Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 10
The program promises you can “verify everything” because teachers “quote directly from the primary sources”; if a group took that challenge seriously, what would it look like to test your current beliefs and habits against both Scripture and early Christian practice without selectively excusing the parts that would cost you comfort, reputation, or freedom?
Another way to ask: If you really tried to “verify everything” using Scripture and early Christian writings, what would that process look like for your beliefs and habits? How would you keep from ignoring the parts that would cost you comfort, reputation, or freedom?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
It would mean examining Scripture as the only inspired witness while also reading the earliest Christian primary sources directly, then honestly measuring both doctrine and lifestyle against what you find—allowing costly areas of obedience to confront you rather than explaining them away.
- He anchors authority: “the New Testament…is our only inspired witness to what the historic faith was.”
- He urges historical checking: “go back and see what Christians believed when there was still just one church.”
- He emphasizes primary-source access: teachers “quote directly from the primary sources,” so members can “verify everything.”
- He highlights that early writings address both belief and conduct: “doctrine” and “how Christians should live.”
- His own example models non-selective self-testing: he realized he would have been “backslidden…weak,” and it “radically changed my life.”