I just finished reading an advance copy of J. Warner Wallace’s new book, “Person of Interest,” in which he notes that studies show—contrary to what parents often think—that many youth who are raised in the Christian faith reject Christianity by the time they are surveyed in their university years, meaning this is something that began much earlier in their lives. Youth start questioning between the ages of 10 and 17. That means their falling from faith isn’t a university thing. It goes back several years prior to the time they pack their U-Haul and head to college. This is crucial for Christian parents to understand. It is they who have far more impact on the beliefs of young Christians than professors. And I think that is also key for the Church to grasp.
Today’s universities and colleges are no longer the places most were created to be. Most now promote the ideas and theories of the world. That’s today. But not so in years gone by.
I wrote “created to be” because our education system owes much to Jesus’ followers. The top 15 universities today were all fruit of Christians who wished to use education as a means to advance the values of their Master, Jesus, our Person of Interest. J. Warner Wallace notes that Christ followers not only celebrated the use of intellectual and rational abilities, but they also protected and collected knowledge, holding education in high regard. Jesus’ followers embraced teaching as a cultural part of Christianity and a responsibility towards living in truth. They used education to spread the Word of God and the Gospel; and in doing so, they ignited the education movement as something that should be available to all people.
Take a moment to think on this. To share the Word of God, people had to be able to read. And, to read, people had to have a written language. The Cyrillic alphabet was created and used to translate the Bible for Slavs without a written language. This alphabet is still used for more than 200 million people representing over 100 languages around the world. Just this one invention has opened doors for a global education movement. Thus, as J. Warner Wallace writes, “Jesus’ followers are largely responsible for advancing literacy across the globe.”
How many books are in your home? If you’ve read a book you’ve been impacted by this educational movement. Jesus’ followers, among other things, were behind the invention of the printing press, were behind the organization of public schools and compulsory education, promoted the education of the poor, of children, and of the disabled. Within the pages of “Person of Interest,” the evidence is laid out in a way that once you see it, you can’t unsee it. It will impact the way you not only look at the venue of education but also the way you look at music and the arts and, yes, even science.
You’ll enjoy reading the depths of the research done by J. Warner Wallace and his team of researchers, highlighted by artwork done by J.W. himself. The book is easy to read even as you take in all the evidence that is recorded within its pages. And it won’t take long for you to see that Jesus matters because truth matters. And this is truth. God has orchestrated history—what is described as the “fuse”—leading up to Jesus’ arrival as the “Person of Interest,” so that His coming would be noticed. Our historical timeline is even divided by His arrival. After His arrival, the “fallout” is clear. No other person in all of history has had the impact, the influence on all venues of life as has Jesus.
Yet one of the researchers told J. Warner Wallace that Jesus doesn’t matter because He influenced the world. Jesus influenced the world because He matters. The Truth turned the world upside down!
“Person of Interest” is available now at your favorite
outlet. Be sure to pick up a copy and a study guide and stay tuned as the study
DVD will also be available soon.
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