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- [00:02]
A
Welcome to breakpoint this week. I'm Maria Baer. John is off this week, so we decided to do something a little different. Every week we talk about issues of the week from a Christian worldview, but something we often hear from you, our listeners, is, so what can I do about it this week on breakpoint this week, there's something very practical that can help you live out your faith with confidence, clarity, and courage. Thanks for joining us.
- [00:29]
B
Welcome to breakpoint this week, I'm Pete Mara, the chief operating officer at the Colson center, sitting in for John and Maria. Wars, gender confusion, the sanctity of life, these issues and so many more are parts of the conversations that we have every day here on breakpoint. But what can you do about them? I mean, how can you prepare for this cultural moment that God has placed you in? Well, at the Coulson center, we believe a great way for you to prepare and strengthen your calling as a Christian and is to go through the Colson Fellows Program. Now, you've heard about the Fellows program often here on breakpoint, but today we wanted to do something a little different by giving you the opportunity to hear from Colson Fellows themselves. Today we're going to hear from Terry Ferton, the assistant principal of academics at the King's Academy in San Jose, California, as well as Steve Lindsay, the director of vocational discipleship and founder of Faith and Work in Los Angeles, California, and Alex Vargas, an attorney specializing in finance and litigation from Texas. Thank you all for joining us. Now, before we get started, the first thing I want to know is what attracted you to the Fellows Program? Terry, let's start with you.
- [01:39]
A
Jesus became the Lord of my life when I was in college. And at that time I listened to Christian radio, talk radio, and the Chuck Colson Minute would always come on. So that was foundational information for me. I am presently an assistant principal of academics at the King's Academy in Sunnyvale, California. It's my second year. I worked directly with teachers, and part of my role here was an intentional creation of somebody helping teachers learn how to integrate worldview into their teaching. So that feels like a direct outflow of maybe part of why God had me go through the program. But I was 30 years almost in public schools teaching and then a principal, and then and the year we were returning to instruction, 2021, I was principal of a school and I did the Colson Fellows Program because in the years leading up to that, I just noticed that my teachers were bringing in a whole lot of ideas and doing things under my watch that I Had no idea were creeping in. An example of that was I thought we were about social justice and how I was defining that word was biblical justice, you know, from James 1:27. And really learning through the Colson Fellows program and beyond, like, that's not how the world is defining those words. And so the summer 2020, I was like, what in the world is happening? Where are the Christians? Where is the church? And so I pulled out How Now Shall We Live? I read it like 20 years ago, and at the back it talked about the Centurion program. So I looked into it and then it was too late to apply for that year, but I did it the following year.
- [03:16]
B
Now, Terri, you'd been a Christian for a long time and a faithful follower of Jesus, so what shifted in you that caused you to pull that book out and get engaged in the program?
- [03:27]
A
There were some left leaning trends happening in our church and we were trying to lean into those. And really I just felt like alone as a thinker and as a Christian. And I'm like, where are my people? Right? And the people that used to be my people had also made some changes in their seeing things, I think from a secular worldview. And I didn't know that that's what was happening. But there were just issues firing left and right in and outside of the school. Race, gender, all of that. And so I called my Christian college because I called the education program, like, hey, what can I read? Like, where do I go? What do I do? And they recommended all the books that are not from a Christian worldview perspective. You know, be the bridge and stuff like that. And I'm like, this can't be, you know, where do I go? And really that's what attracted me to the Colson Fellows Program.
- [04:24]
B
Alex, I'm curious, from your standpoint, I mean, what led you to start the program?
- [04:28]
C
I had been listening to Breakpoint for many years. I loved listening to first Chuck Colson and then it was John Stonestreet and understanding the Christian worldview, it really meant something to me to understand how to interpret what was happening in the world. And I had been wanting to do the Coulson Fellows Program for a long time, but it used to be a national cohort and eventually I found one that was in Dallas, so I took the chance to do it.
- [04:55]
B
Well, I'm glad that you found a cohort in Dallas. I mean, we have around 90 plus cohorts throughout the country. How did you like that experience in the local cohort?
- [05:04]
C
I loved it. One of the great things about it Is that you think sometimes that you're the only Christian where your church is the only church where there are Christians who care about these cultural issues that affect everybody. But when you go to a cohort, a local cohort, you get to meet Christians from your city, from a different church who also care about these issues. And it's really encouraging. And I made a lot of friends through it.
- [05:29]
B
So, Steve, I'm curious. How did you discover the fellows program?
- [05:32]
D
Well, I always had this deep, deep hunger to apply my faith to all of my life, especially when I was thinking about vocation. I spent 35 years as an aerospace engineer, manager, eventually executive. And I always wanted to know that the engineering work that I did counted for the kingdom of God. I knew cognitively it was supposed to practically. What did that mean? I always struggled with. So the whole themes that Colson promotes about all of life, all worldview that's comprehensive, all those kind of things always deeply resonated with me. So when we decided to start to form and launch a faith and work ministry for the purpose of helping people in their work lives, bring that more into the lordship of Christ and have a sense of God's presence and purpose in all of it and direction, going through Colson program just look like the perfect opportunity to go deeper with all these resources that we've appreciated all these years. So that was kind of a launch pad for us.
- [06:44]
B
Now, if I understand correctly, Steve, you did not go through this program alone, that you had some help, right?
- [06:50]
D
Well, my wife took the program with me. I think you're asking that in tongue in cheek. Yeah, yeah, she, and. And she's. She's the smarter of the two. So that. That presented a lot of blessing and spurred me on.
- [07:03]
B
Well, I was also blessed to go through the program with my wife, and it was an absolute blessing for both of us. But Steve, what would you say to somebody who is thinking about doing the program together with their spouse?
- [07:16]
D
I think it's a tremendous blessing. We did the readings together, so we would interact about what we were reading, which I found the learning process to be enriched as well, as it brought us more on the same page in terms of perspective and thinking through things that affected our work. My wife started a couple of nonprofits on her own. She's an artist, has been involved in impacting the art community. She partners with me in the center for Faith and Work that we're involved in. And our family lives have been enriched. We're recent grandparents. Our investment in our kids, families and the upcoming generation, we're just find ourselves very much in sync with our priorities, what we're trying to leave as a legacy and bless our families and friends with.
- [08:09]
B
Let's take a break and when we come back, you'll hear about the fellowship and community that is such a big part of the Fellows program. You're listening to breakpoint this week. I don't want you to miss out on this chance to give your child a bold, winsome and lifelong faith here at Breakpoint. We love Summit Ministries. John and his family have been there every summer for over a decade. Summit is training young adults 13 to 22 to know the truth. They discuss abortion, gender identity, how we can trust the Bible, and even the age old questions like if God is good, why is there evil? But it's not just about getting apologetic answers. Summit students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today's world. But here's the problem. Their sessions are almost full for the summer and their early bird pricing ends March 31st. Visit summit.orgbreakpoint and lock in the early bird rate to save a total of $500 for in person conferences. When you use code BREAKPOINT, don't wait. Equip your child to stand strong, speak with courage and live with unshakeable faith. Visit summit.orgbreakpoint today. We're back on Breakpoint this week with a look at a way for you to put what you hear on Breakpoint into practice through the Colson Fellows Program. Now, a big part of the program is belonging to a cohort. These cohorts are localized groups of people that you get to join with and meet with every month. So, Alex, I'm curious, how would you describe those monthly meetings?
- [09:38]
C
That was the thing I enjoyed the most, the monthly meetings, because it was a chance to talk about what we were learning. And I remember we would stay afterwards, the meeting would be over and I would stay after with some friends and continue talking about the things that we had been learning. But I also really enjoyed the readings, the books, being challenged to really understand what it means to live as a Christian in this world. Honestly, I love the whole program, so I can't really pick one thing that was better than everything else. But I really did enjoy the monthly meetings.
- [10:11]
B
Well, how would you describe your local cohort?
- [10:14]
C
Some people were like me and I'm still friends with them and some were not like me. But I love that about it because I think it really reflects the body of Christ. Not everybody's the same and he calls different people to himself. The great thing about it was that there are people who are like you there that you can become friends with, and even the people who aren't like you as Christians, you still connect with them.
- [10:34]
B
Yeah, it is fantastic. Both the friends and the fellowship that you get to make and the fact you get to stay in contact with them is tremendous. So, Terry, now I understand that you became a cohort director after you finished the program. How did you prepare for that?
- [10:48]
A
Yeah, I would say that we plan discussions of some of the reading materials. We do some question and answer. Like, hey, what came up in the program that you want to talk about? We pray together. We just dig into each other's lives a little bit. Because what we find in that cohort is people say, like, these are my people. Like, not a lot of Christians want to read and think deeply like this often enough for people who do. And I don't mean that to sound judgmental. I just think it's a different breed. And I've always been interested in, like, discernment ministry and, like, really making. Making sure we're guarding the truth. So in those cohort meetings, it's about just getting to know what's in front of you, who's in your life, what's on your heart, you know, what's grieving you, what can you do, where you are. And so the nature of the cohort meetings is not just, hey, let's talk about what we read and, like, say, yeah, and we're right. Right. It's not that. It's, hey, how are people thinking? And how can we ask good questions to open up conversations? And ultimately, the goal is to leave a pebble in their shoe and just. And cause them wonder about Christ, about beauty, about what's true, what's good. All those questions just keep coming back to, hey, where can we concede points that are. That are fair, that are criticisms of the church or Christians or whatever and. And not get tribal? Right? The. The quote, the kingdom isn't coming on Air Force One. Right. It's not going to be resolved by politics. It is the church. We are his plan A. There's not a plan B. And so what does God have for you right now in your neighborhood? Those are the conversations we talk through and pray through in our cohort meetings.
- [12:32]
B
Let's take another short break. You're listening to breakpoint this week.
- [12:39]
D
Hi, I'm Dave from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I grew up in the church, but left when I was 19. I stayed away for the next 50 years when I lost my wife to a heart attack. The church helped me through My grief
- [12:52]
B
and I realized my deeper need for the Lord.
- [12:55]
D
I was listening to Breakpoint commentaries and subsequently became a Colson Fellow. I felt led to invest in the kingdom through the Colson center because the mission is too important to ignore. Please prayerfully consider joining myself and over a thousand others in becoming a CornerStone partner.
- [13:14]
B
Visit colsoncenter.org cornerstone welcome back to Breakpoint this week. I'm Pete Mara, the Chief Operating officer of the Colson center and I'm joined by Colson Fellows Alex Vargas, Steve Lindsay and Terry Ferton. Now you've all mentioned some major benefits that you received from the Fellows program. Steve, what would you say was the pinnacle of the Fellows program for you and your family?
- [13:38]
D
You know, probably at the time we were being challenged to do a three year plan for something you would take from the program that would advance God's kingdom in your own life and influence. And we actually came up with a five year plan for the center for Faith and Work LA and interacting with the leadership about that plan and being prayed over in it and realizing this wasn't just a big download of information, but it was personal application for what our lives were going to be like going forward. We found that just tremendous encouragement that the Lord was in and blessing the direction we were going, even with all our weaknesses and inadequacies and lessons yet to be learned, that was probably among the most impacting things. Secondly, I would just say, you know, we deeply resonated with a lot of the ways the Colson programs helped us articulate the what it was we were going to do. I remember reading Restoring All Things from Smith and Stone street. And at the beginning of the book they, they framed things around three questions of how do you address things that are missing, broken, underdeveloped, under emphasized good, or of things that are unjust or fallen or evil in the world? And then we applied that vocationally in our program and, and to me, I think about that all the time of life in general. Like what am I about and what's the world around me need that Christ is calling me into at a very personal day by day level as well as like the longer term trajectory of what my life's going to be about.
- [15:23]
B
That's fantastic. I'm curious, how did it help you in your church life?
- [15:28]
D
Oh yeah, probably opportunities to do discipleship in a much deeper level than we would have had had been afforded otherwise. So the relationships that we develop, the groups that we've been a part of, you know, I've taught men's groups and workplace Bible studies and done various things. I'm an elder at my church. When I'm having deep discussions with pastors or other leaders or just parishioners that are our church, I feel like the opportunities to help the church shift towards more holistic ministry and ask the deeper questions for people to find direction. God's presence and whatever they're going through and a sense of purpose and calling, direction for their life and vocation, everything is just. Just kind of amplified. And being able to articulate that and have more impact has just been a super blessing for me personally. And I trust God that it's had impact for the church over the long haul.
- [16:35]
B
Terry, what about you?
- [16:37]
A
I would add that some of the side benefits from this program is the wealth of resources and networking that you have available to you. Whether it's podcasts, webinars, books, resources. We have an app for all of us who are commissioned. You can continue to see the webinars. You can continue to learn and grow. Ask people for help. Ask people, hey, does anyone know? You know, just networking. And I would also add that if you're thinking about the time commitment of the program, you will have to give up some things, right? God gives us two things, time and talents. And it can replace some rhythms in your life. Like it will replace probably your devotional time. And the devotions are awesome. They walk you through some really amazing things to help you think about who you are, why you're here, what God has for you. And so you can find ways in your daily rhythm to complete components of the program. I would listen to webinars when I was commuting. I would do some reading while I was on my exercise bike, you know, changing how I exercised to integrate the things. But I found a way, even when I went through the program again, a principle coming back from a pandemic. Nobody wants to come to work. No one can come to work for 10 days. You know, all of that. And I also had a major surgery related to my breast cancer in the middle of it, and I still made it to all my cohort meetings, right? It's just like you do, just you. You love it, you enjoy it, you want to get as much out of it as you can. So I highly encourage it.
- [18:07]
B
Now, Alex, you had mentioned that you're an attorney in finance and litigation. Did you find the Fellows program helpful to shape you professionally?
- [18:15]
C
I think the Fellows program really affects you in every way. At least it did for me. Before the Coles and Fellows program, I had a vague understanding of the gospel of I'M a Christian and Jesus redeems me and I'm going to heaven. But the Coles and Fellows program really equips you to understand that it's really the gospel of the kingdom of God, and it affects every area of your life. It isn't just a thing you do on Sundays or even just theology. It affects how you live. So I would say professionally, the way that it affected me is that I understand that part of my job or part of my privilege as a Christian is to do this work of restoration that God has called us to do. And so in my work, I seek to pray for my co workers. I seek to represent Christ well, to uphold the law as it should be upheld. So in that way, I would say that it did affect me professionally.
- [19:17]
B
And how about as a mother? You're homeschooling boys. That can't be an easy task. How did it change your role both as a parent and for your family?
- [19:26]
C
I would say that's probably where it changed me the most, was in being able to talk to my kids about what it means to be a Christian and what God's doing on earth, how he's restoring the world, restoring all things to himself. And talking to my kids about why we do the things that we do, especially in education. Sometimes they'll say, like, oh, I'm never going to use this subject. It doesn't matter history, Nobody cares about history. And sometimes it's true that, okay, maybe this is not a thing you're going to use when you're an adult, but when you look at education as character formation, as virtue formation, as becoming more like Christ in doing things that are difficult, it really helps me to talk to my kids about what it means to be educated. It's not just consuming information and learning things for the sake of learning them. It really is to understand the world that God has created and in doing so, becoming more like him. And so that helps me have those conversations with my kids.
- [20:24]
B
It absolutely helps us have those meaningful conversations with our kids. Thanks for sharing that. Now, last question. I mean, what would you say to someone who's considering the program but not sure if they want to take part in it? Terri, let's start with you.
- [20:38]
A
Sure. In my time here, we've had several young moms go through this program and are just so grateful that they are learning and getting resources. And they have kind of a way forward, like, how do I raise my children in a way that makes them alert and aware, but not sheltering them? We currently have a young single mom with A toddler, and, you know, it's a stretch for her to find the time. She's a working professional, and. And yet she comes and she's just so poured into. The older women in our cohorts are usually like, I wish I knew this sooner. Like, that's always what you hear from people who are kind of. Yeah, my kids and grandkids are, you know, older. So as soon as someone can do it or thinks you want to do it, I would say this. It is a commitment. I'm not going to understate that it takes a lot of time. It is well worth it in terms of not just your intellectual knowledge, but, like, that's just not where it stays. It's like, what are you going to do with what you're learning? So for parents and for young people, like, here, I. I add something to our weekly newsletter, a little worldview resource for parents each week. You know, not all our parents are believers, so just, hey, here's a podcast. Hey, here's a quick something, you know, a resource. Anything that you can do to start training your mind to think. How do I talk to my kids about these things? Right. I need to be the expert on them. They need to not hear them from other sources first.
- [22:06]
B
Yeah. Preparing us to be part of the kingdom work that God's called us to is fantastic.
- [22:10]
A
Yeah. A couple years ago, we had a mom homeschooling four kids. Right. So it's not impossible. And she. She keeps talking to me. I want to start a cohort. As soon as my, you know, my baby through this, I'm like, okay.
- [22:22]
B
Yeah, that's right. So if you had an opportunity to talk to somebody that was thinking about joining the Fellows program, what would you want to say to them?
- [22:31]
A
I would say that the enemy doesn't want you to do it. The enemy wants to keep Christians in their own bubbles and in tribal thinking and in a political battle. And as CS Lewis says, we are in a civil war and we're in enemy territory. The more we can equip our minds that God has given us, if it's a reluctance about reading or thinking or I'm not a great student, or this or that. You find a way, you make a way, because it's important to you. And I just can't imagine the impact of one person going through the program who impacts some, who impacts others. Right. Start a block party in your neighborhood. People are lonely. Right. We move my dad into our home through hospice till his death. And it's like, you learn about death and dignity and you talk to people about what it means to be human so differently instead of like, the world is like, put your parents in care homes or whatever, right? Like, it's like, man, you just think differently. And you have this testimony of, I think Katie Faust said this, but, like, tee it up for me. You know, the golf tee, like, tee it up for me and I'll do it. Just what's in front of me. What can I do to fix what's broken, to come alongside what's good, right? It doesn't have to be huge and big. God never deals in big numbers and big things, right? Like, he just says, be faithful where you are. Chuck Colson says, faithfulness, not success. And that's our motto. So I would say do it. If you're being nudged, pray about it. God will make clear the obstacles if you're not to do it. Right? We don't drift toward holiness, right? We drift away from it and so find someone. Maybe that's what I did. I convinced my public school friend to do it with me. And she's still leading a prayer group monthly for public school teachers, right? And they go and pray on each other's campuses. And you just don't know what God's going to do in and through you. But you want to be a part of the kingdom work. And this is just a great broad stroke and bird's eye view of just how do you think about that?
- [24:44]
B
So, Alex, I'm curious, what advice would you give to people who are on the fence?
- [24:48]
C
I would say do it. It's life changing. For me, it was life changing. There's not another program like it out there that I know of and everybody can do it. I think people get frustrated or they get scared that they're not going to have the time or that it's going to be too difficult. And I think any Christian has a mind of Christ and so we can approach these issues and be able to understand them. I'm always talking to people about doing this program. To be honest, it's just one year of your life that really transforms the rest of your life. And what you put into it is so much lesser in a way than what you gained from it. So what you gain from this one year of work is so great because now you get to understand all of what it means to live as a Christian, to do this work of restoration, to think of, okay, I'm here now. I live in McKinney, Texas. What can I contribute? What can I fix that's broken? You start thinking that way in everything that you do. And so I would say that the work you put into it is definitely worth it because it will change your life.
- [25:54]
B
Wow. So powerful. Steve, last word from you. What would you say that's so easy?
- [25:59]
D
I already did that. My longest term friend from college, who was best man in my wedding, is in the program right now.
- [26:06]
B
That's fantastic.
- [26:08]
D
There's another couple, very longstanding couple, married couple. They're. They're kind of on the heels and I'm hoping they will sign up for the fall. And we've been pitching it to all kinds of people over the years that, yeah, big boosters for the program.
- [26:23]
B
Well, what do you think it is that, that objections that you hear that you're overcoming with your friends?
- [26:29]
D
It's usually time commitment or expense. How am I going to work this in? There's a lot of reading involved, all that kind of stuff. So, you know, we always just tell them. Everybody that had those objections, whether they're full time doctors or attorneys or business people, they come out of the program, they can't imagine not having taken the program and how much it's actually helping them with the things that they were most concerned about attending to going into the program. So we just strongly encourage people, you know, you just got to take a season out sometimes to invest for the long haul, and it's, it's going to be very well rewarded.
- [27:11]
B
Thank you again to our guests and Colson Fellows, Steve Lindsey, Alex Vargas, and Terry Ferton for sharing your stories about your life before, during, and after the Colson Fellows Program.
- [27:23]
C
Thank you.
- [27:23]
D
Great privilege to be here. Thank you for having me.
- [27:25]
B
Well, now let me introduce my friend and dean of the Colson Fellows Program, Michael Craven. Now, Michael, we just heard some great stories from people who've gone through the Colson Fellows Program who are now alumni, you know, and one of the blessings at the Colson center is we get to hear thousands of these types of stories. But what do you think is causing this explosive growth in the program right now?
- [27:48]
E
Yeah, that is the question, is it not? We welcome about 1800 students into the program each and every year. And as we do, what I hear from them is that they are looking at the world around them and they're asking a very simple but unsettling question. What on earth is happening to our culture? They recognize that the moral consensus that once shaped our civilization, the west, has unraveled at a speed that is just almost incomprehensible. And ideas that would have been unthinkable 10, 20 years ago are now Presented as unquestionable truths. The institutions that once formed our Christian understanding of reality, family, education, government, even parts of the church, are increasingly being shaped by ideas very different with respect to truth, identity, and human flourishing. And for many of these Christians, the realization produces a much deeper and more personal question, namely, this quiet recognition that perhaps we have never really been equipped for this moment. We see people each and every year. They love Jesus, they love the scriptures, and they deeply desire to live faithfully. But many of them will admit that they lack the theological depth, worldview, clarity, and spiritual formation that is necessary to understanding the times and living wisely. And I would add, faithfully in this moment, in this cultural moment. And that realization felt by so many thoughtful Christians, and I'm talking about serious minded Christians, that tends to be our student population, is precisely why this program exists. And it reminds me of something that Chuck said many years ago. He said, Christians often spend a great deal of time complaining about the darkness of the culture, but we rarely stop to ask why the light has grown dim. And when we start to ask that question, we begin to make some discoveries because our tendency is to think the problem is out there. It's the culture that and those people that are currently shaping, leading, and guiding our culture. But I would argue that Chuck is exactly right. The darkness has grown because the light has dimmed. And there are some good reasons for that. And we can talk about that.
- [30:03]
B
Yeah, but I think you're touching on one of the things that makes the program so strong and successful, which is these are not super Christians. The program is not full of, you know, intellectual elites and people in great leadership positions. It's filled with everyday, ordinary Christians who want to make a change, who want to be engaged and used the way God has called them to be faithful in whatever sphere God's put them in. What do you see from the program itself, the enrollment, the people that are joining? What would be the portrait of a fellow?
- [30:40]
E
Well, that I think is the amazing part. We see every flavor, every tribe, every kind of Christian. And by that I mean denominationally, traditionally. And they're all coming here for the same reason. They are deeply and rightly disturbed about the nature, shape, and direction of our culture. And they're trying to understand why. And they are trying to figure out, is there a way for them to live faithfully in this cultural moment. I think that's a natural reaction for someone who takes the gospel seriously. And what is amazing, you know, this kind of goes back to Chuck's earlier statement about the light dimming. What they're discovering is nearly universal, and that is that they have not been formed. When I say they, I'm really speaking about. The church of the 20th century and beyond has not experienced formation in the full orb story of the Bible as revealed in those four great movements, Creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Instead, we find ourselves living in an era in which that story has been reduced to just those middle two chapters, the fall and redemption. You're a sinner and Jesus saves. And thank God. Those two things are indeed true. But they really find their full meaning within that larger story. And when they discover that larger story, there's a paradigm shift. They move from seeing themselves at the center of the story and they're trying to, you know, add God to their story to instead seeing God at the center of the story, and they're trying to figure out how they can be faithful and join him.
- [32:17]
B
Yeah, and Michael, pull on that thread a little bit. You know, when we talk about joining what God is doing, a lot of times, some of the things I've heard about the fellows program is, you know, what do I do? Where is God sending me? How will I discern that? Am I supposed to go start a nonprofit? Am I supposed to go serve more faithfully in my local church? Like, how do you think about that as dean of the program?
- [32:42]
E
Well, I think there's a couple things that help and make that easier than people might imagine. First, when you discover this theology of creation, you discover what you were actually made for, what it means to be human. What are the implications of being made in the image of God. And what was our first job description? Be fruitful and multiply, fill and subdue the earth. In other words, we were called to create culture, to create technology, to take what God has given us out of nothing. He hands to us and says, you take what I've made out of nothing and you make something more. You bring the fullness of my creation to its full potential for my glory. The fall did not arrest that job description. It simply made it more difficult. That is the thorns and thistles, right? And this is what our redemption accomplishes. It restores us to that original calling, our first commission. And when you start to see that and then you follow through with understanding what exactly is taking place in redemption. It's not just personal salvation. It is deeply personal, but it is not private, as we always say. You instead discover the cosmic scope of salvation as revealed to us in the gospel of the kingdom. The announcement of the kingdom, the proclamation of God that's in breaking rule and reign. Through Jesus Christ, that rule and reign through which he is making all things new. And he is inviting us into his kingdom, Repent and enter the kingdom of God, the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you begin to see the world that way, you see a myriad of possibilities, and you see that many of those possibilities for you to serve. And several of our guests mentioned the, you know, the four questions that we give them. What is good that I can preserve, protect, promote? What is evil that I must stand against? What is missing that I can provide, and what is broken that the Lord might use me to restore? This is how we carry out that first commission following the Fall. And we do this in order to offer one, to seek righteousness, justice, human flourishing, but also to offer a sign and foretaste of that kingdom which has come and is coming, and one day is fully and finally come. This is what the Church is called to bear witness to. And when you understand that story and your part in it, again, the myriad of possibilities of what you, as an individual Christian can do are just laid out so obviously right in front of you.
- [35:16]
B
Amen. Michael, one of the things that I'd like you to talk a little bit about, though, that I think is another huge strength of the Colson center and the Colson Fellows program is the line that we use, which is once a Fellow, always a fellow. Right. We never graduate to use Chuck's line. We are commissioned into the calling that God has given us. But part of that is you have an incredible alumni group and network that we get to be part of when we become commissioned Colson Fellows. We're part of something that continues on. Maybe you could share a little bit about that from your perspective as Dean.
- [35:51]
E
Yeah, I do think that is a highlight of the program. You know, we're commissioning about 1500 plus students every year, and upon commissioning, they are automatically joined into the association of Colson Fellows. There's no membership fee, there's no cost. It's just part of our commitment to continue to invest in them. Why? Because we're dealing with the topic of worldview, which is an incredibly dynamic topic, especially in an ever changing culture. So we want to keep our Colson Fellows up to date with what's happening so they know how to respond faithfully and as revealed to us from the Scriptures. What do the Scriptures teach us with respect to how we should respond to this issue and this issue? And you and I talk about this all the time. It's like every week you wake up and there is something new. So we want to keep folks equipped to respond to those issues, to navigate those, to lead their families, neighborhoods, communities, faithfully, churches. And so we do that through the association of Colson Fellows platform. We've got about a little over 6,000 Colson fellows. Over 3,000 of those are active on that platform. And as it was mentioned earlier, they're networking, they're connecting, they're thinking together, and they're identifying issues and problems and seeking solutions to how we as Christians can confront these issues. It sounds very much like the early church that was dealing with the mess that was Rome and was nothing but brutal, cruel, and indifferent to human beings. And you have this new institution, the people of God, who are just the opposite. They're loving and caring and serving human beings, and. And this activity undermined imperial empire and ultimately overcame pagan Rome. Amen.
- [37:38]
B
Amen. A great outcome. So, Michael, the Colson Fellows program is truly unique. I mean, I've been part of other fellowships and other groups that are really kind of performative. Right. But very few programs are actually formational. Could you maybe describe what makes the Fellows program formational and how that works?
- [37:58]
E
Yeah, I'm glad you asked that question, because it's really at the heart of our philosophy. So we have very intentionally designed this program to be formative versus performative and to help people understand what we mean by that distinction. When I say performative, think of going to college, going to the local university grad school. You are enrolling in a program that is performative by nature, meaning that you have to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter, skills, issues that are taught, and you demonstrate that in the form of writing papers, passing tests, et cetera. So it's a lot more pressure. It's a lot more intense. We don't do that in the Colson Fellows Program. We want to make this program as welcoming to everybody. We have students with GEDs, seriously. And we have students with PhDs. We have university professors, seminary presidents, seminary professors, everything in between. And we've specifically designed the program to reach all of those different perspectives. And I have a real heart for that person who is, in my words, let's say, academically insecure. Because in addition to that formational approach that is not performative, you're also surrounded by a team of Colson Fellows in every cohort, online, regional cohorts, church affiliate cohorts. Their job is to come alongside you as friends, as brothers and sisters, and nurture you through this program. Secondly, you're doing this in community, not only with your leaders, but also your fellow students and the Whole purpose of that gathering each month is, is for you to, in community, verbally process and work out your understanding as you're interacting with the curriculum. And so you're going to hear very lucid explanations of a particular element of the curriculum from one party that are going to help you, who may not feel that same sense of understanding. You may feel like you're in over your head and you'll go, oh, I get that. That makes sense to me. And so we see these people migrate through the program and they grow in confidence. It's the most beautiful thing. It's so encouraging to me to see folks come in again, academically insecure and come out the other end academically, intellectually confident, believing what we know. We are told about ourselves in the Scriptures. We have been given the mind of Christ. And the Lord says, if you lack wisdom, ask for it. I will add, implied in that is you cannot sit on the couch and watch Netflix and hope to obtain wisdom. You've got to do your part. You've got to use formational means. And the Colson Fellows program is one of the most effective formational means that you can employ.
- [40:51]
B
Michael, in closing, there are people out there right now who are hearing this episode, and they're on the fence, right? They're trying to pray through it. They've obviously heard you can't be around the Colson center for very long and not hear about the Fellows program. But what, what encouragement would you want to give those people as we close out this episode?
- [41:13]
E
Yeah, well, I. I think I just addressed one of those obstacles, which is this academic insecurity. Get over that. You can do it. The second and probably the most prominent is I don't have time. I have seen people go through this program. We had a mother of seven children who homeschools. All seven children complete this program successfully. And they do so by discovering that we have a lot more margin in our lives than we allow ourselves to think. We just need to make decisions. We need to prioritize our time. And when you do that, you're going to discover this program will take you anywhere from six to eight hours a week. I'm currently going through a master's program right now. I don't want to do that, but I am required to do that for something that I'm doing in my church. And it takes me about six to eight hours a week. I have about an hour and a half set aside on Tuesday night. I set aside another three hours on Wednesday night and another three hours on Sunday afternoon. And I have A very busy schedule. And yet it has been no problem whatsoever. It has been a delight to me.
- [42:16]
B
It is.
- [42:16]
E
It has filled my mind. It is lifted the affections of my heart. And I am grateful to be doing it. I would not let that stand in my way. The times in which we live are deadly serious. They are deadly serious. And if the Church of Jesus Christ does not take these times seriously and our opportunities in this cultural moment, because what the world needs now more than ever is they need to hear from the Church of Jesus Christ. They need to see a community of people who are living with hope, unbound hope and joy. And we are that instrument that God has put on earth to do that. And that's the ends to which the Colson Fellows Program is driving you, is to be equipped to be prepared that you can press forward into faithfulness rather than stand back and wonder what is happening.
- [43:07]
B
Awesome. And how could somebody sign up for the Fellows Program?
- [43:11]
E
Very easy. Go to colsonfellows.org and you will see ample opportunities on every page. There's a large apply now button. There is an application process. It's very quick. We just want to gather some biographical information about you so we get to know a little bit about you and what you're looking for in this journey. And then we're going to connect you with your prospective cohort leadership team, whether you're participating in an online cohort or you're participating in a regional cohort. And we've got about 97 of those around the country. We have some international cohorts as well. So this is for international students and listeners. They're going to call to alleviate any concerns that you might have. They're not there to pressure you. They're there to, again, guide you. They're your friend, to help lead you through this experience, which, which, as you have heard previously, is life changing for many, many people.
- [44:03]
B
Absolutely. It was life changing for. For my family. You know, my wife and I both completed it together. My oldest daughter has completed it, and my next three children are in the queue. And we'll be going through the program as well. I can't say enough great things about the program. And I think the last piece that you just touched on is important, too. Like your local cohort is there. I mean, you just meet so many wonderful people, people from your. Your church, people from other churches, you know, that are all coming together and you realize, like, we're not alone. There are a lot of us Christians that care about these things, that care about the world together. And it's nice to get, get together with them from an alumni standpoint too. So. Yeah, it's fantastic.
- [44:44]
E
Yeah. And unlike you who, you know, receive the occasional harassment because I love you and you're my friend, no other student will experience that. Quite the opposite. They'll get lots of encouragement, right?
- [44:55]
B
Yes. The program is very encouraging. It was just a little difficult for me because my wife was taking it with me and she was obviously the star student. So anytime I fell behind, it was amplified. But the Lord used that to encourage me to keep up. I was probably on that eight hour week spectrum where she was like five to six. So she's super brilliant. God bless her. Michael, thank you for joining us today. Thank you for taking the time and thank you for all you do. The Colson Fellows program, the Colson Center. We just continue to be grateful for the work that God has given us to do here and we thank him every day for it. So thank you for joining. Thank you, Pete. Well, that's going to do it for the program this week. I'm Pete Mara sitting in for Johnstone street and Maria Baer. Thank you for joining us. And they'll be back next week. Now we'd love to hear from you. And if you have any questions or comments, please go to Breakpoint and click on contact us. Have a wonderful week and we'll see you back here next time on Breakpoint. This week.