Big Idea Discussion Guide
Session 1 -Hasn’t Science
Disproven the Bible?
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It is acceptable, healthy, and necessary for a Christ follower
to address doubts and to sometimes say IDK (“I don’t know”).
There is no conflict between believing in science and
believing what the Bible says about God.
Icebreaker – from http://iusedtobelieve.com/
Whenever one of my fish floated belly up to the top of the
tank, my dad would take it out. He told me that the fish were
going to Dr. Fish-a-ma-jig. Not sure why I never realized that
the doctor’s office was actually located in the toilet.
I used to think that everyone had a ball of hair wound tight
inside their head. The ball would unwind as our hair would
grow, but when there was no more ball of hair, you went bald.
Everyone had different size balls of hair in their cranium, and
the bigger your ball of hair, the longer until you went bald.
When I had chicken pox, my older brothers told me that I was
getting them because of two guys inside me with hammers
that were punching them out of my skin, and the only way to
get rid of them was to let them punch me in the stomach...
totally bought it.
1. What is something you “used to believe”?
The Benefit of Our Doubts
In the 1976 film “Boy in the Plastic Bubble,” John Travolta’s
character is inspired by David Vetter, the real-life “bubble
boy” with SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency).
Unable to mount an adequate immune response to even
minor pathogens, he is confined to life in a plastic bubble,
protecting him from the slightest chance of exposure to
infection.
In the New York Times bestseller The Reason for God, Timothy
Keller compares doubt to an infectious agent:
A faith without some doubts is like a human body without
any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too
busy or too indifferent to ask hard questions about why they
believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against
either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of
a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight
if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own
doubts, which should be discarded only after long reflection.
Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts—not
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only their own but their friends’ and neighbors’. It is no longer
sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them
2. What do you think about this analogy? Do you think it
is possible for someone’s faith to collapse because of
tragedy or doubt?
3. What potential benefits might there be from
acknowledging and wrestling with our doubts?
In the following passages, Jesus interacts with people who
have doubts about who He is or what He can do:
Mark 9:21-26
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like
this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22“It has often thrown
him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything,
take pity on us and help us.” 23“‘If you can’?” said Jesus.
“Everything is possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately
the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome
my unbelief!” 25“You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I
command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out.
21
John 20:24-29
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples
when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have
seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail
marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were,
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26A week
later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was
with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and
stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then
he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting
and believe.” 28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed.”
24
Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they
worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to
them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all
16
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Big Idea Discussion Guide
Session 1 - Hasn’t Science Disproven the Bible?
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.”
doubts, to take a step of faith onto what the Bible actually
says about God—who he is and how we ought to interact
with him. As we take those first small steps of faith, we
experience him personally, and our faith grows.
4. Why do you think some people—both then and now—
have trouble believing what they hear about Jesus? What
can we learn from these passages about how to handle
the doubts of ourselves or of other people?
6. Take several minutes to write down the most
important things the Bible tells you about who God is
and what he has done in the world. Also, write down
any questions you have about God. Share one or two
of your thoughts with the group.
The Bible versus and Science
Being a Christ follower requires a belief that the Bible is
reliable and true. For many people, this is a real stumbling
block. They might say, “I know there are a lot of great stories
and wise sayings in the Bible, but in this day and age, you
can’t take it literally.” What they mean is that the Bible is not
entirely trustworthy because some parts—maybe even many
or most parts—are historically unreliable or scientifically
impossible.
5. Split into three groups, each taking on a common
objection about the Bible. Using the attached material
(adapted from The Reason for God) as a guide, discuss
how you would respond to the objection, then present
your response to the other groups. Try to be clear and
concise, using the type of language, tone, and attitude
you would use in a conversation.
HISTORICAL RELIABILITY OBJECTION
“The Bible is a historically unreliable collection of legends.
The New Testament gospel accounts of Jesus’ life are full
of contradictions and were written so many years after the
events happened that the writers’ accounts can’t be trusted. I
have even heard that they may have been written or revised
long after the fact by church leaders motivated by their
desire to consolidate their power and build their own political
movements.”
MIRACLES OBJECTION:
“The Bible can’t be reliable because it describes miracles.
There are a lot of miracles described in the Bible, but I’ve
never seen or heard of a modern miracle along those lines.”
EVOLUTION OBJECTION:
“Evolution is very crucial for me—it being able to mesh into
the Bible properly. Because I definitely believe in evolution.
So, if the Bible says evolution does not exist, then I feel it loses
credibility.”
So, we see that the Bible is historically reliable and
scientifically feasible. This makes it reasonable, even with our
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What is the opposite of faith? Many would say it is doubt.
But the opposite of faith in Jesus is not doubt—it’s faith
in someone or something besides him. The question is
not, “Do I have faith?” but rather, “In whom or in what do
I have faith?” Whom do I trust for approval, unconditional
love, and purpose for all of eternity? What do I trust will
give meaning and significance in life and bring justice
and restoration to the world? To answer such paramount
questions with anything other than “Jesus” a dubious leap
of faith indeed. But if he is who the Bible says he is, then
he can handle anything we trust him with—all of our faith
and all of our doubts!
Next Steps: The Leap of Doubt
There are two ways to doubt. Active doubters—whether
believers or skeptics—address their sincere questions
about whether the Bible is actually true. Christ followers
wrestle with their personal doubts and their culture’s
objections to their faith. Skeptics will examine the “blind
faith” on which their skepticism is based and perhaps
discover that their doubts are not as solid as they first
appeared.
But there is another way to doubt. Passive doubters might
read the Bible and attend church faithfully, but theirs is an
inherited, “bubble boy” faith; they have never struggled
to answer the hard questions about why they believe
as they do. Or perhaps their beliefs are well-established
intellectually and celebrated emotionally in some settings
but not consistently reflected in their everyday actions,
decisions, and emotional reactions.
7. Are you more of an active doubter or a passive
doubter? Explain.
•
For active doubters: Take several minutes to write
out your doubts and questions. Seek out answers
by reading books (such as The Reason for God by
Timothy Keller) or talking with your leaders and
mentors.
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Big Idea Discussion Guide
Session 1 - Hasn’t Science Disproven the Bible?
•
•
For passive doubters: Read again your answer to
question 6. Then share with one or two people in the
group how consistently living according to these truths
might affect your life.
For both: Think of one area or situation in which it is
difficult for you to trust God completely. Say a “step of
faith” prayer of trust in Him. Share if you feel comfortable.
Appendix
The Bible and History
RESPONSE TO “THE BIBLE IS HISTORICALLY UNRELIABLE”:
In 1993, archaeologists dug up the first extra-biblical
reference to King David. Up until then, only the Bible talked
about David—there were no inscriptions, no archaeological
digs, and no other documents that ever mentioned him.
Then in 2008, an archaeologist found a pottery shard from
the biblical era that refers to the battle between David and
Goliath.
“One city after another, one civilization after another, one
culture after another, whose memories were enshrined only
in the Bible, were restored to their proper places in ancient
history by the studies of archaeologists. Nowhere has
archaeological discovery refuted the Bible as history.” (from
Prophets, Idols, and Diggers: Scientific Proof of Bible History)
RESPONSE TO “THE BIBLE IS FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS”:
Comparing the Gospel accounts reveals some apparent
tensions and contradictions. But a long tradition of scholarly
study has shown that most of these can be explained with
reference to two principles.
First, the Gospel writers were not simply reporters but also
teachers. John 21:25 says that it would be impossible to put
together a complete account of all Jesus’ teachings and acts.
Each writer selected in accordance with his didactic goals.
For example, many have said that John contradicts the other
Gospels because he depicts Mary coming to the tomb alone
on Easter Sunday. And yet, when Mary runs to the disciples,
John reports her as saying, “They have taken the Lord out of
the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him” (Jn
20:2). Mary’s use of the plural “we” shows that John knew full
well that Mary had not gone to the tomb alone, and yet in the
first part of his account he chooses to focus on her exclusively.
Why? He wanted the interview of Jesus and Mary to be
highlighted.
Second, remember the selectivity of eyewitness memory. If,
as they claim, the Gospel writers were drawing on eyewitness
accounts (Peter, John, Mark, or any of the women), each
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witness would have seen only part of the events. Also,
in some cases, a fact could be described different ways
by eyewitnesses without being a contradiction. For
example, John says Mary arrived at the tomb “while
it was still dark” (Jn 20:1), but Matthew says it was “at
dawn” (Mt 28:1) and Mark says “just after sunrise” (Mk
16:2). At dawn, the degree of darkness or light is a
matter of opinion, and so three different people, there
at the same moment, might later describe that moment
in all three ways.
RESPONSE TO “THE BIBLE IS A COLLECTION OF
LEGENDS”:
It is often asserted that the New Testament gospels
were written so many years after the events happened
that the writers’ accounts of Jesus’s life can’t be trusted.
Many believe that the gospels were only four picked out
of dozens of other texts and were written to support
the church hierarchy’s power; the rest (including the
so-called “Gnostic gospels”) were suppressed. This belief
has been popularized by the bestselling book and
movie The Da Vinci Code, in which the original Jesus
is depicted as a great but clearly human teacher who,
many years after his death, was made into a resurrected
God by church leaders who did so to gain status in
the Roman empire. However, there are several good
reasons why the gospel accounts should be considered
historically reliable rather than legends:
The New Testament accounts of Jesus were written too
early to be legends
Luke, writing 30-40 years after the events of Jesus’ life,
claims to be painstakingly preserving historical facts,
“I myself have carefully investigated everything...so
that you may know the certainty of the things you
have been taught.” Similarly, in John 19:35 and 1 John
1:1-4, the writer claims to have been an eyewitness
of the events of Jesus’ life. These statements show
that ancient authors knew the difference between
an “orderly account” and spinning a tale. Luke notes
that many people who saw Jesus were still alive;
therefore, his readers could check his account with
these eyewitnesses. In Mark 15:21, the author refers
to “Alexander and Rufus” (the sons of the man who
carried the cross for Jesus) in a way that shows they
were well known to his readers. This shows that the
Gospels were written by people in a position to get and
report accurate historical information and were written
at a time when eyewitness memory about Jesus was
still widely available as a “check” on any fantastic or
fabricated claims.
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Paul, who wrote 15-20 years after the events of Jesus’ life,
records: “[The resurrected Jesus] appeared to more than five
hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom
are still living” (1 Co 15:6). Paul could not have written that
in a public document unless there actually were hundreds
of living eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen Jesus. Paul
could also confidently assert to government officials that the
events of Jesus’ life were public knowledge: “[These things
were] not done in a corner,” he said to King Agrippa (Acts
26:26). The people of Jerusalem had been in the crowds
that heard and watched Jesus; Paul could not say Jesus was
crucified when thousands of people were still alive who
knew whether he was or not. If there had not been a burial,
an empty tomb, and appearances after his death, and these
public documents claimed there had been, Christianity
would never have gotten off the ground. It would have been
impossible to have gained widespread support if its critical
historical claims were bluntly contradicted by numerous
living witnesses.
The documents are too detailed in their form to be legends
In Mark 4, there is a detail recorded which says that Jesus
was asleep on a cushion in the stern of a boat. In John 21 it
says that Peter was 100 yards out in the water when he saw
Jesus on the beach. He then jumped out of the boat and
together they caught 153 fish. In John 8, as Jesus listened
to the men who caught a woman in adultery, it says he
doodled with his finger in the dust. The best explanation for
why an ancient writer would mention such details, irrelevant
to the narrative, is because they had been retained in the
eyewitnesses’ memories.
The documents are too counterproductive in their content to
be legends
The argument goes that the Bible does not say what actually
happened; instead, it is what the church leaders wanted
people to believe in order to consolidate their power and
build their movement. However, if someone wanted to build
a movement, would they have included in the account that
their founder asked God for a way out (Mt 26:39)? Would
they attest—at a time in history when women’s testimony
was not even admissible evidence in court—that the first
witnesses to the resurrection were women? The leaders of
the early church were the successors to the apostles, and
yet on every page of the New Testament, the apostles look
like fools or cowards. Why would leaders of the early church
make up such accounts? The only plausible explanation is
that they actually happened. Otherwise, they are totally
counterproductive.
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The Bible and Miracles
RESPONSE:
The miraculous is particularly important for Christian belief.
Christians celebrate the miracle of the incarnation (the birth
of Jesus) each Christmas and the miracle of His resurrection
from the dead every Easter. The New Testament is filled with
accounts of miracles that Jesus performed during the course
of his ministry. Scientific mistrust of the Bible began with
the Enlightenment belief that miracles cannot be reconciled
to a modern, rational view of the world. Armed with this
presupposition, scholars turned to the Bible and said, “The
Biblical accounts can’t be reliable because they contain
descriptions of miracles.” The premise behind such a claim is
“Science has proven that there is no such thing as miracles.”
But embedded in such a statement is a leap of faith.
It is one thing to say that science is only equipped to test
for natural causes and cannot speak to any others. It is
quite another to insist that science proves that no other
causes could possibly exist. John Macquarrie writes:
Science proceeds on the assumption that whatever events
occur in the world can be accounted for in terms of other
events…just as immanent and this-worldly. [So]…miracle
is irreconcilable with our modern understanding of both
science and history.
Macquarrie is quite right to assert that, when studying
a phenomenon, the scientist must always assume there
is a natural cause. That is because natural causes are the
only kind its methodology can address. It is another thing
to insist that science has proven there can’t be any other
kind. There would be no experimental model for testing
the statement: “No supernatural cause for any natural
phenomenon is possible.” It is therefore a philosophical
presupposition and not a scientific finding. Macquarrie’s
argument is ultimately circular. He says that science, by its
nature, can’t discern or test for supernatural causes, and
therefore, those causes can’t exist.
The philosopher Alvin Plantinga responds: Macquarrie
perhaps means to suggest that the very practice of science
requires that one reject the idea (e.g.) 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. In fact, it would go the drunk one better: it
would insist that because the keys would be hard to find in
the dark, they must be under the light.
The other hidden premise in the statement “miracles cannot
happen” is “there can’t be a God who does miracles.” If there
is a Creator God, there is nothing illogical at all about the
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possibility of miracles. After all, if he created everything out
of nothing, it would hardly be a problem for him to rearrange
parts of it as and when he wishes. To be sure that miracles
cannot occur you would have to be sure beyond a doubt that
God didn’t exist, and that is an article of faith. The existence of
God can be neither demonstrably proven or disproven.
Matthew Arnold, the 19th-century thinker, was candid
about how he knew that miracles were impossible. He said
effectively: “Miracles cannot happen. Therefore miracles have
not happened.” There is an intellectual inconsistency involved
in objecting to the historicity of the Gospels because they
contain miracles. To say “miracles cannot happen” is a
philosophical assumption, not an empirical conclusion. If
there is a God, miracles would have to be possible, even if
you have never seen one. If a God exists who is capable of
making the world, why should he be incapable of altering
it? So to say miracles are impossible is to assume that there
cannot possibly be a God, a thesis that is impossible to prove
empirically, and therefore a philosophical assumption. This
is arguing in a circle—”miracles cannot happen, therefore
miracles have not happened.”
C.S. Lewis wrote, “When the Old Testament says that
Sennacherib’s invasion was stopped by angels (2 Ki 19:35),
and Herodotus says it was stopped by a lot of mice who
came and ate up all the bowstrings of his army (Herodotus,
Bk II, Sect 141), an open-minded person will be on the
side of the angels. Unless you start by [assuming miracles
cannot happen], there is nothing intrinsically unlikely in the
existence of angels or in the action ascribed to them. But
mice just don’t do these things.”
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. The Bible tells us that God did not originally
make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus
has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world
where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has
power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do
with that power. Jesus’ miracles are not just a challenge to our
minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want
is coming.
The Bible and Evolution
RESPONSE:
A frequent objection to the credibility of Christianity is the
seeming incompatibility between the “ancient” belief in a
God who created the world and who, for example, performed
miracles like the parting of the Red Sea, and the “modern”
world of genomes, Darwin, and the scientific method. One
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area where this tension is strong is in the area of evolution—
such that most people now think that if you believe in God
you can’t believe in evolution, and that if you believe in
evolution you can’t believe in God. Surely there we have a
head-on collision. No, that’s not the case.
First, many believe that the account in the Bible of how the
world was created completely contradicts the generally
accepted idea that human origin is a function of evolutionary
forces that can be explained in the natural world. It is
important when discussing the Bible to ask that people take
the time to honor the writers of the Bible by taking them
seriously—which means, for example, asking the question
“How does this author want to be understood?” One way to
discern how an author wants to be read is to distinguish what
genre the writer is using. For example, when Christians read
the Psalms they read it as poetry. When they read Luke, which
claims to be an eyewitness account (see Luke 1:1-4), they take
it as history. Any reader can see that the historical narrative
should be read as history and that the poetic imagery is to
be read as metaphorical. Many people believe that the book
of Genesis falls in the genre of “exalted prose narrative”—this
means that the author was making truth claims about the
world in which we live but that he wrote it in such a way
that it was not meant to be taken literally. For example, in
Genesis 1, natural order means nothing (e.g., light appears
before the sun is created), where in Genesis 2 natural order is
followed (Ge 2:5). So it seems clear that the author’s primary
intent was to show that “In the beginning God created.”
How he did it (i.e., in seven 24-hour days or over millions of
years representing seven epochs) is not the point. Once this
is understood, evolution, or any other scientific theory, is
no longer contradictory to the Bible—because the point of
Genesis is that the omnipotent, personal God created and
sustains all things. Since Christian believers occupy different
positions on both the meaning of Genesis 1 and on the
nature of evolution, those who are considering Christianity
as a whole should not allow themselves to be distracted by
this intramural debate. The skeptical inquirer does not need
to accept any one of these positions in order to embrace the
Christian faith. Rather, he or she should concentrate on and
weigh the central claims of Christianity. Only after drawing
conclusions about the person of Christ, the resurrection, and
the central tenets of the Christian message should one think
through the various options with regard to creation and
evolution.
Second, it is important to carefully define the terms when
engaged in a discussion on this topic. So for example, if
someone says something like, “I don’t believe in God because
I believe in evolution,” one response might be, “What do you
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mean by evolution?” For most people today, that word has
come to mean an overarching way to describe who we are,
how we got here, and where we are going. That is, everything
from our morality to our aesthetics to our shared logic have
been shaped by non-directed genetic mutation that helped
our ancestors survive. This is a significant departure from
understanding evolution as a biological process that explains
how species have changed and adapted over the years. One
is a worldview that is no less a faith position than Christianity;
the other is a scientific hypothesis. One scholar summarizes it
this way:
If “evolution” is...elevated to the status of a worldview of the
way things are, then there is direct conflict with biblical faith.
But if ‘evolution’ remains at the level of scientific biological
hypothesis, it would seem that there is little reason for
conflict between the implications of Christian belief in the
Creator and the scientific explorations of the way which—
at the level of biology—God has gone about his creating
processes.
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Session 1 - Leader’s Guide
Preface:
This series, by its nature, is going be intellectually challenging
for us, leaders and participants alike. But the effort we
put into it will pay dividends. 1 Peter 3:15 says: “Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to
give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with
gentleness and respect”. Pray that this series will remove
some intellectual obstacles and help people find their way
back to God. Also pray for Christ followers, that taking the
time and effort to address our doubts will strengthen our
faith and confidence in Jesus and allow us to speak to anyone
in the world with wisdom, nuance, and—most of all—love.
1. Have fun with this one! There are also thousands of other
alternatives on the website. Transition with the idea of
how transient and flimsy even firmly-held beliefs can be.
2. Encourage people to follow up their “yes” answer with
examples (e.g., friends or family members who grew
up in “religious” families but did not carry their faith
personally into adulthood, college students led astray by
liberal professors, people whose faith was shaken to the
core by tragedy or unanswered prayers, etc.)
you hold unprovable Belief B. Every doubt, therefore, is based
on a leap of faith.
I commend two processes to my readers. I urge skeptics
to wrestle with the unexamined “blind faith” on which
skepticism is based, and to see how hard it is to justify those
beliefs to those who do not share them. I also urge believers
to wrestle with their personal and culture’s objections to
the faith. At the end of each process, even if you remain
the skeptic or believer you have been, you will hold your
own position with both greater clarity and greater humility.
Then there will be an understanding, sympathy, and respect
for the other side that did not exist before. Believers and
nonbelievers will rise to the level of disagreement rather
than simply denouncing one another. This happens when
each side has learned to represent the other’s argument in its
strongest and most positive form. Only then is it safe and fair
to disagree with it. That achieves civility in a pluralistic society,
which is no small thing.
3. Here is a very cogent excerpt from The Reason for God:
I want to make a proposal that I have seen bear much fruit in
the lives of young New Yorkers over the years. I recommend
that each side look at doubt in a radically new way.
4. Doubt does not disqualify anyone from following Jesus,
experiencing His power, or even changing the world in
His name! Note how Jesus challenges Thomas not to give
in to his doubts but also responds to his request for more
evidence; He blesses and miraculously heals the son of
the man who admitted his doubt. These passages should
empower us to honestly admit our doubts to God and
others.
Let’s begin with believers. Believers should acknowledge and
wrestle with doubts—not only their own but their friends’
and neighbors’. It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just
because you inherited them. Only if you struggle long and
hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide
grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that
are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive. And, just as
important for our current situation, such a process will lead
you, even after you come to a position of strong faith, to
respect and understand those who doubt.
5. The goal of the summaries should be to have people
internalize the responses so well that they can give
an answer that can be used in a conversation. Ask the
groups ahead of time to minimize tangents. Remind the
group that no one ever argued anyone into faith but that
intellectual objections can be real obstacles to people
seeing Jesus for who He is. Lastly, emphasize humility
(IDK); one of the greatest objections to today’s church
is that “Christians are too confident they know all the
answers.”
But even as believers should learn to look for reasons behind
their faith, skeptics must learn to look for a type of faith
hidden within their reasoning. All doubts, however skeptical
and cynical they may seem, are really a set of alternate beliefs.
You cannot doubt Belief A except from a position of faith
in Belief B. For example, if you doubt Christianity because
“There can’t be just one true religion,” you must recognize
that this statement is itself an act of faith. No one can prove
it empirically, and it is not a universal truth that everyone
accepts. If you went to the Middle East and said, “There can’t
be just one true religion,” nearly everyone would say, “Why
not?” The reason you doubt Christianity’s Belief A is because
6. Here is one example: God created the world and can do
whatever miracle He sees fit. Jesus is God, lived a perfect
life on earth, and died a gruesome and shameful death
for my sins. He victoriously resurrected, abolishing death,
and went to heaven, sending His Spirit to guide and
empower me every second. He has a plan to restore the
world to what it was meant to be, and I am an integral
part of that plan.
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7. Close in prayer, giving people the opportunity to
honestly admit their doubts to God, saying, “Help my
unbelief!” and affirming or reaffirming their faith in Him.
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Session 2 - How Can A Loving
God Send Someone To Hell?
Big Idea
God’s judgment is not antithetical to God’s love when we
understand the nature of sin and hell in the Bible.
Icebreaker
Not counting church, when was the last time you heard hell
mentioned (e.g., in a conversation, movie, television show,
etc.). Was it funny? Scary? Serious?
Introduction
Our culture has no shortage of references to hell. For many
people, their reaction to the mention of hell has been shaped
by a variety of experiences. For some it was English teachers
cynically discussing a small sampling of Puritan sermons; for
others, it is memories of street preachers spewing judgment
at passers-by; for still others, it is movies they have seen, or
their own imaginations.
1. What is your gut reaction to the mention of hell? Why do
people feel uncomfortable talking about hell?
Objections about Hell
Many people have serious philosophical objections to the
idea of hell. Gaining a deeper understanding of what the
Bible says about hell is important if we wish to address
these doubts and defend our faith to skeptics. But in the
process, we will find that understanding hell is crucial to
understanding God’s character, grappling with injustice in
society, and grasping the nature of sin.
With that in mind, let’s look at some common objections
about hell.
OBJECTION: 1
“A God of judgment can’t be a God of love: “The only God that
is believable to me is a God of love. The Bible’s God is no more
than a primitive deity who must be appeased with pain and
suffering.”
3. Do you think it is contradictory to say that God is a God
of love and a God of wrath and judgment? Why?
2. What is hell? For guidance, take turns reading some of
the verses listed below. (Relax—we are not trying to
write a theology chapter; we just want to have a better
grasp on what the Bible says about hell.)
In Hope Has Its Reasons, Becky Pippert explains:
“Think about how we feel when we see someone we love
ravaged by unwise actions or relationships. Do we respond
with benign tolerance as we might toward strangers? Far
from it... Anger is not the opposite of love. Hate is, and the
final form of hate is indifference. God’s wrath is not a cranky
explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer which is
eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his
whole being.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
OBJECTION: 2
Hell in the Bible
As much as our culture tries to corner the market on hell, it is
important to remember that God started talking about hell
long ago—in the Bible.
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble
you 7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us
as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed
from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He
will punish those who do not know God and do not obey
the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with
everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of
the Lord and from the glory of his might.
“People who believe in a God of judgment will not seek to
reconcile with their enemies: “If you believe in a God who
smites evildoers, you may think it perfectly justified to do
some of the smiting yourself.”
Other verses to look up: Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 24:51;
25:30; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 12:47; 2 Peter 2:17; Jude 13;
Revelation 19:20; 21:8; 20:10,14-15; 2 Peter 3:8-13
Yale theologian Miroslav Volf, a Croatian who experienced
firsthand the violence in the Balkans, wrote:
If God were not angry at injustice and deception and did
not make a final end to violence—that God would not
6
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4. Why do you think some people might feel this way? How
would you respond?
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Session 2 - How Can A Loving God Send Someone to Hell?
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. 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. In a sun-scorched land, soaked in the blood of the
innocent, it will invariably die with other pleasant captivities
of the liberal mind.
OBJECTION: 3
“A loving God would not allow hell: “So, if someone hasn’t
made the right choices by the end of their life, God will cast
their soul into hell for all eternity? As their poor soul falls
through space, they will cry out for mercy, but God will say,
‘Too late! You had your chance! Now you will suffer!’”
Read the following passage from Luke 16: 19-31
19
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine
linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a
beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to
eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came
and licked his sores. 22“The time came when the beggar
died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich
man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was
in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with
Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,
have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger
in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in
this fire.’ 25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in
your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus
received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you
are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a
great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want
to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over
from there to us.’ 27“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father,
send Lazarus to my family, 28for I have five brothers. Let him
warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of
torment.’ 29“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the
Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30“‘No, father Abraham,’ he
said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent.’ 31“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and
the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone
rises from the dead.’”
5. Of all of Jesus’ many parables in the Bible, the only
character that is given a proper name is this poor beggar,
Lazarus. What can we learn from this passage about the
nature of hell?
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C.S. Lewis writes it this way:
Now there are a good many things which would not be
worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy
years, but which I had better bother about very seriously
if am going to live for ever. Perhaps my bad temper or my
jealousy are gradually getting worse—so gradually that
the increase in seventy years will not be very noticeable.
But it might be absolute hell in a million years: in fact, if
Christianity is true, Hell is the precisely correct term for what
it would be.
There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say
to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the
end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without
that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously
and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek
find. To those who knock it is opened.”
OBJECTION: 4
“Good people don’t deserve hell: “I would like to think that
I’m acceptable to God if I have good intentions, if I have a will
to be good, if I have a will to love, if I try hard to be a better
person. Surely all good, decent people can find God and go to
heaven.”
6. How would you respond to this sentiment?
Tim Keller:
Sin is a distortion and dislocation of the heart from its true
center in God (Ro 1:21–25). This distortion is expressed as
a basic motive for all human life—the heart desire of every
person to be his or her own savior and lord (the serpent’s
original temptation in Genesis 3:5 was “you will be like
God”). Søren Kierkegaard used very modern terms when he
defined sin as building your identity on anything besides
God. Sin, therefore, is something that everyone is doing all
the time. People who flout God’s moral law are doing this
overtly, of course, but even moral, religious people are trying
to be their own saviors by earning salvation and being
good. It is just as possible to avoid Jesus as Savior by keeping
God’s law as by breaking it. Everyone is separated from God
equally—regardless of the external form of behavior.
Conclusion and Next Steps
In the movie Thor, the disgraced god is distraught when his
power and identity are taken away. The advice he receives is
apt: “Was that a bad thing, finding out that you don’t have all
the answers? You start asking the right questions.” When it
comes to hell, there is much to which we must say, IDK. But let
us make sure that we are asking the right questions. How can
a loving God send someone to hell? The answer is that he did.
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Session 2 - How Can A Loving God Send Someone to Hell?
He sent his own son—Jesus—to experience hell on the cross
so that anyone who chooses to trust him can spend eternity
with Him.
•
Look back. Imagine a friend tells you that he has paid a
bill for you. How should you respond? You have no idea
until you know the size of the bill. Until you know how
much he paid, you do not know whether to shake his
hand or fall down and kiss his feet. Consider what you
have learned about hell and see what Jesus took for you.
Know how much he loves you! Write a prayer of thanks to
him.
•
Look ahead. The doctrine of God’s final judgment is the
strongest and most valid basis for us as human beings to
practice true benevolence, provide genuine forgiveness,
and work for justice in society. It can be exasperating
and heartbreaking to see the injustice in the world
around us and in our own personal relationships; we may
even feel the need to “make it right” or dole out justice
according to our own imperfect standards. But only
when we trust that God’s love will ruthlessly cure the
world of the cancer of sin and injustice can we live free of
that impossible burden. Identify a situation you need to
entrust to his perfect love and justice.
•
Look inside. Sin is making anything or anyone other
than God my identity and salvation. For the rich man, it
was his wealth and status. For many people today, it is
their good intentions and decency. Identify the things
or people that have taken God’s place in your own heart.
Make the choice to say, “Your will be done.”
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Session 2 - Leader’s Guide
Preface:
Hell is a potentially difficult and unpleasant topic to discuss.
But working through our hang-ups and preconceptions will
open doors to a new understanding of our own sin and of
God’s love.
1. Be ready for answers may range from the relatively trivial
to the extremely serious, such as people who have lost
loved ones whose faith was an unknown.
2. The Bible pulls no punches in describing hell as a terrible
fate. If time allows, it may be worth reading through
one or more of the following passages on heaven and
eternity: 1 Corinthians 15:35-52; Isaiah 60; Revelation 21
3. God’s wrath flows from his love for his creation. He is
angry at injustice, greed, self-centeredness, and evil
because they are destructive. And God will not tolerate
anything or anyone responsible for destroying the
creation and the people that he loves.
4. This quote is worth absorbing. For people living in a
generally peaceful society, peace and forgiveness are
categorically different than for those who have witnessed
their wives and daughters raped and murdered. But
God’s wrath and justice, rooted in his love, are the only
lasting basis for true forgiveness.
5. Notice that the rich man (who was undoubtedly
religious), even in the afterlife, still roots his identity in
his wealth and status, expecting Lazarus to continue
serving him. In some ways, the fairest understanding of
the afterlife is the Christian one, which says God gives
you what you want. If you want to live with God forever,
that’s heaven, and you get it. If you want to be your
own person, your own savior, your own lord, that’s hell,
and you get that—and you stay wanting it; you do not
suddenly change your mind.
6. The fact is, all of us—religious and irreligious, moral and
immoral—are trying to control our own lives rather than
relying on God. Everyone is doing this and we will not
“find God” until we admit this spiritual condition and seek
pardon and change through Jesus. Our eternal destiny
is dependent not on being good but on our response to
the grace of God and to Christ’s death on a cross in our
place, and on our willingness to admit that we are cut off
from God because of the pride and self-centeredness of
our hearts.
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Session 3 - How Can A Loving
God Allow So Much Suffering?
Big Idea
God is a God of love and enters into our suffering and
redeems it through His own suffering.
Icebreaker
We all regularly run across minor “inconveniences” in our
lives that can hardly be considered “suffering,” yet we
act like they are: the computer hangs for two seconds;
the cell phone battery dies too fast; the slow-moving
car in front of us misses the green light. (Fortunately,
these complaints can be tweeted or posted on facebook
while driving...) The term that’s been coined for this is
“bourgeois suffering.”
What examples of “bourgeois suffering” can you think of?
Introduction
Imagine this scenario: A friend comes to you distraught
because of a recent tragedy (e.g., the death of a loved
one) and says, “I can’t believe in a God who would allow
this to happen to me—who would allow this kind of
suffering?”
1. Which of the following responses do you think
would be the most helpful to your friend? Which
would be the least helpful? Explain why.
A. Reassuringly and thoughtfully remind your friend
that God always “works for the good of those
who love him”
B. Gently and with compassion try to tell your
friend about why God might allow their suffering
C. Share your own stories of difficulty and suffering
D. With compassion and love say things like, “I’m
sure that somehow it’s all going to work out for
the best”
E. Listen to your friend without saying much in
response
F. Put an arm around your friend and kindly use
phrases such as, “Remember, it will only make
you stronger.”
2. What is most helpful to YOU when you experience
suffering? (either one of the options above, or a
different one)
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Suffering and God
In 2004, a massive tsunami killed more than 250,000 people
around the rim of the Indian Ocean. Over the following
weeks, newspapers and magazines were full of letters and
articles asking “Where was God?” One reporter wrote: “If
God is God, he’s not good. If God is good, he’s not God. You
can’t have it both ways.”
The same could be said of disasters in Haiti, Joplin, and
Japan, not to mention the widespread injustices we see in
the world around us every day.
Many people say that the reality of appalling evil and
suffering in the world is one of the main reasons they
cannot believe in the God of the Bible. For some, this
objection is primarily philosophical: God is portrayed as
a God who is both all-powerful and all good. If that God
exists, He would not create a world filled with pointless evil.
Yet the world is filled with pointless evil; therefore, the God
of the Bible cannot exist.
3. What is your reaction to this line of reasoning? Does
the existence of horrendous, inexplicable suffering
disprove the existence of a God who is both allpowerful and all good?
4. Clearly, the existence of suffering in the world is
difficult for anyone to comprehend. Do you think it is
more of a problem for someone who believes in God
or for someone who does not believe in God?
Suffering and Me
While some people find suffering to be a primarily
philosophical problem, others have more personal or
emotional obstacles. They simply don’t want to worship
or follow a God who would allow evil and suffering. Read
these examples of some people’s thoughts on suffering:
“Why does God allow suffering?’ My first thought is—why
not? Suffering is life, that is a given, so there is no reason to
question why it’s there or even to remove it from your life.”
“I sweep it under the rug and just try and forget about it,
just cross it out of my mind and pretend it never happened,
and that’s one way that I can usually deal with suffering.”
“Things happen and we suffer and then later we gain
understanding about what that suffering was.”
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Session 3 - How Can A Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?
5. What do you think of these responses? How do people
you know usually deal with trying to understand
the suffering they see in their own lives or the world
around them?
6. Do you know or know of anyone who handles
suffering well? What is it that you admire about how
they handle it?
7. The Bible is filled with the cries of people—including
many biblical authors—who are deeply perplexed by
the magnitude and the unjust distribution of instances
of evil and suffering. Can you recall some of these?
8. The Bible is also filled with many verses that help
Christians understand the general purposes for
suffering. Can recall any of these?
Suffering and Jesus
“There may be no greater inner agony than the loss
of a relationship we desperately want. If a passing
acquaintance turns on you, condemns and criticizes you,
and says she never wants to see you again, it is painful.
If a close friend does the same thing, it is qualitatively
more painful. But if your spouse does this to you, or if one
of your parents does this to you when you’re still a child,
the psychological damage is infinitely worse. We cannot
fathom, however, what it would be like to lose not just
spousal love or parental love that has lasted several years,
but the infinite love of the Father that Jesus had from all
eternity.” - Tim Keller
9. Recall your answer to question 2. How does the fact
that God faced suffering help you deal with suffering?
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look!
God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he
will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God. 4‘He will wipe
every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away.” 5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am
making everything new!”
10. How might reflecting on the resurrection and heaven
help you deal with suffering now?
Conclusion
Why does God allow evil and suffering in the world? The
answer is a resounding, “IDK!” But when we understand what
Jesus suffered on the cross, we know what the answer is not.
It is not that God does not love us. It is not that he does not
care about our sufferings. It is not that he is detached and
indifferent. God takes our misery and suffering so seriously
that he was willing to take it on himself. We can know that
God is truly Immanuel—God with us—even in our worst
sufferings.
Next Steps
•
•
•
•
•
Look up. Write out a prayer to God, expressing your trust
in him even amidst sufferings you may not understand.
Look inside. Identify one or two areas in your personal
life or character that God might use suffering to
help you grow. Pray that God would use any means
necessary to make you more like Jesus.
Look back. Write a prayer thanking Jesus for enduring
unimaginable suffering for your sake.
Look ahead. Write a prayer thanking God that any
suffering we experience now will mean that heaven will
be all the more glorious.
Look around. What are some places you see suffering
around you? What is one thing you can do to walk
alongside those suffering? What suffering are you going
through that you can give other people the opportunity
to walk alongside you?
Revelation 21: 1-5 describes John’s vision of heaven:
1
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and
there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the
new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
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Session 3 - Leader’s Guide
of others: story of Joseph; Philippians 1:14; 2 Corinthians
4:7-12; for Christ’s sake: Galatians 2:20; 1 Peter 4:12-16;
Philippians 1:29, 3:8-10; Romans 8:17-18; 2 Corinthians
4:17
1. Encourage everyone to pick one of the options, or add
their own—and explain WHY.
2. The point here is to turn the question inward and
answer how you personally like/need others to
respond to you in your suffering. Make sure nobody
feels judged for their answer.
3. First, evil and suffering do not argue against the
existence of God. The argument stated in the
preceding paragraph assumes that if there is a reason
for evil and suffering, then we as humans should
be able understand or grasp it. But this argument
breaks down when if we try to assert that if we
cannot understand it, then God cannot have a good
or justifiable reason. TIM KELLER: If you have a God
great and transcendent enough to be mad at because
he hasn’t stopped evil and suffering in the world,
then you have (at the same moment) a God great
and transcendent enough to have good reasons for
allowing it to continue that you can’t know. Indeed,
you can’t have it both ways.
4. Second, evil and suffering actually argue for the
existence of God. Simply put, if there is no God, there
is no basis to call anything “evil.” The fact that there is
a largely universal moral standard in the world points
to a God that is the source of that morality. C.S. LEWIS:
My argument against God was that the universe
seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this
idea of “just” and unjust”?…What was I comparing
this universe with when I called it unjust?…Of course
I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it
was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did
that, then my argument against God collapsed too—
for the argument depended on saying that the world
was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to
please my private fancies….
5. and 5. encourage people to share both negative and
positive examples they have seen.
Job repeatedly asked God to explain to him the reason
for his suffering. But when God finally met with Job,
God never gave him an answer. If at any point God
had said to Job, “Let me tell you all the reasons why
you’re suffering,” Job would have said, “Oh, so that’s it!
I’m going to be famous, I’m going to inspire millions of
people with my courage and nobility.” Here’s the irony—
Job would never have become the great person that
he became if he knew why he was suffering. And when
we are in the middle of suffering, we should not try to
imagine reasons that would justify it.
8. On the cross, Jesus’ cry of dereliction—‘My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?’—is a deeply relational
statement. Jesus still uses the language of intimacy—
’my God’—even as he experiences infinite separation
from the Father. The death of Jesus was qualitatively
different from any other death. The physical pain was
nothing compared to the spiritual experience of cosmic
abandonment. On the cross, he went beyond even the
worst human suffering and experienced rejection and
pain that exceed ours as infinitely as his knowledge and
power exceed ours. Why did he do it? Jesus came on a
rescue mission for creation; he had to pay for our sins
so that someday he can end evil and suffering... without
ending us.
9. The Bible says that when God comes back he is going
to renew and cleanse this earth. Bodies, loved ones,
homes will be restored, purified, and beautified. It will
be a life in which God’s people hug and eat and dance.
Resurrection is the restoration of life. Jesus’ resurrection
means resurrection for all those who believe in him
into this new heaven and new earth. It means that
everything sad will come untrue, everything sad is
going to be brought up into the future glory and is
going to be made infinitely better for all the suffering
and evil having once been true.
6. Depending on where your group’s Bible knowledge is
at, you can suggest these examples: Judges 6:13; Job
23:2-9; Psalm 73:2-14; Ecclesiastes 7:15; Jeremiah 12:14; Habbakuk 1:2-4
7. Christians suffer: for their own sake: Psalm 46; Daniel
4:24-37; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; Psalm 119:67-72; Romans
8:18-29; Romans 5:3-4; Hebrews 12:1-11; for the sake
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Session 4 - How Could Jesus Be
The Only Way?
Big Idea
Jesus is the only way to salvation. He represents God’s
grace to us, which makes us gracious to others.
Icebreaker
There are two types of people in the world: those who
read instructions and those who don’t. Which type of
person are you? How do you respond to being told
exactly how to do something?
Tolerance
We live in a society that regards tolerance as one of
its highest virtues. Religious tolerance is especially
relevant in a modern, pluralistic world, where there are
about 2 billion Christians, more than 1 billion Muslims,
700 million Hindus, 350 million Buddhists, 150 million
atheists, and 14 million Jews, not to mention the
growing number of people who consider themselves
spiritual but do not adhere to organized religion.
Our lives in America are increasingly entwined with a
dizzying variety of peoples and cultures from all over
the globe whose beliefs about God and spirituality are
deeply integrated into their history and identity. If we
are to function effectively in a global society, we simply
must be tolerant of those who have religious beliefs
that are different from our own.
1. Do you consider “tolerance” a positive word or a
negative word? What about “intolerance”? Explain.
Jesus and Tolerance
Jesus of Nazareth is arguably the most important person
in history; the entire civilized world has been influenced
by him. Two thousand years ago, Jesus walked the land of
Israel, healing the sick, raising the dead, showing mercy to
sinners, and preaching a gospel of love, peace, joy, and...
intolerance. That’s right: Jesus was intolerant. Here are
some of the things he said:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not
believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
(John 8:24)
“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one
knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the
Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)
3. What is your gut reaction to hearing what Jesus said in
these verses? Why?
Objections to Exclusivity
Many people think like this: “Since there are so many ways to
find God, Christianity is only one among many valid options.
Every religious group, while perhaps a majority somewhere, is
also inevitably a minority somewhere else. The other religions
of the world have millions of adherents, producing much
wisdom, character, and happiness, so Christians should not
claim to have the best faith or the only true faith.”
Read aloud the following three objections that are
commonly raised regarding Christianity’s claim to be the
only way to God.
2. How do you think people settle on their religious
and fundamental world views? How did you?
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A. “All major religions are equally valid and basically
teach the same thing. Nobody can know which one is
true, so Christianity can’t claim it is the only true way.”
B. “Lots of good and intelligent people differ with the
Christian viewpoint, so it is arrogant to claim that
Christian beliefs are the only true ones.”
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Session 4 - How Could Jesus Be the Only Way?
C. “You can’t hold people responsible for rejecting Jesus
when they have never heard of him.”
Conclusion
4. Divide into three groups, each taking one of these
objections and determining how you would handle
it. Then re-convene and share your thoughts with the
other groups.
In a pluralistic society, saying “Jesus is the only way” looks
very intolerant; therefore, we must be humble, respectful,
and sympathetic. But if we believe what Jesus said about
himself, then we must believe it is a superior way to go.
It is precisely when we realize that Jesus is the only way,
when we admit our failure to achieve moral superiority and
acknowledge our need for a Savior, that we can be truly
tolerant of anyone.
Jesus and Religion
Next Steps
The major world religions are either legalistic (e.g.,
Orthodox Judaism, Islam) or deterministic (e.g., Hinduism,
Buddhism). Put simply, followers of legalistic religions
hope to earn salvation through behavior that is adequately
virtuous or moral, while believers in deterministic religions
see themselves fitting into a pre-determined and circular
pattern of life that eventually leads to a common ending.
•
Write a prayer of thankfulness for the undeserved and
unearned salvation available in Jesus Christ.
•
Pray for one or two people you know who have not
found their way back to God. Pray that God would give
them an opportunity to know the true Jesus.
•
Connect with at least one or two people who have
different beliefs than you. Have a conversation
with them, listening to where they are on their
spiritual journey and sharing your own journey if the
opportunity arises.
5. Into which of these categories would you say that the
message of Jesus falls? Explain.
It is widely believed that one of the main barriers to
world peace is religion, especially the major religions with
exclusive claims to superiority. Religion creates a slippery
slope in the heart. Each religion informs its followers that
they have “the truth,” that they are saved and connected
to God by devotedly living according to that truth;
this naturally leads them to feel superior to those with
differing beliefs. This moves them to separate from those
who are less devoted and pure in life. Therefore, it is easy
for one group to stereotype and caricature others. Once
this situation exists, it can easily spiral down into the
marginalization of others or even to active oppression,
abuse, or violence against them. - Tim Keller
6. How does the message of the gospel differ from
“religion” described above?
7. How does this message dictate how its believers
interact with people who do not share its beliefs? How
does this look for you practically?
Community Christian Church / www.communitychristian.org
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Big Idea Discussion Guide
Session 4 - Leader’s Guide
1. Discuss why intolerance has become taboo. No one
can deny that rhetoric on the subject of religion
often gets heated or disrespectful and that there has
been terrible intolerance by the church throughout
history. However, just because two people hold two
contradictory positions does not necessarily mean
the people are hostile—just that they hold two
different views of ultimate reality.
2. Give people the opportunity to share their own
stories and touch on the different factors (e.g.,
cultural, intellectual, relational, etc.) that bring people
to faith in Jesus.
3. Jesus’ own words leave no room for ambiguity.
He claimed himself to be God and the only way to
the Father. Because of his own claims, he cannot
be dismissed as merely a wise teacher advocating
a general morality indistinguishable from other
religions.
4. After allowing the groups to come up with
their answers, here are some points that can be
emphasized:
a. While this statement may initially seem open-minded,
it does not seriously listen to what other religions
are actually saying and glosses over the differences
between them. A Buddhist believes in no god, a Jew
believes in one God, and a Hindu believes in many
gods. Asserting that all religions are equally valid
requires these religions to deny their core views of
reality; in a real sense, it is actually a religious belief of
its own, one that is itself deeply intolerant of all other
views of reality.
b. We should be quick to acknowledge the existence
of Christians who are, at times, arrogant and
disrespectful to those who disagree with them.
But making a truth claim does not inherently equal
arrogance. Imagine a research scientist claims to
have discovered the cure to some fatal disease and
proceeds to publish articles and give lectures on
the subject. Would it necessarily be arrogant of her
to declare that she had found the cure that no one
else had found? Moreover, those who say that it is
arrogant to persuade others to a religious position are
themselves doing the very thing they are forbidding.
c. Christians need to concede that we do not know
everything God knows about this dilemma. We are
told clearly that God is just and merciful and that
he initiates the belief in Jesus necessary for a saving
relationship with God.
Community Christian Church / www.communitychristian.org
5. Trick question alert! Be prepared to deal sensitively
with anyone in your group who has yet to grasp the
message of the gospel, which is neither legalistic nor
deterministic.
6. Awesome opportunity to be blown away by the sheer
grace of the gospel.
7. Here is another fantastic quote from Keller from The
Reason For God. It is worth reading aloud, if time
allows.
The early Christians were surrounded by a world with
open and seemingly tolerant religious views (everyone
had their own god), but the practices of that culture were
brutal. The Greco-Roman world was highly stratified
economically, with a huge distance between the rich and
poor, who were despised. Women had very low status,
being subjected to high levels of female infanticide, forced
marriages, and lack of economic equality. By contrast,
Christians insisted that there was only one true God,
Jesus Christ; yet their lives and practices were remarkably
welcoming to those despised and marginalized by the
culture. They mixed people from different races and
classes in ways that seemed scandalous to those around
them. They gave generously, not only to their own poor
but to those of other faiths. Christianity afforded women
much greater security and equality than had previously
existed in the ancient world. During the terrible urban
plagues of the first two centuries, Christians cared for all
the sick and dying in the city, often at the cost of their
lives.
Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to
behavior that was so open to others? It was because
Christians had within their belief system the strongest
possible resource for practicing sacrificial service,
generosity, and peace-making. At the very heart of their
view of reality was a man who died for his enemies,
praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only
lead to a radically different way of dealing with those who
were different from them. It meant they could not act in
violence and oppression toward their opponents.
Big Idea Discussion Guide
Written By Joseph Lee
Edited by Carter Moss
For copies of Big Idea products visit www.bigidearesources.com