Summit’s Now We Live small group video curriculum is what the church needs and we need it now! In a time when we are daily bombarded with false narratives and empty promises about life, the universe, happiness, and everything, we need, more than ever, the wisdom to locate our life in the good and true story of God. Join me and others as we reflect on the beauty of the gospel and the sufficiency of Jesus for all of life. And after you’ve listened, studied, and discussed Now We Live with your small group, pick up my book, A Good and True Story, and embark on a journey of discovery to see how the many clues in our world converge to point to Jesus and the gospel as the true story of the world.
I loved exploring the clues God has placed all around us that cry out for explanation and point to the true story of the world. Those clues include a detailed look at:
-
- The universe. When we consider the universe, we find that it is contingent, temporally finite, immense, and finely-tuned for life. Each of these features point to a transcendent cause (i.e., God).
- Meaning. We long to find our place in the universe. We long for meaning, purpose, value, and an identity. In the book, I consider four possible stories-absurdism, nice nihilism, enchanted naturalism, and enchanted supernaturalism—seeking a story that fits with these deep longings of the heart. I argue that there is a story, a version of enchanted supernaturalism, that fits perfectly with our deepest longings.
- Beauty. When we consider the nature of beauty we discover that it is objective, pleasurable, and evocative of something infinite or eternal. Even more surprising, the universe is saturated with beauty. Everywhere we turn, from the stars above to the microscopic below and everything in between, we find beauty. This fact is surprising on naturalism, but not theism. In the Christian story, God creates a good and beautiful world to reflect his goodness and beauty.
Join me as we consider these clues and many more as we journey together to see how all the clues converge on Jesus and the gospel story.
Paul M. Gould is an associate professor of philosophy of religion and director of the M.A. Philosophy of Religion program at Palm Beach Atlantic University.