The Kingdm Seminar Ntes fr Three Presentatins Dan Smithwick Orland, FL 1-407-654-8580 Sessin #1- The Stryline f Christendm Christians have discussed many times the idea that we need t "knw the stry" f Gd's wrk with His creatin. It struck me sme years ag that it wuld help t knw the main characters f The Stry. Isn't this what we always d with any stry we read? In pursuing this idea, I settled n nine key characters as revealed in the Scripture. They were as fllws: Adam, Nah, Abraham, Mses, David, Slmn, Ezra, Nehemiah and Paul. Obviusly there are several ther majr figures revealed in the Bible. If ten peple created such a list independently, we might have ten different list f names. Fr me, the abve nine were the "biggies." These were the men whm Gd used in very special ways t accmplish majr histrical events. I then began t ntice a very peculiar thing abut when these nine individuals appeared "in the stry." While there are differing views f when Adam actually lived (when creatin tk place) there des nt appear t be much cntrversy arund when the thers lived. I nticed that beginning with Nah at rughly 2,500 BC, all the thers appeared at 500 year intervals give r take a few decades, with David and Slmn being at same time as well as with Ezra and Nehemiah. That struck me as significant. This led t my creating a timeline chart and pltting when each f the nine appeared n the scene (when they shwed up in the play!). And then, cntinuing n in the N.T. era, I discvered the same pattern was ccurring, with these individuals: Augustine, d. 430 AD St. Bernard f Clairvaux, d. 1153 Luther/Calvin, d. 1564 Again, thers may chse different Church histry figures, but I cnsider these fur men t be f mst significance in the wrks f Jude-Christian histry. I added them t my timeline where it was nw shwing the fllwing: Beginning with Nah (when Gd decided t "start ver"), there are eight key perid f times appearing at very clse t 500-year intervals, with a ttal f 12 individuals.
I then had the thught t expand the chart cntent t identify fur particular perspectives f the unflding f the stry: Eternity (seeing that time itself is smewhat f a parenthesis in Gd's Stry) Histrical Eras (nw identified by histrians as Ancient, Medieval, Mdern and Pst-Mdern) Key Wrks f Gd Key Individuals used f Gd fr key wrks After that I added the really big ideas: Creatin, Crucifixin and Cnsummatin. It als struck me that here we are, living at anther 500-year interval. If this pattern cntinues, rughly as it has fr 4,500 years, we can expect anther majr wrk f Gd, with ne r tw key individuals being raised t the task; prbably a 5-year ld by in sme remte part f the wrld wh may get tapped fr the jb! Perhaps there are ther aspects f what we culd learn abut Gd's Stry frm this exercise, but we shuld start by learning this much f it, very well. I have fund this chart useful in presenting the "big picture" t believers and unbelievers alike. It is hard t argue with the facts f histry. Sessin #2- The Wrldview f Yuth This sessin reviews the PEERS Trend Chart shwing the wrldview psitin held by high schl yuth in America (frm Christian hmes) ver a 30-year perid, based n a wrldview assessment tl called the PEERS Test. PEERS is an acrnym, meaning: P- Plitics (civil gvernment) E- Ecnmics E- Educatin R- Religin S- Scial Issues The PEERS Test cnsists f 70 test statements, 14 in each categry, answered with the lykert scring system. Here are a few sample test items: Gvernment shuld rest as directly as pssible n the will f the peple.
An individual can share in the divine nature f Gd thrugh many avenues ther than a persnal relatinship with Jesus Christ. A demcratic gvernment shuld guarantee unemplyment benefits and retirement incme t all its citizens. Unemplyment is primarily caused by a lack f demand fr gds and services. The test rates an individual int ne f fur general wrldview categries based n the fllwing scale: 70-100 Biblical Theism 30 69 Mderate Christian 0-29 Secular Humanism < 0 Scialism The PEERS Test was evaluated by an utside firm using a panel f experts (5 Christian and 5 nn-christian) t determine its validity and reliability. The findings were very psitive; reprt available upn request. This PEERS Trend Chart reveals bth gd and bad news fr America. The bad news? At least 90% f yuth frm Christian hmes are increasingly abandning the Jude-Christian wrldview in favr f sme brand f a secular, anti-christian wrldview. We culdn t d wrse if we tried. America is lking mre and mre like Eurpe, where less than 10% f the ppulatin is in Church n any given Sunday f the year. If a church des nt teach its wn psterity t bserve all things that I have cmmanded yu, hw can it pssibly be expected t accmplish Christ s cmmand t make disciples f all natins? But there is als sme gd news n the Trend Chart! In a small percentage f Christian schls students are in fact learning and embracing a mature biblical wrldview. The questin is: Hw are they ding this and will yur schl/church be ne f them? A new DVD-based wrldview prgram, called The Wrldview Curse (TWC) is being release by Nehemiah Institute in Spring 2016. TWC is designed fr adults in lcal church grups. Its purpse is t aid in reversing the dwnward trend f wrldview held by ur yuth. See preview f curse at: www.wrldviewcurse.cm. Sessin #3- Histry f American Educatin/Culture This chart was initially established by Dr. Gerald Stiles, prfessr at Liberty University. It was a study f the nature f American culture lking at six distinct eras f ur shrt histry. Its purpse was t shw the gradual eliminatin f the Jude-Christian influence in America, especially in the sphere f educatin. I have expanded the chart with a seventh era which I argue will be characterized by either a return t the Jude-Christian wrldview, r a slide int a new dark era f human histry. I
make the case that the chice is up t the peple, either being led by a secular-minded educatin/gvernment system r by a biblical wrldview pulpit. I see n ther ptins. Here are key pints fr the seven eras: Perid I- Clnial Educatin Era (1620-1776) 155 years This cvers the perid frm the landing f the Pilgrims and Puritans t the War f Independence. While nt everyne was a Christian, it is clear frm numerus surces such as persnal letters, diaries, speeches, bks and sermns, that the dminate eths f that time was based n the Christian life. Peple cmmnly referred t themselves as Christians seeking the new city n a hill. Many Christian institutins were established including higher educatin, Harvard, Yale, etc. Perid II- Early Natinal Era (1789 1870) 80 years We had nw becme a natin in ur wn right. Peple began t refer t themselves as the new natin mre than simply the peple f Gd. Science became an acceptable way f knwing truth, thugh nt equal with Gd and Christ. Reasn was put n the same level as the Bible fr hw we knw what we knw. Being a gd citizen was deemed an acceptable cnditin fr having the gd life. Perid III- State-Schl Era (1870 1918) 50 years Peple nw were quick t identify themselves as Americans first, then Christian. Science was made equal with Gd in ability t determine what was real. The scientist culd be trusted t tell the truth. Reasn was viewed as the primary means f determining what man culd/shuld knw. Being a gd citizen was cnsidered as the first test f the gd life, but the Christian life was still cnsidered imprtant. Perid IV- Remaking f Sciety Era (1918 1963) 45 years Peple nw began t think f themselves as belnging t a demcracy, rather than t a Cnstitutinal Republic, as given by the Funding Fathers. The plitical mindset was based n we the peple rather than the will f Gd as expressed in Biblical law and cnstitutinal law. This shift in plitical thinking laid the fundatin fr the Me-Generatin which shwed up in the next shift in culture, Perid V. Reasn and individual desires were viewed as the basis f what we knw, mre than the Bible. Being a gd citizen, pssessing a mral life, and embracing the self-actualized life, (humanistic psychlgy) was the basis f having the gd life. Perid V- Pst-Christian Era (1963 1993) 30 years A majr shift was nw underway in America. The 60 s kicked in and almst vernight peple culd sense a new day was dawning. Nearly everyne new that smething was happening t America, few understd why. Even fewer understd the cnsequences f where this wuld lead ur natin. One wh did see the cause and the cnsequences was Francis Schaeffer. The Me-Generatin was in full blm with yuth expressing rebellin against traditinal authrity, particularly n the cllege campuses. Science alng with technlgical Eastern religin, called New Age, became the fcus f what was real. Individual desires, reasn and experience were the dminate basis fr determining what we can knw.
Gne almst entirely was any public expressin r acknwledgement f Gd, Christ, and the Bible. Christianity was at best ne f many views f life. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the assassinatin f President Kennedy (all in the 60 s) had a prfund impact n the sul f America. Perid VI- New Wrld Order Era (1993-2018) 25 years Pstmdernism became the rage f the campuses in America. Objective truth was gne, manmade ethics was in. The church began mimicking the wrld mre than cnfrnting it. Give them what they want became the mantra fr much f evangelicalism; get them int the building! The gd life was (an is!) characterized by a new virtue- tlerance. America adpted plitical crrectness as the basis fr the gd life, even respecting/prmting amral behavir such as the gay lifestyle. Perid VII- 2020-? Lightness r Darkness Given the histry f ur natin, especially in plitical and educatinal realms, we can nw expect ne f tw natinal identities t develp. It is near certain that we will either slide int barbarianism (as many cultures have dne) OR restre a thrughly Biblically-based culture. Barbarianism is a tpic f cncern t many cnservative evangelicals. A gd bk n this subject is Sluching Tward Gmrrah by Thmas Brk, 1996. Tw ther excellent reads are: The Dying f the Light, James Burtchaell, 1998 and Suicide f the West, James Burnham, 1985. Althugh uncertain as t when this may begin, the cultural shift by yuth int Humanism /Scialism as identified by Nehemiah Institute s PEERS Test, the trend f the past 25+ years, gives evidence that by 2020 (if trend cntinues at same rate) we will have a full generatin f Americans wh will strngly reject Christianity and frmally embrace Scialism. The American experiment will be ver. The directin we take will largely be determined by the Church f ur time. The undershepherds (pastrs f lcal churches) have an enrmus task upn their shulders. Will they d it? Will cmmunity leaders, f all spheres, help them d it? These charts are being presented by Dan Smithwick t make the case fr the need f a fcused wrldview prgram amng cnservatives in America, delivered in varius frums. The charts are intended t give reasn fr adptin f a new wrldview curse being ffered by Nehemiah Institute fr families and churches. An verview f the curse may be seen at: www.wrldviewcurse.cm. T receive further infrmatin n bringing this half-day seminar t yur cmmunity, call 1-800-948-3101.