Lesson 1 Notes – Veritology: What is truth?

Veritology: The study of truth

Why is the concept of truth so important when it comes to the biblical view of the world and God's purpose of the universe, His will for mankind, His plan of salvation, and the way we live our personal lives?
God has given us fundamental answers to all the questions in life.
God has provided a social order prescribed for man.
Truth was fundamental to the mission of Jesus Christ.


Fundamental concept >> To gaze upon the face of God.
We are talking about looking at the glory of His attributes, His Character, His nature.
God is Truth and the ultimate source of all Truth .
We are called to "look" at who He really is.
It is the essential part of "knowing Him" that should be our number one objective in life.
Why did Jesus come into the world?Why was He born? For what reason? For What purpose?

When he was on trial for his life Jesus spoke some words which give an answer to these questions. He said in John 18:37, "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

This statement doesn’t override any other of his objective statements. It actually helps to clarify many of them, such as:

to fulfill the prophecies (Matt 5 :17)
to set the captives free (John 8 : 32)
to save the world and have everyone come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2 : 3-4)
How can one man save the world? (Who can fathom that?)

Jesus on the witness stand >>> Truth is on trial
When Christ wanted to get our attention for something really important, He would begin, “Truly, truly I say unto you.” John quotes Him 25 times speaking these words.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ – John 1:17
I am the way and the truth and the life – John 14:16
We are sanctified by the truth – John 17:17
We must worship in spirit and in truth – John 4:24
The truth will set you free – John 8:32
The spirit of truth – John 14:16-17
Knowledge of the truth – John 16:13

Salvation and truth >>> a very close link with each other

The sword of the spirit >>> The Truth of God
How does mankind react (respond) to the Truth?

Men will not put up with sound doctrine and turn away from truth – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

According to the world, to claim that there is absolute truth leads to intolerance and prejudice against what others think.
The real trial >>> Truth vs. Lie

There are other sides to the Truth.
“Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

The Cosmic battle (from the very beginning)
Truth (reality) vs. Lie (illusion)
Satan had his truth claims vs. God’s truth claims.
Scene in heaven between God and Satan – Job 1:2 – “Did God really say?”

Two Fathers
John 8:44 – "You belong to your father, the devil"
When we begin to renounce Satan's lies and to receive God's Truth, our eyes will be opened to receive God's Truth and to walk in the light.

Connection between sin, lies and deceit
Every sin that besets us can be traced to
a belief in a lie – Our sins take us captive to the lies of the world

Dealing with outsiders
2 Timothy 2 and Colossians 4:5-6 – They have been
taken captive and we must "gently instruct them" and let our "speech be seasoned
with salt"

Battle of Worldviews
An antithesis between God’s truth claims and the lies of the
world, the flesh, and the devil

Definition of Worldview according to TTP:"A worldview is a comprehensive set of truth claims that purport to paint a true picture of reality. A comprehensive biblical worldview is one that includes and fundamentally understands God's truth claimed over every area of life. Our personal worldview is the total set of truth claims that we have bought, consciously or subconsciously, which drive our emotions and what we think and do in unguarded moments — reflecting what we believe to be really real.

Today's culture vs. God's truth:
Unity vs. Division
Diversity vs. Unification
Roles vs. Jealousy
Responsibility vs. Blame (We live in a world of blame)
Authority vs. Rebellion
Delegation vs. Tyranny
Freedom vs. Bondage

Glimpse at Anthropology- Goo Man- Product of the Cosmos- Basically Good- Perfectable

What is Truth? “this question could well be the most important question that we and our culture must answer”

Primary Truth >>> Truth as it relates to Reality
Noah Webster – 1828:
Truth: “Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be… We rely upon the truth of the scriptural prophecies.”
The Supression of Truth >>> We exchange the Truth of God for a Lie

Equating an idol to a lie - Isaiah 44 – Lies are powerful and lead us to insane notions
Perception by definition is relative. Truth by definition cannot be relative. There can be no perception of truth. There is only truth.


What is Insanity?We all suffer from "Common Insanity" - losing touch with reality

Connecting faith with our actions and emotions: God is the object of our
faith and our hope – Our actions are the most reliable indicator of our
beliefs.

God is the ultimate source of Truth – Colossians 2:2-3
Jesus is the reflection of God’s character and nature.
God’s character >>> “Jehovah Jirah” (Matthew 6:25-34 – God provides)
God’s nature >>> Source of truth


What is Faith?
Faith >>> is a big word used today: “People of faith” >> faith in what?
Conclusion:
"Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?"
Reflect on the faith of a child towards his mother or father.
Our faith should overcome our feelings.
We need to reach out for the claims of God and hang on to them when dealing with worry.
We should act on what we believe rather than what we are feeling >> that is faith
Truth should be the reference point for everything we do in our lives.

In almost every case, the perspective of contemporary culture stands in direct opposition to the Truth-centered worldview presented in the Bible.
Our culture is not only filled with lies but is actually heading in the direction of social insanity.

Alan Keyes on Obama and the Constitution

Alan Keyes ran as an Independent in the 2008 presidential election and is now a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Obama's citizenship and eligibility to serve as President of the United States. In Part One of this interview, he shares with Molotov Mitchell why the Constitution still matters, the potential ramifications of defying it and if doing so could justify revolution.


In Part Two of this interview, Dr. Keyes elaborates upon his experience in dealing with terrorism, the "Manchurian candidate" scenario and why the Founding Fathers created the presidential citizenship requirement in the first place.

36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Today we mourn the deaths of over 44 million aborted babies on this 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Take the time to examine the facts and checkout the resources below to learn the truh about abortion:

http://www.abort73.com/

http://www.22weeksthemovie.com/



Planned Parenthood Hits Suburbia (WSJ)
Abortion Provider Goes Upscale; Aid For Poor Questioned

The Awful Treatment of President Bush

The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace (Wall Street Journal)
What must our enemies be thinking?

Parting Shot (Michelle Malkin)

People Throw Their Shoes At Huge Bush Blow Up Doll:


The liberal response to George W. Bush's announcement at the Inauguration of Barack Obama, as well as his later departure from Capitol Hill.

With all the ongoing MSM media outrage over reported threats made to President-Elect Obama, let's not forget death threats towards Republicans are the fantasy world of the left. They even made a "critically acclaimed" wish upon a sitting president.
Death of a President:

Obama signs order to close Gitmo prison

Today, President Obama issued four executive orders to demonstrate a clean break from the Bush administration on the war on terror, including one requiring that the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year.

A second executive order formally bans torture by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations. This essentially ends the Bush administration's CIA program of enhanced interrogation methods.

A third executive order establishes an inter-agency task force to lead a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases.

A fourth executive order delays the trial of Ali al-Marri, a legal U.S. resident who has been contesting his detention for more than five years as an enemy combatant in a military brig without the government bringing any charges against him.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Conservative Americans worth noting

Martin Luther King Jr. was a registered Republican.
Martin Luther King "I have a dream" (YouTube video)



Colin Powell



Angela McGlowan
BAMBOOZLED: How Americans Are Being Exploited by the Lies of the Liberal Agenda



Michael Steele
Michael Steele outlines conservative ideas in Civitas speech



Dr. Condoleezza Rice is the second woman to be US Secretary of State, after Madeleine Albright during the Clinton administration. She is the first black woman to be Secretary of State, and she holds the highest position in a presidential cabinet that any black woman has held. Rice describes herself as a moderate Republican. She mastered the piano at three, and was told that she could have had a career as a concert pianist. She skipped first and seventh grades, entered college at 15, holds three degrees including a doctorate in political science, and earned her Master's in just one year's study.



Alen Keyes was an ambassador to the United Nations from 1981 to 1985. He has run for President of the United States on the Republican ticket three times (1996, 2000 and 2008), failing all three times to earn the party nomination. A political conservative, considers himself pro-life, pro-family, pro-security, pro-economy and pro-sovereignty.
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Star Parker is at the forefront of the Christian conservative movement to motivate and lead others away from the lies of the culture to a life full of grace and truth.
She is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education
Star Parker on ChristiantyToday.



Justice Clarence Thomas



J.C. Watts (born November 18, 1957) is an American conservative Republican politician, CNN political contributor, former Representative from Oklahoma in the U.S. Congress, and former professional Canadian football player and much celebrated quarterback for the University of Oklahoma from 1977 to 1981. Watts is, to date, the last black Republican to serve in Congress.
Watts captured national attention in 1996 with a speech before the Republican national convention, when he said, “You see character does count. For too long we have gotten by in a society that says the only thing right is to get by and the only thing wrong is to get caught. Character is doing what’s right when nobody is looking.”

Allen West, an African American conservative and retired army officer, ran for Florida's 22nd congressional district in 2008. A veteran of Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Col. West served as Battalion Commander for the Army's 4th Infantry Division in Operation Iraqi Freedom, receiving numerous honors including a Bronze Star and 3 Meritorious Service Medals. Col. West and his wife, Angela, a financial planner, have been married 17 years. They have two daughters, Aubrey, 14, and Austen, 10.

What's a Good Worldview?

1- There is no such thing as a neutral worldview.

2- A good worldview should have a high degree of coherence or internal consistency. (A logically contradictory statement cannot be true.)

3- A good worldview would have a strong foundation in fact. This is called correspondence.

4- A good worldview has explanatory power.

5- A good worldview would avoid the two extremes: Occam's Razor and Reductionism (oversimplification)

6- A good worldview is established not by one line of evidence or one knock-out argument, but by accumulative evidence.