The Brookside Institute
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Brookside Church

Reinforcing Foundations of the Christian Faith

8/25/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
The Brookside Institute is all about "building and reinforcing foundations of the Christian faith."  I recently wrote about the importance of BUILDING these foundations.  In this post, let me briefly illustrate why REINFORCING foundations of the Christian faith is important.

In our first home, one of the cement block foundation walls in our basement had begun to bow inward, leaving a noticeable horizontal crack along the wall.  And even more significantly, along this same wall water was getting into our basement whenever we got any amount of significant rain.  I learned that this sort of foundation damage is fairly common, because of outside pressures such as shifting soil or water build-up.

The foundation of this home - which was laid well initially - needed to be shored up in light of these changing circumstances.  The foundation needed to be revisited and supported with wall anchors that maintained the wall's uprightness, and a water drainage system that channeled any incoming water to the right place.  The solution was that we needed to reinforce the foundation.

Foundations of Christianity are similar - they can erode or shift if not prepared for the shifting soils of our culture or other external circumstances.  The foundations of our Christianity aren't something we lay once and then forget about.  The foundations of our Christianity need vigilant attention and periodic reinforcing.

Brookside Institute classes offer systematic, comprehensive instruction in the Christian faith.  Institute classes are places where you can Dig Deep, Learn Good, and Launch well - all healthy components of reinforcing a strong foundation.  

Don't forget that Fall 2015 classes are now up and registration is "live."  Check out what's coming and get signed up soon!
2 Comments
Bruce
9/2/2015 04:15:24 am

Sorry I haven't been on here for awhile. Just stopped by to review some of your nice posts.This one got me thinking a bit about evolution and even the work of Frances Collins on the human genome project. These put the historical reliability of Adam and Eve / Noah's Ark probably most of Genesis 1 - 11 on the line. How do we keep a firm foundation but also accept what science is revealing to us ?

Reply
Tim Wiebe
9/2/2015 08:12:37 am

Great question, Bruce. I'll do my best to keep a response brief. :)

I'd say strong foundations in the essentials help us navigate some of the current controversies a number of ways. Strong foundations help us know what is essential and what is debatable. (E.g. is theistic evolution vs. some of the alternatives a gospel essential, or is it further out from the center - perhaps something that's important, but not at the core of what one must believe to be evangelical. Strong foundations also give us a broad base - so if our thinking is currently being challenged in one area, there are "footings" in many other places/areas that keep us from going off of a deep end. And then, foundations certainly also should equip us in the essentials, so we know what the "mega-important" doctrines of the church are - why they are important and how to understand them.

I know I've not touched specifically on the Gen 1-11 issues you bring up (the historicity of Adam, Noah and the flood, etc.). That'd be a post in itself! Maybe someday... :)

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Tim Wiebe

    Christian. Husband. Father. Pastor. Learner. Contributor. Reader.


    RSS Feed


    Categories

    All
    Apologetics
    Bible
    Book Reviews
    Catechesis
    Church History
    Culture
    Devotional
    Ethics
    Mission
    Quotes
    Reading
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Teaching
    Theology

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    February 2022
    March 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

SITE MAP

Home
About
Blog
Contact
Brookside Church

Top Five Posts from February 2023
#1 - 6 Online Tools that Can Help You Dig into (and Understand!) the Bible
#2 - 5 Ways to Show Readiness for Jesus' Return
​#3 - ​​8 Things We Learn About God in Deuteronomy 4-10
#4 - ​ What's Up with 1 Kings 18:40?
#5 - How 2 Timothy 1-2 Helps Me Approach Teaching

Picture
© 2014-2022  |  11607 M Circle, Omaha NE, 68137 | www.thebrooksideinstitute.net
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Brookside Church