http://www.summit.org/ en webmaster@summit.org Copyright 2010 2010-09-21T20:17:48+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it/ Sometimes a simple question can reveal a lot about what a person thinks. A well-framed question can get under the surface to show where beliefs have taken a wrong turn, leading to faulty conclusions. A worldview approach to life’s key issues helps us know the right questions to ask in order to uncover where the wrong turn is taken and how to correct it. Take, for example, this past spring when I was speaking to a class of seniors at a prestigious Christian high school on the west coast. Boy was I surprised when what I thought was a simple question lead to an hour-long discussion... Law, Politics, and Government 2010-09-21T20:17:48+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/an-open-letter-to-president-barack-obama/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/an-open-letter-to-president-barack-obama/ Dear Mr. President, On your website I found the following statement: “We must fix a broken health care system . . .” Regarding this initiative, I am very concerned that you and Congress are overstepping the bounds of your job description as outlined in the Constitution. When taking the oath of office, you promised to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” There is nothing in the Constitution directing the Federal government to “fix” anything, much less a privately operated and freely chosen system of medical treatment. Law, Politics, and Government 2010-07-28T20:07:10+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/hollywoods-brush-with-religious-belief/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/hollywoods-brush-with-religious-belief/ Many people today assume that faith in God amounts to “blind faith,” the idea that there is no objective evidence or logical reason to believe that God exists; faith is simply a subjective feeling or emotional choice. While it is okay to have a personal feeling that God is real to you, it is not okay to publicly announce that God exists and has certain characteristics for everyone. Our society is immersed in the subjectivication of belief. Faith as irrational belief has become a favorite tool in the hands of today’s atheists. The latest salvo of atheist attacks on Christianity incorporate the notion that faith is irrational. Atheist Richard Dawkins, for instance... Theology, Atheism 2010-06-30T16:23:34+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/amusing-ourselves-to-death/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/amusing-ourselves-to-death/ Neal Postman (1931–2003) was an educator and cultural critic who saw things more clearly than most. In the introduction of his highly acclaimed and criticized book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Postman demonstrated that he had his finger on the pulse of our culture in a way most others did not. This comparison between the pessimistic visions of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley is worth quoting at length... Art, Culture, and Society, Entertainment 2010-05-29T01:44:22+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/grave-lessons-about-application/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/grave-lessons-about-application/ I was staring into the open grave of my son Christopher. It was an unspeakably painful moment. The nightmare all parents dread had become my life. Had I been physically able to muster more tears, I would have been weeping uncontrollably. As I watched four men struggle to lower a steel lid over the grave vault holding Christopher’s miniature white casket, I realized I would see his little smiling face no more, and run my fingers through his beautiful blond hair never again. We would never snuggle together or touch one another again. Our time together was over. As I stood there, looking into what felt like an abyss, I realized that I was in the most despairing, skeptical, and faithless state I had ever been in. I felt like cursing God for the rest of my life. I was on the edge of the dark, bottomless pit of hell... Scripture, Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation) 2010-04-26T17:21:27+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/how-to-combat-secular-indoctrination/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/how-to-combat-secular-indoctrination/ This fall, nearly two million American students will leave for college for the very first time. Their education will cost $12,000 a year for a public university and up to $50,000 for a private one. Scholarships and grants reduce the cost for most families, but still, the Wall Street Journal reports that the average student leaves college with $23,186 in debt. Nationwide, the total cost for this transaction is somewhere between 25 and 40 billion dollars per year. At least families are getting their money's worth. Or not... Art, Culture, and Society, Education, Worldviews, Worldviews (General) 2010-03-23T16:21:53+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/is-government-run-health-care-a-good-idea/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/is-government-run-health-care-a-good-idea/ There is a huge debate across our nation as to whether government-run health care is a good idea. Those who believe that government should be involved in providing medical care for citizens see healthcare as a basic right of the people. If so, then government should provide this service in the same way it provides other services, like police and fire protection or other community services. On the other hand, others are convinced that government should not be in the health care business. They are convinced medical concerns are best left in the hands of individuals and their doctors. They say that private charities, not government, should help those who cannot afford medical treatment. How should we think about this debate? Is there a right side to this issue, or is it just a matter of personal opinion? Are there biblical principles that can help us decide? Law, Politics, and Government 2010-02-15T17:42:31+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/overcoming-a-verse-bite-culture/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/overcoming-a-verse-bite-culture/ "Never Read a Bible Verse!" That's the title of a little booklet my friend and Christian radio personality, Gregory Koukl, has written to help people read the Bible well. What great advice. "That's right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read... Scripture, Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation) 2010-01-27T18:12:42+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/christmas-now-and-once-before/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/christmas-now-and-once-before/ One would be hard-pressed to invent a scene more beautiful than that of the Christmas nativity. The newborn child, his young mother and her betrothed, the shepherds, the wise men, the ox and the donkey, all with the Star of Bethlehem beaming gaily — this, no doubt, is the stuff of poetry. But poetry aside, the nativity scene represents a story of hardships and terrible difficulties. Mary must bear the shame and unbridled gossip that accompany premarital pregnancy; Joseph must decide either to part with Mary or to raise a child who is not his own. Even the wise men... 2009-12-15T21:38:18+00:00 http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/the-hazards-of-reading-on-a-battlefield/ http://www.summit.org/resources/truth-and-consequences/archive/the-hazards-of-reading-on-a-battlefield/ As she worked her way toward the front of the room, I could tell the young woman was really angry at me. Her eyes were blazing and her jaw was set. This was surprising because the setting was fairly benign: speaking to a large evangelical church's singles group on "How to Interpret the Bible." At the beginning of my two times with them, however, I was already offending the troops! I braced myself... Scripture, Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation) 2009-11-18T19:39:42+00:00