Posted on 04/14/2015 9:04:57 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The main reason people abandon Christianity is unanswered intellectual questions, yet many churches treat faith as a mostly emotional experience, philosopher Nancy Pearcey argued in an interview with The Christian Post. Her new book, Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes, provides five practical strategies to help Christians think about issues that challenge their faith.
Pearcey is a best-selling author whose previous works include Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, and, coauthored with Charles Colson and Harold Fickett, How Now Shall We Live?
Following the Apostle Paul's example in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans, Finding Truth provides readers with a progression of five principles to help them identify unbiblical ideas and articulate a response to those ideas. These principles are useful for both speaking to non-Christians and for addressing unbiblical ideas that have infiltrated the Church. Each of the core chapters deals with one of the five principles, and there is a study guide in the back of the book.
Those principles are: 1. Identify the idol. 2. Identify the idol's reductionism. 3. Test the idol: Does it contradict what we know about the world? 4. Test the idol: Does it contradict itself? 5. Replace the idol: Make the case for Christianity.
In her CP interview, Pearcey said the book was motivated, in particular, out of a concern for young Christians. Church youth groups are often good at establishing an emotional commitment but are failing young Christians intellectually. Parents and church leaders need to encourage their youth to grapple with difficult questions and help them learn to think through those issues, she argued, or else they will be left unprepared when their views are challenged.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
The last thing a church should do is cater to the desires of peoples hearts, no matter what their age.
Thinking, in general, is discouraged now.
My poor son has two years ahead of him of rah-rah, cheesy Jesus music, as he begins the teen Confirmation program at our parish, in the fall. Luckily, he knows the Church, and its music, is bigger than that.
Are you Catholic? Episcopalian? Anglican?
I highly doubt the Bible does not challenge young adults. Frankly, the ones I have heard on Waters world would have a tough time pointing out where Sodom and Gomorrah were on an atlas.
Catholic.
I told my wife the local Christian music station reminded me of what Hell must be like. Christian music 24/7. Same sound, same rhythm, same computer drums. Just kill me now. A couple of songs are nice but by and large it is torture to someone who actually can play a few instruments.
Yep. I especially hate the computer drums.
My mother always said that if you have to provide entertainment to get kids into church their being there doesn’t mean much. I wonder if all the rock star extravaganza church services that seem so popular especially among the younger group ever produce any real religious roots. The thumping guitars, banging drums and rattling tambourines that constitute many of the modern liturgies fail in my sense to ever instill any prayerfulness.
your post reminds of the classic line from the TV show King of the Hill when Hank ended up at a Christian rock concert....
“Can’t you see you’re not making Christianity any better, you’re just making Rock n’ Roll worse”
True. What happened to teens who studied the Bible and also did some volunteer work during summer? Seems they did outstanding work.
bkmk
Only the Jesus, Lord and Christ, will do. The older child who has been convinced that he/she was saved by infant baptism has the wrong faith and the wrong Christ, whatever else he/she is taught.
Spot on!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.