by Britney Weber, Triangle staff writer
“How do we create culture in a way that makes the gospel more clear?” This is the question Worldview Executive Director Ben Williams seeks to answer through the newly reorganized Worldview Initiative.
Previously titled The Worldview Team, Worldview Initiative seeks to “actively promote the discussion and acceptance of the Christian Worldview,” according to Williams.
The Initiative staff decided to revamp Worldview Team for three reasons: most high schools now have worldview classes that inform students of the worldviews out there, the present generation has shifted to one that is more interested in dialogue rather than watching skits or videos and lastly, new technology has made aspects of the old program obsolete or irrelevant.
“This generation wants to change things,” says Williams. “We need to show them how to change things from a biblical viewpoint.”
Worldview Initiative has three branches: Voices, Movement and Elevate.
Voices focuses on ninth and tenth graders, asking questions like, “What are the dominant voices in our culture?” “What are they saying?” “How do we respond to them?”
“We want kids to see how many voices are influencing them and shaping who they are,” said senior Emily Sitzler, who is a member of the Voices branch.
Though Voices is mostly introductory information about worldviews, it seeks to prepare the students for the Movement branch, which focuses more on how to live as Christians in a culture saturated with differing worldviews.
Movement is geared towards eleventh and twelfth graders. In it, students are asked questions like, “What does it mean to be human?” “What is culture?” “Who is God?” and “How should a Christian relate to culture?”
“Kids are taught not to hide from culture, but to engage it from a biblical perspective,” said junior Katie Wilkins, member of the Movement branch.
Movement’s goal is to train students, through small group settings, to not only understand the gospel, but to apply it in a way that reaches others in their community.
Through small group discussions and the use of pop culture icons, teens are shown how they can love God, live the gospel and cultivate their community.
Elevate is an entirely new branch that focuses on informing and training parents and teachers through a seminar that asks, “What do your kids care about and how do you talk to them about life in a way that makes them care?”
Parents and teachers are encouraged to find out who their kids really are and how they can keep up with them in a constantly changing culture.
“We want to reach the whole community so our one-day seminar doesn’t just create a ‘flash in the pan’ experience,” said Williams.
“I love getting out of the ‘Bryan bubble’ and doing something for someone else tangibly,” said Wilkins. “It is so easy to get caught up in classes and ourselves. We need to get out. Yes, it is a lot of work, but the experience you gain and the relationships you build are definitely worth it.”
“Worldview Initiative is all about learning how to live out the gospel while interacting with other people,” said Sitzler.