Do You Want to Develop a Biblical Worldview? Check out the Colson Fellowship Program

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Here is the founder and chairman of the citizen for America foundation, Dr. Chris development Mike yesterday in the Senate helping develop a biblical worldview to learn what the Bible says know what they believe and what I believe it and be able to take that knowledge out and influence the world and impact the culture for Jesus welcome the Christian perspective on Chris you I'm so excited about the show today.

I've been hoping to have our guest today on for a long time and I'm so glad he was able to join us today to talk about what a biblical worldview really is. Before you do that I want to thank our sponsor the citizens for America foundation sole purpose is to impact the culture for Jesus.

Have a great event coming up on April 30 is called culture. Culture engagement, you can learn more citizens of America foundation.com that citizens for America foundation.com and on that day on April 30. It's a one-day event to be coming from all over the country to cover a variety of topics help you learn more about what the Bible says on issues like homosexuality. Critical race theory.

Transgender is him the pro-life movement and so much more. So I encourage you to get start at only $15 is real close to the Memphis airport is a one-day event so hope you can go to citizens for America foundation.com to learn more about how you can participate at the 2022 culture engagements on also want to thank our other sponsors Mid-America Baptist theological seminary out there, the home of the Christian perspective studios you're looking for college to attend. Or you have a child or grandchild is getting ready go to college, check out the college it Mid-America. It is a Christian college is not been influenced by socialism or social justice. They teach their students how to develop a biblical worldview. Or maybe you already been to college and not be a point your life you try to figure out what God would have you do next, and if seminary is part of that plan. I would encourage you to check out the Mid-America Baptist theological seminary and a lot of great online programs to study right there homework you wanted to go to Memphis to the main campus or summer branch campus around the country.

Cancer please check out Mid-America Baptist theological seminary. My guest today is Michael Craven. Michael is with the Colson Center and if you wish to share in the past, you heard me talk about a man who really had a great influence on my life never met him but what he did really impacted me and that is Chuck Colson the work talk a little bit about Chuck Colson the day and so the ministries he started one of those is the Colson Center and part of the Colson Center is my opinion the best biblical worldview training program in the world is called the Colson Fellowship program Michael Craven welcomed a Christian perspective. Chris it is great to be with you always excited to be with one of our Colson fellows just so excited about how the Lord is using you and what you're doing.

Well here are never sure that part of my story with her yesterday just a miracle going to Michael tell our listeners, who you are and how you got to where you are today. Well I am the VP for equipping immobilization at the Colson Center for Christian worldview. Specifically, I oversee all of our academic program.

Primary of which is the Colson fellows program, which has a couple of expressions of the individual program which you're familiar with and you went through, and then more recently we belong something to offer in and through churches so they can begin to equip their members with a robust Christian worldview warbird probably better stated, robust public theology and as to how I got here actually knew Chuck, Chuck back in 2009 following light from him to display the something he called the movement he believed deeply as you well know that the church had in many respects lost its way in terms of the engagement with the world outside itself and the reason that this was largely attributable to the diminution of a consciously Christian worldview or a way of seeing all of reality from a deeply theological perspective informed by Scripture. God has created this world and is created structured in such a way that he wanted to function and he is given us insight and understanding into how that world is operate and in our charge and bantering back that form button on those created this creation of standards, Chuck Colson was a fascinating God's maybe particular some of our younger listeners may not know who he was he a he he passed away a few years ago. I love the world of politics and Chuck Colson worked for Pres. Nixon. He was psychologist that he liked the Killian Conway was the president from Chuck Colson was an advisor and a brilliant political strategist at work with Pres. Nixon, probably butchers on this.

Michael is a great thing wrong about Chuck, but about the time that the Watergate break-in Took Pl., Chuck Colson had a friend who had been witnessing to him and eventually led him to the Lord for years I thought that the Chuck to get saved until he is in prison, but I think he was a before he went to prison and basically did not contest the charges. Watergate he went to prison and had a passion a couple of things that really created passion in his heart. One was ministering to people who were present across the country and he formed an organization called prison Fellowship and then he also had a passion for engagement in the culture in and through that he started the Colson Center did I get that rider to the butcher. Now that that's right, I would elaborate on that. It was really through his work in prisons that he began to realize that so many of the issues and that were in causing men to end up in prison had their origins upstream and culture and this is where he really began to deepen his desire to understand culture of the ideas that from culture that shapes how we catechized by the culture and how the church has a responsibility to stand against those ideas, your monies, we say of the Colson Center lot.

Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have picked up, and as Christians who are called to love their neighbor. It is not possible for us to exercise and be faithful to that love of neighbor while allowing ideas that do so much harm to people could just go unaddressed. Go unanswered to go unchallenged and this was Chuck's great passion was really equipping well really helping the church recover something that it had lost because, as he put it, and I'm quoting from the church's singular failure in recent decades has been the failure to Christianity that like system or worldview that governs every area of existence and historically the church understood this, Christians generally speaking understood this throughout the West, but this is something that we have lost over the last century or so will really have them because of that leasing really. Our society has changed so much, particularly the last 60 years or 760 or 70 years.

Things are just all downhill as the church and as Christians as a whole pulled away from a culture and society just felt like they shouldn't get engaged in a just live in a cocoon almost a Christian and the local churches when he first the Colson are little different.

I think now when he first formed when it was a prison Fellowship part of the Colson Center back that Fellowship was the first ministry. It was band remains of the strata largest prison ministry in the world and it was inside prison Fellowship that he formed and launched the Colson Center for Christian worldview and then about six years ago. The decision was made between both organizations that it would be best for the Colson Center to spin off on its own, which we did a tremendous amount of help from prison Fellowship. So they remained a very strong ally sister organization to us that they are Internet and essence or birthplace, we now stand independent of prison Fellowship and pursuing the mission that Chuck had established those many years ago. Tell our listeners a little bit and organize focus specifically in the next segment about the Colson Fellowship program. The Colson Center really does a lot of different things. Can you share with us some of the things of the Colson Center does so a lot of people are familiar with John strengths own Street, who is the president of the Colson Center at the primary voice of the Colson Center.

He was hand-picked by Chuck to take over as the new head of the ministry and so a lot of folks are familiar with John through breakpoint, either the podcast with the daily emails and this is a medium that we employ to really try to help Christians understand what we ought to think about a given issue arising in culture. These these hot button issues that we are increasingly find ourselves confronted with John is able to offer them. We of the organization were able to craft a response from a consciously Christian perspective of how we ought to think about the Chuck really wanted to take it further and equip Christians on how to think for themselves how to give them that the analytical ability to discern what is true and good and beautiful in this rapidly changing world we find ourselves living no historically cultures experience changes over the course of generations today worsening cultural change occur at lightning speed, the likes of which would never ever observed in the history of worsening culture changes. Massive cultural changes take place within 45 years as opposed to 40 to 50 years. So not only literary company changes. It really is. And so it's incumbent upon Christians to to really understand the times and know how to live faithfully and and you know you mentioned earlier, the decline of our culture. I think the temptation among many Christians used to think that that is the result of a secular occupation or overthrow we been overthrown by secular forces.

I would argue that that's not true theologically nor historically lives more accurately the result of the Christian evacuation and it began with an intellectual evacuation of the diminution of of the role of the mind and the LA swell one into a reduction to produce personal piety and salvation and to the exclusion of everything else that we are commanded to do's and the consequence of that has been where we left that void. Other forces were all too eager to move them and it will. It is avoided that needs to be filled. What, let's take a quick break here Michael work.

Talk to Michael Craven from the Colson Center and we been talk a little bit about Chuck Colson who was the founder of the Colson Center at his vision for not only the prison Fellowship ministry that he had, but also impacting biblical worldview and training Christians to take a biblical worldview into whatever area of life they live, work, or go to school, whatever it may be there doing so this is a show that you don't want to miss because our whole focus of this radio program has been to help you develop a biblical worldview to see the entire world to the lens of the Bible is a specialist and so come from the course and center are so great this show is brought to you by generous jokes. The coffee company with the Christian perspective, this is the answer that Christians and conservatives have been looking for a coffee company that gives back to causes you care about. Order your copy today at shop generous Joe's.org and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan and never forget the coffee you love or causes you care about locking the fixed at 15 feet of Bible content length and I joined nationally for radio and found that the citizens financial foundation to create life changes when the world of meaning, traveled from all over the world to face one's religious clutter Christianity's most tragic, the rigid fight like a wailing rock down the winding alleyways of Nancy's own place that I think you spent the early Jewish portrait, see firsthand what the Bible took plaintiff touring Israel with Dr. Chris Hughes is a travel addict like Spider-Man foundation.com and get ready for an unforgettable trip last a lifetime time creating and sharing is joint one American. He was called the chief architect of the Constitution and wrote many of the Federalist papers which were instrumental in the states ratify the Constitution introduced the Bill of Rights in the first session of Congress as president.

Tina's wife Dolly had to flee the White House when the British set on fire during the 12 who wasn't James Madison born this day March 16, 1751. James Madison wrote before any man can be considered a member of civil society must first be considered the subject of the governor of the American transcript All-American Limited, 1888 USA were welcome back to the Christian perspective pursues my special guest today is Michael Craven from the Colson Center and we're talking about biblical worldview. The need for Christians to understand what they believe and why they believe it before the break, Michael. You were talking about what Chuck wanted Christians to do is learn how to think for themselves. How did he intend for them to learn to think for themselves and understand the time they live in to be able to live faithful lives never, ever grab a really good vision for the Coca-Cola program, which was then called the centurions program.

It was only renamed following his death in honor of us originally was the centurions program and that was his goal was to create a year-long intensive experience deep dive into the study of Christian worldview. And I think that whole topic of Christian worldview remains rather confusing to a lot of folks. I think we tend to treat worldview formation is an elective of the Christian faith. Interesting but not necessary. But when we understand that what worldview it is. It's really the understanding of all of those public dimensions of political theology.

We all will concede that God has created the world structured the world in a particular way. Once that world all the relationship in that world to function in a very specific way, and whenever we violate those ways. There are consequences of the old philosopher once said you cannot go against the grain of the universe and get and not get splinters. Thus universe has a grain that has an order has a orientation that is true and good and beautiful and this is where theology, biblical theology, resulting in a comprehensive understanding of those creation.

No norms.

Example would be marriage God has created a recreational norms for the propagation of the human species called marriage. It's unlike any other relationship in nature. I one man one woman, gathering together committing mutually committing in life for life to participate in the lead the Dominion mandate the creation mandate to be fruitful and multiply to subdue the earth to bring the fullness of God's creation into being. The fall does not change that the phone merely makes that difficult right you have pain in childbirth, now would be fruitful and multiply part in them as we work to subdue the earth grain creation into the fullness of its glory, for God's sake we we encounter thorns and thistles. And we do this from the sweat of our brow so it never changes the fall just renders it difficult. So what what what a Christian worldview does Republic theology does is those dimensions of biblical theology that help us and guide us in understanding those creation will norms not only how to live them out but also how to advance them to the glory of God advocate for them to commend them to others so that they may flourish and thrive and experience the abundance of God promises since the program started. Will you was 17 or 18 years out of college that you one of the program been running 18 years 18 year and several years ago we we reengineer the program how we deliver the program. As you know it one time the program was. It was difficult to achieve admission into the program there was a rigorous application process quite a bit of scrutiny and we really wanted to democratize the program, not diminish the rigor or challenge of the program but wanted to open it up and make it more accessible to more people. We reengineer the way we deliberate and we conceived of the original cohort model. We now have regional cohorts and 60 cities across the country supported by a young volunteer staff of commission Colson fellows that numbers in excess of 475 volunteers serving in each of these local cohorts and today's students participate in the program through their regional cohort may meet each month, rather than as you are aware that only three times throughout the course of the program and what we called the national program where you convene in Washington DC or elsewhere. That was the only time you ever were able to gather so as a result program has grown 745 students in the program. Today is the largest Christian fellowship in the world dedicated to worldview formation is tremendous to be able to have that many students I know when you are changing the format you are looking for places to have these cohorts across the country and and and part of the reason was to make it easier for people with people's job, sometimes maybe they can participate in the national program. He had a nail your reach is really expanded were people all over the country canal participate in these programs, and develop a biblical worldview on your website and talk about four different formats that you have one of those format well for the regional cohorts we have 60 of those in the in the United States. We have seven international cohorts were international students are able to gather berries places around the world, but if you don't happen to live near one of those regional cohorts.

We also offer online cohorts that are available in all four major time zones in the continental United States and and then we we now have pastors cohorts that are led by commission Colson fellows who themselves are pastors either former or current, and this offers pastors an opportunity together with their peers and study in the coastal program together and then finally there is the church affiliate program which I referenced earlier, which is a new delivery system where we offer the Colson fellows program in the local church, led by the leadership of the local church, but it is the same program so that would be a group even in the church did with the meat on Wednesday nights or just use your Saturday once a month is same, program it is with the same program they do vary a little bit and that, as you point out some will meet on Wednesday night.

Some will continue to meet on Saturday mornings. Like most of our regional cohorts to once a month so they do have some different scheduling options in the local church got about 220 churches already in this first year that that have joined us and it's been exciting.

This is where real commitment to just really coming alongside the local church helping them in the other worldview formation of the members was listening and they wanted to start a program like this in the church with a have to have a graduate of the program is a Colson fellow in their church deleted or other online instructors. It shows that there's not a coat Colson fellow in our church, what would they do a great question would actually try to find a program just to answer that. If they don't have as you know, we do require that all fellows cohorts be led by people that have been through the program. So in the event the church is interested in the program and they don't have any Colson fellows either on staff or in their congregation who are ready to do that we will offer them up to four free seats in the program go through it, betraying themselves the benefit of the program and at the end of that experience. If they are still committed to moving forward and those of the folks that will leave their cohort if they don't have already Colson fellows in their in their churches. If somebody wanted to do this in a church. Is there a minimum number of people would have to participate in order for you to establish a cohort well we just encourage them to follow basic pedagogical principles which indicate that the best small group ratio is one leader to a minimum of seven students over church gets below where they they don't have enough interest to fill a cohort of seven students probably have a conversation with them and work through that jointly and and maybe advise them in that first year if it got pretty students want to put them in the online cohort. Let it go to the program… Slowly build your interest in your local church in your congregation networks as well. A very attainable number seven make coaches you have more than seven people and hopefully make that happen. So that's that's a tremendous opportunity for them. So for a church and got up around topics here, but for church that is interested let us say there is a Colson fellow urchin they wanted to start the leg go online and apply as a church instead of individuals amended then do individuals still have to apply for the program organically requested anybody there can do so if there are churches out there that are interested in exploring the Colson Fellowship at their church, we invite them to go to our website Colson fellows.org/churches you'll find a link for churches on Colson fellows.org and there is a form they can submit and that will initiate the process they will hear from one of our senior relationship managers that will partner with them throughout the entire process. Walking through your memory a digital information package as well as send them some hardcopy information as well and and make sure they got all the information that they need to make a decision.

There's no commitment at that point there's no contract they're not bound by anything we want to invite churches in the spirit experience as a partnership and only insofar as they are comfortable with that partnership. So that's the best way to get started and and then we can we can move forward from there and I know there was discussion. I'm sorry Michael I would get afflicted with it as much of that as I should've. I know there was discussion also about entering into Christian schools and having cohorts in schools without program organizing is a possibility for Christian schools to train students as well. We we did highlight a version of the Colson fellows program for staff and faculty of K-12 Christian schools and in the course of piloting that program. We learned some things and decided that the better approach would be to launch a whole new program assisted program ethical center called Colson educators and this is where we are able to provide shorter-term, more succinct content curriculum materials for both teacher formation board formation and for use in the classroom as well. So trying to nurture teachers who already have very very busy schedules through a program like the Colson fellows program, which as you know is very very rigorous unit. If it's about 6 to 8 to 10 hours a week commitment.

It is, it is a significant investment of time that she is really difficult for K-12 teachers are the teachers able to attend the classes you have for them online or do they have to go locally to a call cohort type situations well there all online their salt they're all self-administered at your own pace and they're all free.

Wow, what a blessing by training them your your helping to reach the next generation as well. Yesterday was right. America has a strong Christian heritage, most Americans don't know the truly important role God and the Bible is indicated and found American foundation Dr. Chris for meeting in our nation will embark on a journey of discovering the hidden much of America's forgotten up close and personal life and how it evolved over the government and the men who helped forge the new kind of Republic acknowledge the creator of the chain about the creation of the mounting father Christian principles America.com join this show is brought to you by generous Joe's coffee company with the Christian perspective, this is the answer that Christians and conservatives have been looking for a coffee company that gives back to causes you care about. Order your copy today at shop generous Joe's.org and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan and never forget coffee you love or causes you care about the conservative Baptist network is a dynamic movement of Southern Baptist pastors, churches and Christians committed to standing for the sufficiency of God's word in the face of a culture of compromise.

The passion and prayer of the conservative Baptist network is that God would help Southern Baptist a bowl for the gospel so that we might see revival in America and the Christ. Visit our website today@conservativebaptistnetwork.com to learn how you and your church can join and support this exciting movement.

What about Christian perspective Michael Craven.

Michael is with the Colson Center.

He really oversees many the activities of the Colson Fellowship program. Come on here today to talk to us about how we can learn more if we want to develop a biblical worldview.

I want to share that is might make him cringe. I was not as you guys know about the academic and intellectual in the room but several years ago I heard John Stonestreet use the present. The Colson Center speak a couple times and in every time he talked. He talked about this organization the Colson Center and a program that they had called the Colson Fellowship and the more I heard about it is over time God began to tug my heart that I needed a lot more about what I believe and why believe that what was happening in the culture how I could develop a biblical worldview to be out of work. Jon, I don't think I never even heard the term male to Christian Modelo that heard the term worldview are understood that our worldview is a Wednesday which we see the world as Christians we need to see that world through the lens of the Bible.

Your listing in the first half of the show. Michael talked about how rigorous it probably still is that we can talk about that a minute but the application process will was not easy as pretty detailed application and and and it can be very difficult to get accepted into the program when I was in the program you have an option to do. I believe that time yes regional a few regional cool works but they had a national program words. Michael said you you would go to three meetings around the country and I went to San Antonio. Think DC may be damnably was it was the other one that got it.

I tried but in my mind, so you want. I like the way the that I listed. I was talking about thought about this a few days ago I really see the Colson fellows program is almost like a Masters degree in biblical worldview because you were studying about 10 months and is Michael said it's not easy it is.

It takes a lot of time. There's a lot of reading required and and or a lot of books. I think Butcher 20 some books I remember correctly, or in that range and so there's a lot of reading going on their daily Bible studies that will will wonderful your Microsoft that you were my favorite things about about the program was this disciplined devotional that we all as a group you were sent every morning is an email to to to study the different topics coincide with the books that will reading at the time and when I was in the program. We had read a lot of books and you answer questions on the books you need to make sure that your understanding what's going on so is really a lot like Masters program. I consider going to college. We read books your answer questions you have a daily devotional that you participate in, and at that time it was roughly like it was to evening webinars and although they still do that today but speakers come on it. To me this was just worth the time and money and effort on its own because the authors of the book that we were reading, which were really the top experts in the world on whatever topic we were studying coming on these webinars and we had access to people like Christopher Yuan who went through was was an active homosexual for years and got saved and now travels the world telling people about sanity and how God can take you from that lifestyle or got close and door food to me.

Michael is the foremost expert on the pro-life movement in the world and to have access to these types of people work is not just some free recorder are then at least without system free recorded program but they were coming and speaking at our event. They were in our webinars and we could ask questions of these men and women who really know more about the subject than any other college around the world was incredible program you homework assignments you have writing assignments and and again I don't, I Motorola the stuff out of the knowledge both different today when I was in the program, which was a couple years ago we had your final assignment to me. It's almost like your master's thesis is you have to develop what is called a three-year plan. They still do that today Michael for your annual report. What you describe the academic format lecture remains almost unchanged at all. What does change as you know is we recoup carefully curate the curriculum each and every year, and we make slight modifications to keep pace with what's happening culture.

Obviously, when you're studying worldview and culture. Your you're talking about a rather dynamic topic so you have to continue to update, modify the students. Yes, they will reap 13 books in the forthcoming year, we selected 13 particular books we still host the two monthly webinars each month with speakers and primarily authors of some of the books that students are reading as you point out is a very strong spiritual formation component in the accompanying devotionals which are written to correspond with the subjects that the students are studying and and just like you.

This is one of things we are most often this is one of the most favorite and unexpected dimensions of the program because they tend to think this is an entirely academic exercise very much a formational experience and like many students, when we asked him why do you have all of the program.

I will always say things like, well, worldview on apologetics. We asked them to meet those expectations. We never get the answer I learned about worldview and I learned about apologetic the language changes to this much more transformational. This program changed my life than walking with the Lord for 30 years I never knew these things now. I do, the story of God. Got much larger and I'm beginning to find my place in his story rather than trying to fit him in my story these kind of things are what we hear from our students so that both the academic format and structure. The program is is is pretty much what it has been with these minor adaptations that we make each and every year keep pace with what's happening in the world really impacted my life. I can tell you Michael and and so we have not really talked about what happen to be, since I program for so we got one thing you organizations were meeting like they were able to in the past.

The part of my three my three year plan so the listing part of what you do is you go through all this.

You were so much in just is like a knowledge explosion that takes place, things never dream that you will learn and then your asked in this three-year plan to basically say how am I gonna take what I learned in an impact the culture or or or put this into my daily life. One of the things that I want to do and some people replanted and Mike maybe share a minute. Some of the you you probably get that with things people done something for schoolteachers.

I talk about other than a implement in the school summer implementing it in their churches. Others in businesses while I came from a world of politics and a little different on different somebody ways Michael did than most people, particularly in the Golden Fellows program because politics is a world in which I offer and so my three-year plan was. I really felt like God wanted me to try to develop some kind of program where I can reach Christians who endured Barnett is a Christian culture. He said that over 40 million people who profess to be evangelical Christians. Yes, it's America not even registered about so what I wanted to do is not about politics but how can Christians understand issues like abortion and homosexuality. We have probably less than 10% of pastors a country today ever addresses topics so you have people who don't read their own Bible on a daily basis but also tells us that the faithful church centers of America only go once in every three weeks and if you ever read your Bible, you hardly ever go to church and you have a pastor who doesn't address these issues, we have a whole generation of people profess to be Christians but don't know what the Bible says on these issues like abortion, so forth and were electing people to public office who don't have a biblical worldview. So in my three-year plan. I said that I would develop an organization chart organization, which we did call the citizens for America foundation and were dedicated to educating Christians and then trying to get them to develop a biblical worldview and then take that worldview not just mean I want them to have it at school and church in Omaha that but to take it in the world of public policy and politics get engaged in a lick Valley men and women to public office and we can put it into things like legalized abortion in America, and this radio program which started in February of this year is an offshoot of that program, and none of this would've ever happened had I not attended the Colson Fellowship program to spend it and it in and been encouraged.

Basically, if you want complete the program. You got to develop your three-year plan and if I do not develop a three year plan none of these things will be happening today so Michael you specifically in ways that you never knew influenced me in the particulate Chuck Colson and John Stonestreet in his vision of growth and some of the others just by the program because of what I learned that program today were able to touch thousands of lives everyday already on podcasting conferences and educational programs that were putting on an information my testimony is it all started with you answer I'm just so thankful for the Colson Fellowship program and the work that you're doing well and is so encouraging and it is a common refrain and I think what is happening in the week we live in extraordinary times. There is no question we live in an extraordinary moment in the history of the church and we are seeing I think is my receiving so much growth in the interest of the program and participation is increasingly, Christians are rightly concerned about the state and direction of our culture and their equally concerned about the churches apparent inability to do anything about the culture we seem victimized by the culture and they know in their heart of hearts or something wrong with that posture that we serve the King of King Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Here's the ruling and reigning King Mrs. Wiley early church went to the arena 20 went to the lions when they went to the cross because they declare that Jesus was King.

Caesar was not was there. There was a very public very political aspect nonpolitical in the sense we think up-to-date is very political, public aspect of the church and Christian faith. It saw the world under the authority of Christ and the world. It needed to be Discover the authority of Christ and be invited to enter into his room to repent of our sin enter into his room course what he commands us to do right. Seek first the kingdom of God. And I think there's a great deal of confusion today over what is the kingdom nature of the kingdom, when, where, below. We know from the Scriptures is Jesus Christ inaugurated on the ark.

It is, it is coming in one day. Thankfully is fully and finally come in all enemies are put under his feet, death and sin and we reigned with Christ forever and ever. That's what the church is called to do is offer of signboard taste of that which is coming and appeal to the world to repent and enter the kingdom of God.

We can't do that if we have so privatized our Christian faith, that it is of no public good and I think that's where the church finds itself today. I think that's a fairly common understanding among those that pay particular attention to these things and we are guilty of rendering the Christian faith.

The truth is banner library of the truth.

We rendered it irrelevant what worldview does the public theology.it helps us connect the relevance of Jesus Christ to every aspect of life that's with the world desperately needs the close of you listen Plaza might come back to the program is for individual social media, graphics cards give us a call today at 704984 connected crowded with viewpoints of voice and after a seven I believe financial problems only one voice matters God's at the college at Mid-America and Mid-America seminary.

We equip leaders to think for me biblical worldview online on our Memphis campus. Check out the College of Mid-America and Mid-America Baptist theological seminary@mabts.edu and be equipped to light the way. This show is brought to you by generous Joe's coffee company with the Christian perspective, this is the answer that Christians and conservatives have been looking for a coffee company that gives back to causes you care about. Order your copy today at shop generous Joe's.org and even subscribe to a subscription coffee plan and never forget you love or causes you care about time creating their relationship when sharing his joint United States of America has a strong Christian heritage Americans don't know the truly important role God in the Bible is indicated and found Dr. for a meeting with Crystal and bargaining journey having read much of America's Christian heritage up close and personal, and how to blog about the government and the men who helped forge the new kind of Republic acknowledge the creator.

About the creation of the mounting principles America to join you yesterday, Michael Craven from the Colson Center were talking about a wonderful program. The Colson Center. I encourage you to look at the Colson Center online. Subscribe to bright white which is a great very brief daily. You can get the email and and it's also an audio almost like a radio braggart programmer in fact displayed on radio stations across the country. A word that John Stonestreet usually does the main host of the program addresses issues everyday within our culture takes a couple minutes and you can learn so much by getting that email and listening to that each and every day or Michael were talking about the Colson fellows program and how people get involved to their church or to a local cohort to learn how to develop a biblical worldview and then take that into the lives if someone else replied where they go along. What was the website address was the process of becoming a Colson fellow. Well it's for folks that are interested, I would just encourage them to go to Colson fellows Scott or learn about the program. I think after listening to what you and I have been talking about some might be inclined to think that this is for academics and scholars.

It is not.

We operate under the belief that every Christian has the mind of Christ that we are all first. We are all called to seek wisdom to pursue wisdom.

No matter what conference were called to acquire wisdom that's really how the Bible speaks of what we refer to as worldview is wisdom is is not knowledge, it actually the ancients understood wisdom in the biblical writers understood. Wisdom is knowing how to be a human well in order to know how to be a human.

Well, they sought the wisdom of the universe. The Greek philosophers.

They believe that wisdom the logos was was was evident in nature that was embedded in nature. Jesus Christ comes in the world and there is a dramatic shift epistemological shift takes place in the world where the wisdom of the world is relocated from nature to a specific person, Jesus. He is the wisdom of the world is the one that we follow. He is the one that we seek to understand we are called to do what go out and make disciples of all nations to disciple the nations teaching them to obey all the Christ commands to know what Christ commands so he company implores us to seek wisdom he gives insight and understanding out of his mouth come knowledge and understanding, so you don't have to be an academic. You don't have to be a scholar to go to this program succeed in this program live in this program again you have the mind of Christ. Every Christian because the Lord gives wisdom, but we have to do our part. I tell people all the time. You can't pray for wisdom sit on the sofa and watch Netflix and hope to achieve. Document happened to work for it and we do that by the renewing of our mind so I just want to clarify that for every Christian who claims the name of Christ wants to grow in their knowledge, knowledge and understanding of their Lord and what he would have them do in this cultural moment, so that they may be found faithful in this moment, so again, go to Colson fellows.org and learn about the program you can commit an application.

The application process a lot easier than it used to be just looking for information about you background your your interest where you stand in relation to worldview knowledge and were looking for ways to get people into the program not keep people out of the program and leisure class to dissipate Michael. The cost of the tuition for the program is $900 for the year at the lowest the tuition is been in its 18 year history. Historically, you know, I think when you went to the program you look at all cost included you're looking about $3000 so we lowered the price significantly and with increased access by delivering it through either regional cohort or online cohort so there are no excuses for not participating in the program that we have payment plans available so we just want to serve the body of Christ and equip them for these extraordinary times when it's really made it so much more accessible because a lot of people cannot commit to to travel on you as you said you we when I went to the program. You were expected to go to three different weekends will you had to pay for meeting the individual student would have to pay for travel Hamburg DC or wherever and pay for a hotel room and food and all that none of that is in place anymore. Now you can just go to your local church or wherever your local cohort is meeting and it really saves a lot of money and makes a lot more accessible, so we thought about where to go to plywood just Colson fellows.org we talk about the cost. Tell him one more time about the time commitment involved in the program. Obviously there's a lot of reading 13 books and back scratch the primary kind consumer. We estimate that our students will spend anywhere from 6 to 10 hours per week committed to their Colson fellows studies. Now I would say that that is not necessarily in addition to an already busy schedule, we assume, for example, that most if not all of our students are involved in some sort of daily devotion, we assume that they are involved in some sort of ongoing reading nonfiction Christian theological, spiritual formation, reading, and in all that they need to do is figure's supplant all of that activity with exclusively the programs activities so the hour that you're spending in the mornings in your daily devotions are now committing that our to the Colson fellows devotions are again written specifically to correspond with what you're studying.

So it may not necessarily result in a net addition of 6 to 10 hours but but it is a commitment and and and and the commitment is really in keeping pace. Keeping up with the program not falling behind because once you get behind the cup ketchup yet couple of them like I got Billy traveled work order rug up on the roof, but it is a great program like you said were there were already doing our devotion to reading already.

We just shift focus to the program were in the program. We spend more time that on Internet so many other things in a week is it is a time commitment, but really it's worth it in and it pays off about three minutes left the program yet again if you want to learn more about the Colson fellows program go to Colson fellows.org is a wonderful program. I really encourage you to take a look at if you want to transform your daily walk with Jesus and again I did not expect him and we thought about this will be the show.

The devotions had a lasting impact on me and then the friendships that I made that will last me a lifetime or really invaluable when you go to make you grow close to the people in your cohort and and really people across the nation. Michael Young got a big event coming out called Wilberforce weekend. Can you tell our listeners will yet couple minutes what that is and how they can attend the will of course weekend is are the Colson Center for Christian worldviews.

Annual conference that we host each year. Last year was hosted in Fort Worth, Texas.

This forthcoming year May 13 through the 15th.

It is hosted in Orlando Florida at the Rosen resort and it it it will feature a host of speakers from John Stonestreet and Oz Guinness to a multitude of others. Many of whom folks recognize you can visit Wilberforce weekend.org I could learn more about that is also the scene of our annual commissioning ceremony for all the Colson fellows from around the country.

They voluntarily come to this is not compulsory that they attend mass, but they they think we've got about 600 coming this year for commissioning and that is an extraordinary experience on Sunday morning when we combine worship in this commissioning service for over 600 Colson fellows who work really really hard to achieve that title. Yeah, that was 18 at about about the lockdown with overnight they knew as our cohort did not get to do that is just a tremendous weekend and and again those are you listening this is not like some political conference is Christ centered event is called Wilberforce weekend is named after William Wilberforce, who took a great stand against slavery in England and if I just encourage you to go, what did you say is Wilberforce weekend.org.com.org and Wilbur Willis report weekend.org. It is a tremendous weekend strike that are close to. Do they take the whole family vacation, beautiful 30 hours I was there for a couple weeks ago I really encourage you to attend the Wilberforce weekend will be a life-changing event course. I strongly encourage you to take a close look at the Colson Fellowship program. It will literally change your life. Michael, thank you so much for being with us today on the Christian perspective, it is a blessing always and that you're so excited doing well thank you my brother.

I'm praying for you and again what you're doing is life-changing and I thank you for your commitment and obedience to God when he called you this ministry with the Colson Center is needed and y'all are impacting the culture unlike any other organization out there so I sure appreciate you folks.

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