Fellows Program - CS Lewis Institute

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2016–17

Year One HandbookFellows Program

C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program | Year One Handbook 2016-17 2

C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program Year One Handbook

© 2016 C.S. Lewis Institute 8001 Braddock Road, Suite 301

Springfield, VA 22151

Phone: (703) 914-5602 · (800) 813-9209 [email protected] www.cslewisinstitute.org

Original Author: Thomas A. Tarrants, III, D.Min.

Revised by: Karl Johnson, M.M.S., M.A. Daniel E. Osborn, M.B.A.

Thomas A. Tarrants, III, D.Min. Bill Smith, M.Div.

ISBN-13: 978-1522714224

Please note: Every effort has been made to ensure the contents of this handbook are accurate, but websites, links and availability of resources can change over time. If you find errors, encounter

difficulties in accessing or obtaining study materials, or have any other questions about this handbook,

please email [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program | Year One Handbook 2016-173

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2016–17



ContentsPresident’s Letter ...................................................................................................1

How to Grow through the Fellows Program ..........................................................3Time Management ...............................................................................................................3

Obedience ..........................................................................................................................3

Prayer .................................................................................................................................3

Fellows Program Design ........................................................................................4Monthly Themes and Assignments .......................................................................................4

Bible Study First ..................................................................................................................4

Articulate, Defend and Live Your Faith in Jesus Christ .........................................................4

The Role of Apologetics in the Program ...............................................................................5

Monthly Response Paper ......................................................................................................5

Resources for the Fellows Program ........................................................................5Obtaining Resources ............................................................................................................5

Resource Options ................................................................................................................5

Resource List .......................................................................................................................6

Recommended Resources ....................................................................................................7

Appendix of Resources .........................................................................................................7

Structure and Schedule ..........................................................................................7Overview .............................................................................................................................7

Orientation ..........................................................................................................................7

Summer Assignments ...........................................................................................................7

Fall Retreat ..........................................................................................................................8

Monthly Lectures.................................................................................................................8

Monthly Mentoring Meeting ...............................................................................................8

Monthly Triplet/Quad Meeting ...........................................................................................9

Group Fellowship ................................................................................................................9

Urban Plunge ......................................................................................................................9

Apologetics Workshop .......................................................................................................10

Special Meetings ................................................................................................................10

Contents


ContentsProgram Costs .....................................................................................................10

Practicing Discipleship of Heart and Mind ...........................................................10Applying the Fellows Program ..........................................................................................10

Disciple-Making Plan ........................................................................................................10

Ministry Resources ............................................................................................................11

Orientation Assignments: Creating Margin and Restructuring Our Time ................................................................................12

Summer Kick-Off Meeting: The Fatherhood of God ............................................16

June: Receiving God’s Grace ................................................................................20

July: Understanding True Conversion ..................................................................26

August: Following Jesus Christ ............................................................................32

Fall Retreat Preparation Checklist ........................................................................38

September: Walking in the Holy Spirit .................................................................40

October: Being Transformed by Scripture ............................................................48

November: Living a Life of Love & Obedience ....................................................56

December: Walking in Humility ...........................................................................64

January: Growing in Prayer & Faith .....................................................................72

February: Pursuing God’s Call on Your Life .........................................................80

March: Commending the Faith – Cultural Apologetics .........................................88

April: Sharing the Faith – Conversational Apologetics ..........................................96

May: Our Mission – Making Disciples ................................................................104

Appendix: For Further Study – Classified Apologetics Bibliography ....................112

Contents


President’s Letter

“ Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth.”

— C.S. Lewis • Selected Literary Essays


President’s Letter

Dear C.S. Lewis Institute Fellow,

As the President of the C.S. Lewis Institute, I would like to welcome you to the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows program. You are joining us at a special time as CSLI is celebrating 40 years of heart and mind discipleship since our founding in 1976. Our theme for the year is from C.S. Lewis’s Last Battle in which Aslan calls the citizens of Narnia to “Come further up and further in!” My prayer for you is that you will pursue the Lord and find yourself in deeper fellowship with the Lord and better equipped to serve Him and the world through this experience.

You are about to embark upon a year-long journey with men and women throughout the United States and Great Britain who have committed themselves to a program of intentional discipleship of heart and mind.

Over 2,000 others to date, from over 100 different churches, have gone through this program, which, in the legacy of C.S. Lewis, seeks to develop disciples who are able to articulate, defend and live their faith in Christ in personal and public life.

As one of our co-founders, Jim Houston stated, “The goal of the C.S. Lewis Institute is not to make more fans of Lewis, but to make thousands more people LIKE Lewis.” Lewis was a sinner saved by grace, like all of us, yet he sought to be wholeheartedly devoted to following Jesus and this came out in his professional life of teaching, writings, relationships, family life and in his worship.

The Fellows program has been carefully thought out and field tested over the past 15 years. It is based on biblical principles of discipleship from the life of Jesus and the apostles. I encourage you to view this year-long training as a marathon race rather than a sprint. Be steady and consistent in your personal study and assignments. Develop relationships with other Fellows in your small group by making time for them. Meet monthly with your Mentor and allow him or her to ask you deep questions and to pray for you. Seek the Lord daily and ask for his blessing and direction during this year.

At the end of the Fellows year, we hope that you will have grown closer to Jesus, to one another and that your commitment to making disciples in all areas of your life will be foremost in your mind. So begin praying now for the Lord to show you how you might more effectively make disciples in your home, church, neighborhood and workplace this year and for the rest of your life. We look forward to you joining CSLI Fellows who are now all over the world playing their role in the Great Commission by serving in the various trades, professions and ministries to which the Lord has called them.

May the Lord bless you abundantly with life to the full as you seek to be disciple-makers in the name of Jesus!

Grace & Peace,

Joel S. Woodruff, Ed.D., President C.S. Lewis Institute


How to Grow Through the Fellows Program

“ Now the proper good of a creature is to surrender itself to its Creator – to enact intellectually, volitionally, and emotionally, that relationship which is given in the mere fact of its being a creature. When it does so, it is good and happy.”

— C.S. Lewis • The Problem of Pain


How to Grow through the Fellows Program

How to Grow Through the Fellows Program

The C.S. Lewis Fellows Program is designed to foster life transformation and to prepare you to engage the world for Christ. However, this outcome is not automatic. The program’s impact on your life is directly proportional to the depth of your commitment to and engagement with it. It is essential that you re-order your life to seek God more earnestly in the days ahead. This is chiefly a matter of the heart’s desire for intimacy with God. In order to be realized, this desire must be expressed in concrete ways.

Time ManagementIf we want to know God more intimately, we must make time for God and give Him our attention. God does not give Himself to casual seekers; He gives Himself to those who earnestly seek Him in faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6). Therefore, you will want to commit yourself to a full engagement of mind and heart in the pursuit of God and make the time necessary to do so.

On the critical issue of time, it is important to recognize that contemporary life is far too busy and far too pressured and stressful to be healthy for the soul. While God expects us to give a day’s work for a day’s pay, He also expects us to devote time to seek to know Him. He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Through quietness before Him in prayer, study and meditation, we can come to know Him better.

You must manage your schedule ruthlessly (or it will manage you), and you will need to re-order your priorities to eliminate things of lesser value. Recall that Jesus tells us to count the cost of discipleship to Him (Lk. 9:23; Mk. 8:34). In Following the Master, Michael Wilkins unpacks what this means for our lives: “to count the cost meant to recognize that one entered into the life of discipleship through detachment from competing allegiances” (p.211). Remember, anything to which you say ‘yes’ means that you are saying ‘no’ to something else. The Fellows Program is not something you can simply add to your already busy life. You will need to give up various things in your life to create the time you need for this pursuit.

ObedienceGod wants us to be truthful before Him in our innermost being (Ps. 50:6). To grow we must open ourselves to Him and remain open, asking Him often to free us from self-deception, to enlighten our ignorance and to search our hearts and reveal anything we must change or forsake, especially our sins (Ps. 139:23-24).

We will only grow as we respond to the truth God shows us with “the obedience of faith.” Obedience is the fruit of loving Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:15) and a “key that opens all doors” (C.S. Lewis). To be sure, our obedience must flow from love for God and not from servile fear and dread. Nonetheless, we must obey or we will grow content with unlived truth and become increasingly self-deceived (Jas. 1:22-25). If you are living in deliberate disobedience to God’s Word in any area of your life, you will not grow until you deal with that sin.

PrayerAs you go through the program, pray often for God the Holy Spirit to teach you. Pray before you read the Bible, books or articles. Pray before you listen to lectures. Pray before each writing assignment. Pray before each time of fellowship.

Ask God to help you have “ears to hear.” Also pray often that God will work into you (and your group) a genuine desire and determination to do His will from the heart, a courage to face and forsake all that is displeasing to Him, a readiness to embrace all that is good, a prompt, cheerful and trusting obedience and a passion to see His purposes for your life be fulfilled for His glory.

If you do this, you can be sure that God will answer you, because you will be praying His will (1 Jn. 5:14-15) and asking for the good things He wants to give you (Mt. 7:7-12).

Ask two praying friends to be regular intercessors for you during the program. Each month, email them the introductory paragraph for the month’s theme so they know how to pray in general. Regularly update them with individual requests and areas of needed growth (see Response Paper below) so they know how to pray specifically.


Fellows Program Design

Fellows Program Design

Monthly Themes and AssignmentsTo gain the full benefit of the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program, it is important to understand the rationale behind its design. The program is built around a series of biblical themes that lie at the heart of Christian life, which is a life of discipleship. You can view these themes collectively as the “radioactive core” of biblical truth. They are the foundational building blocks upon which a healthy relationship with God is built and sustained throughout life.

The Fellows Program focuses on only one of these building blocks per month in order to immerse you in the truth and to serve as an antidote to today’s culture of distraction and multi-tasking. Focusing attention on one subject for a sustained period of time, without distractions, and pondering it from different angles helps us engage with the theme more deeply, with life-changing effects.

Each theme draws its assignments from the Bible, classic resources, books, articles, movies, etc. View these resources as a banquet of gourmet spiritual food. The assignments have taken into account different learning styles, so you will find the subject matter in written, audio and video formats, and there are action assignments that reinforce learning objectives.

Every assignment serves a particular purpose in the overall learning process for the theme, and the combination of all the assignments has a synergistic effect that will enhance the learning and transformation processes. Each theme has a checklist to help you track and complete assignments. Every assignment must be completed. Each Fellow shall be held accountable for completing assignments; be prepared to report the level of assignment completion each month via the local reporting procedures.

Reminder: Do not speed read or rush through the assignments. If you do, you will lose the full impact. Rather, plan your time to allow for thoughtful, reflective engagement with the work. It is particularly important to pray before each assignment, asking the Holy Spirit to teach and instruct you through the material.

If you find that you cannot keep up with program

requirements, you will need to drop out and re-apply at a time when your schedule permits full engagement.

Bible Study FirstReading, meditating and memorizing assigned Scripture establishes the foundation for each monthly theme. The Bible study questions help you mine the text for the riches they contain and create a baseline for truth. The Institute recommends you set apart a couple of hours to work through all of the questions in a single sitting/session. Your written responses to the Bible study questions should be turned in to your Mentor together with the monthly Response Paper beginning in September.

After you are grounded in what the Bible has to say on the theme, move through the other assignments, returning to the Scripture often. The Bible, prayer and selected assignments form a powerful combination for instructing the heart and mind and shaping the soul, and they play an important role in the overall process of spiritual and theological growth.

An important part of the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program is taking the time to store God’s Word in your heart and mind through Scripture memorization. You are encouraged to use “3x5” spiral card notebooks to write out the monthly verses. This small booklet can be carried throughout the month for review, or it can be placed where you can review it daily.

Articulate, Defend and Live Your Faith in Jesus ChristFounded in 1976 by Dr. James Houston and Mr. James R. Hiskey, the C.S. Lewis Institute focuses on providing believers access to leading teachers who address important issues of the day from the perspective of biblical orthodoxy and on discipling individuals. The name of the C.S. Lewis Institute was chosen because of Lewis’s focus on the core essentials of faith, essentials that reach across denominational boundaries. Lewis was also an outstanding example of a lay person who came to Christ and lived out his faith in a secular vocation. As a major figure in 20th century Christianity, he was able to communicate the faith in a profound way that has


Resources for the Fellows Program

impacted many. Thus, it is in his legacy that the Institute endeavors to develop disciples who will articulate, defend and live their faith in Christ in personal and public life.

Apologetics Evangelism Assignments: Fellows will read books and articles, watch a video or listen to audio that addresses apologetics issues. Fellows create an Apologetics Notebook in which they will take notes and outlines using bullet points or talking points that can be used to develop reasonable responses to questions and challenges to the faith. Action Assignments give the Fellows an opportunity to apply what they are learning and to reach out to others. The triplets and small groups will discuss these assignments for accountability, prayer support and mutual encouragement.

Apologetics Workshop: In May, a special Apologetics Workshop will focus on developing your conversational apologetics skills. The workshop will include role-play, case studies and other forms of active participation. Bring your Apologetics Notebook and your apologetics books to the workshop.

The Role of Apologetics in the ProgramApologetics is simply making a case for what you believe; it can be done at many levels, ranging from casual conversation to formal debate. One need not be a brilliant intellectual to be proficient at apologetics.

The apologetics in the Fellows Program has two main values. The first is to help you address personal questions and doubts so you are more solidly grounded in your faith. The second is to help you to better explain the reasons for your faith to those who ask, especially in evangelistic conversations.

By studying apologetics, you will grow stronger in your beliefs and be more effective in sharing the Gospel. The growing attacks on biblical faith today mean that all Christians must become better equipped to offer appropriate answers (at the appropriate times) to questions and challenges.

Monthly Response PaperEach month you will write a Response Paper in which you will respond to a specific question designed to reinforce the learning objectives for that month’s theme.

The Response Paper is not a book report, nor is it a research paper. When responding to the question, do not attempt to cover everything you’ve read. Rather, select key ideas that resonate the most deeply and have the most relevance. Each Response Paper should be one to three pages in length.

Your Response Paper will help you focus on and crystallize your understanding of key areas in which you need to grow and will prepare you to discuss what you’ve learned with your triplet, your small group and your Mentor. It will also be useful as a type of journal to which you can return in the future to observe and give thanks for the work of the Lord in your spiritual formation and fruitfulness.

At the end of each Response Paper, write any growth goal(s) you might have in a brief paragraph. This will be one of the things you’ll want to discuss with your Mentor, and it will help your Mentor pray for you. (Consider sharing this with those whom you’ve asked to intercede for you.) Give careful and prayerful thought to your growth goal(s). Be as specific as you can in identifying areas in which you need to ask for God’s sanctifying grace.

Resources for the Fellows ProgramObtaining ResourcesYou may obtain the materials required for the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program through a variety of means. You may purchase, rent or borrow them, but make sure you or-der/reserve your books well in advance so you have them at least a week or two before they are required. Note: some of the books are now available in electronic and audio formats (i.e., Kindle, Nook), often making them more affordable. Additionally, some books are now in the public domain, so a quick internet search could result in some free downloadable books. We encourage you to use whatever format works best for you.

Resource OptionsPlease review the assignment checklist for each month before purchasing resources; some books and movies are optional. Underlined items on the assignment checklist should be accessed through our online Fellows Center


Resources for the Fellows Program

(see below). Additionally, please note that some books are used for more than one month.

C.S. Lewis Institute Amazon Associates Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/cslewisinstit-20 Many of the books, e-books, audio and video resources are available here. A percentage of the sales price is given back to the Institute.

C.S. Lewis Institute Archives: http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Publications Many of the assigned resources are located in the archives of Knowing & Doing (the Institute’s teaching quarterly), “Reflections” (the Institute’s monthly publication of Lewis’ thoughts for daily life) and Discipleship As You Go (resources selected by theme).

Christian Book Distributors: http://www.christianbook.com

Christian Classics Ethereal Library: http://www.ccel.org CCEL is a large collection of classic Christian literature in the public domain. Herein lies a rich source of many free works available for download.

Audible: http://www.audible.com A good source for audio books used in the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program.

Fellows Center: http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Fellows_Center You will find a number of the required resources in this handbook via hyperlink. These link to a password-protected area of the C.S. Lewis Institute website. You will need a login name and password to access the Fellows Center (provided by your City Director). These resources tend to be password-protected because of copyright, and often the usage agreements in place are such that these resources can only be used for the Fellows Program and are not for public distribution. If you cannot access the Fellows Center or if you find errors and/or broken links, please email [email protected] (please copy your local Fellows Program Director).

Resource ListIt is important to review the assignment checklist for each month before purchasing any resources:

Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald

Quiet Time: A Practical Guide for Daily Devotions by InterVarsity Staff

The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love by Jerry Bridges

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Beginnings: Understanding How We Experience the New Birth by Stephen Smallman

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life by Billy Graham

Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did by Randy Newman

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney

The God Who Loves You: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling by Peter Kreeft

Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus by Paul E. Miller

Humility by Andrew Murray

The Mark of a Christian by Francis Schaeffer

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy by Timothy Keller

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller

The Autobiography of George Müller by George Müller

The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

The Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot by Max Lucado

Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith by Alister E. McGrath

http://astore.amazon.com/cslewisinstit-20

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Publications

http://www.christianbook.com

http://www.ccel.org

http://www.audible.com

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Fellows_Center

mailto:[email protected]


Structure and Schedule

Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend by Ravi Zacharias

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Gregory Koukl

Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples A Few at A Time by Greg Ogden

Recommended ResourcesEach month contains a list of recommended resources that pertain to that particular theme of study and growth. These are valuable materials to expand and deepen your study of that particular theme, but they are not required.

Appendix of ResourcesAt the end of the Fellows Handbook, this section contains useful resources on a variety of topics for further study and growth.

Structure and ScheduleOverviewThe structure for the Year One Fellows Program is as follows:

1. Orientation: late May/early June

2. Summer Kick-Off Lecture: early to mid-June

3. Summer Assignments: independent study, June through August

4. Fall Retreat: three-day retreat in late August/early September

5. Monthly Lectures: the first Saturday of each month, October through June

6. Monthly Mentoring Meeting: one-on-one meeting, September through May

7. Monthly Triplet/Quad Meeting: peer-to-peer discipleship, September through May

8. Group Fellowship: potluck dinner, typically in October; spouses are encouraged to attend

9. Urban Plunge: a day-long service project in December

10. Christmas Tea: if applicable to your city; you will be asked to bring a friend

11. Apologetics Workshop: typically held in conjunction with the May lecture

12. Annual Banquet: if applicable to your city; you will be asked to bring a friend

13. Annual Fellows Luncheon: if applicable to your city

14. Special Meetings: as required

OrientationThe Fellows Program formally commences in late May or early June with Pre-Summer assignments and an Orientation. Attending the Orientation is mandatory. At the Orientation, you will receive the Fellows Handbook, a brief on the syllabus and the year ahead, and clarification on the schedule and the logistics of the Fellows Program. You will also be given the chance to ask questions and you will sign the Fellows Program Covenant Commitment form.

Summer AssignmentsThe assignments for June through August (to include the Pre-Summer assignments) are to be completed independently without the Fellows meeting with one another.

The summer assignments are designed to lay a foundation for subsequent themes and prepare you for the Fall Retreat. Careful pacing and discipline in completing the summer assignments is essential and will help you develop important life management skills that will aid you throughout the Fellows Program…and beyond. On June 30, July 31 and August 31, you will need to submit a copy of the monthly checklist to the Fellows Program Director indicating your progress in completing the assignments for the month.

The required reading for the summer (and the rest of the year) averages about 250-300 pages per month. Do not speed read or skim the assignments, or you will cheat your own spiritual growth and lay an incomplete foundation. The summer assignments are designed to take three months to complete; they cannot be completed in less time. Trying to compress the work into less time will significantly diminish the impact upon your heart and mind and defeat the purpose for entering the Fellows Program.

Bring a written/printed copy of your completed summer



assignments to the Fall Retreat for submission to your Mentor.

Fall RetreatThe Fellows Program begins meeting corporately with a three-day weekend retreat that commences on a Friday morning and concludes on a Sunday afternoon. Attending the entire Fall Retreat is mandatory, so you must be free of obligations each of those days, most notably Friday. You will need to take off from work all day that Friday.

The Fall Retreat is an enjoyable time of getting to know the other Fellows and the Mentors, fellowship, becoming more oriented to the Fellows Program and receiving sound teaching.

Please see the August Summer Assignments section for a checklist of items to bring to the retreat. Be sure to bring your calendar and/or day planner to the Fall Retreat so you can plan the year’s meetings. At the retreat, you will select a Mentor and will form discipleship groups (triplets or quads). Once these have been formed, you will want to plan the best times to meet with each other. Planning ahead makes it easier to plan around the Fellows Program meetings rather than try to squeeze them into your schedule each month.

We encourage you to carpool to the retreat with other Fellows who will be in your small group. This is a great way to begin getting acquainted. Your City Director will provide you with the specific details for the Fall Retreat in your area.

Monthly LecturesAfter the Fall Retreat, all Year One Fellows will typically meet together the first Saturday morning of each month (unless otherwise indicated by your City Director) from 8:15 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. The only planned exception is the Urban Plunge (day-long service project).

Because we have so little time together, and as a courtesy to your colleagues and instructors, you must arrive on time in order to get situated and be in your seats in time for the lecture, which will start at 8:30. We want to honor your time by ending punctually, but that means we must start on time. Also, do not plan to depart before 12:30 p.m. The Fellows Program calls for a high level of

commitment, and this includes attending all scheduled meetings. Contact the Director of the Fellows Program if you are ill or have mandatory work-related travel.

Reminder: All monthly assignments and meetings must be completed prior to the Saturday morning Monthly Lecture. Notify your Mentor if you’re having trouble completing your assignments. If you find you cannot keep up with the requirements, you will need to drop from the Fellows Program and re-apply at a time when your schedule permits full engagement.

The typical Saturday morning schedule will be:

8:15 a.m. Arrive, get coffee, get situated and be seated

8:20 a.m. Welcome, announcements, opening prayer

8:30 a.m. Lecture, Q&A

10:15 a.m. Break

10:45 a.m. Small Group: personal updates, discuss theme and assignments, prayer

12:30 p.m. Dismissal

We encourage you to invite friends to the lecture portion of the Monthly Lecture to expose them to the Fellows Program. Please prayerfully consider whom you might invite by asking the Holy Spirit to lead you to one or two people with the intent to encourage them to consider the Fellows Program. We just ask that you do not bring the same person to more than two lectures. (If you are married, your spouse is welcome to attend the lecture portion every month.)

Monthly Mentoring MeetingMany Fellows find that having a Mentor is one of the highlights of the Fellows Program. CSLI Mentors are committed to helping you grow in your personal understanding of and love for Christ, and to equip you to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is within you (1 Pet. 3:15).

Mentors are mature believers who are grounded in Scripture. They study the same materials as the Fellows in order to facilitate discussion (Monthly Lecture) and to help you apply what you’ve learned in your life (monthly



one-on-one mentoring meeting).

By the end of the Fall Retreat, you should have chosen a Mentor from your small group with whom you’d like to work, and arrange for your initial mentoring meeting. (Preferences can often be accommodated, but occasionally there are constraints on selection.)

Mentoring meetings are scheduled for a time and location convenient for both parties. Often, the meetings take place over a meal or at a coffee shop; they should last at least 60 to 90 minutes. The topic of discussion will normally center on understanding and applying the current month’s theme and growth goals. However, there is freedom to discuss any other matter that may be important to you, as well.

One of the most important things your Mentor will do is pray for your growth in Christlikeness. We encourage you to share any needs or concerns for which you want your Mentor to pray. Transparency and trust will enhance the effectiveness of your relationship with your Mentor. All matters discussed with your Mentor will be kept in confidence.

Confer early in the year with your Mentor to establish personal growth goals for the overall Fellows Program. Review them periodically (no later than January) and revise if necessary.

Each month it is your responsibility to schedule/confirm your next mentoring meeting with your Mentor. Bring your calendar to every Fellows gathering. Those are the best times to schedule/confirm future meetings.

Monthly Triplet/Quad Meeting Building spiritual friendship (koinonia) is a critical part of spiritual growth in the Fellows Program. This takes time, which is why the commitment you’ve made includes monthly gatherings with other Fellows for fellowship, prayer and mutual encouragement.

Experience shows that spiritual growth is enhanced when Fellows participate in discipleship groups of three or four people. At the Fall Retreat you will join with two or three other Fellows from your small group and form a triplet or quad. Once formed, the group should discuss when and where you’d like to meet each month.

It is a good idea to set a recurring time and place; this

tends to be easier to incorporate into busy schedules (e.g., the third Sunday evening of each month). Scheduling ahead allows you and the other Fellows to plan around the meeting requirements. Triplet/quad meetings should last at least 90 minutes, 20-30 minutes of which should be devoted to prayer. The recommended format for monthly triplet/quad meetings is:

• Personal update

• Discuss status of any accountability request (the more specific, the better)

• Pray for each other

• Pray for the lost people on each person’s prayer list

• Schedule/confirm the next triplet/quad meeting

Group FellowshipBeyond the monthly mentoring and triplet/quad meetings, the Institute strongly encourages you to take the initiative to share a meal with the other Fellows in your small group, either individually or as a group. Gatherings such as concerts, theatre, movies and sporting events are great opportunities to enjoy fellowship with the other Fellows. One popular option has been for Fellows to watch one of the movies listed in the Recommended Resources section on the month’s theme together. Every year rich and meaningful friendships develop this way.

To foster fellowship, Fellows shall plan a potluck dinner in the month of October. Each small group within the Fellows Program shall gather for a potluck dinner in someone’s home and spend time getting better acquainted, discussing studies, encouraging one another and enjoying fellowship. Spouses and boy/girl friends should be included.

As you become better acquainted, we encourage you to make prayer central to your support for one another in the challenges and opportunities of life. This will take your friendship to even deeper levels. The Institute encourages you to pray for your triplet/quad daily.

Urban Plunge There will be a day-long service project in December


Program Costs

which affords Fellows a chance to “love not in word only, but in deed and truth” by serving people in need while providing the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ, enjoy fellowship and put into practice the month’s theme of living a life of love and obedience.

Apologetics Workshop The Apologetics Workshop will develop your conversational apologetics skills. Your City Director will provide instructions regarding the workshop.

Special Meetings During the year, we occasionally offer special optional meetings. These may be informal, private gatherings with visiting scholars and leaders who are in the area and with whom the Institute has a relationship. These forums afford you a chance to interact with gifted teachers on a personal basis and ask questions that are of particular concern to you.

These meetings are open to all Fellows, and thus bring together Fellows from previous classes and provide a great opportunity to get acquainted with the larger fellowship of the Institute. While not required, we strongly encourage you to attend for your own benefit.

Program CostsPeople often ask how much it costs to participate in the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program. In order to remove barriers to participation, the C.S. Lewis Institute does not use a fixed tuition structure. However, the Institute incurs substantial expense in offering the program. Similar programs cost $2,500-$3,500. Instead, we ask Fellows to make the Institute one of the ministries (after the church) that he or she supports on a regular basis.

Not withstanding the above, all Fellows must cover the cost of their paticipation in the weekend retreat and an urban service project day (“Urban Plunge”). Fellows must also pay for the books and materials required for the program, which will cost approximately $325 for the year (if purchased new).

Practicing Discipleship of Heart and MindApplying the Fellows Program By taking to heart and applying the guidelines and principles in this handbook, you’ll enjoy edifying discussions, significant spiritual growth and fellowship with others—all of which are central to the purposes of the Fellows Program. But it must not stop there! This is not simply a self-improvement program. This curriculum has been carefully planned not only for spiritual formation and koinonia, but also to encourage, equip and challenge you to engage the world for Christ.

Throughout the year, ask yourself what you will do with what you are learning. How will you carry this into your place of work? How will this affect your involvement in your church? Perhaps this might even be a calling to start a new outreach or ministry? Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, to give you discernment in how you can apply what you’ve learned in the Fellows Program to the hurting world around you.

Brainstorm with your small group, your triplet/quad and your Mentor, and share ideas about ways you can translate your learning and growth into action. Allow others to suggest aptitudes and strengths for ministry that you may not see in yourself.

Resolve not to “put it on the shelf” when you finish Year One, but rather to move forward with a plan that glorifies God and builds up the body of Christ.

To foster this and to better prepare you for what lies ahead, we encourage you to read through this handbook thoroughly. Return to it periodically throughout the year for reminders on how to get the most from the Fellows Program.

Disciple-Making Plan Toward the end of the year, consult your Mentor in developing a written SMART disciple-making plan for how you will apply what you have gained in the program to your life and ministry after completing the Fellows Program (see the May Action Assignment for details). Your SMART disciple-making plan is required for program completion and must be presented to your


Practicing Discipleship of Heart and Mind

Mentor and the Fellows Program Director at the final Monthly Lecture.

Ministry Resources After completing the Fellows Program, you will be equipped to lead a small group through the themes of the program. You can do this in a variety of ways, depending on how much time you have available and how comfortable you are with the content of the Fellows Program. Options you might consider include:

• Heart and Mind Discipleship: lead a small group through this ten-week study

• Conversational Apologetics: lead a small group through this ten-week study

• Bible Study: use the monthly Bible study questions from the Fellows Program in a small group, Sunday School class or in a mentoring scenario

• Discussion Group: use various articles from the Fellows Program for a small group discussion or Sunday School class

• Reading/Book Group: drawing from the Fellows Program assignments, start a reading group in which you lead a discussion to process assigned readings; you might use the Issues to Ponder to guide your discussion

• Discipleship Group: using any combination of the above suggestions, you can start a triplet/quad of your own


Creating Margin and Restructuring Our Time

— C.S. Lewis • God in the Dock

Orientation Assignments | Creating Margin and Restructuring Our Time

“ You can’t get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first.”



As you embark on the journey towards a transformed life and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, it is important to examine your life in order to meet the requirements of the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program. The Fellows curriculum has been designed to foster life transformation. For this to happen, it’s important to allow enough time for thoughtful, reflective engagement with the assignments. Otherwise, your current routines and busyness will prevent you from completing the assignments, and rushing through the work will limit and can even negate the life-changing impact they can have.


• GRACE • CONVERSION • FOLLOWING JESUS • HOLY SPIRIT • SCRIPTURE • LOVE & OBEDIENCE • HUMILITY •

• PRAYER & FAITH • CALLING • CULTURAL APOLOGETICS • CONVERSATIONAL APOLOGETICS • MAKING DISCIPLES •

FELLOWS SESSIONS


Turn InBring copies of the following items to the Orientation (retain a copy of each for yourself)


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Read“ 10 Questions to Make Sure You’re Still Growing” by Donald S. Whitney – 4 pp.

ReadQuiet Time by IVP Staff – 40 pp. (small booklet)* *No need to read this small booklet if you have already established a regular, healthy devotional life

CompleteLife-Management Skills: Stress Test by Scott Morton

Complete Holmes and Rahe Life Change Scale Stress Test

CompleteIssues to Ponder

Meditate & MemorizePsalm 90:12; James 4:14

CompleteTime Audit – 2 pp.

Read“ Margin: Space Between Ourselves and Our Limits” by Lou Whitworth – 8 pp.

Read“ Tyranny of the Urgent” by Charles E. Hummel – 3 pp.

Read“ When Your Life is Breathless” by Gary Collins – 1 p.

Read“ Ordering Your Private World” by Gordon MacDonald – 116 pp. (Preface, Ch. 1-7, 14)

Complete“ Bible Reading & Prayer Inventory”


Completed ChecklistTime AuditBible Reading & Prayer InventoryLife-Management Skills: Stress TestHolmes and Rahe Stress Test

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/webfm_send/264



http://www.actsweb.org/stress_test.php










Is your life overloaded? If so, what do you need to do about it? (Refer to your Time Audit; adjust as needed.)

What changes do you need to make in order to have a daily time of Bible reading, meditation and prayer?

What will you sacrifice in the year ahead in order to grow deeper in Christ through the Fellows Program? Are you prepared to make this sacrifice?

Have you communicated how much time and sacrifice is involved in your commitment to the Fellows Program to your spouse and/or loved ones? Do they support you? (Ask them to pray for you, encourage you and hold you accountable.)

Have you asked at least two friends to be regular intercessors for you for the next year?

Issues to Ponder

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The Fatherhood of God

— C.S. Lewis • Letters of C.S. Lewis

Summer Kick-off Meeting | The Fatherhood of God

“ God loves us; not because we are loveable but because He is love, not because He needs to receive but because He delights to give.”



Knowing God as our Father is foundational to our spiritual life and is essential for faithful and fruitful discipleship. However, many of us have a distorted view of God that cripples our experience with Him. The goal for this section is to move toward building a closer relationship with God as Father.




FELLOWS SESSIONS



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Meditate & ReflectLuke 15:11-32

ReadThe Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith by Timothy Keller - 130 pp.

Read“Seeing God in New Ways: Recovering from Distorted Images of God” by Juanita Ryan - 9 pp.





Book: Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung

Book: Tranquility: Cultivating a Quiet Soul in a Busy World by David W. Henderson

Book: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard A. Swenson

Book: The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live Within Your Limits by Richard A. Swenson

Additional Recommended Resources

Article: “Take a Load Off” by David W. Henderson

Article: “You Can Say No (Without Feeling Guilty)” by Kevin A. Miller

Article: “Stressed? How to Experience a Calmer Life” by Scott Morton

Article: “Sleeplessness Taking a Toll on Nation’s Workforce” by the National Sleep Foundation

Book: The Tyranny of Time: When 24 Hours Is Not Enough by Robert Banks

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Receiving God’s Grace

— C.S. Lewis • The Four Loves

June | Receiving God’s Grace

“ Man approaches God most nearly when he is in one sense least like God. For what can be more unlike than fullness and need, sovereignty and humility, righteousness and penitence, limitless power and a cry for help?”



Our focus for this month is on the grace of God, which is God’s undeserved kindness and love actively expressed toward rebellious and sinful people. Reflecting on God’s Word reminds us that the grace of God cannot be earned: it can only be received as a gift. We will also see that the superabundance of God’s grace is most clearly displayed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that through trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ we experience a fundamental change of our nature that enables us to respond to God’s grace with love, gratitude and obedience.




FELLOWS SESSIONS


Turn InEmail a copy of the following items to your Fellows Coordinator:

Completed Checklist

Texture of Your World Paper Bible Study


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Read Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges - 132 pp.

Listen“ Living in the Grace of God” by Stuart McAlpine - 79 minutes

WriteTexture of Your World Paper

Read“ What Can I Pray for a NonChristian?” by

Discipleship Journal - 1 p.


CompleteAction Assignment

Read and ReflectRomans 3:9-26; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 2:11-14

CompleteBible Study (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Meditate and MemorizeEphesians 2:8-10

ReadKnowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer - 117 pp. (read a chapter per day as devotional exercise)

Read“ What’s the Bible All About?” by Ian Paul and Philip Jenson - 22 pp.

Read“ Unduly Protracted Infancy” by J. Oswald Sanders - 4 pp.


http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/node/844



https://grovebooks.co.uk/products/b-40-whats-the-bible-all-about-understanding-the-story-of-the-bible



Read Ephesians 2:1-4. Paul describes Christians as having formerly walked/lived “according to the course of this world,” “according to the prince of the power of the air,” and “in the lusts of the flesh.” In your own words, what does each of these expressions mean? How have you seen these three powers at work in you or in the world around you?

In verse 3, Paul goes even further and points out that our alienation from God not only impacts how we live, but it also impacts how we think, what we desire, and who we are by nature. Since becoming a Christian, how have your thoughts and desires changed?

What does Paul mean when he says that they were “dead in trespasses and sins?” In Eph. 1:20, he said that God demonstrated His “incomparable great power” by raising Christ from the dead. What is the relevance of Christ’s resurrection to our condition?

In light of the previous verses, what is the significance of the phrase “But God” in verse 4? How does verse 4 describe God? In light of verses 4-10, what is God’s role and what is our role in moving from a condition of death to life?

These verses (4-10) show us that Paul lives and writes with an eye to the present and a vision for the future. What are some of the present and future reasons that God saves us, according to verses 7 and 10? How should this knowledge affect what we do with our time, talents and treasures?

Grace is a foundational concept for Paul; he writes of God’s grace twelve times in his letter to the Ephesians and he repeats that we are “saved by grace” twice in verses 5-8. Since God’s grace is His undeserved kindness and love actively expressed toward us as broken and sinful people, what should be our response to the experience of God’s grace?

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is full of references to statements about what it means to be in Christ (Eph. 1:3; 1:11; 1:13; 2:10; 4:32). In verses 5-7, he mentions a number of blessings that belong to those who are united to Christ through faith. How should knowing that we are united to Christ affect our attitudes, thoughts, and actions toward our fellow Christians who are of a different race, gender or economic class?

How should knowing that we are “in Christ” affect our sense of belonging? Consider whether the truth of being united to Christ is impacting your life during trying times.

Martin Luther, one of the leaders of the Reformation, recovered Paul’s teaching that we are justified by grace through faith alone. He was uncomfortable with the statement in James that “a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” How might you use vv. 8-10 to respond to Luther’s concerns?

Ephesians 2:10 says that we (Christians) are God’s “workmanship” (NASB & NIV) or new creation who are created to do good works that God has prepared for us. What are some practical ways that we can remind ourselves and others of our great calling?

This passage has been described as one of the most succinct yet complete expressions of the Gospel in the entire Bible. How might you use this passage to explain to someone why Jesus Christ is the only way to be reconciled to God?


BIBLE STUDY


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Do you have a clearer idea of who God is?

Do you hunger to know God more intimately?

Are you willing to seek God earnestly?

What is your understanding of grace now? Has it changed this month? If so, how?

Are there areas of resistance in you to this teaching? If so, make a note and discuss with your Mentor in the fall. Until then, ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in these areas.

What kind of response do you need to make to what you have learned about grace?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Build a prayer list that includes ten non-Christians (five relatives, five friends) that God has placed on your heart. Develop a plan to pray for these people on a consistent basis. Ask God to create opportunities to share your faith with them. Be prepared to discuss this at the Fall Retreat.

Please take time to quietly think and reflect on the broader or deeper implications/meaning of the questions below as they apply to your life.

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Book: The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Book: Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Book: Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

Book: Holiness by J.C. Ryle (Ch. 7, “Assurance”)

Audio: “Grace - Part 1” by Stuart McAlpine




Article: “Rediscovering the Glorious Gospel” by Jerry Bridges

Article: “Personal Narrative” by Jonathan Edwards

Article: “Are You a Performer?” by Susan Maycinik

Article: “Good Enough! Are You Tired of Trying to Measure Up?” by Paula Rinehart

Article: “Are You Growing in Grace?” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III

Book: The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

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Understanding True Conversion

July | Understanding True Conversion

“ Continue seeking Him with seriousness. Unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him.”




Having previously established that grace is the basis for God’s actions toward us, this month we will focus more directly on the theme of true conversion. By conversion we mean our response to the announcement of the Gospel, whereby we repent of our sin and idolatry and place our trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. As we will emphasize, a biblically informed view of conversion must take into account that God’s Spirit was actively working within us even before we became aware of His presence. We will also see that the Spirit remains active in our lives after our initial conversion by convicting us, empowering us, always working to transform us into the likeness of Christ. Some of the benefits of this study include: helping us to become more confident of our own salvation and providing valuable perspective and insights for evangelizing and discipling others.




FELLOWS SESSIONS



Completed Checklist Bible Study


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ReadBeginnings: Understanding How We Experience the New Birth by Stephen Smallman - 160 pp.

Read“ Unconditional Surrender” by the C.S. Lewis Institute - 1 p.

Read“ Grace in the Conversion of C.S. Lewis” by Art Lindsley - 4 pp.



Read and ReflectMatthew 18:3; Luke 19:1-10; Acts 9:1-31, 16:11-34

CompleteBible Study (Acts 9:1-31)

Meditate and MemorizeTitus 2:11-14

ReadThe Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer - 128 pp. (read one chapter a day as devotional exercise)

Read“ Union with Christ: The Sum of Our Salvation” by Bill Kynes - 4 pp.







Saul’s commission (vv. 1–2)

Saul’s confrontation (vv. 3–9)

Saul’s new commission (vv. 10–16)

Saul’s confirmation (vv. 17–19)

Saul’s conviction (vv. 20–22)

Saul’s controversy (vv. 23–25)

Saul’s chaos (vv. 26–30)

Saul of Tarsus was a man on a mission. Notice the part that he played in Stephen’s death (Acts 8:1). How does Luke describe his mission initially (Acts 7:58; 8:1-3; 9:1-2)? How would you have described Saul to a fellow Christian in your church if you had been living back then? How did Saul’s mission change after his conversion (Acts 9:20, 28; Acts 22:21; Gal. 1:15-16)?

Who initiated the encounter between Saul and the resurrected Jesus that led to Saul’s conversion (Acts 9:3-6)? What does this teach us about God’s heart for His rebellious creatures?

In what ways is Saul’s conversion typical of all conversions (then and now) and in what ways is it unique? Would you say that conversion is an event or a process?

Character transformation is at the heart of conversion. When Saul was converted to Christ, in one sense Saul stayed the same (in personality), but in another sense he experienced significant transformation (in character). In what ways did his personality stay the same? What was different about him after his conversion? What are some of the ways that you began to experience the transformation of your desires, thoughts, attitudes, and actions as a result of putting your faith in Christ?

In the Gospels, Jesus prefaced His message of the Kingdom of God with the word repent (Matt. 4:17; Mk. 1:14) which is a call to forsake our sins and turn to God. “Repentance is not a merely intellectual change of mind or mere grief, still less doing penance, but a radical transformation of the entire person, a fundamental turnaround involving mind and action, and including overtones of grief which result in spiritual fruit.”1 What evidence is there that Saul repented? What are some of the dangers of leaving repentance out of our Gospel message?

Although conversion requires the turnaround of repentance, the focal point of that turning is God’s Messiah, Jesus, who has been declared Lord and Savior and urges men and women to enter God’s kingdom by believing in and trusting Him and reorienting their life around him. Where do you see this change in the life of Saul?

Conversion also brings about a change of relationships. How are Saul’s relationships different before and after his conversion? How have your relationships changed as a result of your conversion?


BIBLE STUDY


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A “crisis” conversion—that of a sudden change—is a transforming experience, with events that precede and follow the crisis. The conversion of Saul is one of the most graphic and significant in all of Christian history. Acts chapter 9:1-31 is the most complete record we have of that conversion. The stages of Saul’s conversion might be described as:


BIBLE STUDY

(continued)



Although conversion involves a personal commitment to Christ, it is not something to be kept private. What are some reasons that we are tempted to keep quiet about our new found faith?

What pressures might Saul have experienced to keep his faith in Jesus a secret? What are some of the ways that you are tempted to keep quiet about your faith?

What does Ananias contribute to Saul’s conversion process (Acts 9:10-18)? How did God use other people to contribute to your coming to faith in Christ?

Ananias is a representative of Christ and the church as he welcomes Saul. Notice how he addresses Saul in Acts 9:17. What is the significance of baptism in the process (Acts 9:18)? What is the role of the church today in the conversion process?

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— C.S. Lewis

“I know very well when, but hardly how, the final step was taken. I was driven to Whipsnade one sunny morning. When we set out I did not believe that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.” 2

1 D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew and Mark, ed. Tremper Longman, III and David E. Garland (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 128.

2 C.S. Lewis. Surprised By Joy (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1955), vii.




Book: Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well by Randy Newman

Book: Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Book: The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther and Calvin by John Piper

Book: The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis ed. by John Piper (Ch. 3)

Book: The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything by Fred Sanders (Ch. 3)

Book: Beginning Well: Christian Conversion and Authentic Transformation by Gordon T. Smith

Book: Basic Christianity by John Stott

Book: The Contemporary Christian by John Stott

Book: The Plan of Salvation by B.B. Warfield

Book: Turning to God by David Wells

Article: “The Most Reluctant Convert” by Art Lindsley

Article: “How to Share Your Faith with Your Family” by Mack J. Stiles

Article: “In Christ: The Meaning and Implications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” by John Stott

Article: “True Conversion” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III

Article: “What God Wants from You” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III

Article: “They Shall See God” by A.W. Tozer

Article: “Conversion” by David Wells

Article: “Meditating on Scripture re George Müller” by Donald S. Whitney

Book: Union with Christ by J. Todd Billings

Book: Conformed to His Image by Kenneth Boa (Ch. 8)

Book: The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation by Bruce Demarest

Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Book 1, Ch. 1-5; Book 2, Ch. 1-5)

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Following Jesus Christ

August | Following Jesus Christ

“ The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death…and you will find eternal life.”

— C.S. Lewis • Mere Christianity



We are convinced that the triune God of the Bible is firmly committed to our reconciliation, transformation into the likeness of Christ, and participation in his mission, since He has graciously given Himself to these ends. Therefore, we are called to respond to Jesus by putting our faith in Him and surrendering ourselves fully to His priorities. This life of costly discipleship is characterized by love for God and neighbor and it is the path every Christian is called to follow. In light of the call to follow Christ, our main goal this month is to make a total commitment and surrender of ourselves to Jesus Christ and His purposes for our lives, or if we have already done so, to renew this commitment.




FELLOWS SESSIONS



Completed Checklist

Spiritual Development Inventory

Spiritual AutobiographyResponse Paper

Bible Study

Lordship Living Inventory


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Read “ The Quest for Spirituality in Light of Biblical Discipleship” by Michael J. Wilkins - 3 pp.

ReadStudies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 15 pp. (Vol. 1, Ch. 28; Vol. 2, Ch. 23)

Read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - 82 pp. (Book 3, Ch. 1-7 & 9-12; Book 4, Ch. 5-11)

Read “ An Overview of the Bible’s Storyline” by Vern S. Poythress - 12 pp.

Listen “ Living the Christian Life” by Rob Norris - 78 minutes

Write Spiritual Autobiography

WriteResponse Paper



Read and ReflectExodus 20:1-3; Mark 8:27-9:1; Luke 14:25-35; Romans 12:1-2

CompleteBible Study (Mark 8:27-8:38)

Meditate and MemorizeMark 8:34-38

ReadThe Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer - 79 pp. (Intro, Ch. 1-6)

CompleteSpiritual Development Inventory

CompleteLordship Living Inventory

Read“ The Call to Discipleship” by Timothy Keller - 5 pp.

Read“ The Call to Follow Christ” by John Stott - 2 pp.

Read“ Following Jesus Christ” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 4 pp.




http://49ft7fdv9kp7kqhm12yk1d17.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2012UnderstandingBigPictureBook.Intro_.pdf

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Living_Christian_Life_Audio_Norris








Up to this point in Mark’s Gospel Jesus has been preaching “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the Gospel (Mk. 1:15 ff.) to the crowds, but beginning with Mark 8:27 ff, Jesus changes the focus of this ministry. Based on the question He asks his disciples and the crowd, what does He focus on?

Concerning Jesus’ identity, there were three options proposed by the people of His day: Elijah, John the Baptist, and a prophet (v. 8:28). What are some options that are proposed today?

What insights can we glean about discovering other people’s perspectives from examining Jesus’ use of questions? How could you use these insights in the context of sharing our faith with a family member or friend?

After continuing to question His disciples, Peter finally answers Jesus’ question “… who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ (Messiah).” Why do you think Jesus “warned his disciples to tell no one about him” (8:30 ff., see also 1:43-44)? How would you answer Jesus’ question and on what would you base your answer?

In response to Peter’s insight about His identity, Jesus now uncovers the upcoming events of the cross. What is going to happen to Him (v. 8:31)?

Jesus hadn’t spoken of His cross until now. Why do you think He waited to reveal it? The announcement of the events of the cross were shocking to Peter and created an unpleasant encounter (vv. 8:32-33). What do you think is going on between Jesus and Peter?

The cross was shockingly contrary to Peter’s expectations. So was Jesus’ call to discipleship (vv. 8:34-38). What did Jesus mean when He said anyone who would come after Him must “deny himself”? What would His hearers have understood to be the meaning of His call to “take up his cross”? What does Jesus mean by “follow Me”?

How would you explain to someone that Jesus has the right to demand our ultimate allegiance?

How does Jesus’ call to discipleship differ from some of the evangelistic invitations you have heard?

Why do we tend to resist Jesus’ right to demand ultimate allegiance of us?

Jesus is aware that social pressure has an impact on our discipleship (v. 8:38). What would you say is the impact of social pressure on the quality of your discipleship?

How does this way of the cross change your understanding of Christian discipleship?

If the message of the cross and the resurrection are the means through which the kingdom of God comes in power, how might that change the way you live as a disciple of Jesus Christ?


BIBLE STUDY


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What are the meaning and implications of Jesus’ call to discipleship? Where specifically do they apply to your life?

Have you ever wholeheartedly embraced the call to be Jesus’ disciple and follow Him as Lord? If so, are you still following, or have you drifted from it?

What fears hinder your response to Jesus’ call (e.g., risks to reputation, career, comfort, lifestyle, etc.)?

Why does Keller emphasize Jesus’ Lordship? Have you failed to make this distinction in your own life? Has Keller changed your view of the Lordship of Christ?

In what specific ways is daily obedience to Jesus’ words manifested in your life?

In which areas of life do you find obedience most challenging? (Consider things like your use of time, talent and treasure; your sexual purity; whether your career is an idol; the things in which you take pleasure and comfort; and even the sorts of things that make you laugh.)

How is God calling you to respond to this month’s teaching?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Find a place where you can be alone with God and free from distraction for several hours. Review what you have learned about God’s grace, conversion and the call to follow Jesus and evaluate your life in light of these things. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see if you have committed yourself unreservedly to Christ. Ask Him to show you areas where you are holding back. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself. Then take some time to compose a prayer of surrender to Christ and commit yourself to faithfully following him for the rest of your life through the enabling power of the Spirit. If you have fully committed yourself to Christ, this is a call for you to reaffirm your commitment.

Using Poythress’ overview of the Bible’s storyline as a guide, create a bullet-point outline of the Gospel story in your Apologetics Notebook. Capture key points you might use to explain the Gospel to someone who’s never heard it. (Note: you’re not limited to Poythress; use anything you find helpful.)


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Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Book 1, Ch. 1-5; Book 4, Ch. 1-4)

Book: Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ by Greg Ogden

Book: Transforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time by Greg Ogden

Book: Follow Me: A Call to Die. A Call to Live. by David Platt

Book: Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

Book: The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal

Book: Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders

Book: The Adventure by Gerald Sittser

Book: The Contemporary Christian by John Stott

Book: The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling by John Stott

Book: In His Image: Reflecting Christ in Everyday Life by Michael J. Wilkins

Book: Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship by Michael J. Wilkins

Audio: “Discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew - Part 1” by Andrew Trotter

Audio: “Discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew - Part 2” by Andrew Trotter

Audio: “Bearing the Weight of Glory: The Cost of C.S. Lewis’ Witness” by Christopher Mitchell


Article: “Costly Grace” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Article: “C.S. Lewis on Commitment (The Call to Discipleship)” by Art Lindsley

Article: “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection” by Thomas Chalmers

Article: “Doing the Will of God” by Jane de Chantal

Article: “Becoming Like Christ” by Richard Foster

Article: “Ambition: Vice or Virtue?” by Jerry Harvill

Article: “The Muscular Christianity of Eric Liddell” by Eric Liddell

Article: “The Incomparable Christ” by John Stott

Article: “Let Us Throw Off Everything That Hinders” by Paul Thigpen

Article: “Others May, You Cannot” by G.D. Watson

Article: “Looking Like Jesus” by Dallas Willard

Book: The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn

Book: A Guide to Christian Living by John Calvin

Book: Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

Book: The Master Plan of Discipleship by Robert Coleman

Book: Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards (Lecture XII, “Charity Willing to Undergo All Sufferings for Christ”)

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Fall Retreat Preparation Checklist

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Repeat the summer’s assigned memory verses

Share your testimony (how you came to faith in Jesus Christ)

Discuss the summer assignments

Bible

Calendar or day planner

Fellows Handbook

Apologetics Notebook

Books from assigned summer readings (helps during discussions)

3x5 spiral notebook for memory verses (optional)

Completed Checklists of Assignments for Pre-Orientation, June, July and August

Bible Study Responses for June, July and AugustTime Audit(legibly printed)

Bible Reading & Prayer Inventory

Life-Management Skills: Stress Test

Holmes and Rahe Life Change Scale Stress Test

Texture of Your World Paper

Spiritual Development Inventory

Lordship Living Inventory

Spiritual Autobiography

August Response Paper

August | Fall Retreat Preparation

Bring the following completed assignments to the Fall Retreat (in a folder) and turn in to your Mentor:

Additionally, be prepared to:

Finally, bring the following items to the retreat:














August | Fall Retreat Preparation


Walking in the Holy Spirit

September | Walking in the Holy Spirit

“ I don’t doubt that the Holy Spirit guides your decisions from within when you make them with the intention of pleasing God.”

— C.S. Lewis • The Letters of C.S. Lewis



As the Gospels make clear, Jesus’ summons to follow Him is an invitation to walk and live in the kingdom of God where we share in the fellowship with the Father and the Son and participate in Their mission to the world. Having died, risen again and ascended to the Father, Jesus has removed all the obstacles to our full reconciliation with God. He has also sent the promised Holy Spirit to impart all the benefits available to us as children of God (forgiveness, empowerment, filling with the Spirit, fruits and gifts of the Spirit, etc.). Through faith in Christ, we can experience all these benefits. Therefore, our goals for this month are to (1) gain a better understanding of how the Holy Spirit enables us to deepen our fellowship with the Father and the Son, (2) increase our appreciation for what the Bible teaches about the various workings of the Holy Spirit and (3) understand how we can experience the Spirit’s empowering presence for the glory of God.




FELLOWS SESSIONS


Turn InGive a copy of the following items to your Mentor:

Completed Checklist

Bible Study Response Paper


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Watch“ The Holy Spirit and Obedience - Part 1” by Stuart McAlpine - 34 minutes

Watch“ The Holy Spirit and Obedience - Part 2” by Stuart McAlpine - 23 minutes

Watch“ Impartation: Jesus Gave Them His Spirit” by Robert Coleman - 26 minutes

Complete Finding Your Spiritual Gifts Inventory by C. Peter Wagner



WriteResponse Paper

Monthly Mentor Meeting

Monthly Triplet/Quad Meeting

Monthly Lecture & Discussion

Read and ReflectEzekiel 36:26-28; John 3:1-8, 14:15-31, 16:5-15; Romans 8:1-17; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 5:15-6:20

CompleteBible Study (John 14:15-31)

Meditate and MemorizeJohn 14:15-17

ReadThe Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life by Billy Graham - 284 pp.

Read“ Paraclete & Spiritual Gifts” by J.I. Packer - 2 pp.

Read“ Finding Power to Live a New Life: Discipleship and the Holy Spirit” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 5 pp.

ReadQuestioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Heart the Way Jesus Did by Randy Newman - 17 pp. (Ch. 1)

Listen“ The Spirit’s Witness: Empowered to Speak” by John Yates - 30 minutes


http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/The_Holy_Spirit_and_Obedience_Part_I

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/The_Holy_Spirit_and_Obedience_Part_II

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Master_Plan_Discipleship_Video_9_Impartation




http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/audio/by/title/the_spirit_s_witness_empowered_to_speak

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/audio/by/title/the_spirit_s_witness_empowered_to_speak


Read John 14:15-31. Note that Jesus had already declared and demonstrated His love for His disciples in chapter 13:1 ff. According to Jesus, how must His disciples demonstrate their love for Jesus (vv. 15, 21, 23)?

Why does Jesus have the right to command the ultimate allegiance of His followers and promise them that their response to Him will determine their relationship with the Father (vv. 21-24; see also 14:6)? What does this close connection between the Father and the Son say about religious beliefs (e.g., Islam, Judaism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.) that deny Jesus’ equality with the Father?

In light of Jesus’ challenging words, how would you describe the relationship between love and obedience in the believer’s life (see especially 14:31)?

Jesus promised His disciples that after He left them He would send “another advocate” (v. 16) to take his place. The word translated “advocate” or “counselor” (paraklatos) literally means “one who is called alongside to help, especially in a law court.” Later in the passage Jesus refers to the Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (v. 17). What insights does this passage give us about the presence and work of the Spirit in the believer?

Why is the world unable to receive the Spirit (v. 17)?

As the time for Jesus’ departure approached, He focused on preparing His disciples for His death, resurrection, and ascension by pointing to the difference that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would make in their understanding and experience of God.

Jesus speaks of a significant change that is about to take place in the lives of the disciples whereby the Spirit who has been “with” them will be “in” them (v. 17). To what is Jesus referring and why will this internalization of the Spirit’s presence occur?

In verse 26, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will “teach you” and “remind you of everything I have said to you.” Among other things, this promise to His Apostles ensures that they will accurately remember and record his words, now found in the Gospels. How does the Holy Spirit’s work of teaching and reminding of Jesus’ words operate in our lives today?

Read through this passage again and make a list of all the blessings that the promised Spirit will impart to believers in the kingdom of God. Examine yourself prayerfully to discern whether you experience all of these in your life. If not, ask God to fill you afresh with the Holy Spirit and let you experience all of His blessings.

What are some of the obstacles that stand in the way of an accurate understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit?

Think about some ways that this passage has challenged your thinking about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In your church experience has there been balanced teaching on the Spirit?

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

BIBLE STUDY


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Romans 8:1-17—As Paul preached the Gospel of free grace it raised some serious questions about the relationship of grace to obedience. Some of his opponents asked, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase (Rom. 6:1)?” Paul’s answer is, “Of course not!” Throughout this passage, Paul makes a contrast between a person who lives in the freedom of the Spirit and a person who lives in slavery to the flesh.


After you have read Romans 8:1-17, list some of the characteristics of someone who is living in the freedom of the Spirit and someone who is living in slavery to the flesh.

Who comes to mind when you think of a person who lives in the freedom of the Spirit? Who comes to mind when you think of someone living in slavery to the flesh?

John Wesley believed that it is possible for a person filled with the Spirit to be free from any conscious (i.e., voluntary) sin. His contemporary, George Whitefield, disagreed and taught that a Spirit-filled Christian would still struggle with temptation and continue to commit sins from time-to-time. After reading this passage, what would you say?

To what would you appeal in this passage to support your view?

What might be the difference in committing a sin versus being controlled by the flesh?

How would you describe the place of the mind in a Spirit-controlled life (vv. 5-8)? What about the place of desires (v. 5)?

Spiritual maturity is ultimately a matter of grace; but it is not automatic nor are we passive in the process. We must exercise vigorous effort in rooting out sin, yet we desperately need the Holy Spirit’s empowerment for our efforts to be effective (Rom. 8:12-13). Where are you battling sin in your life? Are you exercising vigorous effort to root it out? Are you simultaneously crying out to the Spirit to make those efforts effectual?

If you become conscious of sin in your thoughts, attitudes or actions, what comfort, hope or guidance does this passage offer?

According to Rom. 8:15-16, what does the Spirit witness to our spirit regarding our relationship to God?

Recall some of the areas where the Holy Spirit has freed you from bondage to attitudes, thoughts and sinful habits. Thank God for the ministry of the Spirit in your life and invite Him to continue to free you and empower you to live a Spirit-filled life.

What are some of the obstacles to an accurate understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit?

(continued)BIBLE STUDY


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Where have you gained a clearer grasp of what the Bible teaches about the role of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, personal transformation, spiritual gifts and power for mission/service?

What is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and obedience?

What was your view of spiritual gifts before this month’s teaching? Has it changed? If so, how?

What evidence do you see of the Spirit’s power in your life to overcome sin, resist the devil and reach out to others with the Gospel?

Do you consciously seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit each day? Do you pray for this?

What fears prevent you from allowing the Holy Spirit full control of your life?

What do you need to understand or do to experience the fullness of the Spirit in your life?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

After prayerfully reviewing this month’s assigned Scripture readings, examine your life to discern where and how the Spirit has been working in you and seek to discern where you need to move to a new level of experience with him. Then spend time in prayer asking God to fill you afresh with his Spirit and to empower you to do his work in the world.

— John 14:15-17 (ESV)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows

him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”


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Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Book 4, Ch. 4)

Book: Miracles by C.S. Lewis (Ch. 7-8)

Book: The Holy Spirit by John Owen

Book: Keep in Step with the Spirit by J.I. Packer

Book: More: How You Can Have More of the Spirit When You Already Have Everything in Christ by Simon Ponsonby

Book: Who is the Holy Spirit? by R.C. Sproul

Book: Baptism and Fullness: The Work of the Holy Spirit Today by John Stott

Book: The Holy Spirit: In Biblical Teaching, through the Centuries, and Today by Anthony C. Thiselton

Book: The Holy Spirit & Power: 10 Timeless Messages by John Wesley

Audio: “Holy Spirit in Scripture & Theology” by J.I. Packer

Audio: “The Law of the Spirit - Part 1” by Earl Palmer

Audio: “The Law of the Spirit - Part 2” by Earl Palmer

Article: “Keep in Step with the Spirit” by J.I. Packer (book excerpt)

Article: “Praying in the Spirit” by J. Oswald Sanders

Article: “Finding Power to Live a New Life: Discipleship and the Holy Spirit” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III

Book: Experiencing the Spirit by Henry Blackaby

Book: Conformed to His Image by Kenneth Boa (Ch. 24-26)

Book: Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan

Book: He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit by Graham A. Cole

Book: God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul by Gordon D. Fee

Book: The Holy Spirit by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Book: I Believe in the Holy Spirit by Michael Green

Book: 3 Crucial Questions About the Holy Spirit by Craig S. Keener

Book: Gift Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today by Craig S. Keener

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http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Holy_Spirit_Part_I_Packer_Audio

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Law_of_the_Spirit_Part_I_Palmer_Audio

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Law_of_the_Spirit_Part_II_Palmer_Audio

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Power_From_Keep_In_Step_With_The_Spirit





Being Transformed by Scripture

October | Being Transformed by Scripture

“ If only one had time to read a little more: we either get shallow and broad or narrow and deep.”

— C.S. Lewis • The Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves



Up to this point in the Fellows Program we have emphasized that from the beginning God deeply desired a people who know, love and worship Him with their whole being. We have also seen that this high calling can only be fully realized through embracing the redemptive work of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Realizing that these critical truths are made known to us in the Holy Scriptures, this month will briefly address topics such as the inspiration, truthfulness, reliability, and authority of Scripture. Our main emphasis, however, will be on how God’s living and active Word can inform, encourage, discipline and transform us into the image of Christ as we read, study, memorize and meditate on it.




FELLOWS SESSIONS




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Read“ What is Biblical Meditation?” by Walter Kaiser, Jr. - 15 pp.

Read“ The Spiritual Discipline of Meditation” by Tom Schwanda - 5 pp.

Read “ Eat this Book: The Holy Community at Table with the Holy Scripture” by Eugene Peterson - 4 pp.

ReadPraying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney - 90 pp.

Read“ Seven Keys to Understanding Scripture” by Tremper Longman, III - 7 pp.

Read“ Revelation & Interpretation” by J.I. Packer - 2 pp.

Read“ Can I Trust the Bible?” by Darrell L. Bock - 36 pp. (See Fellows Center online for access to this document.)

Read“ What We Mean When We Say It’s True” by Timothy George - 6 pp.

Read“ Is the Content of the Biblical Manuscripts Reliable?” by Amy Orr-Ewing - 4 pp.


Read and ReflectJoshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-6, 119:97-105; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

CompleteBible Study (Psalm 1)

Meditate and MemorizePsalm 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16

Read“Our Lifeline” by J.I. Packer - 1 p.

Read“ Overview of Lectio Divina” by J.I. Packer - 4 pp.

ReadSpiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney - 55 pp. (Ch. 2-3)

Read“ C.S. Lewis on Holy Scripture” by Philip G. Ryken - 3 pp.

Read“ C.S. Lewis on Meditating on God’s Word” by Art Lindsley - 5 pp.

Listen“ Meditating on the Word, Part 1” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 40 minutes

Listen“ Meditating on the Word, Part 2” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 44 minutes



















Completed Checklist

Response PaperBible Study


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Biblical meditation requires us to focus our attention on Scripture as the Word of God. How is this different from other forms of meditation?

Note that there are several contrasts (both stated and implied) in Psalm 1. Make a list of these contrasts in your own words.

What do you think it means to “walk in the counsel of the wicked” (v. 1)? Why is the “counsel of the wicked” so enticing to us?

The wicked suppress the knowledge of God and ignore God’s instructions. In what ways are we exposed to the counsel of the wicked in our daily life?

Verse 2 describes meditating on the “law (or instructions) of the Lord” day and night as the result of a delight in the Scriptures. What do you think it means to delight in God’s instructions (Scripture)? What is the source of such delight?

How does the object of our delight enable us to focus our attention?

What do you think it means to meditate on Scripture “day and night” (see Josh. 1:8)?

What are some of the benefits of continual meditation (v. 3)?

On Biblical Meditation: Biblical meditation is the exercise of actively and prayerfully engaging in thoughtful reflection on Scripture for the purpose of communion with God and transformation of our desires, thoughts, feelings and actions.

Psalm 1 is often referred to as the gateway to the rest of the Psalter. In fact, it deals with key ideas that are the focus of the entire Bible. The psalm has as its goal the “blessed” life, which is a life motivated by the desire to love and please God.

What benefits do you experience from deeply engaging with God’s Word?

Picture the scene described in verse 3 where the Psalmist says the man who meditates on God’s instruction is “like a tree planted by streams of water” (see also Psalm 92:12-15). Imagine that you are the tree in a dry, arid land whose roots are reaching down to receive the life-giving water of the Scriptures. Describe what this experience was like.

What does the “way of the wicked” look like in our present culture? What does the “way of the righteous” look like in our present culture?

Make a list of some of the impediments to practicing biblical meditation (e.g. watching too much television, etc.).

Verse 6 says that the Lord “watches over the way of the righteous.” What does this verse and the entire Psalm tell us about God?


BIBLE STUDY

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2 Timothy 3:14-17

On Biblical Meditation: Paul wrote the passage above to Timothy as Paul was at the end of his earthly life (4:6-8). His concern is to instruct Timothy in sound doctrine and godly living in light of the difficult times ahead (3:1-9). In light of what is to come, Paul encourages Timothy to remember his teaching and his example (3:10-14), but he also tells him to look to the Scriptures for wisdom.


Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Notice that Paul says Scripture is “God-breathed” (theopneustos, v. 16). Although Paul is referring to the Old Testament here, Peter uses the same word (graphe) to refer to Paul’s writings in 2 Peter 3:16, so both Old and New Testaments are God’s speech. Why is it significant that the Scriptures have their origin in God?

What is the significance of Paul’s emphasis on the writings (graphe) as inspired rather than the authors of Scriptures?

What does this say about the uniqueness and authority of Scripture?

The word for “spirit” and the word for “breath” are the same word in Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma). What is the connection between God’s Word and His Spirit?

Paul wrote to Timothy of the “holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation …” (v. 15). The word “holy” means that the Scriptures are set apart by God for His special purposes. How are the Scriptures different from other writings?

In light of the doctrinal and moral challenges mentioned in 2 Timothy, it is not surprising that Paul’s emphasis on the value of the Scriptures has to do with God’s authoritative instruction about godly behavior. He writes that the Scriptures are profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. How have you experienced any of these?

• Teaching – Instruction about God and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ

• Rebuking – Confronting ungodly thoughts and actions

• Correcting – Redirecting ungodly thoughts and actions

• Training in righteousness – Guiding and encouraging thoughts and actions

What is the ultimate goal of Scripture, according to verse 17b?

What is the significance of the fact that the living God speaks to us through words?

(continued)BIBLE STUDY


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What is the difference between reading the Bible, studying the Bible and Bible meditation?

How might meditating on Scripture improve your spiritual life?

Do you spend enough time in God’s Word? If not, what changes do you need to make in order to have the amount of time you need?

What changes do you need to make to begin meditating on God’s Word more regularly?

What is the relationship between Bible meditation and prayer?

Are you convinced the Bible is the authoritative and divinely inspired Word of God? If not, why not? Raise any doubts or questions with your Mentor or the Fellows Program Director. What fears prevent you from allowing the Holy Spirit full control of your life?

Do you live as if the Bible is authoritative for your life? What areas of your life might you need to bring into line with biblical living?

Consider Timothy George’s article and note how he defines inerrancy. Has this changed your own understanding? If not, ask your Mentor or the Fellows Program Director for another resource that will address your specific concerns.

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Each week this month, select a different passage from the assigned Scripture readings. Ensure you understand the meaning of the text in context (you may need to do some basic Bible study). Read the passage slowly at least twenty times over several consecutive days; you might even want to memorize the passage. Finally, make time on a Sunday afternoon (or another convenient time) to meditate on the passage for 20-30 minutes using lectio divina. Discuss your experience with your Mentor.

Create detailed but concise bullet-point outlines of the main ideas and arguments found in “Can I Trust the Bible?” and the article by Orr-Ewing in your Apologetics Notebook. Create a list of what you think are some of the strongest points in favor of the authority and historicity of Scripture. Also create a list of questions, if any, that trouble you about the trustworthiness of Scripture and ask your Mentor or City Director for advice.

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Book: The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story by D.A. Carson

Book: A Divine and Supernatural Light by Jonathan Edwards

Book: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart

Book: How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart

Book: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller (Ch. 7)

Book: Growing in God’s Spirit ed. by T.M. Moore

Book: Is the Bible Intolerant? by Amy Orr-Ewing

Book: The Romantic Rationalist: God, Life, and Imagination in the Work of C.S. Lewis ed. by John Piper (Ch. 2)

Book: The Contemporary Christian by John Stott (Part III: The Bible)

Book: How to Read the Bible in Changing Times by Mark L. Strauss (Ch. 1-4)

Book: Meditating as a Christian by Peter Toon

Book: Words of Life: Scripture as the Living and Active Word of God by Timothy Ward

Article: “The Neglected Exercise” by Robert Boardman

Article: “Staying Faithful Through the Years” by Jerry Bridges

Article: “Listening in the Great Silence” by Richard J. Foster

Article: “Being Transformed Through the Word” by Art Lindsley (Theme Study)

Article: “Being Transformed Through the Word” by Art Lindsley (Scripture Points)

Article: “How to Read the Psalms: Nine Principles to Enrich Your Understanding” by Tremper Longman, III

Article: “Not By Bread Alone: How Jesus Used the Scriptures” by Andrew Murray

Article: “Language of the Heart” by Thomas C. Parker

Article: “The Jogging Monk and Exegesis of the Heart” by James B. Smith

Book: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth E. Bailey

Book: Is the New Testament Reliable? by Paul Barnett

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Living a Life of Love & Obedience

November | Living a Life of Love & Obedience

“ Christian Love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will.”




The Bible tells an amazing story of the relational triune God, who has from eternity been characterized by giving and receiving love. Out of the fullness of this delightful fellowship God created human beings in His image with the capacity to experience His love and reflect His glory by sacrificially loving others. This was a glorious calling which has been squandered from the beginning by his rebellious creatures. But motivated by His great love for us, Jesus Christ, our appointed representative, stepped into our world, and restated and perfectly obeyed God’s call by flawlessly loving God and others. The good news is that through faith in Him we can be forgiven, renewed, and restored to God’s original calling. Jesus’ obedient life also provides us with an example of what it looks like to reflect the image of God by wholeheartedly loving God and others through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who empowers us to become a people who increasingly live like Jesus.

This session focuses on the need to understand love as defined and illustrated by the Scriptures, rather than assuming the sensuous and sentimental view of love that often permeates our culture. We will highlight the central place that love plays in the Scriptures for enabling us to understand who God is, who we are, and what kind of life God calls us to as followers of Jesus, who said that the first and greatest commandment is to love God wholeheartedly, and the second is to love our neighbor as yourself.

This month we will also have a special hands-on opportunity to “love not in word only, but in deed and truth,” as we participate in a potentially life-changing service project. We’ll get out of our comfort zone, serve people in need, have an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ, enjoy fellowship, then process our study theme and the day’s experiences. Our goal is to commit ourselves to loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbor as the proper expression of discipleship with Jesus.




FELLOWS SESSIONS




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Read“The Prayer-Obedience Relationship” by W. Bingham Hunter - 4 pp.

Read “Obedience: The Key that Opens Doors” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 2 pp.

Read“Profile in Faith: V. Raymond Edman” by Joel S. Woodruff - 4 pp.

Read“The Discipline of Discipleship” by V. Raymond Edman - 2 pp.

Read“Profile in Faith: Eric Liddell” by Joel S. Woodruff - 5 pp.

ReadThe Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis - 10 pp. (Ch. 3)

ListenThe Four Loves by C.S. Lewis - 127 minutes.

Read“Keeping the Heart of God at the Heart of Living” by E.G. Link - 2 pp.

Watch“The Miniature Earth Project” - 3 minutes

Watch“Work Like a Doctor, Live Like a Nurse” - 8 minutes

Watch“Where is Your Finish Line?” - 15 minutes

Read and ReflectDeuteronomy 6:1-9; Matthew 5:43-48, 22:34-40; Luke 10:25-37; 1 John 3; 4:7-8

CompleteBible Study (Matthew 22:34-40)

Meditate and MemorizeMatthew 22:36-40

Read“How Do You Love?” by J. Oswald Sanders - 4 pp.

Read“ Loving God with Heart & Mind” by Alister E. McGrath - 3 pp.

Read“Trust and Obey” by C.S. Lewis - 1 p.

ReadThe God Who Loves You: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling by Peter Kreeft - 118 pp. (Intro, Ch. 1-6)

ReadStudies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 28 pp. (Vol. 1, Ch. 29-30; Vol. 2, Ch. 19)

Read“ Loving God and Neighbor” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 5 pp.

Read“ Jesus Believes It Is Possible!” by Greg Ogden - 4 pp.

ReadLove Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus by Paul E. Miller - 62 pp. (Ch. 1-6, 11, 13)








https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4639vev1Rw

https://vimeo.com/40037656









Completed Checklist



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WriteResponse Paper



Urban Plunge ( first weekend of the following month in lieu of Monthly Lecture & Discussion)



Matthew 22:34-35 shows the attitude of the religious leaders (Sadducees and Pharisees) toward Jesus. Why were the religious leaders so opposed to Jesus? What does their opposition to God’s Son (Jesus) say about the condition of their hearts? How do you respond when God does things a different way than you expected?

When the Pharisees asked Jesus about the “greatest commandment in the Law” (v. 36), he responded by quoting the passage in the Old Testament known as the “Shema” (Deut. 6:5). Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” What is the extent of our love for God to be?

In popular culture, love is usually understood to be a matter of feeling or emotion. What do you think love of God entails? You can find a clue in John 14:15.

The Scriptures tell us that “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8) and that we are to live a life of love (toward God and others) because God first loved us (1 Jn. 4:7,10,11,19). Why is it so important to keep the correct order of love (God is love, God loves us in Christ; therefore, we are to love God and others) in mind?

If we understand that spiritual disciplines are God-given means by which we grow in grace, practices that help cultivate our love for God and others and not self-help techniques, how can prayer, Bible reading, meditation, fasting, silence, etc., help us grow in love?

Briefly discuss some dangers of ignoring or overemphasizing some facet of our being (thoughts, feelings, desires, attitudes, actions) in relation to the love command (emotionalism, rationalism, activism, etc.).

During the week of Passover Jesus entered the temple courts and began to teach. As a result the religious leaders began to question Him. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “What is the greatest commandment in the law?”

Jesus says that loving God with our whole being is the “first” and “greatest” commandment, then he adds a “second” commandment from Leviticus 19:18 which says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” How does Jesus’ addition of the second commandment relate to the first one?

What does it mean to love your neighbor? Is it chiefly a matter of feeling or emotion? Or perhaps a matter of will and action? Or some combination? (See Matt. 7:12 for a clue.)

What if your neighbor is an enemy? (See Matt. 5:48.)

In wrapping up His response to the question raised by the “expert on the law” concerning the “greatest commandment in the law,” Jesus said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:40). Michael Wilkins writes, “These are the greatest commandments because they go to the essence of the way God has created humans to live: giving oneself to God and to others to fulfill his purposes for us as the crown of his creation in displaying in our lives the glory of God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus’ inauguration of the kingdom enables this to be a concrete reality for his disciples.”3

According to C.S. Lewis, “A perfect man [would] never act from a sense of duty; he’d always want the right thing more than the wrong one. Duty is only a substitute for love (of God and of other people) like a crutch which is a substitute for a leg. Most of us need the crutch at times; but of course it is idiotic to use the crutch when our own legs (our own loves, tastes, habits etc.) can do the journey on their own.”4


BIBLE STUDY

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What has been your understanding of love to date?

How does the biblical view of love differ from your view of love?

How does Lloyd-Jones characterize love? How does C.S. Lewis characterize it?

Do you consciously seek to obey God’s commands in your daily life?

What do you think motivates your obedience to God? Fear, guilt, social pleasures or love?

Where in your life do you express love for others in concrete deeds of servanthood?

What do you need to change in your life to love God and your neighbor more than you do now?

Do you express love for the poor and needy through financial giving?

What percentage of your finances goes to God, to others and to you? Ask God if He would like you to make any adjustments, and if so what He would like you to change.

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Privately, ask God how you can help someone who is poor/needy and when He answers, respond accordingly. You might give them some money, buy them a meal, take them to a doctor’s appointment, etc. Then, as a small group, ask God to show each of you how much money you should contribute to a common purse that might be used to help a poor person or family at Christmas. Pray and discuss ideas of whom you might help. Do not simply write a check; get involved personally with someone in need. (Note: giving within the small group should be done in a way that each person’s gift remains anonymous.)

As Thanksgiving approaches, prayerfully consider non-Christian family and friends with whom you will spend time. Ask God to open the hearts of one or two people and to create opportunities to share your faith with them. Review and refine your testimony and attempt to share it winsomely.


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Book: The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Book 3, Ch. 1-7, 9-12)

Book: The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (Ch. 2)

Book: Love: The Ultimate Apologetic by Art Lindsley

Book: Theirs is the Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America by Robert D. Lupton

Book: Testaments of Love by Leon Morris

Book: The Essential Commandment: A Disciple’s Guide to Loving God and Others by Greg Ogden

Book: Love Beyond Reason by John Ortberg

Book: The Mark of a Christian by Francis Schaeffer

Book: Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney

Audio: “Helena Joy Davidman: A Portrait” by Lyle Dorsett

Audio: “Living a Life of Love” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III

Video: “Can Love Lead You to Knowing Christ?” by Art Lindsley


Article: “The Great Commandment” by Klaus Bockmuehl

Article: “Loving by Serving” by Jerry Bridges

Article: “Love Without Limits” by Bernard of Clairvaux

Article: “Afraid to Love” by Brent Curtis

Article: “The Ministry of the Towel: Practicing Love Through Service” by Richard J. Foster

Article: “C.S. Lewis on Love” by Art Lindsley

Article: “Learning to Savor the Love of God” by John Piper

Article: “Living as God’s Beloved” by Paula Rinehart

Article: “Burning Hearts Are Not Nourished by Empty Heads” by R.C. Sproul

Article: “The Generous Heart and Life of C.S. Lewis” by Joel S. Woodruff

Book: Bold Love by Donald B. Allender and Tremper Longman, III

Book: The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God by D.A. Carson

Book: On Loving God by Bernard of Clairvaux

Book: Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards (Lecture I, “Charity, or Love, the Sum of All Virtue”)

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3 Wilkins, Michael J. The NIV Application Commentary: Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), p. 726.

4 C. S. Lewis, ed. Walter Hooper, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis: Volume III: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2007) 872.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LskTWhRfSMM












http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/The_Generous_Heart_and_Life_of_CS_Lewis_FullArticle

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/The_Generous_Heart_and_Life_of_CS_Lewis_FullArticle


Walking in Humility

December | Walking in Humility

“ If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. …If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”




Our focus this month is humility. What is true humility? It is not self-hatred, self-loathing, denying our abilities, pretending to be other than we are, rejecting ourselves, punishing ourselves, etc. J. I. Packer puts it well: “Being humble is not a matter of pretending to be worthless, but is a form of realism, not only regarding the real badness of one’s sins and stupidities, and the real depth of one’s dependence on God’s grace but also regarding the real range of one’s abilities.” Similarly, John Stott says biblically informed humility is “honesty, acknowledging the truth about ourselves, that as creatures we depend on our Creator’s power and as sinners on our Savior’s grace.” Humility is the path to deeper fellowship with God and others, as well as true Christ-likeness and fruitful ministry. The Gospel reminds us how Christ’s love was expressed in humble servanthood—in deliberately taking upon Himself the role of a servant—and those who would follow Him are called to glorify God by following the example of Christ. In this session we will (1) gain insight into how pride keeps us from experiencing the grace of God and negatively impacts our relationships, (2) consider how looking to Jesus and relying on the Spirit of Christ can enable us to pursue a lifestyle of humility.

Walking in Humility



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ReadThe Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller - 39 pp.

Read Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus by Paul E. Miller - 10 pp. (Ch. 19)

Listen“Walking in Humility” by Bill Kynes - 47 minutes

Listen“Walking in Humility” by Stuart McAlpine - 92 minutes

Listen“C.S. Lewis on Pride and Humility” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 77 minutes

CompletePerfectionism Test

CompleteType A Personality Test



WriteResponse Paper




Read and Reflect2 Chronicles 26:1-21; Daniel 4:1-37; Luke 14:7-11, 18:9-14; Philippians 2:3-11; 1 Peter 5:5-6

CompleteBible Study (Philippians 2:3-11)

Meditate and MemorizePhilippians 2:3-5

Read“Humility” by Jonathan Edwards - 1 p.

Read“ C.S. Lewis on Humility (and Pride)” by Art Lindsley - 7 pp.

ReadHumility by Andrew Murray - 50 pp.

ReadThe Mark of a Christian by Francis Schaeffer- 38 pp.

ReadStudies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 18 pp. (Vol. 1, Ch. 4 & 6)

ReadMere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - 6 pp. (Book 3, Ch. 8)

ReadThe Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - 2 pp. (Letter 14)

ReadThe Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis - 5 pp. (Ch. 4)




http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=3262

http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=1330



http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/spiritualformation/Texts/Murray_Humility/Murray_Humility.pdf



Completed Checklist


Perfectionism Test

Walking in Humility

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In order to help the believers at Philippi overcome their relational conflicts Paul must get them to change their perspective, so he tells them “do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit, but count others more significant than yourselves” (2:3). What are some of the reasons why we might want to put ourselves first when we are in difficult relationships?

What sort of problems does counting ourselves better than others and being self-centered rather than Christ-centered create in relationships (marriage, church, work, etc.)?

Putting away selfish ambition and vain conceit in order to care for others may sound noble, but it is notoriously difficult to do. While Paul expects us to look after our own interests, what specific attitude of heart does he commend toward others (2:4)? What resources do we have to enable us to overcome our self-centeredness and care for the interests of others?

Paul writes to the believers at Philippi to encourage them to strive together to maintain unity in the midst of opposition from those outside the faith and disunity from those within the faith community. His instructions were necessary since two of their prominent believers (Euodia and Syntyche; 4:2) were at odds with each other and their dispute had apparently affected the attitude of the rest of the community (2:14). He encourages them to be “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (2:2).

Notice how in verses 5-11 Paul uses the example of Christ (who relinquished being “in the form of God” and took on “the form of a servant” and “humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”) to address the self-seeking attitudes in the community of faith. What is there about Jesus’ example that speaks to our reluctance to value others above ourselves?

When have you experienced this quality of humility from another person? How did it affect you?

What will it look like for you to daily “count others more significant than yourself and look out for their interests” (2:4)? This may not be so hard with those you like or love, but what about someone with whom you have tensions or even conflict?

Paul’s advice is that conduct with the Christian community should characterize all our relationships. What impact might Paul’s advice have on a marriage, work environment, church community, etc.?

Walking in Humility

BIBLE STUDY

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(continued)



How does the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives enable us to walk in humility day-by-day?

John Stott has defined humility as “honesty, acknowledging the truth about ourselves, that as creatures we depend on our Creator’s power and as sinners on our Savior’s grace.” Pride can be defined as thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought and was at the root of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God and subsequent fall. What are some of the effects of pride on our thinking, emotions, relationships and attitudes?

Some of the characteristics of a humble person (someone who does not think more highly of themselves than they ought) have been suggested as: recognizes the need for the grace of God, seeks to bring glory to God (not themselves), lives a grateful life, keeps company with Jesus, not overly concerned with image management, does not trumpet talents and accomplishments, does not name-drop, admits failures, respects others’ opinions, resists being the center of attention, draws others out, avoids catering to particular groups (wealthy, powerful, beautiful, etc.), makes room for others, listens to others, listens more than they talk, uses gifts for the good of others (talents, possessions, etc.), free from pretension, not argumentative, gentle and caring toward others; especially the poor, the needy and those who are less powerful.

Who do you know that embodies these characteristics to a significant degree?

Walking in Humility

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Can you think of anyone toward whom you have a critical or judgmental attitude? If you do, reflect on why you think of them that way.

How do you react to proud people?

Upon whom do you look down? Why? (Consider individuals, personality types, political types, racial and ethnic groups, etc.)

Do you treat people of lower social, educational or financial status differently from the way you treat those of a higher status? If so, why?

Where might you have too high an opinion of yourself? (Ask someone who will tell you the truth.)

How do you typically seek to exalt yourself? (Ask your spouse or even an enemy/adversary.)

Do you consciously seek to serve others without any thought of gain?

What is meekness, and how is it related to humility?

What do you think is the relationship between pride and perfectionism? Between pride and a Type A personality?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Identify one area in which you are prideful and act in the opposite spirit the next time an opportunity arises. Then do it again, and again and again until it becomes a habit. Do not choose the hardest thing you can imagine. Rather, begin with something less difficult, and don’t tell anyone about it. As you see change in that one area, start working on another. Seek to become a servant to others and look for opportunities to do so; take a lower place and do menial things.

As Christmas approaches, prayerfully consider any non-Christian family and friends with whom you will spend time. Ask God to open the hearts of one or two people and to create opportunities to share your faith with them. Review and refine your testimony and attempt to share it winsomely.

In the final week of the month, conduct an Annual Spiritual Checkup (see Fellows Center online handbook). Prayerfully consider each question and your responses. Share this with as many of your Christian friends and family as possible, encouraging them to prayerfully pause and consider before ringing in the New Year.

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Book: To Increase Humility by Jeremy Taylor

Book: The Steps of Humility and Pride by Bernard of Clairvaux

Book: Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards (Lecture VII, “The Spirit of Charity an Humble Spirit”)

Book: The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

Book: Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney

Audio: “The Seductive Sirens of Perfectionism - Part 1” by Richard Winter

Audio: “The Seductive Sirens of Perfectionism - Part 2” by Richard Winter

Audio: “The Perils of Perfectionism - Part 1” by Richard Winter

Audio: “The Perils of Perfectionism - Part 2” by Richard Winter

Audio: “The Freedom to Pursue Excellence - Part 1” by Richard Winter




Article: “Haughty or Humble?” by Howard Baker

Article: “What Does the Bible Say About Humility?” by M.C. Alfred Ells

Article: “Here Comes the Pride” by David W. Henderson

Article: “The Independence Myth” by James M. Houston

Article: “That Vain Hope and Elation of Mind Are to be Fled and Avoided” by Thomas à Kempis

Article: “The Lord Helps Those Who Can’t Help Themselves” by Donald McCullough

Article: “Humility and Faith” by Andrew Murray

Article: “Cleanse Me from Secret Faults” by John Henry Newman

Article: “Pride, Humility & God” by John Stott

Article: “A Strange Gait” by John Stumbo

Article: “At the Foot of the Cross: What Does It Mean to Humble Yourself?” by Joni Eareckson Tada

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Growing in Prayer & Faith

January | Growing in Prayer & Faith

“ The whole threefold life of the three-personal Being is actually going on in that ordinary little bedroom where an ordinary man is saying his prayers.”




Just as our new life in Christ began as a faith response to the grace of God, so we continue to draw near to God, are transformed into the image of Christ, and participate in His mission to the world by the means of grace that God has provided. Of the various means of grace, praying, like reading the Word of God (Scripture), is a vital practice. It is easy to see why this is the case since God is a personal being who created and redeemed us for conversation, communion and participation in His kingdom rule. Now that we have been united to His Son we can confidently come to the Father in prayer with an attitude of faith, trusting that He wants to commune with His children and He will provide all that we need to sustain us and empower us to advance His kingdom. Therefore, to live without prayer is essentially to live without God, and to be content with a weak prayer life ensures a shallow relationship with God and ineffectiveness in carrying out his calling on our lives.

This month we will explore the Scripture’s teaching about (1) how prayer is a pathway to a deeper relationship with God and a more joyful, grace-filled and fruitful Christian life, (2) the relationship of faith to prayer. Our framework for understanding and practicing prayer for this month will be the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray (“the Lord’s Prayer”).




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Listen“ The Lord’s Prayer 1995” by Timothy Keller & Richard P. Kaufman - 186 minutes (six sermons)

Watch “The Practice of Prayer” by Amy Orr-Ewing - 30 minutes



WriteResponse Paper

Monthly Mentor MeetingResponse Paper



Read and ReflectMatthew 6:5-14, 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8



Read“ If God is Sovereign, Why Should We Pray?” by C.S. Lewis - 1 p.

ReadA Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller - 85 pp. (Ch. 3-8, 12-18)

Read“ George Müller’s Strategy for Showing God” by John Piper - 8 pp.

ReadThe Autobiography of George Müller by George Müller - 126 pp. (Ch. 12-25)

ReadStudies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - 82 pp. (Vol. 2, Ch. 1-6, 13, 14, 18)


http://www.gospelinlife.com/the-lord-s-prayer-1995

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Practice_of_Prayer_Video



http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/george-muellers-strategy-for-showing-god

http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/george-muellers-strategy-for-showing-god


In verses 5–8 Jesus begins His teaching on prayer by contrasting prayer that is informed by the character of the living God and the arrival of the kingdom of God with hypocritical and pagan praying. Compare and contrast the different views of prayer. What’s wrong with hypocritical praying? What’s wrong with pagan praying? How does Jesus say to pray instead?

Based on verses 5-8, how would you describe the relationship between our view of God and the way we pray?

Read verse 8. God knows our needs before we ask, but He wants us to ask anyway. How is asking our “Father” (v. 8) for our needs good for us?

The Lord’s Prayer could be divided in half: verses 9–10 and 11–13. What are the themes of each half? What does each half have in common?

Jesus begins His prayer with the word “Our.” Looking over Jesus’ prayer, in what ways does it emphasize the communal nature of life in the kingdom?

How does Jesus’ teaching on prayer assume the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God who came to proclaim the good news that by God’s grace we can be reconciled to God and freed to live in the Father’s house as sons and daughters both now and forever?

Read Matthew 6:9–13 again. What specific things are we asking for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer?

What does the first petition, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (v. 9), tell us about God and how does it reset our priorities for prayer? What does it mean to “hallow” God’s name?

The second petition says, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (v. 10). Jesus proclaimed that the reign of God was present in His ministry and taught His disciples to pray for its future coming. How does this kingdom focus shape the way we are to pray for the present and for the future?

The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer (v. 11) is for daily sustenance. It reads, “Give us today our daily bread.” What do you think is included in daily bread? Why do you think that Jesus wanted to remind us of our need to look to the Father for our “daily” needs?

The fourth petition (v. 12) focuses our attention on forgiveness. It says, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Our debts are sins we have committed against God. How does this petition condition our request for forgiveness? Is there anyone you need to forgive?

The fifth petition (v. 13) says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” What does this petition tell us about Jesus’ expectations for our life in this world?

Including Jesus’ instructions before and after His model prayer, what personal guidelines can you come up with for life in general and prayer in particular from this passage?

In what way does this prayer give us a sense of identity, mission, provision and protection?


BIBLE STUDY


Jesus’ teaching on prayer (Matt. 6:5-14) occurs in the context of the Sermon on the Mount. Having already emphasized that the coming of the kingdom results in deep inner transformation (5:20), Jesus illustrates how this inner transformation impacts outer acts of righteousness such as giving, prayer, and fasting. This prayer, known as “the Lord’s Prayer,” was widely thought of as a model prayer by the time of the mid-second century, and it was recited three times per day by some Christians since it gave the framework for a Christian view of life.

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Do you find prayer a duty or a delight? Is it a burden or a blessing to you?

Do you pray with expectation that God will answer your prayers?

Was George Müller’s story encouraging or discouraging to you? Why?

How much time do you spend in prayer? Do you feel that it is enough?

According to Lloyd-Jones, how should we begin each prayer?

What do you think hinders your prayer life the most?

What kind of discipline do you need to develop to have a regular daily prayer time? What are some concrete changes you need to make to pray each day?

What other steps do you need to take to move into a deeper prayer life?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Create a plan for daily prayer at a set time and in an undistracted place. It is probably best to do it in the morning, but if you are not a morning person you may want to try the evening. Try using the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern to guide you.

Most people find it helpful to read the Bible before praying. Throughout history, God’s people have found it helpful to read through the Psalms, one or more each day, in canonical order. Or you might read through one of the Gospels, a chapter a day. Whatever you select, read slowly and in consecutive order to understand the Scripture in context. Before you read, ask God to speak to you through his Word. Avoid random sampling. Discuss your plan and results with your Mentor.

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Article: “A Day to Pray” by Lonni Collins Pratt

Article: “Prayer” by J.C. Ryle

Article: “Four Hindrances to Answered Prayer” by A.B. Simpson

Article: “Forgiveness: The Power to Change the Past” by Lewis B. Smedes

Article: “Speaking God’s Language” by Joni Eareckson Tada

Article: “Beginning the Journey of Prayer” by Teresa of Avila

Article: “Lead Us Not Into Temptation” by Paul Thigpen

Article: “The Forgiveness Factor” by Gary Thomas

Article: “Your Prayers Matter” by Alvin J. Vander Griend

Article: “Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer” by John Wesley

Article: “The Power of the Word of God” by Ulrich Zwingli

Book: Handbook to Prayer: Praying Scripture Back to God by Kenneth Boa

Book: The Heart of Prayer: What Jesus Teaches Us by Jerram Barrs

Book: The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence by Art Lindsley

Book: Rees Howells, Intercessor by Norman Grubb

Book: Prayer by O. Hallesby

Book: The God Who Hears by Bingham Hunter


Article: “Two Intriguing Questions About Prayer” by Thomas Aquinas

Article: “Patterns for Prayer” by Howard Baker

Article: “Persevering Through Dry Seasons in Prayer” by Ugolino Boniscambi

Article: “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” by Paul Borthwick

Article: “The True Radical” by Jacques Ellul

Article: “Prayer Blockers” by Mike Fleischmann

Article: “Praying the Ordinary” by Richard J. Foster

Article: “Prayer and Spiritual Friendship” by James M. Houston

Article: “Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors” by R. Kent Hughes

Article: “The Fruits of Intercession” by William Law

Article: “C.S. Lewis on Prayer” by Art Lindsley

Article: “Soul Talk” by Gordon MacDonald

Article: “The Lord’s Prayer Revisited” by Chuck Mylander

Article: “The Best Time for Prayer” by Warren & Ruth Myers

Article: “The Listening Side of Prayer: How to Hear God’s Voice Above the Clamor” by Stacey Padrick

Article: “Focused on the Father: Who Are You Looking at When You Pray?” by Roger C. Palms

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Book: A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer by Phillip Keller

Book: A Simple Way to Pray by Martin Luther

Book: With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray

Book: Prayer Power Unlimited by J. Oswald Sanders

Book: Praying the Lord’s Prayer by J.I. Packer

Book: Daring to Draw Near by John White

Book: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney (Ch. 4, 9, 10)

Book: Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney

Audio: “The Prayer Life of C.S. Lewis” by James M. Houston

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Pursuing God’s Call on Your Life

February | Pursuing God’s Call on Your Life

“ Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you.”

— C.S. Lewis • The Problem of Pain


As disciples of Jesus, we are His people and are called and committed to reflect God’s glory

• through our relationships with others (love God and other people)

• through the creative use of our God-given talents, gifts, and resources to bless others, to glorify and honor God, to advance His kingdom and to enable the creation to flourish (art, recreation, politics, literature, etc.)

The problem is that from very early on human beings have made a mess of the world by using our freedom to rebel against God, so we have experienced alienation in our relationships and frustration in our calling to administer God’s rule. The good news is that the triune God of grace began His restorative process by calling out a people who would realign with His purposes. This process came to a climax in the coming of Jesus who is even now calling out a people for the glory of God from all the nations (ekklesia, the Church). When we respond to His call to be reconciled to God and each other in Christ, our relationships with God and others are restored and our calling to reflect the image of God as servants at work, home, at play, and in every area of life is renewed. Although we await the return of Christ to fully realize God’s purposes, we enjoy God and His world, proclaim the good news and use our gifts and talents to glorify God in every area of life.

During this month of the Fellows Program our goals will include to (1) grasp the significance of what it means to be a member of Jesus’ called out community of disciples, (2) gain a clearer understanding of the relationship of God’s calling for every area of life, especially our work, (3) grow in our understanding of what He has designed us to do, vocationally, (4) commit ourselves to God, joyfully responding to His call to be servants in the world through our vocation.




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Read “ Leadership Lessons in Following” by Ray Blunt - 2 pp.

Watch “ Pursuing God’s Call On Your Life” by Art Lindsley

Read“ Profile in Faith: William Wilberforce” by Christopher D. Hancock - 5 pp.

Read “ Lessons Along the Career Path” by Robin R. King - 2 pp.

Read “ What ‘Product’ Are You Managing?” by Kerry Knott - 2 pp.



WriteResponse Paper




Read and ReflectGenesis 1:26-28; Nehemiah 1-2; Daniel 1-6; Romans 1:6, 7:1-25, 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:9, 7:17-24; 1 Peter 2:9-10

CompleteBible Study (Genesis 1:26-28; Nehemiah 1-2; Daniel 1-6; Romans 1:6, 7:1-25, 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:9, 7:17-24; 1 Peter 2:9-10)

Meditate and Memorize1 Peter 2:9-10

Read“ Work: A Holy Calling” by Jerram Barrs - 2 pp.

Read“Why Work?” by Dorothy Sayers - 11 pp.

ReadThe Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis - 11 pp. (“Learning in War Time”)

ReadThe Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado - 214 pp.

Listen“The Call” by Os Guinness – 80 minutes

Listen“ The Call to Civility” by Os Guinness – 79 minutes

Listen“ God’s Call on Your Life: What Is It?” by Bill Hendricks – 27 minutes


http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Pursuing_Gods_Call_on_Your_Life








http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Gods_Call_on_your_Life




Completed Checklist



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Having been created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-28), Adam and Eve were made to reflect God’s character through their rational, emotional and volitional capacities and their relationships (know, love and serve God and other people). What does this say about God’s intentions for our lives?

In light of God’s design for our lives what should our life priorities be?

The man and the woman were created in the image of God, and they were given a special assignment (Gen. 1:28) that had meaning because of its relationship to the One who created and called them. What was their calling/task?

How does this original calling found in Genesis 1:26-28 relate to us as disciples of Jesus, who are being “renewed in the knowledge of the image of the Creator” (Col. 3:10)?

According to Peter, we have been “called out of darkness into his marvelous light” in order to do what (1 Pt. 2:9)?

What are the titles that Peter uses to refer to these Christian communities (1 Pt. 2:9)? Why are these titles significant?

Why is it important to recognize that this passage is first of all written to communities of faith?

Peter is writing to mostly Gentile communities. Why is it so important they have their identity grounded in the Gospel? How does our new identity as the people of God relate to our ethnic or racial identity?

What does it mean to remain “in the same calling in which he was called?” (1 Cor. 7:20, NKJV)

What is the meaning of the first and second use of “call” in this phrase? (see context)

How do our talents, gifts, and circumstances help define our “specific calling”?

How did Daniel work out God’s call upon him in the difficult context in which he was placed (or called)?

If living with a sense of calling requires there to be a caller, what happens to the meaning of life if you take away the caller?


BIBLE STUDY

Gen. 1:26-28 – In the creation account, Scripture records something unique which God did: He made the man and the woman in His image and likeness. While there have been many suggestions as to what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God, it seems significant that God speaks to the man and the woman. Later God will commune and converse with them (Gen. 2 - 3), and He will give them a calling/task to perform (Gen. 1:28).

Romans 1:6, 7, 8:28, 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:9

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

Daniel 1-6

Conclusion

1 Peter 2:9-10 – In Peter’s first letter to the Christians of Asia Minor, he reminds them of who they are, why they have been called, and how they are to live in a way that is consistent with God’s calling.

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How do you think your specific call relates to God’s general call on your life?

Given your particular gifts and abilities, how can you use the way in which God has made you to serve Him in your work, church, family, community and as a citizen?

In what ways and to what degree does your work make it difficult to be faithful to what the Lord is calling you to in other areas of your life?

Has a specific calling on your life emerged over time? (For example, see: Nehemiah, Daniel, Wilberforce, etc.)

Do you tend to identify yourself by your vocation/career? Is your identity bound to what you do rather than to Christ?

Consider Sayers’ essay. How can our work serve God? Is it possible to be in a career that is incapable of serving God? As a disciple of Jesus Christ, how should we respond if we find ourselves in such a vocation?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Discuss your calling with your triplet/quad as discerned through The Cure for the Common Life. Re-examine your priorities. Determine if you are allotting the appropriate time to each area of your life (i.e., seeking God, loving others, work, marriage, family, church, fitness, sleep, etc.).

As Easter and Passover approach, prayerfully consider non-Christian family and friends with whom you will spend time. In the same way you gave gifts at Christmas, are there friends who might benefit from an Easter gift related to the resurrection? Send them a book or DVD that might further the conversation. (Consider Lee Strobel’s small book, The Case for Easter.) Try this with at least one person on the prayer list you built in June. (You should still be praying for everyone on that list.)

In the same way, if you have Jewish friends this is a good time to reach out to them. You could invite them to join you at a Messianic Seder, or you might send them a book like Moishe Rosen’s Christ in the Passover. Visit the websites of Jews for Jesus and Chosen People Ministries for guidance on Jewish evangelism. Also refer to the 2015 issue of Knowing & Doing for insights on Judaism.

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Book: Direction: A Biblical Perspective on Being Called and Sent by God by Walter L. Liefeld

Book: The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness

Book: Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Timothy Keller

Book: Finding a Job You Can Love by Ralph Mattson & Arthur Miller

Book: Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work by Tom Nelson

Book: Your Work Matters to God by Douglas Sherman & William Hendricks

Book: StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath

Book: Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential by Gordon T. Smith

Book: How Then Should We Work? Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work by Hugh Whelchel


Article: “My Journey in the Workplace” by Ken Broussard

Article: “Waiting on the Lord While Unemployed” by Doug Greenwold

Article: “From Politics to Pampers” by Michelle Morgan Knott

Article: “Impacting the Workplace for Christ” by Chris T. Morris

Article: “Success…Failure” by David C.L. Prior

Article: “Life Was All About Me” by Thomas W. Simmons

Article: “Answering God’s Call in the Public Schools” by Ashley Storm

Book: Joy at Work by Dennis Bakke

Book: The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis (“The Inner Ring”)

Book: The Person Called You: Why You’re Here, Why You Matter & What You Should Do With Your Life by Bill Hendricks

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Commending the Faith – Cultural Apologetics

March | Commending the Faith – Cultural Apologetics

“ Supposing science ever became complete so that it knew every single thing in the whole universe. Is it not plain that the questions, ‘Why is there a universe?’ ‘Why does it go on as it does?’ ‘Has it any meaning?’ would remain just as they were.”




This session focuses on the topic of Christian apologetics. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word “apologia” which was originally used in a legal context. It was used to refer to the defendant’s rebuttal to charges of the prosecution. In the New Testament “apologia” is used three times (Phil. 1:7, 16; 1 Pet. 3:15) to speak of making a rational defense of the Christian faith. There are also many other texts in the New Testament that do not use this word where the idea of making a rational defense of the Christian faith is implied. For our purposes, we will define Christian apologetics as the attempt, in an attitude of humility and respect, to:

• Commend the truthfulness of our essential Christian beliefs to individuals and groups within our culture

• Defend the Christian faith from misconceptions, arguments, and objections that are raised by individuals and groups within our culture

It is important to point out that while practice of apologetics is directed toward those outside the Christian faith, it also has a function for those within the faith by helping to encourage understanding, confidence and hope in God.

This month’s studies will help us gain a better sense of the importance of knowing the truth in several areas, including: being a disciple of Jesus, developing more confidence in the truthfulness of essential Christian beliefs (Mere Christianity), and developing a biblical perspective on the place of apologetics for the Christian life and witness.




FELLOWS SESSIONS




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Watch “ Is It Arrogant to Claim You Have ‘the Truth’?” by Andy Bannister - 3 minutes

Watch“ Why Choose Jesus and not Buddha or Muhammad?” by Nathan Betts - 3 minutes

Watch “ Hasn’t Science Buried God?” by Andy Bannister - 3 minutes

Read “ C.S. Lewis and How Christians Should Think About Science” by Joseph A. Kohm, Jr. - 2 pp.

Watch“ Isn’t Religion Just a Psychological Crutch?” by Andy Bannister - 3 minutes

Watch“ How Can You Really Know What is True?” by Nathan Betts - 3 minutes

ReadTactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl - 24 pp. (Ch. 1-2)



Read and ReflectActs 17:16-34; 1 Peter 3:15-16

CompleteBible Study (Acts 17:16-34)

Meditate and Memorize1 Peter 3:15-16

Read“ C.S. Lewis on Faith and Reason” by Art Lindsley - 3 pp.

ReadMere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith by Alister E. McGrath - 56 pp. (Ch. 1, 2, 4, 5)

ReadBeyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend ed. by Ravi Zacharias - 132 pp. (Intro, Ch. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)

Watch“ Postmodernism: Can You Really Know Anything?” by Art Lindsley - 50 minutes

Read“ C.S. Lewis on Postmodernism” by Art Lindsley - 3 pp.

ReadMere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - 19 pp. (Book 1)

Watch“ Relativism: Can You Have Ethics Without God?” by Art Lindsley - 55 minutes

Read“ Apologetics: Why Your Church Needs It” by John M. Njoroge - 7 pp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adxa8Iw8T48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adxa8Iw8T48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhwragL3m_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhwragL3m_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=834f-eJ22Dc



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6vvNLJb4yI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6vvNLJb4yI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8YGWNVwiBk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8YGWNVwiBk


http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Postmodernism_BAC_Video

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Postmodernism_BAC_Video


http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Relativism_BAC_Video

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Relativism_BAC_Video





Completed Checklist



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How does Luke describe the religious environment in Athens (Acts 17:16)? Why do you think Paul was so deeply upset by his encounter with the idolatry he saw in Athens? What does this show us about the relationship of the heart and mind?

Notice that Paul “reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews” (v. 17; see also 17:2; 18:4) and “argued” (v. 18) with the Epicureans (materialists) and Stoics (pantheists) in the marketplace every day. What does the fact that Paul “reasoned” and “debated” with Jews and Gentiles in the synagogues and marketplace tell us about the use of apologetics to commend and defend the Christian faith?

What did the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers hear Paul emphasizing as he spoke (v. 18-20)? What does this say, if anything, about the focus of our message?

Though he was provoked by their idolatry, Paul did seek to build a bridge to them by affirming some of the beliefs and practices of the Athenians (vv. 22 ff.). Besides pointing out that they “were very religious,” what other beliefs did he point out to them (vv. 22 ff.)? What does this tell us about the wisdom of establishing points of contact with people from other worldviews?

In vv. 24-31, Paul notes a number of important truths about God’s nature and our nature as human beings. Make a list of each of these.

According to Paul, why did God create us and continue to sustain us day-by-day (vv. 27)? How does knowing this about God’s intentions affect you? How should it affect your priorities in relation to other people?

In verse 29 ff., Paul says that his hearers are accountable for the truths he has pointed out. In light of this knowledge, how does he say they ought to respond (vs. 30)? In verse 31, Paul mentions another reason why they should respond in this way; what does he say? Make a list of Paul’s points of emphasis mentioned in Acts 17:16 – 34 when calling non-believers to turn to Jesus.

What were the three responses people had to Paul’s message? How can we be encouraged in our attempts at evangelism by reflecting on how people responded to Paul’s presentation of the Gospel?


BIBLE STUDY

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What are the dominant worldviews in the United States today?

Where has your thinking been influenced by non-biblical worldviews? Ask God to reveal any blind spots.

Where has the church been influenced by non-biblical worldviews?

Can you identify ways in which your worldview is influenced by postmodernism?

What is the most difficult/challenging question someone could ask you? Are you prepared to respond?

Which questions/issues do you need to explore more deeply in order to strengthen your own faith?

Is your faith being undermined and weakened by unresolved questions/issues?

What role does apologetics play in your church? What role does apologetics play in discipleship?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

In your Apologetics Notebook, take notes on each of the assigned readings and create detailed but concise bullet-point outlines of the main ideas and arguments found in the assigned portions of Mere Christianity, Mere Apologetics, Questioning Evangelism and Tactics.

For this month’s triplet/quad meeting, watch a popular television show or recent movie and discuss it (preferably over dinner). Try to identify the dominant worldview(s) on which it is based by noting the values and assumptions of the plot and characters. Note both the good and the bad aspects. Is there an underlying message? If so, what is it? Is it biblical?

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Book: The Challenge of Postmodernism ed. by David S. Dockery

Book: The Postmodern World: Discerning the Times and the Spirit of Our Age by Millard J. Erickson

Book: Truth or Consequences: The Promise & Perils of Postmodernism by Millard J. Erickson

Book: Naming the Elephant: Worldview as a Concept by James W. Sire

Book: Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer by Grant Horner

Book: True Truth: Defending Absolute Truth in a Relativistic World by Art Lindsley

Book: Worldview: The History of a Concept by David Naugle

Book: Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith & Mission by Harold Netland (Ch. 1, 3, 4, 6, 8)

Book: The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog (5th Ed.) by James W. Sire

Book: Postmodern Times by G.E. Veith

Book: Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend ed. by Ravi Zacharias (Ch. 3, 5)

Audio: “CSLI Basic Apologetics Course” by Art Lindsley


Article: “Only Way” by Daniel B. Clendenin

Article: “The Riddle of Our Postmodern Culture” by David L. Goetz

Article: “Myth Matters” by Louis A. Markos

Article: “An Apologetic from Ecclesiastes: Does Anything Make Sense?” by Stuart McAllister

Article: “A World Split Apart” by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Article: “Crux of the Story” by Ravi Zacharias

Article: “Defending Christianity in a Secular Culture” by Ravi Zacharias

Article: “How Wide the Divide: Sexuality at the Forefront, Culture at the Crossroads” by Ravi Zacharias

Book: Christ & Culture Revisited by D.A. Carson

Book: The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism by D.A. Carson

Book: On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision by William Lane Craig

Book: Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics by William Lane Craig

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http://rzim.org/a-slice-of-infinity/crux-of-the-story

http://rzim.org/just-thinking/defending-christianity-in-a-secular-culture

http://rzim.org/just-thinking/defending-christianity-in-a-secular-culture

http://rzim.org/global-blog/how-wide-the-divide-sexuality-at-the-forefront-culture-at-the-crossroads

http://rzim.org/global-blog/how-wide-the-divide-sexuality-at-the-forefront-culture-at-the-crossroads


Sharing the Faith – Conversational Apologetics

April | Sharing the Faith – Conversational Apologetics

“ What we practice, not (save at rare intervals) what we preach, is usually our great contribution to the conversion of others.”




Last month we saw that Christian apologetics involves both commending essential Christian beliefs and defending these beliefs from arguments and objections raised by individuals and groups within our culture. We also learned that in order for apologetics to be truly Christian, it must be carried out in an attitude of humility and respect. This month we will reinforce these critical points regarding Christian apologetics, while we suggest that the sort of interaction that is God-glorifying and productive often takes place within a conversational context. Therefore, all the skills and wisdom essential for constructive conversation are necessary (good listening, asking questions, cultural sensitivity, etc.).




FELLOWS SESSIONS




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Watch“ Argument from Agape: Can Love Lead You to Knowing Christ?” by Art Lindsley - 50 minutes

Watch “ Truth and Love” by Michael Ramsden - 2 minutes

Watch“ Why Are Christians So Judgmental?” by Nathan Betts - 2 minutes

Watch “ Why Would a Loving God Send People to Hell?” by Nathan Betts - 3 minutes



WriteResponse Paper

Apologetics Workshop Bring Apologetics Notebook




Read and Reflect1 Peter 3:13-16; Colossians 4:2-6

CompleteBible Study (1 Peter 3:13-16)

Meditate and MemorizeColossians 4:5-6

Read“ Conversational Apologetics” by Michael Ramsden - 5 pp.

Listen“ Being Salt & Light in a Secular World” by Michael Ramsden - 27 minutes

Watch“ Answering Tough Questions” by Michael Ramsden - Listen to the first 50 minutes

ReadQuestioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did by Randy Newman - 142 pp. (Ch. 2-9)

Watch“ Reason & Imagination: How Can You Communicate Your Faith Clearly?” by Art Lindsley - 56 minutes

ReadMere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith by Alister E. McGrath - 25 pp. (Ch. 8-9)

ReadTactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl - 147 pp. (Ch. 3-14)

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Argument_from_Agape_BAC_Video

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Argument_from_Agape_BAC_Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRzg6LoouEc






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQFzpiTc6j8

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Reason_and_Imagination_BAC_Video

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Reason_and_Imagination_BAC_Video




Completed Checklist



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The Apostle Peter addresses Christians living in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) as “strangers in this world” (1:1; 2:11), who are suffering for their faith in the Gospel (1:6; 2:13 ff.). In 1 Peter 3:13-14 he challenges believers not to let fear silence their witness. Which fears are most likely to keep you from sharing your faith through words and actions (fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of the loss of relationship, fear of the loss of reputation, fear of looking foolish, fear of death, fear of suffering, etc.)?

Make a list of some of the places where the Gospels and Acts highlight Peter’s struggles with fear and how his greater realization of the Lordship of Jesus transformed him into a bold witness for Christ. Take a few moments to stop and meditate on the greatness and goodness of Christ that is displayed in one of these texts.

Peter exhorts his readers to exchange fear and intimidation for setting Christ apart as Lord in their hearts (15a). How does remaining centered on Christ’s lordship overcome fears associated with sharing the faith with others?

In verse 15b we are encouraged to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have” (15b). What can we do to be prepared to answer people when they ask us about our confident hope? How are you preparing for a time when you have the opportunity to share about your hope in Christ?

Earlier in the letter, Peter praises God for the “new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Pet. 1:3). Do you have the living hope Peter describes here? How does having our hope anchored in the Gospel help us to have confidence in the midst of suffering and in times when we are asked to give reasons for our faith in Christ?

Peter expects that these believers’ attitudes and responses are being shaped by the Gospel, so that they respond to people with answers that are accompanied with “gentleness and respect” (3:15c). What does this say about the relationship of actions, attitudes, and words as they relate to our overall witness? What are some ways that we might respond to questions that would be inconsistent with our message?

In Chapter 3, verses 1-2 Peter refers to the positive effect that our transformed lives can have on family members who are outside the faith (3:1-2). How have you seen positive attitudes and actions impact those outside the faith?


BIBLE STUDY


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How can asking questions be more advantageous than giving a straight answer?

Are you comfortable asking questions rather than just giving answers and telling what you know? If not, why not?

Do you really believe that anyone who does not make Christ their Lord and Savior will suffer eternal separation from God? Are you ready to stand by this unpopular conviction?

What does Ramsden mean by “conversational apologetics”?

What are some of the questions you’re most likely to hear from the non-Christians in your life about the credibility of Christian faith? What must you do to develop good responses?

How would you communicate the Gospel most naturally, using your own words?

What steps do you need to take to share the Gospel more effectively?

What role does the imagination play in apologetics and evangelism? In what ways are you imaginative in sharing the Gospel?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

In your Apologetics Notebook, take notes on each of the assigned readings and create detailed but concise bullet-point outlines of the main ideas and arguments found in the assigned portions of Mere Apologetics, Questioning Evangelism and Tactics.

Develop one or two approaches to sharing the Gospel with which you’re comfortable, record them in your Apologetics Notebook and share/review them with your triplet/quad. Ask God to show you one person with whom to share the Gospel, whether it’s a stranger or someone you know. (Be sure to review and refine your testimony.)

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Book: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller

Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Book 2, Ch. 1)

Book: Know Why You Believe by Paul E. Little

Book: Apologetics for the 21st Century by Louis A. Markos

Book: Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers & Skeptics Find Faith by Alister E. McGrath (Ch. 6-7)

Book: Mapping Apologetics: Comparing Contemporary Approaches by Brian K. Morley

Book: Worldview: A Little Primer on Humble Apologetics by James W. Sire

Book: Why Good Arguments Often Fail by James W. Sire

Book: Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today by John G. Stackhouse, Jr.

Book: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

Book: The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus by Dallas Willard

Book: Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend ed. by Ravi Zacharias (Ch. 7, 9, 12)

Audio: “CSLI Basic Apologetics Course” by Art Lindsley


Article: “Turning the Tables” by Os Guinness

Article: “Paving the Way for Gospel Conversations” by Randy Newman

Article: “Tensions in Evangelism” by Randy Newman

Article: “Witnessing to Family is Like Witnessing to Everyone Else…Only More So” by Randy Newman

Article: “C.S. Lewis the Truth-Seeker: How God Formed a Great Christian Apologist” by Joel S. Woodruff

Article: “I’m Smart, but I’m no C.S. Lewis: How Can I Intelligently Discuss My Faith with Others?” by Joel S. Woodruff

Workbook: Conversational Apologetics by the C.S. Lewis Institute

Book: The Heart of Evangelism by Jerram Barrs - 278 pp.

Book: True for You, But Not for Me: Deflating the Slogans That Leave Christians Speechless by Paul Copan

Book: Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief by John Frame

Book: Conversational Evangelism: Connecting with People to Share Jesus by David Geisler & Norman Geisler

Book: Fool’s Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion by Os Guinness

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http://rzim.org/just-thinking/turning-the-tables













Our Mission – Making Disciples

“ It is so easy to think that the church has a lot of different objects – education, building, missions, holding services… The church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs.”


May | Our Mission – Making Disciples



Our final session of the Fellows Program takes into account all that we have learned and experienced about living a God-glorifying, Christ-centered and Spirit-empowered life. We will think deeply and personally about how each person can cooperate with God in actively extending God’s kingdom by making more disciples of Christ. This will require us to pay close attention to the commission that Jesus gave His first disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. We will investigate such foundational questions as (1) What does Jesus command us to do? (2) How do we carry out his command? (3) What will it look like for me to joyfully embrace the mission of taking the good news to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria—and the ends of the earth?”




FELLOWS SESSIONS




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Read“ Spiritual Discipleship” by J. Oswald Sanders - 4 pp.

Read “ Are You a Christian or a Disciple? Is There a Difference? Why It Matters!” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 5 pp.

Read“ A Summons to Covenantal Discipleship” by Jonathan M. Lunde - 8 pp.

Read“ Discipleship: It Starts with You” by Karl Johnson - 4 pp.

Watch “ The Master Plan of Discipleship” by Robert Coleman - 2 hours, 55 minutes

Watch“ The Conditions for Accelerated Growth” by Greg Ogden - 11 minutes

ReadThe Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis - 15 pp. (“The Weight of Glory”)

Read“ Discipleship Is a Team Sport: It Takes a Church to Make a Disciple” by Bill Kynes - 3 pp.

Watch“ In Bright Shadow: C.S. Lewis on the Imagination for Theology and Discipleship” by Kevin J. Vanhoozer - 56 minutes


Read and ReflectMatthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:8, 2:1-47



ReadMere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Book 4, Ch. 4) - 3 pp.

Watch“ The Mission of the Church” by Joel S. Woodruff - 32 minutes

Read“ Learning to Make Disciples of Jesus: The Calling of Every Believer” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 5 pp.

Read“ Discipleship for Changing Times and Ministries” by Michael J. Wilkins - 5 pp.

ReadTransforming Discipleship: Making Disciples a Few at a Time by Greg Ogden - 164 pp.

Read“ The Model: Becoming More Like Christ” by John Stott - 3 pp.

Read“ The Transforming Impact of True Discipleship” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III - 3 pp.







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kV5xODkjJs&feature=player_embedded



http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/in-bright-shadow-c-s-lewis-on-the-imagination-for-theology-and-discipleship



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzTsSxliq5o











Completed Checklist

Response Paper

Disciple-making Plan(also give a copy of this item to your Fellows Program Director)

Bible Study


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Apologetics Workshop Bring Apologetics Notebook






Read Matt. 28:16-20. We are told that after seeing Jesus raised from the dead the disciples “worshipped him” (Matt. 28:16). What do these statements say about those who claim that Jesus is just one among many other religious leaders?

Having received universal authority from the Father, Jesus now launches a universal mission. His previous command to go only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6) is now expanded, and henceforth they are to “Go…and make disciples of all nations.” What does this tell us about God’s concern for all the people who make up the nations of the world?

The verb “make disciples” is in the imperative mood and thus is a command. The manner in which this command is to be carried out is clarified by three participles: going, baptizing and teaching. (In many translations, “going” is translated “go” for smoothness of expression.) What do you think “going” entails, and what form might this take in your life and circumstances?

Included in “going” is the communication of a vital message about Jesus that brings people to faith and repentance, qualifying them for baptism. What is the content of the message that we are to proclaim as we invite people to become disciples of Jesus (see Lu. 24:45-47; 1 Cor. 15:1-4)? How would you express this message to a non-believer in your own words?

The next step in making disciples is “baptizing them” (v. 19). What is the significance of baptizing for making disciples of Jesus? Briefly explain your understanding of the rite of baptism.

The last step in making disciples is to teach them “to observe all that I have commanded you” (v. 20). In other words, to teach them to understand and obey all that Jesus taught (which is found in the Gospels, but leads backward to the Old Testament and forward to rest of the New Testament). This is obviously a lifelong venture. Which of the teaching-learning experiences that were part of the Fellows Program most impacted you (monthly topical messages, audio messages, Bible studies, books, action items, group discussions, etc.)? How might you use what you have learned to teach others?

Recognizing that baptism focuses on the beginning of faith and teaching focuses on the process of maturing in faith, on which of these does your church put more emphasis? What are some problems that arise from overemphasizing one over the other?

How is Jesus’ command to make disciples of all the nations presently impacting your life through the use of your time, talents, resources, influence and relationships?

As we go out to make disciples, Jesus promises that He will be with us always, every step of the way. We learn from Luke’s writings (Lu. 24:49 and Acts 1:8) that Jesus’ spiritual power and presence are available to us through the Holy Spirit. What can we do to remind ourselves that Jesus’ presence and power are always available to us?

Why was it critical for the first disciples of Jesus to experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit before they launched out on Jesus’ mission? Why is it necessary for us to be empowered by the Holy Spirit as we seek to make disciples?


BIBLE STUDY

In the final three verses of Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Jesus focuses on His top priority: the expansion of God’s kingdom. All those who have entered into relationship with God through Jesus (referred to as “disciples of Jesus”) are called to help expand the kingdom by making more disciples.

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Why is the mission of the church important to Jesus? To the Church? To you, the disciple of Jesus?

Michael Wilkins says that discipleship incorporates everything the church does and that it’s not just a single aspect of the church’s mission. Is making disciples a priority at your church, or is it just another ministry? What do you think distracts your church from the mission to make disciples?

What specific gifts has the Holy Spirit given to you to carry out Christ’s mission to make disciples?

Where has the Lord used you in the past to accomplish His mission to make disciples?

Where do you believe that God is calling you today to make disciples? How is He calling you to do this?

What changes is God calling you to make to align your life with His mission?

How can you encourage and contribute to your church in making disciples?

Are there any areas outside of the church to which God is calling you to live out your discipleship?

Issues to Ponder

Action Assignment

Pray and ask the Lord how you can begin to immediately obey His call to make disciples. Then, do two things:

Develop a written disciple-making plan using the SMART outline. (Note: this plan must be submitted to your Mentor and the Fellows Program Director in order to complete the Fellows Program.)

• Specific: Identify the tools, people and methods you will incorporate into disciple-making

• Measurable: Determine the number of people you will invite to speak, teach, disciple. At what cost?

• Attainable: Start small and increase as God guides you with clear goals.

• Relevant: Relate to the sphere of influence and people that God has given you at your work, home, neighborhood and/or church.

• Time Bound: Include short-term and long-term plans with dates and duration.

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Action Assignment

Meet with your pastor. Let your pastor know that you’ve almost completed the Fellows Program and discuss what you’ve learned. Ask if there might be ways for you to serve in the church. Discuss how your church might incorporate what you’ve learned about making disciples. Some resources you might consider include:

• Lead a small group or triplet/quad using the Institute’s Heart and Mind Discipleship ten-week study.

• Lead a small group or triplet/quad using the Institute’s Conversational Apologetics ten-week study.

• Lead a small group or triplet/quad using Discipleship Essentials by Greg Ogden.

• Introduce the Institute’s Aslan Academy to equip parents to disciple their children.

• Use the monthly Bible study questions from the Fellows Program in a small group, Sunday School class or in a mentoring scenario.

• Use various articles from the Fellows Program for a small group discussion or Sunday School class.

• Drawing from the Fellows Program assignments, start a book/reading group in which you lead a discussion and introduce themes of discipleship.

• Using any combination of the above, start your own triplet/quad.

• Invite your City Director to your church to conduct a discipleship workshop.

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Book: Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

Book: Real-Life Discipleship: Building Churches that Make Disciples by Jim Putnam

Book: Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders

Book: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott

Book: Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship by Michael J. Wilkins

Book: In His Image: Reflecting Christ in Everyday Life by Michael J. Wilkins

Book: The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship by Dallas Willard

Audio: “Spiritual Mentoring: How to Help Others Grow in Their Relationship with Christ” by Tom Schwanda

Video: “Heart & Mind Discipleship” by the C.S. Lewis Institute

Video: “Making Disciples Like Jesus Did” by Greg Ogden


Article: “Desert Discipleship” by Mark Carter

Article: “The Discipleship Deficit: Where Have All the Disciples Gone?” by Greg Ogden

Article: “Making Disciples Jesus’ Way: A Few at a Time” by Greg Ogden

Book: Mentoring for Spiritual Growth: Sharing the Journey of Faith by Tony Horsfall

Book: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Book: Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament ed. by Richard Longenecker

Book: Following Jesus, The Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship by Jonathan M. Lunde

Book: The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

Book: Discipleship Essentials: A Guide to Building Your Life in Christ by Greg Ogden

Book: Follow Me: A Call to Die. A Call to Live. by David Platt

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http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Spiritual_Mentoring_Tom_Schwanda

http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Spiritual_Mentoring_Tom_Schwanda


http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Making_Disciples_Like_Jesus_Did







Appendix | Classified Apologetics Bibliography

For Further Study –Classified Apologetics

Bibliography



Classified Apologetics BibliographyRobert M. Bowman Jr. | Executive Director, Institute for Religious Research

This classified bibliography lists select books of relevance to the intellectual defense of the evangelical Christian faith. It lists books according to academic discipline and topics within each discipline. Except as noted, books reflect an explicit evangelical Christian perspective. Inclusion in this bibliography does not, however, imply agreement with that resource in every detail. Numerous additional books might be listed (and in fact I have dropped many to keep this to a manageable length); the intent here is to list just a few of the most helpful resources for each topic. Please feel free to offer recommendations to [email protected].

General ResourcesA. General Reference WorksThese resources cover a wide range of apologetic issues.

Campbell-Jack, W. C., and Gavin McGrath, eds. New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics. C. Stephen Evans, consulting ed. Leicester, England, and Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006. International reference work with articles by numerous contributing scholars, covering a wide range of topics and thinkers. Includes about fifty pages of introductory articles on apologetics.

Evans, C. Stephen. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics and Philosophy of Religion. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Useful reference with brief definitions and explanations of key terms and descriptions of the views of various thinkers.

Geisler, Norman L. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics. Baker Reference Library. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999. The magnum opus of this renowned apologist, a reference work with helpful introductory articles on a plethora of relevant subjects and numerous important thinkers. Tends to be more conservative than the New Dictionary. If you’re serious about apologetics and you like Geisler’s approach, you should get this book rather than the abridged version, The Big Book of Christian Apologetics: An A to Z Guide (Baker, 2012).

B. ApologiesAn apology is a work of apologetics directed at least in part to nonbelievers, to persuade them to consider the Christian faith. This is a different sort of work than an introductory handbook or textbook on apologetics.

Boa, Kenneth D., and Robert M. Bowman Jr. 20 Compelling Evidences that God Exists: Discover Why Believing in God Makes So Much Sense. Colorado Springs: Cook Communications—River Oak, 2002. Readable defense of the Christian faith, aimed at inquirers, focusing on evidences for God’s existence, the inspiration of the Bible, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. New York: Penguin, 2008. New York City pastor’s literate defense of the Christian faith, perhaps the most widely read book of its kind published in this generation.

Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. Rev. and enlarged ed. New York: Macmillan, 1960. Perhaps the most popular defense of Christian faith written in modern times.



Limbaugh, David. Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel. Washington, DC: Regnery, 2014. Conservative columnist (and brother of famous Rush Limbaugh) offers a defense of the Christian faith covering a wider range of issues than the title might suggest, including the reliability and inspiration of the Bible, science and creation, and the problem of pain and suffering.

Zacharias, Ravi. Has Christianity Failed You? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010. Justly popular (and prolific) apologist directly and sensitively responds to Americans who have become disillusioned with the Christian faith.

C. Introductions to Christian ApologeticsThese resources focus on introducing the perennial issues that come up in apologetics.

Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. 3rd ed. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008. Excellent academic textbook on apologetics. A Study Guide is also available.

Groothuis, Douglas R. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011. Perhaps the best one-volume apologetics textbook.

House, H. Wayne, and Joseph M. Holden. Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences. Zondervan Charts. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Charts in sections entitled apologetic methodologies, philosophical apologetics (mostly logic and epistemology), theistic apologetics, religious apologetics (on the meaning and origin of religion, and on world religions), biblical apologetics, and scientific apologetics.

House, H. Wayne, and Dennis W. Jowers. Reasons for Our Hope: An Introduction to Christian Apologetics. Nashville: B&H, 2011. Textbook surveying apologetic methodologies, the history of apologetics, perennial apologetic problems, and the practical use of apologetics. The authors encourage an eclectic use of apologetic methods.

McGrath, Alister E. Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012. An introduction to the theory, content, and practice of apologetics. McGrath discusses the meaning and challenge of apologetics, theological and biblical foundations and examples, eight “clues” or “pointers” to faith, types of apologetic discourse (explanation, argument, story, image), and developing one’s own approach to apologetics.

Samples, Kenneth Richard. Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. Addresses such questions as the following: “How can I believe in a God I can’t see?” “How can Jesus Christ be both God and man?” “Don’t all religions lead to God?” “Doesn’t hypocrisy invalidate Christianity?” “Doesn’t Christianity promote intolerance?” “How can a good and all-powerful God allow evil?”

D. Collections of Essays on Apologetics TopicsBeckwith, Francis J., William Lane Craig, and J. P. Moreland, eds. To Everyone an Answer: A Case for the Christian Worldview: Essays in Honor of Norman L. Geisler. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Includes essays by top evangelical scholars on apologetics, God’s existence, miracles, the problem of evil, postmodernism, and more.

Copan, Paul, and William Lane Craig, eds. Passionate Conviction: Contemporary Discourses on Christian Apologetics. Nashville: B&H, 2007. Excellent collection of essays on theistic arguments, the historical Jesus, other religions, and other issues.

Dembski, William A., and Michael R. Licona, eds. Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010. As the title indicates, a wide-ranging collection of essays by notable scientists and scholars in their fields.

Sweis, Khaldoun A., and Chad V. Meister, eds. Christian Apologetics: An Anthology of Primary Sources. Grand



Rapids: Zondervan, 2012. This textbook presents 54 thematically arranged readings from authors throughout church history covering such topics as God’s existence, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Bible, miracles, Jesus’ resurrection, the soul or mind, the problem of evil, and science. The many notable authors include Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Calvin, Descartes, Pascal, Locke, Paley, Lewis, Schaeffer, Geisler, Montgomery, Swinburne, Plantinga, Habermas, Craig, Moreland, Polkinghorne, Behe, and others.

E. Objections and Common Problems in ApologeticsCopan, Paul. “How Do You Know You’re Not Wrong?” Responding to Objections that Leave Christians Speechless. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. Answers such common objections and slogans as the following: “Whatever works for you.” “Naturalism is a simpler explanation than theism.” “You can’t prove that scientifically.” “The soul is nothing more than the brain.” “Animals have rights just like people do.”

Craig, William Lane. Hard Questions, Real Answers. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2003. Addresses questions about doubt, unanswered prayer, suffering and evil, abortion, homosexuality, and the exclusivity of Christ.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. Addresses the problems of suffering and evil, science and miracles, the Israelites’ “holy wars” against the Canaanites, the morality of eternal punishment in hell, the salvation of those who never heard the gospel, evolution and creation, and hypocrisy and violence in church history.

F. Responses to Atheism and SkepticismCopan, Paul, and William Lane Craig, eds. Contending with Christianity’s Critics: Answering New Atheists and Other Objectors. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2009. Essays on God, Jesus, and Christian doctrine by evangelical scholars.

Craig, William Lane, and Chad Meister, eds. God Is Great, God Is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable and Responsible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009. Excellent collection of essays by leading scholars (mostly but not all evangelicals).

Gilson, Tom, and Carson Weitnauer, eds. True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2013.

II. Apologetic Theory and MethodA. Overviews/Multiple ViewsBoa, Kenneth D., and Robert M. Bowman, Jr. Faith Has Its Reasons: An Integrative Approach to Defending Christianity. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001. The only comprehensive and fair-minded introduction to all of the major contemporary approaches to apologetics.

Cowan, Steven B., ed. Five Views on Apologetics. Counterpoint series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. Popular work with contributions by five apologists, three of whom actually take very similar approaches.

B. Reason and LogicGeisler, Norman L., and Ronald M. Brooks. Come, Let Us Reason: An Introduction to Logical Thinking. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1990. A Christian textbook on logic, written by Christian apologists.

Moreland, J. P. Love God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001. Why the Christian faith encourages the cultivation of critical thinking skills, and how Christians should go about doing just that.



Poythress, Vern Sheridan. Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013. Both an academic textbook on logic and an argument for understanding logic as grounded in the nature of God as understood in Calvinist theology.

Sire, James W. Why Good Arguments Often Fail: Making a More Persuasive Case for Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2006. Exposes common fallacies that often cloud reasoning, attitudes and spiritual problems (on both sides) that prevent good arguments from being well received; and suggests resources for developing effective arguments.

C. Practical ApologeticsBrooks, Christopher W. Urban Apologetics: Why the Gospel Is Good News for the City. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2014. On taking apologetics to the streets.

Koukl, Gregory. Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Convictions. Foreword by Lee Strobel. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

McDowell, Sean, gen. ed. Apologetics for a New Generation: A Biblically and Culturally Relevant Approach to Talking about God. Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2009. Essays arguing that apologetics is still needed but needs to be conversational and relational.

Moreland, J. P., and Tim Muehlhoff. The God Conversation: Using Stories and Illustrations to Explain Your Faith. Foreword by Lee Strobel. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2007.

Zacharias, Ravi, ed. Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007. Essays exploring apologetic challenges and issues.

D. Classical ApologeticsGeisler, Norman L. Christian Apologetics. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976; 2nd ed., 2013. After reviewing various approaches to religious knowledge and explaining his own view, Geisler presents a defense of the Christian faith in two steps: theism and the Christian revelation. The second edition includes three new chapters.

Meister, Chad V. Building Belief: Constructing Faith from the Ground Up. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006. Geisler-like method using an “apologetics pyramid” in which one builds a case for Christianity without presupposing anything, proceeding in the following order: establish that there is truth; consider competing worldviews in order to establish theism; show that the Bible is reliable; argue that Jesus rose from the dead; and conclude that the gospel is true.

E. Evidentialist ApologeticsDembski, William, and Thomas Schirrmacher, eds. Tough-Minded Christianity: Honoring the Legacy of John Warwick Montgomery. Nashville: B&H, 2008. Essays explicating and defending Montgomery’s evidentialist approach to apologetics and Christian thought covering worldviews, nature, doctrine, apologetics, and law, ethics, and society; with contributions by J. I. Packer, Gary Habermas, L. Russ Bush, Craig Hazen, John A. Bloom, Philip Johnson, I. Howard Marshall, Edwin M. Yamauchi, and others. Includes a bibliography of Montgomery’s works through 2008.

Feinberg, John S. Can You Believe It’s True? Christian Apologetics in a Modern and Postmodern World. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013. An impressive textbook on apologetics. The first and by far the longest part of the book argues that truth exists and that humans can attain knowledge of truth. The second part considers Reformed Epistemology, Van Til’s presuppositionalism, and various kinds of evidentialism (including what is here called classical apologetics),



concluding in favor of a cumulative-case type of evidentialism. The third part examines the problem of evil, the reliability of the Gospels, the resurrection of Jesus, and religious pluralism.

Montgomery, John Warwick. Faith Founded on Fact: Essays in Evidential Apologetics. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1978. Vigorous defense of a predominantly empirical (though not narrowly empiricist) approach to apologetics.

F. Reformed ApologeticsBahnsen, Greg L. Van Til’s Apologetic: Readings and Analysis. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1998. Bahnsen explains Cornelius Van Til’s “presuppositional” approach to apologetics better than Van Til ever could, placing extensive readings from Van Til in a systematic exposition of his thought.

Plantinga, Alvin. Warranted Christian Belief. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Plantinga’s magnum opus, reviewing and refining his epistemology and setting forth in detail his defense of the rationality of Christian faith. (FHIR, 251-56, 289-90) A briefer version aimed at a wider readership, Knowledge and Christian Belief (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015) is due out at the end of April 2015.

Plantinga, Alvin, and Nicholas Wolterstorff, eds. Faith and Rationality: Reason and Belief in God. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1983. Stimulating, influential collection of essays that launched the “new Reformed epistemology” movement. Includes perhaps the most important of Plantinga’s essays, “Reason and Belief in God,” arguing that belief in God is “properly basic” (and addressing what Plantinga memorably calls the “Great Pumpkin objection”).

G. FideismEvans, C. Stephen. Faith Beyond Reason: A Kierkegaardian Account. Reason & Religion. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998. Paradigm-busting work that distinguishes between rational, responsible fideism and irrational fideism.

Taylor, James E. Introducing Apologetics: Cultivating Christian Commitment. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006. Taylor describes his position as “responsible fideism,” following C. Stephen Evans.

III. Biblical StudiesA. General Resources on the Bible

Biblical DifficultiesArcher, Gleason L. New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties: Based on the NIV and the NASB. Zondervan’s Understand the Bible Reference Series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001 reprint. Renowned Old Testament scholar provides careful comments on difficulties arranged from Genesis to Revelation; the introduction setting forth a method for dealing with Bible difficulties is worth the price of the book.

Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. The Big Book of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008. Republication (with a few new entries) of When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992. Same idea as Archer, but somewhat easier to read and slightly more conservative.

Hoffmeier, James K., and Dennis R. Magary, eds. Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2012. Excellent collection of essays addressing difficult historical and critical issues, engaging recent biblical scholarship.

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Biblical InterpretationThese resources introduce basic principles for interpreting the Bible (hermeneutics), crucial for responding to questions about the Bible.

Carson, D. A. Exegetical Fallacies. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996. Short but highly instructive textbook on avoiding all too common mistakes in biblical interpretation; especially helpful for those with some knowledge of Greek.

Duvall, J. Scott, and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. A nice, inductive introduction to biblical interpretation.

Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. 4th ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. How to interpret the different parts of the Bible, including Old Testament history, poetry, and prophecy, and the New Testament Gospels, Acts, epistles, and Revelation.

Osborne, Grant R. The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006. One of the best evangelical, academic textbooks on hermeneutics.

Biblical HistoryBruce, F. F. Israel and the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple. Rev. by David F. Payne. Carlisle, U.K.: Paternoster, 1983; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1998. This is the best book bridging the gap between the Old and New Testaments, presenting a narrative of the history of the Jews from the Exodus to the fall of Jerusalem in ad 70.

Sheler, Jeffery L. Is the Bible True? How Modern Debates and Discoveries Affirm the Essence of the Scriptures. San Francisco: Harper; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. While denying that the Bible is perfectly accurate in all respects, Sheler, a reporter for U.S. News & World Report, shows that the Bible is credible and historically reliable.

Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: The Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999. An excellent, up-to-date, and readable textbook on the origin and reliability of the text and collection of books of the Bible.

Biblical InerrancyGeisler, Norman L., ed. Inerrancy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979. Older essays defending the doctrine of biblical inerrancy.

Merrick, J., and Stephen M. Garrett, gen. eds. Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy. Counterpoints: Bible and Theology. Stanley N. Gundry, series ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.

Wenham, John W. Christ and the Bible. 3rd ed. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2009. Excellent defense of the evangelical view of the Bible grounded on the facts about Jesus Christ.

B. Old Testament ResourcesOld Testament Studies

These resources address questions across the canon of the Old Testament, especially with regards to the literary and historical origins of the Old Testament books and the formation and extent of the Old Testament canon.

Archer, Gleason L., Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Rev. and expanded ed. Chicago: Moody, 1994.

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Standard conservative textbook defending the traditional views of the origins of the OT books; includes chapters on the OT text and canon.

Baker, David W., and Bill T. Arnold, eds. The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches. Grand Rapids: Baker; Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press—Apollos, 1999. Helpful survey of issues in Old Testament studies.

Beckwith, Roger T. The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church and Its Background in Early Judaism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986. Scholarly treatment supporting the Protestant canon of the Old Testament.

Copan, Paul. Is God a Moral Monster? Making Sense of the Old Testament God. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011. Answers common criticisms of the Old Testament’s laws, wars against the Canaanites, and so on.

Kitchen, K. A. On the Reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. Magnum opus of an evangelical Old Testament and Egyptology scholar. Kitchen accepts the 13th-century date of the Exodus, which many evangelicals dispute.

Longman, Tremper, III. Making Sense of the Old Testament: Three Crucial Questions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999. Discusses how to understand the Old Testament, whether the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament, and how Christians can apply the Old Testament today.

Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy)These resources address questions pertaining to the historicity and authenticity of the Pentateuch, especially questions about its literary and historical origins.

Alexander, T. Desmond, and David W. Baker, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2003. Evangelical reference work with entries on a wide range of interpretive and historical issues.

Garrett, Duane A. Rethinking Genesis: The Sources and Authorship of the First Book of the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991. Draws on contemporary literary theory to defend the unity and integrity of the Pentateuch over against the “documentary” hypotheses.

GenesisThese resources address the interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis and their scientific and historical credibility (see also the Science section).

Barrett, Matthew, and Ardel B. Caneday, eds. Four Views on the Historical Adam. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013. Christian scholars present and debate an evolutionary creation, archetypal creation, old-earth creation, and young-earth creation view of the question of Adam’s historical existence.

Charles, J. Daryl, ed. Reading Genesis 1-2: An Evangelical Conversation. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2013. Evangelical OT scholars present differing approaches to interpreting Genesis 1-2, including both young-earth and old-earth views, and engage with each other in a civil and informative manner.

Hagopian, David G., ed. The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the Days of Creation. Mission Viejo: Crux Press, 2001. Evangelical defenses of the 24-hour view (J. Ligon Duncan III and David W. Hall), the day-age view (Hugh Ross and Gleason L. Archer), and the framework view (Lee Irons and Meredith G. Kline). The question is important in apologetics, whatever one’s viewpoint may be.

Halton, Charles, ed. Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither? Three Views on the Bible’s Earliest Chapters. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015. Three Old Testament scholars discuss how to understand the relationship of Genesis 1-11 to history.

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Schaeffer, Francis A. Genesis in Space and Time. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1972. Also in The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian World View, Vol. 2: A Christian View of the Bible as Truth. Westchester: Crossway Books, 1982. A classic defense of the historicity of Genesis.

Exodus—JoshuaThese resources address the moral credibility of the Mosaic Law as well as the historical credibility of the accounts of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their conquest of the land of Canaan.

The Mosaic LawBahnsen, Greg L., Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Douglas J. Moo, Wayne G. Strickland, and Willem A. VanGemeren. Five Views on Law and Gospel. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. Reformed, dispensational, and Lutheran views on the Law and its relation to the gospel and the new covenant.

Schreiner, Thomas R. 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2010. Competent survey of difficult and controversial questions by a highly respected evangelical New Testament scholar.

The Exodus and the ConquestCopan, Paul, and Matthew Flanagan. Did God Really Command Genocide? Coming to Terms with the Justice of God. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2014. Groundbreaking if controversial study of the warfare against the Canaanites in the book of Joshua, arguing that the text actually reports their displacement rather than their extermination.

Humphreys, Colin J. The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist’s Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories. San Francisco: Harper, April 2003. Scientist offers explanations (most but not all of which are worth considering) for the Exodus miracles and evidence for the Exodus and Conquest as historical fact. Most evangelicals will not accept all of Humphreys’ conclusions, but the book provides a compelling argument for the accuracy of the biblical narrative.

Rohl, David M. Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest. New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. Elsewhere entitled A Test of Time: The Bible from Myth to History. Detailed, scholarly defense of the biblical account of the Exodus, with numerous photographs, maps, charts.

Schaeffer, Francis A. Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History. Introduction by Udo W. Middelmann. 2d ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2004. Follow-up to Schaeffer’s popular work on Genesis, this time putting such questions as God’s choice of Israel and the destruction of the Canaanites in historical, ethical, and theological perspective.

C. New Testament ResourcesNew Testament Studies

These resources address questions across the canon of the New Testament, especially with regards to the literary and historical origins of the New Testament books and the formation and extent of the New Testament canon.

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Barnett, Paul. Is the New Testament Reliable? 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

Blomberg, Craig. Can We Still Believe the Bible? An Evangelical Engagement with Contemporary Questions. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2014. Important book focusing on the New Testament; Blomberg defends the reliability and inerrancy of the Bible while issuing crucial warnings against oversimplistic conservative views.

Köstenberger, Andreas, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2009. Perhaps the best evangelical New Testament introduction, addressing such issues as authorship, date, historical background, and cultural context of each book.

Kruger, Michael J. The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013. Excellent defense of the New Testament canon.

Wallace, Daniel B., ed. Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence. Text and Canon of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2011. Excellent, academic papers defending the reliability of the New Testament text.

Witherington, Ben, III. New Testament History: A Narrative Account. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. Perhaps the best textbook on New Testament history, showing sensitivity to literary and theological aspects of the Gospels and Acts while defending their historical reliability.

The GospelsThese resources address issues pertaining to the Gospels, including which Gospels belong in the canon, the literary origins of the Gospels, and the historical credibility of the Gospels. See the next section for resources focusing on Jesus as a historical figure (the two sections obviously overlap).

The Canonical GospelsBauckham, Richard A. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. Upends conventional critical scholarship at almost every turn, making groundbreaking use of such disciplines as onomastics (the study of names) and literary analysis to show that the Gospels are based on eyewitness testimony.

Black, David Alan, and David Beck, eds. Rethinking the Synoptic Problem. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. Excellent introduction to the state of Synoptic criticism by top-drawer evangelical New Testament scholars (and one Catholic scholar) who offer different approaches to the subject.

Blomberg, Craig L. The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel: Issues & Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998. After a careful overview of the issues and a refutation of the most common objections to treating the Gospel of John as a historical text, Blomberg provides a passage-by-passage commentary showing that its portrayal of Jesus is historically credible.

Burridge, Richard A. What are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans; Dearborn, MI: Dove Booksellers, 2004. Now classic work of scholarship demonstrating the biographical purpose of the NT Gospels.

Green, Joel B., ed. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013. Very valuable reference work.

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Stein, Robert H. Studying the Synoptic Gospels: Origin and Interpretation. 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. First ed., The Synoptic Problem: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987. An evangelical treatment that argues for the view held by most scholars that Mark was first and Matthew and Luke both borrowed from Mark. Demonstrates that Synoptic literary criticism does not threaten a high view of Scripture or of Jesus.

The Noncanonical GospelsBock, Darrell L. The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth behind Alternative Christianities. Nashville: Nelson Books, 2006. New Testament scholar debunks the claim that equally valid interpretations of Jesus’ life and teachings were suppressed from the canon.

The Historical JesusThese resources address issues pertaining to the historical facts regarding Jesus, his existence, virgin birth, life, miracles, teachings, death, and resurrection.

Christian Apologies Focused on JesusMcDowell, Josh, and Sean McDowell. More than a Carpenter. Rev. ed. Wheaton: Tyndale Momemtum, 2009. Short, evangelistically oriented presentation of the evidence for Jesus’ claims, death, and resurrection, updated with contributions by Josh’s son Sean.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. A former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, and former atheist, interviews top scholars (Craig Blomberg, Bruce Metzger, William Lane Craig, et. al.) on the Gospels, Jesus’ divine claims, and Jesus’ resurrection.

Wallace, J. Warner. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2013. A former atheist weaves stories from his own case files into a defense of the Gospel accounts of Jesus, discussing such evidential issues as circumstantial evidence, the reliability of witnesses, and the “chain of custody” in relation to the Gospels.

Historical Jesus StudiesBarnett, Paul W. Jesus and the Logic of History. New Studies in Biblical Theology. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2001. Includes excurses on Josephus’s references to Jesus, whether the Gospels’ presentation of Pontius Pilate is historically reliable, the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, and more.

Evans, Craig A. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2006. A respected evangelical New Testament scholar dismantles revisionist scholarship regarding the historical Jesus.

Komoszewski, J. Ed, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace, Reinventing Jesus: What The Da Vinci Code and Other Novel Speculations Don’t Tell You. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006. Refutes the claims that the New Testament texts were corrupted, that the New Testament canon excludes historically informative books about Jesus, that the belief in Jesus’ deity was a late development, and that the Christian account of Jesus’ life derives from pagan myths.

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Extrabiblical Sources for JesusBruce, F. F. Jesus and Christian Origins outside the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. The subject has been addressed more recently, but this book remains the classic.

Van Voorst, Robert E. Jesus outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. Not a polemical or even overtly evangelical treatment, but a judicious assessment scholars of varying perspectives have endorsed. Skeptics who deny Jesus’ existence will have a hard time dismissing this book.

The Virgin Conception and Birth of JesusGromacki, Robert. The Virgin Birth: A Biblical Study of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Rev. and expanded ed. Minneapolis: Kregel, 2002. A historical and theological defense of the virgin birth of Christ.

Maier, Paul L. In the Fullness of Time: A Historian Looks at Christmas, Easter, and the Early Church. Rev. and updated ed. Minneapolis: Kregel, 1998. The first 90 or so pages focuses on the biblical accounts of Jesus’ conception and birth from an historical perspective.

The Miracles of Jesus(See also the section on miracles under Philosophy.)

Twelftree, Graham H. Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical & Theological Study. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1999. Thorough defense of the historicity of the Gospel miracles.

The Resurrection of JesusCopan, Paul, and Ronald Tacelli, eds. Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Figment? A Debate on the Resurection between William Lane Craig and Gerd Lüdemann. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Craig, William Lane, and John Dominic Crossan. Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Moderated by William F. Buckley, Jr. Edited by Paul Copan. With responses from Robert J. Miller, Craig L. Blomberg, Marcus Borg, and Ben Witherington III. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. There have been several excellent published debates on the Resurrection; this might be the best.

Habermas, Gary R., and Michael R. Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004. The most “user-friendly” defense of the resurrection of Jesus (written as an apologetic manual for Christians); includes a CD with games to help learn the content of the book.

Licona, Michael R. The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010. Protégé of Gary Habermas advances the evidentialist “resurrection apologetic” by grounding it in a careful study of modern historiography.

Wenham, John. Easter Enigma: Do the Resurrection Accounts Contradict One Another? 2d ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993. Addresses all of the commonly alleged discrepancies.

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Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Christian Origins and the Question of God 3. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2003. Tour de force defense of the physical resurrection against liberal reinterpretation; Wright at his best.

Paul and the Early ChurchPaul is often criticized as the real founder of Christianity and as having distorted the “simple message” of Jesus. These resources address such criticisms and shed light on the life and teachings of Paul.

Dodd, Brian J. The Problem with Paul. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1996. Chapters discuss various popular criticisms of the apostle.

Keener, Craig S. Acts: An Exegetical Commentary. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012-2015. This massive commentary will almost certainly be the standard reference for many years to come. Evangelical scholarship at its best, drawing on the author’s extensive knowledge of both Jewish and Greco-Roman literature, engaging modern critical scholarship effectively, and demonstrating the historical reliability of Acts at every turn.

Richards, E. Randolph. Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition, and Collection. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004. Important study explaining how modern theories denying the Pauline authorship of some of Paul’s epistles are based on false assumptions about letter writing in the first century.

Witherington, Ben, III. The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2001. One of the best textbooks on the “historical Paul.”

IV. PhilosophyA. General Works on PhilosophyThese resources cover most of the subject matter of philosophy especially as it relates to apologetics-oriented concerns.

Geisler, Norman L., and Paul D. Feinberg. Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Perspective. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980. Introductory textbook; more elementary than Moreland and Craig (below).

Moreland, J. P., and William Lane Craig. Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2003. Essentially a philosophy textbook for Christians; intended for serious beginning students at the college level.

B. EpistemologyThese resources provide Christian perspectives on epistemology, or the study of the meaning and validation of knowledge. (See also Boa and Bowman, Faith Has Its Reasons, listed under Section I.C.)

Beckwith, Francis J., and Gregory Koukl. Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. Readable and thoughtful critique of relativism.

Groothuis, Douglas. Truth Decay: Defending Christianity against the Challenges of Postmodernism. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000. Trenchant critique of postmodernism by an evangelical apologist.

Plantinga, Alvin J. Warranted Christian Belief. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. The magnum opus of the philosopher who in the late twentieth century led the way in bringing Christian theism back into academic philosophy as a respectable worldview.

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Wood, W. Jay. Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous. Contours of Christian Philosophy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998. An introduction to the subject from a Christian perspective.

C. Philosophy of ReligionThese resources address issues within the discipline known as philosophy of religion.

General Works on Philosophy of ReligionCraig, William Lane, gen. ed. Philosophy of Religion: A Reader and Guide. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press; Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002. Collection of important essays and excerpts on religious epistemology, theistic arguments, the coherence of theism, the problem of evil, and other issues in philosophy of religion.

Evans, C. Stephen. Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics and Philosophy of Religion. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Helpful when you run into a term or concept for the first (or even the second) time; especially relevant for philosophy students.

Geisler, Norman L., and Winfried Corduan. Philosophy of Religion. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988. Thorough treatment from an evangelical perspective of arguments for God’s existence, the nature of religious experience, the meaningfulness of religious language, and the problem of evil.

Arguments for God’s ExistenceCraig, William Lane, and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. God? A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist. Point/Counterpoint Series. James P. Sterba, series ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Classical apologist debates an atheist.

Holder, Rodney D. God, the Multiverse, and Everything: Modern Cosmology and the Argument from Design. Aldershot, Hampshire, England, and Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2004. Impressive defense of the argument for God’s existence from the fine-tuning of the universe, specifically refuting the alternate “many-worlds” explanation.

Overman, Dean L. A Case for the Existence of God. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Draws on philosophy and science to make the case along with nine powerful stories of human experiences (not all of them Christian) pointing to God’s existence.

Reppert, Victor. C. S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason. Downers Grove, IL: lnterVarsity, 2003. Exposition and defense of this important argument for God’s existence. See also the Symposium on the Argument from Reason (Reppert, et. al.), Philosophia Christi 5, 1 (2003): 9-89.

Swinburne, Richard. Is There a God? New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Introductory work by this renowned British evidentialist philosopher.

Problem of EvilDembski, William A. The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World. Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster; Nashville: B&H Academic, 2009. Stimulating, out-of-the-box study that seeks to integrate science and theology with regard to the problem of natural suffering.

Feinberg, John S. The Many Faces of Evil: Theological Systems and the Problem of Evil. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Theological textbook on this crucial subject.

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Geivett, R. Douglas. Evil and the Evidence for God: The Challenge of John Hick’s Theodicy. Afterword by John Hick. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993. Argues that the evidences for God’s existence can outweigh the apparently contrary evidence from evil.

MiraclesBeckwith, Francis J. David Hume’s Argument against Miracles: A Critical Analysis. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1989. One of the best critiques, by an evangelical philosopher.

Collins, C. John. The God of Miracles: An Exegetical Examination of God’s Action in the World. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000.

Geivett, R. Douglas, and Gary R. Habermas, eds. In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997. Excellent essays.

Goetz, Stewart, and Charles Taliaferro. Naturalism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008. Brief yet penetrating analysis and critique of naturalism, giving significant attention to Daniel Dennett, Jaegwon Kim, John Searle, and Ernest Sosa.

Keener, Craig S. Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011. Magisterial defense of the credibility of the New Testament miracle accounts, refuting Hume’s criticisms of belief in miracles. By surveying accounts of miracles throughout church history and around the world, Keener shows that Enlightenment skepticism is parochial or culturally myopic.

V. Religions and Religious StudiesA. General ResourcesHexham, Irving. Pocket Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2002. Useful A-to-Z reference work, focusing on religions emerging in modern times.

B. Non-Evangelical ChristianityThese resources critique movements that are still in some way part of orthodox, historic Christianity, yet from an evangelical perspective are seriously defective in theology and practice. (Note: Some evangelicals would take a “harder line” than the one reflected in these resources.)

Bowman, Robert M. Jr. The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001. A fair-minded biblical and theological critique of the “Word of Faith” movement (Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, et. al.).

Geisler, Norman L., and Ralph E. MacKenzie. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995. Arguably the best evangelical discussion of the question of evangelical-Catholic relations.

C. Heretical Forms of ChristianityThese resources critique some of the most significant movements that profess to be Christian but that are clearly outside the framework of orthodox, historic Christianity.

Beckwith, Francis J., Carl Mosser, and Paul Owen, eds. The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Essays by various evangelical scholars

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critiquing Mormon use of biblical and theological scholarship to defend the Mormon Church’s teachings.

Bowman, Robert M., Jr. Jehovah’s Witnesses. Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. Concise overview of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with biblical responses.

D. Other ReligionsJudaism

Copan, Paul, and Craig Evans, eds. Who Was Jesus? A Jewish-Christian Discussion. Atlanta: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000. Debate between evangelical scholar William Lane Craig and Jewish scholar Peter Zaas, with additional essays by Jewish and Christian scholars.

IslamGeisler, Norman L., and Abdul Saleeb. Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993; updated and revised, 2002. One of the best apologetic treatises on Islam.

Licona, Michael R. Paul Meets Muhammad: A Christian-Muslim Debate on the Resurrection. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006. Evangelical scholar imagines what Paul the apostle and Muhammad might say in a debate on the Resurrection.

Qureshi, Nabeel. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. Terrific testimony of a former Muslim recounting the hard questions he asked and the solid answers he received before accepting Jesus Christ.

Saal, William J., ed. Reaching Muslims for Christ. Chicago: Moody, 1991. Practical, insightful work, written by staff of Arab World Ministries.

BahaiBeckwith, Francis J. Bahá’í. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1985. Short but very useful book giving an overview of Bahá’í and a biblical and theological critique.

Eastern ReligionsYamamoto, J. Isamu. Buddhism, Taoism, and Other Far Eastern Religions. Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Concise overview of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with biblical responses.

Yamamoto, J. Isamu. Hinduism, TM and Hare Krishna. Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998. Concise overview of the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, with biblical responses.

VI. ScienceNote: This section in particular lists works approaching the issues from sometimes very different perspectives; those interested in apologetics are urged to study these issues by reading widely and learning from those who have differing views.

A. Science and ChristianityThese resources cover a wide array of issues pertaining to Christianity and science, not limited to the subjects of creation and origins.

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Collins, C. John. Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? Wheaton: Crossway, 2003. Excellent survey of the issues.

Drake, Stillman, trans. Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. Garden City, NY: Doubleday—Anchor, 1957. Includes Galileo’s book The Starry Messenger and his Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina; the latter work is especially important in its treatment of the relation of science and theology. Christian apologists who fail to learn from the history of science-Bible controversies are likely doomed to repeat its mistakes.

Numbers, Ronald L., ed. Galileo Goes to Jail: And Other Myths about Science and Religion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009. For the most part, an excellent collection of essays debunking conventional misunderstandings of the history of science, even if its treatment of the intelligent design movement is frustratingly negative.

Pearcey, Nancy. Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. Foreword by Phillip E. Johnson. Wheaton, Ill.: Good News Publishers—Crossway Books, 2004. Puts the controversy over Darwinism and modern science in apologetic and cultural perspective.

Poythress, Vern S. Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006. Scholar with advanced degrees in both mathematics and New Testament examines both the biblical and scientific issues and concludes cautiously in favor of the intelligent design view.

B. Science and CreationThese resources discuss the scientific issues of relevance to creation and the Bible.

Scientific Evidence for CreationCraig, William Lane, and J. P. Moreland, eds. The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. See especially the very long essays on the kalam cosmological argument (William Lane Craig and James D. Sinclair) and on the fine-tuning argument (Robin Collins). These essays are advanced, academic surveys that involve a fairly high degree of technical details.

Lennox, John C. God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Updated ed. Lion Hudson, 2009. Oxford mathematician dismantles atheist appeals to science.

Moreland, J. P., ed. The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent Designer. Foreword by Phillip E. Johnson. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994. Excellent place to start for a variety of essays on the scientific evidence for God.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points toward God. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Interviews with some of the leading Christian apologists defending belief in a Creator God using science.

Cosmology and CreationCopan, Paul, and William Lane Craig. Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic; Leicester: Apollos, 2004.

Holder, Rodney D. Big Bang, Big God: A Universe Designed for Life? Foreword by John Polkinghorne. Oxford: Lion Books, 2013. A recent defense of the fine-tuning design argument.

McGrath, Alister E. A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology. The 2009 Gifford Lectures. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009. By a leading Christian scholar in the study of science and theology.

Ross, Hugh. The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God. 3d ed.

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Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2001. A Christian astronomer details the discoveries of the last decades of the twentieth century and explains how they support belief in the God of the Bible.

Origin of LifeCollins, Francis S. The Language of God: A Scientists Presents Evidence for Belief. New York: Free Press, 2008. Leading genome research scientist and former atheist turned Christian defends belief in God (with frequent references to C. S. Lewis) as the Creator of life. Collins advocates “evolutionary creationism,” which is better known as theistic evolution.

Meyer, Stephen C. Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. New York: HarperOne, 2009. The most sophisticated defense of intelligent design with regard to the origin of life.

Rana, Fazale, and Hugh Ross. Origins of Life: Biblical and Evolutionary Models Face Off. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004. Argues that a biblical model of biological origins (reflecting an old-earth creationist perspective) explains the evidence better than an evolutionary model.

Ward, Peter D., and Donald Brownlee. Rare Earth: Why Complex Life Is Uncommon in the Universe (New York: Copernicus—Springer-Verlag, 2000. While refusing even to consider the possibility of an infinite Creator, scientists Ward and Brownlee explain why it is highly unlikely that life of a complex kind (plants, animals, people) could have developed naturalistically elsewhere in the universe. (They suggest that we are on the one planet that happened to get lucky.) Useful as a prelude to discussing the positive evidences for a supernatural explanation of the origin of complex living things here.

Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent DesignFowler, Thomas B., and Daniel Kuebler. The Evolution Controversy: A Survey of Competing Theories. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. Perhaps unique in that the authors (both of whom are Christians) identify strengths and weaknesses in all of the current positions and suggest ways of testing those positions further.

Meyer, Stephen C. Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design. New York: HarperOne, 2013. Terrific defense of appealing to creation to explain the origin not just of life but of animals with complex body parts, which appear suddenly in the fossil record in the Cambrian explosion.

Moreland, J. P., ed. Three Views on Creation and Evolution. Counterpoints series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999. Essays defending young-earth creationism (Paul Nelson and John Mark Reynolds), old-earth or progressive creationism (Robert C. Newman), and theistic evolution (Howard J. Van Till), with responses from others.

Rana, Fazale, and Hugh Ross. Who Was Adam? A Creation Model Approach to the Origin of Man. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2005. Argues that a biblical creationist model explains the origin of the human species better than an evolutionary model.

Stewart, Robert B., ed. Intelligent Design: William A. Dembski and Michael Ruse in Dialogue. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007. Respondents include William Lane Craig, Francis J. Beckwith, Alister E. McGrath, J. P. Moreland, Nancey Murphy, John Polkinghorne, John C. Lennox, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and others.

Other Topics in ScienceRoss, Hugh, Kenneth R. Samples, and Mark Clark. Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002. Argues that most UFO reports have natural or man-made explanations, but a very small percentage cannot—but also cannot be explained as visitors from other planets. Concludes that demonic deception best explains these remaining phenomena.

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VII. Cultural ApologeticsKeener, Craig S., and Glenn Usry. Defending Black Faith: Answers to Tough Questions about African-American Christianity. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997. Discusses such questions as whether Christianity is the white man’s religion, the relationship between Christianity and slavery, whether Christian doctrines originated in Africa, and how to respond to the Nation of Islam and militant orthodox Islam, as well as questions of much broader concern such as the truth of the Gospels and the accuracy of the Pentateuch.

Mangalwadi, Vishal. The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011. One of the best apologetics books of this century so far. The author is a Christian from India who was a social reformer there and who explains why the biblical worldview has been crucial to the development of human rights, literacy, science, and other beneficial values that Western society is in danger of losing as it turns away from Christianity.

Schaeffer, Francis A. Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1990. The foundational trilogy of short books setting forth Schaeffer’s culturally sensitive, methodologically integrative apologetic: The God Who Is There (1968), Escape from Reason (1968), and He Is There and He Is Not Silent (1972).

Schmidt, Alvin J. Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001. The positive impact of Christianity in sexuality, health care, labor, education, science, politics, the abolition of slavery, the arts, and literature.

VIII. Appendix: 25 Classic Works of ApologeticsThis section lists in chronological order 25 classic works of apologetics from the second through the twentieth centuries, intentionally omitting works from the past 30+ years (which are more than amply covered in the rest of the bibliography).

Five from the Ancient and Medieval Church

157 Justin Martyr, First Apology

248 Origen, Against Celsus

425 Augustine, The City of God

1078 Anselm of Canterbury, Proslogion

1273 Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica

Five from the Early Modern Era

1536 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, first edition

1627 Hugo Grotius, De veritate religionis Christianae

1669 Blaise Pascal, Pensées

1695 John Locke, The Reasonableness of Christianity: As Delivered in the Scriptures

1736 Joseph Butler, Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed, in the Course and Constitution of Nature



Five from the Nineteenth Century

1802 William Paley, Natural Theology, or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity

1846 Søren Kierkegaard, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments

1878 Simon Greenleaf, The Testimony of the Evangelists

1892 Alexander B. Bruce, Apologetics; or, Christianity Defensively Stated

1897 James Orr, The Christian View of God and the World

Ten from the Twentieth Century

1925 G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

1936 Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics 1/1

1944 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1942-44; rev. 1960)

1948 Edward John Carnell, An Introduction to Christian Apologetics

1952 Gordon H. Clark, A Christian View of Men and Things

1955 Cornelius Van Til, Defense of the Faith

1971 John Warwick Montgomery, History and Christianity

1972 Francis Schaeffer’s trilogy, The God Who Is There (1968), Escape from Reason (1968), and He Is There and He Is Not Silent (1972)

1979 Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God

1983 Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff, eds., Faith and Rationality: Reason and Belief in God



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