Finding Truth, Part 1

This is family policy matter program is produced by the North Carolina family policy Council of profamily research and education organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving the family enough in the studio. Here's John Rushton, president of the North Carolina family policy Council and thank you for joining us this week for family policy matters. It is our pleasure to have Nancy Piercy with us on the program. Nancy is professor and scholar in residence at Houston Baptist University and a fellow of the Discovery Institute. She is the author of the 2005 ECPA Gold medallion award-winning book, total truth, liberating Christianity from its cultural captivity and she co-authored the best-selling book hell now shall we live with Chuck Colson and Harold Fekete formally in agnostic Nancy study under Francis Schaeffer at liberty Fellowship in Switzerland and she has been heralded as America's preeminent evangelical Protestant female intellectual Nancy's latest book is finding truth five principles for unmasking atheism, secularism and other God substitutes and we are delighted to have her with us today to share some insights from that book. Nancy welcome again to family policy matters. Could you be here well it's great to have you wear this now Nancy in finding truth.

Your new book you share your personal conversion story how you went from rejecting Christianity as a teenager to becoming an agnostic and then eventually returning to the Christian faith tells me what a little bit about your journey of faith right at home but about halfway through clawlike at having questions and really the main question was simply how do we know that Christianity is true.

I have a lot of secular friends might cause this friendly chelation until I simply wanted to know how can we be certain that Christianity is true. Unfortunately, not as an adult in my life can answer that question. My parents, pastors and other militant have an anti-flight must've then dismissed it as a psychological problem.

I sent Nadine once said to me don't worry we all have doubts. Sometimes I felt really just a psychological phase.

Eventually I decided Christianity from any answers anti-satisfied and that I have to determine all by myself. What was true or false, and I am talking a very intentional search for truth reading philosophy through reading other religions and someone I went to several years, as an agnostic and it was later when I was going to school in Germany, I came across the ministry as Francis Schaeffer called the breach point analysis I spice I heard Christian who could make arguments apologetic arguments for Christianity showing that is true, showing that was supportable showing that is rational and talk until I was intellectually convinced that there was nothing that was going to make me go back to Christianity how I love my new book signing treaties of other people who have questions like I did and help them to find solid answers think a lot about whether they went through the experiences that you have or just have had questions. At times I think it's certainly a real-life challenge struggle that people do have about faith, about what it's all about and so really appreciative of you sharing that with us about your experience. Now Nancy, one of the catchphrases you heard is a questioning how school student, which is similar to what many young people here today is something along the lines of don't think, just believe in you describe in the book, the tendency in some Christian circles to overemphasize what some refer to as an outside quote parts place at the expense of intellectual faith which he mentioned was this, don't think, just believe mentality dangerous for the church and what do you believe does it have to do with so many young people leaving the Christian faith when they get to college planning. Daddy on why people leave the faith why they left behind the religion of their upbringing and the research is expected to find that young people would reflect emotionally has no emotional wounding.

I was hurt. Had relationship issues.

They would try that by far the most common answer given what I left the church because I had on answered questions and doubts and I think that at this is what we often overlook. I think one of the studies is open-ended, and so they suggested the kids speaking in their own words. There was no power to suggest an effect and overwhelmingly, they said they had intellectual doubts and questions.

I think that that we overlook this when we plan on size schools in our youth groups in our churches, and so on that young people certainly not high school and college age is when they will be struggling trying to find a worldview and really rethinking Christianity for themselves, even if that they been raised in it. Have to rethink it and make it their own age when we really need to be giving young people 12 to think critically, to think well to think intelligently so that they are able to see that the Bible really does have better answers than any non-Christian worldview.though I know in the book you argue that critical thinking for Christians actually save space. Explain what you mean by that and how important it is for young Christians to develop critical thinking skills want invited to be at a radio program with a host to a Jay Sekulow hit. His name is Barry Lynn.

You probably know him. He is the executive director of Americans United for the separation of church and state the organization. This does so much to try to eliminate any traces of Christianity in the public well anyway I had written my earlier book saving Leonardo and he said why did you write a book about ideas and will be well.

I want Christians to understand the world better and to develop critical thinking and he burst out, he interrupted me and burst out thinking conservative Christians would say that interest is the opposite. Critical thinking helps Christians to keep their faith. GK Chesterton once said yes your ideas are dangerous, but actually more dangerous to the person never studied them because then he will have no mental filter. Chesterton use the image of a teetotaler. He said at.

If you've never drunk any wine before then. I'm a new idea fly to his head like wine to the head of the teetotaler is more likely to become intoxicated so finding truth trying to help people avoid being intoxicated. I was talking to a mother not long ago who sent she made a mistake when she raised her kids she wasted with the rule. You don't need to be anything but the Bible we don't need to expose herself studying secular locations and were now off to college.

Join the new atheist group and abandon his Christian background she thought that by not exposing his son to secular.

ITS respect connecting 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 encounter when they leave home synthetic MPP. Answer is first Peter says to give an answer to anyone who asked of them will absolutely and finding truth has been described as a real training manual for Christians in the book. You also five principles to help Christians based on Romans one know we don't have, unfortunately, to discuss all father links but I want to spend a few minutes on principle number one which you call identifying the article if you will give us an example of how this might apply in the area of public policy and issues we face daily here at the family policy Council, particularly as it relates to marriage and homosexuality. I will tear an academic well today is materialism that is all that excess shaving the thinking of my leadership classes and it should thinking about body and sexuality, and the patient. What is materialism imply well in an earlier age people understood that God had created the material world and so nature reflected God's purposes and not including the human body between male and female that complementarity that is understood to reflect God's purposes, and it had God had pronounced it to be very good and physical body some sauce gave us clues as to who we are and how we should live.

Gave us clues to our moral behavior ought to be later this purpose driven view of nature. Primarily, this is Charles Starling. Darwin's theory of evolution was promoted specifically to get rid of any notion of purpose in nature means morality, then it wasn't just a matter of a new view of nature.

But if nature is a source of morality for the first time, people began to look at the body as being something that gave us no clue as to who we are no clues to God's good purposes back on is crucial for understanding things like homosexuality play biologically logically. Males and females are clearly counterparts to one another, and so engaging in homosexual practices quietly because you can contradict your own anatomy override obvious design of your body of your own biology, which the implication is biology related. It doesn't matter to who you are not part of the authentic self and we need help people realize this is a profoundly disrespectful view of the human body because it takes the value having no intrinsic purpose of significance for self alienating and fragmenting effect on people. We need help with, the nation that view a biological identity comes on integrity as embodied persons with embodied that's how God created us is nothing wrong of bad or evil about a body it's part of who God made us the ability to present the Christian view in a very positive light, but we can argue is that the biological correspondence between male and female is not cosmic accident. Part of what God originally created and pronounced is very good for finding truth makes the argument that Christian love is not only true you were in high dignity to the human person in any secular view to getting back to our discussion, you argue again the learning to think critically about the Christian faith and even testing it against other beliefs is very healthy part of developing a stronger faith now is a parent of two teenagers are no good parents can go over concern when their kids start asking questions about other religions and exploring ideas that are all propagated by other religions. How should parents respond when their son or daughter start questioning the faith were asking questions about conflicting worldviews important questions seriously. I think the problem is that we redefine Christianity and emotional ties that we no longer do the hard work that it takes to research and find answers. Another wicked typical textbased youth group today. The character they cannot engineer events that will ratchet up their emotional commitment can I get them emotionally engaged in the assumption is that emotional engagement will rule out there that questions were studies show that that's not happening that emotional engagement does not get rid of genuine intellectual questions and we need to expect young people is 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 so-called contrast in people's minds and answer the questions. Like you said earlier, the study show. The main reason young people leaving the faith and not getting answers to the questions I was just rereading that survey because I had people challenge me on it.

They said oh no, really. It has to do with relationships and if you have good relationships, your state studies. I'm just not showing that when young people and the opportunity to say that I have something to do with your relationship with your parents relationships returns 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 the financials I give parents try to shade that they can use financing. Any question from the perspective of any wealthy religious or secular to master everything will be out that which could take a lifetime finding truth gives his fabricated based on Scripture.

You can apply any worldview you child may be wondering about the unfortunate we are out of town for this. We 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 netiquette.com has been his publisher and editor of pure hate report PEA RCE wide report. You can order it there and then of course you can order it through amazon.com Christian books.com and any any of the normal brick-and-mortar Christian bookstores as well Piercy thank you so much for being loose on family policy matters and for sharing insights from your new book. Finding truth that I do want to encourage all listeners to make sure I get a copy. We've got valuable text. Thank you so much I hate being here since family policy matters is information and analysis of the North Carolina family policy Council join us weekly discussion on policy issues affecting the family you have questions or comments, please call 919-0708 or visit our website and see family