Why Learn?

The aim of knowledge is to grow more like Christ, giving him all glory. The educational aim for the Christian teacher should be primarily to point to Christ through whom all truth flows. Education institutions are to teach both general revelation (regarding the natural) and special revelation (regarding the supernatural). Because schools design cultures, Christian schools ought to teach both forms of knowledge through a biblical worldview.

If God created the world, then it must be the case that the world reveals something about him. That's not to say that everything perfectly reveals something about God because we do live in a fallen, corrupt state. However, that should not keep us from learning and studying further about the Creator who designed all things. Thus, when we study science, theology, or philosophy, the goal is to reveal something about the glory of God. That is valuable.

When it comes to reading Scripture, which is the very word of God, we aim to learn about him as well. Unlike the world we live in, the Bible is not corrupt. It is the inerrant, infallible Word of God (original autographs). Thus, when our churches and Christian schools teach, they teach to point to our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. They are to teach both natural revelation and special revelation. It's important to have Christian schools and Christian educators because schools design culture. This is the very reason for the secular takeover of the public education  system in the West. 

Book Review: 40 Questions About the End Times

40 Questions About the End Times
By: Echard Schnabel
Series Editor: Benjamin L. Merkle
Kregel Academic and Professional, 2011

Thanks to Benjamin Merkle, the Series Editor for Kregel’s “40 Questions” books, evangelicals now have a quick and concise tool for understanding end times. The book’s author, Echard Schnabel, is an evangelical and takes a very conservative look at all end times scripture throughout the Bible.

Perhaps the most helpful thing he has done is not begin with Revelation. I believe folks are guilty of going straight to the end of the Bible to understand what will happen in the end times which is not beneficial unless you have a good idea of the rest of the Bible’s metanarrative. To understand apocalyptic writing in scripture, one must understand the genre in general, but also understand the book of Daniel.

The True Meaning of Sola Scriptura

I have recently been involved in discussions with Catholics about the Protestant belief in Sola Scriptura. In case you are not familiar with the phrase, it translates from Latin as “scripture alone.” There is a misconception held by Catholics of what this means for Protestants.

First, it does not mean that the only truth is Scripture. What do I mean by this? There are plenty of truths found outside of Scripture. The Bible is concerned about revealing God (Jesus) and who he is. Scripture’s primary concern is not science, math, psychology or any other field though it touches on every subject one could imagine.

Journey to Christmas: For Five Strangers, the Nativity is Now Reality

REVIEW: Journey to Christmas, DVD
Tyndale House

Some wonder about the truth behind Christmas. Not Santa Claus, but the Nativity. Either the Christmas story is true, or millions of Christians have been misled and believe a completely demented lie. This small group study, Journey to Christmas, seeks to answer the questions behind Christmas. Five people take a journey through the Middle East, walking in the footsteps of Christ witnessing firsthand how people lived during Jesus' time.