Weekly Sermons

God and Philosophy

I was not, I was, I am not – it makes no difference.                -Roman Epithet

God and Theology: The Bible is true and is the authority for my beliefs and behaviors; I won’t compartmentalize my faith.

God and Biology: men and women are created by God for a purpose; I will value human life and dignity.

Francis Schaffer describes how truth has come to be viewed:

Upper level of the house of ideas	Values (Private, subjective, relative)	Metaphysical (Beyond physical world) Supernatural (Above natural)
Lower level of the house of ideas	Facts (Public, objective, universal)	Physical/ Natural

 

The Christian with a Biblical Wordview enquires into both rooms and has a holistic view based on Bible truth.

God and Philosophy                          The love of wisdom 

I am more than a machine; I can make choices, and my choices have _______________________.

Christians are called to be living sacrifices, presenting their bodies to God for His purposes. They also present their minds to God, a __________________ whole of body and mind serving the Lord!

The apostles don’t advocate us running and hiding from the beliefs of others, but ___________________ respectfully with them as seek to win people to Christ!            

2 Cor. 10:1-5; I Peter 3:13-17; Col. 2:8-10

Luc Ferry lists 5 great movements in the history of thought:

Greek Philosophy

 

 “Let Epicurus mock as much as he likes…It remains no less true that nothing is more perfect than this world, which is an animate being, endowed with awareness, intelligence and reason.”       -Cicero, from On the Nature of the Gods

Christianity                       John 1:1-5, 14                   

 

The principle behind the universe is a _____________ you can know!

 

Humanism: the birth of modern philosophy

 

The difficulty is, that in the absence of a cosmos or a God, it becomes especially difficult to think (ethics and salvation/wisdom) through. How do we confront the fragility and finiteness of human existence, the mortality of all things in this world, in the absence of any principle external to and higher than humanity? This is the problem which the modern doctrines of salvation have tried to solve – for better or worse –and, it has to be admitted, usually for the worse. -Ferry, 135

Modern thought put ___________ in the place of cosmos and divinity.  -Ferry, 102

Postmodernity: Nietzsche and deconstruction

 

Improve mankind? That is the last thing that I of all people will promise to do. Don’t expect new idols from me; let the old idols learn what it costs to have fee of clay. To overthrow idols – my word for ‘ideals’ – that rather is my business. Reality has lost its value, its meaning, its veracity, and an ideal world has been fabricated to take its place…to the point of worshipping the opposite values to those which alone could guarantee its prosperity, a future, the exalted right to a future.                                              -Nietzsche in Ecce Homo

After deconstruction: Contemporary Philosophy

 

Human philosophy apart from Christ confuses, enslaves, and damns – knowing Christ liberates, enlightens, and frees!

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.”               -John 8:32, 36; Col. 2:3; Prov. 9:10; Prov. 3:5-6; Isa. 1:18

A fire was suddenly kindled in my soul. I fell in love with the prophets and these men who had loved Christ; I reflected on all their words and found that this philosophy alone was true and profitable. That is how and why I became a philosopher. And I wish that everyone felt the same way that I do."                                 -Justin M_____________ (100-165)