I accepted the Lord in the Spring of 1989.
I was married in 1992, and my wife and I had our first child in the Winter
of 1997. It was my wife's pregnancy - knowing, then, that I would soon be
responsible for the care and nurturing of my son -
that ignited in me a burden for knowing what I believed and why.
This was something of a rededication in my life to Christ and to
understanding what it meant to be a Christian. To this point, my faith
was intellectually lazy, and I knew that had to change. I began reading
much more from Christian authors like Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler.
Their writings pointed me to other scholars, and those scholars to others still,
and so on. Now some time later, I look back and know that I've grown
tremendously through my studies as a layman. It is my passion to bless
others as I've been blessed - particularly to
make high-quality resources available and accessible, connecting Christian
scholars with Christian laypeople. My hope is that you'll find as much
interest, enjoyment, growth, and encouragement in dialogue with them as I have.
And along with that a greater end: you'll be equipped to be salt & light,
to influence the culture for the causes of Christ, and to glorify God in
living out an abundant and Spirit-filled life.
QCI - Quality Christian Internet is primarily an index
into websites which I have typically investigated at length and consider to
be “The Best of the Web” for Christians. From my own understanding
and experience, the most pressing need is for sites that engage the life
of the mind. This takes two forms: (1) apologetics and (2) integration.
Apologetics:
Defending the Historic Christian Faith
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“God usually exerts that power in connection with certain prior
conditions of the human mind, and it should be ours to create,
so far as we can, with the help of God, those favourable conditions
for the reception of the gospel. False ideas are the greatest
obstacles to the reception of the gospel. We may preach with all the
fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here
or there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or
of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the resistless force
of logic, prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more
than a harmless delusion.”
J. GRESHAM MACHEN
“For though we walk according to the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ...”
THE APOSTLE PAUL, II CORINTHIANS 10:3-5
“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a
defense to everyone who asks you - a reason for the the hope that is
in you, with gentleness and respect.”
THE APOSTLE PETER, I PETER 3:15
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Integration
Applying a Christian Worldview to All Aspects of Life
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“The field of Christianity is the world. The Christian cannot be satisfied
so long as any human activity is either opposed to Christianity or out of all
connection with Christianity. Christianity must pervade not merely all nations,
but also all of human thought. The Christian, therefore, cannot be indifferent
to any branch of earnest human endeavor. It must be brought into some relation
to the Gospel.”
J. GRESHAM MACHEN
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AS RECORDED IN MATTHEW 22:37-38
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.”
THE APOSTLE PAUL, ROMANS 12:2
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It is my firm belief that the church, due to our intellectual laziness,
bears a large degree
of responsibility for the state of our culture today. If we prepare ourselves
to be a thinking people, we can more effectively interact with the society
outside the walls of the church, and with the Lord's enabling, storm the very
gates of hell. I hope that this website will be a resource for you to that end.
God bless.
Steve Thomas
December 1999
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