Here some initial resources designed to answer questions commonly asked by university/college students and young adults.
Life’s Greatest Questions – https://www.everystudent.com
Breakaway Ministries – Take the first step or next step toward Jesus.
– https://www.breakawayministries.org/
Missions is the most important for understanding purpose.
Those who pursue truth may have a change of opinion about what is true when confronted with evidence that contradicts their firmly held beliefs.
Those who pursue certainty over truth will overlook obvious facts that do not confirm to the ideas they hold to be certain. They might only look to find facts which uphold the ideas that they already believe to be true. They often discard obvious evidence contrary to those beliefs.
True Christianity is the most tolerant of all belief systems because it is based upon the pursuit of truth; which is ultimately found in the Author of truth and His written word. True Christianity has little to fear from other religions because the truth always prevails even when the messengers of truth do not. The idea that Christianity is bigoted for holding that there is only one path for eternal salvation is based on the assumption that the beliefs are false. On the other hand, while not holding to their beliefs as true, Christians can accept the people of other religions, realizing that every Christian was in unbelief also until the truth was recognized.
What is truth? When Pontius Pliate asked this question Jesus had already given His disciples the answer. Truth is found first and foremost in believing Him. John 14:6
What is the truth? The question itself proposes the idea that not all ideas are true.
The door to the truth is the will, not the intellect. In other words, a person who is not looking for truth will not see it, because he is not looking for it. Instead, he is looking for information to support what he already believes at the expense of truth.
The old saying applies: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”
Since Adam and Eve people have been tempted to not believe or trust God. The choice to doubt God and believe other voices has been at the root of all kinds of evil.
Where do you find information that leads to what is actually true? What resources have other people assembled to help truth seekers make informed decisions? How can we identify the lies that are constantly being fed to us?
The links below are for the purpose of giving information to those people who are in pursuing truth. The information will help those individuals make their own informed decisions about what is, or is not, true. No presenter is perfect, but these people have consistently demonstrated an inclination to correct errors where found in their pursuit of truth.
Every person who now has faith in Jesus Christ didn’t. There was a time in each of our lives when we did not believe in God, the Bible, and the finished work of Jesus Christ. We did not know any of this information until someone told us. Then we had the opportunity to listen and decide for ourselves whether or not we would believe what we heard. From that point on, each of us have been learning, discovering and evaluating what we heard… and passing on what we have learned for other people to know.
Never assume that the Bible foundations have been given. You cannot assume that another person has heard and understood the message – especially because they are in the church environment and are able to speak words from the Bible.
When you intentionally teach the Biblical foundations, don’t be surprised if you hear, “I have never heard that before.” …From church people. Especially from people who have never been in church.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” 1 Cor 2:2
At the core of Christianity is the identity of Jesus. The knowledge of that identity begins in Genesis 1. (See Colossians) If people have never heard what God has written about His identity and purpose on earth, then they have never had the opportunity to exercise faith; to believe Him. Apologetic arguments fall on broken bells which do not resonate with the truth of God’s character. Truth spoken without love and respect is just loud noise. Faith comes by hearing God’s word. Biblical faith means, “believing God” (the God of the Bible who cannot lie). Biblical faith is not blind, but is accompanied with substance and evidence that the God who has spoken is reliable and demands trust. (Hebrews 11:1 & 6.)
Teaching the Bible foundationally helps people to see the character of God and the reliability of His word.
“The beauty of the Chronological Bible Teaching system is this: you don’t have to argue a person into believing the Bible. If they listen, they will understand it. In understanding it they will either intelligently accept the Bible’s message or they will reject it. It’s their choice. “
— John Cross in “Now We See Clearly”
How do you intentionally establish Biblical foundations?
The best resource of which I am aware is the Firm Foundations series produced by Ethnos360. The course is a framework to guide people intentionally toward maturity of faith, clear understanding, and thriving ministry. If taught with humility, dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and the intent of revealing God’s character in action, it is by far the most effective resource I have seen to date for producing disciples. Interlocked is an excellent adaptation of this material for young people. Establish Series is the first part of the Firm Foundations series.
Here are some resources for foundations.
The Bible Taproot – https://www.Amazon.com/Bible-Taproot-Dr-Ed-Skowron-ebook/dp/B08MB178T5/
True salvation in a Biblical sense is not based on some emotional experience. It’s based on fact and a clear understanding of those facts. It is only then that faith can be accurately placed. Chronological teaching gives the facts clearly because what you are learning is built on previously understood knowledge.
— John Cross in “Now We See Clearly” in Vimeo
From the Sample view of Volume One:
“Many teachers approach the Bible as if it were a treasure chest full of beautiful, precious gems. We assume that these jewels have not been given a definite pattern or design. We think that the responsibility is ours to arrange the jewels in some order which will enhance their beauty and cause them to be better appreciated. While recognizing the value of the Scriptures, many Bible teachers fail to see that there is a definite, divinely-given teaching outline which runs through the entire Word of God. We therefore proceed to arrange the Scriptures into what we consider to be comprehensive and lucid outlines. This is a basic mistake.”
Building On Firm Foundations – Must Read! – excerpt – https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2238/8297/files/BFF_Vol_01_Sample.pdf…
Is the Bible Reliable? – https://carm.org/christianity/is-the-bible-reliable/
Fragments of Truth – Is the Bible of today historically authentic? https://youtu.be/ubYd9mmz_XI?si=te5G_ZMk0MNi6p63
Josh McDowell – The Reliability of the Bible – https://youtu.be/wq-ZFG3lTiA
Lee Strobel – The Case for Christ – movie – https://youtu.be/99bbBKSrZfE
Patterns of Evidence – films – https://patternsofevidence.com/
Most beliefs that do not match what the Bible teaches at face value are due to:
People may tell you that the Bible does not mean what it says and that you need special knowledge to understand it. While there are some passages in the Bible that are clearly poetic or require historical context to understand what the original audience knew, as a general rule the Bible should be read and understood at face value.
The Bible was meant for you. Words do change in meaning over time. People do hijack words and change the meaning. The culture in which you are reading may differ greatly from the culture in which the human author and the intended audience originally understood language. Also, the Bible was written in three languages which do not exactly correspond to English. The English language and cultural contexts have changed greatly since the Bible was first translated into English. Still, the central message of Bible is easy to understand in our language in nearly every translation. It will change your life if you simply read and believe what you do understand.
Dr. Howard Hendricks has laid out some very good principles for Bible Study. See what he has to say here on youTube:
– https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHVLAsJuPfmUeA6eOavI0NheF8Ra0sLu2
Institute for Creation Research – Icr.org – https://www.icr.org/homepage/
Answers in Genesis – Science and the Bible – Answersingenesis.org
Presuppositions and Facts. “What’s the best proof for Creation?”
Evolution’s Four Fatal Flaws – https://nwcreation.net/symposium/Heinz_Lycklama_Feb_19_2015.html
Evidence that Noah’s Flood Formed the Fossil Record – Dr. Jurt Wise (The Paleontology of the Flood) – https://youtu.be/xCdt6LjvFvA
Faith in History – William Federer – A 30-minute weekday video broadcast on world history. http://www.tct.tv/watch-tct/watch-live/tct/faith-in-history/
American Minute – by William Federer on world history –
Wallbuilders – David Barton – American History experts with the largest library of actual documents from the founding era. If you want to find reliable, documented history, with footnotes and credible sources, this is a great place to start.
David Barton, One Nation Under God- https://wallbuilders.com
Wallbuilderslive – Broadcast & Podcast – A half-hour daily weekday broadcast on current events and USA history from a Biblical worldview. – Wallbuilderslive.com
Apologetics, in Christianity, is the intellectual defense of the truth.
Josh McDowell – New Evidence that Demands a Verdict – https://www.harpercollinschristian.com/father-and-son-josh-and-sean-mcdowell-team-up-on-new-edition-of-evidence-that-demands-a-verdict/
Josh McDowell Resources – https://www.josh.org/resources/
Is the Bible reliable? Josh McDowell – https://youtu.be/WfCWFix43E0?si=XFpfZSZ9UzDcfWrs
Sean McDowell, Ph.D. (Theology, Philosophy, Apologetics): Bringing Truth to a New Generation
Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. https://seanmcdowell.org/
Professor John Lennox presents a 15 minute lecture contrasting the existence of God with atheistic views. https://youtu.be/otrqzITuSqE?si=4jSpJ3_pqWWTVTkA
Ahmed Deedat debates for Islam vs. Josh McDowell presents Christianity (video & audio). Josh starts at 45 minutes.
RZIM Ministries – Ravi Zacharias – philosophy and religion – https://www.rzim.org/
(Ravi Zahcarias – many videos from his presentations are also on YouTube.)
The case for Christ – Lee Stobel – https://leestrobel.com/
If God knew each person by name before the first day of Creation, before He created the sun, moon, stars, and the environment in which we live, then each person has greater value to God than anything in or on the earth.
God created us for an eternal relationship with Him. From our perspective, it began in time and continues past physical death, the destruction of these bodies, into eternity. If life is “a dressing room for eternity”, then what we do here matters immensely. The people around us matter immensely. How we treat the people around us matters immensely. God has eternal purpose for your short earthly life.
God knew each person before creation – https://www.openbible.info/topics/god_knew_us_before_we_were_born
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made – Dr David Menton – the unique miracle of the design of the human body – https://youtu.be/XAKnEm9xqU0
180Movie.com – Abortion. A comparison of worldviews in Nazi Germany and the USA today – by Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron… https://www.180movie.com
SWToolKit – Sexual Wholeness Toolkit for Discipleship… https://swtoolkit.org
Charismatic Movement – “Sign Gifts.” Origin, history, doctrines, and behaviors of Charismatic teaching. getalifemedia.com
Final Countdown – getalifemedia.com/video/prophecy/fc.shtml
See Kirk Cameron’s ”Monumental Movie” about the heritage of the USA. – http://monumentalmovie.com/
The Final Countdown Ultimate Version – https://getalifemedia.com/video/prophecy/fc.shtml
Behold Israel with Amir Tsarfati
You need perfect goodness.
After all, if you are imperfect and God brings you
in to His perfect realm,
will it still be perfect?
Not good enough?
Not PERFECTLY good?
Then there is a God-sized problem that you cannot solve.
There is a God-sized solution.
It is found in the identity and work of Jesus Christ.
After all, He promised eternal life.
Only God can fulfill a promise of eternal life.
Have you received God’s gift?
God is perfectly good and Holy.
We are not perfectly good.
Jesus Christ provided: — the payment for our imperfection and
— clothing is His own perfect righteousness.
We receive His gift individually by believing Him.
——————————–
God’s testimony is that He created everything perfectly good.
He gave us a written record so that each of us could know Him, know what happened, know how evil came to be, and know how He will correct the aberration in His timing.
Evil had a beginning. Evil has consequences. Evil has an end. God defines evil.
God’s goodness demands perfect righteousness.
All unrighteous behavior will be judged by Him.
Perfect righteousness and the perfect goodness of His creation will be restored.
Have you received the gift He gave to deal with your imperfection?
Do you believe Him?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” – John 5:24
——————————–
This page is a list of resources to help students work through common questions in the search for truth.
The truth has nothing to fear from scrutiny.
Scrutiny only brings to light the facets and depth of truth to the investigator.
Lies may attempt to hide what is true but what is true remains unchanged by those who obscure it.
On the contrary, what is not true has much to fear from scrutiny, as investigation will expose its falsehood.
There are real, logical, reasoned answers.
This is an attempt to bring some of them to your attention.
Is God real?
Where did evil come from?
Why is there so much sorrow and pain in the world?
Who says?
How do you know what is true and is not?
Is God’s written word, the Holy Bible, reliable?
Here some initial resources designed to answer questions commonly asked by university/college students and young adults.
Life’s Greatest Questions – https://www.everystudent.com
Breakaway Ministries – Take the first step or next step toward Jesus.
– https://www.breakawayministries.org/
Missions is the most important for understanding purpose.
Those who pursue truth may have a change of opinion about what is true when confronted with evidence that contradicts their firmly held beliefs.
Those who pursue certainty over truth will overlook obvious facts that do not confirm to the ideas they hold to be certain. They might only look to find facts which uphold the ideas that they already believe to be true. They often discard obvious evidence contrary to those beliefs.
True Christianity is the most tolerant of all belief systems because it is based upon the pursuit of truth; which is ultimately found in the Author of truth and His written word. True Christianity has little to fear from other religions because the truth always prevails even when the messengers of truth do not. The idea that Christianity is bigoted for holding that there is only one path for eternal salvation is based on the assumption that the beliefs are false. On the other hand, while not holding to their beliefs as true, Christians can accept the people of other religions, realizing that every Christian was in unbelief also until the truth was recognized.
What is truth? When Pontius Pliate asked this question Jesus had already given His disciples the answer. Truth is found first and foremost in believing Him. John 14:6
What is the truth? The question itself proposes the idea that not all ideas are true.
The door to the truth is the will, not the intellect. In other words, a person who is not looking for truth will not see it, because he is not looking for it. Instead, he is looking for information to support what he already believes at the expense of truth.
The old saying applies: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”
Since Adam and Eve people have been tempted to not believe or trust God. The choice to doubt God and believe other voices has been at the root of all kinds of evil.
Where do you find information that leads to what is actually true? What resources have other people assembled to help truth seekers make informed decisions? How can we identify the lies that are constantly being fed to us?
The links below are for the purpose of giving information to those people who are in pursuing truth. The information will help those individuals make their own informed decisions about what is, or is not, true. No presenter is perfect, but these people have consistently demonstrated an inclination to correct errors where found in their pursuit of truth.
Every person who now has faith in Jesus Christ didn’t. There was a time in each of our lives when we did not believe in God, the Bible, and the finished work of Jesus Christ. We did not know any of this information until someone told us. Then we had the opportunity to listen and decide for ourselves whether or not we would believe what we heard. From that point on, each of us have been learning, discovering and evaluating what we heard… and passing on what we have learned for other people to know.
Never assume that the Bible foundations have been given. You cannot assume that another person has heard and understood the message – especially because they are in the church environment and are able to speak words from the Bible.
When you intentionally teach the Biblical foundations, don’t be surprised if you hear, “I have never heard that before.” …From church people. Especially from people who have never been in church.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” 1 Cor 2:2
At the core of Christianity is the identity of Jesus. The knowledge of that identity begins in Genesis 1. (See Colossians) If people have never heard what God has written about His identity and purpose on earth, then they have never had the opportunity to exercise faith; to believe Him. Apologetic arguments fall on broken bells which do not resonate with the truth of God’s character. Truth spoken without love and respect is just loud noise. Faith comes by hearing God’s word. Biblical faith means, “believing God” (the God of the Bible who cannot lie). Biblical faith is not blind, but is accompanied with substance and evidence that the God who has spoken is reliable and demands trust. (Hebrews 11:1 & 6.)
Teaching the Bible foundationally helps people to see the character of God and the reliability of His word.
“The beauty of the Chronological Bible Teaching system is this: you don’t have to argue a person into believing the Bible. If they listen, they will understand it. In understanding it they will either intelligently accept the Bible’s message or they will reject it. It’s their choice. “
— John Cross in “Now We See Clearly”
How do you intentionally establish Biblical foundations?
The best resource of which I am aware is the Firm Foundations series produced by Ethnos360. The course is a framework to guide people intentionally toward maturity of faith, clear understanding, and thriving ministry. If taught with humility, dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and the intent of revealing God’s character in action, it is by far the most effective resource I have seen to date for producing disciples. Interlocked is an excellent adaptation of this material for young people. Establish Series is the first part of the Firm Foundations series.
Here are some resources for foundations.
The Bible Taproot – https://www.Amazon.com/Bible-Taproot-Dr-Ed-Skowron-ebook/dp/B08MB178T5/
True salvation in a Biblical sense is not based on some emotional experience. It’s based on fact and a clear understanding of those facts. It is only then that faith can be accurately placed. Chronological teaching gives the facts clearly because what you are learning is built on previously understood knowledge.
— John Cross in “Now We See Clearly” in Vimeo
From the Sample view of Volume One:
“Many teachers approach the Bible as if it were a treasure chest full of beautiful, precious gems. We assume that these jewels have not been given a definite pattern or design. We think that the responsibility is ours to arrange the jewels in some order which will enhance their beauty and cause them to be better appreciated. While recognizing the value of the Scriptures, many Bible teachers fail to see that there is a definite, divinely-given teaching outline which runs through the entire Word of God. We therefore proceed to arrange the Scriptures into what we consider to be comprehensive and lucid outlines. This is a basic mistake.”
Building On Firm Foundations – Must Read! – excerpt – https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2238/8297/files/BFF_Vol_01_Sample.pdf…
Is the Bible Reliable? – https://carm.org/christianity/is-the-bible-reliable/
Fragments of Truth – Is the Bible of today historically authentic? https://youtu.be/ubYd9mmz_XI?si=te5G_ZMk0MNi6p63
Josh McDowell – The Reliability of the Bible – https://youtu.be/wq-ZFG3lTiA
Lee Strobel – The Case for Christ – movie – https://youtu.be/99bbBKSrZfE
Patterns of Evidence – films – https://patternsofevidence.com/
Most beliefs that do not match what the Bible teaches at face value are due to:
People may tell you that the Bible does not mean what it says and that you need special knowledge to understand it. While there are some passages in the Bible that are clearly poetic or require historical context to understand what the original audience knew, as a general rule the Bible should be read and understood at face value.
The Bible was meant for you. Words do change in meaning over time. People do hijack words and change the meaning. The culture in which you are reading may differ greatly from the culture in which the human author and the intended audience originally understood language. Also, the Bible was written in three languages which do not exactly correspond to English. The English language and cultural contexts have changed greatly since the Bible was first translated into English. Still, the central message of Bible is easy to understand in our language in nearly every translation. It will change your life if you simply read and believe what you do understand.
Dr. Howard Hendricks has laid out some very good principles for Bible Study. See what he has to say here on youTube:
– https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHVLAsJuPfmUeA6eOavI0NheF8Ra0sLu2
Institute for Creation Research – Icr.org – https://www.icr.org/homepage/
Answers in Genesis – Science and the Bible – Answersingenesis.org
Presuppositions and Facts. “What’s the best proof for Creation?”
Evolution’s Four Fatal Flaws – https://nwcreation.net/symposium/Heinz_Lycklama_Feb_19_2015.html
Evidence that Noah’s Flood Formed the Fossil Record – Dr. Jurt Wise (The Paleontology of the Flood) – https://youtu.be/xCdt6LjvFvA
Faith in History – William Federer – A 30-minute weekday video broadcast on world history. http://www.tct.tv/watch-tct/watch-live/tct/faith-in-history/
American Minute – by William Federer on world history –
Wallbuilders – David Barton – American History experts with the largest library of actual documents from the founding era. If you want to find reliable, documented history, with footnotes and credible sources, this is a great place to start.
David Barton, One Nation Under God- https://wallbuilders.com
Wallbuilderslive – Broadcast & Podcast – A half-hour daily weekday broadcast on current events and USA history from a Biblical worldview. – Wallbuilderslive.com
Apologetics, in Christianity, is the intellectual defense of the truth.
Josh McDowell – New Evidence that Demands a Verdict – https://www.harpercollinschristian.com/father-and-son-josh-and-sean-mcdowell-team-up-on-new-edition-of-evidence-that-demands-a-verdict/
Josh McDowell Resources – https://www.josh.org/resources/
Is the Bible reliable? Josh McDowell – https://youtu.be/WfCWFix43E0?si=XFpfZSZ9UzDcfWrs
Sean McDowell, Ph.D. (Theology, Philosophy, Apologetics): Bringing Truth to a New Generation
Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. https://seanmcdowell.org/
Professor John Lennox presents a 15 minute lecture contrasting the existence of God with atheistic views. https://youtu.be/otrqzITuSqE?si=4jSpJ3_pqWWTVTkA
Ahmed Deedat debates for Islam vs. Josh McDowell presents Christianity (video & audio). Josh starts at 45 minutes.
RZIM Ministries – Ravi Zacharias – philosophy and religion – https://www.rzim.org/
(Ravi Zahcarias – many videos from his presentations are also on YouTube.)
The case for Christ – Lee Stobel – https://leestrobel.com/
If God knew each person by name before the first day of Creation, before He created the sun, moon, stars, and the environment in which we live, then each person has greater value to God than anything in or on the earth.
God created us for an eternal relationship with Him. From our perspective, it began in time and continues past physical death, the destruction of these bodies, into eternity. If life is “a dressing room for eternity”, then what we do here matters immensely. The people around us matter immensely. How we treat the people around us matters immensely. God has eternal purpose for your short earthly life.
God knew each person before creation – https://www.openbible.info/topics/god_knew_us_before_we_were_born
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made – Dr David Menton – the unique miracle of the design of the human body – https://youtu.be/XAKnEm9xqU0
180Movie.com – Abortion. A comparison of worldviews in Nazi Germany and the USA today – by Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron… https://www.180movie.com
SWToolKit – Sexual Wholeness Toolkit for Discipleship… https://swtoolkit.org
Charismatic Movement – “Sign Gifts.” Origin, history, doctrines, and behaviors of Charismatic teaching. getalifemedia.com
Final Countdown – getalifemedia.com/video/prophecy/fc.shtml
See Kirk Cameron’s ”Monumental Movie” about the heritage of the USA. – http://monumentalmovie.com/
The Final Countdown Ultimate Version – https://getalifemedia.com/video/prophecy/fc.shtml
Behold Israel with Amir Tsarfati
