Thinking to Believe

Many have claimed that America was founded as a secular nation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only were our Founding Fathers deeply religious, but they expressed their religion publicly and their Christian religion deeply informed the principles on which this nation was built. Contrary to the claims of those who wish to rewrite American history, most Founding Fathers were orthodox or semi-orthodox Christians, not Deists, and certainly not secular atheists. 

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Government was God's idea. It's an institution He created to promote justice in human societies. As such, good government requires the participation of the just. Even God is involved in government. He sets up kings and kingdoms, and brings them down. There is no wall between politics and religion. There is a relationship between the two, but we must understand what that relationship is if we hope to properly relate to our government. 

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In this final episode of the series, I answer objections to the wisdom model of decision making and respond to verses that are commonly used in support of the Spirit-led model. 

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In this episode, I apply the wisdom model of decision making to ministry and marriage, showing how Biblical principles and wisdom should guide us in our ministry and choosing a spouse. 

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I provide a number of Biblical examples demonstrating that most decisions are to be made in light of wisdom, not divine revelation. Then, I provide some principles for decision making, talk about how to obtain wisdom, and offer some clarifications regarding the wisdom model. 

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When God speaks, how does He speak? There are five Biblical characteristics of divine revelation: (1) It was rare; (2) It came to those who were not seeking it; (3) It was clear; (4) It was supernatural in nature; (5) It often went against the dictates of wisdom. 

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In part 2 of my series on Simplifying God's Will, I examine the Biblical data on God's will. I argue that the Bible teaches God's will for our lives is more general in nature, primarily related to our moral growth; not who we marry, what career we choose, etc. While God can have a specific will regarding some aspects of our lives, it is rare, and God will make that known to us in a very clear manner. Then, I examine the most common methods people use for deciphering God's will, and demonstrate how each of them is unbiblical. While many of these methods employ Biblical terminology, they do not reflect the Biblical meaning. 

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I'm starting a 6-part series on finding the will of God. In episode 1, I compare and contrast the two models of God's will, and argue that only one is based in Scripture.

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In this miscellany episode, I exegete two passages in 1 Corinthians 3. I argue that when Paul warns people about the way they are building (with gold, silver, and precious stones vs. wood, hay, and straw), he is not talking about individual Christians' spiritual development. He is talking about the way in which ministers in Corinth were ministering to the body of Christ. Some of their efforts have eternal worth and some do not, and they need to be sure that they are building something of eternal value. 

When Paul goes on to warn against destroying God's temple, he's not referring to Christians sinning against their own bodies by smoking, drinking, etc., but warning ministers that if they destroy God's people, God will destroy them. 

Then, I explain why DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is an evil, racist, unjust, Marxist philosophy that should be rejected by Christians because it requires discriminating against some groups to benefit others, and values group identity over personal merit. 

I also argue that those who have failed at some X can still be a source of advice regarding X.

Finally, I pet the peeve...twice! I talk about Christian parents who have their kids involved in so many extracurricular activities that they don't have the time to focus on the family and spiritual development. I also talk about those who feel the need to tune out anyone who disagrees with them. 

Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.com
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Twitter & Gettr: @thinking2believ
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Parler: @thinkingtobelieve

I finish up the existential argument by showing how atheism cannot, but theism can satisfy our deep longing for objective morality, free will, immortality, and love. I end the podcast by providing a real life example of how an atheist came to Christianity, in part, because she realized that only Christianity could satisfy her existential needs. 

Web: ThinkingtoBelieve.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: facebook.com/thinkingtobelieve
Twitter & Gettr: @thinking2believ
Truth: @ThinkingToBelieve
Parler: @thinkingtobelieve