Are you convinced this is true? If … [59-60]. Our inaugural book is Making Sense of God by Tim Keller. In response to the objection that a good God could not possibly allow hell, Keller responds: “Modern people inevitably think that hell works like this: God gives us time, but if we haven’t made the right choices by the end of our lives, he casts our souls into hell for all eternity. But though it’s unscripted, a Bible study can be directed. For these reasons, many people avoid leading true discussions in their Bible study groups. 1. I will change for you. In giving specific examples of how Christianity has used self-correction to stop injustice and oppression, Keller mentions: William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery; Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights movement; Desmond Tutu and the end of apartheid in South Africa; Catholic leadership in the Solidarity Movement in Poland; the martyrs Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador and Dietrich Bonhoeffer of Germany. Why or why not? How often have you heard this objection? Keller quotes New Atheist Christopher Hitchens’ accusation that religion “has been an enormous multiplier of tribal suspicion and hatred,” and concludes, “Hitchens’s point is fair” [p. 54-55]. Restate this in a way that someone who has thought little about the nature of science could understand. Define freedom (saying “being in Christ” is not allowed—though true, in this setting it is a platitude). 5. 14. For example, when studying Isaiah 25:1-5, you could ask, “Why will the strong and ruthless people glorify God?” Or, “Why does Isaiah 25:5 refer to ‘the song of the ruthless’?” Or, “Why do the verb tenses keep changing?”. What should you have done differently? Noting his credentials as a literary scholar, Keller quotes C. S. Lewis, “I have been reading poems, romances, vision literature, legends, and myths all my life. “In Jesus’ and the prophets’ critique, self-righteous religion is always marked by insensitivity to issues of social justice, while true faith is marked by profound concern for the poor and marginalized. How many Christians engage in such long and hard struggle? What’s the solution? “This means,” Keller says, “every human culture has (from God) distinct goods and strengths for the enrichment of the human race… while every culture has distortions and elements that will be critiqued and revised by the Christian message, each culture will also have good and unique elements to which Christianity connects and adapts” [p. 45]. 5. It is the precondition for it” [p. 114]. 5 Things You Can Do When God’s Plan Doesn’t Make Sense 1. 15. Making Sense of the Bible is borne of a great love for the Bible, along with years of study and pastoral ministry. This turns on its head what is often the common reaction to The Da Vinci Code, and to the recent media coverage of The Gospel of Judas. How would you help such fanatics see they “are not Christian enough”? Keller agrees with the notion that religions claiming exclusivity of their beliefs are a barrier to world peace [p. 4] Do you agree with Keller? Sure, you’ll lose some control if you temporarily set aside your lectern to foster interaction. Have you met people who question whether intelligent people can “take the Bible literally”? If you haven’t noticed this dichotomy, why haven’t you? If you are a Christian, is this how you have understood the biblical concept of hell? 10. Why or why not? 12. How can we love one another while holding differing positions on this issue? Do you think a skeptic would find it convincing? [p. 93-94] Why? Making Sense of the Bible is the book I wish I had read 20 years ago. How is this significant for the reliability of the biblical texts? 8. “Violence done in the name of Christianity is a terrible reality and must be both addressed and redressed. 8. What troubles you most about its beliefs or how it is practiced?” [p. 3] Do you make a habit of asking non-Christians questions similar to that? What is the difference between being lovingly exclusive and narrow-mindedly oppressive? How is this significant for making the case that the gospel narratives are not merely legend—what is Lewis referring to? On pages 44-45, Keller argues that there is “no Christian culture,” but rather that Christianity maintains core orthodoxy while adapting to the culture of its followers. Why or why not? 5. To what extent is it true of you? A skilled discussion leader must strike a delicate balance: she must guide the group through textual observation—without making the discussion feel inane or elementary. Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf says, “If God were not angry at injustice and deception and did not make a final end to violence—that God would not be worthy of worship… The only means of prohibiting all recourse to violence by ourselves is to insist that violence is legitimate only when it comes from God… My thesis that the practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many… in the West… [But] it takes the quiet of a suburban home for the birth of the thesis that human non-violence [results from the belief in] God’s refusal to judge. If that is true, should churches reward children for good attendance in Sunday school? He joins us to discuss his (excellent) new book, Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical. Do you find it attractive? What changes must our church make to be a safe place? Remembering that this is an issue about which some people are very sensitive, did Keller’s understanding of Genesis 1 & 2 surprise you? Is this your understanding of the faith? Keller claims, “an authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. But we should not criticize churches when they maintain standards for membership in accord with their beliefs. “Czeslaw Milosz, the Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet, wrote the remarkable essay ‘The Discreet Charms of Nihilism.’ In it he remembers how Marx had called religion ‘the opiate of the people’ because the promise of an afterlife (Marx said) led the poor and the working class to put up with unjust social conditions. How do this provide a better answer than every other worldview? What answers have you heard that you find insufficient? 7. Combine general and specific questions to foster interaction—and answer them yourself first to give an example of vulnerability, For example, “How will this passage affect your willingness to take risks?” Or, “How can you live as though [the passage’s main point] is true?” Or, “How can we remind one another of these things?”. Keller says he has often asked non-Christians, “What is your biggest problem with Christianity? How did you respond viscerally to the illustration Keller goes on to describe? Are you happy with Keller’s response? Why? What plans do your small group need to make to create a safe place? The goal of the launching question is not merely to capture attention; you could do that by swallowing a sword or wearing a hat made of spaghetti. Use honest and curious questions that both take people toward the main point one step at a time and foster interaction. Why or why not? Do you find his agreement surprising? Does this resonate with your sense of your fellow Christians? Study Questions 1. Since Keller “was always looking for that third camp,” he says he “became interested in shaping and initiating new Christian communities” [p. xiii]. Though interrogative, it can still be powerfully declarative. Bible studies have a feature that few sermons or personal quiet times can match: interaction. 11. 1. A friend, a priest, or a counselor can help you through your time of need. The culture wars are taking their toll. This plan is according to His Will for your life. If yes, what questions do you ask? Last night seven of us gathered on our back patio to discuss the first half of the book. I’ve found that it helps to get the bible study members doing homework beforehand. When you come to this question, you only have three options. Do you find it a good response to the objection we are considering? Keller quotes C. S. Lewis: “They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory” [p. 34]. What is your response? Do you find this argument surprising? There is no excusing it” [p. 56]. Is this usually how people tend to think of science and modernity? That achieves civility in a pluralistic society, which is no small thing” [p. xviii-xix]. All refusal to admit the existence of sin can neither be controverted nor challenged. Does that belief make sense?” [p. 112] Christians often say such things when non-Christians have objections to things like the Trinity or the necessity of Christ’s death for forgiveness. We made it through six questions in about two hours. How do you reconcile the two? 25-27]. Discuss your questions surrounding suffering and dig into God's Word to find the truth. 14. Is this the view of the future that Christians tend to believe in and hear about in church? You have come to the conclusion that in our scientific age there is no further need of a Creator God. Have Christians always fared well in taking their faith into different cultures? 13. of God raising someone from the dead… [This] argument… is like the drunk who insisted on looking for his lost car keys only under the streetlight on the grounds that the light was better there. “Perhaps the biggest deterrent to Christianity for the average person today is not so much violence and warfare but the shadow of fanaticism. We only become ourselves in love, yet healthy love relationships involve mutual, unselfish service, a mutual loss of independence” [p. 48]. The very first question of your Bible study should be open, engaging, and linked to the main point of the passage. Find someone to talk to. Does Keller’s response surprise you? 12. Ryan and Peter blog at Knowable Word, where they help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. Many nonbelievers have friends or relatives who have become ‘born again’ and seem to have gone off the deep end” [p. 56]. In recent years some Western leaders particularly in the UK and US have argued that the basic values that undergird liberal democracy are shared by all people in every culture. 19. 8. Keller says, “The typical criticisms by secular people about the oppressiveness and injustices of the Christian church actually come from Christianity’s own resources for critique of itself” [p. 61]. “I must conclude that the source of the idea,” he says, “is the Bible itself.” How is this significant? When Keller says that complete inclusiveness is an illusion, does that make you uncomfortable? How do we lovingly move skeptics to see this truth? Why or why not? 9. At this point, there’s one key trick for developing interpretation questions: work backwards. Day 7 - God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh day, blessing it and making it holy. Keller points out that Jesus’ miracles were never designed to impress but to bring healing, to restore shalom to a broken world. 2. ho are the main characters, and what are they doing? Many Christians might find this statement to be unsettling. How can a loving God send people to hell? Wisdom allows us to see life the way God does. African theologian Lamin Sanneh says that Africans have always held strong beliefs in a spiritual world of good and evil. 3. Regardless of how energetic the discussion has been, getting personal will be tough. Why or why not? How have you resolved it for yourself? A common image of hell in the Bible is that of fire. How does this change the meaning of the opening chapters of the creation account? 2. How are notions of freedom (individual and otherwise) foundational to our society’s values? Why? Ron carefully prepared 18 questions for us to dig in to the content of chapters 1-7, which I will post below. What “fundamentals” would apply to Christians? How did they define “fanaticism” and “off the deep end”? [p. 95] What other texts of Scripture reveal similar doubts about a miracle occurring? How did you respond? Keller identifies three “barriers” to faith: intellectual, personal, and social [p. xii-xiii]. What does Keller identify as the flaw in each approach? I know none of them are like this. 10. We hope you find our discussion guide to The Reason for God helpful. The Swiss theologian John Calvin, in his commentaries on the Hebrew prophets, says that God so identifies with the poor that their cries express divine pain. Welcome to this course which is for you if you want to find out why believing in God makes sense to someone like me Perhaps, you are an agnostic. (Hint: using not just reason but imagination is essential in working out an answer. Were you happy with your response? [p. 60-61]. “The people most passionate about social justice were moral relativists,” Keller says, remembering his pilgrimage of faith as a young man, “while the morally upright didn’t seem to care about the oppression going on all over the world” [p. xii]. Should Christians take the lead in demonstrating civility in the public square? How might Christians take this argument to an incorrect conclusion? To what extent is this taught and encouraged by church leaders? Which do you have the most trouble accepting? This may be a strong argument when the issue is discussed over coffee, but may not be useful when someone is going through intense suffering. Have you noticed the same divide into two camps? But it needs to be overcome every time, and thus there is an even holier angel than the one of pain, that is the one of joy in God” [p. 66-67]. What’s the difference between denouncing and disagreeing? How do you weigh your truth-claims? How would you present each flaw to a skeptic who is making the argument? CHAPTER SUMMARY The common perception is something like this: the secular worldview = facts, religious worldview = faith. In an effort to further that, Ransom Fellowship has prepared detailed reflection and discussion questions for each section and chapter of the book. Avoid questions so general that nothing changes, and avoid questions so specific there’s no room for the Holy Spirit to surprise. Some leaders in Keller’s denomination would perhaps believe that Keller should not be ordained as a minister because of holding this view. Right after warning us not to be squeezed into the mold of the world (Romans 12:1-2), he assures us that different members of Christ’s Church have different gifts and callings (Romans 12:3-8). 8. “We don’t reason with the other side; we only denounce” [p. xv]. Moreover, Hamilton is always charitable toward those with whom he disagrees. 16. Timothy Keller, author of Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC. Why? The goal should be not just to have people better informed when they walk out the door but to have new skills that they can take with them when they eventually go to another study or even church. Here is a far better set of tests: Which community has beliefs that lead its members to treat persons in other communities with love and respect—to serve them and meet their needs? 12. C. S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “To ‘see through’ all things is the same as not to see” [p. 37]… “If you say all truth-claims are power plays, then so is your statement… To see through everything is not to see. What I like from this book is: - how clear and 'concise' the arguments are. If you hook your people early, they’ll feel compelled to participate. “In the most profound way, God has said to us in Christ, ‘I will adjust to you. 6. Where are we headed? ... Study One. That might be OK for a season, but eventually the responsibility of a leader is to bring people from a adult-child relationship to an adult-adult relationship. How was it expressed? 9. Is there then no way to judge whether a community is open and caring rather than narrow and oppressive? “The church has a history of supporting injustice, of destroying culture… If Christianity is the true religion, how could this be?” [p. 51]. 1. This apparently con-flicting assertion is based on his understanding of God in four specific areas: (I) God is present and involved in our lives, even when He seems to be deaf or on an extended leave of absence, (2) God's timing is perfect, even when Opinions on God are like assholes in that everyone has one. 3. 6. What is the significance of these ideas? How satisfying is your resolution? Tip: Avoid easing into the discussion by merely reviewing the previous passage or meandering toward a point. When they are missing, what difference does it make? This study explores the underlying factors contributing to child marriage among Syrian refugees in Lebanon with the goal of informing community-based strategies to address the issue. 5. Is this the commonly understood meaning of love? 7. Have you ever heard the charge that believing in hell makes you “narrow” [p. 80-81]? Some Christians may find this troubling, wanting to see Jesus as (super)heroic in every way—how would you answer their concerns? What difference does it make? If you find that little or nothing in the world angers you, what does this say about you? When God states that something will happen, it does. What is your response? 5. Do you agree? We're in chapter two of Tim Keller's Making Sense of God this week. Can you see why Christianity could appear to be a straitjacket or power play to some people? Some kind of truth-claim, then, seems unavoidable” [p. 38]. 2. You can’t take the Bible literally. When Christianity arrived via missionaries, it did not destroy the traditional African worldview but rather revealed how it was fulfilled in Christ. How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell? In response to the objection that a God of love cannot be a God of anger, Keller says “all loving persons are sometimes filled with wrath, not just despite of but because of their love.” “Anger isn’t the opposite of love,” Keller quotes Becky Pippert saying, “Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference” [p. 73]. It is tempting for attendees to make a bible study an enjoyable sociable occasion, where the bible study leader ends up being the “guru” who just spouts off the fruits of his/her research and everyone else comes for the ride. Though we should never give up trying to pray, it can be extremely difficult to pray when we are hurting. A true opium of the people is a belief in nothingness after death—the huge solace of thinking that our betrayals, greed, cowardice, murders are not going to be judged… [but] all religions recognize that our deeds are imperishable” [p. 75]. What might this suggest for your next reading of the four gospels? ... Download Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide. ... Making Sense of Suffering. Now ask the question: ‘What if when we die we don’t end, but spiritually our life extends on into eternity?’ Hell then, is the trajectory of a soul, living a self-absorbed, self-centered life, going on and on forever” [p. 76-77]. What reasons did the objector give for their conviction? Chapter 4. What’s wrong? This article was adapted from their series on how to lead effective Bible studies. To what extent would a stranger who follows you around for several months say this sort of love is your primary characteristic? Having prayerfully wrestled with the passage yourself, you should have a good sense of the flow and tension the author intended. Keller says that the Gnostic gospels, not the canonical gospels, “‘suck up’ to the ‘powers that be’” [p. 105]. Ask for prayer. 2. We all know of examples of how skeptics give ridiculous or offensive arguments against Christianity—ignoring for a moment the proper offense of the cross, give five examples of arguments against skepticism or for Christian faith where either the argument or the Christian are ridiculous or offensive to unbelievers. Chapter 7. This is why listening is so important for Christians (and anyone else) who wants to be part of conversations about the things that matter most. 10. To hold an opinion on God is indeed a celebration of the fact that if there is a Go- like intelligence it must be somewhat like our own (probably more open minded than most and certainly a better sense of humor) The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. How does this statement affect your faith? “Because doubt and belief are each on the rise, our political and public discourse on matters of faith and morality has become deadlocked and deeply divided. Genesis 2 is an account of how it happened” [p. 94]. That may seem fine for a while, but in the end, important questions remain unanswered and they never really go away. How comfortable are you in discussing this topic with a skeptic? So, they give answers to questions that aren’t being raised, and wonder why they are the only ones in the conversation that seem impressed. 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