Establishing Biblical Authority: The Foundation of Truth in Renaissance Ministries

The conversation between Dr. Thomas Abshier and Charlie reveals a fundamental challenge facing any ministry seeking to establish clear doctrinal boundaries while remaining open to seekers from diverse religious backgrounds. Their discussion of Leonard’s allegiance to Denver Snuffer and the Book of Mormon represents a microcosm of the larger question: How does a Bible-centered ministry maintain its doctrinal integrity while compassionately engaging those whose primary spiritual authorities lie elsewhere?

The Necessity of a Single Standard

Dr. Abshier’s position—that the Bible must serve as the ultimate arbiter of truth for Renaissance Ministries—emerges not from sectarian prejudice but from practical and theological necessity. As he astutely observes, “If this ministry goes worldwide…there will be Buddhists, Islamists, Hindus, and New Agers, who will hear this message. And the question will be, which one do you put on the altar, and refer to as your authority?”

This question penetrates to the heart of Christian ministry. While acknowledging that some truth probably exists in every religious tradition, the establishment of a primary standard becomes essential for several reasons:

• Doctrinal Coherence: Without a central text serving as the ultimate authority, a ministry becomes doctrinally rudderless, subject to the interpretive whims of whatever spiritual authority individual members find most compelling. Leonard’s situation illustrates this perfectly—his heart remains divided between biblical authority and Denver Snuffer’s teachings, which creates an internal tension that prevents full commitment to either.
• Practical Unity: A group attempting to study and apply spiritual principles requires a common reference point. When members operate under fundamentally different primary authorities, the group will split into competing factions with emotional attachments to preferred interpretations, translations, or alternative revelations, with no mechanism for resolution and no superior unifying principle to hold the group in fellowship within the context of a higher Truth that is perhaps ever-unfolding or unknowable in its totality.
• Evangelistic Clarity: Effective outreach requires a clear message. A ministry that cannot articulate its own foundational beliefs cannot hope to persuade others. As Charlie notes, there must be “a set of arguments, proofs, reasons” for why seekers should embrace biblical authority over their current spiritual commitments.

The Divine Validation Argument

Dr. Abshier’s most compelling argument for biblical supremacy rests on his vision of cosmic creation: “I saw how the universe was made, and that it all pointed at Christ, and that the Bible documented God’s revelation of His plan, and the relationship between Himself, man, and nature. It was because of this vision that I knew that the story told in the Bible actually reflected the way the universe was actually made and that there was a divine truth underlying the Bible.”

This approach—external validation through natural revelation—offers a powerful apologetic framework. Rather than merely asserting biblical authority through tradition or institutional decree, this method invites validation of the Bible’s truth through its correspondence with observable reality. The universe itself becomes a witness to biblical accuracy.

However, as Charlie notes, this argument requires substantial development: “The Bible seems like a summary, an outline of, like 100 or 200 stories or equations that someone would need to analyze and justify to show they told a coherent story. I remember a story of two Christians, one was an ex-Muslim and the other was a committed long-time Christian. The Christian, by arguing/presenting the details of the Bible, both historical and scriptural, persuaded the Muslim that the Bible and Christianity were the truth.”

The validation argument must be systematically developed into comprehensive apologetic resources tailored to different audiences—what Charlie calls “a version of your syllabus for Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Mormon Christians, and Catholic Christians.”

Addressing the Leonard Prototype

Leonard represents what may be termed the “sincere seeker with competing loyalties” prototype. Such individuals possess genuine spiritual hunger but have invested decades in alternative systems that shaped their foundational assumptions about truth, revelation, and religious authority.

Dr. Abshier correctly identifies that Leonard’s primary allegiance lies not with biblical authority but with the Book of Mormon and, secondarily, with Denver Snuffer’s interpretations. This creates what theologians call a “double-hearted” condition—intellectual acknowledgment of biblical importance combined with emotional and spiritual investment in competing authorities.

The pastoral challenge becomes: How does one lovingly confront this divided loyalty without destroying the relationship? Direct confrontation—asking pointed questions about the reliability of the alternative scripture/prophet/guru/revelation risks alienation. Charlie suggests carefully calibrating such challenges to avoid alienating seekers whose hearts remain genuinely open to truth.

The Multiplication Problem

Perhaps the most sobering aspect of their conversation concerns scalability. Dr. Abshier recognizes he “can’t spend my entire life… trying to convince one person of the truth of the Biblical revelation and save the world also.” This raises the crucial question of how to create reproducible methods for addressing competing spiritual authorities.

Charlie’s suggestion to study Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA model offers a promising direction. Kirk’s organization has successfully developed systematic approaches to challenging prevailing worldviews among college students, creating “many Charlie Kirks all over the world” who can effectively engage intellectual opposition using proven methods.

A Christian adaptation of this model would require:

• Systematic Apologetics: Comprehensive resources addressing the most common competing authorities—Mormon texts, Islamic sources, Eastern religious traditions, secular humanism, and New Age spirituality.
• Training Programs: Structured curricula that equip believers to recognize and address divided loyalties in seekers from various backgrounds.
• Mentorship Networks: Systems pairing experienced practitioners with those learning to navigate these challenging conversations.
• Continuous Refinement: Mechanisms for improving methods based on practical experience and changing cultural conditions.

The Guru Temptation

Dr. Abshier notes the temptation and risk of falling into the role of a guru, prophet, or spiritual authority when teaching the truth of scripture. The perspective must be maintained that the Bible reflects the ultimate truth. But that does not mean I know, or can accurately discern, that truth, or that I know in what situations to apply it with 100% fidelity. Everyone who seeks to be a teacher must be aware of the inherent danger of the temptation to pride, infallibility, and power when advocating for a position that declares absolute truth. The desire to help others discern truth can subtly transform into the desire to become the arbiter of truth for others.

This temptation becomes particularly acute for visionary leaders whose experiences and insights exceed those of their followers. The antidote lies in consistently pointing beyond oneself to Christ and Scripture. Every teaching, every insight, every revelation must be subjected to biblical scrutiny and presented as subordinate to the spirit of truth underlying Scripture.

A Framework for Discernment

The conversation suggests several principles for helping seekers evaluate competing truth claims:

• Source Evaluation: What is the ultimate source of the teaching? Does it claim divine origin? What evidence supports this claim?
• Internal Consistency: How well does the teaching cohere within itself? Are there contradictions or tensions that suggest human rather than divine origin?
• External Correspondence: How well does the teaching align with observable reality—historical evidence, natural phenomena, and human experience?
• Spiritual Fruit: What kind of character and behavior does the teaching produce in its adherents over time?
• Biblical Alignment: How does the teaching relate to biblical revelation? Does it enhance understanding of Scripture or compete with it?

The Pastoral Balance

The challenge facing Renaissance Ministries mirrors that of the early Christian church: maintaining doctrinal purity while showing patience toward those struggling to abandon competing loyalties. Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians regarding meat sacrificed to idols provide a helpful model—clear principles combined with practical wisdom about timing and individual capacity.

Leonard’s situation suggests the need for a patient, systematic approach that honors his sincere seeking while continuing to emphasize the adequacy and good fruit of using the Bible as the standard, which contains a set of non-contradictory precepts, ethics, and ontology. Placing the Bible in such a place of primacy will naturally place all competing ideologies in their proper perspective. This might involve:

• Comparative Studies: Examining specific claims made by competing authorities alongside biblical teachings, allowing contradictions to emerge naturally.
• Historical Analysis: Investigating the human origins and development of alternative scriptures, particularly their dependence on prior biblical material.
• Experiential Verification: Encouraging practical application of biblical principles and comparing the results with those produced by alternative systems.
• Community Pressure: Creating an environment where biblical authority is so consistently demonstrated and applied that competing loyalties naturally appear inadequate.

Conclusion: The Path Forward

The establishment of biblical authority as Renaissance Ministries’ central doctrine requires both theological conviction and practical wisdom. Dr. Abshier’s commitment to this principle reflects sound understanding of ministry dynamics, but implementation requires sophisticated development of the supporting arguments and methods.

The conversation between Dr. Abshier and Charlie illuminates the complexity of this task while pointing toward viable solutions. The systematic development of apologetic resources, the creation of reproducible training methods, and the careful balance between doctrinal clarity and pastoral sensitivity will determine whether Renaissance Ministries successfully establishes the biblical foundation necessary for long-term effectiveness.

Ultimately, the goal is not merely intellectual assent to biblical authority but heart-level transformation that produces genuine disciples capable of extending this same process to others. The Leonard prototype will multiply as the ministry grows, but so must the capacity to lovingly and effectively address the divided loyalties that prevent full commitment to Christ and His Word.

The Bible testifies to the power of comparing absolute truth (the spirit of truth behind scripture) with human concepts: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The task is to demonstrate this reality so compellingly that seekers willingly abandon competing loyalties for the superior sufficiency of God’s Word.