EDUCATION IS NOT NEUTRAL: IT INSTILLS A WORLDVIEW

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Education is a matter of eternal consequence, and the stakes are too high to take the issue lightly. We need more universities like The Masters University that seeks to teach the lordship of Christ.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” 2 Corinthians 5:10

An education that honours the Lord should prepare us for all that He will hold us accountable to when we stand before Him. We must learn how to discern all of life under the lordship of Christ.

This assumes an absolute commitment to Christ and Scripture. Without this, education will teach the wrong worldview and will fail to equip one to please Christ or make an eternal difference. Any erosion to Christ and Scripture causes education to fall dangerously short of its intended purpose.

One way to think about this commitment is through the phrase “Christ in all things,” derived from Ephesians 1:23. This emphasizes that Christ is not only lord over some things but everything. Every assertion within any subject or discipline must be taken captive to the lordship of Christ.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

What does this mean for The Master’s University?

It demands that we take everything on campus, put it under the microscope, and see how Scripture determines every single thing be defined and done as an act of worship to Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).

There is a reason that the symbol of The Master’s University is a shield. The church is the pillar and grounds of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15) — and at TMU, we believe our role is to shield this sacred trust by faithfully educating the next generation of the church, ensuring that the truth is not distorted but upheld as the authoritative definer of all things (cf. Gal. 2:5; 2 Cor. 10:3-5).

Have we been perfect in our endeavor? No. But we know and pursue the standard we must hold ourselves to.

We know we cannot just teach a variety of subjects with Christ on the side.

We know we cannot just have certain things look Christian on our campus.

We know we cannot use human observations to define Christ and Scripture.

Rather, the standard is nothing less than Christ in all things. This is what makes for a true education — one that gives the whole truth and true wisdom, one that prepares for all of life, one that makes an eternal difference, and one that pleases the God who ordained it (Prov. 8:22; Col. 1:9-11; 2:8). That has been our commitment for almost 100 years, and we pray that by God’s good grace, it will be our resolve for many more.

GENETIC ENGINEERING: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

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Genetic engineering is being widely used in the foods we eat, medicine, and healthcare.

What is genetic engineering? It is the deliberate changing of an organism’s DNA, and there are many beneficial uses of genetic engineering to improve human life.

Dr. Carter provides a balanced view of the current and potential beneficial uses of genetic engineering, including growing new limbs.

PERSECUTION COMES WITH THE TERRITORY

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Speaking your beliefs as a Christian now can result in a mixed bag of anger, frustration, hostility, and many people who decide they can “no longer associate” with someone like you.

Some of the beliefs that will trigger these sentiments are as follows:

1. Life begins at conception. Abortion is murder.

2. There are only two genders, and we don’t get to pick between the two.

3. Marriage is designed to be between one man and one woman and sex is confined to husband and wife. Homosexuality is an abomination to God.

4. Children deserve two parents — a mum and a dad — who are there for them.

5. There’s only one true God. There’s only one way to God, and it’s through Jesus Christ.

6. Jesus made it possible for our Heavenly Father to send the Holy Spirit to be our counsellor, teacher, helper, and comforter.

7. With the Holy Spirit and the word of God, we have all we need to live a Christian life. The word of God, being inerrant and infallible, is the source of all that is good, true, and beautiful.

Redemption, for the Christian, is the freedom we have in Christ. But it was not free, for it cost Christ His life.

Isaiah revealed to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious leaders of the day 700 years before Jesus Christ, their Messiah was born that he would die so that their sins could be forgiven and this is not the end of the story read what else God revealed to Isaiah.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed... he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people… Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief… For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have ompassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.” Isaiah 53:5-6, 8, 54:7-8

My concern is that just as the religious leaders of Jesus Day did not heed the prophecies of Jesus’ first coming, the religious leaders of our day are not heeding the many prophecies of Jesus’ second coming.

The Fall: Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden for disobeying God and eating from the tree of Good and Evil.

The Bible is full of these beautiful depictions of the reality of our redemption. We are free because Christ restored what was lost in “The Fall” through His death, burial, and resurrection! And so, with all this in mind, we understand what redemption is and can now rightly live out our faith.

Christians must understand how crucial it is to speak the truth in love. We’re called to extend a loving hand to our enemies. We must bring back healthy dialogue with our neighbours, and Christians should lead the charge! We were never meant to be silent or sit back in the face of adversity. Under a hostile government, we can understand the need to stand firm. 

DO WE HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL?

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Modern, mainstream Christianity teaches that our bodies die, but we live on as souls. So why does the Bible teach something else entirely? Knowing what your soul is—and what happens to it after you die—is a core concept of Christianity. Join Gary Black as he explains both the biblical teaching of the soul and how that teaching became corrupted over the centuries.

“Then when death comes to a man, the mortal part, it seems dies, but the immortal part goes away unharmed and undestroyed withdrawing from death.” Plato, Phaedo 106e

Understanding the soul is not immortal is critical to understanding that eternal conscious torment is not the fate of the unrepentant.

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14-15

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8-9

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

ATHEIST VIEW OF AI VERSUS CHRISTIAN VIEW OF AI

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Naturalistic evolutionists argue that non-material things such as consciousness and emotion must be computable because humans experience these. This argument rests on the faulty assumption that humans are nothing more than meat-based computers. In such thinking our conscious experience of reality is merely the neural networks in our brain performing mathematical calculations through electrochemical reactions. They claim that everything we think, dream about, desire, and plan to do is determined by the laws of physics and chemistry. This is called eliminative materialism, or atheism taken to (consistent) extremes.10 Thus, since eliminative materialists believe that such things are all the result of pure computation in our brains, they see no reason to doubt that a computer could one day do these.

The Bible makes it clear, however, that there is more to us than our material body. We have a non-material spirit, and soul, and our consciousness is more than just electrochemical reactions in our brain.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27 As the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, it requires oil to function. It was always meant to be the vessel of the Holy Spirit. When we repent and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour God the Father sends the Holy Spirit to once again indwell our spirit (the lamp of the Lord). We can then function as the Lord intended.

“And as her (Rachel’s) soul was departing (for she was dying)…” Genesis 35:18. Rachel’s soul departed and went to Sheol which before Jesus’ resurrection was the holding place of all souls.

There is also substantial and tantalizing evidence from the work of brain researchers that the mind in some way exists independent of the brain. The pioneering work of Wilder Penfield, built on by fellow neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, is notable in this regard.11 The argument that such things can be computable because humans experience them is thus unsound because it is based on a faulty premise.

As a very powerful tool, AI can and will be used for evil purposes—like the internet has been. It may also lead to substantial social upheaval, as AI supplants many jobs. Many of these will be ‘white-collar’ roles once thought safe from robotic takeover.

However, just like the internet, AI will also be used for great good and to greatly improve our lives. I encourage fellow Christians to approach AI with wisdom, being aware of its risks and limitations, but willing to embrace its potential to be a very powerful tool for God’s kingdom.

Adapted from the article The AI revolution – What does it mean for you? by David Thomas http://www.creation.com