Starting in the Right Place. Some outlines start with the fact of sin, and blindly assume both the existence of God and the fact that his character is morally pure. Other outlines start with a statement about the love of God, also making assumptions about his existence and character. While...
In answering we need to ask why and when our friends think the Bible has been changed? There are four separate questions here: Did the events really happen in the way the eyewitnesses claimed they did? (Are there errors of fact?) If the eyewitnesses did not relate the events as they...
In short, we do not know! 'The secret things belong to the Lord our God' (Dt 29:29). Certainly we cannot speak for any individual. However, the Bible does not leave us totally in the dark and various approaches towards an answer can be made. We are not here considering the...
Being open about your faith in God can be scaring! The common fears are: losing friends appearing judgmental not knowing how to answer their questions On the first issue, all one can say is, 'Yes, that's a risk! Being a disciple is a costly business.' However, in our culture if...
Introduction To maintain our sanity we need to understand clearly who is responsible for what in sharing the Good News. In particular we need to address the questions, 'What is God's part and what does he expect of me?' Get the answers to those questions wrong and you will find that...
One of the most effective methods of engaging in evangelism is to invite your friends round for a meal with the explicit purpose of having an after-supper discussion about Christianity. Ideally one or two Christians need to invite about a dozen of their uncommitted friends. An attractive and enjoyable meal...
Christians commonly present a circular argument in the way they discuss the authority of the Bible. They say that Jesus is the Son of God and produce proof texts from the Word of God to make their point. The unbeliever replies that he does not believe the Bible. The Christian...
We now live in a 'global village', a multi-faith society where exclusive claims may offend. Many adherents of other faiths are prepared to recognize Jesus as a great teacher, prophet, leader and reformer - even perhaps as one way to God. Are we not then being arrogant, intolerant and narrowminded...
A Study Guide on a Recurring Theme in Dialogue The Christian world view has a great deal more to say about suffering than any other religion or philosophy. It gives substantial (albeit incomplete) answers to our questions. The Bible is a practical book, not satisfying our idle intellectual curiosity (Mt 11:25)...
Some people argue that evangelism is a matter of the simple proclamation of Gospel truths, uncluttered by human arguments that appeal to fallen intellects. Christianity, they say, is an affair of the heart, not the mind and God alone can open blind eyes to see the glorious truth of the...