Mike has always loved politics and public policy. His parents, who were very active in politics, surrounded him with political information from a young age. Instead of fiction, he grew up reading political books and eventually earned a degree in political science.
He gained experience working in political campaigns and realized that running a successful campaign and electing a quality candidate is only a temporary victory, as elections recur. He also observed a trend towards more liberal views, moving away from biblical principles. Mike concluded that true reform requires focusing on education and changing hearts and minds.
In this lecture, Mike discusses some of the critical issues our country faces and how we can return to a biblical perspective. After outlining the various challenges, he presents eight points that can help make a difference in our society.
You'll Learn:
[04:24] The Ten Commandments have been removed from parks and public buildings.
[05:13] Mike talks about the problems of public and private debt. He also talks about property rights, thought crimes, taxes, and many current issues.
[08:40] The problem is we lack a worldview that is biblical and consistent.
[12:44] Most of us are products of a secular society. We've lost the biblical worldview training that our forefathers had.
[18:30] There are solutions, but we are never going to perfect our society and live in a utopia.
[19:01] The Bible does give us directions on how we should live in our society. As Christians, we know that obeying scripture improves our lives.
[19:28] Sometimes we fail to see the relationships between biblical principles and our problems.
[22:53] At least 70 million dollars has been spent on public education in California. What does public education teach? What kind of soil are we creating with our tax dollars?
[25:01] Knowledge and persuasion are the key to deal with all of our problems. We need education and discipleship.
[29:01] Intellectual capital. A good strategy doesn't happen by accident. The secular standpoint does have intellectual capital. There are foundations with billions of dollars.
[31:39] Repetition is the key to learning. We need to emphasize the truth and the principles behind our ideals.
[34:33] Eight points we need to tackle. We need a broad Christian worldview. We need a principled approach.
[35:57] A vision of the big picture.
[39:53] Is the government or the church going to take care of the poor?
[41:10] Repetition and reinforcement of the message.
[42:11] We need a strategy not just a reaction. Research. We need to provide quality research for pastors and leaders.
[47:20] We must look for and identify absolutes. There's a battle in this world between absolutism and relativism. Absolutes make decision making easier.
