#40 - The Battle for the Children’s Education" - The late Dr. D.James Kennedy, The Daily Truth, Aug.22, 2016; http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed [Christ]." - —Psalm 2:2

Did you realize that teachers in the public schools were being encouraged to become proselytizers for a new religion? Do you realize that secular humanism has been virtually established as the state national religion of America? 

In a classic statement in The Humanist Magazine, a humanist educator said this:
"I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizer of a new faith; a religion of humanity . . . for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they teach, regardless of the educational level—preschool, day care or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new—the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism."

I am afraid many parents don’t know what is happening. The secular humanists continually say that there is no such thing as humanism. Adolf Hitler said, “Let me control the textbooks and I will control Germany.”

Since secular humanism has had virtually full reign in our public schools, true learning has plunged. But that makes sense, since the Scriptures declare that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Question to ponder: Why have so many of our schools become God-free zones?

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

# 39 - "Terminally Ill Lauren Hill: 'I Feel Like I’ve Done God’s Work, But I’m Not Done Yet' ”   - by Dave Andrusko | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 12/12/14; http://www.lifenews.com/2014/12/12/terminally-ill-lauren-hill-i-feel-like-ive-done-gods-work-but-im-not-done-yet/ [AS I SEE IT: When the next edition of dictionaries are published, with the definition for "inspiring" should be the name Lauren Hill and the picture below. After the sad tragedy of Brittany Maynard this fall taking her own life in the face of terminal illness, the courage of this young Christian girl is tremendous. May each of us face our trivial challenges and disappointments with as much courage and selflessness. I look forward to one day meeting her in Heaven. - Stan]

Kudos, congratulations, and sincere thanks to WKRC 12, a local station in Cincinnati, Ohio, for a magnificent profile of Lauren Hill, the 19-year-old college freshman who is winning admirers all over the work for her courageous battle against terminal cancer.

Doctors say Lauren will not live past December. The unyielding march of her deadly disease–Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma —means that Lauren is now in hospice care.

But the courage and pluck and smiling face that lights up a room is as strong as ever, as WKRC’s interview with the Hill family that aired Thursday night demonstrates. If you watch local12.com, be ready to cry for her passing but also be prepared to be moved to tears by the redemptive power of her message.

The station’s Brad Johansen tells us in the introduction that Lauren’s story tells us “The true meaning of the season is within reach.” Indeed, it does. Lauren has played two games on the road for the Mount St. Joseph women’s basketball team. Tomorrow’s game will be her first at home.

“But Lauren, more than most of us, has learned tomorrow isn’t guaranteed,” Johansen reminds us. “Very few of us are looking forward to the feeling of the true meaning of Christmas more than Lauren Hill as her body fails her more every day.”

As you watch the Hill family, clearly Lauren is treasuring each and every moment. Rather than focus on what can’t be done for her, Lauren turns her eyes to those around her—“the people that are right there in front of you.” In “every moment you gotta find that blessing. I believe that’s the blessing in that moment—the fact that we are all in the same room.”Lauren understands the magnitude of what the doctors said in September, and while she is realistic, she adds, “I think God has the last say.”

Clearly the Hills are a very, very tightly knit family Her dad, Trent, told Johansen"that the outpouring of response to Lauren’s ordeal has given me a new perspective on people. There’s always been a lot of good people out there but just the overwhelming-ness of how many good people are out there. That’s the thing that really opened my eyes—all the support; and the letters, and all the comments, made me very proud of her, to say the least,” Brent said. As Johansen put it, “Lauren doesn’t want this Christmas to be just like before. Instead for everyone to value it like she will; undistracted by TV, tablets, and iPhones–as if it might be your last.”

So it is not surprising that Lauren keeps telling her frustrated dad that she doesn’t want anything for Christmas, a sentiment her siblings have seconded for themselves.”’Dad I don’t want anything for Christmas, I really don’t,’” she tells him. What does she want? “I just want to be there, that’s what I want. I wanna be there.”

News of Lauren’s courage and determination first went national in early November when she played for a few minutes for Mt. Saint Joe against Hiram and scored a bucket! And just being there has proved to be an inspiration for many, including, in particular, one girl who wrote Lauren a letter.“She said she was almost at that point of killing herself when my story came out and she saw the way that I was handling everything and she changed her mind.” Lauren said. “And it was awesome.” Lauren added, “That’s the kind of mail that I like to read. … She said I saved her life. That’s what she was thanking me for.”

Johansen said that Lauren’s only fears are the recovery of those she leaves behind and enduring a painful ending with peace. “But then again,” Johansen says, “she’s confident her end here is not the end.”

“I know I will be fine,” Lauren said. “Because I feel like I’ve done God’s work, what he sent me here to do. I feel like maybe, I’m not done yet. Maybe that’s why I’m still here.”

#38 - WEBSITE EVERY YOUTH OF A PRO-LIFE CHURCH SHOULD KNOW ABOUT - "80% of Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinics Located Near College or University" - by Kristan Hawkins | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 12/3/14; http://www.lifenews.com/2014/12/03/80-of-planned-parenthood-abortion-clinics-located-near-college-or-university/ [AS I SEE IT: EVERY CHURCH that calls itself pro-life should be educating their youth to know about such resources as the one described in this article. Whether or not they are in college, young people in our churches should know how to direct friends in "crisis  pregnancies" to the resources that will help them choose life for  their unborn child rather than tragically believe that abortion is their only "choice." - Stan]

Students for Life of America (SFLA) announced today the launch of a new and unique aspect to their successful Pregnant on Campus Initiative: a website specifically designed to help students find pregnancy and parenting resources on their individual campuses. This website also utilizes crowdsourcing and surveying of students and administrators to help post pregnancy resources on the site.

The new website is www.PregnantOnCampus.com.

Becoming unexpectedly pregnant while in college can be a scary situation for so many women. Over half of abortions are done on women under the age of 25 and many of these students have no idea about the resources available to them on their college campuses to help them stay in school and parent their children, which is why this website is so unique and needed.

Instead of running to the nearest Planned Parenthood, this website will help pregnant women find resources that are available on their campus right now.

SFLA is the premier organization helping to organize, educate and equip 800+ pro-life student groups on campuses across the country.

SFLA’s own research shows that nearly 80% of Planned Parenthood facilities are located within five miles of a college or university. College students are prime targets for the largest abortion provider in the country.

No woman should have to choose between continuing her education or having a child, even it was unplanned and unexpected. SFLA has worked with universities across the country to help provide pregnant students on campus a one-stop-shop with all the information they need to keep their child and continue their education.

As SFLA has found with their Pregnant on Campus program, many students don’t know that they have options for aid and childcare on campus.

Students for Life groups across the country have been calling attention to the lack of services on college campuses, which results in women seeking abortions as their only option. Our student activists are inspired to change campuses to make them welcoming to pregnant women. They are also prepared to help link them to pregnancy resource centers when help isn’t readily available on campus.

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# 36 - "New Fetal Heartbeat Apps for iPhones Allow You to Hear Your Baby’s Heartbeat" - by Carole Novielli | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 4/24/14; http://www.lifenews.com/2014/04/24/new-fetal-heartbeat-apps-for-iphones-allow-you-to-hear-your-babys-heartbeat/ [AS I SEE IT:This article mentions sidewalk  counselors using this app BUT what if pro-life teens had these apps on their phones. They could then use it to help friends and classmates who were considering abortions discover the LIFE that they carried. Arguments are nowhere near powerful as hearing their child's heartbeat in speaking with an abortion-minded girl or woman. -Stan]



"This is a great tool for pro-life sidewalk counselors: Fetal HeartBeat Apps. Imagine being at the abortion clinic and allowing a woman seeking an abortion to hear her baby’s heartbeat right on the sidewalk. I have put a list of some of the tools: [One is...  UnbornHeart [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fetal-heartbeat-monitor-unbornheart/id695805041?mt=8]  [Go to weblink to see other apps and watch video.]

# 35 (4/13/14) "Preparing Young People for College - God Isn’t Dead'' -  By: John Stonestreet| Breakpoint.org: April 10, 2014; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/24967?spMailingID=8340077&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=280874146&spReportId=MjgwODc0MTQ2S0



AS I SEE IT: [Spoiler Alert! - I will share things about the film, ''God's Not Dead" that may affect your enjoyment of the movie before you get to see it. You may wait to read my following comments till AFTER you've seen the movie.]  I generally enjoyed the movie and would suggest every college student AND teen (Christian or not) to see the movie. It will leave you with more talking points than probably any movie you've seen in awhile. I especially liked 1) the excellent apologetic material presented by the main character in refuting his philosophy professor, 2) the fact that it stresses the need for Christian students to be bold and not back down when their faith is challenged during their college (or high school) years (God led me to confront one professor after class (should have done it during class). I also met many arrogant professors during the years I spoke in college classrooms as  a guest speaker so I know the prof characterized in the movie is not that unusual.), 3) the scene toward the movie's end when the prideful businessman speaks to his mother suffering dementia; it gave me chills - excellent, and 4) though rather dramatic, the death of the professor at the end served to make the point that we may never know when we will have our final opportunity to get right with God. My reservations about the movie: 1) the main character became belligerent at the end, and seemed more interested in winning the confrontation that expressing God's truth in love. THAT was definitely the WRONG example to be set for how we should present the gospel. When he discovered the personal pain the prof was experiencing in understanding God, he could have addressed the man's need. 2) the stories of the different characters - while very possible - were rather melodramatic, tending to paint those opposed to God's truth as cold-hearted if not evil, which is not always so clear cut, and 3) though one of the characters does express a desire to trust in Jesus at the end, it overlooks that nothing in the student's presentation itself spoke of Jesus nor our need for salvation. And yet, with all that said, I say again that it is a film worth seeing with others just for the great discussion it should lead to after you stop for some refreshments afterwards. (P.S. - Be sure you don't need to take a bathroom break DURING the movie. You just may miss a great scene you don't want to miss.) -  Stan]

Do your college-age kids know that reports of God’s death, to paraphrase Mark Twain, are greatly exaggerated? 

April is college acceptance month for many high school seniors. All over the country, students are jumping up and down over acceptance letters, and many, with their minds already turning to next fall, have a strong case of senior-itis. And many parents, tasked with paying for their kids’ education, also have a case of the flutters, both financially and emotionally!

Our kids should be excited over this coming transition into adulthood. “Going to university,” as the Brits say, means learning new things, being on one’s own, facing new adventures (perhaps cooking and doing one’s laundry), and making new friends. But a serious challenge to a young student’s faith might also be just around the corner.  This is in the new movie “God’s Not Dead.” The film tells the fictional story of a philosophy professor who requires his students to write “God is dead” on a sheet of paper, sign it, and turn it in. The fun begins when one of his students, who is a Christian, refuses.

This is not just a movie scenario. In real life, unfortunately, too many Christian young people wither under the secular assault they face on our college campuses. But, it’s usually not so in your face as the movie portrays. Most aren’t going to face an overt intellectual attack by a professor—although some will. I’ve met few college students who leave the faith because of such a direct assault.

For most, their faith dies by a thousand little cuts . . . doubts about the Bible’s truthfulness, Christian morality, or about the Bible’s view on sin, sex, marriage, human value, and so on. A well-placed snicker or raised eyebrow is just as devastating as any philosophical argument. And don’t forget the morally compromising hook-up culture that they will face. Too many are sadly ill-prepared.

So how do we prepare them in these last few critical months before packing up the car to not only survive spiritually while in college, but to prosper—to go from being a potential victim to a confident witness? Well, I’m glad you asked!

First, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you of Summit Ministries, where I’ve taught for the last dozen years. Summit Ministries offers a two-week summer boot camp in worldview analysis and cultural understanding for young people, and trains them to articulately defend the truth when it’s challenged—even by a college professor. They’ll explore the big cultural questions of our day and learn how to develop a biblical worldview in response.

I also want to tell you, however, about two excellent books. The first is “How to Stay Christian in College,” by J. Budziszewski, who was one of our friend Chuck Colson’s favorite thinkers, and mine too. “How to Stay Christian in College” helps prepare Christian young people to answer the standard “lines” they’ll hear in college with soul-satisfying truth, such as the assertion that to make good choices about sex, you have to experiment. Budziszewski’s book will help them understand that many of the most common lines that they’ll hear will express a false worldview.

The other outstanding book is by my friend Jonathan Morrow, “Welcome to College.” Morrow covers a lot of the practical issues that young people face both inside and outside of the classroom. There’s intellectual heft here, but it’s also very reader-friendly.

Each book is great in its own way. And personally, I recommend that you get both. And you can find them at the BreakPoint online bookstore. They’ll make great gifts for your high school senior or anyone who wants to respond to today’s challenges on campus from a Christian perspective.

And come to BreakPoint.org and click on this commentary. I’ll link you to an excellent review of the movie “God’s not Dead.” And we’ll also give you more info about the Summit Ministries summer conference. Hurry, the sign-up deadline is coming up fast. Our kids are worth it, right? After all, God isn’t dead! And their faith in Him doesn’t have to be either, just because they go to college.

[bold and italics emphasis mine]

FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
Prepare your high school and college-age students to defend, not lose, their faith. Sign them up for a Summit Ministries conference here. And as John mentioned, you can get copies of "How to Stay Christian in College" and "Welcome to College" at the online bookstore.

RESOURCES
Welcome to College: A Christ-follower’s Guide to the Journey  Jonathan Morrow | Kregel Publications | February 2008

''God’s not Dead: Dealing with the Reality on Campus'' -  Tom Gilson | BreakPoint.org | March 19, 2014; http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/breakpoint-columns/bp-columns-archive/entry/2/24816

How to Stay Christian in College - J. Budziszewski | NavPress | April 2004

Summit Ministries website - http://www.summit.org/

#34 (4/5/14) "I Can't Turn the Worldview Thing Off! - Send Your Student to a Summit Conference"; By: John Stonestreet| Breakpoint.org: March 27, 2014; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/24871?spMailingID=8246352&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=262480075&spReportId=MjYyNDgwMDc1S0

[AS I SEE IT: One of the things that have concerned me for many years is how many young people - even after being in church youth group for many years - become athiests. And this is not just when they've gone on to college, but these days even while they are still in high school. It's why I pray DAILY by name for almost 150 youth, over 50 of them college students. It's why I feel strongly that "youth group" in our churches shouldn't just been times of "sweet fellowship" but even more so times of equipping our youth to confront the secular humanist views that dominate not just their public classroom instruction but the Internet, their conversations with friends, and much of what they accept as entertainment. I believe that when the body of Christ fails to do that, we fail our primary responsibility to our youth. Praise God for opportunities like the Summit Conference talked about below. But my question is why this teaching isn't part of what our youth - YOU-  (not to mention the adults) are regularly receiving in our churches? Is it happening in YOUR church? - Stan


Wouldn’t it be great to see your teenager or college student really excited about loving God with their minds?

For 12 years now, I’ve been teaching at Summit Ministries—an organization dedicated to training young Christians in Christian worldview and preparing them to live out their faith in the world. It’s one of the most fulfilling things I do, and here’s a story that will explain why.

A few years ago a teenager named Chris attended one of Summit’s worldview training programs. And he wrote me a letter afterwards, telling me that he had had a blast, had learned a ton and by the end of the intensive, two-week program, he was completely exhausted—in a good way. In fact, Chris wrote to me after the conference, “I had never had to think so hard … before in my life!” he explained. “So [after the program] I decided I was just going to veg out for the next few days.”

Well, when some friends invited Chris to a movie, he thought it would be a good way to relax and recover from all that hard thinking. But the film wasn’t the mental vacation Chris expected it to be. As he explained in his letter, “Mr. Stonestreet, I tried to veg out during the movie, but I just couldn’t. As I watched it, I kept thinking, ‘Wait a minute, that’s secular humanism, and wait a minute, that’s not true. And what do they mean by that, and how do they know that’s true!’” Chris then joked, “I just wanted you to know that you ruined my movie!” After the film ended, Chris and his friends went out for pizza and talked about the themes in the movie. His friends were astonished at how much Chris had gotten out of the film. As he told me, “They kept asking me, ‘How did you see that? How do you know all this stuff?’ It was a great conversation. And I learned,” he said, “that I just can’t turn this worldview thing off!”

It was that last line that sent me soaring… “I just can’t turn this worldview thing off.” Summit offers the kind of worldview training all Christian students need, but so often don’t receive. That’s why you ought to consider sending your older teenager or college student to a Summit Ministries worldview conference this summer. Summit gives high school and college students a two-week crash course in worldview analysis and cultural understanding. They’ll learn about the major worldviews battling Christianity for their hearts and minds—worldviews like secular humanism, Marxism, postmodernism, and Islam. They also learn how Christianity differs from these false philosophies, and how to articulately defend the truth of Christianity when it’s challenged—whether by friends or a college professor. They will also study the big cultural questions of our day—such as God’s design for marriage; what about abortion and human dignity, or biotechnology issues—and how to respond to these issues from a biblical worldview. The idea is to teach kids to place these battles in the larger context of the war of worldviews rather than thinking about them on an issue-by-issue basis.

Before he died, Chuck Colson said that Summit Ministries had set the “gold standard” for training students in Christian worldview. And research backs that up, as the president of Summit, Jeff Myers described to me on this weekend’s BreakPoint this Week. A recent survey of their 30,000 plus graduates over the last five decades revealed the incredible impact Summit is having on these students minds, as well as their hearts and their trajectories for the Lord. And if kids don’t receive this Christian worldview training? Well, the statistics tell a chillingly different story. Many abandon the faith, and many more embrace harmful ideas that are counter to biblical truth.

And there is a special offer for BreakPoint listeners. If you apply for Summit by April 16, using the coupon code BreakPoint, you’ll receive an instant partial scholarship for a two-week session this summer. Come to BreakPoint.org and we’ll tell you how you can get more information on Summit Ministries—and how you can sign your students up. When they finish, you’ll discover as Chris did that they just can’t turn this worldview thing off.

[bold, italics, and underlined emphasis mine]

FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
I Can’t Turn the Worldview Thing Off!: Send Your Student to a Summit Conference - 
The worldview conferences at Summit Ministries are great training for your high-school and college-age kids. They'll be challenged to learn why they believe what they believe, and then learn how to defend their faith. Check out Summit's website here. And as John mentioned, if you apply by April 16 using the coupon code BreakPoint, you'll receive an instant $250 scholarship.

Another very helpful worldview resource for all ages is Chuck Colson's book "How Now Shall We Live?" You can get the book at the online bookstore, and the study guide (perfect for small groups) is available through Amazon.

RESOURCES

Summit Ministries website [ http://www.summit.org/]

"Mature Faith or Christian Adolescence?: He Has Risen, Part 1" - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint.org | March 6, 2014; [http://www.breakpoint.org/reseries/articles/entry/53/24699]

The Walk Plus the Talk: Why Truth and Love are Inseparable - He Has Risen, Part 2,By: John Stonestreet|Published: March 20, 2014;http://www.breakpoint.org/reseries/articles/entry/53/24808?spMailingID=8238228&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=262385599&spReportId=MjYyMzg1NTk5S0

How Now Shall We Live? - Charles Colson, Nancy Pearcey | Tyndale House Publishers | August 1999

How Now Shall We Live? study guide -Tyndale House Publishers | October 1999

#33 (3/29/14) "Like Slavery, Abortion Gives One Person 'Ownership' of Another" - by Niamh Ui Bhriain | Dublin, Ireland | LifeNews.com | 2/14/14;
http://www.lifenews.com/2014/02/14/like-slavery-abortion-gives-one-person-ownership-of-another/

Last week I finally got to watch the acclaimed film 12 Years a Slave, which tells the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana.
It’s a harrowing and unflinching film that doesn’t spare the viewer – and rightly so.

A scene from the film 12 Years a Slave

Slavery, a practice largely brought to the United States by the Dutch and British empires, was legal in that jurisdiction (and beyond) for two hundred years. The cruelty endured by the men, women and children forced into slavery at that time has, with some exceptions, largely gone untold on film.Steve McQueen’s movie upends all that by revealing the horrors of slavery in unsparing detail, and the impact is devastating

The scenes of pitiless exploitation, sexual abuse, starvation, humiliation, and savage beatings are so profoundly disturbing that their imprint is unforgettable.The cruelty and degradation is almost unimaginable, but it happened again and again, and it was given legal sanction, not because slave owners truly believed those held in slavery to be less than human, but because it was economically advantageous for them to do so.

In the role of malevolent slaveowner, Edwin Epps, the actor Michael Fassbender gives an unsettling portrayal of a deranged, sadistic and horrendously violent man. History shows there were, sadly, too many like him, and too many others, who turned a blind eye to the suffering of their fellow human beings.

However, the violence seen in screen isn’t the most shocking thing about the film. What’s most 
disturbing is that Epps and others were protected by the law, and that nothing in the law could have stopped Epps, or any slaveowner, from b