4. [p. 103]. Making Sense of God's Will is a four-session book-and-video study that helps us make sense of these issues by exploring some of the "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. 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. Review the illustrations. “Many people who take an intellectual stand against Christianity,” Keller says, “ do so against a background of personal disappointment with Christians and churches. How would you respond to this assertion? Of this [gospel] text there are only two possible views. St. Paul tells us that God raises up teachers and leaders in his Church. An invitation to the sceptical Making Sense of God begins from Tim’s observation that, although many in the secular west think religious belief is not just wrong, but irrelevant and even harmful, there are many people who want to consider and discuss belief in God. On the other hand, Christian missions is full of examples where missionaries have brought not just the gospel but American culture to the world—did Keller apologize sufficiently for this sad heritage? Do your non-Christian friends see their evaluation as based on a religious/ethical stance? You have no chance at faithful interpretation without first noticing what the Bible says. What does Keller identify as the flaw in each approach? 16. What unholy alliances between Christian faith and cultural values or political ideologies are present in our own society? Ransom Fellowship was founded by Denis and Margie Haack in 1981. Tip: Avoid fill-in-the-blank or read-my-mind questions that have only one correct answer. Do you believe that right doctrine and proper moral behavior will assure your relationship with God? What does the passage mean? More specifically, Keller sees Genesis 1 & 2 as similar to Judges 4 &5 and Exodus 14 &15. 2. When Christianity arrived via missionaries, it did not destroy the traditional African worldview but rather revealed how it was fulfilled in Christ. Keller claims, “an authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. Welcome to the most uncomfortable part of your Bible study! We only become ourselves in love, yet healthy love relationships involve mutual, unselfish service, a mutual loss of independence” [p. 48]. Can you see why Christianity could appear to be a straitjacket or power play to some people? Any decent Bible study, whether individual or group-based, should be rooted in careful observation of the text. 11. Do you agree? Have the culture wars produced positive results? By the way, in case you are wondering about the set of questions—seven in all—that Keller correctly identifies as being important today, they include: There can’t be just one true religion. 15. How can we love one another while holding differing positions on this issue? [p. 85] What makes them especially difficult? You Can’t Take the Bible Literally. Should Christians take the lead in demonstrating civility in the public square? Should they? Why not? Why or why not? 2. What reasons would you give if a non-Christian challenged it as untrue or implausible? To what extent do non-Christians find your reconciliation of the two compelling? “We should criticize Christians when they are condemning and ungracious to unbelievers. “On what basis,” Keller asks, “does the atheist judge the natural world to be horribly wrong, unfair, and unjust?” [p. 26] How is it possible to raise this issue to align oneself, or agree with, the skeptic rather than merely confront them? Sure, you’ll lose some control if you temporarily set aside your lectern to foster interaction. In an effort to further that, Ransom Fellowship has prepared detailed reflection and discussion questions for each section and chapter of the book. If you reject these scholars’ conclusion, on what basis do you reject them if you accept the scholarly conclusion of Lewis in question #11? If you haven’t noticed this dichotomy, why haven’t you? Why or why not? Dobson then makes the assertion "God makes sense even when He doesn't make sense." After drawing out your group’s observations, it’s time to dig in. by Denis Haack. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. How did you respond viscerally to the illustration Keller goes on to describe? Keller says that, “freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions” [p. 46]. The first five minutes of your Bible study portend what’s to come. 7. 2. This touches on one of the reasons many of the postmodern generation find biblically orthodox Christianity to be irrelevant. Chapter 6. Is this the commonly understood meaning of love? Discussion leaders will be wise to pick which questions to raise, and which topics, once raised, should be pursued in more detail. Can you understand why exclusivity can be a concern of many in our culture? “They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, and harsh. To what extent should Christians help people because they might be get saved as a result? “Instead of trying to shape our desires to fit reality,” Keller says, “we now seek to control and shape reality to fit our desires” [p. 71]. Why or why not? Does this resonate with your experience of talking to people who raise this objection? In a sun-scorched land, soaked in the blood of the innocent, it will invariably die… [with] other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind” [p. 74]. How did they define “fanaticism” and “off the deep end”? Why do you think that is? What role should sincerity play in our view of God? How often have you heard this objection? Copyright © 2021 Faithlife / Logos Bible Software. 7. If you hook your people early, they’ll feel compelled to participate. What answers have you heard that you find insufficient? 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. | (Photo: Godwell Andrew Chan) Pastor Tim Keller is on a mission to make sense of God, and if you ask him, Christianity not only makes sense… Discuss your questions surrounding suffering and dig into God's Word to find the truth. We cannot consider a group exclusive simply because it has standards for its members. African theologian Lamin Sanneh says that Africans have always held strong beliefs in a spiritual world of good and evil. How many Christians engage in such long and hard struggle? The questions were formulated in weekly conversations I had on Keller’s book with two young friends: the Rev. You see, you were made by God and you were made for God. “All this decisively refutes the idea that the gospels were anonymous, collective, evolving oral traditions. Does this not seem to be an elitist argument? 14. 3. Why or why not? 21. If you are a visual person, and you imagine science and religion as two circles, how will they interact/intersect? Tip: Only ask questions you’re willing to answer first. Did you see it at the time? “This is proof,” Dawkins believes, “that the more intelligent, rational, and scientifically minded you are, the less you will be able to believe in God” [p. 84]. 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. Is this a political idea Christians can endorse? What restrictions have you found liberating? Remembering that this is an issue about which some people are very sensitive, did Keller’s understanding of Genesis 1 & 2 surprise you? That achieves civility in a pluralistic society, which is no small thing” [p. xviii-xix]. Science has Disproved Christianity. 8. 15. Every generation in every culture and people group wrestle with the four crucial issues that undergird human existence: Who & where are we? Are you convinced this is true? 10. Review the title of this chapter—does Keller fully answer this question, or does he primarily level the playing field for conversations with skeptics? Only then is it safe and fair to disagree with it. To what extent have you read about the opposing views of the historicity of the biblical documents? Is that how you would have responded if someone you knew raised that accusation? And until you understand that, life isn’t going to make sense. Does it shock you when Keller says that Christians should expect to find nonbelievers who are “much nicer, kinder, wiser, and better than they are”? Which community’s beliefs lead it to demonize and attack those who violate their boundaries rather than treating them with kindness, humility, and winsomeness?” [p. 40]. Keller says, “hell is simply one’s freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity” [p. 78]. There is no excusing it” [p. 56]. You can’t beat Inductive Bible Study methods(observation, interpretation, application) very effective! 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]. When we choose to make decisions based on wisdom alone, we are exercising common sense. 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. What I like from this book is: - how clear and 'concise' the arguments are. We hope you find our discussion guide to The Reason for God helpful. Could this explain why so many younger Christians feel alienated from disillusioned about a church seeking to conserve itself? Though open-ended, it can have goals. What characteristics or virtues need to be displayed by the Christian making this argument? How satisfying is your resolution? Bible studies have a feature that few sermons or personal quiet times can match: interaction. Since there are so many other issues raised concerning the historicity and trustworthiness of the Bible, what plans should you make? Why do so many Christians tend to act as if such fundamentals do not apply to them, since they are neither loving nor receptive? We made it through six questions in about two hours. But a Bible study with well-prepared, thoughtful questions just might end up more thrilling than a 4×4 off-roading adventure. (Hint: using not just reason but imagination is essential in working out an answer. The objection this chapter addresses, Keller shows, is linked to the unspoken assumptions of Western culture [p. 72]. I’ll serve you though it means a sacrifice for me.’ If he has done this for us, we can and should say the same to God and others. Introduction Any treatment of Christian doctrine would be incomplete if the biblical statement concerning sin were omitted. How should the biblical teaching that Jesus saves us by grace affect the way we view others, and treat them? Do you understand why non-Christians might react the way they do? 2. What reasons did they give? Use focused but open-ended questions to drive the group’s collective noses into the text and to foster interaction. How could a good God allow suffering? Ron carefully prepared 18 questions for us to dig in to the content of chapters 1-7, which I will post below. “It cannot be overcome with platitudes like ‘Now don’t you see that violence won’t solve anything?’” [p. 74-75]. Why? All of these beliefs are foreign to many other cultures” [p. 39]. 7. Subscribe Now 2. 7. Have you ever heard excuses given for it by Christians wanting to defend the honor of their faith? But, like bad morning breath, boredom often shows up early—and it may sink your ship before you leave the dock. 6. 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]. Why, Making Sense of God's Will by Adam Hamilton will help you to navigate the following ... was very well received. It would mean that most of the classic Christian teachings—Jesus’ deity, atonement, and resurrection—are mistaken and based on legends” [p. 98]. Have you noticed the same divide into two camps? It would have saved me so much headache, heartache, and trouble as I have sought to make sense of how to understand what the Bible teaches about God, and how to reconcile the enemy-loving Jesus with the enemy-killing God … Keller recommends that both skeptics and believers “look at doubt in a radically new way” [p. xvi]. How do evangelicals fare today by this standard? What is the difference between being lovingly exclusive and narrow-mindedly oppressive? ... Download Their Eyes Were Watching God Study Guide. Do you find the doctrine of divine judgment or God’s “wrath” offensive or troubling? That was God’s will, and it was going to come to pass no matter what. If yes, what questions do you ask? Though we should never give up trying to pray, it can be extremely difficult to pray when we are hurting. Is civility in the public square possible if this is correct? Have Christians always fared well in taking their faith into different cultures? Define freedom (saying “being in Christ” is not allowed—though true, in this setting it is a platitude). What role has each played in your spiritual pilgrimage? When you discuss the work of God to conform us to the image of Christ, any tension you feel is evidence of progress. How does this challenge make you feel about the Christian faith? Indeed, you can’t have it both ways” [p. 25]. Timothy Keller, author of Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the Skeptical, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC. 6. Take the time to read (at least sections of) Beowulf or The Iliad and compare them to sections of Mark’s gospel. Many Christians have read and thought about defending their faith, but have done so in terms of questions that were relevant in the decades between the end of World War II and the Sixties. Do you find these ideas coming up often enough that some further reading on your part might prove helpful? Summarize each objectively and clearly in language that would be readily understood and appreciated by a non-Christian who does not have a churched background. Have you experienced “pointless” suffering that later, in hindsight, you could see had a point for which you became grateful? Finding God in Our Pain 4. What plans should you make? How does this statement affect your faith? If it is true, why don’t we hear hell explained this way? Do you find it a good response to the objection we are considering? “We don’t reason with the other side; we only denounce” [p. xv]. Every community must do the same” [p. 40]. ), Chapter 3: Christianity is a Straitjacket. 1. Why? 5. 10. To what extent have you struggled with this doubt yourself? If you believe it is not shared, why does so much church shopping occur when evangelicals find themselves (or their children) unhappy with their church? 9. A Simple—Not Scientific—Truth Genesis 1, the opening scene of the biblical drama, introduces us to the two main characters in the Bible: God and man. My feeling is that 'Making Sense of God' goes a step backwards and addresses questions and dilemas for readers whom the idea of God is distant and perhaps have not though much about it and dismissed the idea of God. Why or why not? We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. 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. 8. This also sheds light on why many Christians feel defensive about their faith. Let us know in the comments! What might this suggest for your next reading of the four gospels? David Richter, associate pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church, and Dr. David Van Norstrand, medical student in the Mayo School of Medicine.) Keller argues that the existence of evil and suffering is an even bigger problem for the one who disbelieves in God [pp. His book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, is must-reading, whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian. Keller says, “The reality is that we all make truth-claims of some sort and it is very hard to weigh them responsibly, but we have no alternative but to try to do so” [p. 11]; “We are all exclusive in our beliefs about religion, but in different ways” [p. 13]. What does this suggest? Circulating the text that is the focus of inquiry and the discussion questions weeks beforehand, encourages study attendees to do research for themselves and there is less chance of winging it, though, life events and work schedules will mean that there will always be a certain amount of winging it from week to week. How does this cause you to see other people? Keller says, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints” [p. 54]. Do you agree? What is this mistaken belief? Does this seem to make a compelling case? Use a strong discussion-starter to foster interaction. Do you ask perceptive questions of opponents to help them clarify their arguments against Christianity? Some might argue that the alternatives Keller presents are too extreme—plausible v. ridiculous and offensive. Why? To what extent is your church characterized by these three qualities? No person could have stopped Jesus from dying on the cross for the sins of the world. 6. Do you find this argument compelling? [p. 97-98]. Why or why not? To what extent is it true of you? “If this [revisionist] view of the New Testament’s origins and development is true, it would radically change our understanding of the content and meaning of Christianity itself. The Bible teaches us that our treatment of them equals our treatment of God” [p. 60]. Some leaders in Keller’s denomination would perhaps believe that Keller should not be ordained as a minister because of holding this view. Do you find this compelling? Do you agree? Which do you have the most trouble accepting? Which do you find most problematic or troubling? Here’s a handy list of generic, yet useful observation questions to use regularly: Good observation questions simultaneously engage the group and open the door to interpretation. “The human impulse to make perpetrators of violence pay for their crimes is almost an overwhelming one,” Keller says. What are two ways in which it might improve? How does our setting require a change in the reasons we give for belief? Wisdom allows us to see life the way God does. Why or why not? 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. Your personal study of the text is essential. Which questions directed you to the main point and which were tangential? How do we know which of the two we are actually trusting? “Human beings are most free and alive in relationships of love. Would you be comfortable suggesting them to a non-Christian friend? 2. If you haven’t heard this before, what does this suggest about the church’s ability to speak biblical truth into our post-Christian world? 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