The church has a long history of applying the Bible to all of life. “Throughout American history, the moral principles of Judeo-Christian ethics have been used as one of many effective tools to evaluate and reform a wide variety of social structures, and have continued to be invoked in political debates.”[1] This perspective is best exemplified in the life and work of the Puritans who applied the [...]
Gary shows how to force unbelievers to live consistently with their stated anti-God beliefs. All worldviews are by definition belief systems. A person does not have to believe in God to be considered religious. John H. Dietrich, for example, admits that he is a religious humanist. For centuries the idea of God has been the very heart of religion; it has been said, “No God, no religion.” But humani [...]
Gary discusses the recent Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade and what it means and what comes next. As citizens of political jurisdictions, Christians must submit themselves to those who rule because God has established the civil realm by His own sovereign will (Rom. 13:1). Keep in mind, however, that civil authorities are not absolute in the way they exercise their authority since they a [...]
Gary discusses the early history of the colonies, and how they founded their laws and constitutions on the Bible. A misconception is held by many that the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence was the beginning of our nation. Abraham’s Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” (Nov. 19, 1863) contributes to the confusion with the opening line: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers bro [...]
What impact did the Enlightenment have on America’s Christian heritage? The big-name founders get most of the attention who, like Jefferson, did not argue in an ideological vacuum. The Christian roots of America’s founding run deep. For example, James Madison studied under the guidance of the Scottish Presbyterian minister Donald Robertson, “whom he later said, ‘all that I have been in life I owe [...]
Gary answers a listener question about the word “church” and how it is used by the Bible and interpreters over the years. English translations have obscured the biblical and historical meaning of ekklēsia by translating it as “church” rather than “assembly” or “congregation.” It’s unfortunate that John Wycliffe (c. 1324–1384) and the translators of the Geneva Bible (1560) chose to tra [...]
A lack of a comprehensive biblical worldview has left Christians open to a blind-side attack from humanists who have developed a comprehensive secular worldview. The adjective secular comes from the Latin saeculum, which means “time” or “age.” “To call someone secular means he is completely time-bound, totally a child of his age, a creature of history, with no vision of eternity. Unable to see any [...]
Gary discusses electric cars, economics, and the current administration’s love affair with making political laws influenced by climate change. Almost every business in the United States started and prospered without the help of the government. This does not mean that once some businesses started and prospered that they did not try to use the power and authority of civil government to thwart [...]
Education and action are at the heart of what we do at American Vision. As a biblical worldview ministry, we seek to provide biblically faithful resources and training to fill the mind. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks, so he is,” which means that thinking precedes doing. Christians must become biblical thinkers before they can become biblical doers. We have long had an idea for a proj [...]
Gary discusses how Paul and the apostles approached promised persecution and tribulation during their own lifetimes and ministries. The kingdom of God does not advance by military power. Though power-directed, the kingdom’s power comes from above and works on the heart of man: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and giv [...]
Click here to read the first part of this article While most Christians would claim that they have a biblical worldview, I suspect that many of them could not (1) explain what a worldview is or (2) what the particulars of a biblical worldview are beyond personal salvation, keeping some of God’s commandments, and working to raise children in a Christian home. These, of course, are good worldview st [...]
Abraham Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism Students at Reformed Theological Seminary where I graduated in 1979 who were interested in cultural Calvinism were directed to Abraham Kuyper’s 1898 Lectures on Calvinism. It was here that we were told that we would find a fully developed, comprehensive, biblical world-and-life view. Kuyper’s brand of Calvinism has been described as the “only modern exception [...]
Gary recently returned from a Pastor’s Conference in Mexico, where he spoke to a hundred pastors or so about eschatology. On today’s podcast, Gary discusses his travel to and from Mexico, his experiences while he was there, and his takeaways from teaching through a translator. Is Jesus Coming Soon? Daily on Christian radio and television and the the endless stream of prophecy books we [...]
Over the years, American Vision has had an impact on Christians from all over the world. It’s humbling to learn that your life’s work has meaning for other people. It’s especially gratifying and encouraging to learn that fellow Christians have gained a greater purpose because of the work of American Vision. The following is an email American Vision received. I’ve asked Neil if it would be OK to pu [...]
In this second part of his interview with David Vaughn, Gary discusses worldviews and their importance. The Bible states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). True knowledge does not take place unless one begins with the presupposition that God exists and His Word is supreme. If the starting point is something other than God and His Word, then that other thing becomes [...]
Gary is interviewed by David Vaughn on his radio show, Worldview Matters. Gary and David discuss two big topics currently in the media: abortion and mass shootings. When the sixteenth-century German Reformer Martin Luther “was called to defend his rejection of indulgences before the church and before the emperor, Luther, alone and in peril of his life, appealed to the authority of the Word of God. [...]
Using the right word to get an unfamiliar and sometimes unpopular and counter-culture idea across to people is tactical. If someone wants to hide what is really going on, words that can mean almost anything are often used to serve as an ideological cover for repressive programs and ideologies. The word “gay” and the use of a rainbow flag offer cover for what the practice of homosexuality is all ab [...]
Gary discusses several recent media responses to the ongoing abortion debate on today’s podcast. When a nation moves away from the absolutes of God’s law we can expect an immediate substitute to fill the void. The “human rights” idea has become the alternative to biblical law; it now forms the basis and foundation for all spheres of life. Human rights has sand as its foundation because in “h [...]
The House of Representatives and Senate are considering more expansive gun control bills considering the latest school shooting in Texas. These school shootings are horrific and evil. The parents of these children are devastated as I would be. I can’t imagine the anguish they must feel. Some Republicans joined past gun control bills and some of them are working with the Democrats to enact even mor [...]
There are many more Christians who gave up on politics after the election of Ronald Reagan didn’t bring in the millennium or something close to it. And when George H. W. Bush got elected, and Bill Clinton got elected twice, and George W. Bush turned out to be a huge disappointment, hopelessness set in. All that work, and for what? Christians who are experiencing political remorse are really suffer [...]
