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Introduction
It is one thing to know what we believe, but that is simply not enough. Just as critical is that we know why we believe whatwe do. It is only when we achieve this level of understanding that we can begin to have true confidence in our faith to thepoint that we can’t be shaken and are willing to actively share our faith with others.Today’s article lays out the foundation of the “whys” of our faith. This is such a broad category that it is impossible in anarticle like this to go into great detail. But it is possible to lay out the playing field so that you have a basis for deeper in-vestigation. It is my hope that you will gain great strength and insight from today’s offering.We at MarketFaith Ministries are very excited about what the future holds. Since we have begun operation, we have beensearching for the best way to organize to accomplish the purpose for our existence. Our purpose is, of course, to equipyou, the body of Christ, for the work of service by providing a worldview foundation for your faith. We are making somegreat strides organizationally which will put us in an ever stronger position to accomplish this goal.
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In our quest for the truth, we have this strong desire to haveobjective tangible proof that what we believe is right. Every-one wants this. No one likes the prospect of saying that mybeliefs are all based on faith assumptions. That is too un-certain and leaves us with doubts.But that is exactly the position we find ourselves in. Whenyou shake down every belief system in the world, you ulti-mately come down to a foundation which is based purely onfaith presuppositions. That is because no set of worldviewbeliefs can be empirically proven. So does that mean thatany belief is just as valid as any other belief? Absolutelynot!!! There is some set of beliefs which corresponds withthe way things actually exist, and everything else is not thetruth.While we can’t empirically prove any belief system, we dohave some ways to measure truth. Everyone in the worldexperiences life in certain ways. For instance, we are allsubject to the law of gravity. No matter how much one be-lieves it is possible to levitate, and no matter how hard onetries, it will never happen. As another example, we all havea need for relationship and to be able to communicate withothers. And no matter how much a person tries to deny it,people the world over are driven to it.There is a way that reality is structured and every worldviewis an attempt to understand and live by it. But as we look atthe beliefs of the various worldviews, every one that is notan expression of the truth posits positions which run con-trary to the way we experience life. It is possible to line upevery untrue worldview and point out the places wherethere is a misalignment with reality. But for now we onlywant to look at our Christian worldview and see how it does
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MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effectivein living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.
Contact MarketFaith Ministries
312 Anton Dr.Tallahassee, FL 32312info@marketfaith.orghttp://www.marketfaith.orgToll Free: 888-883-0656Phone: 850-383-9756Fax: 850-514-4571
Volume 3 Number 21 November 12, 2008
Evidence That the Christian Faith Is the Truth about Reality
 
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(Evidence - Continued from page 1)
align with reality. This becomes the solid evidence that we can build our confidence on concerning our faith.The testimony for the validity of the Christian faith falls into numerous classes of evidence, and here we simply want toexpose those categories. There are scores of volumes written about each one, so we will not go into great depth here.Right now our purpose is simply to lay out an outline of the vast amount of evidence that we, as Christians, can use toback up our faith.
Evidence for the Validity of the Christian Faith
Human Experience of Life Matches Christian Teachings
We experience life as personal, self-aware beings.God is understood to be personal and mankind is created in his image.We have a sense of transcendence.God is understood to be transcendent based on the Biblical revelation.Human beings in virtually every society throughout the ages have had a sense that there is an afterlife and that thereis a God.We experience life in relationships.The concept of the Trinity makes God a person who’s very essence expresses relationship.God is understood to interact with mankind in a personal relationship.The structure of the human psyche and social organization is based on human relationships.We experience life based in spiritual qualities.God is revealed to be a spiritual being and man is said to be made in his image.Mankind operates in this world as a spiritual being which is revealed in such attributes as: self-conscious personality,intelligence, morality, creativity, ability to self-consciously communicate, etc.We experience life based on natural laws.The Christian faith affirms that material reality is based on a fixed set of natural laws, while also acknowledging thatGod can intervene in material reality.Natural law excludes spontaneous existence and the Christian faith posits a Creator.We are capable of knowledge.God is understood to have knowledge and the Bible teaches that mankind is created in his image.
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As we have been sharing over the last couple of months, MarketFaith Ministries is preparing to conduct a
Worldview Summit for Ministry Professionals
in January of 2009. The purpose of this is to provide pastors and other Christian lead-ers with a level of knowledge about worldview which will help them be better able to equip their own constituents. Weare working to do this for these leaders without any cost to them. As a registered non-profit organization, our only formof support is people who believe in what we are doing and want to help. If you would be willing to help us with this proj-ect, please send your 
tax deductible
donation to MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312. It is alsopossible to donate online at the MarketFaith Ministries website at www.marketfaith.org. Simply click on the “donate” but-ton. Thanks so much for your support.Please feel free to contact me at any time with your thoughts, opinions and suggestions. I always love to hear from you.God bless,Freddy
Find these books along with othergreat worldview resources atwww.marketfaith.org
 
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(Evidence - Continued from page 2)
We have a sense of morality.God is revealed as a being with a particular character which defines the boundaries of morality.God has created mankind in his own image which includes a sense of morality as an innate part of our very being.Christian morality is most consistent with a stable individual psyche and with a stable societal structure.We experience time as linear.God has established material reality as a time based, non-repetitive reality.Time only has meaning within the context of a temporal physical structure.We experience the world as objective.God has revealed himself as an objective person.
Mankind Matches up with the “Image” Characteristics of God That Are Revealed in the Bible
One of the important aspects of human existence which is taught in the Bible is that man is created in the “image of God.”That being the case, if we know what those “image” characteristics are, we can compare that with humanity and see if they match up. Once again, this is not definitive proof that the Biblical worldview is the Truth, but it is one more piece of evidence that points in that direction.It is important to understand that the idea regarding the “image of God” is not a physical characteristic. In other words,man does not physically look like God. Rather, it is a set of characteristics which define the personhood of God and, thus,the personhood of humankind.
Subscription Information
If you would like to receive
Worldview Made Practical 
as afree email subscription, simply go to www.marketfaith.organd click on the sign up link.
Past Issues
of 
Worldview Made Practical
are availablefree of charge in .pdf (Acrobat) format in the archives athttp://www.marketfaith.org.PERMISSION TO REPRINT: If you wish to reprint thismonth’s article in your own print or electronic newsletter,please include the following paragraph:Reprinted from
Worldview Made Practical
; a free e-zineproduced by MarketFaith Ministries featuring practicalteaching and life tools to help Christians become more ef-fective in their faith life. Discover MarketFaith Ministries atwww.marketfaith.org.We know at least some of the characteristics of God be-cause his character and qualities are spelled out in the Bi-ble. Let’s examine for a moment what we do know. God is:Eternal (Revelation 1:8)Self-conscious (Exodus 3:14)Reflective (Jonah 3:8-10)Self-determinate (Matthew 6:10)Personal (Isaiah 55:6-7)Transcendent (Jeremiah 23:24)Spirit (John 4:24)Able to have knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:20-25)Able to have dominion over the world (Genesis 17:1)Good (Mark 10:18)Just (Romans 2:1-2)Love (1 John 4:8)Relational (Revelation 3:20)As we look at these characteristics, we see that, indeed,mankind is imbued with each of them. We, certainly, do nothave these characteristics to the degree that they are dis-played in God himself, but they are evident to the degreethat it is possible within the human frame.
Evidence Related to the Bible
The Bible has been accurately preserved and transmit-ted to us through the ages. The evidence for this isoverwhelming.The Bible is consistent with itself even though it waswritten by approximately 40 authors over about a 1500year period.The Bible contains literally hundreds of prophesies thathave been fulfilled in minute detail. Some of thoseprophesies were made hundreds of years before thefulfillment.There is overwhelming archaeological evidence thatthe places and events recorded in the Bible are true.
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Support MarketFaith Ministries
The purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to equip the Bodyof Christ to become more effective by sharing the practicalapplications of worldview. We are involved in developingtraining and resource materials for that very purpose. If you would like to partner with us in this effort, you maysend your tax deductible contribution to MarketFaith Minis-tries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312.
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