Note: This post is regularly updated with new handouts and MP3 recordings.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you really (I mean really) doubted the truth of the Bible? Maybe you wondered whether everything you ever believed was a lie. Anyone who’s gone through such an experience, and come out on the other side, knows how much their spiritual health is tied to their trust in Scripture.

In short, understanding the origins and authority of the Bible is a practical issue. It’s a spiritual issue. While I am convinced that most evangelicals believe the truth of the Bible, I think far fewer can articulate why they believe it, or know how to defend it against attacks.

For these reasons, I am excited to launch a new Sunday School class at my home church, Christ Covenant Church (PCA): “How Did We Get Our Bible? The Origins and Authority of Scripture.”  This is a lay-level introduction to the key doctrines of Scripture, as well as defense against the many and varied attacks on the Bible in our world today.

The class is part of a larger new initiative at Christ Covenant where we are transitioning to a topic-based Sunday School program rather than the standard age-and-stage model. We were thrilled to see the enthusiasm last week as we had record Sunday School attendance across our seven classes (many with standing room only!).

For those in my class who want to do further reading on the origins and authority of the Bible, you will want to check out my Top Ten List for Books on the Authority of Scripture. These are, in my opinion, some of the best works on the subject over the last few generations.

Below is a class description along with the schedule for the 13-weeks we will meet. Each week I will update the schedule below with the handout and MP3 recording (sorry, no recording for week one but we will record the others!). [Read more…]