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Community Church of Portage Lakes

Evolution, and Creation and Morality- Responding To The Objections of Skeptics - Week 6

Evolution, and Creation and Morality- Responding To The Objections of Skeptics - Week 6

Sunday evening study with Pastor Mike

Locations & Times

Community Church of Portage Lakes

3260 Cormany Road, Akron, OH 44319, USA

Sunday 6:30 PM

About the study

How do you feel when you face the prospect of discussing issues of faith with someone who is a skeptic, or even a self-proclaimed opponent to the Christian faith? Far too many Christians feel intimidated, and/or ill prepared. Some even fear these discussions out of a concern that their faith won’t hold up to the arguments against it.

First, it is vital for us as followers of Christ to know that our faith is rooted in truth. It’s not just spiritual truth, but ultimate truth. And since it is the case, our faith will ultimately hold up against any critique, objection, or argument. It is essential for our own faith that we are secure in the truthfulness of what we believe

Beyond that, the Bible teaches that as followers of Christ, we should seek to know our faith to a degree that we are able to answer the objections of skeptics. Colossians 4:5-6 teaches that we should, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” The New Living Translation puts the command of verse 6 into language that is more relatable, calling us to “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

The goal of this class is to help you become more confident in the truthfulness of your faith. This will enable you to not only to stand strong when facing the objections of skeptics, but also to be able to give the right response to each person. We will be looking at questions that skeptics will often use to attack the Christian faith in a number of areas, from science, to history, to morality. In answering these objections, it is important that we have both an answer against the attack that Christianity is false, as well as a positive argument for the truthfulness of our faith.

Throughout this class Pastor Mike will mention numerous resources that dive deeper into the subjects he is teaching on. Some of these resources our video teaching series available on Right Now Media. Right Now Media is a video streaming service focused on Bible studies and Christian teaching. Some have described it like a Netflix for Bible studies.

Community Church of Portage Lakes has a church membership to Right Now Media that allows us two offer a full access membership to everyone associated with our church without charge. If you have not yet signed up for Right Now Media, and would like to, please email Jaime at the church office, telling her you would like access to this video library. You can email her at Info@ccpl.life

She will email you back an invitation from Right Now Media to join in our membership. Follow the instructions in that email, or you can call the church office for help if you need it.

This is an incredible resource with a huge library. We hope that you will take advantage of this resource not only for the material recommended in this class, but also for other Bible studies and video classes.
How to interact
Text questions to 330-644-6121 or if you are in person you can walk up to microphones at the front.
Notes for tonight's study
Responding to the Objections of Skeptics
Week 6; Evolution, and Creation and Morality
Common questions and objections:
“Science proves evolution”
“Christianity is a belief system that is at odds with scientific fact”
“How can a good God allow evil?”
“How can you believe in God when you see all the evil in the world?”
Foundational truth; Everyone has to ________________ in something eternal and transcendent
All views about the origin of the universe and life appeal to science and _____________
Do the _______________ support the claims of evolution or creation
I. The eternal & transcendent __________ of the universe
a. The ______________ argument
1. Everything that had a beginning, _____________
2. The universe _________________
3. Therefore the universe _______________
b. Key Question; Where did everything _____________
1. The universe and matter are eternal; A __________ universe
2. The universe and matter are eternal; A __________ universe
3. The Big Bang; Everything was created from _____________
4. Creation; God is the _______________
II. The ___________ of the universe; Could this happen ____________
III. The transcendent and the ________________
IV. Evolution or creation – how do we ______________
a. Evolution and the __________ for morality
b. Understanding God's ___________
1. God has ________ his moral law __________ of the world
2. God’s Moral law isn't just a question of ________________–
It defines what is ________ and how _____________
3. God’s moral law is ___________ and _______________
V. God and _____________ of evil
How can a good and loving God allow evil?
a. The ____________________ of the question
b. The __________ of evil
c. God and ___________ of evil
Recommended resources
Books

The Case for a Creator: By Lee Stroble

"My road to atheism was paved by science . . . but, ironically, so was my later journey to God," Strobel says.During his academic years, Lee Strobel became convinced that God was obsolete, a belief that colored his journalism career. Science had made the idea of a Creator irrelevant--or so Strobel thought.But today science points in a different direction. A diverse and impressive body of research has increasingly supported the conclusion that the universe was intelligently designed. At the same time, Darwinism has faltered in the face of concrete facts and hard reason. Has science discovered God? At the very least, it's giving faith an immense boost, as new findings emerge about the incredible complexity of our universe.Join Strobel as he reexamines the theories that once led him away from God. Through his compelling and highly readable account, you'll encounter the mind-stretching discoveries from cosmology, cellular biology, DNA research, astronomy, physics, and human consciousness that present compelling evidence in The Case for a Creator.Also available: The Case for a Creator small group video study and study guide, Spanish edition, kids' edition, student edition, and more.
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Creator-Journalist-Investigates-Scientific/dp/0310339286

God's Crime Scene

There are four ways to die, and only one of them requires an intruder. Suicides, accidental, and natural deaths can occur without any evidence from outside the room. But murders typically involve suspects external to the crime scene. If there's evidence of an outside intruder, homicide detectives have to prepare for a chase. Intruders turn death scenes into crime scenes.
Join J. Warner Wallace, former atheist, seasoned cold-case detective, and popular national speaker as he tackles his most important case ... with you on the jury!
With the expertise of a cold-case detective, J. Warner examines eight critical pieces of evidence in the "crime scene" of the universe to determine if they point to a Divine Intruder. If you have ever wondered if something (or someone) outside the natural realm created the universe and everything in it, this is the case for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Crime-Scene-Cold-Case-Detective/dp/1434707849
Video Series on Right Now Media
If you need access to Right Now Media please call
Jaime in the office 330-644-6121

The Case for a Creator

By Lee Strobel
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/403775

Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis

By The Institute for Creation Research
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/302139

God's Crime Scene

By J. Warner Wallace
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content/Series/344716