In A Fresh Perspective, dig into topics central to the Christian experience in fresh ways, and (re)discover a faith you can love.

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What’s the Issue Anyway?

The word ___________ has become synonymous with the word ______________.

“Faith” as a synonym for “belief” leads to _________________.

Dogmatism leads to certainty which hardens the ___________.

Faith as a beautiful ___________ _________ of living with God always dies on the altar of certainty.

Exploring a Fresh Perspective on Faith

A Fresh Perspective honors that faith has always been ______________ to the Christian tradition.

___________ spoke about and responded to faith. (Matt 8:10, 9:2, 9:22)

___________ wrote about faith’s power to transform the world. (Gal 3:8, I Thess 1:2-3)

Faith is especially important in the __________________ tradition.

A Fresh Perspective on faith _______________ the rich meanings of the word “faith.” Faith as ______________: to give one’s mental assent to a proposition.

Three foundational affirmations of __________________ Faith: The Reality of ___________

The Centrality of ___________

The Centrality of the ___________

Faith as assent is rather __________________. (James 2:19)

Faith as ___________: A radical trust in God. (Psalm 59:17)

Faith as ______________: Faithfulness to our relationship with God. (Exo 20:3, Lk 10:27) Faith as ___________: A way of seeing the essence of reality. (Matt 6:26)

Don’t Miss This!

A Fresh Perspective understands faith as __________________ a matter of the ___________.

How does this make me a better person and the world a better place?

A Fresh Perspective on faith reclaims a way of being Christian focused on __________________.

A Fresh Perspective on faith grows ___________-__________________.

What is God inviting you into today?

1. Take some time to consider whether my understanding of faith is more about statements I must believe in or living a life of loving what God loves.
2. Jump into one of the Conversation Groups.
3. Embrace a Fresh Perspective on faith that is about more about trust, fidelity, and vision and less about assenting to the right doctrines.

Thought provoking questions:

1. Would you say that your primary way of understanding faith has been believing in a set of statements or doctrines about God? What were some statements that you had to believe to be a Christian?
2. Do you think Jesus was talking about belief in a set of statements when he recognized the faith of the centurion, the blind man or woman with the blood disorder? If not, what do you think he might have meant by the word ‘faith’?
3. What freedom does understanding faith as primarily a matter of the heart (and not the head) bring to you?
4. Which do you think is a more challenging way to live by faith: loving what God loves or believing the right things about God?