An Areopagus Apologia

A couple of years ago I received a call from the minister of education in a church where I was teaching a course. He was interested to know how I thought things were going, and I responded that as far as I knew, everything was fine – there seemed to be quite a lot of interest, there were some interesting discussions, etc. After a minute or so he mentioned that the church staff had heard several comments about the class, but one person in particular had left them mystified when she remarked, "Dr. Breshears talks to us like we’re intelligent!" The minister of education went on to say, "Now we [the staff] are all wondering what she meant by that. What’s that supposed to say about us?" I just chuckled and changed the subject – it seemed imprudent to point out any obvious implications.

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An Areopagus Retrospective

The Areopagus was founded in 2003 by Dr. Jefrey Breshears as a Christian education teaching ministry. For several years Dr. Breshears had taught seminars on Christian history, apologetics, and cultural issues in various Atlanta-area churches, and the Areopagus was established with the intention of creating a Christian study center that would function as a community of scholars, students, and spiritual seekers as well as an apologetics-based networking center for the metro-Atlanta area. Dr. Breshears chose the name “The Areopagus” for its significance in the ministry of the apostle Paul as he propagated the gospel among learned Greeks in the city of Athens (ref. Acts 17:19) and because of its historical connotation as an intersection of Christian faith and secular culture.

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Christianity and a Culture in Crisis

Throughout most of the 20th century American Christians essentially forfeited the cultural war through a lethal combination of apathy, laziness, misplaced priorities, myriad distractions, lack of faith, and cowardice. Today, the consequences are apparent as we witness the erosion of Christian influence in virtually every area of contemporary life from law and politics to business, education, the media, public ethics, private morality, the arts and entertainment, and lifestyles in general.

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Why Study Chrisitan History?

According to recent surveys of college students, about half were raised attending church “regularly” or “semi-regularly,” yet more than 85% are functionally illiterate when it comes to the Bible and 95% have virtually no understanding of Christian history. Among college graduates who are church members, nearly 85% are clueless regarding the origins of their own particular church and/or denomination. And even among relatively well-educated and active church members, relatively few know much about Christian history between the close of the New Testament and the present other than some random facts related to the Crusades, the Inquisition, or the Reformation.

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The Ministry of the Watchman: Restoring a Vital Missing Link in the Ministry of the Church

Any church that is spiritually healthy will be socially relevant and culturally attuned. Such churches understand that a wholistic approach to ministry requires that they educate, equip, and motivate their members not only spiritually but intellectually for the challenges that confront contemporary Christians. A vital aspect of a wholistic and integrated ministry – and a fatal missing link in the ministry of most churches – is a watchman-style ministry that informs Christians regarding the significant social, political, and cultural issues of our day, and inspires and motivates them to get actively involved in promoting the cause of decency and civility in the midst of our increasingly pluralistic and dysfunctional society.

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