The Issue Is Truth

How should your belief system affect the way you view the world? How can you allow your faith to influence your life so that you can make an impact for Christ on the culture around you? These are questions we try to answer every day here on BreakPoint. But many of you may not realize that we've developed a more intensive, more personalized way for you to reflect on these critical issues. Last summer, we held our first set of online worldview courses, based on the book that Nancy Pearcey and I wrote, How Now Shall We Live?. Through reading assignments, homework, and chat sessions, students learned about and discussed how to integrate their Christian faith with all of life. The courses have been so popular that we've continued to hold them ever since. In fact, the next cycle begins September 8. There are four courses in each cycle: "Creation and the Christian Worldview"; "The Fall and the Christian Worldview"; "Redemption and the Christian Worldview"; and "Restoration and the Christian Worldview." You can sign up for just one course or complete all four -- whatever fits your needs and your schedule. Students who complete all four courses earn a worldview studies certificate and a free copy of our church and small group study program (a video series and teaching guide) called "CounterCultural Christians." I have participated in some wonderful online chats with the students in these courses. These are intelligent believers eager to learn more about their faith and about the major topics of our day -- everything from terrorism to cloning to environmentalism. They want to know how they can talk about their faith and worldview with their unbelieving friends, how to influence their local school board, how to respond to bad court decisions -- in short, how they can make a difference in their world. And they're getting good, solid answers. As I told the students in one of the chat sessions, the underlying issue in all of these debates is the question of truth. But many people today -- 64 percent of all Americans, 54 percent of all Christians, 83 percent of teenagers -- say there's no such thing as absolute moral truth. Shocking! No wonder we can't affect our culture. I believe there is truth; I believe it's knowable. And we can teach you how to know it and defend it. Many students have discovered a new side to their faith. As one told me, "I was raised to make decisions with my senses, not my intellect, which has kept me quite far from the absolute truth . . . [I] can't wait to see the amazing results of new learning." Even better, students were equipped to teach others about Christian worldview. That's why those who earn a worldview certificate receive the teaching series "CounterCultural Christians." We want them to pass on what they have learned. If you're interested in joining one or more of our worldview courses -- by yourself or, even better, with a group -- you can sign up for the worldview courses by visiting www.breakpoint.org or by calling 1-877-478-0100. I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity, not only to develop a biblical worldview, but to learn how to communicate that worldview to a culture that desperately needs to hear it. For further reading and information: The first course of the Wilberforce Forum's Certificate Program in Christian Worldview Studies, "Creation and the Christian Worldview," begins September 8. Courses may be taken individually. Students who complete all four courses will receive the "CounterCultural Christians" curriculum FREE (a $99.99 value). "Americans Are More Likely to Base Truth on Feelings," Barna Research Online, 12 February 2002. "Four Out of Ten Adults Discuss Religious Matters during the Week," Barna Research Online, 9 June 2003. The Worldview Resource Guide includes information on books about worldview, education, ethics, justice/law, life, science, the arts, popular culture, and work. Information on camps, ministries, and multimedia resources is also included, as well as an order form. Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey, How Now Shall We Live? (Tyndale, 1999). Also see the accompanying study guides: The Christian in Today's Culture, Developing a Christian Worldview of Science and Education, and The Problem of Evil. BreakPoint Commentary No. 030620, "Good Work Done Well: Teaching Literature to the Glory of God." BreakPoint Commentary No. 030605, "Putting Worldview to Work: Christ and Culture Week at Covenant Life School." BreakPoint Commentary No. 030131, "Bringing God's Truth to Bear: The Rise of Christian Worldview." The Wilberforce Forum website contains links to Christian academic organizations, conferences, and journals in various fields, plus our online academic journal Findings. David K. Naugle, Worldview: The History of a Concept (Eerdmans, 2002). Scott Larsen, ed., Indelible Ink: 22 Prominent Christian Leaders Discuss the Books That Shape Their Faith(Waterbrook Press, 2003). The July/August 2003 BreakPoint WorldView magazine focuses on Christian scholarship in higher education -- subscribe today!

07/25/03