Session 1: Can you be scientifically and intellectually honest and still be a follower of Christ?
Session 2: Who knows what sin is?
Session 3: Why does God allow so much suffering?
Session 1:
Big Idea
A biblical world-view shows that faith and science do not conflict; they work together to strengthen our relationship with God.
Ice Breaker What was your best and/or worst science project as a kid?
Arch Enemies When we think of arch enemies, some classic rivalries probably come to mind: Tom vs. Jerry, Seinfeld vs. Newman, Tyson vs. Holyfield, and Faith vs. Science. In the modern era, it seems that we’re constantly breaking up those last two. Let’s look at the contestants. In one corner we have faith. Generally speaking, this consists of Christ followers, trusting in the Bible, believing in God, etc. In the other corner we have science. Generally speaking, this consists of the use of reason, trusting in the scientific/historical method, and sometimes even atheism. They have defended themselves from punishing blows in classrooms. They have spilled ink trying to prove this or that against each other in books. They have been shared cheap shots on bumper stickers, all the while trying to deliver the final knockout. When the bell rings, the contestants return to their corners with blackened eyes and bloodied noses and wonder: Can a Christ follower ever believe in science? Can science ever make room for faith?
1. How were you taught to understand the relationship between faith and science?
2. In what ways do you currently think science and faith seem to conflict with each other?
3. What scientific question do you have that faith doesn’t seem to answer?
I Thought We Were Friends
Faith and science weren’t always enemies. The rift began roughly during the Renaissance period (1400’s to 1600’s.) This was a time of classic discovery and expression in all disciplines: Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the globe, Martin Luther posted the 95 theses, and Copernicus suggested that the earth orbited the sun. But faith in God was assumed in each discipline. So how did faith and science split?
The story of Galileo (1564-1642) is a prime example of the budding tension between these former buddies. Galileo determined to subvert Aristotle’s archaic view of the solar system in favor of Copernicus’ view. However, any new ideas or discoveries had to agree with the Church’s view of the Bible. In judgment against Galileo, Cardinal Bellarmine stated, “The doctrine attributed to Copernicus, that the earth moves around the sun…is contrary to the Holy Scriptures and therefore cannot be held.” Galileo was consequently condemned.
This was a turning point for faith and science. Many began to assume that the Church was incapable of or uncommitted to growing in their view of the world. Since the Church’s interpretation conflicted with the latest discoveries, people trusted less in the authority of the Bible and more in the authority of the scientific method. This spurred the advent of the Enlightenment period (1600’s to 1800’s) and the birth of modern science (that we derive truth only through natural reason and physical evidence). Even though most of the fathers of modern science actually believed in God, the faith of the church didn’t keep pace with the sciences. And so faith and science became bitter rivals.
4. What mistake did Cardinal Bellarmine and the Church make in judging against Galileo?
5. What do you think about the fact that most of our classic scientists believed in God?
Read Romans 1:19-23 (The Message)
But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
6. What are some examples of how we have stopped treating God like God?
7. What do you think might be some of the “cheap figurines” with which we have traded God’s glory?
Shake Hands and Make Up
What is to blame for this drama is the kind of world view that the Church has held, not faith or science itself. A world view is basically our framework of beliefs and assumptions that is influenced by our culture and experiences. It explains how we interpret things in life. It is the “lens” through which we view the world. If we focus our lens properly, chances are that faith and science can start getting along again. Here are three helpful tips:
• PICK YOUR BATTLES. A great principle of faith was once introduced in light of similar debates: In essentials of faith, unity, in nonessentials of faith, liberty, and in all things love. Cardinal Bellarmine condemned Galileo over a “nonessential” issue of faith. It is easy to do the same if we argue for or against certain views of science. Having such views shouldn’t deny or affirm your Christianity unless they actually conflict with an essential of faith. Tim Keller, in his book The Reason for God, says that we should consider the various theories of science “only after drawing conclusions about the person of Christ, the resurrection, and the central tenets of the Christians message.”
• READ RESPONSIBLY. The Bible is not meant to be read like science or a history textbook. It may speak to matters of science and history, but doesn’t always necessarily speak for them. We should interpret the Bible in light of its various genres and cultural contexts. Galileo himself said, “The Bible tells men how they go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”
• SURRENDER WITH FAITH AND REASON. Faith without reason is negligent. Reason without faith is arrogant. Faith protects us from the hell of skepticism. Reason protects us from the hell of naïveté. Therefore, we must have reasoned faith. There are mysteries of life that reason can’t explain, but there is still much to life that God wants us to discover. Like any other discipline, science echoes the voice of God, but our faith helps us encounter him.
8. What do you think about that principle of essentials and nonessentials of faith as it relates to faith and science?
9. What is the difference between the Bible speaking to science rather than speaking for science? Can you give some examples?
10. What are some specific areas where the sciences help our faith? What are some areas where faith helps our sciences?
11. Which of the three principles is hardest for you to embrace? Explain.
What’s Next? Find ways to practice the three principles mentioned. How can you better understand the relationship between essential and non-essential issues of faith and science? How can you learn to interpret the Bible more appropriately? How can you allow faith and reason to work together in order to strengthen your relationship with God? Here are some practical steps:
• Journal about the relationship between the essentials of faith and any views of science that you have.
• Retreat to nature and reflect on the mysteries and complexities of God’s creation
• Read The Reason for God by Tim Keller
Session 2
Big Idea:
God has many things to say about sin; what they are though, may not be exactly what you were thinking.
Ice Breaker We can all admit that we often use our rearview mirror for other things than seeing cars in our rearview. Share some stories and examples of other uses of your rearview mirror.
PART I
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Although our cars are full of mirrors, ironically this is the place that we most often assume our superiority and point out the faults of others. Outside our vehicles, the toughest challenge can be looking ourselves in the face and admitting that we might not be perfect. It’s not that we are bad and others are not wrong, but our immediate sphere of influence is with the person staring back at us in the mirror.
READ Matthew 7:1-5 (The Message)
Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
1. This verse reflects our natural inclination to be judgmental. What are some common examples of people placing judgment on others (situations, types of people, occupations, etc.)?
2. Have you ever felt judged?
Denial is More than a River in Egypt We have a tendency to both deny our flaws and downplay our mistakes with ourselves and others. We have a constant need to “keep up with the Jones’s” on the outside while still protecting our tender hearts on the inside. Our ego’s can be compared to that of an M-1 tank; nearly impossible to crack on the outside because we have built strong walls around the intricate, delicate inner workings that will shut down if the smallest thing were to affect it. But because of our self-focus we tend to unknowingly protect our delicate ego while poking and prodding another’s.
3. What lengths have you seen people go to protect their ego and/or pride?
4. How would you describe sin?
READ John 1:8-10 (The Message)
If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
Sin is more a condition than a bunch of deeds. We make sinful choices and decisions because of our sinful nature. If you were to compare sin to a common cold, our sinful nature is the virus that affects our body and the sins we commit are a result of the virus like the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever symptoms. In order to deal with our sins, and protect our egos, we have to learn to separate the sin from the sinner.
5. Do you agree with the concept of sinful nature and symptoms of a sinful nature?
6. Give some examples of symptoms of our sinful nature?
Nyquil for Our Sins Nyquil is not a cure for the common cold but it can be a protective measure as we feel symptoms coming on and a way to curb the symptoms after contracting the virus. Jesus teaches us to cling tight to God and be diligent in “taking our medicine” so that we can live a life of dormant symptoms. We have access to a church family, an instruction manual in the Bible, and communication with God through prayer, but if we don’t engage in any of these things it’s the same as leaving the cough medicine in the cabinet and complaining that we don’t feel well.
7. What are some examples of things you do to curb the symptoms of sin?
8. What are some action steps you can take immediately to start dealing with the symptoms of sin?
READ Philippians 2:12-13 (The Message)
What I'm getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you've done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I'm separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God's energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.
9. What is one thing in this discussion that you either learned for the first time or was reminded of as the discussion progressed? Was there anything that left you feeling confused, relieved, or energized?
What’s Next? Do something this week ‘for the least of these’ that goes unseen. Feed someone who is hungry. Invite someone into your life who is a stranger. Clothe someone who has no clothes. Look after someone who is sick. Visit someone who has no reason for visitors. Keep it between you and God and journal about it during the week. Pray about where God might be calling you to do this on more of a regular – and perhaps relational – basis. This will likely require some radical generosity of your time and money. How might God be calling you to sacrifice generously in order to do this?
Session 3:
Big Idea
While we’ll never fully understand all of the answers behind suffering, God does offer us some important truths through His Word about suffering.
Ice Breaker
Share the story of where you were when you first heard about the 9/11 tragedies. What were your initial reactions? How did you feel as you processed it?
People have wrestled with the question of suffering and how it fits with God’s plan for ages. We must realize that we are not going to be able to come to a final definitive answer. However, there are several things that we can understand about suffering, several things that God teaches us about in His Word.
Truth #1: God is Above Us
READ Isaiah 55:8-9 (The Message)
I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work... For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
God tells us clearly through the prophet Isaiah that His thoughts and His ways will not always make sense to us. It’s part of that whole “we are just human, we are not God” thing.
1. When someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, do you usually tend to be completely honest and admit that you don’t know, or do you try and make up something?
2. How does it make you feel to know that you will never fully understand God and His ways? Why?
a. Annoyed.
b. Relieved
c. Humbled
d. Anxious
e. Other
Truth #2: It Was Not God’s Idea
When people ask why God created a world with suffering, they often forget that this was never His original plan. Genesis 1-3 tells the story of God’s original creation of our entire world, including the first man and woman, and how it was completely free of sin and suffering. But then as He gave those first humans the choice of whether to obey Him or rebel and go their own way, they chose rebellion. Sin made its grand entrance into the world, and with it – suffering.
3. What were the results of Adam & Eve’s first “sin” against God? How do you think that plays out today?
4. God didn’t have to put the forbidden “tree of knowledge” in the Garden of Eden, just as He doesn’t have to allow us today to go our own way. Why did God put the freedom of choice into the hands of humans?
Truth #3: God Doesn’t Like It Either
Read the following verses to see how God feels about the human suffering we endure:
Psalm 34:19
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, and saves those who are crushed in Spirit.
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
5. What does this tell you about how God feels when we suffer? How can this help us endure times of suffering?
Truth #4: God Can Redeem Suffering
Even though God isn’t the cause of all suffering, and He weeps and comforts along with us, the great thing about God being God is that He can actually redeem tragic situations and bring good out of them. Without God, we don’t have that possibility.
READ Romans 8:28 (The Message)
He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
6. Share a time when you have seen positive things come out of tragic situations or suffering.
Insurance companies all call natural disasters “acts of God.” Whenever major tragedy strikes, people ask, “How could God let this happen?” Yet when miraculous, beneficial, and positive things happen, people rarely give God the credit.
READ James 1:2-4
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
7. Why do you think people tend to think God is responsible for the negative stuff, but not the positive stuff?
Truth #5: We are Part of God’s Answer
Some of the questions about suffering go more like this: “How can God allow all of those children in Africa to go on starving to death?” We wonder why God won’t step in and do something. But what if God does have an answer for that? Some experts claim there is currently enough food and resources world-wide to feed and care for the entire world’s population. We just aren’t sharing them.
What if we are part of God’s answer to some of the suffering in this world? When we ask God, “Why don’t You do something about the suffering in this world?” – could He ask us the same question in return?
Sometimes suffering can feel overwhelming, like we can’t make a difference. And the danger of this is that it can move us to inaction. But we must not let that happen. Remember that the world changes one life at a time, so even as we allow God to use us to relieve the suffering of just one person – we are playing a vital role in being God’s answer.
READ James 2:15-17
Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
8. Share a time when you acted to help relieve someone’s suffering. What motivated you to do so? How did you feel afterwards?
9. Are there any situations currently in your life where you feel you have the opportunity to help relieve someone’s suffering but haven’t yet? What do you think holds you back?
WHAT’S NEXT
Taking question 8 one step further; identify some needs of others around you. Take a next step to do something about it. If you’re not sure how to start, pray and ask God for direction. And finally, be sure to share the story and celebrate when God uses you to be His answer in this situation!
