I wanted to introduce you to the work of Summit Ministries and in particular a popular speaker / worldview teacher named John Stonestreet. If you have not yet heard of him, just hang in there. You are going to be hearing a LOT more from this guy! He is becoming one of the most in-demand experts on the topic of developing a Biblical worldview. Check out his work, and consider sending your teenager to a Summit Worldview Conference.
Israel Wayne: What motivated you to teach Christian worldview to others?
John Stonestreet: Really the difference worldview teaching made in my own discipleship motivates me in teaching to others. I was a typical Christian “lifer” – church, Sunday school, Christian school, Christian college, etc. But I never really understood how Christianity was, as Francis Schaeffer called it, “true Truth” and “total Truth”.
Seeing the implications of Christianity for all of life was profoundly impacting and freeing! Faith was no longer about getting to heaven when I die, but about life now. Also, learning about other worldviews removed the fear I held about them.
Israel Wayne: How would you describe the work of Summit Ministries?
John Stonestreet: Summit exists to counter the alarming trend of students who walk away from their faith when they enter their teen or college years. Our work is in four main areas: (1) Teaching students the Biblical Worldview, (2) Teaching students about the other main worldviews fighting for their hearts, minds, and cultures. (3) Training students to defend and champion the Biblical worldview. (4) Christian Leadership
Israel Wayne: Why do you feel it is it important for teens to attend worldview conferences such as http://www.summit.org/conferences/student?
John Stonestreet: Students need to know why they believe what they believe, and they need a vision for how they can take their faith into the world. The Summit has been used by God for 47 years to do this. In two weeks, students hear over 70 hours of teaching, instruction, and challenge about taking their faith seriously. The results are amazing. I often meet skeptics who say that teenagers today need entertainment. We fully disagree. We challenge the students to think deeply about their faith, other worldviews, and the culture. We treat them like intellectual adults, and they rise to the challenge. Summit can be a terrific catalyst for students to emerge as leaders.
Israel Wayne: What do you feel are a couple of the most dangerous worldview trends affecting Christian youth today? (i.e. Postmodernism, Socialism, Universalism, etc.?)
John Stonestreet: I think that the allure of secular humanism is still very strong because it is so deeply embedded in academic culture. If students are not equipped to defend their faith in every area, then the socialism, atheism, and Darwinism of the secular academic experience can be quite compelling. I also think that postmodernism is the most dangerous popular challenge because it is our cultural ethos. Students that are swimming in pop culture and lack discernment will often find themselves assuming much of what our culture assumes such as no one really has the truth, it is intolerant to suggest one way of thinking is better than others, beauty and truth are subjectively determined, etc.