The Secret Battle of Ideas about God Participant's Guide by Dr. Jeff Myers

Author:Dr. Jeff Myers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian apologetics;Summit ministries;Christian worldview;Biblical worldview;Defending your faith;Apologetics;Christian apologetics books;Apologetics bible study;Worldview books
Publisher: David C. Cook
Published: 2017-06-12T22:09:14+00:00

Session 4

Does My Life Have Meaning?

How Idea Viruses Strip Us of Direction and Leave Us Aimless

Discussing Chapters 7 and 8 of

The Secret Battle of Ideas about God

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.

John 15:16

What got you out of bed this morning? On a day-to-day basis, what energizes you? When you consider your life as a whole, what gives it purpose and meaning?

Talk of long-term goals, vision, legacy, making our lives count, giving back to the community all boils down to one question: Why are we here? In other words, what is our reason for being?

Without clear goals we would lack direction, but we often settle for achieving goals without understanding how this fits into the bigger picture. We focus on strategies for making improvements and plotting the best ways to achieve more. But what about the intangible truth that gives meaning to our lives and guides us?

When we understand the meaning of the big story, it sheds light on all of life. The activities of life—today’s deadlines, an overcrowded schedule, and rushing to get everything done—tend to distract us. But are we allowing the daily clutter to keep us from grasping the big story that gives shape and meaning to our time on earth?

According to John Stonestreet, postmodernism has saturated our world. This counterfeit worldview denies that one overarching story makes sense of life and gives order to the universe. Instead, postmodernism insists that each of us has a story and all these little stories are of equal importance and validity. However, little stories do nothing to clarify our search for purpose and meaning in life.

If every story is equally valid, then one person’s story of hate and violence can claim moral equality with a story of generosity, compassion, and service. As John Stonestreet points out, the postmodern mind-set has led to the unquestioning acceptance of moral relativism. But if nothing is fixed or absolute, what determines the meaning of our lives? Does each person create his or her own meaning, and what if your meaning is in direct opposition to mine?

Where does placing undue value on the small stories lead us? To a purposeless existence, as evidenced by many young people today. A sense of purposelessness, however, runs counter to our innermost being. We have been made for meaning.

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