How to Know the Future

April 11, 2023April 10, 2023 by Mark Eckel

To preserve any kind of future,

You plant what you want to harvest.

To find out how, watch our Truth in Two (full text below). Don’t miss the “Afterword”!

Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (webs ite). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat

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Recently I was asked, “What do you think the future of America will be?”

Since I was talking with a farmer, my response was “seeds.”

I continued, “The biblical concept ‘you will reap what you sow’ always comes to mind. What is true for individuals is also true for institutions, organizations, and countries. What America sows, she will also reap.” What anyone desires for their future depends on the kind of planting they are doing in the present.

Any kind of future harvest one desires, depends on the seeds one is sowing now. And everyone is sowing seeds. Personally, my investment in the future comes in the form of influential ideas. My gift is as a preservatist; I am trying to conserve the great ideas and ideals passed down to me, passing those ideas on to others. It is my hope as a writer and teacher that influential ideas such as liberty, justice, courage, wisdom, and charity will influence individuals and institutions.

But the thing about sowing seed is you have to wait for the harvest. I can be pleasantly surprised by immediate results; except my view, is the long view. I believe in what Proverbs 11.18 calls “sowing seeds of righteousness” which will produce good fruit into the future.

There are times when people ask me, “Why don’t you speak on a certain social topic or examine specific cultural issues?” My response is always the same. I plant seeds of true Truth so that whatever audience hears my words, those seeds of thought will bear fruit in the lives of those who listen. When I am in my church, I teach or preach directly from Scripture. When I am in public, my declarations often come in the form of application, of biblical wisdom – direct and indirect – in my time and place; so that when I am gone, new growth will arise from those seeds.

For Truth in Two this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth and planting seeds of truth, wherever it’s possible.

AFTERWORD It is important to say that no one can “know the future” with any surety (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 “you never know,” 3x). Beyond that obvious statement, the Proverbial ideal is expressed in a way that one can know the future of any endeavor by knowingly planting what a person wants to harvest. If I want a crop of beans, I don’t plant radish seeds. In the same way, if I desire broadminded, thoughtful students, I plant a large garden with many points of view. The future of America, of any country, depends on what seeds are sown in the lives of an educated populace. If one is always taught their country is “bad,” young people will likely care little to defend it. If one is always told a religious group is “false,” students may assume the viewpoint has nothing to offer. If a person is always informed that one way of thinking is “wrong,” the individual will tend to belittle the perspective. The future of countries, universities, institutions, companies, or neighborhoods is based on who teaches what is taught, and how any subject is taught, in the present.

Resurrection, No Doubt!

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Mark Eckel

I will always respect doubt and doubters.

But the work of Dr. Gary Habermas puts the truth

about the resurrection beyond any reasonable doubt.

Watch our Truth in Two to find out why (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Room for Doubt (2018)

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I vividly remember the example he gave. The professor began a timeline of resurrection events by walking from the front to the back of the auditorium and then out the door to make his point. Gary Habermas came to the campus of IUPUI in the spring of 2018. Habermas is considered to be the authority on the historical veracity, the space-time truthfulness of the resurrection. Habermas’ numerous books, peer reviewed journal articles, and lectures are the standards by which, doubters must measure their questioning, of Jesus’ physically rising from the dead.

What was the point Habermas was making by walking out the door? Habermas contends that the resurrection accounts were written not decades later, not years later, not months later, not even days later but the accounts of Jesus rising from the dead were being written within hours of the event. What is so unique about Habermas’ approach to the historical resurrection of Jesus, is that he only allows himself the criteria his critics allow to be true. His approach has revolutionized both the apologetic field and all of religious studies. You can find a like to Gary’s approach at the end of this Truth in Two.

I have great respect for doubt and those who do not believe what I do about Jesus. But you cannot say that you have properly addressed the evidence until you have researched and read the copious work of Gary Habermas on the resurrection. Ultimately, it is the honesty of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 that is so obvious: if Jesus is not risen from the dead our faith and preaching is in vain and we are of all people to be most pitied. But scholars such as Gary Habermas have taken the case and have shown beyond all reasonable doubt, He is Risen!

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, repeating the Truth of Scripture with Christians around the world: He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Habermas_ITQ-2015-Bergeron.pdf (garyhabermas.com)

The Cost of Lies

March 29, 2023 by Mark Eckel

How many lives will be lost

From our lies, the human cost.

Find out how lies ruin individuals and institutions in our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat, Wikipedia

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“What is the cost of lies?” This is one of the key concerns in the five-part 2019 miniseries Chernobyl. Some may remember the nuclear accident that occurred on Russian soil in 1986. If you have not seen the program, I highly recommend it, as a universal, human warning. The story is told, much like Apollo 13: we already know the ending. But the narrative is so well told, it deserves its 96% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The viewer feels every character’s emotion.

Yet, the case of Chernobyl is not simply about a nuclear accident – as horrendous as that event was for the people who lived it. If I were to summarize the miniseries, I could do so in one word: lies. For those who know something of the old U.S.S.R. or The Soviet Union, you may remember that this was one of many totalitarian regimes during the 20^th century. Like all dictatorial rule, those at the top want to keep everyone in line. Everything is controlled, even words. And the words used by the managers of the Communist regime were lies, lies to deceive, lies to cover up, lies to control.

Toward the end of the last episode, the main character, one of the key figures involved in the actual events, says this about his country,

“Our lies are practically what define us. When the truth offends, we lie, and lie, until we can no longer remember truth is even there. Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid.”

When I spoke earlier about a “universal human warning” I was not speaking of nuclear power. I was speaking of the power of telling the truth, standing against lies. Every individual, every people group, everywhere, will at some point confront the cost of telling the truth. At Chernobyl, the cost can be counted in human lives. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking and telling the truth, wherever it’s found.

Pride Before the Fall

March 21, 2023 by Mark Eckel

What can Dr. Seuss teach us?

A lot, as it turns out.

Why? How? Discover the answer by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat, Wikipedia

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“Would you rather have me give a 45-minute speech on pride, or read Yertle the Turtle in five minutes?” I ask my students after reading the story. It’s no surprise. After I read Yertle the Turtle to my college students, they request Dr. Seuss, not a lecture, every time. I read the story from a large, hard-cover book, holding it high, so all can see the illustrations, just as I would, if I were reading to my grandchildren.

The story of Yertle teaches us that position, power, and pride can usurp freedom, rights, and care for others. Yertle is a turtle king. He is not satisfied with where he is in the pond. He says,

“With this stone for a throne, I look down on my pond / But I cannot look down on the places beyond.”

So, Yertle commands the turtles to create a stack so he can climb on their backs, in his words,

“If I could sit high, how much greater I’d be!”

He is higher, until, a plain turtle named Mack questions the whole enterprise. In case you’ve never read the story I will leave out any spoilers.

But beyond the obvious message, is the way the story is told. Seuss created memorable characters in King Yertle and Mack. The illustrations are pure Seuss – wonky and wonderful. But I believe it is the poetry that best captures attention. Rhyming is signature Seuss. But rhyming can close the loop on understanding, as primary teachers know full well.

There is a reason I have been reading this same story over and over again for years. The teaching is timeless. But most important to me is the universal concept that words have power, and the power of words can dethrone a king’s arrogance. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, personally seeking the power of words, to tell the truth.

You Don’t Know Anything Yet

March 14, 2023 by Mark Eckel

In education today, some will be aghast at what I say here.

But in their hearts, they will know it’s true.

And this one is for The Church too. Find out why. Watch our Truth in Two (full text and link below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat

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During my high school teaching I would sometimes begin a unit of study with a freewheeling debate about a topic. The discussions were always lively. Students were excited to express their opinions, though they had little substantive knowledge about the subject. At some point during the proceedings, I would cut off the chatter so we could begin our study. Inevitably, one student would speak for the rest of the class, saying, “Why can’t we keep discussing this?” And every time, I would say the same thing, “Because you don’t know anything yet.”

I was reminded of these memories when I read Richard Osmer’s 1997 article, “The Case for Catechism.” A link to the essay can be found in this Truth in Two. [Below] A catechism is a teaching program designed to train church people to address fundamental beliefs, which would lead them to think Christianly about all things. As Osmer says,

“To put it simply, you cannot think, speak or act unless you have something to think, speak or act with. Unless explicit attention is given to the acquisition of biblical and theological knowledge, the members of the church will not be capable of using the faith, to interpret their lives or their world. They will employ concepts from other areas of life in which they do have competence.”

So important do I view Catechismal instruction, that in the 1990’s I wrote a catechism for my children which has been used in various venues since then. Christian parents and churches should commit themselves to the next generation by training them in biblical knowledge. The apostle Paul said it best in Colossians 1:28,

“Jesus we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

The Case for Catechism – Religion Online (religion-online.org)

Condoleezza Rice: Commemorating Women’s History Month

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Mark Eckel

A woman who needs little introduction:

Condoleezza Rice

Watch our Truth in Two to find out more about this great woman (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat

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At the start of Women’s History month, I want to focus attention on a woman of multiple life roles and many talents: Condoleezza Rice. Dr. Rice is a brilliant scholar, diplomat, political scientist, and is currently the director of the Hoover Institute at Stanford University. She helped to guide the United States through its response to terrorism immediately following September 11^th. Dr. Rice served as the National Security Advisor – the first woman to do so – during President George W. Bush’s first term. She then served as the U.S. Secretary of State, during Bush’s second term, the first female African American to do so. Beyond her service to America, Rice served as Provost at Stanford University, again, as the first African American woman.

Rice was told during her teenage years that she was not college material. Condoleezza went on to earn her PhD and became one of the most prominent women of her generation. Rice is also an avid football fan, part of the Denver Broncos ownership group, and is considered to be a concert pianist.

Reading Condoleezza’s book Extraordinary, Ordinary People, I was struck by the acclaim she gave to her parents. Condoleezza’s dad and mom raised her in the Christian faith. She gives them gratitude for all her opportunities and beyond that, their positive spirit. The attitude, the spirit, of Rice’s life is nowhere better explained than when she wrote about racism in her book.

The fact is, race is a constant factor in American life. Yet reacting to every incident, real or imagined, is crippling, tiring, and ultimately counterproductive. I’d grown up in a family that believed you might not control your circumstances, but you could control your reaction to them.

I can think of no better way to begin Women’s History Month than to honor Dr. Condoleezza Rice. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

A Turning Point in My Life

February 21, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Why do I teach?

For moments like this.

Find out what that moment was with our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat

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Students from the past write to me from time to time, rehearsing a fond event they remember most. Here is one example of a student memory that should cause a smile, and perhaps create a lesson. In the student’s own words:

One of my favorite memories from your high school sophomore class begins with you assigning us to interpret the worldview of a song of our choosing. As a joke (because I took nothing seriously and fancied myself so incredibly funny), I picked Disney’s “When You Wish Upon a Star,” thinking I’d gamed the system by choosing something apolitical and comically benign. When I received your grading of my interpretation, I was surprised to see that you took me seriously. You’d told me I’d made a good choice and wrote some critiques about how I could have said a little more here and there about the song’s message.

It was then that a light bulb went on. I realized you believed “When You Wish Upon a Star” communicated a serious message. I realized your belief was correct. I realized something I’d thought communicated nothing, had in fact, preached a very meaningful message. I realized there was no such thing as benign media; everything is preaching something. It was a serious turning point in my life. To this day, I can’t say the words, “authorial intent” without thinking of you.

I am so pleased for the testimony of this student. He is one of many. But it is not the personal acclaim that is so exciting. What makes me so pleased is that the student discovered my mission as a teacher: do your own thinking and own your belief. Yes, the *light bulb* came on for him, a clear indication of ownership. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth – especially from students – wherever it’s found.

Love as Crucifixion?

February 14, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Imagine the phrase “Crucify Yourself,”

as a Valentine’s Day card.

Find out why that is the Christian message by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat

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My brother-in-law, Larry Renoe, has been a pastor for decades. In his many years of shepherding God’s people, Larry has performed scores of weddings. Of all his marriage homilies I have heard about, none ranks higher in my estimation than this one-of-a-kind tagline: “You know your marriage is working when it feels like a slow way to be crucified.”

Marriage as crucifixion. Wow. Why is that statement so unsettling? During the Roman era, crucifixion was used as a tool of torture and propaganda. A person was hung or nailed to a cross to die an excruciating, long, drawn out death. A victim could live for hours, days, or sometimes, weeks, often dying of dehydration, starvation, or asphyxia. Propaganda enters the crucifixion description because the soldiers would crucify people in public places. 6000 rebels were crucified along the Apian Way, for instance, after the famous Spartacus revolt. “If you don’t obey the Roman empire, this could happen to you!” was the visual reminder of dead and dying, crucified rebels, along one of the most public thoroughfares in the ancient world.

But still, marriage as crucifixion? The biblical record is clear. The Christian response to life should always be one of self-denial, death-to-self, and sacrifice on behalf of others. Jesus said it best, “If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must take up his cross and follow me.” For the Christian, relationships of any kind – marriage included – are a daily dying to self, our testimony to others of Christ’s love. So, on Valentine’s Day, perhaps we should not expect gifts of cards, candy, or flowers. Perhaps, we should remember that love is costly, love is a sacrifice, and love is the crucifixion of oneself.

For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.

3 Black Public Intellectuals

February 7, 2023February 7, 2023 by Mark Eckel

These three men have deeply influenced

how I think as an academic.

Find out why by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat, Pixabay.com, Google Images, SnappyGoat.com, Unsplash.com, Public Domain Images, piqsels.com

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What does it mean to be a “public intellectual?” People who shape cultural change through their conversations about ideas. I want to introduce our Truth in Two viewers to a few public intellectuals who have, and continue to, shape my life.

(1) Thomas Sowell. Sowell grew up in Harlem and served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. Sowell is a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute. Sowell’s ideas have taken root in the soil of the next generation. Sowell has written over thirty books, over forty years of weekly writings. Hundreds of Sowell’s interviews can be found on YouTube. The lifetime impact of Thomas Sowell can be read in the book, Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell.

(2) Robert Woodson. Woodson was born in Philadelphia. Woodson is an Air Force veteran and has a long history in the Civil Rights movement. Woodson has brought together a cadre of black scholars who create transformational ideas. Together, they believe that the country best able to deliver opportunities for success is the United States of America. 1776 Unites has created curriculum to teach both the history of our country and its opportunities for people today.

(3) Glenn Loury. Loury is a descendent of slaves, grew up on Chicago’s south side and is now an eminent economist who teaches at Brown University. Loury’s podcast “The Glenn Show” deals with all manner of cultural ideas. Loury’s self-description, speaks for itself: [Quote] I am an economist who believes in the virtue of free enterprise. I am a patriot who loves his country. I am a man of the West, an inheritor of its great traditions. As an intellectual, I seek to know the truth, and to speak truths I have been given to know. [End quote]

I couldn’t have said it better myself. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking public intellectuals who point to truth wherever it’s found.

Maverick | MarkEckel.com

https://markeckel.com/2022/02/22/1776unites-com/

Welcome to 1776 Unites | A movement FOR America

The Case For Black Patriotism by Glenn C. Loury | Articles | First Things

3 Ways I Work with Ideas

January 30, 2023 by Mark Eckel

Ideas are the lifeblood of thinking & writing.

But what do we do when we can’t think about everything?

Find out by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

Pictures: Josh Collingwood, SnappyGoat

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I once had a supervisor – my department head – who said of me,

“Mark has so many good ideas it is a shame that he will not be able to act on them all.”

Ever since his statement I have reminded myself of its wisdom: I can’t do it all. If you’re like me, not being able to address every concern, every cultural moment, is frustrating. There are so many ideas hitting my radar all at once. Simply stated, I cannot comment on everything. If I care about so many ideas, what do I do? I find others with whom I agree, while I do my work.

The Heterodox Academy, for example, is a group of professors, of which I am a member, that speaks on behalf of viewpoint diversity. Jonathan Haidt, who started Heterodox, writes, and speaks for free inquiry in the university.

Salvo magazine, an online Christian worldview platform, constantly points its readership to creation ordinances, embedded in the created cosmos. I and others write for this platform because we believe in its mission: “debunking cultural myths that have undercut human dignity.”

It is that human dignity which forms the basis for The School of Liberal Arts, in the university setting where I teach. I work and write in the world of liberal arts because I believe in the humanness of the humanities, foundational thinking coming from my Hebraic-Christian views of life. It is in the university where I can help students wrestle with great ideas.

Yes, I have so many ideas, that I cannot speak to all of them. But I have the unique opportunity to interact with young minds who have great ideas. I write and teach in the liberal arts because I believe our Comenius tagline: ideas change people, people change a culture. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth in ideas wherever they are found.