I played on my high school’s football team. Those who know me today might be able to guess at the positions I played: tight end, defensive end and long snapper. However, when I was in high school, I was close to 6’ 3” and weight a whopping 155 pounds! Needless to say, I did not instill much fear in the other lineman in the league.

At practice my blocking buddy was the biggest guy on our team. Scott was 6’ 5” tall and weighed 235 pounds. I could never quite push him back, but I did get to the point where he could not push me back -at least for a few seconds.

Now Scott was a big guy – at least by our league’s standards. You see we played for a small Christian school. Scott had the size and the ability to play on a public high school team, but whereas he was a big fish in a small pond in our league, he would have been a little fish in a big pond at most public high schools.

What does this have to do with faith? For those of us who have kids or grand kids in college or heading to college – specifically a secular college – we must remember that while we have raised them well, their faith is not our faith. For most of us God has given us years of learning, trusting, growing and believing which has strengthened our faith foundations. They have not had the time to fully develop their faith.

Imagine when I played high school football if I tried to go up against a high school all American? The results would not have been lack luster at best. But what if that high school all American tried to go up against a division one college lineman? It would probably not be very competitive. What about a high school all American against an NFL lineman? We would pray that the high school player would not get seriously hurt in the exchange! At the very least we would have to prepare them not to get hurt.

When we send our kids and grand kids off to a secular college or university, they will face stiff challenges to their faith. Not only from other kids with similar skills and abilities as theirs, but from professional academics. Are they ready for that challenge? I hope so, but I believe we need to be intentional about preparing them for that challenge. That means we need to make sure they know what is coming, how their faith will be attacked and how to answer those challenges.

While the Bible is the Inspired Word of God and Its Words will never pass away, it is not respected on the campuses of most secular colleges and universities. Their “gods” include science, philosophy, humanity and sex. However, we don’t have to fear these “gods” because they are not gods at all. What we do need to do is the prepare our children for how they will be influenced by these ideas.

Someone once said the best defense is a good offense. We need to prepare our children and grandchildren by discussing with them ahead of time what they may be taught. We also need to prepare them by giving them reasonable answers to those teachings. However, to be able to teach them how to defend their faith against these attacks, we must first understand the attacks ourselves. What are you doing to understand what is being taught and answers to those teachings? Peter commanded us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lives within us (1 Peter 3:15-16). Are you ready? Are you getting your children and grandchildren ready?

This will not be a fair fight. It will be like a high school player going up against a college or pro player, but we must do what we can to prepare them for this challenge. To ignore the challenge or to assume that they are ready without any type of preparation would be a mistake. Let’s help prepare them for the battle for their minds and souls.

How do we prepare? The great news is that there is a wealth of information on the Internet. Ministries such as Cross Examined, The Ehrman Project and Ravi Zacharias Internal Ministries are all excellent resources to start with. Never heard of them? Well now you have…

As I watch the news and listen to what others are having to say regarding this election cycle, I was reminded of a question that the Christian apologist Frank Turek likes to ask skeptics when he speaks on university campuses across the nation: “If it were proven that Christianity were true, would you be a Christian?” The purpose of this question is to determine if the person is on a truth quest or a happiness quest. Some skeptics honestly answer this by saying “no”. In other words, the problem they have with Christianity is more than just a intellectual one – it is also a volitional problem. Some people simply don’t want it to be true.

But what does that have to do with this election cycle? Before I answer that question, I want to make it clear that my goal is not to persuade you to vote for my candidates or agree with my politics. In fact, I hope that after you read this blog entry you will not know who my candidates are or what political party I support based on what I’ve written here. That’s not to say that I do not have strong opinions regarding these topics. I do. That is just not my point in writing this. What I want you to do is to ask yourself the same question regarding all of your beliefs that Turek asks regarding Christianity. Specifically, in terms of politics, when supporting a particular political candidate or platform are you on a truth quest or a happiness quest?

But, how do you know if you are on a truth quest or a happiness quest? Let me ask you this, what have you done to evaluate the arguments made by both sides? Do you only read/listen to/talk with/befriend people who hold the same ideas and values as you do? Are the people you are listening to truly experts or are they merely talking heads who have an agenda to push? Sure, they may be smart people that you agree with, but are they the true experts in the field they are discussing? If you do seek out experts, do you seek out experts from all sides or only those who are promoting ideas you agree with?  When you do seek out experts with opposing ideas are they truly credentialed experts or are they lay people whose arguments are easily defeated?Have you carefully weighed the pros/cons of every argument? Do you too quickly dismiss things you disagree with? Answering these questions will help determine if you are on a happiness quest or a truth quest.

Now you may argue, “There is no such thing as absolute truth”. Is that statement an absolute truth? [Think about it…] If you subscribe to the philosophy of “no absolutes”, you may be on a happiness quest and not a truth quest.

The problem with happiness quests is that they only deliver happiness - temporarily. Your ideas may seem to win the day, but those wins may only short-lived at best. Eventually, problems with the ideology will lead to long-term issues that are difficult or even impossible to recover from.

My encouragement to you is to always be on a quest for the truth and not simply for things that will make you happy. Do not scream and shout at people you disagree with. Take the time to get to know them, understand what they believe and why they believe it. Be respectful of people regardless of if you agree with them or not. When they give you weak answers for what they believe, challenge them (respectfully), but dig in deeper yourself. Just because a person’s knowledge is shallow regarding their beliefs does not mean that their beliefs are invalid or incorrect. Finally, remember that real truth is not subject to what anyone does or does not believe. As a friend of mine once said, “Truth is that which cannot change regardless of how badly I may want it to change.”

So how about you? Are you on a truth quest or a happiness quest? Not only in politics, but in all areas of your life.

We live in a media-rich society. Since the advent of the radio, television, motion pictures and internet, people have been able to communicate with each other like never before. This has opened doors for people to get their messages out in a matter of minutes to a large audience - something that just a couple hundred years ago would have taken a lifetime to achieve. The power to communicate equates to  the power to enlighten, the power to persuade, the power to motivate, the power to influence, the power to confuse or the power to mislead.

I'll never forget a technical communications (English) class I took as an undergraduate college student. On the first day of class the professor stood up and waxed eloquent on his philosophy of life and learning. I remember thinking, "This guy is not going to be much fun." However, there were several things he said on that first day that have stuck with me ever since, and he quickly became one of my favorite professors.

Our classroom was directly across a courtyard from the library. During his speech, he pointed across the courtyard to the library and said, "Do you see that building over there? It is full of books that are full of lies. It is also full of books that are full of truths. You have to determine which books contain the lies and which books contain the truths." He was right. The problem is how do we determine truth from untruth - not only in books, but also on the radio, television, movie screen and internet? This is especially true when it comes to religious teaching and preaching.

To borrow this quote from my professor I'd point out, "There are many teachers and preachers out there teaching lies. There are many teachers and preachers out there teaching truths. You have to determine which ones are teaching lies and which ones are teaching truths." Of course, this is sometimes easier said than done.

The problem is most folks who are teaching false doctrines sometimes slip just enough truth into their messages to make it seem like it is complete Biblical truth. But, how do we know for sure? The best way is to know the entire counsel of Scripture ourselves. However, to know Scripture we have to be students of Scripture. We have to read, mediate, compare Scripture to Scripture and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth. However there are some "red flags" that we need to look out for when we listen to and are motivated by other people's teaching.

The first set of questions that we should ask are "Does the teaching agree with the whole of Scripture? Are there other passages that seem to teach something different than what is being presented?" If so, beware! This is a red flag! God is not a God of confusion and Scripture does not contradict itself. If we think it does, then the problem is with us and not the text.

The second set of questions that  we should  ask are, "Who is the teaching focusing on? Is it primarily focusing on God or is it primarily focusing on man?" If the answer is "Man", you have another red flag. True Biblical teaching focuses on God and what God has done for man. It does not focus on how man can "work" God's system to achieve some benefit. This is not to say that there are no promises directed toward us in Scripture. However, we must be careful not to become more focused on the promises than we are on the Promise Giver.

The third set of questions that we should ask are ,"What is the source of the teaching? Is it Biblical or is it outside of the Bible?" The Bible is God's Word. It is His special revelation to us. It is inspired. True Biblical teaching is firmly rooted in the Biblical text and not other works. This is not to say that other works cannot be used by a teacher or preacher, but the primary source must be Scripture. If it is not, then it is a red flag.

The fourth question we should ask is, "Is the teacher claiming that they have discovered some new truth that will revolutionize your faith?" If so, beware! This is a red flag! There have been thousands of years for godly men and women to study and contemplate Scripture. While it is not impossible to think that the Holy Spirit could enlighten a teacher/preacher with a truly brand new doctrine, the chances of that are very small indeed.  There can, of course, be new applications for Biblical truths, but the truths themselves do not change.

The fifth question that we should ask is "Is there a 'magic formula'?" It usually goes something like this: "If you just do ___________ God has to do _______________." In other words, we can somehow hold God over a barrel and force Him to do something simply because we followed the right formula. God is not a genie in a bottle who is subject to our wants and wishes. God is Sovereign and we answer to Him - not the other way around. "Magic formulas" equal red flag.

The sixth set of questions that we should ask are,"Is there a  'the secret teaching'?" Is the speaker communicating that he/she won't tell you what you need to know until you do ___________?" When you hear this, hold on to your hearts, minds and pocketbooks because this is a huge red flag!

The seventh question that we should ask is "Does this teacher/preacher like to teach on a single verse while ignoring all text before and after that verse?" If so, this is another red flag. I had a different professor come into class one day and declare: "The Bible states  that there is no God!" Needless to say, this ruffled a few feathers. (By the way, I went to a secular university and not a Christian university.) After several of us became really upset and told him that he was crazy, he made his point. "The Bible says that 'The fool has said in his heart there is no god.'" His point was very simple, but profound. Context is critical. Without context you can twist Scripture to support  just about any belief you want. 

In Acts 17:10-15 the Apostle Paul shared the Gospel in the town of Berea. The Bereans were commended because they "examined the Scriptures daily" in order  to verify what Paul was saying was true. We must do the same when we evaluate other people's teaching.

This brings us full circle to my original point: We must be students of Scripture. It doesn't matter who the teacher is, we must confirm everything he/she says with the whole counsel of Scripture.

Blessings,

David

We are a nation obsessed with physical fitness - or perhaps the lack thereof. Scripture teaches us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are not our own - we belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19).  Therefore, we have a obligation to care for "our" bodies because they are simply on loan from God. I have to admit that this is an area where I've struggled and I am starting to take steps to correct this problem in my life.

The way society views physical fitness intrigues me. What are the reasons that we desire a fit body? I've already mentioned the stewardship aspect of caring for our bodies because they actually belong to God, but I don't think that is the main force that drives most of us. Perhaps it is because we want to maximize our lives here on earth in order to live a long and healthy life? Perhaps it is because our society places a high standard on the way we look and we are sometimes judged (rightly or wrongly) by our physical appearance? Perhaps it is for our own self esteem? Regardless of the reason(s) one thing is true, if we are not in top shape it is difficult to hide that fact from ourselves each morning when we look in the mirror or from others.

While I think that caring for ourselves physically is very important for many reasons, what interests me is do we place the same amount of concern and care for our spiritual fitness as we do our physical fitness. When we are physically out of shape, it shows - literally. When we are spiritually out of shape it can show too, but not quite as obviously. What if it did? Would that change our approach to spiritual fitness?

There are several things that contribute to our physical fitness: eating properly, exercise, abstaining from harmful habits, etc. If we neglect these things, our physical bodies are affected negatively. There are also things that contribute to our spiritual fitness: prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other believers, worship of God, etc. If we neglect these things, our spiritual fitness is affected negatively.

I think it is important to note that not only are these things important, it is important that we do them correctly. If we become unbalanced on the things we eat our bodies suffer. If we do not make an effort to partake of the whole of Scripture our spiritual fitness suffers. For example, when we study the Bible or seek out teachers who teach the Bible do we only look for the "sweets" of Scripture or do we also seek out the "protein" and "vegetables" as well? Do we only partake of the cupcakes and pastries or do we also crave leafy greens and lean meat? What would our physical bodies look like if we nourished them like we nourish our spiritual lives?

Physical fitness is important - so is spiritual fitness. It is my prayer that we not only take care of our bodies, but also care for our souls.

Blessings,

David