“This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin award.”

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook recently and I thought it sufficiently thought provoking to share it as well. What I like about it (apart from the excellent animation) is that it calls into question the educational paradigms that may have come out of the Enlightenment. These may have been consistent with and worked fairly well at one point in history – but may not be so useful in our current cultural context. Further, it is clear our educational methods may need to be rethought not just in terms of the need to provide Christian worldview thinking, but may also need to be adjusted to promote a more creative and comprehensive thought process.

Pastor Dennis Tuuir

In last Sunday’s sermon at Reformation Covenant Church, Pastor Dennis Tuuri provided the most insightful evaluation of the OCCUPY movement that I’ve seen to date. He shined the light of Christ’s Word on the problem, with a view to how we, as Christians, can speak to the issues that the world is struggling with economically right now.

The sermon, The Tenth Word, Social Policy and Politics, is part of a long series on the 10 Words (Commandments).

As the OCCUPY movement continues to play out in the social consciousness of our city and country, it is important to think biblically about how to respond to it. Peaple painfully feel that our society is broken and in need of serious repair – but know not what to do. For most in the OCCUPY movement there are no real agendas, solutions or hopes apart from change for change sake. This revolutionary spirit is a hope that is based on a faith that once the existing social order is destroyed, a new and better society will emerge for the good of the world. But such an evolutionary faith is no hope at all – for apart from God there is no reason to suppose that man will be better off than he was before.

⁶ Now godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. ⁸ And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. ¹¹ But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:6–12 (NKJV)

Herman Cain

Evangelical Christians long for the day when they can, in joy and a clear conscience, cast a vote for a presidential candidate that they fully endorse. With each election they look to see how faithful the professing Christian candidates are. But seldom do they find a man that enables them to check off everything on their list of essential and hoped for reasons for voting. One by one, election after election, the Christian candidate becomes the one that they “have to” vote for to keep the really bad candidate from the other party out of office. The lesser of two evils dilemma.

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I recently came across this video that is about how people think about abortion, and how they can change their mind about it when they are helped to think about it in new and reasonable ways. It is a powerful presentation of how to talk to people about this difficult subject in convincing ways.

It is rather long (33 minutes), but well worth the time to go through the whole thing. Especially when you consider it as an example of how to witness to people about the person of Jesus, and how everyone should submit to Him in faith. Watch it carefully as an example of how to do evangelism.

This video provides some examples of how to reasonably speak to people about the truth claims of the Bible – in a way that gets them to agree with your assumptions about the world, ethics and the need for God. Talking about ethics is a most effective method of beginning an evangelistic conversation. It often seems difficult to know how to get people to come to grips with their need for salvation from their sinfulness. But if you can get them to agree on some basic ethical principles, it leads to the subject of the ultimate source of ethical standards – God and His word.

““Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, NKJV)

“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.” (Acts 17:2–5, NKJV)

“Therefore he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.” (Acts 17:17, NKJV)

“And he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”” (Acts 18:4–6, NKJV)

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV)

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5, NKJV)

For those who know me very well at all, you know that I consider the Christian view of Creation (in six ordinary days) to be a necessary component of the Christian worldview. I know that such an opinion is largely unpopular today (both outside, and sadly, inside the Church). But without the doctrine of Creation firmly placed in our hearts and minds, we have little to offer the world around us. For without it, we have no transcendent God whose word is reliable, and no firm basis upon which to build a true understanding of the world around us (including the sciences). Moreover, by it we have a basis for a universal and beneficial ethics for all of life.

David Berlinski was interviewed by Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institute. He is an astonishing presenter of the foolishness of those who say “There is no God” (Ps. 14), and the plausibility of the biblical creation account. Although Berlinski comes across as agnostic in the above clip, his clear and careful logic form a compelling philosophical basis to argue for biblical creation – and to seriously mistrust the prevailing popular beliefs in both atheistic evolution and the infallibility of science and scientific confidence in Naturalism.

“ The fool has said in his heart,“There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord? There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” (Psalm 147, NKJV)