The Truth War Study Guide: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception

By John F. MacArthur

Discover how to identify the lies of postmodernism and defend biblical truth.

Right now, truth is under attack, and much is at stake. Perhaps no one in America is more passionate than John MacArthur about exposing those who are mounting this attack--especially those bringing the assault right into the church.

There is no middle ground--no safe zone for the uncommitted in this war. The battle for truth is raging, and The Truth War Study Guide will help you see:

• The pitfalls of postmodern thinking
• Why the Emerging Church Movement is inherently flawed
• Past skirmishes in the Truth War and their effect on the Church
• The importance of truth and certainty in a postmodern society
• How to identify and address the errors and false teachings smuggled into churches

 

The Truth War Study Guide will equip you to understand what is at stake in the war for truth, identify the lies, and defend the truth of Scripture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: May 6, 2007
• ISBN: 9781418584481

John F. MacArthur

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker. He has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four married children and fifteen grandchildren. John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly two thousand English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and digital recordings by John MacArthur. John is chancellor of The Master's University and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Bestselling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, Slave, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

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Copyright © by John F. MacArthur, 2007

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Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from the The New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from The King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN-10: 1-4185-1421-7

ISBN-13: 978-1-4185-1421-1

07 08 09 10 11 RRD 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: Trends

CHAPTER 2: Deceptions

CHAPTER 3: Certainties

CHAPTER 4: Doctrines

CHAPTER 5: Contenders

CHAPTER 6: Truths

Leader’s Guide

"I FOUND IT NECESSARY TO WRITE TO

YOU EXHORTING YOU TO CONTEND

EARNESTLY FOR THE FAITH."

—JUDE 1:3 NKJV

1

TRENDS

"Contemporary Christians are determined to get the world to like them—and of course in the process they also want to have as much fun as possible. They are so obsessed with making the church seem ‘cool’ to unbelievers that they can’t be bothered with questions about whether another person’s doctrine is sound or not."

—The Truth War

Somewhere along the line, evangelicals have bought into the lie that the Great Commission is a marketing mandate. The larger evangelical movement today is obsessed with opinion polls, brand identity, market research, merchandizing schemes, innovative strategies, and numerical growth. Maintaining a positive image has become a priority over guarding the truth. So the message of the gospel is carefully tailored by consumer-relations experts to appeal to worldly minds. The truth is customized to meet the felt needs of the audience. Rather than plainly preaching God’s Word in a way that unleashes the power and truth of it, they try desperately to package the message in order to make it more subtle and more appealing to the world.

That’s precisely why for many years now, evangelical leaders have systematically embraced and fostered almost every worldly, shallow, and frivolous idea that comes into the church. A patho-logical devotion to superficiality has practically become the chief hallmark of the movement. Evangelicals are obsessed with pop culture, and they copy it frantically. Contemporary church leaders are so busy trying to stay current with the latest fads that they rarely give much sober thought to weightier spiritual matters anymore.

1. It’s easy for the church to become caught up, competing for attention in a media-driven world. But the effort distracts us from the thing we should be striving for. What does Paul have to say in Ephesians 4:17 about those who are trying to keep in step with the world around them?

2. Christians are often spurned for their strength of conviction, and it’s tempting to tone down our stance in order to be liked, to fit in, and to improve our public image. But are we meant to fit in? How does 1 Peter 4:3–4 describe the world’s perspective on the Christian lifestyle?

THE MOST COMPELLING QUESTION IN THE MINDS AND ON THE LIPS OF MANY PASTORS TODAY IS NOT WHAT’S TRUE? BUT RATHER, WHAT WORKS?

3. The postmodern movement offers people the chance to have their cake and eat it too. By picking and choosing what they want to believe, they can claim allegiance with Christ without having to give up any of the things they enjoy. In each of these verses, what is revealed about the pleasures we cling to when we try to personalize our faith?

2 Timothy 3:4

Titus 3:3

Hebrews 11:25

4. In 1 Corinthians 10:7, how does Paul refer to those whose only concern is the pleasure to be found in food and fun?

5. What is the destiny of those who continuously fill their minds with earthly things, according to Philippians 3:19?

6. What real danger do the pleasures of life hold for our spiritual life according to Luke 8:14?

7. Believers are

Reviews for The Truth War Study Guide

[Ray · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful and daring book that speaks of the truth of Western church sickness and where it stands today. It is a tough book for the faint-hearted people and those who filter and understand Christ and Christin faith according to Western democracy.