August 2009 Archives

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 27, 2009 | Permalink

The San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival is pleased to announce that the 2010 SAICFF and the presentation of the $101,000 grand prize award for Best of Festival will take place the week of October 28-30, 2010 at the Municipal Auditorium and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio.

In God’s providence, a fundamental renovation of our primary event facility during the time scheduled for the SAICFF has opened the door for a date change, and with the date change comes a fresh opportunity for filmmakers who will now be able to submit films for competition between December 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010 for consideration.

The SAICFF is looking into the possibility of adding other cash prize awards for the 2010 festival in our effort to promote and honor the broad depth of talent represented by our filmmakers. Also, we are pleased to announce that we will be holding an advanced, specialty filmmakers boot-camp in February of 2010, details to follow shortly.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 25, 2009 | Permalink

Doug Phillips Speaks on the Impact of Friendships Over the Last 500 Years of History from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 22, 2009 | Permalink

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, our second president, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, our sixth. An able assistant to her husband, she wrote him hundreds of letters of encouragement, discussing with him the principles of biblical representative government. She further instilled in her son John Quincy a love and honor for his father and for the precious treasure of liberty which he spent his life defending.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 22, 2009 | Permalink

Introducing Christianity and Western Civilization — The Family, Church, and Homeschool History Course of the Year

If I could only teach two subjects to my children, the first would be theology and the second would be the history of Christianity and Western Civilization. — Doug Phillips

You will never be an educated man or woman without a solid grasp of Christian history. The providential hand of God in the life of his Church and through the course of Western Civilization is central to understanding who we are and where we are going. Tragically, modern American Christians are largely historically illiterate. The result is a generation that does not understand the mercies of God, the progress of the Church, or the principles of liberty which undergird a free Republic. Nor can they have a clear, well-rounded worldview without a solid grasp of the great battles of Christianity and Western Civilization.

The Solution: Christianity and Western Civilization — a perfect resource for your family’s home education program or for a special study course for your local church. And now, for a limited time, this is available at a special introductory price. Through August 24th, save 25% on this introductory release of Christianity and Western Civilization, an exciting new 10-DVD curriculum from Vision Forum that will inspire your family and give your students an appreciation for Christianity’s culture-changing transformation of the West. Providential history will come alive as never before!

Few students today will receive the kind of instruction that these lectures offer. I learned that there were connections between ideas and people that I had never anticipated. These messages gave me a much more well-rounded view of both Reformation and Western history.... I fully recommend [this series] to anyone seeking to better understand our Christian legacy and what it means for the future. — Jordan M.

Understanding the history of Western Civilization is critical to understanding who we are today. But to properly understand history, you must first understand the focal point of all eternity — the grace of God in the work of His Son on the Cross. Few teachers and courses that are available understand how to view history from a providential perspective. Most are man-centered.

The vast majority of “Western Civ” courses begin with the wrong presupposition: namely, that “the glory that was Greece, and the grandeur that was Rome” represent the foundation for all that made the West great. These courses maintain that the West slipped into the doldrums of the “Dark Ages” because Greek and Roman ideals departed from the consciousness of men. Furthermore, students are taught that it was the Renaissance’s rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman “wisdom” — rather than the Reformation’s world-changing focus on the biblical principles of liberty and responsibility — that helped restore the West to greatness.

But this perspective is wrong. The truth brings light, and it was the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Protestant Reformation — not the humanistic Renaissance — that helped to wrest the West from the despotism and slavery that flowed from the pagan worldview of Greece and Rome that had been so insidiously interwoven into the dogma and superstructure of the Roman Catholic Church. It was because of reformation through Christ, rather than the man-centered ideals that were resurrected at the Renaissance, that the West has flourished and liberty has prevailed over the last five hundred years.

This is why Christianity and Western Civilization is such an important resource. In this exciting new DVD curriculum, discover Christianity’s powerful, documented transformation of the West during the past five hundred years. Learn how events, people, and nations are orchestrated by the loving God Almighty to accomplish his purpose in glorifying the work of His Son. And as you examine the past five hundred years of Western Civilization, let Christianity and Western Civilization make “Western Civ” an inspiring, life-changing school subject for your children!

Learn from a Distinguished Faculty of Historians, Authors, and Lecturers

As you watch the Christianity and Western Civilization video presentations, history will come alive as you learn from our distinguished faculty including noted church historians, authors and lecturers like Dr. Joseph Morecraft, Dr. Marshall Foster, Dr. Paul Jehle, Bill Potter, Doug Phillips, Dan Ford and John Eidsmoe.

Message Titles:

1. Five Hundred Years of Liberty Birthed by the Reformation (Doug Phillips)
2. The Man of the Millennium (Joe Morecraft)
3. From Terror to Triumph: The Victory of the Church Through Perilous Times (Marshall Foster)
4. The Bible Unleashed: Calvin’s Role in Producing the Geneva Bible (Marshall Foster)
5. The Reformation Influence on Art and Culture (Doug Phillips)
6. The Influence of the Reformation on Global Exploration and Warfare
7. Calvin and Darwin: The Impact of Friendships on Civilization (Doug Phillips)
8. How Calvinism Built New England, How New England Built America (Paul Jehle)
9. Competing Views of Dominion: Roman Catholic vs. Reformed (Dan Ford)
10. The Use of Biblical Law in the American Colonies (John Eidsmoe)

Special Offer Ends August 24, 2009

Make sure you purchase Vision Forum’s new Christianity and Western Civilization DVD curriculum by August 24 to take advantage of our introductory special offer. This limited-time price expires at midnight on August 24, 2009 (CDT), and is applicable only to orders placed online or by phone.

Purchase Christianity and Western Civilization.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 21, 2009 | Permalink

When the Founding Fathers took the groundbreaking steps to establish the United States, each one had gone through decades of preparation to formulate their ideas on governance, politics, and their vision for a biblically-sound society. However, they were only able to undertake such a monumental task because of the unique education they received as young men forming their worldview and outlook on society and culture.

As a start, the Founders never attended high school. A perusal of the history of public education in the United States shows any casual observer that the concept of schooling between eighth grade and college is a social construct of the early twentieth century. According to some researchers, these four years of training were inserted into public education to prepare more workers for the industrial factories and steel mills of industry magnates like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Henry Ford. Sadly, while the assembly line produced economical automobiles, it was staffed by employees who performed menial labor functions instead of working in skilled trades as business owners.

Vision Forum has long supported causes and organizations that have encouraged believers to abandon the world’s system of living in favor of pursuing a more biblical worldview. CollegePlus! is one such organization that has helped thousands of families take hold of a Scriptural model for earning a degree, while avoiding the world’s means for schooling its next generation of leaders. Additionally, students choose a college major and course of study based on the passions and calling God has put in their lives.

CollegePlus! embraces the model of education and learning that cultivated the ideas of freedom and liberty in the minds of the Founding Fathers. Students who have joined the ranks of CollegePlus! engage in mentor-driven learning that does not compromise their ability to educate themselves. The key to CollegePlus!—and to any real education—is to foster lifelong learners. Instead of relying on professors to teach them, CollegePlus! students educate themselves, many of whom are combining high school and college and finishing their bachelor’s degrees from home at the same time their peers are graduating from high school. To see if this is a good fit for you or your student, watch one student’s story.

While CollegePlus! acknowledges that a college degree is not necessary for success, it is a credential that can lead to key leadership positions in many sectors of society. For this reason, CollegePlus! offers a wide variety of college majors to its students—from business and communications to history, music, and biology.

Any student who wants to earn their degree can sidestep the system that has only existed for the last hundred years. In addition to all the advantages of the CollegePlus! mentor-driven education, these fully-accredited degrees cost less than $15,000, depending on the major. This expense is paid out over the course of the degree, thus creating a much smaller burden on single-income families than the course of study touted on college campuses.

We believe so strongly in this program that we have arranged a special gift for families. Now through the month of September 2009, any student who enrolls in the CollegePlus! program, will receive two free months of CollegePlus! coaching plus a $250 gift certificate good for any merchandise sold through Vision Forum (see details below)!

Use Promo Code “VFM09” when you request information. Find out how to take advantage of this great offer at the CollegePlus! website. There is also detailed information on combining high school and college, college majors, and the CollegePlus! philosophy on education.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 20, 2009 | Permalink

Viret from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 19, 2009 | Permalink

Because God uses people to advance his work in history, biography is perhaps the most helpful as well as the most interesting means of historical study. If you have been keeping up with the blog, you have seen pictures of many of the men and women of the Great Reformation who joined us at the Reformation 500 Celebration. Their stories can provide hope and vision in a time of great apostasy (Ps. 78, Heb 11). We have created a PDF with short biographical sketches which you may find helpful in your own studies of these fascinating men and women.

Download PDF

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 19, 2009 | Permalink

Athanasius was an Egyptian bishop of the 4th century who stood almost alone against the immensely popular Arian heresy, which denied Christ’s eternal deity and thus the very doctrine of the Trinity. He was influential in formulating the Nicene Creed in 325 and was exiled five times for his courageous proclamation of orthodox truth and steadfast refusal to compromise with destructive heresy. Because of Arianism’s implications on church-state relations, Athanasius’s stand secured the church’s independence from the state.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 19, 2009 | Permalink

A Two Year Old Recites the Lord’s Prayer from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 14, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 14, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 12, 2009 | Permalink

The most hotly disputed controversy of the summer may not be health care, but the historiography of Scotland’s national dish. The New York Times explains:

THIS is very serious. Britain, as most readers of this newspaper know, has long been populated by three warlike tribes, the Scots, the English and the Welsh. Much of British history consists of disputes between these tribes, particularly between the Scots and the English. Since the middle of the 18th century, after Bonnie Prince Charlie made a vain attempt to reclaim the kingdom for the Scottish Stuart dynasty, an uneasy peace has prevailed, based, in part, on the understanding that Scottish pride and Scottish feathers will not be unduly ruffled. But then, every so often, somebody threatens this delicate understanding with an outrageous suggestion. This usually happens in August, when newspapers have nothing better to talk about. And it has happened again this August.

The insult to the Scots this year is that haggis, the Scottish national dish, is not really Scottish, but English. Now this may seem a matter of little consequence to Americans, but how would the United States react if apple pie and turkey with cranberry sauce were to be claimed as the products of, say, French cuisine? Or if somebody asserted that baseball was invented by the Romanians (which it was)? These things are a matter of national pride, and people should take great care when talking about them.

The basis of the current claim is that an English cookbook of the early 17th century contains a recipe for haggis. This, we are told, was well before any Scottish recipe book gives similar information. Well, now, this assertion is so patently flimsy that it hardly requires refutation. Of course there was no published Scottish recipe for haggis before then, for the simple reason that it would have been quite unnecessary for Scots to publish a recipe for something that everybody in Scotland knew how to make. Why state the obvious? It’s as simple as that.

Read more here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 7, 2009 | Permalink

The Blacksmith of Brandywine from Vision Forum on Vimeo.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 6, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 6, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 5, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 3, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 3, 2009 | Permalink

The father and son relationship is one of the defining relationships in the universe. In fact, before there was a universe, there was the eternal Father who loved the eternal Son. We should not be surprised, therefore, that Satan has reserved his most fiery darts to alienate Christian fathers from their sons. Today, the relationship between fathers and sons is at an all-time low. Because of this problem Vision Forum Ministries launched the Father and Son Retreat ten years ago to help encourage fathers to turn their hearts towards their sons. You can join me, Kevin Swanson, and Bill Potter August 28-31 for the 2009 Father and Son Retreat in Colorado. This retreat will once again be held at the beautiful Crooked Creek Ranch, situated among 12,000-13,000-foot peaks near Winter Park, Colorado. The views of the gorgeous mountains and forests and the log construction of the lodges will give you an unmatched Rocky Mountain experience.

Along with the edifying messages, the fathers and sons will participate in organized outdoor activities, and will have free time to walk the hiking trails together and enjoy the excellent facilities which include an outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, indoor full court basketball, Indoor volleyball court, 18-hole Frisbee golf course, ropes course, a lake which includes a Blob, outdoor full court basketball, an unbelievably stocked snack bar, and a game room with pool tables, ping pong, air hockey, and foosball.

I was really blessed to be able to spend this weekend with both my son and my dad. I learned for the first time of the multigenerational legacy of Christian fathers that preceded me. I have been able to see my father in a whole new light. His honor and sense of duty and dedication has revealed to me and I now have an increased feeling of the responsibility that I have to maintain this legacy. —Wayne (Michigan)

The Lord has given me a vision to return home and lead my family in the way of the Lord, and to do whatever it takes to get it right for God. I have four sons and two daughters, and I believe that the Lord has raised me up to end a multigenerational curse on my side of the family, a curse of unbelief and godlessness. Thank you for your encouragement this weekend. Vision Forum has been another messenger of the Lord in confirming God’s plan for my family. —Bob (Maryland)

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 3, 2009 | Permalink

A daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile and Aragon, Juana was taken a young girl to watch the burning of Christians at the stake for Protestantism. This, one of her earliest memories, seems to have made an intense impression on the young girl, who later embraced the evangelical faith for which those “heretics” died. After her mother’s death, agreements between her father, husband, and son would keep her confined as insane and only nominally queen of her rightful kingdom of Castile.

Posted by Doug Phillips on August 3, 2009 | Permalink