The Latest PPT article: When "freedom" disappears

Here is my latest article for Presidential Prayer Team, concerning the most recent attacks on religious liberty in the U.S.

No "WorldMovers" class this Sunday

It's a Potluck Sunday, which means that we won't get to discuss part 2 of the end-of-2011 issue. Last Sunday we didn't get past the opening editorial by Joel Belz, but we had an excellent prayer time over the messages-that-we-would-like-to-send-to-Washington survey. Pictured at the right here is the cover of the next issue, which we will discuss and pray through on Sunday, January 15.

I would like to mention here one interesting item from the December 31 issue. We do not usually discuss the movie reviews, but Rebecca Cusey's review of The Girl with the Dragon tattoo jumped out at me. After pointing out all the moral flaws in the protagonist and emphasizing that the post-modern approbation for this character is that she is 'honest,"  meaning that each of her sexual partners knows they are not exclusive to her, she adds two thoughtful statements:

"Since redemption isn't possible, revenge takes its place.  With redemption and mercy out of the picture, the will to power becomes the ultimate goal of mankind."

It's the Worldview, stupid.

In two sentences, Cusey has given us a succinct statement of the probem with virtually all modern fiction. While it's a healthy thing that we review such movies and do not prudishly "judge" them because of bad langauge and partial nudity, most Christians miss the real point of what is dangerous: the worldview. It is dangerous because fiction manipulates us to identify with and "root for" the protagonist, and if the protagonist is devoid of wisdom or any redemptive character, then we "buy into" the lifestyle and activity of the "hero," no mater how "heathen" it may be.


I have preached this for years, but still thousands of Christian young people support these movies with God-provided money, chanting as they merge with the darkness of the mesmerizing theater, "It can't hurt me....it can't hurt me.."


Thank God for Rebecca Cusey sounding the alarm, anyway.  It's is good not to be alone in this battle.     

It's not the money, part two

It ought to horrify us, but evidently it does not. No outcry has followed the disclosure that the current reading scores are the lowest in SAT history. Nationally, the average reading score for the Class of 2011, including public- and private-school students, was 497, down three points from the previous year and 33 points from 1972. Keep in mind that the scoring system was “re-centered” (dumbed down) in the mid-1990’s, so a straight across comparison to 1972 would be even lower.

Those who make it past high school and are actually enrolled in college are disappointing even more. About 41 percent of students who graduate from a public high school in Ohio take at least one remedial course when they enroll in one of the state’s two- or four-year public colleges, according to the Ohio Board of Regents. Since remedial classes cost as much as other college courses but don’t count toward a degree, they also increase the time it takes to obtain a degree and the likelihood that a student will drop out.

Last year, Ohio spent an estimated $147 million on remedial education — money that could be better spent on other academic programs, said Jim Petro, the state’s higher-education chief. Petro is urging the four-year state universities to phase out their remedial programs over the next six years.

To address this situation, starting in January 10 high school teachers in Columbus will be paired with local college professors in order to “plan and co-teach about 200 sophomores and juniors in English and math, two subjects that give many students trouble. By partnering, the college professors will get a better idea of what is being taught in the high schools. The teachers will gain a better understanding of what is expected of college freshmen.”

Let me see if I understand this:

1. High schools in Ohio (just like every other state) are routinely graduating students who are not prepared for freshman level courses at schools like Columbus State Community College, according to the college.

           Who is being punished, fired, held to account for this?

2. Taxpayers in Ohio are being charged 147 million to “remediate” these high school graduates – who (as a result of being “remediated”) are now more likely to drop out of college.

          Who thinks this is a good idea? The taxpayers? The instructors? The students?
          Is this a costly way to avoid saying to someone, “I’m sorry, you are just not capable of passing college course work”?

3. Are the teachers and professors in the January experiment doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, or are they being paid extra to do this?

           If the latter, where will that money come from, and how much of the $147 million will it save? (Oh, wait – I just realized! It will ADD to the current expenditure of $147 million. Well, that’s good…).

4. How will this be any different from previous remediation efforts? What magic feather will they discover that we (in the field of education) do not already know about how students learn and succeed?

          I can just see the news interview of one of the high school teachers at the end of the semester: “This was so revealing to us as high school teachers! We had no idea that the colleges wanted our kids to be able to write papers with clarity, unity, focus, and subject-verb agreement! Wow! I am really going to change how I approach my high school writing classes!”

Money is still not the solution.

It's not the money, part one

In 1988, two Washington, D.C., area philanthropists offered to pay the entire cost of college for any fifth grader from Maryland's Seat Pleasant Elementary School who graduated from high school and got admitted to college. Of the 59 "Dreamers," as they came to be called, 44 graduated from high school, and another 5 got their GEDs, a higher percentage than the overall graduation rate for Prince George's County students at that time. Almost half enrolled in college, and at least 11 got four-year degrees. But most dropped out of college. Among the 59 dreamers are a doctor, an elected official, a policeman, a lawyer, a cellist, two drug dealers, a suicide, and a murderer.

Thinking that these donors may have waited too late, a different set of philanthropists set out to issue golden tickets, starting even earlier. In 1993, there were 73 third-graders at Orr Elementary in the District of Columbia, who were told that their college would be paid for. After 10 years of intensive mentoring, tutoring, summer camps and ski trips, 54 of the 73 Orr Dreamers graduated from high school. Among them was a single mother, a gunshot victim, a violinist, an artist, dozens of honor roll members, scholarship athletes and several aspiring doctors. Starting earlier hadn’t delivered much different results; their high school graduation rate was nearly identical to the first dream class.

This is particularly poignant in light of recent demands for universal, cost-free (except to taxpayers footing the bill) college admission and tutelage. Writer Michael Brooks warns, “At some point, the ubiquity and perceived societal value of a college degree will evolve into an argument for financially supporting it as an entitlement.” And university president Hamid Shirvani adds, “As soon as the word "privilege" enters the conversation, people bring up the subject of access, with the implication that if something is a privilege, only privileged people will enjoy it. But in America, access to higher education is unparalleled. No other country has so many fully accredited colle or has provided such widespread access to student financial aid.” Shirvani concludes, “…as the costs of education rise, [students assume that] government should absorb them. That is no longer possible or desirable.”

Nor is it a guarantee of success, in light of the Seat Pleasant and Orr experiences. It’s not the money, Part Two...next Tuesday (January 3, 2012).

Your spirit booster for today

I tuned in to the Outback Bowl to root against the Georgia Bulldogs (this sometimes confuses people since I am from Georgia; but like many Georgians on the west side of the state, I grew up an Auburn fan). Didn't know anything about Michigan State, its players, coaches, etc.

Some time in the second half the commentators mentioned a speech the Michigan State quarterback, Kirk Cousins, made at a kickoff banquet representing all of the student athletes of the Big Ten Conference. They seemed pretty
impressed with it, and said it could be found on You Tube. I couldn't resist taking a look. 

I was impressed too;  so much so I entreat you to push the play button right now!

One of the themes we talk about a lot in WorldMovers is the need for heroes in our time. Usually we are looking for political heroes (I am biased to believe we won't find any in that arena - ever!). But right now I'll take a hero wherever I can find one, even in the world of college sports.

Just after I finished watching the speech on You Tube, Michigan State fell behind by a touchdown with a minute and forty-six seconds to play in the game. It was a joy to watch Cousins calmly engineer a drive that took them 85 yards for a touchdown, sending the game into overtime. The drive employed five beautifully thrown passes and a long quarterback keeper, showing both Cousins' versatility and his indispensible role on the team.

And never mind the interception he threw in the first overtime. His team's defense was staunch in the third overtime, and MSU pulled out a win in the end!

The one I chose

Last week I provided links to a list of Bible reading plans to encourage Bible reading in the new year. I chose Professor Grant Horner's plan, which is almost identical to a plan I followed forty years ago when I was in the army. After Day 1 I am remembering why I loved it so much!  It's even easier to use now because there is a Facebook page here and an updateable chart which links directly to online bibles here.

Try it!  You'll like it!

Presentation Day - Happy New Year!

Luke 2:21

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.