Engaging a Needy World
The Centurions
In the months before World War II, an Oxford don by the name of C. S. Lewis wrote, “Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason because bad philosophy needs to be answered.” Lewis’s students questioned the importance of studying the humanities and sciences with war on the horizon. But Lewis understood, as he wrote so beautifully in his classic book Weight of Glory, that “To be ignorant and simple now . . . would be to throw down our weapons and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defense but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen.”
Three years ago, I launched a year-long distance education program called Centurions, designed to equip one hundred men and women each year to defend truth in an age when too many are throwing their weapons down.
Sadly, bad philosophy—like relativism, naturalism, and secular humanism—runs rampant in our legislatures, schools, movie theaters, and even our churches. In the face of this, Centurions is preparing men and women not just to understand and articulate their own Christian worldview, but also to proactively teach that worldview to others and engage the culture in their own particular sphere of influence.
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One of our Centurion graduates, Jeff Clinton, a contributor to BreakPoint’s blog, The Point, describes in a recent post what sets the program apart. He writes, “The Centurions program is not a program where you [leave simply] with a fresh set of books. Entering the program comes with a commitment to . . . influence others and pass on knowledge, [which] creates a special dynamic that goes with being part of a community of serious, kingdom-minded Christians who want to engage a needy world for the cause of Christ.” Jeff underscores exactly the vision we have for the program, one of exponential cultural impact.
And we have plenty of examples of Centurions doing just that from Wendell Cantrell in Johannesburg, South Africa, who is investing deeply in discipling fifteen others in biblical worldview, to Centurions Nanci Boice, Rick Hooten, and Dave Brown, who hosted a worldview conference in Austin, Texas, for 130 people last January.
But not only are Centurions sharing the training they’ve received, they are also impacting the culture firsthand. There’s Jim Walter, who is engaging in public debate, meeting with public officials, and writing letters-to-editors on issues of bioethics and human dignity. There’s Will Burns, who is part of a team that is planting a church that will seek to draw in artists, encouraging and supporting them in their craft during the week and celebrating the Creator on Sundays. And there’s John Nunnikhoven, who has taught an eight-week worldview course for civic and political leaders in Vermont.
If you’d like to find out more about how to join the ranks of the next class of Centurions, please visit us at breakpoint.org. The deadline for application is November 30, so don’t delay. Our culture urgently needs more men and women who will rightly wield good philosophy to counter the bad philosophy of the postmodern era, men and women who can winsomely present the Christian worldview in their sphere of influence.
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From BreakPoint®, November 20, 2006, Copyright 2006, Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with the permission of Prison Fellowship Ministries. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or distributed without the express written permission of Prison Fellowship Ministries. “BreakPoint®” and “Prison Fellowship Ministries®” are registered trademarks of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
