Session 6: Defending the Faith: Chuck Colson

Chuck Colson : Defending the Faith


Prison Fellowship Ministries

Author: The Faith (currently reading)

• "I wish we took our faith as serious as the Marines take their job"- CC
• #1 test of leadership: Serve your people - #2- Give them the greater vision #3- "Follow me"
• Your job is not to pander to your people, it's to lead them-
• 57% of evangelicals say that Christ is not the only way to heaven- it's a misunderstanding of "tolerance"
• Two truth claims cannot be both true. They can both be false, but not true.
• People are in prison because the lack of moral training during the moral formative years.
• In the US, are we in "Babylonian" captivity?
• What is Christianity? It is a world-view to see all of life through... it's not just a religion, a belief in Christ, or fellowship.... Every area of life is under the lordship of Jesus Christ
• 14 core truths of our Faith... here are some of them....
• #1- God Is- There is a God- we're not alone or an accident
• #2- We have His Word - Inerrant Word of God
• #3- The Fall- we live in a fallen world with free will
• #4- The Incarnation- Birth of Christ defeated a real enemy Satan- He came to die for us. A conversion is Christ in me, not me picking/choosing
• #5- A Triune God- One God, Father/Son/Holy Spirit
• #6- We're Reconciled to One Another- unity of the Body- community- "I don't go to church, I belong to church"
• #7- We need to live holy- Our works should reflect our Faith
• #8- There will be Judgement- (We live by revealed Truth)
• How can you "impose" a belief- we "propose"... we're not about theocracy, we're about freedom... It's an invitation that rests of sound premises that are tested and true...

Thoughts:

• Clearly our culture, even within the church, the idea that there is one "truth" is in question. There is disagreement about "One Way" to God- One must land on this issue- yes or no? At the end of the day, do we have confidence that the Bible is Truth? That Christ is the Way? Or, are there several paths?
• I think many people fear the confrontation of trying to explain the tough questions- "So all Muslim's are going to hell?"..."So I can be a good person but still go to hell?" "Homosexuality is sin?"... For most people...it's easier to "punt" these questions, avoid them, not try to understand the greater questions... many then resort to what feels good... "There are many paths to heaven, there is no hell, you can believe what feels good, good people go to good places when they die..."
• I believe the most critical decision we all have is to "get God"... research, read, press-in, test, ask questions to the right people, don't give flippant answers based in nothing... I believe Truth will be found... Test "Seek and you will find"....