Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Truth Project

Mark & I attended the Regional Training event for The Truth Project this weekend, held at a church here in Raleigh. The Truth Project, produced by Focus on the Family, is a set of DVDs that takes the viewer on a comprehensive and systematic tour through the areas of philosophy, ethics, sociology, history, science - looking at life from a biblical perspective. I have done a lot of reading on biblical worldview over the past 10-12 years, but Mark hadn't read nearly as much. So this was a chance for the two of us to learn together, and be equipped to lead a small group through this DVD curriculum. Dr. Del Tackett led the training, and for someone who claimed to be a teacher and NOT a speaker... he was a tremendous speaker!




The word "worldview" refers to the set of beliefs or presuppositions by which a person understands or makes decisions about the world.
According to a recent Barna study, only 4% of Americans have a biblical worldview; worse than that, only 9% of professing born-again Christians look at the world with a biblical perspective. Barna's definition of a biblical worldview includes a belief that absolutes exist and a belief that the Bible defines them. Additionally, a biblical worldview includes the belief that Christ lived a sinless life; God is the "all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today"; salvation is by grace and not by works; Satan is a real being; Christians have a responsibility to witness; and the Bible is "accurate in all of its teachings."

Sadly, many Christians in our culture think and live just like non-Christians. It is hard to tell them apart, except for Sunday mornings when the Christian parks his car in the church parking lot and participates in a worship service. Then he gets back in the car and drives home, and lives just like everyone else until the next Sunday morning, when the unbelieving neighbor gets to sleep late and read the paper, feeling sorry for those poor folks who drag themselves to church every week.

Even those who have a real and personal relationship with Jesus find themselves struggling with various aspects of Biblical truth. We live in a post-modern world in which Christian beliefs are viewed as ignorant, narrow-minded, and even shameful. ( ask Carrie Prejean)

If Christians truly believed the Bible as truth, and understood the character of God and the reality of what Jesus Christ did for us, then their lives would be radically transformed, and the world would take notice.

That is the reason for The Truth Project. It is not an evangelical tool, but is designed for believers, to dig into the truths of God's Word and see how it applies to EVERY area of life, every day of the week - not just on Sunday mornings! It is designed for use in small groups meeting in homes, because life is about relationships, and life-to-life is the way that Jesus lived and taught. And as Christians, we all want to be more like Jesus.

So look for a Truth Project small group near you. I'll be hosting a college group this summer, and hope to start a high school group in the fall.


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