Summit Ministries

Day 10 of Summit started the same way most of the other days at Summit Colorado started: with an early wake-up. At 7:00 A.M., the bright and shining faces of the better–motivated Summit students could be seen chewing on waffles in the cafeteria for breakfast. But I sure didn't see those faces. My face was planted squarely on a pillow until at least 7:15ish. After breakfast and last–second room cleanups in preparation for the iron–fisted inspections of certain Summit staff, we all gathered in the classroom for a devotion by Eric Smith. He spoke from the book of Leviticus about the many rituals the high priest had to go through to make atonement for the Israelites and how Jesus has done that for us through his death at Calvary.

After devotions, the incomparable Dr. Noebel led us through Bible hour by giving us the "Scripture Verse for the Day" (Romans 2:5), the "Thought for the Day" ("Nothing great has ever been accomplished without enthusiasm"), and a list of 25 key people you need to know before you can grasp the Bible (from Adam & Eve to the Apostle John).

Following Bible Hour, Mr. John Stonestreet lectured us on "Marriage & The Family." Mr. Stonestreet presented us with statistics that show that traditional marriage between one man and one woman is best for societies and individuals. Mr. Stonestreet showed how God's creation of Adam and his mandates of stewardship and productivity for men corresponded to God's creation of Eve and his mandate of life-giving to women. Thus, marriage is for showing God, perpetuating the gospel, and being the foundation of the social order. Mr. Stonestreet concluded by sharing the implications of God's purposes for marriage.

After a quick break consisting of quick chuggings of Mr. Pibb for my roommates and me, we went back to the classroom for an additional lecture from Mr. Stonestreet about "The 'Brave New World' of Biotechnology." He told us about the many promises and expressions of our current Biotech Age and how bioethics must "catch up with" biotechnology to avoid disastrous consequences. Biotechnology's potential for the aforementioned consequences is due to a misunderstanding of "what human is." Biblical Christianity says humans are created in God's image and have purpose and value; however, Naturalism says that humans have no intrinsic value. Mr. Stonestreet then summarized this information into some guidelines for Christians living in a Biotech Age.

Following this lecture, the ravenous students (myself included) charged into the dining room for some pizza (Summiteriffically healthy pizza of course). After a bit of a break, we went back to the classroom for a lecture on "The Message in the Music" from Chuck Edwards. Mr. Edwards started off saying that musicians convey their worldviews in their lyrics, so Christians must analyze what the song is saying about life (what is true and what is untrue) when they listen to music. He recommended that we analyze and discuss music instead of "passively" listening to it.

After Mr. Edwards' lecture, most of the Summit students headed out to the buses for "Sports Time." Some stayed back at the hotel due to inclement weather. However, being a homeschooler, I chose to ignore those concerns in favor of some high-quality recreation. Once the students arrived at the park, we broke up into groups playing anything from basketball to ultimate frisbee to speed volleyball. On this day, I chose to play speed volleyball and enjoyed it much more than normal volleyball, to say the least (no offense intended to volleyballers). Part way through the sports time, the inclement weather decided to make an appearance with some heavy rain and high winds. But that didn't stop the sports from being played. Later, the sports time was precluded by lightning, so we all shuffled into the buses and headed back to the Manitou Hilton (a.k.a. the Summit hotel) for a fishy dinner. Literally. Aside from the occasional gill or fin, it was tasty…

After dinner, many students attended the open forum by Mr. John Stonestreet where we asked questions about the topics that he had spoken on earlier in the day. Later (after another quick break), we had a praise and worship time in the classroom followed by Dr. Noebel's daily talk on "Worldviews in Collision." During this time, Doc set out some very convincing evidence to prove that Secular Humanism is a religion, including some quotes by the foremost humanists of the day. For instance, atheist Paul Kurtz is quoted as saying that "Humanism is a philosophical, religious, and moral point of view." Listening to Doc's lecture was "more fun than a human ought to have."

Following Dr. Noebel's instruction, we watched a video about abortion by Scott Klusendorf. In this video, Mr. Klusendorf talked about how to convince others that the Pro-Life position is a more scientifically, philosophically, and logically competent point of view compared with the dissenting argument. After the video, most students hit the sack. However, I know of at least one slightly "stup-ido" student who stayed up later than he should have typing… something. I forget what.

I will leave you with that. Another day in the life of a Summit student in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Remember, ideas have consequences and bad ideas have bad consequences. For example, staying up late will make you tired…