{"id":1606,"date":"2025-09-29T09:22:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T13:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/?p=1606"},"modified":"2025-10-21T14:17:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T18:17:18","slug":"culture-faith-and-our-foundation-in-the-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cognitivewarriorproject.com\/?p=1606","title":{"rendered":"Culture, Faith, and Our Foundation in the Word"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the questions I was asked when I began writing about faith here, and the concept of being a ‘cognitive warrior’ was how faith impacts ‘cognitive’ decision making. Again, similar to last week, I don’t think I have fully answered that yet, but this weeks sermon, and what struck me the most, in part, provides an answer. If you want to watch the entire service from this week, it is linked at the bottom of the article.<\/p>\n

I have always contended that one of the central failures of Iraq and Afghanistan was that we approached the war with a lack of cultural memory. In fact, America in general does not have a long generational history or culture. We are a true melting pot that, in a large way, has been severed from our past. We do not frame our thoughts through a generational lens and limit our view to this week, this fiscal year, or sometimes through politics as this administration. This is not a new critique and I am certainly not alone in this, but I do think that it is important and have touched on this subject here<\/a> in a previous post. It is not just that our cultural memory is short relative to the rest of the world, it seems to be under attack from within. Leaving politics aside, and returning to Iraq\/Afghanistan there was a rather prophetic quote from someone in the Taliban and I am paraphrasing a bit, “You Americans have the watches, but we have the time.” <\/em>They approached the war as a generational conflict and ultimately, waited us out. Not only that, another critique of Afghanistan was that is was not a 21 year war, but 21, 1 year wars. Each deployment cycle largely reinvented the wheel. We lacked the continuity and unity of effort. We lacked a cohesive culture that built on the successes and failures of our predecessors. <\/p>\n

So, how does this relate to faith? This week our discussion focused on the Old Testament and how that impacted the New Testament and why it is still relevant today. In many ways, the Old Testament is an After Action Report on cultural development. Lessons Leaned on the do’s and don’ts of an emerging culture. Heck one could argue that we are not just in a cultural struggle, we are in the midst of a full on spiritual war! So how do we combat that? What can we do? First, we need to acknowledge where we are and second we need to learn from the past and get into our Bibles. Even if you don’t believe we are in a culture war, there is a war being waged for your soul and you have an obligation to try to win. <\/p>\n

For more on my faith journey and the reasons I generally didn\u2019t write about faith you can go here <\/a>and here<\/a>. But as a reminder, the framework for this post is the discussion guide provided by our church about this Sunday\u2019s service. As the discussion facilitator, I ask the questions and in this post, you provide the answers. <\/p>\n

(Editor\u2019s Note: When you see \u2018Note\u2019 below, these are not entirely my words but are largely derived from my Life Application Study Bible\u2019s note section. I cannot take credit for them and am not that smart.)<\/p>\n

Let’s jump in.<\/p>\n

Planted in the Word – Foundations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Judges 2:10 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Israel Disobeys the Lord<\/p>\n

10 <\/em><\/sup>After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> One generation died, and the next did not follow God\u2026it is a preview of the cycle of sin, judgement and repentance the Israel experienced again and again. Each generation failed to teach the next generation to love and follow God. While it is tempting to leave this teaching to others, God says that the responsibility for this task belongs primarily to the family. Because children learn so much by the example that we set, the home offers the most effective place to pass on faith to the next generation.<\/p>\n

Judges 21:25 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

25<\/sup> In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> The people of Israel experienced trouble because everyone became his own authority and acted on his own opinions of right and wrong. This produced horrendous results. Our world is similar in that, individuals, groups and societies have made themselves the final authorities without reference to God. When people selfishly satisfy their personal desires at all costs, everyone pays the price\u2026Our weapons are the standards, morals truths and convictions we receive from God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n

So what is the Bible? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses that report supernatural events and claim to be divine in origin<\/em> \u2013 Dr. Voddie Bachman<\/p>\n

Psalm 119:89-90 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lamedh<\/em><\/p>\n

89 <\/sup>Your eternal word, O Lord,<\/em>
\n    stands firm in heaven.<\/em>
\n90 <\/sup>Your faithfulness extends to every generation,<\/em>
\n    as enduring as the earth you created.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Many people avoid the Old Testament because it feels ancient, confusing, or rule-heavy. What has been your personal experience with the Old Testament so far? How has that shaped your faith (positively or negatively)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Call of Abram<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 The Lord had said to Abram, \u201cLeave your native country, your relatives, and your father\u2019s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 <\/sup>I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 <\/sup>I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Genesis 12 shows God\u2019s promise to bless all nations through Abraham. How does seeing the Old Testament as part of one big redemption story change the way you read it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. The message reminded us that the Old Testament was carefully preserved and that Jesus Himself trusted it. How does this strengthen your confidence in the Bible as trustworthy and relevant today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can I Trust the Bible? I know I linked to this last week but the central question of Can I trust the bible is really important and Wes Huff does a far better job than I on that question. In addition, I also included a short discussion on The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Isaiah.<\/p>\n