This page is a list of resources to help students work through common questions in the search for truth.

The truth has nothing to fear from scrutiny. Scrutiny only brings to light the facets and depth of truth to the investigator. Lies may attempt to hide what is true, but what is true remains unchanged by those who obscure it. On the contrary, what is not true has much to fear from scrutiny, as an investigation will expose its falsehood.

There are real, logical, reasoned answers. This is an attempt to bring some of them to your attention.

All people have these things in common:

1) None of us measure up to the standard of perfect goodness that our Creator God requires of us.

2) The only way we can be made acceptable to God is to believe Him and receive the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, provided through His death, burial, and resurrection.

The key to understanding this is found in the identity of Jesus Christ, as revealed by God in His book, the Holy Bible. The dividing line for all of us is whether or not we will accept God’s testimony by faith.

Will you believe God? Everybody believes somebody. Who do you trust to tell you the truth? Every person has to go through their own process of discovery. The journey can be made easier through listening to what preceding sojourners have to say. This page is intended to lead serious inquirers to reliable answers. Check it out for yourself.

Here are some initial resources designed to answer questions commonly asked by university/college students and young adults.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

If you ignore Jesus Christ, you cannot have truth. You cannot have life. You cannot know the way. Truth must have an absolute, unchangeable anchor. This is all wrapped up in the identity and character of Jesus Christ. That anchor is God’s word.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17; see also John 1:1 with Genesis 1:1)

Truth vs Certainty

Those who pursue truth may have a change of opinion about what is true when confronted with evidence that contradicts their firmly held beliefs.

Those who pursue certainty over truth will overlook obvious facts that do not confirm the things they hold to be certain. They may only look to find facts that uphold what they already believe, and discard evidence contrary to those beliefs.

True Christianity is the most tolerant of all belief systems, because it is based upon the pursuit of truth — which is ultimately found in the Author of truth and His written word. It has little to fear from other religions, because the truth always prevails even when the messengers of truth do not.

What is truth? When Pontius Pilate asked this question, Jesus had already given His disciples the answer: truth is found first and foremost in believing Him. (John 14:6)

What is the truth? The question itself proposes the idea that not all ideas are true. One must acknowledge that some things are true and other things are not true. When I desire to cross a busy road, I must answer the question: is a car coming or not?

“The door to the truth is the will, not the intellect.”

— Bill Dillon

In other words, a person who is not looking for truth will not see it, because he is not looking for it. Instead, he is looking for information to support what he already believes at the expense of truth.

The old saying applies: “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Since Adam and Eve, people have been tempted to not believe or trust God. The choice to doubt God and believe other voices has been at the root of all kinds of evil.

Where do you find information that leads to what is actually true? What resources have other people assembled to help truth seekers make informed decisions? How can we identify the lies that are constantly being fed to us?

The links below are for the purpose of giving information to those people who are pursuing truth. No presenter is perfect, but these sources have consistently demonstrated an inclination to correct errors where found in their pursuit of truth.

“The Biblical worldview is the one that matches reality.”

— Del Tackett

Due to relativism, life is like a puzzle with a bunch of other pieces thrown in. Without the picture as a reference, the puzzle is nearly impossible to assemble.

Bible Foundations

Never assume that the foundations have been given. When you intentionally teach the Biblical foundations, don’t be surprised if you hear, “I have never heard that before” — from church people, especially from people who have never been in church.

The apostle Paul wrote, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

At the core of Christianity is the identity of Jesus. The knowledge of that identity begins in Genesis 1. If people have never heard what God has written about His identity and purpose on earth, then they have never had the opportunity to exercise faith — to believe Him. Apologetic arguments fall on broken bells which do not resonate with the truth of God’s character. Truth spoken without love and respect is just loud noise. Faith comes by hearing God’s word. Biblical faith means “believing God” — the God of the Bible who cannot lie. Biblical faith is not blind, but is accompanied by substance and evidence that the God who has spoken is reliable and demands trust. (Hebrews 11:1 & 6)

Teaching the Bible foundationally helps people to see the character of God and the reliability of His word.

“The beauty of the Chronological Bible Teaching system is this: you don’t have to argue a person into believing the Bible. If they listen, they will understand it. In understanding it they will either intelligently accept the Bible’s message or they will reject it. It’s their choice.”

— John Cross, in Now We See Clearly

How do you intentionally establish Biblical foundations? The best resource of which I am aware is the Firm Foundations series produced by Ethnos360. The course is a framework to guide people intentionally toward maturity of faith, clear understanding, and thriving ministry. If taught with humility, dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and the intent of revealing God’s character in action, it is by far the most effective resource I have seen to date for producing disciples. Interlocked is an excellent adaptation of this material for young people. Establish Series is the first part of the Firm Foundations series.

  • Interlocked — a Bible study integrating the Genesis-to-Revelation narrative, doctrine, and apologetics for believers to live as thriving disciples of Christ. interlocked.online
  • Establish Series — video series; an overview of the Bible laying the foundations that undergird every Bible doctrine. establishseries.com
  • Building on Firm Foundations — used as a framework for lessons teaching unreached people groups the “all things” that Christ commanded, from first introduction through the establishment of church leaders, from Genesis to Revelation. biblestudy.ethnos360.org
  • Access Truth — Module 1: Cross-Cultural Essentials and missions prep
  • Rock Int’l — King of Glory
  • GoodSeed International — training, By This Name, The Lamb
  • The Bible Taproot — Amazon
  • The Story (5-minute intro) — thestoryfilm.com

“True salvation in a Biblical sense is not based on some emotional experience. It’s based on fact and a clear understanding of those facts. It is only then that faith can be accurately placed. Chronological teaching gives the facts clearly, because what you are learning is built on previously understood knowledge.”

— John Cross, in Now We See Clearly

From the sample view of Volume One of Building On Firm Foundations: “Many teachers approach the Bible as if it were a treasure chest full of beautiful, precious gems. We assume that these jewels have not been given a definite pattern or design. We think that the responsibility is ours to arrange the jewels in some order which will enhance their beauty and cause them to be better appreciated. While recognizing the value of the Scriptures, many Bible teachers fail to see that there is a definite, divinely-given teaching outline which runs through the entire Word of God. We therefore proceed to arrange the Scriptures into what we consider to be comprehensive and lucid outlines. This is a basic mistake.”

Bible Authority & Authenticity

  • Fragments of Truth — is the Bible of today historically authentic? faithlife.com
  • Josh McDowell — The Reliability of the Bible — video
  • Lee Strobel — The Case for Christ (movie) — video
  • Patterns of Evidence (films) — patternsofevidence.com
  • The God Who Speaks — video

Creation vs Evolution

  • Institute for Creation Research — icr.org
  • Answers in Genesis: Science and the Bible — answersingenesis.org
  • Evolution’s Four Fatal Flaws — nwcreation.net
  • Evidence that Noah’s Flood Formed the Fossil Record (Dr. Kurt Wise) — video

American History (USA)

Faith in History — William Federer — a 30-minute weekday video broadcast on world history. tct.tv

American Minute — by William Federer, on world history. americanminute.com / archives by category

Wallbuilders — David Barton — American history experts with the largest library of actual documents from the founding era. If you want to find reliable, documented history, with footnotes and credible sources, this is a great place to start. wallbuilders.com

Wallbuilderslive — broadcast & podcast on current events and USA history from a Biblical worldview. wallbuilderslive.com

Apologetics

Apologetics, in Christianity, is the intellectual defense of the truth.

  • Josh McDowell — New Evidence that Demands a Verdict — Amazon / josh.org
  • Sean McDowell, Ph.D. (Theology, Philosophy, Apologetics) — equipping the church, and young people especially, to make the case for the Christian faith. seanmcdowell.org
  • The Case for Christ — Lee Strobel — leestrobel.com

Other Resources

  • SWToolKit — Sexual Wholeness Toolkit for Discipleship — swtoolkit.org
  • 180Movie — a comparison of worldviews in Nazi Germany and the USA today, by Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron — livingwaters.com
  • Monumental Movie — Kirk Cameron on the heritage of the USA — monumentalmovie.com

End Times & Bible Prophecy