Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.
—Augustine—
It is impossible to be a true soldier of Jesus Christ and not fight.
—J. Gresham Machen—
Key Point: In contending for biblical truth, you’re not alone—so don’t fight alone!
In 1 Kings 18, the prophet Elijah experienced a great victory over the prophets of Baal. Also, honoring Elijah’s prayers, God ended a three-and-a-half year drought (also go here). During this drought, Elijah miraculously had been fed by ravens in the wilderness. You’d think Elijah would have been confident regarding God’s work in and through him, and resolute in continuing to stand against evil.
Yet, in 1 Kings 19, Elijah’s faith faltered. Threatened by Jezebel, the prophet “ran for his life” (v. 3). Then, of all things, he “prayed that he might die” (v. 4). An angel came and ministered to him, but soon thereafter
9 he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
God gave Elijah a lesson regarding the ways He speaks and works. The Lord doesn’t always reveal Himself in something vividly dramatic. Sometimes He will use or manifest Himself through a person, a group of people, an event, or an object people will hardly notice. In other words, He speaks in a “still small voice” (v. 12). Let’s put it another way. God often works through what are deemed “ordinary” people and efforts to accomplish His plan, for His glory.
Elijah needed to call off his pity party! Elijah’s feelings of isolation were deceiving him. It appears he even was depressed. God gave him an assignment and then notified him he wasn’t alone. Things were far better than he felt or imagined. In 1 Kings 19:18 God told him, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
—The Lord to the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18—
Today, Christians contending for the gospel and for the biblical worldview may occasionally need the same kind of encouragement God gave Elijah. A great many organizations and individuals are contending for the truth and standing against the trends we highlighted last time.
Here I’m listing several organizations and institutions whose goals, generally speaking, are consistent with the biblical worldview. Not all of them are explicitly Christian, and a few have perspectives on certain issues with which some committed Christians would disagree. Keep in mind that Christian worldview is comprehensive. Even individuals who aren’t Christians, or aren’t yet Christians, can contend for various tenets of biblical truth. Overall, these groups are working in their spheres of influence to promote ideals consistent with the biblical worldview.
This includes fighting against the social justice agenda. Some groups have this as their primary focus while others have different primary emphases. All are important.
The list below is far from exhaustive. Not every organization doing good work could be listed—but this limitation won’t keep me from listing these. You’re encouraged to explore them, evaluate them, and assist those whom you believe are especially worthy of your support.
Whatever you do, don’t fight alone. Stand shoulder to shoulder with others. Partner with them. Assist them, and, wherever possible and appropriate, allow them to assist you. Use their resources to help you contend for the truth effectively in your own spheres of influence.
- EDUCATION
Hillsdale College—from Hillsdale’s Mission Statement:
“Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women ‘grateful to God for the inestimable blessings’ resulting from civil and religious liberty and ‘believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.’ It pursues the stated object of the founders: ‘to furnish all persons who wish, irrespective of nation, color, or sex, a literary, scientific, [and] theological education’ outstanding among American colleges ‘and to combine with this such moral and social instruction as will best develop the minds and improve the hearts of its pupils.’ As a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains “by precept and example” the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.
“The College also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.”
Prager University—from PragerU’s About Us page:
We make exceptional video content that advances Judeo-Christian values. ~ We distribute that content through a sophisticated marketing strategy. ~ By reaching millions of people every day, we educate, influence and change minds.
- LEGAL ARENA
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) — ADF’s Mission Statement affirms that “Alliance Defending Freedom exists to keep the doors open for the Gospel by advocating for religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, freedom of speech, and marriage and family.”
FIRE, The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, exists “to defend and sustain the individual rights of students and faculty members at America’s colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience—the essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates students, faculty, alumni, trustees, and the public about the threats to these rights on our campuses, and provides the means to preserve them.”
- CAMPUS GROUPS AND GROUPS OF YOUNG ADULTS WORKING TO PRESERVE AMERICAN VALUES
Campus Reform — “Campus Reform, a project of the Leadership Institute, is America’s leading site for college news.
“As a conservative watchdog to the nation’s higher education system, Campus Reform exposes liberal bias and abuse on the nation’s college campuses.
“Our team of professional journalists works alongside student activists and student journalists to report on the conduct and misconduct of campus administrators, faculty, and students. Campus Reform holds itself to rigorous journalism standards and strives to present each story with accuracy, objectivity, and public accountability.”
Turning Point USA — “Turning Point USA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk. The organization’s mission is to identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.”
Young Americans Against Socialism (YAAS) — “Our mission is to show them [young Americans] how destructive socialism will be to our country: that socialism will destroy any chance for future generations of Americans to have a safe, secure, and prosperous future. YAAS is a tax-exempt 501c3 non-profit organization working to expose the dangers and failures of socialism to our country’s younger generations by telling the stories of freedom using the power of social media.”
Young America’s Foundation — Young America’s Foundation is committed to ensuring that increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.”
- NEWS SITES
- SATIRICAL NEWS
Adam Ford, who started The Babylon Bee, eventually sold it and started his own real news site, Disrn, which we have listed above. Here is the Babylon Bee’s article introducing Disrn.
- MINISTRIES, PODCASTS, AND BLOGS
Conversations That Matter Podcast with Jon Harris
The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation “is a network of evangelical Christian scholars—mostly natural scientists, economists, policy experts, theologians, philosophers, and religious leaders–dedicated to educating the public and policymakers about Biblical earth stewardship (men and women working together to enhance the fruitfulness, beauty, and safety of the earth, to the glory of God and the benefit of our neighbors), economic development for the poor (through private property rights, entrepreneurship, free trade, limited government, the rule of law, and access to abundant, affordable, reliable energy), and the gospel of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God by grace through faith in the atoning death and vindicating resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Enemies Within the Church is an organization producing a documentary by the same name. The film will expose [no surprise here!] enemies within the church. What very likely will surprise you is who the enemies are, and how what they are doing undermines the very gospel they claim to uphold.
For the New Christian Intellectual
Founders Ministries
Founders has released an excellent documentary titled “By What Standard.” You can watch it here.
The GK [Gate Keepers] Podcast Network
Word Foundations (You are here.)— “I have a passion to present the truth as it relates to the hot button issues of the day in clear and understandable language.” — B. Nathaniel Sullivan
- APOLOGETICS AND WORLDVIEW MINISTRIES
BreakPoint — “The truth is a powerful thing.…Welcome to BreakPoint. A program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, our commentaries offer incisive content people can’t find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion.”
Impact 360 Institute “Because all truth is God’s truth we reject the idea that reality is to be carved up into the artificial categories of sacred and secular. As Christ-followers we are called to live every aspect of our lives under God’s authority and for God’s glory. Classical thinkers referred to this as Coram Deo (literally “before the face of God”). How we think and how we live go together. Know. Be. Live. Know Jesus More Deeply. Be Transformed in Your Character. Live a Life of Kingdom Influence.”
The Institute’s Director of Cultural Engagement and Student discipleship is Jonathan Morrow. You can access his personal website here.
Stand to Reason — Mission Statement: “Stand to Reason trains Christians to think more clearly about their faith and to make an even-handed, incisive, yet gracious defense for classical Christianity and classical Christian values in the public square.”
Vision Statement: “Confidence for every Christian, Clear thinking for every challenge, Courage and grace for every encounter.”
Summit Ministries — “Summit’s mission is to cultivate rising generations to resolutely champion a biblical worldview. Our programming consists of two-week conferences for 16-25-year-olds in multiple locations across the U.S. We also offer semester-long programs for collegiate-level students. Our publishing division offers resources for Christian schools, homeschool, and churches. Alumni in our programs are networked around the world with the aim of driving impact in their communities.…
“Culture draws a line in the sand. It says, “Stay on that side where it’s safe and boring and predictable.” On the other side is a life of purpose, meaning, and impact. Summit invites Christians to boldly step across the line.
“We teach students to stand for truth and justice in the most unexpected way.”
Additional resources are available on this list from The New Christian Intellectual.
Copyright © 2020 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Note: The organizations named above are listed for information purposes only. Although I believe all of them, generally speaking, are doing good work, a ministry’s or an institution’s being named here should not be construed as an endorsement by Word Foundations or B. Nathaniel Sullivan.
top image: Elijah in the Wilderness, by Washington Allston
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