I am a freshman at the University of Arkansas majoring in English education and minoring in Philosophy. These fields emphasize the importance of thought and reason, comparing a variety of ideas, and how to best present your own ideas in order to persuade others to follow them. Of course, in a secular university, you mainly get secular ideas. In the areas of English and Philosophy, I not only get the secular ideas, but also the persuasive arguments for secular positions. My ideas of the soul, the Bible, God, and the Christian life are diametrically opposed to the humanistic ideas represented at the university, and so far I feel that all of my God-given convictions have been put to the test. I have encountered several different challenges while attending the U of A, aside from the common pressures against modesty, humility, honesty, and purity. I have been challenged by professors who say that absolute truth does not exist, or cannot be determined. I have encountered homosexuals, agnostics, pagans, and those who follow their own moral law. I have talked with people of many different religions such as Buddhists and Mormons. I have spoken to atheists that say God does not exist and that the Bible is only man’s creation. A friend of mine majoring in Philosophy said that if God existed, life would be devastating. He thinks that the only purpose for living is to ask questions. When I asked him about answers to these questions, he shook his head, “We cannot look for answers, because they are none.” According to him, life will always be questions and confusion, because mankind can know nothing with absolute certainty—it’s just not possible. Another friend of mine said he could not know if God really existed. When I told him that I knew God existed, he wanted me to prove it to him. When I shared with him that God’s Word was the Bible, he wanted me to prove it to him. When I told him about heaven and hell, man’s dilemma, and God’s salvation, he wanted more proof. But how could I ever prove God to anyone? -- it’s just not possible. I can only present the facts and share the Gospel. I can show how God’s world view is the most rational compared to all others. I can state that the world we live in is in exact agreement and correlation with God and His Word. This is my duty: to give the facts, to challenge the arguments, to give answers to everyone that asks of the hope in me, and, most importantly, to represent the Almighty God that I know exists. As for absolute proof, God will provide that Himself. Yet, to be able to present well reasoned facts, to be able to adequately counter the secular challenges, to be able to raise doubts about secular claims, I needed to be prepared. I could not enter the battle without knowing how to fight. I seriously wonder if I would still be holding to the truths of Gods Word if I had not been prepared. When I heard of LTIA, I knew I had to go. This was the training I needed before entering the university. LTIA is a one-week training camp that not only teaches how to effectively present God’s Word to the worldly intellectual and to defend against powerful challenges, but also it reveals the secular world views and arguments, teaching how to counter challenge these ideas. At LTIA, all ideas and philosophies are put into perspective so that students will be able to identify which are Satan’s and which are God’s on their own. After attending this institute, I was more prepared with valuable skills of fighting for and defending the faith. I became keenly aware of the enemy’s deceptive devices. I have been so encouraged in the fight knowing that I can help destroy Satan’s blinding tricks and also knowing that there are other young men and women obtaining the skills of fighting too! |
