Finding Truth, Part 2

This is family policy matter program is produced by the North Carolina family policy Council of profamily research unification organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving the family and up from the studio here is John Rustin, president of the North Carolina family policy Council, thank you for joining us for family policy matters. We are pleased to have Nancy Piercy back with us on the program this week. Nancy is professor and scholar in residence at Euston Baptist University former agnostic. She's been described as America's preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual.

She is with us to continue the discussion that we began last week about her new book finding truth five principles for unmasking atheism, secularism and other God substitutes in part one of our show. Nancy talked about the first of five principles she outlines in her book. She discussed while so many young people today are leaving the Christian faith and why it is so important for Christians to be able to defend the faith against secular worldviews were to be picking back up with the discussion this week and we hope you enjoy family policy matters. Explain what you mean by critical thinking for Christians actually saves faith and how important it is for young Christians to develop critical thinking skills help pressure to keep FA GK Chesterton once said I didn't get into more dangerous to the person never steadied them because then he will have no mental filter check you can use the image of a teetotaler. He said drunk any wine before then. I'm a new idea of flying to his head like wine to the head of a teetotaler is more likely to become intoxicated and help people avoid being intoxicated mother not wanting everything she made a mistake when she raised her kids. She laced them with the rule you got me to be anything but the Bible we don't need to expose herself studying secular location off to college, joined a new atheist group and abandon his Christian background she thought that by not exposing his son to secular idea she was protecting him.

Instead she had left and defenseless. So we need to understand that culture becomes increasingly secularized young people need to be forewarned and forearmed with the kind of ideas they going to turn to when they leave home said that taking PP. Answer is first Peter says to give an answer to anyone who asks of them is so important understand Nancy and finding truth. The third principle is testing on which you describe is asking a question basically does this worldview contradict what we know about the world.

Can you give us an example of how to use this principle on a particular worldview well. Violence, wine, and Paul's address that was to come to nationhood not heard them speak in fact, some of them may not even have been Christians until he was telling Christian love you very very methodical way to start by saying everyone has evidence that God from the created order now and we cleanly read that we usually think of nature and beauty in creation is the beauty and complexity of nature, but it also means human beings we give evidence of God and let me give you an example. Let's take materials and we talked a minute ago about how materialism is the dominant worldview and academic well today Michaela say nothing that's really matter and letting human beings adjust complex biochemical machines essentially robot well is not true. No, no materialist can live that way himself.

One philosopher jokes, people deny free will and when ordering at a restaurant cleanly whenever I look at even the people today will be different for the real world to me about testing because human beings are part of the evidence for God having our Christian worldview can be tested. The human person and he will always fall short because they don't see people made and got them a stable always have a load of the human person and it will never fit reality is a great chapter in your book called freeloading you discuss how every competing worldview will religion actually borrows basic principles from Christianity what is atheism. For example, borrowed from Christianity as you discuss in your book fascinating that many smuggling elements Christianity dislike unprecedented number of movements and I day for equality and rights and human dignity and and a host of ideals that want to hold onto to not only view doesn't given the basis for that materialist worldview that dominate our world today sees people's complex biochemical machines. We have no freedom and no dignity.

What is the basis of human rights. Think of a well-known philosopher who died recently. Actually, his name is Richard working and he was sometimes dubbed the philosopher of democracy that in finding truth I give a quote what he says I don't have the basis for democracy in my own worldview because I'm an atheist on the materialist Darwinist, but I realized that in Darwinism strong went out in the weeks I'll be hurting can't be a source of universal human rights. Richard like he says what is it come from income so Christianity is a notion, equal rights come from Christianity and he says I'm happy to reach over and borrow that from Christianity and he's actually one who used the word freeloading freeloading atheist because I have to get my concept of human rights Christianity given to me Christianity has a high view.

He is human to human person that people keep reaching government borrowing from George.

You are learning to think critically about the Christian faith and even testing it against other beliefs is a very healthy part of developing a stronger faith. How should parents respond when their son or daughter starts questioning the faith or asking questions about conflicting reviews important questions seriously. The problem is that we so redefined Christianity emotional terms that we no longer do the hard work that it takes to research and find another way to typical textbased youth group today.

The character they cannot engineer events that will ratchet up emotional commitment can I get them emotionally engaged in the assumption is that emotional engagement will rule out there that questions will study show that that's not happening that emotional engagement does not get lettuce genuine intellectual questions and we need to back young people as made in God's image with a call to love God with all their minds as well as our heart, soul and strength. We often overlook the mind part of that are called to trashcan people's minds and answer their questions.

This study show the main reason young people are leaving the faith that not getting answers to the questions I was just rereading that survey because I had people challenge me. I young people ever given the opportunity to say something to do with your relationship with your parents relationship, which is the number who said yes with a very very very low compared to that the numbers that I had intellectual doubts and skepticism.

The questions about aspects of Christianity that were not getting answers those were the main reason young people themselves gave in finding truth I give parents strategy that they can use answering any question from the perspective of any worldview, religious or secular master.

Every single will be out that which could take a lifetime trying to get his fabricated based on Scripture.

You can apply any worldview you child may be wondering about what made you want to close with principles in the book, which is make the case for Christianity. How do you suggest that we can best make the case that Christianity is not only true, but that it's attractive to a world with so many competing ideologies that are increasingly hostile toward the Christian for assigning to show you how to make the case for Christianity very pointless secular worldview sale.

If we want to be relevant. We need to be answering the questions of people actually asking Nathan today. How many non-Christians are saying. I realize my well-being doesn't work give you a few examples. One way that worldview sale is that they have internal contradictions that have logical contradictions that self-defeating. A few quick examples both of you. This is very very common and I college campuses today still is Marxism Mark says you don't believe what you believe because he rashly persuaded its truth, but because it advances your economic interests. Well, if that's true.

What about you own theory to be consistent not just apply that to his theory as well. Did he come up with it just to advance his own economic interest, in which case, why should the rest of us paying attention to it.

She could suffer the fight if it's with his own throat or Sigmund Freud incredible influence on the modern mind you don't believe what you believe because it's true.

But because of your psychological history, especially sexual repression.

Okay what about applying that theory to mark his own views to Freud's own views, did he come up with it because of his psychological history, in which case it discredits itself for postmodernism to have trouble figuring out how to respond to postmodernism in the core of it is just the claim that human rationality is swamped by nonrational social forces like race, class and gender. Or what about their own theory.

They essentially do small pieces for the race race, class and gender in every case they are non-Christian worldview discredits human reason by saying it's really swamped by some kind of non-nonrational forces make their own quite case, they can only make it using reason usually what they do, they reach over and borrow from Christianity.

Christianity has a high view of reason because it sublimated the image of God. The mind reflects the divine mind only non-Christian worldview even to make it home claim borrow from Christianity all freeloading atheist wedded to the question of human rights, which we talked about earlier, but it's a question of just great, even trust recent can we make a case for any worldview have to borrow from Christianity. This is where Christians should really make their case often very point secular worldview sale way when making a case at the point that are particularly relevant to secular people in our day.

Unfortunately we are out of time for this week, but I really appreciate your time and your great insights the listeners go to learn more about and also to order a copy of your excellent new book, finding truth but I do have a new website called Nancy Piercy.com very simple efficacy.com has been as publisher and editor of the pure state report PEA RCE wide report.

You can order it there and then is quick you can order it to amazon.com Christian books.com, and many of the normal brick-and-mortar Christian bookstores as well.

Thank you so much for spending time with us today to discuss her new book and also for just the investment of time, energy, and wisdom. This report into that book. I think it's going to be extremely helpful for our listeners and for Christians around the world to really understand how they can put their faith and somehow become the faith solidified in their faith and help their children, their friends and others to understand faith better than him in this growing what seems to be figured or cultural just growing conflict and conflicting worldviews. It will give us a great deal of comfort to know that we can stand firm in our faith because we do know it's the truth, but we just simply need to know how to verbalize how to communicate with others, so know that this book is going to be a tremendously valuable resource for many, Nancy Piercy, thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters and for sharing insights from your new book.

Finding truth that I do want to encourage our listeners to make sure that they get a copy and read that valuable to you. Thank you so much I appreciate being here. You been listening to the second part of our discussion with Christian apologist Nancy Piercy about her new book finding truth. We hope you've enjoyed this interview and we invite you to visit our website@mcfamily.org again that's NC family.org to learn more about the North Carolina family policy Council to listen to additional episodes over excellent weekly radio program, family policy matters to matters information and analysis, future of the North Carolina family policy Council join us weekly for discussion on policy issues affecting the family. If you have questions or comments, please call 919807081 or visit our website and see family doctor watching