What Is Meant By The Word "Foundational"?

What Does "Foundational" Mean?

When I use the word foundational, I'm referring to the essential elements upon which something is built—the underlying knowledge, principles, and concepts necessary for further learning, understanding, and development.

Some useful synonyms include fundamental, essential, underlying, core, and bedrock.

Think about the foundation of a house. Before the walls go up, and before the roof is installed, or the interior walls are painted, a solid foundation must be established. This is because everything that follows depends, at least in part, on the strength and stability of that foundation. The same principle applies to learning about Christ and Christianity!

Before we can develop a deeper understanding of the more challenging aspects of the Christian faith, we first need to establish a solid foundation - and that's the purpose of this article.

The articles you'll find in this section are intended to help lay that foundation—not only for those who already believe and trust in The Lord Jesus Christ, but also for those who are curious about Christianity and are considering whether its claims are true and meaningful for their lives.

Why the Fundamentals Matter

Over the years, I've spent a considerable amount of time observing people—their habits, tendencies, beliefs, attitudes, and ways of thinking. And I've noticed something interesting.

When discussing God or Christianity, I've observed many people begin their discussions or questions with some of the more difficult and controversial subjects - as though they already have a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals. Now, don't misunderstand me. There's nothing wrong with asking difficult questions! However, I've found that some conversations become unnecessarily confusing because the participants are approaching advanced subjects without first establishing a common understanding of the fundamentals. Here's an analogy:

Imagine someone wanted to learn mathematics. And instead of beginning their journey by asking questions about counting and basic arithmetic, that person began by asking questions about slope, intercepts, obtuse angles, transversals, pythagorean theorem, cosine and tangents.

Could they ask those questions? Of course!

But would they have the foundational knowledge necessary to fully understand the answers? Of course not!

They would first need to develop an understanding of several foundational topics...and that's the point I'm making. Learning is often more productive when we understand the fundamentals before attempting to learn more advanced subjects.

I believe the same thing applies to learning about Christ, Christianity and its tenets of faith.

Before engaging in complex theological discussions, it often helpful to understand those things which lay a foundation. For example:

• • Who—or what—is God?
• • What does Christianity actually teach about God's nature and character?
• • What is the Bible?
• • Why do Christians consider it authoritative?
• • Who is Jesus Christ?
• • What is salvation?
• • And why do Christians believe any of these things matter?

These seven questions may sound simple, but their answers form the foundation for understanding some of Christianity's more challenging subjects (e.g., why is there evil, why did my child die, etc…).

Let's Begin with the Foundation!

As we move forward, I'll do my best to explain these subjects - and others - clearly, accurately, and practically. Some articles will be relatively simple. Others will require more detailed explanations. And in a few of these topics I'll introduce questions that have been debated by theologians, philosophers, and Christian scholars for centuries! The answers to these questions are required for salvation, but they do offer insight into areas that are very difficult to grasp - as finite human beings.

I look forward to helping you build a foundation of knowledge, understanding, and practical application for your journey in Christ.

If you have questions or comments, please email me here.

I'm always happy to listen, exchange ideas, and discuss the subjects covered or not covered in these articles.

In His Service,

Roy