A Lifestyle of Peace

Monday, May 11, 2015

Mothers and Children: Mother's Day in Light of Asia

On mother's day I'm reminded that I have a mother who was there for me my entire life. In America there are many who did not have a mother around. Today many do not have a father, or a mother.

I had friends at a local church in the area who cared for children without parents. I remember I was over at their house one time for a little get together. I saw the children, and I saw the look in their eyes. They had been living without love. You could see it in their eyes, it was a blank look, it was a defeated look, a look of surrender to nothingness. Seeing them had a profound impact on me. I think of them when I think of mother's day, and mother's day in light of Asia.

Although reaching Asia with Christ’s love is an enormous task, there is hope through the children.

Parents across Asia struggle to provide for their families. Children grow up illiterate, uneducated and taught they are worthless. More than 20 million boys and girls are trapped in social evils like child labor and prostitution in order to support their family.

Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope turns these situations around for good. Children are educated and nurtured. Families experience Christ’s love. More than 72,000 children have been helped so far and thousands of families have found faith in Christ as a result.

Honor Christ by sponsoring a child in Asia today:

www.gfa.org/mom

Liberty University Graduation, Young People, and Game Changers

Life is a magnificent thing. Sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, sometimes lovely, sometimes stunning, sometimes joyous, other times strenuous. The question we so often wonder about is: What can we do to help? What is the solution to the problems and sufferings? Something deep within all of us knows that this is not how the world was meant to be. We all tend to know. We see injustice and we become indignant and troubled. We feel the burden. And we want to know how to change things for the better.

Yet we often find ourselves matching our desire to help with our desire to feel good. Theologians and philosophers have called this drive for "good feels" the "pleasure ethic." The pleasure ethic is huge with my generation. One of my friends in high school, a girl I liked proudly back then declared that she was a "hedonist." Whatever feels good, do it. This pleasure ethic is at the heart of the post-modernist mentality. Meaninglessness just gives a free reign to it. It attempts to strip away "shame." Shame, the age old feeling we feel when we do something wrong, and our conscience tells us "this is wrong." Its an uncomfortable feeling, but it's a good thing we have it. When a child put's his hand on a hot stove, it burns the skin causing damage, but it also triggers pain, which helps the child to know not to do such a thing again. It's much the same with shame when we do something wrong.

Today, I find myself in Lynchburg, Virginia. At Liberty University's 42nd commencement. I'm graduating with two degrees, an associates of Interdisciplinary Studies and a bachelors (of science) in Religion. I'm graduating Magna Cum laude. And as the speaker Pastor Falwell said Sunday, "every degree today is not your victory, but a gift of the grace of God." Truly truly. The grounds of Liberty are beautiful, and the opening at the commencement baccalaureate service lead me to lean over to my parents and whisper: "Liberty university, last hope for western civilization."

As the noted 20th century journalist Malcom Muggeridge put it, western civilization has had the dubious acclaim of training it's destroyers at it's own academic institutions. Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. spoke regarding the honoring of the Lord at Liberty University commencement. He told of how four of the greatest universities in the United States were all founded as Christian Universities: Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Brown University. He explained how the mottos of those great institutions were phrases like "Light and Truth" (Yale) and "In God we Hope" (Brown). And the motto of Oxford University: "The Lord is my light." Princeton's motto he said to this day remains: "Under the Protection of God She Flourishes." Yet somehow over the years naturalists managed to capture and convert those universities into bastions of atheism and secularism. Troubling indeed, which led me to the conclusion, places like Liberty University are the last hope for western civilization.

The atheist, marxist, freudians marching to the tune of the pleasure ethic behind a faustian "free spirit" sort of altruism may just bring western civilization screeching to a halt. Look at how as Europe abandons the Christian ethic, they find their economies crumbling due to corruption and debt. Much like countries like India, North Korea, and Brazil have ample resources, yet struggle with corruption in government and class society where the rich trample on the poor and wield government against the working class. It's sad really. Yet we all try for answers. Both conservatives and liberals see there is a serious problem.

I was once a dedicated Democrat, in college at the University of Wisconsin extension. This was before I became a Christian. I was at one time the treasurer of a group called the "College Democrats" on campus. I voted and supported candidates like John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008. I volunteered and went door to door to support Obama for the presidency. Why? I thought Democrats held the superior ethic. I had been told that. Obama campaigned on returning to the Constitution. He campaigned on ending the expensive wars, and reigning in the corruption on Wallstreet. Most importantly he campaigned on restoring civil liberties and ending the Patriot Act's abuses of American freedoms. The presidency of George W. Bush had been an abuse of liberty and justice. I wanted change. He said all the right things, but now in 2015, it's clear Obama did the opposite of almost everything he said he would do. He increased the government surveillance and attacks on civil liberties. His administration attacked whistle blowers while at the same time he gave lip service to protecting them. He said lobbyists would have no place in his administration, yet his administration has lobbyists in almost every key position. Sad really. I had been taught that Republicans were all corrupt corporatist war mongers. And to a certain extent, that was true at times. Both parties have at times been troubled by immense corruption. Democrats in the past supported the slavery of African Americans. Massive amounts of money pour into both parties today. Though I was a staunch liberal for many years, during college I slowly came around to conservative Libertarian views on politics. I lobbied for more 3rd party action in the presidential and congressional races. I wanted more voices of accountability.

After becoming a Christian I realized that the problem was not between parties or ideologies. The problem was the state of man. The problem was not just government, or corporate/banking institutions. It wasn't even the corrupt news media, Hollywood, or television media. The problem was more basic and universal than that, the problem was the heart of man itself. That heart, universal in it's state, needed an outside force to change it within. There was no other solution. The solution was simple: Jesus Christ, genuinely received, in reality.

All of that to say, we all need Jesus, and Liberty University carries strong that message. And why is that so vital? Because Liberty University trains young people. Young people are the future of the nation. Young people are the future of the western world. Young people can change the world. Young people can do anything.

Therefore, young people are the real game changers. The energy, the power, the future all belong to young people. Yet my generation is maligned by the pleasure ethic, thinking it will bring satisfaction. It does not! It brings emptiness, sadness, disappointment, and regret. The pleasure ethic is dead. It holds nothing of lasting value. The pleasure ethic is dead. And Jesus Christ is alive.

O. S. Hawkins the speaker at the opening commencement service encouraged graduates like myself to be influencers. He said "You've been granted a field of influence." And truly we have. We're the future of the United States. I mourn because so many of the people my age have been sold on secular lies, and the endless pursuit of the pleasure ethic through sex, drugs, drinking, binge eating, clubs, parties, sports, and pursuit of achievement. You name it, we've been fed it, by those trying to make money off our poor decisions. We've been educated many of us, on total foolishness. Yet now is the time to stand.

My work on this blog, the things I write, are often in the hope of triggering a revolution. I want to help young people, young adults to see the truth of how to save this world: Jesus Christ. I want young people to rise up, and become the game changers of western society. I want to see us retake our countries, our homes from the corrupt spiritual forces that lay waste to our future.

Christianity is the hope of that future. Anyone properly apprised of history can see such. I want you to be a game changer with me. I want you to stand for principles, values, morals, and ethics. These things have been jettisoned from our society by fools. We must bring them back, somehow, someway, God willing.

Thank God for Liberty University, and the gift it's given me to see the hope of western man: Jesus Christ. I met Jesus Christ in hopelessness and addiction, having exhausted the pleasure ethic of every smidgen of joy it could bring to utter bankruptcy. Then Jesus Christ, and today a drug addict, alcoholic with nothing 2.5 years ago now graduates with high honors from a division one college. That is all thanks to the grace, love, and new life provided by Jesus Christ. He never changes. He is present, he is God, he is alive. There is hope left.

We need to move in a revolution of thought, deed, action, in firm character, principled action, bold proclamation, and ecstatic love. Let's get missional, get active, stand firm, and stand as one. We can't be stopped, we're the young, we're the future, let's make it a good one.

All of us young people feel an ache whenever we see corruption. When we see something we know is wrong, we desire to champion the cause of those who are being oppressed. Proverb 22:15 (ESV) says "When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." I pray justice will be done in the great nation of the United States once more. It all starts with young people. And we have been sold a million lies as truth, and we've been told that Christianity is the lie. But what if the one lie is actually the truth? What if it means taking a hard look at who we really are, and how we really live? What if it means embracing a new ethic? If that brings justice, truth, and peace of heart, then I say... let us begin. Yet our hearts will fight us on this, and they will call out in anger, and want to deny any mention of God. Yet we can see what that does to a nation where immorality reigns. It is destroying the United States, and western civilization morally and more recently, economically. Despite what our youthful hearts may say in rebellion, we must force our wills to turn to God, to turn to Christ, and give up on selfishness, the pleasure ethic, and the pride of trying to deify ourselves, and instead, turn to Jesus, be united with Jesus, and through so doing, discover who we truly are.

Isaiah 45:22 (ESV) says "“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

Our hearts rebel against the thought so often, yet deep down we know.. God is real. He is the truth. We are not the gods. He is God alone. I pray you'll soften your heart to embrace this. And quickly, because time is running out. Amen.

Liberty University 2015 Baccalaureate Service - Jerry Falwell

Liberty University 2015 Baccalaureate Service - O. S. Hawkins

Liberty University 2015 Commencement Service - Jerry Falwell

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Monday, May 4, 2015

How does God communicate with us?

The divine designer, the architect, the crafter of the human soul is indeed present and interactive within the matrix of reality we call Earth. He is present, he is at work. Yet we cannot see him. Theologians call this the "hiddenness of God." But why is he hidden? Atheists might say "how convenient!" The key issue is choice. We all have choice, free will, decisions we must make in life. If God was visible, if he spoke with an audible voice, performed miracles before our eyes day in and day out, there would be no choice. Choice is a mystery. We have no frame of reference to understand what "no choice" would feel like.

“God maintains a delicate balance between keeping his existence sufficiently evident so people will know he's there and yet hiding his presence enough so that people who want to choose to ignore him can do it. This way, their choice of destiny is really free.” –J.P. Moreland

Yet God is not the deist-god that starts the machine going and then walks away. Why would he after all? Do you often create things and then detach entirely from them? No, any good parent who has children cares for them as they grow up.

So how does God communicate with us? How does he interact in the world?

I've found that God communicates in innumerable ways. Every time I notice one way that God communicates, he changes it up. A new method appears. It's fascinating actually. God is diverse, incredibly so. But these are some of the ways I've notice him tapping me on the shoulder.

I communicate to God in prayer. It's often in prayer that he communicates back with me. God communicates to us in our thoughts. Yet very often the reply comes when studying his word. Sometimes I'll go on Biblegateway.com and play audio Bibles as I rest. Then I lay down, close my eyes, and listen. And reflect.

Perhaps the most powerful way that God communicates with us is through the books of the Bible. Sifting through the scriptures is powerful.

Yet God will often speak to me through another person. This happens a great deal during Bible studies and support groups. Very often the topic of discussion at a given study or group will be exactly what I was troubled with before my arrival.

God sometimes speaks through dreams. There have been more than a few times that dreams have touched me deeply, and upon waking I considered things differently in my life. But I usually have to read between the lines, to notice where God is leading me. Sometimes it's like he's herding me in a certain direction. The dreams don't come out as an angel commanding me to do something. No, it's more like.. I dream of fears I have, and then I'm prompted to confront them. I dream of longings, desires, and the dreams bring those recollections to my attention. Or I dream of epic struggles, and later I find myself inspired.

God speaks to us, to me, through pain as well. During the stale, daily moments of my life, playing videogames, watching movies, bumming about campus, I'm often not moved to do much. But in pain, in the sorrow of the soul... well, it stirs everything up.

“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Further, God speaks to me in the natural world. He speaks to me in a magnificent sunset. He speaks to me in a star filled night sky. And often when I pray when standing outside, the wind begins to blow, signifying the presence of God's messengers (Psalm 104:4).

God also speaks to me through my emotions, and my inner thoughts, but I'm skeptical of those inner thoughts and emotions, because the heart of man is fallen, and often troubled. I've struggled with depression, and self-security issues for many years, so many times my own thoughts accuse me and trigger guilt. Yet at times I do feel the unspeakable presence of God.

God speaks through world events. The plans of the world, and moving of his might are revealed in the troubled history of humanity. His actions in history are clearly visible. To this very day the nation of Israel which God raised up dwells in the land of Jerusalem. All-be-it, amid a tense truce.

God has spoken to me the most clearly though, through his mercy. He spoke to me most clearly when he opened my eyes to the gospel of John, and John's witness to the life of Jesus Christ. Belief was gifted to me, upon a call for help. That was a moment I will never forget. Yet it was also my job to erect an altar there, so I would never forget what the Lord had done. It was my job to work with the Spirit, and begin to confront the sins in my life. It was my job to begin praying, studying the word, and interacting with the ideas and concepts of the Christian worldview. And so I have.

In a few days I'll be graduating from Liberty University, with an Associates of Interdisciplinary Studies and a Bachelors degree in Religion. I'm looking forward to that a great deal. It's been a tough journey thus far, and I expect it to get still more difficult as time continues to pass. Please pray for me, that I'm able to handle the burden of officership in the Salvation Army (which I'm currently pursuing). A ministry internship in the Salvation Army is the next step, and I'll find out in a few weeks if that's happening, and where I might be moving to. It's somewhat nerve-wracking.

Yet God comforts me many times. Other times he allows me to suffer, perhaps to teach me something, or to build my reliance upon him.

God's interaction is hard to gage. God has appeared to people, like Saul on the Damascus road. Sometimes he will lead us out of the wilderness, other times he will lead us into the wilderness. His angel may travel with us the entire trip, and other times only half the trip. At times he will break the chains of those imprisoned, and at other times he will allow the imprisonment to continue. For one person he may deliver them from death, others he allows to be martyred. The scriptures say, "How unsearchable are his ways." And that is certainly true.

God does not promise to protect us from pain and suffering. He does promise to be with us during those sufferings. He doesn't promise to protect us from death, but he does promise, that if we trust in his son Jesus Christ, we will have a future beyond the grave.

God communicates to each of us in different ways. But there are two universal communications: The Bible and prayer. Test any other communications against the word of God. The Bible can be trusted, despite the skepticism of the culture. The Bible has stood the test of inquiry, and it has stood the test of historicity and it has stood the test of it's value as a document of sacred truths.

God loves us. I can't even begin to imagine how much he loves us, or what he is really like. Comprehending a being outside space-time, is only the beginning of the ocean of the depth of God's power and complexity and perfection. Yet he loves us. He loves us as a father, as a mother would, as a family loves. Trust in him. Meditate on his word. Stretch out your thoughts to comprehend his communications. Strive for connection to him, past all the selfishness and self seeking ways, strive to walk the journey with the Father, day in and day out, until the last day. May we all be found faithful before Christ Jesus on that last day. Amen.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Christianity in the Public Square: The Apologetics & Philosophy Renaissance

Christianity in the public square? For the public good? The people of the United State are divided in many ways, but in this area the consensus seems to be: Sure you can practice your religion, as long as you do it behind closed doors on Sunday. Of course a religion that only functions an hour a week on Sunday and is silent the rest of the week is useless, pointless, and might as well be discarded. Freedom of religion must, and indeed does, by definition, mean freedom to practice that faith at all times, in the public square, at work, at home, and everywhere in between. We the people of the United States do not have freedom of speech to talk about the weather, we have freedom of speech so we may freely proclaim controversial views.

We seem to be at a watershed moment in our history as a nation. All of the shared values of the past are being called into question. Many things that were once considered sacred are no longer considered such, like marriage and sexual intimacy. What might be considered "traditional moral views"are often disregarded by a growing movement that insists on "our way or the highway" with an added hashtag "#tolerance." Tolerance indeed. Perhaps better stated "tolerance if you agree, but intolerance if you disagree with our opinion." Or "endorse or we will punish you."

Issues unrelated to civil rights have been portrayed as civil rights movements. If I were to say, "I'm an alcoholic, stop oppressing me, and just let me drink. Oh and by the way, you need to endorse that position or my buddies are going to get you fired from your job" you would think I was crazy. Yet issues of mental health and unhealthy behavior are being portrayed just like that, despite the scientific, medical, and sociological evidence to the contrary.

The very crux of the situation is this: We have been sold on the lie that the United States, in the public square and in the realm of government must be divorced entirely from Judeo-Christian values for the sake of fairness. The idea of cutting off the United States from Judeo-Christian influence is painted as the only way to allow for a freedom of thought. But one might as well core an apple and see how long the peel stands without it. The United States was founded on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The founders of our great nation knew full well, that the Constitution governing the people of the country was only an effective document if implemented for the governance of a religious people.

The view was simple, the founders knew they did not want a theocracy (a government ruled by religious authorities). But they also knew that the USA could only function if the people were moral, and spiritual. So they used the term "God" often, on the print currency, on government buildings, in various legal documents, in the pledge of allegiance, and in the declaration of independence. The idea was that faith was reasonable, logical, and indeed many hold to religious convictions. That needed to be encouraged. They would leave the specific "God" open, so that people would have the freedom of religion (not from, but of) to fill that in with whatever God they worshiped. And if the individual did not worship any God, well, then they would not be compelled to. But they may have to be occasionally "offended" by the word "God" on money, government buildings, and other areas of society. And that was acceptable. Sometimes, well, people can just be offended.

Is it any surprise then, as the people of the USA have discarded moral behavior and spiritual thought, the United States has had to become increasingly authoritarian with endless pages of laws and statutes to prevent every manner of behavior destructive to society. Or as the philosopher G.K. Chesterton said, "If man will not be ruled by the ten commandments they will be ruled by the ten thousand commandments." It seems he was right. A deeply moral and religious nation doesn't need authoritarian governance, and for a depraved population, even an authoritarian government won't be enough to keep it standing.

It seems the voices that want to endorse any and all behavior the culture of the moment deems "good" fails to learn from history. The ancient Roman empire was in just the state we are in now when it fell to internal corruption and external powers noticing her weakness. For anyone who has studied in depth the fall of ancient Rome, the similarities are absolutely striking. Click here to read an article I wrote on just that topic.

Faith is at the very core of our being as a nation. In fact people all across the planet are deeply influenced by religious thought. It is at the core of the human nature, the desire to know a transcendent power. This is the case for not just the United States people, but of all thinking humans on Earth. In fact, 84% of the population of the planet hold to a religious view (32% of them being those confessing to follow Jesus Christ)(Statistics from a 2012 survey).

Unfortunately the process of secularization continues in the United States. Yet this was not ever what was intended for our nation. In fact over our nation's we've always had the Bible taught in public schools. The Ten Commandments and other spiritual statements were placed on buildings and in the official documents of the nation, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This was not just from the founding of the nation, but also throughout the history of the nation, up until the 1940s and 1950s.

It was then that the US Supreme court began handing down some very troubling decisions regarding the future of our nation. Those decisions have indeed been truly terrible in their scope. Since Roe v. Wade over 56 million children have been exterminated at abortion clinics. Not to mention today those abortion clinics are state funded. Since the shifts in scientific thought surrounding the scopes trial, the Bible was banned from public schools by the Supreme court in 1963. Prayer was banned from public schools in 1962 (Engel v. Vitale). Since then the teen suicide rate has tripled.

Unfortunately in our country something is taking place called secularization. Secularization is the process by which religious institutions have lost their social significance. Secularization could also be defined as the process by which Christian thought is evicted from the public square and government body.

Many have celebrated this as a good thing. They say "why should one religion be forced on anyone?" Christians back-peddle in the face of this argument. Yet is this a good argument? The United States, our form of government, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence were all directly and indirectly informed by Christian principles. There is no way to entirely disconnect the government of the United States from Judeo-Christian values. One might as well try to rewrite the entire form of government. Though I imagine many would like to. President Obama himself has called the Constitution a deeply flawed document.

There is no need to disconnect Christian principles from the US government. If Christian ethics inform the United States government, her leaders, politicians, and laws, so be it. And if that "offends" people, then it's high past time that we let them be offended. Maybe they need to be offended for a while. Maybe it's time that we stop worrying about offending people. If a law were passed to outlaw everything that offends this person or that person, then everything would be illegal.

There are in fact a few things that offend me. Do you know what offends me? I'm offended by the depravity on the television screen. I'm offended by LGBT activists shutting down mom and pop pizzerias. I'm offended by the naturalist religion taught in public schools. I'm offended by the decline and death of morality in the public square. I'm offended by the war on religious freedom. But it doesn't matter what offends me. It doesn't matter at all. The most important thing to consider is this: What will allow for the best possible future for the United States?

There is an incredible drive in my home country, the USA, to cut out the Protestant ethos, the Christian ethic, and toss it aside. History is rewritten in many ways, in the hearts and minds of young people. No mention is made of the many, many good deeds of great Christian men and women across the ages. But the bad is emphasized, underlined, boldened, and even worse, exaggerated, and many times simply made up on the spot. Eventually the general mindset is that religion is always bad, and on inspection has led to nothing but suffering and darkness for the body of man. Yet upon my own inquiry, actually studying events... I found that it wasn't true.

I had never been told that the first hospitals and orphanages were devised by Christians. I had never been told universities in the United States were largely founded by Christians. I had never been told many of the founders held seminary degrees. I had never been told of Bonhoeffer, Wilberforce, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, the Salvation Army, or any of the other giants of history. I had been told of the crusades, yet no one had mentions they were in response to the Muslim invasion of Europe. I had even been led to believe that the dark ages were the fault of Christians. But I discovered that too was false. I had never been told, history had been preserved in the monasteries of Christians during those times. I had been told about the religious wars that ever rage, yet upon inquiry I had discovered that the most brutal genocides had been committed by dedicated Marxists and atheists (Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany, and the Cambodian Genocide). I believe they call that revisionist history?

So what is at stake? What is the problem with evicting the Judeo-Christian ethic? Myself, and many others believe it will lead to nothing less than the collapse of western civilization. Many will respond that such a thing could never happen. Really, is that so? Consider what has happened already. The family has really totally collapsed. 50% of marriages now end in divorce. Culture has declined and sexual depravity, and media depravity are on an incredible rise. The atheist, agnostic, liberal is generally unphased by that argument. But here is where their ears perk up: Look at the growing corruption in business, economics, and government. That is one thing both liberal and conservative can clearly see. It is a very serious problem. The recent great recession underlines the issue. What happens when our business leaders live out the new values of the culture: moral relativism, post modernism, and naturalism? Corruption grows by leaps and bounds. I think we all take note when the moral problems of the nation begin to adversely affect our bank accounts.

Thankfully, it's not all bad news. I'm seeing a turning of the tide in our country. I'm seeing a new great awakening. It's a sort of apologetics and philosophy renaissance in this country. A Christian awakening. Some have called it an emerging evangelical intelligentsia, with a power to influence culture. I'm deeply encouraged by this new movement. Many are standing up for religious liberty, including people like Frank Turek, Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig, and Eric Metaxas. It's a beautiful thing to witness, Godly Christian men standing for their principles. There is much hope left. We have reason for hope, faith, and to be pleased and encouraged. I walked in with the bedrock laid, and now I stand on much of what will help turn the tide in our great nation. And we will. I promise you, we will. But you, the reader, must stand with us. Please do, in the name of Jesus Christ, the savior of all people, of all nations.

The best moments in the history of the United States have been the enlightenments, the temperance movements, and the great awakenings. Our best moments as a people tend to be when it's all on the line. Consider the valiant charge of good men to the front lines of World War II. Consider how Americans noticed a rising evil, and didn't think, they didn't stutter step, they simply brandished their weapons like giants, walking to the front lines, voices silent, eyes shining like the glass of a church window, indwelt by the Spirit of God to change history, and change the world forever. And change the world they did. They swept across Europe driving the enemy back on all fronts, and ended the war. They won the day.

So how can it done? We must ask ourselves, how can we prevent the destruction of our way of life? Don't be mistaken, it is on the line.

It would take a uniting of the various strands of the Christian movements in the United States. Protestant groups, Catholics, Lutherans, Christian apologetics ministries, Christian charities, Young Earth, Old Earth, small churches, mega-churches, influential leaders, bloggers, writers, Christian newspapers, Christian websites, and most important, ordinary everyday Christians all aiming to stand for religious liberty, Christian ethics, the end of abortion, and dedication to change culture. Evangelism is vital. Getting loud about our faith is so important. Standing our ground is a must. Most important we must petition the Lord daily in prayer, and just as importantly, live for him in public, with love, humility, and dignity.

We face some very powerful, entrenched strongholds. Those strongholds must be taken. They are the strongholds of the public schools, the mainstream television media outlets, the major universities of this country, Congress, and the Supreme court. If we keep avoiding those strongholds and calling it "impossible" then we'll have to keep fighting a losing battle. These are the institutions that keep us on the defensive, continuously falling back. Why? The reason should be obvious. Those institutions shape the minds of young people. The naturalists and atheists were smart, they knew which institutions to move in on. And now they're entrenched. They've evicted the Bible, and their ideologies are taught in public schools, universities, and largely in all the media outlets. That is an untenable situation for the future of Christianity in the USA. If those institutions are not retaken, there isn't much hope.

I called it an apologetics and philosophy renaissance. But those are actually the words of William Lane Craig. Why apologetics and philosophy? The answer is: Because people are hungry for answers. Young people are hungry for answers. Young people are tired of all the scams and schemes, they're tired of people trying to take their money and use them. They want to know the truth. They want to know what it all means. Within the realm of apologetics and philosophy we translate the words of the Bible for people of today to connect to in a real way.

In a lot of ways, in our society, we have to watch out for scams. We have to watch our for people trying to con us. Many assume Christianity, at least stateside, is about taking your money. Just dressed up differently. In fact a lot of things in our country are dressed up ways for somebody take your money. Some might even argue college has become something like that even. I remember my sister telling me she had graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin, but upon graduation they wanted to charge her an extra $100.00 for the honors cord, so she elected to skip honors. Ridiculous, don't you think? So when I tell someone that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life the first thought is inevitably going to be: "Why? Why should I believe that? What evidence can you show me that this is true?"

That's where Christian apologetics come in. Christian apologetics is the practice of Christians going about apologizing for being so religious. Just kidding. Apologetic comes from the ancient Greek word "apologia" which means to give an answer, to give a defense of the reason for faith in God. Christian apologetics is analogous to what the apostle Paul did when he spoke to the Greeks at Mars Hill.

Acts 17:22-31 (NIV)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Did the apostle Paul quote the Bible to the people of Athens? No he didn't. Paul most certainly did quote the Old Testament when he taught Jews about Jesus, because Jews believed in the authority of the scriptures. But the ancient Greeks did not. If a Christian tells you that we're going to win over atheists and agnostics by quoting them scriptures, they've missed the incident at Mars Hill. Did you notice what Paul did in his apologia?

He did several very important things:

1. Notice how he was polite. He went out of his way to compliment the Greeks. He calls them a deeply religious people (v. 22). Paul is polite and nowhere does he rebuke the Greeks. He doesn't throw it in their face that they're decadent pagans, or insult their false gods. In fact he works hard to find common ground.

2. Notice how Paul built a bridge by describing the altar to the unknown god (v. 23). He continues to build the bridge by correcting the Greeks in several areas, and indicating what God is truly like. He completes the bridge by relating the truth about God to what the Athenian poets are already saying about men being the offspring of god (v. 28). Paul then invites the Greeks over the bridge through a request to have a change of mind and move to God through Christ (v. 30, 31).

3. The third thing Paul did was he encouraged the Greeks to pursue a relationship with God. Paul suggests the idea of seeking God, and finding him (v. 27).

The Christian of today seeks to do the same with the current western culture through apologetics. We look into the natural world and see God's footprints. In astronomy we see design. In history we see evidence. In archaeology we see confirmation. In biology we see information. In mathematics we see probability. In logic we see reason. In philosophy we see truth. In Christ we see love. In the manuscripts we see inerrancy. In the scriptures we see God.

Western man has often been sold the lie that Christian thought is basically a fool believing something that is contrary to reality. That is what men like Richard Dawkins indicate. However that is most certainly false. Christian faith is reasonable faith, in a reasonable God who does in fact existence. There are many evidences for that God, many of which we have discussed on this website. Perhaps the most powerful evidence for the existence of God is the argument from design (the fine tuning argument). Of course there are many other ways to approach the topic, from historical verification, archaeology, textual criticism, and other areas. But I would say the best arguments come from science ironically, the discipline often used by naturalists to explain away creationism. Yet the universe had a beginning, and everything that has a beginning has a cause. Given the scope of the universe, it's cause must be timeless, omnipotent, and outside the system much like... God. Can you see how this can be put to powerful use toward the minds of skeptics, liberals, agnostics, and uninterested parties? Yet how many times have I been told "love is the answer" and then been rebuked? Quite a few.

Of course once the apologetics are presented, Christian philosophy helps to put the faith into practice. Christian philosophy helps us to coordinate the facts of the Bible into a strategic framework, into a coherent worldview that answers the pertinent questions of the day like: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What morals should govern a society? And what is my ultimate destiny?

Do you see what I'm getting at? The only way to win the culture is 1) Retake corrupted social, government, and media institutions and 2) Bring the lost to a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Can it be done? I believe it can. And it must. The time it late. The board is set. The pieces are moving. It has begun. God is with us. Godspeed. 1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." "Selah"

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. "Selah"

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. "Selah"