Resources

Summit Lecture Series

Tolerance
"That's true for you, but not for me" "You can't legislate morality" "People should be able to decide for themselves" "You shouldn't force your views on other people" Statements like these are very prevalent in Western culture today, and it seems that there are no legitimate responses to such assertions. But Greg Koukl believes otherwise, and in this lecture he gives a logical refutation of such circular reasoning. In addition, he provides listeners with accurate and fair analyses of what he calls the “Myth of Neutrality” and the “Myth of Tolerance.” He then turns his attention to practical ways of dealing with these myths and then concludes by looking at and contrasting the current usage of the term “tolerance” with its actual meaning.

The Pluralist Game
Francis Beckwith examines self-refuting claims regarding the nature of truth. Using several illustrations, Beckwith equips the Christian to practice critical thinking skills in order to expose the fallacies of pluralistic claims.

The Meaning of Meaning
What is the meaning of meaning? Michael Bauman discusses two main concepts: ideas have consequences; bad ideas have bad consequences, and sloppy language makes sloppy thought possible. Bauman teaches students to think critically about beliefs that meaning is either author intent or reader interpretation.

The Existence and Nature of God
As belief in the existence of God is consistently challenged by professors, classmates and others, Francis Beckwith offers a discourse on the self-existence of God. He discusses God's nature as all-powerful and all-knowing and the fact that He is a rational agent.

Relativism
Have you ever been asked, who are you to judge? Responding to arguments of moral relativism, Francis Beckwith discusses the difference between moral claims and preference claims, how relativists defend their position using the two main arguments, disagreement and tolerance, and offers suggestions on how to respond to these claims.

Postmodernism 1
Everyone has heard that we live in a postmodern culture, but what does that even mean? This is a clear concise session on the basics of the postmodern worldview from both a historical and ideological perspective. Includes teaching on the key figures of postmodernism.

Postmodernism 2
Everyone has heard that we live in a postmodern culture, but what does that even mean? This is a clear concise session on the basics of the postmodern worldview from both a historical and ideological perspective. Includes teaching on the key figures of postmodernism.

Loving God with Your Mind 1
In Part 1 of this series, J.P. Moreland begins with an account of how he came to know Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. Moreland describes the biblical picture of a disciple and discusses the importance of spreading values as ambassadors for Christ.

Loving God with Your Mind 2
Part 2 includes a discussion of learning and knowledge. Moreland offers tools that students may employ to improve the exercise of their minds.

Leadership 1
Speaker Jeff Myers begins this series by sharing his own process of becoming a leader. He challenges students to stop viewing themselves from a humanistic viewpoint and rather view themselves as Christ sees them. Myers describes the meaning of a strategic mission. He continues by sharing examples of leaders in history and how each precipitated change in his generation.

Leadership 2
In Part 2, Myers moves into a discussion of goal setting, servant leadership and what it means to be used by God to influence the world.

Leadership 3
Part 3 concludes this series with a discussion of rationality, faith and the weakness of arguments that are based on assumptions.

Confronting the New Age: Why Oprah is Wrong
Dr. Douglas Groothuis of Denver Seminary attempts to convey the urgency and importance with which Christians should treat the growing trend of New Age spirituality. Giving his lecture the subtitle “Why Oprah Is Wrong,” Dr. Groothuis first points out the Biblical support for why defending the truth is imperative for Christians and then proceeds to outline the main tenets of the New Age faith, including those delineated by Eckhart Tolle. Next, he emphasizes the worldview behind the faith and juxtaposes it with Biblical Christianity in order to show their conflicting natures. Last, he urges Christians not only to be aware of imitation faiths, but also to be ready to wage war against counterfeit spirituality.

Christianity and Scientific Naturalism
J.P. Moreland discusses the worldview of Naturalism. Moreland discusses claims of reality and claims of knowledge, and speaks on the naturalist's belief that the only thing that is real is the physical universe. Moreland goes on to discuss naturalists’ claim of knowledge and the claim that the only way a person can know something is through the proof of science — empiricism. All things have to be explained by the laws of nature. Naturalism is the view that science is the entire search for knowledge. Moreland exposes fallacies in naturalistic thinking, and uses examples in nature to argue that science cannot explain all things in the universe.

Ambassadors for Christ
Gregory Koukl begins this lecture with the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20: "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." Koukl challenges the students to conduct themselves as worthy representatives of Christ. What kind of qualities does an ambassador possess? Koukl presents these qualities in three categories: knowledge (an accurately informed mind), wisdom (and artful method), and requisite character (an attractive manner).

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