Lecture 3 covers chapter three of the Understanding Theism 101 book. The book is available through Amazon.
Author: BiblicalThinking101
Theism 101 Lecture 2
This lecture covers chapter 2. There may have been some difficulties with the recording – Sorry!
Lecture Series
Understanding Theism 101 Lecture Series Begins April 16th. Youtube links will be added weekly.
The first week is a simple introduction of worldviews as a concept to a Sunday School class at HEART of Junction church in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Update on Understanding Biblical Mental and Emotional Health 101
Although the copy for the new book has been completed some time ago, the editing process is taking longer than anticipated. I am hoping for a June or July release of the final paperback copy.
Launch Celebration for Understanding Theism 101 and biblicalthinking101.com
October 4th, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. MST
Welcome to our launch party for Understanding Thesism 101 AND biblicalthinking101.com. The live event will feature give-aways and lots of news about the current book, the upcoming book, Understanding Biblical Mental and Emotional Health 101, and website info including our formal introduction to Bob the Blob, PhD. There will be a limited number of copies of Understanding Theism 101 available for purchase @ $20 each. You can order the book online from your favorite bookseller as well.
Welcome to Biblical Thinking 101
Our mission statement: We want to assist believers in Christ to follow authentic biblically theistic truths by challenging our basic understanding of the world and we are to operate within that world.
Oh, yeah, we want to have a little fun along the way! The hero of the website and the Biblical Thinking 101 series of books is our friend, Bob the Blob, PhD. Bob and his friends have unique and charming observations to share, and many of those thoughts are mug and tee-shirt friendly, so check out our store. Purchases from the store will help us to write and distribute more books
Understanding Theism 101 is the first book in the Bibilcal Thinking 101 series. One pastor has ordered a copy for every family in his church, saying that he believes that the book is critically important for people if they hope to understand the world they are trying to reach for Christ. Another reader told us that he purchased a copy for his college-aged children, hoping that the open approach to different ways of thinking might help them to reconnect with their faith. It really is a first step toward making sense of the Christian faith and the world in which we live.
Darrin Crow is the Senior Pastor at HEART of Junction, a church in Grand Junction, Colorado. He helped to plant the church in 1998 with a small group of college students. His wife, Stephanie, is an expert in children’s ministries and paddleboarding. His son Liesen leads worship at HEART of Junction, and his daughter Blythe works with youth and is the founding director of a non-profit in Kenya called She Has A Name (shehasaname.info). Darrin has degrees in Leadership Management and Counseling Psychology.
Becoming Biblical Thinkers
The apostle Paul strikes upon the essence of what it is to be a biblical thinker. He says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8 ESV).
Have you ever heard the phrase that computer programmers use? “Garbage in, garbage out.” Or, the excellent diet advice, “You are what you eat”? Jesus put His two cents in on this topic when he said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45 ESV). Each of these thoughts gives importance to Paul’s advice in his letter from a Roman prison to the Philippian church. Paul encouraged his friends to “think on these things.”
Thinking is an underrated activity in the world in general. Thinking is the process of using our minds to consider or to reason about something. I’m not sure that contemporary western Christianity is focused on thinking. There is a lot of focus upon teaching – the idea that I will tell you what to believe. There is a focus upon learning – the idea that you will memorize and keep a list of your beliefs. There is a focus upon knowing – the idea that you intrinsically understand the heart and mind of Christ because he dwells within us. Teaching, learning, and knowing. It seems that thinking is an implied part of the system, but in reality it is not a tool that is used to its maximum efficiency.
That is why we are going to focus on the basics of biblical thinking. In Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians, he began with an interesting first category for us to think upon – “whatever is true.” How do we know what is true, especially in this day and age where everybody has their own truth? By faith, in order to be biblical thinkers, we have to trust that the Bible is timeless and complete. Paul reminded Timothy that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (I Timothy 3:16 ESV). If we do not believe that God’s word is capable of completely informing us as we maneuver through life, we are simply using too broad of a definition for “truth” to call ourselves biblical thinkers.
Biblical thinkers, then, use all of the scriptures as distinct points of understanding which can be used in a reasonable way to help us to construct pathways and methodologies for life. In our 101 classrooms, we will discuss the reasonable coming together of scripture within the context of such subjects as, Theism, Mental and Emotional Health, Parenting, Marriage, Finances and more. We will hope to use God’s word to find His truth.