What the Truth Project Study Guide Actually Is
The Truth Project is a worldview apologetics curriculum produced by Dominion Press. The study guide is the companion workbook that goes with the video or audio lessons. You watch a lesson, then open the guide to fill in answers, take notes, and work through discussion questions. It is designed for individual study or small group use. Most people get it by purchasing the curriculum bundle or the standalone DVD/BD series. The curriculum is organized into sessions, each one running roughly 15 to 30 minutes of video depending on which format you are using. The study guide breaks each session into numbered parts. Part one usually has a warm-up question, part two follows along with the video and asks you to fill in blanks or check your understanding, and part three has discussion questions for group settings. I recommend starting with Session 1 and just going straight through in order. The material builds on itself pretty heavily, and skipping ahead will leave you confused. You can buy the study guide in a few different ways. Dominion Press sells it as part of a DVD set. Westminster Classic Resources and other Christian book retailers carry it too. There is also a digital download option if you want to print your own copies instead of buying the physical booklet. Look for "The Truth Project Study Guide" on the Dominion Press website, or search it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Make sure you get the version that matches the latest curriculum release, since older editions sometimes have different session numbering.
What the Curriculum Actually Covers
The Truth Project Study Guide walks through a series of topics that cover origins, morality, science, history, and the claims of Christianity. The first few sessions deal with the idea of a worldview and how we form our beliefs. Then it moves into creation versus evolution, the problem of evil, the reliability of the Bible, and the person of Jesus Christ. The later sessions tackle culture, sexuality, and the public role of faith. Each session has a clear argumentative structure: state a claim, present evidence, and invite reflection. One thing beginners miss is how the study guide references specific scientific and historical claims. For example, in the creation science sessions, the guide asks you to evaluate certain arguments about speciation and common descent. The material leans heavily on the work of creation apologetics organizations like Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research. If you are already familiar with those sources, you will recognize the arguments quickly. If you are not, you may find yourself spending extra time looking up terms like "baraminology" or "microevolution versus macroevolution" before the discussion questions make sense. I spent about 20 minutes on a single session once because the guide assumed I already knew the difference between methodological naturalism and philosophical naturalism. I had to pause, search both terms, and then come back to finish it. That is normal, not a defect in the guide itself, but it is something to budget for.
How to Use the Guide Effectively
Write in the margins. The study guide is designed to be annotated, so use a pen and actually fill in the blanks. Reading it passively will not give you the same result. Pause the video frequently. The presenter will often summarize a point and then move on quickly. If you stop and re-watch the key argument, you will retain more and argue less with yourself during the discussion portion. Use the group discussion questions sparingly if you are studying alone. Some of them assume a group dynamic and can feel contrived when answered in isolation. Turn them into personal reflection questions instead. For instance, if a question asks what someone in your group thinks about a topic, just answer it for yourself and write down your reasoning. This saves time and keeps the exercise honest. If you are doing this in a group, assign a note-taker for each session. One person can focus on filling in the blanks while someone else tracks discussion points. This cuts the typical session time from about 90 minutes down to roughly 45 minutes. I have run this format for years and it is the most practical way to keep a group moving without losing depth.
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Common Problems and Edge Cases
The most frequent issue people hit is the gap between the study guide's assumptions and their own background knowledge. The guide does not explain every term. It expects you to either know it or look it up. When I was working through the sessions on DNA and information theory, the guide referenced Claude Shannon's work without any introduction. I had no context for the term "information" in a technical sense, and the discussion question about information in DNA became frustrating. The workaround was simple: I pulled up a basic explanation of Shannon entropy on a site like Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, read two pages, and then returned to the guide. It took about 10 minutes and cleared up the confusion. You should expect to do this kind of side research for a handful of sessions. It is not a flaw in the curriculum, but it is a reality of how it is written. Another edge case is the handling of scientific objections. The Truth Project Study Guide presents one side of several contested topics. If you are looking for a balanced treatment of, say, the age of the earth, this guide will not give it to you. It presents a young-earth creationist perspective and treats alternative views as errors to be identified. That is fine if that is what you want. It is not fine if you want an equal-weight overview of both sides. In that case, pair the guide with something like "Science and Religion" by Alister McGrath or "The Lost World of Genesis One" by John Walton, depending on which topic you are studying. There is also the question of how thoroughly the guide prepares you for actual apologetic conversations. It gives you arguments, but it does not teach you how to handle pushback from someone who already knows the counter-arguments. If you plan to use this material in a live debate or discussion with a skeptic, I would recommend adding a resource like "Apologetics to the Glory of God" by John Frame or "More Than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell for broader perspective. The Truth Project Study Guide is strong on presenting a case. It is weaker on teaching you how to navigate a hostile or highly skeptical environment.
Is It Worth Your Time?
The Truth Project Study Guide is useful if you want a structured introduction to a Christian worldview and do not mind working through some dense passages. It is not a light read. The sessions require real engagement. You will spend more time thinking and researching than you would with a devotional book or a casual Christian podcast. That is a feature, not a bug, if you are serious about the material. It is less useful if you are already deeply familiar with creation apologetics or if you want a more critically balanced treatment of the topics. In those cases, you might find the guide repetitive or one-sided. There are better options for people who want something more academic or more conversational in tone. Download the guide from the Dominion Press website or purchase a physical copy. Either way, expect to invest real time in each session. The reward is a fairly comprehensive worldview framework, assuming you are comfortable with the theological perspective it presents. I have used this guide with multiple groups over the years, and it consistently produces more thoughtful discussion than most curriculum I have encountered. That is about as good as it gets for a study guide of this type.
