"I feel that God is doing something new. Our church people are being stirred to hunger to find out what and why they believe", a friend shared recently.
"Yet the general culture of the church does not encourage or actively discourage the life of the mind. How ar?"
I can empathize with the loneliness of being the only person who asks the awkward questions. The best thing to do is find a group of brothers and sisters who share similar values, and keep fanning the flame. Else, discouragement easily seeps in.
Then, as a group, try to contribute positively to the life of the church as RESOURCE that others in your church can turn to for help or advice. Greg Koukl highlighted three things: visibility, excellence, and a good attitude.
Nobody likes an arrogant know-it-all who criticises the church without doing anything constructive. Use your gifts to build up the church - ethics for social issues, apologetics for evangelistic programs, marketplace theology for vocations, practical stuffs etc.
I'm happy to see informal networks like Think Avenue. Gim Han, Daniel and some MMU people get together "to question and to have a deeper understanding of our faith, to learn from each other, to give and to receive"...
Especially how they sought to integrate the Christian faith in a way that is relevant to what is happening to society today... :)
Way to go, guys! Keep fanning the flame at Think Avenue
Another group of 'younger evangelicals' will be meeting up at Community Baptist Church, SS2 twice a month to study "The Journey So Far" by Peter Hicks. The book is basically on the history and development of philosophy in the world through the ages written from a Christian perspective. I am told the it is
fairly easy reading.
They would cover Plato & Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Pascal & Spinoza, Immanuel Kant, Hegel, Wittgenstein & Language Games, Hermeneutics and Postmodernism under the supervision of Ron Choong (ACTS MINISTRY)
Oh! Ron will be back in Malaysia to do a course on apologetics somewhere in June, under Malaysia Bible Seminari. Keep your calendar booked, if keen :D
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