The Augustine Project of the Ivy League

There is a Christian presence in many of the Ivy Leagues schools through The Augustine Project. It is an effort on the part of Christians to produce pro-Christian publications at their schools. I often go to the website and read from several of the magazines.

Revisions is the Princeton publication. This morning I stumbled on an article entitled, Why Christians Should Engage the World. In this article, Rev. David Kim writes,

"I want to argue, building on the works on Swiss Reformer John Calvin and Dutch Prime Minister Abraham Kuyper, that common grace grounded in the work of the Holy Spirit, provides the theological rationale for Christians to work side by side with those outside the church to meaningfully engage every sector of life and society."


Rev. Kim approaches this whole idea of engaging culture from a interesting perspective, common grace and the Holy Spirit. He writes,

"Often when Christians think of the work of Holy Spirit, they limit His activity to Christians. They don’t consider how the Spirit works His perfective purposes in all of creation, in all the cosmos. John Calvin in his Institutes writes, “We ought not to forget those most excellent benefits of the divine Spirit, which he distributes to whomever he wills for the common good of mankind… he fills, moves, and quickens all things by the power of the same Spirit, and does so according to the character that he bestowed upon each kind by the law of creation.”[1] Calvin understands that the work and influence of the Holy Spirit extends outside of the church to all people and creation.[2] Following Calvin, Abraham Kuyper also states that, “The work of the Holy Spirit is not confined to the elect, and does not begin with their regeneration, but it touches every creature, animate and inanimate, and begins its operations in the elect at the very moment of their origin.”

He goes on to write,

"The Calvinistic notion of total depravity must balance and ward off any sense of Christian perfectionism or an idealized progress of humanity. As history continues by the mercy of God, both sinful flesh and the Spirit are at work and at war with one another. As Romans 8 reveals, the Spirit will prevail, yet until that final day, evil will continue to persist in all its multi-formity. Yet, the fact that the Spirit continues to be at work gives us the opportunity and rationale to work with others in and outside the church to advance God’s Kingdom in the world. This is indeed common grace. "

Rev. Kim concludes,

"In conclusion, the notion of common grace grounded in the work of the Holy Spirit provides a theological rationale to engage co-belligerently with the world around us. Theologian Vincent Bacote writes, “This work of the Spirit is a providential, preserving, indwelling, and life-giving interaction with the created order. It extends back to the beginning of creation but continues into the present and invites us to shape the world toward the future.”[7] The confidence we have to work in common with the world lies not in any inherent unfallen aspect of the world or people, rather the ongoing, unified, cosmic work of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of common grace built upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit ought to empower the church to engage the work of the gospel in every sector of society."

Rev. Kim's article is thought provoking and challenging. I do have a question or two for Rev. Kim. I am not a theologian and never pretend to be one, but I often have theological questions. Those of you who are reading this who have seminary training or a seminary degree, I would be interested in your comments regarding the article and your answers to my questions. Part of my personal mission statement is to make sure I read articles and books that challenge my thinking... those that motivate me to learn more or even those with which I totally disagree. You will find all of those and more here as I attempt to share with each of you what God is doing in my heart and my mind as I plod through life making every attempt to live and think as Christ would have me.

Regardless of my questions, it is clear that we are to engage the world around us for His glory, and that is exactly what we intend to do at Westminster. Please come and join us! Blessings!

Another Quote...

Here is another quote to add to our collection. Contained within this quote is the difference between a Westminster education and others. We are not interested in producing students who can memorize and regurgitate; instead, we desire to produce students who can discern and think in higher categories... all from a presupposition rooted in the truth - the gospel of Jesus Christ. Enjoy!


"Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants."

John W. Gardner

Is Culture a Threat?

William Edgar writes in his article, The Threat of Culture, "Culture, then, is subversive. It can subvert for ill or good. At times Christians have feared its power. They have worried that it might drive them into worldliness, removing their focus from the spiritual goals of salvation. Some cultural expressions can do that. There is a lot to worry about in our time, and threats to spirituality abound. But is that the end of the story?"

Edgar's article traces Paul's own engagement of culture in Acts 17. In Acts 17, he traces the two lessons of Paul on culture: how culture becomes perverted and how culture can be redeemed.

He goes on to write,

"There are two ways we can work out the implications of these ideas in terms of cultural engagement. The first is to redefine or redirect cultural patterns affected by the fall. Of course, the gospel is a new creation, not simply a restoration. As a result our redirecting should be very ambitious. As we seek to enact change, we are living out our heavenly citizenship. Each one of us has a calling."

"One more thing. I have come to believe that we Christians should be subversive. Is there not a place to undermine the dominant powers and exercise divine power to dismantle strongholds? (2 Corinthians 10:4) When Jesus became incarnate his mother Mary sang her Magnificat, praising God for bringing down the mighty and exalting the humble. (Luke 1:52) Our Lord Jesus undermined the power of both religious teachers and Roman rulers.
He did not do this violently but subversively, and with great imagination. Think of the parables. Think of his interactions with the Scribes, catching them off guard with his deepening of the law, his praise of the simple and anonymous, his defense of the vulnerable and his cleansing of the Temple."

Of course, when one engages culture one is asking for a response. Sometimes, I believe we do not engage because we do not want to deal with the messy responses that are bound to come our way. Jesus dealt with them all day long, and we can expect them to come our way as well. Edgar writes,

"After his magnificent speech, Paul received three reactions. I suggest they are the ones we will receive not only when we speak, but when we work at challenging and transforming culture. Some believed. Some repented and enlisted in the task force. Some mocked and rejected the whole idea as preposterous. "


We can expect the same responses, but we will never move people from mocking to belief and repentance without the Holy Spirit moving us to action.


I am a proponent of engaging culture, and therefore recommend reading this article as it will make you think. I am not an advocate of every thought in the article, but appreciate the subject and the way in which it was presented. I would suggest that Christian education is a great venue for engaging culture and preparing the next generation to do the same. It is also one of the most effective means of changing culture.



At Westminster our goal is to engage culture with education that is distinctly Christian and excellent in all things in order to change culture and the world... one student at a time. Come and find out what God is doing at Westminster Christian Academy! Blessings!

Are You Kidding...

In the "are you kidding" category, we have a new venture in New Mexico... Spaceport! An airport for outer space, and it just keeps getting better... it is going to be funded by... you guessed it, us!


Read the story for your self. How is this going to help the economy again?


Proverbs 12:11


"Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense."

False Truth

As I listen to the media make their arguments about this and that, I generally only listen to that which I think valid, but I have been reading through Isaiah these days, and becoming more and more convicted about my life as a Believer.


One of my points of conviction is my listening of others... so, I decided to sit through a news cast that I would have either not chosen or quickly turned off. And, here is what I found.


Most arguments made in support of some policy or presupposition of the world were invalid syllogisms(or arguments) according to the rules of logic.


The chief concern of logic is how one truth is connected with another truth. A syllogism is a set of two or more premises related to each other in such a way that all of them lead to and are supportive of the conclusion. A syllogism may be valid but not true, but truth in logic is found when a syllogism is both valid and true.


When a syllogism claims that the truth of its premises guarantees the truth of its conclusion, it is said to involve a deductive inference. Deductive reasoning, by its nature, holds to a very high standard of correctness, but a deductive inference succeeds only if its premises provide such absolute and complete support for its conclusion that it would be inconsistent to suppose that the premises are true but the conclusion false.


When a syllogism claims merely that the truth of its premises make it likely or probable that its conclusion is also true, it is said to involve an inductive inference. The standard of correctness for inductive reasoning is much more flexible than that for deductive reasoning. An inductive syllogism succeeds whenever its premises provide some legitimate evidence or support for the truth of its conclusion.


What I have found in this news cast and in the media in general is inductive reasoning presenting as deductive in every way. The premises are carefully stated with an absoluteness that is not questioned and put together in a syllogism that leads to the conclusion of choice. It is an inverted syllogism... one that begins with the conclusion of choice and adds the premises it needs in order to make the conclusion as true as possible.


For example, the coverage of the Letterman/Palin exchange is classic inductive presented as deductive. The media makes the case that Palin freely choose to put her family in the media so they must take what comes, but this premise has no relation to the conclusion of condoning the Letterman comments about a 14 year old girl. I personally find them disturbing, and even more disturbing is a media that condones such sick comments about a 14 year old little girl for the sake of political reasons.


Illogical, invalid and untrue syllogisms running rampant. The Bible is very clearly about those who speak false truths... be wary. I have found the same on the right as well, so we need not pat ourselves on the back too quickly. As Believers we must be different, even in our arguments, and then, maybe we will walk in a way that will be a testimony to a watching world.

Complete

As the pressbox settled into place this morning, the bleacher system for Van Dyke Stadium was completed! We give great praise to our God for all that He has done for us!

Claiming to be wise...

As I was reading World Magazine, I stumbled on the following quote:

"I haven't read a single one of them, and if I'm fortunate before we end this, I won't have to read one of them."


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the opinions from the bench of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Reid supports Judge Sotomayor's nomination.


After reading that quote, I immediately thought of the verses below. Every day just confirms how accurate and true scripture is! Blessings!


21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

Tainted Testimonies

Tainted testimonies are NOT like footprints in the sand. Footprints in the sand are gone as soon as the next wave washes ashore, but tainted testimonies are like footprints across a freshly concreted sidewalk... a permanent mark that will become forever part of the sidewalk. What are tainted testimonies?


Tainted testimonies are poor testimonies by Christians to a watching world, and unfortunately we all have them. The issue to me is not that we have them, but what we do with them.


Knowing that I am a sinner and fraught with sin is to understand my tendencies and, ultimately, that my testimony is tainted. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in my heart that helps me pray for humility daily and deal with those things that come my way that taint my testimony with the same things that taint yours... pride, control, selfishness, ego, being right and the list goes on and on.


What do I do with my tainted testimony when I blow it, and I blow it a lot? Well, I sink to my knees and ask my Savior for forgiveness as I have grieved Him. I apologize and seek forgiveness from the offended party, if there is one. And, finally, I ask God to change me and take away this tendency. And, I have found that when this happens - the proper Christian response by a Christian - it becomes a wonderful testimony to a watching world. It actually becomes a better testimony to a watching world because what we are not is... perfect, and we do not want to present that to the world. What we want to present is the difference, and the difference is not us, but Christ in us. Blessings!

Another Great Quote

I just love the way Steven Wright thinks. Here is another great quote from Mr. Wright!

A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

The Problem of Paulo Freire

While I was engaged in Ph.D. study at Georgia State University I was tasked with reading some bizarre topics. Most were politically motivated and liberal, but I could, if I looked hard enough and long enough, find a remote reason, educationally, why I was reading the topic. But, there was one author that I was forced to read more than most that I could not, no matter how hard and how long I looked, find a reason educationally why I was spending time reading his writings; that author was Paulo Friere.


The one book that I had to read in full was Pedagogy of the Oppressed, by the Brazilian educator Freire. No matter the professor nor the class, this book and author were referenced more than any other, and for the life of me I could not understand why?

The prompt for these feelings was an article by Sol Stern in City magazine. We seemed to have had similar experiences. Freire uses the term pedagogy yet he never ever writes about anything pedagogical. What he writes about is socialism... how the oppressed have to remove the chains of those oppressing them and overtake them. He advocates all kinds of things from political socialists like Marx and Lenin and never goes near the writings or the thoughts of educators. It is quite bizarre, if you ask me, and part of the problem found in our educational system, and yet another reason why Christians better quickly understand the power contained in education because the enemy does.


Freire's whole book is about changing culture through the youth. He labels his book educational for one reason... to penetrate the minds of our youth when they are most vulnerable. Anytime a mind is engaged in the educational process a mind is extremely vulnerable and easily influenced because of the very nature of education. This is why I believe we Christians ought to be starting new schools and colleges every year; our predecessors did. If you will investigate the colleges and universities of this country, you will find that over 95% of them were started by churches.


I will leave you with a story that proves that God has an sense of humor. During my second semester at Georgia State University in Atlanta, I took a class from a very liberal female professor. During one point in the class she passed a hat around to each student; we, in turn, had to pick a piece of paper out of the hat. On that piece of paper was a name, and that name was the name of the educational theorist on which we were to do an oral and written report. The only name I did not want was Freire, and guess which name I picked... Paulo Freire. I will not even go into how college is suppose to be a liberal arts experience with lots of choices and yet we were being forced to pick out of a hat like middle school students. Anyway, I had a major problem coming up with anything good to say as I disagreed with most of the man's theories. Needless to say... I did not do well on that portion of the class.


While I do not ascribe to all of Stern's views in this article, I do completely agree with his assessment that Freire's views are harmful to teachers and students. Education should not be used for political purposes as Freire advocates quite openly, but if used in that way, education, with its traits of indoctrination and enculturation, will be extremely effective and produce the desired results. Christians must understand this and begin to engage in the great conversations or sit back and watch another generation of our children be swept away by the growing tide of all the "isms" out there. Freire understood the power of education; the question is... do we?

New Faces at Westminster

Here are two new faces to the Westminster family. In the hat is Coach Garrett Keith. He will be our strength and conditioning coach and our assistant coach in football. In the white is Coach Stephen Hooks. He is our new Head Football Coach.

At Westminster we try to do football the same way we try to do everything else... with excellence. Coach Hooks and Coach Keith are tasked with discipling young men inside the sport of football. Their goals are the same as mine... to bring glory to our Savior through education that is Christian and excellent. They, too, want to change the world for Jesus Christ, and today, they each began that process inside the sport of football.

As we take residence of the 42 acres at the Brockway campus, we do so with every intention of exposing as many students, parents, fans and people to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What would you do with the truth if you had it? Would you sit on it and hide it, or would you attempt to share it with as many as possible? The answer to such a question is reflected in the way that one lives life? When you meet Coach Hooks and Coach Keith you will immediately know their answer to the question; what is your answer? Blessings!