There’s a lot of talk today about “culture wars,” but these external conflicts are only a symptom of a deeper problem: there is trouble with the truth. Beneath our differences about the values that should define our culture is a real disagreement about what is true. Those who hold to the traditional beliefs of the Christian faith find themselves at odds with a culture that no longer believes there are universal spiritual or moral truths that apply to everyone. And they grieve that the confusion about what is true is just as strong in the church. The Trouble with the Truth explores the truth—why it’s in trouble, what the culture tells us about it, and why the church is so confused about it. In an engaging and compelling style, Rob Renfroe reminds us that the Christian life requires commitment to both truth and grace. Like a tightrope walker with a balance bar, we must learn to balance compassion for people and passion for truth, combining them in equal measure just as Jesus did. Readers will examine the essentials about truth and grace, understand the differences between a cultural worldview and a scriptural worldview, and discover how to be instruments of real influence and transformation in our time by following Jesus’s example. A DVD featuring six interviews with the author and a full leader guide are available for group study. Learn to balance compassion for people while maintaining a passion for truth. Rob Renfroe is Pastor of Discipleship at The Woodlands UMC in Houston, Texas, leader of the popular men's Bible study Quest, attended by over 500 men, and the author of The Trouble with the Truth and A Way Through the Wilderness. He also is President of Good News—a national organization committed to the doctrinal integrity and spiritual renewal of The United Methodist Church. He and his wife, Peggy, are the parents of two adult sons. The Trouble with the Truth Balancing Truth and Grace By Rob Renfroe Abingdon Press Copyright © 2014 Abingdon Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-8619-8 Contents Introduction, 1. Full of Grace and Truth, 2. Why Grace Is Essential and Truth Matters, 3. Why Our Culture Values Compassion Over Truth: Understanding Three Worldviews, 4. Comparing the Cultural Worldview to a Scriptural Worldview, 5. The New Absolutes, 6. What Does Love Require?, Notes, CHAPTER 1 Full of Grace and Truth At the heart of the universe, there is a heart of grace. It's the heart of one Jesus described as a loving Father, one who finds joy in bringing good gifts into the lives of his children. It's the heart of a shepherd who discovers that one of his sheep is missing, so he leaves the ninety-nine to find the one that's lost. It's the breaking heart of one who is looking a long way off for a rebellious, wandering son and who runs to embrace his retuning child, kiss his face, and forgive his transgressions. This heart of grace is also a heart of truth. It is a heart that is offended by lies and deception and hypocrisy. This heart belongs to a God who tells us that the truth will set us free and warns us about teachers who tell people what they want to hear and are willing to remove the "offense" of the gospel when contending for the faith proves unpopular or costly. At the heart of the universe there is truth as eternal and as unchanging as the God who has revealed it. At the heart of the universe, there is a heart of compassion—a compassion so great that God could not turn his back on those who turned their backs on him; a compassion so great that God himself came into our world in the person of Jesus to seek and save the lost, knowing that if he did so, he would be scorned and mistreated and ultimately nailed to a cross. This heart of compassion is also a heart of righteousness. It is the heart of one who delights in all that is good and who is grieved by all that is evil. It's the heart of a God who sent prophets to demand that his people be pure in heart and just in their actions, and that they repent of their sins. At the heart of the universe, there is a heart of love. Nothing is more real—not the earth beneath our feet, not the pain we suffer, not the sins we commit. Before any physical realities came into existence, there was love. And when the earth and our pain and our sins are no more, love will remain. This heart of love is also a heart of holiness. It is a heart that cannot be neutral about evil without denying its very nature. It is the heart of a God who cannot ignore the wrongs done by his creatures because evil not only does harm to those who are wronged but also mars his image in the one who does the wrong. When the Father sent the Son into the world that we might be saved, he came with grace and truth, compassion and righteousness, love and holiness. Without grace and truth together, we don't have the God of the Bible. Without compassion and righteousness together, we don't have Jesus of the Gospels. Without love and holiness together, we