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Welcome to Chuck's Education Ministry
Well, the title tells you a lot - some guy named "Chuck" is trying to "educate" people and he must be a Christian since this is called a "ministry." Now that you have the overall "drift" of what this all about, let's get to some details.
Like many of his peers, later teenage Chuck was really hooked on rock 'n roll and played guitar in a number of bands, but that was not a career direction. While in the last band, the drummer was seeking for answers to bigger questions than "where is the next gig"? and encouraged him to do the same. Although he had put those questions on the "back burner" for awhile, he knew it was time to seriously re-visit them. So, over the next year, Chuck looked at a number of options, began to question just about everything he had learned (not rejecting everything from his past, but seriously looking all of it over again), considered the major options, and eventually became a Christian in his mid-20's. God provided a great wife for Chuck and later two healthy daughters came along to make life even more interesting.
Chuck grew up in the home of a scientist, was trained as a Social Studies teacher, and wound up in the Christian ministry. Six and a half years were spent in located Christian ministry and another 20 years were spent as a Bible College professor. The reading and questions continue, but he is satisfied that the Christian worldview is the best one for understanding the universe and our place in it, making us into better people now, and delivering on the "hope beyond" this life.
What kind of "Education"? For centuries, Western Civilization was openly based on the Judeo-Christian worldview, meaning that the information in the Bible was foundational for the understanding of the meaning of life. However, since the early 1960's, a lot of cultural change has occurred in the United States, most significant being the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions to remove the Judeo-Christian worldview from the public arena. When the worldview foundations of a culture are removed, a good deal of turmoil and confusion follow. I believe that this is the primary root cause of the social and family turmoil we are seeing in the United States as we enter the 21st century. As the Bible says, "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3) Indeed, if the foundations of a culture are removed, it throws everybody into confusion to some degree. And in different amounts, everyone pays part of the social bill for that situation.
There are those who want to demolish the Judeo-Christian worldview, but what do they want to put in it's place and will it work "better"? Does the Judeo-Christian deserve to be rejected as a social foundation - has it really been found to be false and/or based on falsehood? On the other hand, has chemicals-to-chemists evolution really been proven and, even if it were, what are the social and personal ramifications for such a viewpoint?
To explain our origins, has evolution replaced Biblical Creation in our public education system because "reason/ evidence/ science/ truth" have conquered "superstition/ faith in unseen things/ religion/ falsehood? Or have we seen a well-orchestrated philosophical agenda infiltrate Western culture through its education systems and successfully discredit the previous view with sophistry, optimistic confidence in assumptions and proofs that time has not validated, and then seen it attempt to maintain control by using propaganda, ridicule, false claims, intimidation, and then the government to enforce its monarchy?
I have gradually come to see that the Biblical worldview was much sounder than I was taught in the post-1960 American public education system and that the philosophy of materialism and naturalism (a.k.a. "evolution") that now reigns supreme (with ACLU and Government protection) is much less valid than its supporters claim. The enforced monopoly that evolutionists now endorse in the public education system - "evolution" is the only possible answer" and fighting to prevent even "critical analysis" of evolution in the public schools should alert people that something other than "inductive science" is really going on here. Thus, the "education" offered here will attempt to supply evidence and logic supporting the Biblical worldview as valid and true, while commenting on why I believe the larger evolutionary position (given enough time, chemicals accidentally turned into people) deserves much more critical evaluation and scrutiny than it has received - I believe it false in terms of hard evidence and logic. People need to reconsider the Bible, history, science, and how we think about life and its meaning and we will look into these things.
How is this a "ministry"? - To "minister" to someone means to serve their best interests. I became a Christian because I concluded that Jesus of Nazareth was the Savior promised by God back at the beginning (Genesis 3:14-15) and I want to promote His cause - helping people to understand that their separation from God can be repaired and that forgiveness and eternal life are available through faith in Him. To those who ridicule Christianity, I can only say that my life has been repaired and my thinking (about science, history, and my social/personal life) dramatically improved as I have approached the same issues I dealt with before from a Biblical perspective.
Teaching can be a ministry to people, especially if it is focused on helping others understand life. Ideas are important! Those who teach/explain/advocate ideas play a major role in human culture and individual lives, because people walk, talk, and act in accordance with what they think and believe about reality. Teachers who clearly advocate solid, time-tested, and noble truths can greatly benefit those who listen to them. However, there are also "teachers" who are more concerned with their own careers and perpetuating cultural orthodoxy, whatever that may be at the time. Teachers can have a big hand in building a better society - or a worse one! Social structures don't just "break down," they can also be actively assaulted, damaged, and demolished by saboteurs and I believe this has been going on. The only good response to bad ideas are better ideas and that is my concern - to share truth and time-tested beneficial ideas with those willing to think about reality and their place in it. I am convinced that MOST people (although with varying amounts of sincerity/commitment) want to think clearly and understand reality (few consciously desire to be deceived). In 300 years, what eventually came to be called the United States grew to be the most powerful nation on earth upon the Judeo-Christian worldview. However, since the early 1960's, the ACLU and U.S. Supreme Court have worked to end the role of the Judeo-Christian worldview and in only 40 years we have seen the Public Education system shift toward endorsing a philosophy of meaninglessness - based on old Greek materialism and naturalism - and degree of social decline that has occurred in just 40 years is hard to ignore. Thus, the church must become an "education" center again - secular society will not pass on much moral wisdom to anyone, nor will it critique its own foundational assumptions and pet philosophies. This website is intended to contribute to the search for real truth and meaning for those who are seeking it.
"Heavy Thinking" Required? - If you are new to thinking about such things, "don't panic" because all of us already believe something about (1) where we came from, (2) why we are here, and (3) where we are headed. Actually, these three questions are the foundational philosophical issues that people have been wondering about as long as humanity has been around and you really aren't doing much valuable "thinking" if these questions don't occupy a central place in your search for meaning. Sadly, most folks do not spend much time sorting through and examining the bits and pieces of ideas that come their way and assembling a high-quality and consistent worldview - we just gradually "collect" ideas and experiences and throw them into a bag and live with the mixture. On the other hand, there is so much data out there to make sense of and so many suggested approaches, that it would be pretty easy to throw up your hands and say "forget it, everybody can just believe what they want" and try to find out where the next party is being held! Like any problem, "ignorance" (being unaware - all of us are ignorant in different areas) can be corrected, but you have to work through it in stages - its called "learning" and we will try to help you to get a better grip on what is real and true. The question is NOT "if" we will think about these things, but rather "how sound" our thinking on these things is.
On this website - A number of things are going to be offered on this website, but where should you begin? Unless you already have a solid Christian background, I would suggest you start in the "Worldview" category, as it will help you to understand the "worldview" concept. Everyone has a "worldview" - an imaginary picture in their mind about the universe, this planet, and the meaning of life - but how did they assemble it? Where did the pieces of our worldview come from and are they consistent with each other and external evidence? In general, what are the "worldview options" - the various major ways that people think about reality (and what does each view assume and base its reasoning on?). Actually, you will find that there aren't that many "basic worldviews" available - less than a dozen and most of what we encounter are rag-tag variations on one of these basic viewpoints or combinations of elements from these. Once we lay each one out on the table, you will begin to see the basic choices and start to appreciate why certain assumptions logically lead to certain conclusions. You will probably find "your view" in there somewhere and begin to wonder about how sound it is. Again, "don't panic" because there are good answers to find, but people usually don't see the need to look for better answers until they realize that the ones they already have might not be the best.
Then, there is a section on the Bible - how it came to us, introductory information and a "journey" that will give you a good overview of what the Bible is all about, and some more detailed information about Bible and Theology issues that have often been the source of differences. Is Christianity Credible? will deal with issues of apologetics - defending the Biblical view and raising needed questions about the position of Christianity's opponents. I have found that, over the last 300 years, the Bible and Christianity have taken a lot of hits from people working from the French Enlightenment's viewpoint, but rarely does their position (and assumptions) get much critical analysis. I am in favor of critical and rational thought being directed at the Biblical worldview, but I am also in favor of putting non-Christian views under the microscope also. Why do most people simply assume that Bible Critics are objective, open-minded truth-seekers, when, in fact, they may be driven by their own unproven assumptions and philosophical agendas?
The Restoration Herald is a journal put out by one of several organizations associated with the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. Chuck has been writing a monthly apologetics column for this journal since January of 2002 and all of his past articles are available.
Alternatives Analyzed is a discussion of "roads not taken" - other viewpoints and religious systems that Chuck looked at and decided not to follow. This is not to say that there is no truth in other systems, but most Christians have had to sort through the options (that they grew up in or heard about from others). It is not Chuck's intention to "bash" (unfairly assault) other religions or "versions of Christianity," but there are issues of doctrine and practice that differ and have created confusion and division and these should not be ignored. While I believe that some "multi-culturists" and "pluralists" (all views are equally valid) have good intentions, such an approach either doesn't take any of the other views seriously or masks an elitist arrogance towards all other views. It seems that a number of these folks preach "tolerance" (acceptance?) at Christians as they bash conservative Christianity whenever possible. Chuck has been on the journey long enough to understand that there is no inherent value in being so "open-minded" that your brains fall out or that you overlook clear wrong-doing and false teaching.
So, thank you for reading this far. We hope that you browse the rest of the site and find some things that will stimulate your own thinking. Along the way, we hope that you find some answers to some of your questions.
"Jesus is the answer," but that will only make sense after we get the right questions sorted out and on the table. Happy trails!
A Ministry of Severn Christian Church (Severn, Maryland) Unless otherwise noted, all material produced by Charles E. McCoy All Scripture citations/quotations from the New American Standard Bible
Email Chuck at: chuck@severnchristian.org
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Who is "Chuck"? - Chuck McCoy comes from a long line of
Scotch-Irish ancestors and was born in Indiana in 1949. During the
previous 55+ years, he has lived in Indiana, Iowa, Arkansas,
Michigan, South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and now Maryland.
No, all of that moving around was not to avoid paying bills!
Moving with family, moving for education, jobs, etc. figure in, but
living in so many different states in the United States and visiting
Canada, Mexico, Scotland, Ireland, and a number of the Caribbean
islands has given him an appreciation for how similar (in spite of
cultural differences) people are. Formal education includes:
12 years of public schooling in which Chuck did far less than he was
capable of (God bless those who tried to teach me something - some
of it got through my thick skull), a bachelor's degree in Secondary
Education (Social Studies) from Western Michigan University, another
bachelor's degree from Great Lakes Christian College, and a Master
of Arts degree in Religion from Eastern New Mexico University.
Upon that foundation, his own study and experience have added quite
a bit. 