Grandparents and Worldview

SeniorResource.com receives compensation for purchases made on Grandcoaching.org using the promotional code SR. The views and opinions expressed in this article are from Grandcoaching.org and are not necessarily reflective of our own views and opinions. We do not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided in this article.

“Let me introduce my longtime friend, Dr. Thomas Lewis.” Bob began the evening as three couples met at the home of Bob and Susan for their weekly discussion group. “Last week a couple of you raised some questions about worldview, and I felt it would be helpful for all of us as grandparents to get a more in-depth perspective on this issue.”

“I agree that would certainly be helpful,” Phil responded as he and Lisa took their seats in the spacious den. “Tommy, our oldest grandson, is sixteen, and some of the things he’s hearing in school and elsewhere have certainly given Lisa and me cause for concern– his parents also.” 

Brad and Betty, the third couple, nodded vigorously, and Betty added, “We now have three teenage grandchildren, and lately what they’ve been telling us about things they are hearing at school and even on social media have been pretty disturbing.”

“That’s why I invited Thomas to share some things with us tonight about worldview that may help us in dealing with what our grandchildren are being exposed to today.” Bob turned to his guest. “Let me tell you a little more about Dr. Lewis. He teaches apologetics at Luther University.”

“I don’t suppose that mean he specializes in apologizing for his faith?” Brad sarcastically asked with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Not at all,” Bob replied. “He specializes in providing a logical defense of what he believes in. Thomas studied at Dallas Seminary under the late Dr. Norm Geisler, and he spent several years working with Josh McDowell, who wrote More Than a Carpenter and Evidence That Demands a Verdict.” 

“We know about Josh,” Lisa interjected. “He’s the main speaker on the videos on the Grandcoaching course Phil and I enrolled in. It’s an online course to teach grandparents how to use life coaching skills to help head their grandchildren off from some of the cultural dangers today.”

“I’m familiar with it, and I recommend it,” Thomas responded. “Now, Bob if you’re ready get our session started, I’ll be glad to talk about worldview.”

Two Kinds of Proof

“That’s something I hear a lot these days,” Thomas replied. “Our kids are being taught that scientific evidence is the only kind that’s valid. But that’s just not the case. 

“Every courtroom in America functions on the basis of two kinds of evidence– scientific and eyewitness. And there’s an important distinction. With scientific evidence, you can take it into a laboratory and test it. DNA testing fits that category; it has resulted in the conviction of many murderers. 

“But so has eyewitness testimony. And that’s exactly the kind of evidence we find in Scripture.”

Thomas went on. “In Second Peter 1, Peter, one of Jesus’ original apostles, wrote, ‘We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses….’ Peter was present! He witnessed Jesus healing sick people, even raising Lazarus and others from the dead. He was also one of the first to see Jesus alive three days after he had been crucified and buried.

Thomas turned to Phil. “This is where your grandson Jerry and others have been undermined in terms of their view of the Bible, Phil. It contains valid eyewitness testimony. In fact, the apostle Paul based his corer Christian message in First Corinthians 15 on eyewitness validation. 

“After writing of His death by crucifixion, Paul went on to write ‘And he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,’ and then gives a list of ‘He was seen by…’ eyewitnesses. He mentioned Peter, Mary Magdalene, and the eleven remaining apostles. He even cited a group of over 500 believers who saw Jesus alive after his crucifixion, most of whom were still living when Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. The eyewitness evidence for our Christian faith is very strong.”

“But I have one more question,” Betty had not spoken, but had been listening intently to Dr. Lewis. “How can I respond to people who say Jesus was just another man, maybe a good moral teacher, but certainly not someone who claimed to be God. I actually heard that the other day in the beauty shop.”

What about Jesus?

“My granddaughter brought this up the other day,” Lisa stated. “She told me her history teacher tried to convince the class that Jesus was just another religious figure and certainly was not God.”

Thomas replied, “I believe C.S. Lewis probably provided the best response to that question in one of his best-known sayings.  My old prof, Dr. Geisler, actually had us memorize it. 

“Lewis wrote ‘You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.’  

“To clarify, what Lewis meant was that a person who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said could not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, a liar, or the Lord himself.”

“Spoken as only Lewis could put it,” Bob concluded, standing to dismiss the group. “And as I recall, Josh McDowell has used that same statement—he called it the ‘trilemma.’” 

“He did indeed,” Thomas replied. “And for those of you who haven’t yet signed up for that online Grandcoaching course, you’ll find a lot more to learn from Josh in those lessons. Remember, Pilate asked the question ‘What is truth?’ Jesus’ answer was clear. ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me.’”

Use PROMO Code: SR for $50 Off

SeniorResource.com receives compensation for purchases made on Grandcoaching.org using the promotional code SR. The views and opinions expressed in this article are from Grandcoaching.org and are not necessarily reflective of our own views and opinions. We do not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided in this article.