God out of the present.
• A Christian worldview is more easily replaced by a secular worldview in today’s culture.
• If we don’t understand our founding documents, it is easier to distort their original intent.

1. Biased Presentation of Christianity �(emphasizing bad, downplaying good)

• Education, the media, and our culture often focus on the negative influence of Christianity in history, and minimize any positive role that it has played.
• Quiz:
• What was a major event in the Puritan settlement?
• What was the main motivation of the founders to declare their independence from Britain?
• What impact did the founding fathers of our nation have on slavery?

Take a closer look at the Puritans

• Were the Salem Witch trials bad? Yes, 19 people died. But is this the most important role the Puritans played in our history? No! (story of my school play)
• The Puritans founded public education! They encouraged girls, boys, and all people to learn to read. Why?
• The Puritans believed that it was critical for all to know how to read the Bible.
• One of the first public school laws passed was the “Old Deluder Satan Law,” for Massachusetts in 1642 and Connecticut in 1647.

Old Deluder Satan Law, 1642

“It being one chief project of that old deluder, Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures, as in former time… It is therefore ordered…[that] after the Lord hath increased [the settlement] to the number of fifty households, [they] shall then forthwith appoint one within their town, to teach all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read…where any town shall increase to the number of one hundred families or households, they shall set up a grammar school...”

1. Biased Presentation of Christianity �(emphasizing bad, downplaying good)

• Education, the media, and our culture often focus on the negative influence of Christianity in history, and minimize any positive role that it has played.
• Quiz:
• What was a major event in the Puritan settlement?
• What was the main motivation of the founders to declare their independence from Britain?
• What impact did the founding fathers of our nation have on slavery?

“Setting the Record Straight”

“[U]pon a reconsideration of the whole subject, I became convinced… that the Constitution of the United States not only contained no guarantee in favor of slavery but, on the contrary, it is in its letter and sprit an anti-slavery instrument, demanding the abolition of slavery as a condition of its own existence as the supreme law of the land… [T]he Constitution is a glorious liberty document.” – Federick Douglass quoted in Barton’s, Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black and White, 2004

Biased Presentation of Christianity in World History

• Common perception that Christianity negatively influenced every culture it touched…e.g. Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, missions, etc.
• In reality, Christianity has made huge positive contributions in all areas where the Gospel has been preached.
• “Christ’s followers produced revolutionary changes-Socially, politically, economically, and culturally. As George Sarton has said, ‘The birth of Christianity changed forever the face of the Western world.’”

​

- Alvin Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World

Value of Human Life

• The Irish, Prussians and Lithuanians, regularly practiced human sacrifice before the Gospel reached them. - Edward Ryan, The History of the Effects of Religion on Mankind
• The Aztecs and Mayans practiced regular ritual human sacrifice and cannibalism. One of Cortes’s surviving soldiers described the barbaric ritual and said, “They sacrificed all our men in this way, eating their legs and arms, offering their hearts and blood to their idols.” - Bernal Diaz del Castillo
• Abortion was also a regular occurrence in Greek and Romans cultures which is why early Church doctrine stated, “you shall not kill a child by abortion” - Didache, 319

Equality and Liberty

• History shows that widows were burned alive at their husbands funeral among pre-Christian Scandinavians, Chinese, Finns, Maori of New Zealand, Indians, and some American Indian cultures. - Dorothy Stein, Women to Burn: Suttee as a Normative Institution
• “Whatever else our Lord did, He immeasurably exalted womanhood.” - George Morrison
• “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
• “In whatever nations Christianity has had a prominent presence, there has been marked improvement in liberty and justice as opposed to societies that have been, or continue to be, dominated by non-Christian religions.”

- Alvin Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World

Compassion and Charity

“Whatever you did for the least of these…”- Jesus

• Christians give about 4 times more money than secular people to charities and volunteer twice as much of their time. (Hoover Institute, 2000)
• “As missionaries circled the globe… They established hospitals, orphanages, rescue missions, soup kitchens, charitable societies. They changed laws. They demonstrated love. They lived as if people mattered.” - George Grant, The Last Crusade

The Dangers of Atheism & Moral Relativism

• “If God is dead, then all things are possible!” Dostoevsky (a Christian)
• At least 180 million people have been killed by atheistic governments in the 20th Century alone.
• Mao Tse Tung & Communist China, over 70 million murdered. Lenin, Stalin & Communist Soviets killed over 50 million.

How Can “Revisionist” History Erode a Christian Worldview?

1. Biased Presentation of Christianity in History--they emphasize the bad and downplay the good. What’s the consequence?
• Myth - “When Christians are in charge, bad things happen.”
• Why would you want to embrace that worldview?
• Revisionist history can cause Christians to be ashamed of their faith and non-believers to be hostile towards Christianity.
2. When God is taken out of history, it’s easier to take God out of the present.
• A Christian worldview is more easily replaced by a secular worldview in today’s culture.
• If we don’t understand our founding documents, it is easier to distort their original intent.

How is God Taken Out of History?

Video, from david barton of

Wallbuilders on

Ommision in practice

2. How is God Taken �Out of History?

• Omission - leaving out God or Jesus from quotes, censoring faith from influencing actions, etc.

​

• Lack of primary source references - opinions are used more than looking at original sources.

​

Omission in Practice

• Mayflower Compact

​

“We whose names are under-written having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith… do by these present solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid.”

• Textbook paraphrase:

​

“In the Mayflower Compact the colonists agreed to ‘combine ourselves together’ and create and obey ‘just and equal laws.’” - (A New Nation, McGraw Hill)

​

Omission in Practice

Omission in Practice

• Declaration of Independence

​

“We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled, appealing to the Supreme judge of the world…”

• Textbook paraphrase:

​

“In the name of the American people, we members of the Continental Congress…” (A New Nation, McGraw Hill)

​

Omission in Practice

• Declaration of Independence

​

”And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other…”

• Textbook paraphrase:

​

“To support this Declaration of Independence, we promise to each other…” (A New Nation, McGraw Hill)

The Miraculous Nature of Our Nation’s Independence

• 56 men representing 13 states with no army or navy declared their independence from the worlds largest military superpower of their day.
• “Do you recollect the pensive and awful silence which pervaded the House when we were called up, one after another, to the table of the President of Congress to subscribe to what was believed by many at that time to be our death warrants?” - Dr. Benjamin Rush (Signer)
• “Indeed we must all hang together. Otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately.” - Ben Franklin

Video of stephen’s court case

footage

The Declaration is Too “Religious”?

• Response from my principal on doing a lesson on the wording of the Declaration of Independence:

​

“The materials you submitted yesterday are once again of a religious nature and are not appropriate to be used with your fifth grade students because the district honors separation of church and state in school.”

Lack of Primary Source References

• E.g. The Great Awakening
• California Standard 5.4.4- “Identify the significance and leaders of the First Great Awakening, which marked a shift in religious ideas, practices, and allegiances in the colonial period, the growth of religious toleration, and free exercise of religion.”

Lack of Primary Source References

• Great Awakening is the name given to a series of religious revivals in the American Colonies during the mid-1700's.
• The movements began in the Middle Colonies in the 1730's and spread to New England and to some areas of the South.
• Leaders of the Great Awakening included Jonathan Edwards, a Congregational pastor in Massachusetts; and George Whitefield, a traveling Methodist preacher from England.

Lack of Primary Source References

• Jonathan Edward’s: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, 1741
• This sermon was instrumental in starting the First Great Awakening--as you can see Mr. Edwards does not mince words…

“And let every one that is yet out of Christ, and hanging over the pit of hell, whether they be old men and women, or middle aged, or young people, or little children, now harken to the loud calls of God's word and providence.”

Changing History

• The Textbook, United States, by McGraw Hill:
• “During the middle 1700s a religious movement known as the Great Awakening spread through the colonies. The Great Awakening, begun by Protestants, led to the founding of many other new colleges in the colonies.”

Lack of Primary Source References

“The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were…the general principles of Christianity…I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God; and that those principles of liberty are as unalterable as human nature.”

​

– John Adams to Thomas Jefferson on June 28,1813

Lack of Primary Source References

John Jay (1816), First US Supreme Court Chief Justice, and founder:

​

“Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is their duty, as well as privilege and interest,

of a Christian nation

to select and prefer

Christians for their rulers.”

Lack of Primary Source References

Joseph Story (1838), U.S. Supreme Court Justice; Father of American Jurisprudence:

​

“The promulgation of the great doctrines of religion; the being and attributes and providence of one Almighty God; the responsibility to Him for all our actions…these never can be a matter of indifference in a well-ordered community…

… it is the especial duty of government to foster and encourage it [Christianity] among all the citizens and subjects. It yet remains a problem to be solved in human affairs whether any free government can be permanent where the public worship of God and the support of religion constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state in any assignable shape.”

​

- Joseph Story (1838), U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Changing History

• Popular nonfiction books used in universities tend to downplay or neglect the positive role of Christianity and focus on the negative
• Portrayals of the founders often inaccurate
• Selective use of quotes / often out of context
• W.E. Woodward(1920’s), A New American History, “Washington never mentioned Jesus”
• Gaustad & Schmidt, The Religious History of America: The Heart of the American Story from Colonial Times to Today, Parrots Woodward’s false assertion about Washington.

What Happens When God is �Taken Out of History?

• It’s easier to take God out of the present.
• A Christian worldview is more easily replaced by a secular worldview in today’s culture.
• “Out of sight, out of mind.”
• If we don’t understand our founding documents, it is easier to distort their original intent.
• E.g. warping of our freedom of religion (The First Amendment).

​

Taking God Out of Public Life

• 10 Commandments
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Public prayers
• Christian symbols
• Nativity scene
• “Merry Christmas”
• Bible

Revisionist History Has Encouraged Anti-Americanism

Liberals have promoted revisionist history that encourages an anti-American narrative.

Zinn’s Anti-American Narrative

“Around 1776, certain important people in the English colonies made a discovery that would prove enormously useful for the next 200 years. They found that by creating a nation, a symbol, a legal unity called the United States, they could take over land, profits, and political power from favorites of the British Empire.” – Howard Zinn, A People’s History

“Debunking Howard Zinn”

“A People’s History recast World War II – the ‘good war’ fought by the ‘Greatest Generation’ – as a string of Allied atrocities matching those of our Nazi enemies. Zinn inspired young activists to embrace Marxism and see civil rights through its lens rather than as a fight for equal opportunity, as it was originally envisioned by the abolitionists, the NAACP, and even the early black nationalists… he called into doubt the legitimacy – even the reality – of the United States, itself.” – Mary Grabar, Debunking Howard Zinn

Revisionist History

• The 1619 Project uses revisionist history to falsely claim that America was not founded in 1620 but in 1619
• Created by the New York Times Magazine, the 1619 Project seeks to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery… at the very center of [the US] national narrative.”

​

“Setting the Record Straight”

“While students in school early learn that the first load of slaves sailed up the James River in Virginia in 1619 and thus slavery was introduced into America, few learn about the first slaves that arrived in the Massachusetts Colony set up by the Christian Pilgrims and Puritans. When that slave ship arrived in Massachusetts, the ships officers were arrested and imprisoned and the kidnapped slaves were returned to Africa at the Colony’s expense. That side of history is untold today.” – David Barton, Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black and White, 2004

Anti-American Narrative

Video, overview of roots of cultural

Unrest in howard zinn

Warping of the First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

​

Warping of the First Amendment

“The real object of the [First A]mendment was not to countenance[look favorably on], much less to advance, Mahometanism, or Judaism, or infidelity[atheism], by prostrating[bringing down] Christianity; but to exclude all rivalry among Christian sects[denominations].”

- Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution

Separation of Church & State: Misleading Metaphor

“But the greatest injury of the ‘wall’ notion is its mischievous diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights… The ‘wall of separation between church and State’ is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.”

- Justice William Rehnquist, 1985

The Courts Redefine �the Freedom of Religion

• 1947, First misapplication of the “wall of separation”
• 1962, voluntary prayer in school is forbidden
• 1963, voluntary Scripture reading in class is not allowed
• 1965, praying over lunch aloud is unconstitutional at school
• 1980, the Ten Commandments are removed from schools
• 1989, unconstitutional to display nativity scene on public land
• 1993, Ten Commandments can’t be displayed at courthouses
• 1993, artwork may not be displayed at school if it has anything religious in it
• 1995, any city seal with symbols of a religious heritage is unconstitutional

History Conclusions

• Biased presentation of American history is a stumbling block to many Christians and causing non-Christians to be more hostile towards Christianity.
• Taking God out of history through omission and ignoring primary sources helps a secular worldview take hold in schools and culture.
• The original intent of our founding documents are being compromised.

“History, by apprising them [the citizens] of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men;” - Thomas Jefferson, 1784

Remember: Keep the Gospel Central

Engage People In Conversation

• “What do you think about Jesus?”
• “What do you think about the Bible?”
• (Find out what myths they might have believed)
• (Start to open up a dialogue on the reasons and evidence for the Christian faith and follow up)

Biblical Worldview Equipping

• Prepare the Way’s Seminar – Standing Firm
• 7 Hours of teaching on 4 DVDs
• Accompanying booklet with:
• Outline
• Powerpoint slides
• Discussion Questions
• Extended Reading List
• Homework Assignments

​

Great small group or church curriculum.

Partner with Prepare the Way

• Join our ministry email update list
• Let us know if you are interested in having us come and present at your church, organization or small group.
• Prepare the Way is financially supported entirely by your tax deductible donations.
• See our web site for more information: www.PrepareTheWay.us
• Text “Give” to 541-399-8848

Outline

• Part 1. What are the key stumbling blocks?
• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

​

• Part 2. Influencing Culture from the Inside Out
• Inner work of Christ in us
• Taking action in transforming our culture

Stumbling Block #4:�Science & Christianity

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8)

Science and Christianity

• Many people in our culture believe that you cannot be both a scientist and a Christian; that you need to choose one or the other.
• Schools and universities have promoted this idea of a divide between science and Christianity.
• Many vocal atheists belittle anyone who does not believe in Darwinian Evolution.

Are Science and Christianity �in Conflict?

• Two books were influential in starting the myth that Christianity is at war with science. Neither of the authors were professional historians:
• John William Draper, History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874)
• Andrew White, A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom (1896)

Science and Christianity

• David Lindberg Professor Emeritus History of Science, with Ronald Numbers, Professor History of Science and Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, writes:

“Despite a developing consensus among scholars that science and Christianity have not been at war, the notion of conflict has refused to die.”

Many Famous Scientists �Were Christians

• Copernicus (1473-1543) Astronomy
• Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1627) - established the scientific method
• Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) Mathematician and Astronomer
• Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) Astronomer- said that “the Bible cannot err.”
• Rene Descartes (1596-1650) Mathematician, Scientist and Philosopher
• Isaac Newton (1642-1727) Mathematics & Physics, "The most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion on an intelligent and powerful Being.”
• Robert Boyle (1791-1867) Chemistry
• Michael Faraday (1791-1867) Physics
• Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) Mathematics & Genetics
• William Thomson Kelvin (1824-1907) Physics
• Max Planck (1858-1947) Physics & Quantum Theory

At the Heart of the Debate

• The topic of science and Christianity can be complex, yet it is worth understanding some of the key topics at the heart of the debate.
• One such topic is the controversy over teaching Intelligent Design along with Evolution in schools.
• Many vocal atheists vehemently attack anyone who points out any of the flaws in Darwinian Evolution.

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

Biological Evolution

​

• Life arose randomly and began as a single bacterium.
• Through mutation and natural selection, this bacterium evolved (through transitional species) into humans.

Intelligent Design

​

• The complexity of life systems shows evidence of a designer.

Evolution: More Than Mere Science

“Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. . . . Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.”

- Michael Ruse, “Saving Darwinism from the Darwinians,” National Post (May 13, 2000)

Evolution: The Ideology

• Atheistic evolutionist Richard Dawkins admits that it takes faith to believe there is no God,

“Of course we can't prove that there isn't a God.”

• Science and Christian Belief (1994)
• “Darwinism rejects all supernatural phenomena and causations.”
• Ernst Mayr, “Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought,” Scientific American (2000)

Blind Faith in Naturalism

“Even if all the data point to an intelligent designer, such a hypothesis is excluded from science because it is not naturalistic.”

• Professor, Department of Biology at Kansas State University interviewed by Scott Todd, “A View from Kansas on the Evolution Debates,” Nature (1999)

Attacks Against Intelligent Design

“The core of the humanistic [Atheistic] philosophy is naturalism—the proposition that the natural world proceeds according to its own internal dynamics, without divine or supernatural control or guidance, and that we human beings are creations of that process.”

• Ericson, Edward L., “Reclaiming the Higher Ground,” The Humanist (2000)

Attacks Against Intelligent Design

• Julian Huxley, English evolutionary biologist, humanist [atheist], & internationalist, wrote:

“the God hypothesis . . . is becoming an intellectual and moral burden on our thought… we must construct something to take its place.”

• Julian Huxley, Essays of a Humanist
• Huxley also wrote a book titled, Religion Without Revelation, in which he espouses an atheistic, naturalistic, humanist worldview

Flaws in Evolutionary Theory

• Three Main Flaws

1. Problems in the “progenote” theory

2. Lack of transitional species

3. Irreducible complexity

• Flaws in Darwin’s theory of evolution are rarely even hinted at in schools, museums, books, the media, etc.

1. Problems in the Progenote Theory

• Your great-great-great…grandpa was a bacterium…?

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• “What was the first self-replicating organism like? This question is impossible to answer…” -Brock Biology of Microorganisms

Mathematical Uncertainty

"The likelihood of the formation of life from inanimate matter is one to a number with 40 thousand naughts [zeros] after it. It is enough to bury Darwin and the whole theory of evolution.”

- Sir Frederick Hoyle, British astronomer & mathematician

"The scientific world has been bamboozled into believing that evolution has been proved. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Blind Faith in the �Progenote Theory

“Most modern biologists, having reviewed with satisfaction the downfall of the spontaneous generation hypothesis, yet unwilling to accept the alternative belief in special creation, are left with nothing. I think a scientist has no choice but to approach the origin of life through a hypothesis of spontaneous generation.”

- George Wald, The Origin of Life

2. Problem of Transitional Species

• “…so must the number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed, be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against my theory.”
• (On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life., Charles Darwin, 1882)
• We should be tripping over fossils of transitional species and we’re not.

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Problem of Transitional Species

“We cannot identify ancestors or ‘missing links,’ and we cannot devise testable theories to explain how particular episodes of evolution came about. Gee is adamant that all the popular stories about how the first amphibians conquered the dry land, how the birds developed wings and feathers for flying, how the dinosaurs went extinct, and how humans evolved from apes are just products of our imagination, driven by prejudices and preconceptions.”

• Bowler, Peter J., Review of In Search of Deep Time by Henry Gee (1999), American Scientist (2000)

Problem of Transitional Species

“The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages...has been a persistent and nagging problem for... evolution.” – Dr. Stephen J. Gould, Marxist Professor at Harvard University in Boston, MA

Problem of Transitional Species

“We are now about 120 years after Darwin and the knowledge of the fossil record has been greatly expanded. We now have a quarter of a million fossil species but the situation hasn’t changed much. The record of evolution is still surprisingly jerky and, ironically, we have even fewer examples of evolutionary transition than we had in Darwin’s time.”

- David Raup, Field Museum of Natural History

Problem of Transitional Species

“I fully agree with your comments on the lack of evolutionary transitions in my book. If I knew of any, fossil or living, I would certainly have included them. I will lay it on the line - there is not one such fossil…” – Dr. Colin Paterson, Senior Paleontologist, British Museum of Natural History in correspondence to Luther Sunderland quoted in Darwin's Enigma 1988 p. 89

3. Life is Irreducibly Complex

Darwin said, "if it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down."

- (Origin of Species, 6th ed. (1988), p. 154)

What is Irreducibly Complex?

“By irreducibly complex I mean a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning. An irreducibly complex system cannot be produced directly... by slight, successive modifications of a precursor system, because any precursor to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition nonfunctional. - Michael Behe, Darwin’s Black Box

Irreducibly Complex: E.g. Bacterial Flagella

Irreducibly Complex: �E.g. The Human Eye

Evolution and Anti-Christian Propaganda Often Go Hand in Hand

• Atheist & leading spokesperson on evolution, Dr. Richard Dawkins,

“It’s time to question the abuse of childhood innocence with superstitious ideas of hellfire and damnation. And I want to show how the scriptural roots of the Judeo-Christian moral edifice are cruel and brutish… When it comes to children, I think of religion as a dangerous virus.”

Evolution and Anti-Christian Propaganda Often Go Hand in Hand

• Atheist & leading spokesperson on evolution, Dr. Richard Dawkins,

“It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked, but I’d rather not consider that)” – 1989

Richard Dawkins Believes in Intelligent Design?

• Video, of richard Dawkins from movie No intelligent allowed by ben stein

Evolutionary Propaganda

A Professor’s Tactics

“And I use that trust to effectively brainwash them. . . . our teaching methods are primarily those of propaganda. We appeal—without demonstration—to evidence that supports our position. We only introduce arguments and evidence that supports the currently accepted theories and omit or gloss over any evidence to the contrary.”

- Mark Singham, "Teaching and Propaganda," Physics Today (2000)

“Critical Thinking” in Textbooks

"[E]volution--is not a theory. It is a fact, as fully as the fact of the earth's revolution about the sun. Like the heliocentric solar system, evolution began as a hypothesis, and achieved "facthood" as the evidence in its favor became so strong that no knowledgeable and unbiased person could deny its reality."

- Douglas Futuyma, Evolutionary Biology, 1986

Evolution: The Ideology

“Evolution is fact, not theory… Birds arose from nonbirds and humans from nonhumans. No person who pretends to any understanding of the natural world can deny these facts any more than she or he can deny that the earth is round, rotates on its axis, and revolves around the sun.”

- Richard Lewontin, Bioscience, 1981

Evolution: The Ideology

“We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs… no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”

- Richard Lewontin, 1997

Why Promote Open Discussion?

• Good science
• We should care about the truth
• Encourages children to think critically
• An evolution-only curriculum often shames children who believe in a Creator

Scientists Speak Out

• "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”
• http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/

Scientists Speak Out

• Philip Skell Emeritus, Evan Pugh Prof. of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University
• Lyle H. Jensen Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Biological Structure & Dept. of Biochemistry University of Washington
• Maciej Giertych Full Professor, Institute of Dendrology Polish Academy of Sciences
• Lev Beloussov Prof. of Embryology, Honorary Prof., Moscow State University Member
• Eugene Buff Ph.D. Genetics Institute of Developmental Biology
• Sarah M. Williams Ph.D. Environmental Microbiology, Stanfurd University

Scientists Speak Out

• Emil Palecek Prof. of Molecular Biology, Masaryk University; Leading Scientist Inst. of Biophysics, Academy of Sci., Czech Republic
• K. Mosto Onuoha Shell Professor of Geology & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Univ. of Nigeria Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science
• Ferenc Jeszenszky Former Head of the Center of Research Groups Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• M.M. Ninan Former President Hindustan Academy of Science, Bangalore University (India)
• Denis Fesenko Junior Research Fellow, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia)
• Sergey I. Vdovenko Senior Research Assistant, Department of Fine Organic Synthesis Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry
• Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences (Ukraine)
• Henry Schaefer Director, Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry University of Georgia
• Paul Ashby Ph.D. Chemistry Harvard University
• Israel Hanukoglu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Chairman The College of Judea and Samaria (Israel)
• Alan Linton Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology

Scientists Speak Out

• Dean Kenyon Emeritus Professor of Biology San Francisco State University
• David W. Forslund Ph.D. Astrophysics, Princeton University Fellow of American Physical Society
• Robert W. Bass Ph.D. Mathematics (also: Rhodes Scholar; Post-Doc at Princeton) Johns Hopkins University
• John Hey Associate Clinical Prof. (also: Fellow, American Geriatrics Society) Dept. of Family Medicine, Univ. of Mississippi
• Daniel W. Heinze Ph.D. Geophysics (also: Post-Doc Fellow, Carnegie Inst. of Washington) Texas A&M University
• Richard Anderson Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy Duke University
• David Chapman* Senior Scientist Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Giuseppe Sermonti Professor of Genetics, Ret. (Editor, Rivista di Biologia/Biology Forum) University of Perugia (Italy)
• Stanley Salthe Emeritus Professor Biological Sciences Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
• Marcos N. Eberlin Professor, The State University of Campinas (Brazil) Member, Brazilian Academy of Science
• Bernard d'Abrera Visiting Scholar, Department of Entomology British Museum (Natural History)
• Mae-Wan Ho Ph.D. Biochemistry The University of Hong Kong
• Donald Ewert Ph.D. Microbiology University of Georgia
• Russell Carlson Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology University of Georgia
• Scott Minnich Professor, Dept of Microbiology, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry University of Idaho
• Jeffrey Schwartz Assoc. Res. Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences University of California, Los Angeles
• Alexander F. Pugach Ph.D. Astrophysics Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (Ukraine)
• Ralph Seelke Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology University of Wisconsin, Superior
• Annika Parantainen Ph.D. Biology University of Turku (Finland)
• Fred Schroeder Ph.D. Marine Geology Columbia University

Scientists Speak Out

• David Snoke Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy University of Pittsburgh
• Frank Tipler Prof. of Mathematical Physics Tulane University
• John A. Davison Emeritus Associate Professor of Biology University of Vermont
• James Tour Chao Professor of Chemistry Rice University
• Pablo Yepes Research Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy Rice University
• David Bolender Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy Medical College of Wisconsin
• Leo Zacharski Professor of Medicine Dartmouth Medical School
• Michael Behe Professor of Biological Science Lehigh University
• Michael Atchison Professor of Biochemistry University of Pennsylvania, Vet School
• Thomas G. Guilliams Ph.D. Molecular Biology The Medical College of Wisconsin
• Arthur B. Robinson Professor of Chemistry Oregon Institute of Science & Medicine
• Joel Adams Professor of Computer Science Calvin College
• Abraham S. Feigenbaum Ph.D. Nutritional Biochemistry Rutgers University
• Kevin Farmer Adjunct Assistant Professor (Ph.D. Scientific Methodology) University of Oklahoma
• Neal Adrian Ph.D. Microbiology University of Oklahoma
• Ge Wang Professor of Radiology & Biomedical Engineering University of Iowa
• Moorad Alexanian Professor of Physics University of North Carolina, Wilmington
• Richard Spencer Professor (Ph.D. Stanford) University of California, Davis, Solid-State Circuits Research Laboratory
• Braxton Alfred Emeritus Professor, Anthropology University of British Columbia (Canada)
• R. Craig Henderson Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Tennessee Tech University
• Wesley Allen Professor of Computational Quantum Chemistry University of Georgia
• James Pierre Hauck Professor of Physics & Astronomy University of San Diego
• Mark Apkarian Ph.D. Exercise Physiology University of New Mexico
• Eshan Dias Ph.D. Chemical Engineering King’s College, Cambridge University (UK)
• Joseph Atkinson Ph.D. Organic Chemistry MIT
• Dennis Dean Rathman Staff Scientist MIT Lincoln Laboratory
• Richard Austin Assoc. Prof. & Chair, Biology & Natural Sciences Piedmont College
• Raymond C. Mjolsness Ph.D. Physics Princeton University
• John Baumgardner Ph.D. Geophysics & Space Physics University of California, Los Angeles
• Glenn R. Johnson Adjunct Professor of Medicine University of North Dakota School of Medicine
• George Bennett Associate Professor of Chemistry Millikin University
• Robert L. Waters Lecturer, College of Computing Georgia Institute of Technology
• David Berlinski Ph.D. Philosophy Princeton University
• James Robert Dickens Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Texas A&M
• Phillip Bishop Professor of Kinesiology University of Alabama
• Jeffrey M. Jones Professor Emeritus in Medicine (Ph.D. Microbiology and M.D.) University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Donald R. Mull Ph.D. Physiology University of Pittsburgh
• John Bloom Ph.D. Physics Cornell University
• William Dembski Ph.D. Mathematics University of Chicago

• Over 1,000 of the highest level scientists from around the globe…

“For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” - Romans 1:20

Remember: Keep the Gospel Central

Engage People In Conversation

• “What do you think about Jesus?”
• “What do you think about the Bible?”
• (Find out what myths they might have believed)
• (Start to open up a dialogue on the reasons and evidence for the Christian faith and follow up)

Biblical Worldview Equipping

• Prepare the Way’s Seminar – Standing Firm
• 7 Hours of teaching on 4 DVDs
• Accompanying booklet with:
• Outline
• Powerpoint slides
• Discussion Questions
• Extended Reading List
• Homework Assignments

​

Great small group or church curriculum.

Partner with Prepare the Way

• Join our ministry email update list
• Let us know if you are interested in having us come and present at your church, organization or small group.
• Prepare the Way is financially supported entirely by your tax deductible donations.
• See our web site for more information: www.PrepareTheWay.us
• Text “Give” to 541-399-8848

Outline

• Part 1. What are the key stumbling blocks?
• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

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• Part 2. Influencing Culture from the Inside Out
• Inner work of Christ in us
• Taking action in transforming our culture

Stumbling Block #5: �Sexuality

The sexualization of …. everything…

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• Our culture worships sex, much as the Pagan nations and eventually Israel did in the Old Testament.

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• The sexualization of our culture has had a profoundly negative and painful influence on young people and has pushed many away from their faith.

Sexuality

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• Myth #1: A little sexual immorality won’t hurt you
• Myth #2: The Bible’s guidelines for sex are too tough to follow in today’s culture
• Myth #3: Sexual Confusion

Myth #1: “A little sexual immorality won’t hurt you”

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• Truth #1: Sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin and eventually hurts you and others.

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• Stephen’s story

Defining “Sexual Immorality”

• Ephesians 5:19-21, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
• “Holy” sexuality can only be expressed within traditional marriage
• Any sexual arousal from anyone/anything, other than your spouse, is “Sexual Immorality.”

Defining “Sexual Immorality”

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God.”
• Control of our bodies
• Holy and honorable
• Not in passionate lust

Defining “Sexual Immorality”

• Mark 7:21-22, Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.”
• Heart issue, not just an action issue

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How Serious is Sexual Sin?

In Matthew 5:28-30 , Jesus said, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

The Impact of Sexual Immorality �on our Culture

• Rejection of a Biblical worldview in our culture has resulted in a rejection of the Bible’s definition of sexuality and sexual immorality

Impact on Young People

• Birth rates among unwed girls, aged 15-19, quadrupled from the ‘50s to ‘90s
• Over 110 million Americans are currently infected with an STD, and two-thirds of new cases occur in those under the age of 25, “Major Epidemic” - CDC
• Greater than $16 Billion per year is spent on treating STD’s

*Dept. of Health and Human Services

How has sexual immorality impacted the Church?

• One recent study showed that 64% of Christian men admitted to struggles with sexual addiction or sexual compulsion.

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• If 64% of Christian men were addicted to cocaine, do you think we, as the Church, would take it seriously?

Sexual Immorality in the Church

• And a very disturbing study showed that 25% of married Christian men have had an affair since becoming a Christian, and another 15% have had inappropriate physical contact with women other than their wives.

- Men’s Secret Wars by Pat Means, Revell, 1996

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• At a Promise Keepers event, 50% of those in attendance said they had checked out pornographic material within the past week.

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• Another study showed that 60% of Christian men have sought out some form of pornography.

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- “Porn addiction is more than skin deep” by Kevin Axe, reprinted at http://www.faithlinks.org/viewarticle.asp?ID=550

Impact on our Culture: Pornography

• U.S. is leading distributor of immorality and pornography to the world.
• $97 Billion spent on pornography in 2006, larger than the combined revenues of: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink 1
• Pornography has moved into the mainstream:
• 90% of college men view porn, 50% weekly, 25% daily
• 50% of college women say that using porn is acceptable
• Unlike binge drinking or drug use, pornography use tends to continue with age.

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* Dr. Jason Carroll, Generation XXX: Pornography Acceptance and Use Among Emerging Adults, 2007, Study of 800, 18-25 year old, college students

Modern Day Slave Trade

• There are an estimated 27 million people in slavery today around the world as a result of human trafficking 1
• Around 1 million people are trafficked across international borders each year 2
• 70% are women, 50% are children 2
• The vast majority of trafficking is for sexual immorality 2 - (1) U.S. Dept. of State, (2) U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2004

Modern Day Slave Trade

• Human trafficking generates about $10 Billion each year
• Around 200,000 people are trafficked within the United States each year, most for sex
• A child is reported missing every 40 seconds in the U.S.
• 2,000 per day, 800,000 per year
• Another 500,000 are unreported

- U.S. Dept. of Justice & National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Culture and Pornography

• 95% of women employed in the adult sex industry have been raped or molested as children 2

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• Excerpt by Ted Bundy

Culture and Pornography

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• Video Excerpt by Ted Bundy

Defining Sexual “Purity”

• 1 Corinthians 6:9b-10,

“Do not be deceived: neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.”

Defining Sexual “Purity”

• Ephesians 5:3, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.”

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• Sexual purity means:
• Freedom from sexual immorality of any kind
• Commitment to living out Biblical morality

Myth #2: “The Bible’s guidelines for sex are too tough to follow in today’s culture”

• Truth #2: The effort you put into staying pure will actually make your life a lot easier.

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God Designed Sex

• Sex is God’s idea!
• He’s not a “kill-joy”
• Sex is good and an incredibly powerful “glue” that binds the husband and wife together.
• The problems arise when we exploit sex outside of God’s original design.

God Gives Us the Tools for �TOTAL Victory

“Holiness is not some nebulous thing. It’s a series of right choices. You needn’t wait for some holy cloud to form around you. You’ll be holy when you choose not to sin. You’re already free from the power of sexual immorality; you are not yet free from the habit of sexual immorality, until you choose to be - until you say, “That’s enough! I’m choosing to live purely!”

• Every Man’s Battle by Arterburn & Stoeker, Choosing Victory -

God Wants Us to Have �TOTAL Victory

• 1 Corinthians 6:18-20,

…Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Tools for Overcoming Impurity

• God always provides a way out.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
• But we must make the hard decisions to choose the way out, get the help we need, let the light expose the darkness.

I do what I don’t want to do?

• Many Christians will use the Apostle Paul’s teachings in Romans 7 to marginalize sexual sin.
• Romans 7:8-9, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”

I do what I don’t want to do? No!

• The context of Paul speaking about “doing what he didn’t want to do” is in the past tense and living under the law, not by the Spirit.
• Romans 7:5, “For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death… What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law.”

Choose Life

• Romans 8:8-14, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you… Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Spiritual Warfare

• 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

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• James 4:7b-10, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail… Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Myth #3: Sexual Confusion

• Many types of sexual immorality are taught as normal and natural.
• Gender confusion is a huge issue today and is especially impacting youth in our culture.
• Key areas
• Media (TV programs, movies, news)
• Literature
• Education (Sex Education, K-12 and Universities)

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Sexual Education

• Health, Human Growth and Development, Sex Ed., Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation.
• Just teaching the science of human physiology?
• Increasingly infused with moral judgements from an anti-Christian worldview

Sexual Education

Oregon Health Standards K-12:

39 individual standards in Kindergarten:

• Name reproductive body parts, List potentially unsafe body fluids, Identify ways to prevent communicable disease including HIV/AIDS, Recognize that there are many ways to express gender, Provide examples of how friends and family influence how people think they should act on the basis of their gender, Identify sources of support, such as parents or other trusted adults, to seek information about sexual and reproductive health, including pregnancy and birth.

58 in 3^rd Grade & 156 in 6^th Grade:

• Recognize differences and similarities of how individuals identify regarding gender or sexual orientation, Recognize the importance of treating others with respect regarding gender expression and sexual orientation.
• Identify the steps to correctly use a condom.

Sexual Education: Curriculum Examples

Middle School Curriculum:

“Sexuality” (or sexual orientation)

• Refers to who you are sexually or romantically attracted to.
• Examples of someone’s sexuality or sexual orientation include heterosexual, homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, queer, and many others.

Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Gender Unicorn, What is “Sex”

Sexual Education: Curriculum Examples

Middle School Curriculum:

“Sexuality” (or sexual orientation)

• Refers to who you are sexually or romantically attracted to.
• Examples of someone’s sexuality or sexual orientation include heterosexual, homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, queer, and many others.

Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Gender Unicorn, What is “Sex”

Sexual Education: Curriculum Examples

Middle School Curriculum:

“Sexuality” (or sexual orientation)

• Refers to who you are sexually or romantically attracted to.
• Examples of someone’s sexuality or sexual orientation include heterosexual, homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, queer, and many others.

Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Gender Unicorn, What is “Sex”

What Does Jesus Say �About Gender?

• Mark 10:6-9

Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Key Tool:�Healthy Accountability

• An effective way of combining confession and prayer
• Power in numbers
• Effective accountability groups:
• Prayerful
• Encouraging
• Safe and confidential
• Honest and transparent
• Intentional accountability

The Power of Confession

• Confession overcomes the power of secret sin
• Sin becomes more of a stronghold the more secretive it is.
• We become enslaved to sin if it remains a secret and we don’t get help in dealing with it.
• James 5:16a, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

The Power of Confession

Proverbs 28:13, “He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy.”

1 John 1:8-10, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

Key Tool:�Healthy Accountability

• An effective way of combining confession and prayer
• Power in numbers
• Effective accountability groups:
• Prayerful
• Encouraging
• Safe and confidential
• Honest and transparent
• Intentional accountability

Discussion Questions

• What impacted you the most about this presentation?
• What did you think about the Ted Bundy interview?
• Where have you seen the worst impact of sexual immorality: culture, Church, or family?
• Why do you think sexual immorality is so pervasive in the Church?
• What else?

Biblical Worldview Equipping

• Prepare the Way’s Seminar – Standing Firm
• 7 Hours of teaching on 4 DVDs
• Accompanying booklet with:
• Outline
• Powerpoint slides
• Discussion Questions
• Extended Reading List
• Homework Assignments

​

Great small group or church curriculum.

Partner with Prepare the Way

• Join our ministry email update list
• Let us know if you are interested in having us come and present at your church, organization or small group.
• Prepare the Way is financially supported entirely by your tax deductible donations.
• See our web site for more information: www.PrepareTheWay.us
• Text “Give” to 541-399-8848

Outline

• Part 1. What are the key stumbling blocks?
• #1 The Reliability of the Bible
• #2 Worldview Confusion
• #3 Historical Revisionism
• #4 Science and Christianity
• #5 Sexuality
• #6 Discipleship

​

• Part 2. Influencing Culture from the Inside Out
• Inner work of Christ in us
• Taking action in transforming our culture

Part Two: Influencing Culture from the Inside Out

Taking action �begins inside your heart and mind

• Inner work:

Intimacy with Jesus, knowing the Word, forgiveness, healing, prayer, praise, thanksgiving, fellowship, accountability, holiness, confidence in our worldview, discipleship

• Leads to Outer work:

Evangelism, caring for the poor, needy, & marginalized, influencing our culture and society in upholding Godly righteousness and encouraging others to do the same.

Connecting With a Church

• The Church is the worldwide body of believers in Jesus Christ sealed with the Holy Spirit.
• Local churches are meant to be disciple-makers in our communities that multiply.
• Every Christian should be plugged into a local church and actively serving, being discipled and making disciples.

Evangelism: �A Common Thread

• Our ability to share the gospel is critical in impacting our culture for Christ.
• In every section that follows we deal with our ability to evangelize in some way.
• One goal is that you would be better evangelists in your spheres of influence.
• When doing “good works” it’s important that those works are done in the name of Jesus.

Whom Shall I Send?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

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• Who has answered God’s call throughout history and said, “Here am I. Send me.”
• Who is God calling today to impact our culture and uphold true righteousness?

Taking Action in the Home

Taking Action in the Home

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“You shall teach them [the ways of the Lord] diligently to your children”��Deuteronomy 6:7

Learn to Uphold a Biblical Worldview as a Family

• Talk about hard questions at home, knowing that your faith will get challenged in the secular world.
• Though the church is helpful, don’t assume the responsibility falls on pastors for this kind of equipping.
• Parents are responsible to “train up a child in the way he should go.”
• Read books and resources as a family.

Build Your Family’s �Worldview at Home

Two Key Components:

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• Knowledge
• Worldview, Theology, Doctrine, Apologetics, Biblical wisdom and information
• Relationships
• Discipleship, mentoring, representing God, love (agape)

Brian McLaren Interviews Frank Schaeffer

• video

Build Your Family’s �Worldview at Home

Two Key Components:

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• Knowledge
• Worldview, Theology, Doctrine, Apologetics, Biblical wisdom and information
• Relationships
• Discipleship, mentoring, representing God, love (agape)

Influencing our Culture:�Taking Action in Schools

Picture of students and staff praying at “See You at the Pole” Day

Know Your Rights

• You have more rights than you may think!
• You have the right to ensure that your Biblical worldview is being respected in all curricular areas.
• Parents have legal authority in requesting their child be removed from any lesson or activity that they feel is detrimental to their religious beliefs.
• Christians have the right to incorporate their faith at school in all curricular areas.

Rights in Public Schools

“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” - Supreme Court

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“[R]eligious speech cannot be suppressed solely because it is religious” - Federal Court

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“[R]eligiously-oriented student activities must be allowed under the same terms and conditions as other extracurricular activities.” - Federal Court

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“Verbal speech is equivalent to written speech. The two should be treated equally. The only difference between them is litter.”

- Mathew Staver, Eternal Vigilance

“Guidelines for Religious Expression in Public Schools”*

“Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion, the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United States”

* Federal Dept. of Education

Fellowship & Prayer

• Meet with other Christians on campus. If there are not groups meeting, start a prayer group or Bible study at your school.
• CEF, FCA, Youth for Christ, Young Life
• Encourage parents to join a “Moms in Prayer” group or start one if there is not one at your school. www.momsinprayer.org
• Attend “See You at The Pole” Day.

Whom Shall I Send?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

• Parent & Good News Club Teacher at Pineridge Elementary

After attending a Prepare the Way workshop, a mom felt called to help start a Good News Club at her local elementary school. From praying about it, to organizing a meeting with others interested, to volunteering, she then led an after school club on campus for over a decade. She reached hundreds of students with the gospel of Jesus Christ being shared on campus.

Taking Action in the Workplace

Know Your Rights:�Religious Rights in the Workplace

• Summary from Eternal Vigilance:
• Employees do not have to leave their faith at home.
• Work is not a religion-free zone.
• Federal law prohibits employers and unions from discriminating against an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
• An employee needs to inform the employer of their sincerely held religious beliefs which are being compromised.
• An employer is required to accommodate it’s employees religious belief as long as it would not cause undue hardship to the employer.

Whom Shall I Send?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

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• Kent Humphreys, President of Christ@Work

"I wish every pastor would spend one day a week as a chaplain in the workplace!”

• A business leader for over 30 years he worked with the nation's largest retailers. In 2002, he became president of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, an organization that equips and encourages Christian business owners who desire to use their companies as a platform for ministry.

www.Christatwork.com

Taking Action in Your Community

Serving in the Community

• Partner with Christian organizations in our communities (Love INC):
• Pregnancy Resource Centers, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Teen Challenge, Christ-Centered Homeless Shelters, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, etc.
• The gospel of Jesus should be central to any non-profit’s mission that we partner with.
• “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

Be a Voice in the Community

• Editorials to the local newspapers are very powerful.
• Don’t be afraid to rally support from other Christians or concerned citizens regarding any issues in your community.
• Write your representatives and senators about key issues.

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

Know Your Rights

“Religion Clauses must not be interpreted with a view that religion be suppressed in the public arenas in favor of secularism… The Constitution “does not require total separation of Church and State.” … Not only is the government permitted to accommodate religion without violating the Establishment Clause, at times it is required to do so.”

- Brown v. Gilmore (2001)

Don’t Support Immorality

• Don’t spend your time or money on TV, movies or any media that encourage immorality.
• Don’t buy fashion magazines (or fashion for that matter) that objectify women.
• Don’t support businesses that use sex to sell or are hostile towards a Christian worldview: Abercrombie & Fitch, PepsiCo, etc.
• See American Family Association website for more details: www.AFA.net

Whom Shall I Send?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

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• Jim Koeting, O'Fallon, Missouri
• Businessman leads town in campaign against pornography
• As well as being a businessman, Koeting is founder and president of Missouri Citizens Against Pornography which helped shut down numerous adult stores for promoting obscenity, a class A misdemeanor.

Influencing our Culture:�Taking Action in Social Issues

Being Involved in Politics

“The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them. . . . Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently. . . . Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it - and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course they (Christians) take (in politics).” - Rev. Charles Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion, 1868

Who is the Voice of Morality?

“If the next centennial does not find us a great nation…it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces”

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– James Garfield, Minister & President

Vote!

• 20 Million eligible Evangelical Christians did NOT vote in 2008 and 30 Million remained silent in 2010. (Estimated to be 52 Million adult Evangelicals in US)
• The Body of Christ is allowing an ungodly minority to re-write our history and laws, destroy our institutions, and disassemble our rights, and even our faith.

"Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his VOTE...that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his Country.” - Samuel Adams, 1781

Being Involved in Politics

“The people who say they have not time to attend to politics are simply saying they are unfit to live in a free community”

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- President Teddy Roosevelt

Court Decision: Religion of Secularism

“The state may not establish a "religion of secularism" in the sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion, thus "preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do believe." ... Refusal to permit religious exercises thus is seen, not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism.”

* U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington Township v. Schempp (1963)

Regular Feedback to all Our Government Representatives

• Correspond regularly with all your government representatives, State & Federal

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• Traditional Values Coalition, Action Center
• http://capwiz.com/traditional/home/
• Citizen Link Action Center of Focus on the Family
• www.citizenlink.com

Whom Shall I Send?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

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• William Wilberforce, 1759-1833
• Evangelical Christian who felt called to change society and abolish slavery through political activism.

“God Almighty, has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners [societal morality].”

You Can Do Both…

Video,

Video trailer of movie Amazing Grace

Whom Shall I Send?

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

​

• William Wilberforce, 1759-1833
• Evangelical Christian who felt called to change society and abolish slavery through political activism.

“God Almighty, has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners [societal morality].”

Steps to Conflict Resolution

• In all circumstances and with everyone, be calm and respectful.
• Speak the truth in love.
• Avoid gossip and slander.
• Go through the appropriate channels and hierarchy of authority.
• Be patient and persistent.

Free Legal Help

• Liberty Counsel,

www.lc.org

• Pacific Justice Institute,

www.pacificjustice.org

• Alliance Defending Freedom,

www.ADFLegal.org

• American Center for Law and Justice,

www.aclj.org

Silence = Consent

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.

Not to speak is to speak.

Not to act is to act.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Silence = Consent

• If you know that something is going on in your community which is violating someone’s rights or compromising their Christian worldview (no matter how subtle), and don’t do something about it, it is the equivalent of consent.

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“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.” - James 4:17

Be Unified in the Body of Christ

• We are meant to work together as a unified body, not as individual parts.(including denominations)
• Unity on the essentials, grace on the non-essentials. Love covering all.
• Bickering and gossiping within the body of Christ is a horrible witness to non-believers.
• All conflicts need to be handled Biblically.

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

Be Unified in the Body of Christ

• “So that the world may know…”
• In John 17 Jesus prayed:

“Neither for these alone do I pray, but also for all those who will ever come to believe in Me through their word and teaching, That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”

Fear of Man

• Do we care more about what others think about us… or what God thinks about us?
• Many Christians are paralyzed from taking action by a fear of what others might think of them, say about them, or do to them.

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“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” - Proverbs 29:25

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“The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” - Hebrews 13:6

Christians Must Humbly Pray

• Ultimately, revival will only come through the body of Christ humbly praying.

“If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

- 2 Chronicles 7:14

In Closing

• Pray for your calling and “assignment”--God has a unique purpose for you.
• Be involved in fellowship with other Christians so you can spur each other on.
• Pursue discipleship -- encouragement, prayer and accountability in small groups where you can be “real.”

Part 2: Conclusions

• Get equipped with a biblical worldview.
• Take action in schools…know your rights.
• Engage your community for Jesus.
• Influence social issues and be involved in politics, contact representatives and vote.
• Know how to get free legal help/advice.
• Remember: silence = consent.

Summary and Conclusions

• Christians are being deceived by 6 key stumbling blocks leading to a worldview crisis and youth leaving the faith in droves.
• We must be equipped with the truth in regards to: The Reliability of the Bible, Worldviews, Science, History & Sexuality.
• Christians need to take action in upholding a Biblical worldview and being a transforming presence in all areas of our culture.

Help Us Get The Word Out

• Prepare the Way empowers and equips Christians to engage a secular culture and uphold a biblical worldview.

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• Variety of seminars and presentations:
• Standing Firm: Worldview/Apologetics
• America at a Crossroads
• Navigating Public Schools
• Leading With a Pure Heart
• Retreat & conference speaker on a variety of topics
• Guest Preaching

Biblical Worldview Equipping

• Prepare the Way’s Seminar – Standing Firm
• 7 Hours of teaching on 4 DVDs
• Accompanying booklet with:
• Outline
• Powerpoint slides
• Discussion Questions
• Extended Reading List
• Homework Assignments

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Great small group or church curriculum.

Partner with Prepare the Way

• Join our ministry email update list
• Let us know if you are interested in having us come and present at your church, organization or small group.
• Prepare the Way is financially supported entirely by your tax deductible donations.
• See our web site for more information: www.PrepareTheWay.us
• Text “Give” to 541-399-8848