Worldview 101

We’ll be in Orlando this Saturday at Killarney Baptist Church for a Worldview 101 Seminar!!
http://s118392501.onlinehome.us/kbcnet/Default_home.aspx

It has been interesting reading the news today. Here are a few topics you may want to discuss with your teens.

Miss California has been lambasted for saying, “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”  Her comments have stirred up much discussion on the internet.  http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/04/perez-hilton-on.html

And just when you were wondering what has happened to cause so many aborted downs syndrome babies … here’s the answer: “…90% of Downs syndrome fetuses are aborted. Maybe some of these abortions wouldn’t happen if we backed women up in caring for special needs children. If conservatives hadn’t stripped our society of the social insurance that would help families raise children, there might BE fewer abortions…”  See there, it’s the conservatives’ fault for stripping our society of social insurance.  http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dot.comments/2009/04/sarah_palin_and_choice.html 

In another blog Barna is criticized for proposing a definition of “Biblical worldview” so narrowly that 99% of the population is excluded.  The blogger notes, “This is the first generation to grow up almost completely wired.  They’re knowledgeable about the realities of the way the world works.  They’re not narrowly defined because Nike and every fashion label has taught them to search for the always changing, next big thing.  They refused to be defined by us.  Yes they may be cynical but they also have learned to live in the shadow of tension. They’ve learned to hold the paradox of the both/and.  They’ve learned a right answer is silly because nobody lives it.  We’re all broken.  And we don’t like that do we?  We don’t like that Mosaics can live in the paradox of the not knowing.  They can hold two opposing views simultaneously.”  I’m not real sure why this author is so bothered by the classification suggested by Barna.  By the way, according to Barna, this generation is “very mosaic in every aspect of their life.” He continues,”There’s no attribute that really dominates like you might have seen with prior generations.” Barna also describes this group as “comfortable with contradiction”, “post-modern” and exhibiting “non-linear” thinking What do you think?  http://jonathanbrink.com/2009/04/20/a-biblical-worldview/

After finally receiving the move “Come What May” (I’m assuming it was back ordered) I watched it last night.  I’ll post a review soon.  In some ways the movie did not meet my expectations yet in other ways I was pleasantly surprised.  Have you watched it?  http://www.comewhatmaythemovie.com/

If you live near Orlando, plan to join us this Saturday!

If you’ve attended one of our seminars then you are familiar with what we offer.  We have found that we aren’t doing a very good job promoting our events because what usually happens is that go into an area and have a smaller-than-desired group attend the event. At the end of the seminar we hear many proclaim, “If I had only known … I would have filled this place up.”  We’ve even had parents leave the meeting and call their friends, telling them to drop what they are doing and come to the seminar.  We know that what we are teaching is valuable and life changing.  We know that the fee we charge is nominal and we will scholarship anyone who needs assistance.  What we don’t know, apparently, is how to promote the events in such a way that people realize the value of attending the seminar. So, of you have attended in the past, we would love your help in figuring out how to do a better job promoting our events!  We love teaching and we are okay with having small audiences, but in order to maximize our time fully and in order to reach more people, it only makes sense that we try and enlarge our audiences.  HELP! 

Below are some of the remarks we received from adults who have attended our seminars.  The last remark is from the director of a Classical co-op who canceled classes in order to offer the seminar.  If you are part of a Classical co-op you may find her remarks pertinent to your group. 

---Love what you are doing and you are communicating well. We need more of this worldview training for all Christians who need to be equipped for our culture. Lisa S, VA---------------Eye opening! Makes me want to better prepare my children for the dangers they face. Pam, VA----------Fantastic! We need more of these Ben W. did a great job and I was very impressed with the Bryan College students -- a terrific group. They were helpful, courteous, and I especially like their testimonies and stories.  Aaron S, NC----------------This was absolutely fabulous. I am very grateful for your ministry. Thank you for helping equip us (the parents) and the students. This is a gift from the Lord. Teresa H., NC--------------I especially appreciated the students being so open and approachable. They were polite and personable which made the whole encounter very pleasant. The enthusiasm was definitely contagious. Joe & Roslyn C., NC----------------Great information -- enthusiastically presented. I'm so glad you included the elementary group too. Thank you! Linda S., NC--------------Great job! More than met my expectations! Ben and Pat did a great job. I am hungry for more. Brenda J., NC-------------Outstanding program for all ages. I am definitely interested in more of your programs. Dawn B, GA------------------

Pat,I have heard wonderful things from everyone! The deal with home school families is they are so busy that they would probably not attend unless it was on a co-op or class day. We felt it was well worth our while to cancel other classes for the conference. We will probably try to do it again next year if you all are available. If so, we will start earlier in the school year planning it. We will probably do it again on a class day. We felt that it was too important to let the parents have the option of their students attending. They would come up with all kinds of excuses not to attend. One of the dads of a high school student wanted his daughter to attend one of the other conferences you had going. All of the men were very impressed and enjoyed it very much!Melissa, GA

For those who have asked about our seminars — knowing that “worldview” is such a broad topic — here are a few details of what the seminar will look like. This will vary in some ways because the teaching team will change. We will have Ben Williams, Director of the Worldview Team, with us in Knoxville and Chattanooga but not at the other seminars.

The seminars include something for elementary students, teens, and parents. Our goal is to encourage everyone to be challenged to know what they believe, why they believe it, and to be able to defend their beliefs. Students need to be warned not to be taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy (Col 2:8), but rather to be like the sons of Issachar (1 Chron. 12;32) who understood the times and knew what to do.

We start off the day all together in one room. We make (what seems like) outrageous statements that the audience is to either applaud or “boo.” Then we question the responses, asking if the person responding can defend, explain, or debate his position. We do that to help students realize that oftentimes they have strong beliefs and they don’t really know why they believe what they believe. We are not trying to undermine parental teaching — on the contrary we hope that the students leave the seminar with a strong desire to discuss these issues further with their parents. We will talk about the importance of being like the Berean’s who were more noble than the Thessaolonians because after they heard Paul preach they searched the scriptures to see if what he said was true. Our children need to learn how to ask the right questions and, more importantly, they need to be equipped to find the Biblical answers to their questions. After a basic introduction to “What is a worldview and why is important that I have a Biblical worldview?” we divide the group, separating the younger students from the teens.

The younger students will be given a basic explanation of the 3 worldviews (naturalism, pantheism and theism). We use movie clips to explain the origin, identity, meaning, morality, and destiny of each worldview. Let me explain the use of movies. For one thing, they are entertaining. For another thing, all movies have worldview messages — some subtle, some not so subtle. For instance, in “Horton Hears a Who” the Kangaroo mom says (several times), “If you can’t feel it, see it, or touch it, it does not exist.” That’s naturalism, pure and simple. We show short clips of G rated movies. We explain that some of the children may not have been allowed to see some of these movies, and for good reason. We are careful to explain why we are showing the clips we show. Before showing the clips we talk about obey and honoring and why it is so important that a child trust his parent’s decisions and authority. We explain the difference between obedience and honor. In order for a child to embrace and live out a Biblical worldview, he needs to be dedicated to a life of obedience and honor. Because worldview is such an deep issue we include a session on public speaking, understanding and identifying false logic, and defining and understanding truth. These are basic foundations for embracing a Biblical worldview. The seminars will include skits, power point, and games.

The teens will also have the 3 worldviews explained, but at a deeper level. They will be taught by 2 or 3 teen boys (depending on the city of the seminar). Two of the teachers have completed the Impact 360 program and attended Summit numerous times before staffing for Summit. In addition to movies, they will discuss music and other forms of entertainment as well as issues dealing with technology. We live in a depraved culture that is taking captive our Christian youth in huge (and scary) numbers. The entire day is spent on worldview issues with the teens. The students will be challenged to examine their lives, discover purpose and meaning, give serious thought to vocation and calling, and, probably the most important issue, realize how little they really know. They will learn to ask great questions, be encouraged to listen well, and be challenged to find mentors and accountability partners. At the end of the day the teens are challenged to take what they’ve heard and apply it to their lives in such a way that they can better impact the world for Christ.

The parents have a session (for their ears only) on today’s culture. Do you know what the #1 hit is on the radio these days? You’ll be shocked and saddened to know it’s a song by a young lady who used to sing for a Christian label. She’s changed her name to Katy Perry and the song title of the #1 hit today is “I Kissed a Girl.” (The rest of the line is, “and I liked it.”) What’s a parent to do? We’ll discuss responses as well as make recommendations for additional resources to help parents understand and teach worldview issues to their children. The parents will also have an opportunity to watch a DVD of John Stonestreet (he’s an executive director of Summit Ministries). In addition the parents will get to hear from the teen teachers on how their lives have been impacted by worldview teaching. There will be a question and answer session too. During the seminar the parents will have an opportunity to join the students if they so choose.

At the end of the day we’ll come back together for a “What Now” session. This will include stories of Christians who have made an impact on others, recommended resources for further study, and a challenge to keep on learning, growing, and becoming more and more Christlike — for God’s glory.

This blog was created after I had a BFO (blinding flash of the obvious), i.e. “It would certainly be easy to share our seminar schedule via a blog!” In addition, having a blog is a great way to recommend books, articles, movies, programs and more.

Speaking of movies, have you seen “Horton Hears a Who!”? That movie certainly contains a few worldview discussion starters. I’ll be using clips from this movie during our upcoming seminars. This movie touches on home (pouch) schooling, naturalism, work ethic, teamwork, quality of life, and more!

We are currently planning August seminars in Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. As soon as two of our teachers — the “two Jonathans” (see bios and pix at www.worldview101.com) finish staffing at Summit leadership camps (www.summit.org) the seminars will begin. I’ll post a schedule once details are finalized. If you are interested in having us come to your area, let me know.

Our 13 year old son (#7 of 9 children) will attend Worldview Academy for the first time this summer (www.worldview.org). Kimmy, who just turned 17, will attend Summit for the second time this summer. Jonathan (age 19, mentioned above as one of the two Jonathans) will be staffing for the second year at Summit. This week he is at Impact 360 with the “other” Jonathan, making plans for future alumni events (the two Jonathans were each elected as alumni representatives of their respective classes — 2007/2008 — at Impact). If you aren’t familiar with the Impact 360 program, take a look — it’s a gap year program (nine month adventure) located in Pine Mountain, GA. www.lifeshape.org/Impact360