By Norm Miller, LCNews
PINEVILLE – The Mosaic generation, those between the ages of 18 and 23, “rarely” have a biblical worldview as defined by The Barna Group.
That’s what the christianpost.com reported in 2009, and Christianity’s cultural influence remains in an abysmal state.
Barna’s research data found that less than one-half of one percent of Mosaics have a biblical worldview, which is defined by:
– believing that absolute moral truth exists;
– the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches;
– Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic;
– a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by good works;
– Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and
– God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
The Barna Group also states: “An increasing number of religiously unaffiliated, a steady drop in church attendance, the recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, and the growing tension over religious freedoms all point to a larger secularizing trend sweeping across the nation.”
“Situational ethics have replaced integrity and relativism has supplanted veracity. Values are no longer objective and truth is no longer propositional,” said Rick Brewer, president of Louisiana College. “The ‘If it feels good do it’ generation of the 1960s have great-grandchildren, whose understanding of morality is internally determined and has no external parameters.”
Because Christian parents, the local church and Louisiana College all have roles in reversing these alarming trends, Brewer and others at LC have launched the Francis A. Schaeffer Christian Worldview Scholarship available for qualifying enrolling freshmen.
“Arguably, there was no clearer thinker, more cogent writer, and respected biblical theologian in the 20th Century who challenged Christians to engage modern culture with the truths of God than Schaeffer,” Brewer said.
The key component of qualifying for the scholarship is the successful completion of the workbook, “Thinking Like A Christian: Understanding and Living a Biblical Worldview” (ISBN: 978-0805438963). Led by church personnel, this 12-lesson study takes students on a journey into the world of ideas that are shaping our culture while teaching them biblical responses. Created for use in homeschools, Christian schools, Sunday school, youth groups and colleges, this one-of-a-kind study lays the groundwork in the 10 disciplines: Theology, Philosophy, Biology, Psychology, Ethics, Sociology, Law, Politics, Economics, and History.
“There is no better way to give a young person a biblical Christian worldview and prepare them for an unbelieving worldview than this study through Louisiana College,” said Bill Robertson, director of Pastoral Leadership for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “I am encouraging my grandsons to pursue this course of study.”
Enrolling students must also meet all other LC entry requirements. The Schaeffer Scholarship requirements include a church endorsement letter, maintaining a college GPA of 2.5, and the completion of 135 mission service hours in four years to qualify for, and to continue receiving $2,500 tuition scholarship per year for four years.
“There is a significant cost to higher education, and LC is trying to close the affordability gap,” Brewer noted. “However, Schaeffer cites the devastating cost of ignoring negative cultural trends: ‘To fail to exhibit that we take truth seriously at those points where there is a cost in our doing so, is to push the next generation in the relative, dialectical millstream that surrounds us.’”
Graduating students who benefitted from the Schaeffer Scholarship will be highlighted with a Schaeffer Certificate in a special recognition service in their home church.
“We look forward to helping students become salt and light in a culture that so desperately needs both as we partner with churches in engaging the culture and advancing the Kingdom of God,” Brewer said.
Church leaders, parents and prospective students interested in the scholarship should send email to philip.caples@lacollege.edu, or may call 318.487.7946.
