The common response Divine election and predestination are doctrines taught in the Bible, yet most believers avoid these topics like last week's leftover fish. It is commonly believed that these subjects are better left to theologians with too much time on their hands. The mere mention of election and predestination strikes fear in the hearts of some, anger in others. When Christians discuss it, emotions get out of control, heated arguments often ensue, along with name-calling, and pigeon-holing. You're a hyper-Calvinist. You're a rank Arminian. It's a damnable doctrine. These are but a few of the epithets we have all heard.

In a list of the Evangelical church's greatest controversies of the 20th Century, the gift of tongues would have to be near the top. This conflict abated somewhat during the mid-eighties when some leaders of the charismatic movement down-played the importance of the gift.

When most people think of fascism today they think of an egomaniacal fuehrer, or possibly an ideology that was defeated in WWII and more recently espoused by uneducated skinheads. The most common, but largely false and simplistic answer given to the question, What is fascism? is: The extreme right wing of the political spectrum, or, The polar opposite of marxism.

Fascism is difficult to recognize because it is so poorly understood and because its nature is masked behind collective denial. MODERN

FASCISM, by Gene Edward Veith, Jr., p.25.

On Jan. 26, 1996, Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, announced that Moammar Gadhafi, Libyan leader and financier of international terrorism, had pledged to support the Black Muslim movement in America at the sum of $1 billion dollars. (Imagine what Christian missions could do with a billion dollars!) WASHINGTON POST (1/26/96). (Note: In 1985 Gadhafi also gave Farrakhan a five million, interest-free loan.)

Deconstructionism (D) is a powerful postmodern movement currently in vogue on major college campuses and among the intellectual elite. Its influence, permeates every area of our culture. This movement has given rise to tribalism, political correctness, re-imaging, multiculturalism, and culture wars. It has become a hammer for smashing traditional values.

Existentialism as a philosophy, or world and life view, is largely a 20th century phenomenon. It is the very antithesis of Christian belief in that it asserts the total autonomy of man. Hence it is one of the most virulent forms of humanism. It spread rapidly because its adherents often convey its message in more artistic form rather than in dry philosophic tomes. Instead, their medium is often novels, plays, art, or movies. They are often profoundly moving and entertaining because they speak to real human conditions.

The Roman Catholic Church claims 800 million members world-wide making it the largest Christian organization of any kind. As an organization it has been one of the most influential forces in the history of Western Civilization. It cannot be taken lightly. In the lieu of recent and significant changes in the RCC, and due to increased interest in the RCC among Evangelicals and Protestants, serious questions need to be asked. (See also CIM Outline #47 Evangelicals and Catholics.)

The thought of men like Darwin, Marx, and Freud, changed the course of history. It is probable that some day Skinner's name will be added to this list. Carl Rogers said:

"I believe that too few people are aware of the extent, the breadth and the depth of the advances which have been made in recent decades in the behavioral sciences. Still fewer seem to be aware of the profound social, educational, political, economic, ethical, and philosophical problems posed by these advances."

Question: Should Evangelicals and Catholics be more united in their fellowship and mission?

Angelic beings have been a major (we mean major!) subject of art, architecture, music and literature in Western Civilization, especially during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Currently, angels are making a comeback.

Our thesis is three-fold:

A. It is a New Testament imperative to defend the faith. I Pet. 3:15: "Always be prepared to give an answer (Greek: defense) This is something every believer is commanded to do.

B. Every believer can defend the faith before anyone, even before the well-educated. For example, it is not necessary to be skilled in the use of logic or complicated arguments for God's existence. You need only be able to ask pertinent questions.

C. Believers must defend the Christian worldview wherever it is being attacked. Martin Luther said: If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.(I’ve never been able to find the reference to this though it is often quoted.)

There seems to be indisputable evidence from science that the earth is billions of years old (5 billion according to current consensus). A normal interpretation of the Biblical data seems to imply, on the other hand, that the creation of the earth (and Man) was relatively recent.

Introduction: In the early 80's evangelical Christianity discovered secular humanism. Many books were published exposing this anti-christian worldview. Actually various forms of humanism have been around since the Garden of Eden.

Dinosaurs are an enigma to both believer and non-believer. New discoveries only seem to initiate new debates and raise new questions. Currently, the debate among paleontologists centers around two main questions: What caused their sudden extinction? And were they cold or warm-blooded? The prevailing view to the first question is that an extra-terrestrial object (a comet) hit the earth and radically altered the climate. The view gaining ascendancy to the second question is that dinosaurs were warm-blooded like birds as opposed to being cold-blooded like reptiles.

A. Evolution is an ancient philosophical and religious belief.

1. Confucius (25 centuries before Darwin) said: All reality unfolded gradually from a single entity.

2. Bhuddist teachers believed all living things evolved from a priormunitary nature. (See Ninian Smart's Indian Philosophy).

3. Anaximander and Anaximenes (6th Century B.C.) held that the sun'smwarmth generated all living forms by acting on moist primeval element. Anaximenes believed, moreover, that plants, animals and humans were generated in that order!

4. Evolution again became popular in the early 19th century. Many philosophers embraced it as a philosophical position, all before Darwin.

Because of speculation about the possibility of intelligent life in outer space interest in unidentified flying objects has continued to rise around the world since the first major flying saucer event in the U.S. in 1947. Currently, there are several serious journals being published solely about UFO phenomena, and more recently the government has declassified files.

Many philosophers believe the existence of evil in the universe is the Achilles heel of Christianity, and constitutes evidence for the non-existence of the Christian God. This problem has been expressed in the following syllogism: If God is all-good, he would destroy evil. If God is all-powerful, he could destroy evil. But evil is not destroyed. Therefore, such a God (all-good and all-powerful) does not exist.nAnother equally troublesome syllogism for Christians is: God is the author of everything. Evil is something. Therefore, God is the author of evil. Christians can accept the first two premises but not the third, hence the problem.

Facts can strengthen faith. We have certainly seen many examples of this in the class, e.g. the Hebrews in Egypt, the conquest, etc. We have also come upon data that is somewhat unsettling. Some of the data makes us feel just a bit uneasy.

After many years of negative stereotypes from Hollywood movies, Native Americans (formerly North American Indians) are currently riding a crest of popularity. They and their culture are the subject of much discussion in the media, best-selling books, and major motion pictures.

It was the subject of the television show Prime Time Live(Jan. '93), many talk shows, and the subject of at least a half-dozen recent evangelical books. Psychologists (some Christian) are now concentrating their entire practice on treating SRA.

Non-christians are also writing on the subject. See Surviving the Unbelievable in Ms (Jan. Feb. 1993) and the following books When Rabbit Howls, Satan's Children, and Suffer the Child.

Some believe that those who have undergone therapy for SRA number in six figures (see The Satanism Scare, by Richardson, Best, and Bromley.) Bob Larson, who has a nationally syndicated radio call-in show that frequently features SRA, believes there are hundreds of thousands of adults who have been so abused (See also his book: Satanism: The Seduction of American Youth).