How to Love Atheists, Why Christians Should Study Philosophy, and a Question About Church Training

Welcome back to The Think Institute Newsletter. I have two big pieces of news to share with you today. 

First, in the Hammer & Anvil Society, our men’s fellowship program, we have officially launched the Worldview Leader Journey, which is our 32-week certificate program in the Biblical Worldview, Family Leadership, and Apologetics. Members who complete the Journey will become Think Institute Fellows. If you are a Christian man, you can check out the Hammer & Anvil Society for free for eight weeks here.

Second (and this is huge) this week we launched the official Substack for The Think Institute. We are rolling out new articles every week, which will introduce you to the theory behind presuppositional apologetics and how to weaponize your Christian worldview against falsehood and doubt. Substack subscribers help fuel the work of The Think Institute, so please consider signing up and trying it out. I think you’ll enjoy it. You can sign up free, or as a paid subscriber to get all the articles. 

Now, let’s get into this week’s Newsletter. Every week you get an idea from me, a quote from somebody else, and one thing to think about. Time to dive in. 

AN IDEA FROM ME

The atheist knows God, but suppresses the truth in unrighteousness. How do I know that? Because the Bible tells me so.

The same Bible that tells me that logic is real, that contradictions matter… The same Bible that tells me that science is real… The same Bible that tells me that human rights are real… also tells me that we’re made in the image of God, and that every one of us has a sensus divinitatis —a sense of God.

We know God. But apart from Jesus Christ, we suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18–21).

So we need to love our atheistic friends. And the most loving thing we can do is to tell them: Be reconciled to the God you know. The God you’ve been suppressing your whole life. Repent, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

—From “Yes, Atheists Really Do Steal from the Christian Worldview” on Substack 

 A QUOTE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE

“The third reason for studying philosophy is to become acquainted with the most formidable adversaries of Christianity—non-Christian thought in its most cogent form. Of course, non-Christians have worked in all the different fields of endeavor for human beings; there have been non-Christian historians and scientists, and so on. But the non-Christian philosophers are the ones who are most concerned with developing the non-Christian worldview, and to show how it’s different from the Christian worldview, and to show (as best they can) what are the best arguments they can think of, that support the non-Christian worldview. And as Christians seeking to witness to unbelief in our time—we have an apologetic concern here—we want to be able to understand non-Christian thought at its most cogent, at its best. We want to understand their best arguments.”

—John Frame, from the lecture, “Why Study Philosophy: Metaphysics, Epistemology, and a Biblical Worldview.” 

John Frame has been one of the three most influential thinkers who have influenced my own thought, and you can now get all of his History of Western Philosophy and Theology Audio Lectures for free on his website. I’ve been listening to them myself on my daily commute, and I  have been learning a lot. I read Frame’s book, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology several years ago, and I really appreciate how he traces the history of ideas through time, contrasting each non-Christian view with the biblical, Christian view. Here’s the link. 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Outside of Sunday morning, what kind of training does your church offer, to help you understand, apply, and defend your faith? 

Reply to this email within seven days, and I will write you back. 

In Christ, 

Joel Settecase

President, The Think Institute

P. S. I recently went on the Bible Show and Tell podcast to share some of my most treasured Bibles—including the one I got when I was six, my grandfather’s well-worn RSV, and my heavily annotated CSB Worldview Bible. We talked Bible translations, presuppositional apologetics, Greek New Testament studies, and even who really wrote Hebrews. It was a rich, fun conversation! Watch it here.  

P. P. S. I was also recently a guest on The Theologizing Subject YouTube show, where I shared my testimony, broke down presuppositional apologetics in plain terms, and explained why the Christian worldview alone makes knowledge possible. We also got into Calvinism, New Covenant Theology, and leading our families in the Word. Check it out here.

P. P. P. S. This past Sunday I preached at Park Community Church (South Loop) on the radical transformation of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1–10. The big idea: Only Jesus turns lost sinners into sons and daughters of God. If you’ve ever wondered how regeneration actually happens—or how it can happen to you—this message is for you. You can watch it here.