A battle of worldviews

As a student in the late 1950s at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, David Noebel listened attentively as a guest speaker lectured about the ills and dangers of communism.

Fascinated by an unfamiliar subject and motivated by the encouragement of his college president, Noebel began hosting a study group examining the dangerous ideology.

Consequently, Noebel read all the collected works of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin and quickly discovered that these men held what he suspected was a communist worldview. Their worldview included an underlying plan to capture minds through well-articulated positions on the 10 subject areas of theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, politics, economics, history, and law.

After realizing this, Noebel wondered if Christians were even aware of Marx’s and Lenin’s communist agenda. So, he began pondering the following questions: Do Christians have anything to say about this? Do we even know we are in a battle of worldviews?

Noebel knew he had to do something to preserve biblical Christianity amid this clash of opposing worldviews.

So, in 1962, Noebel founded Summit Ministries (summit.org) and began hosting summer programs to help ground students in their faith and equip them to defend a biblical worldview.

Noebel led Summit Ministries from its inception until he retired in 2011, at which time current president Dr. Jeff Myers took the helm.

Myers spoke with The Stand about Summit Ministries and its continued mission, what the ministry hopes to accomplish, and the encouraging long-term success he has seen over the years.

Equipping the next generation

“Our primary mission is to equip and support this rising generation to do two things: embrace God’s truth and then champion a biblical worldview,” Myers said. “We don’t want them to just not be weak. We want them to be strong.”

The ministry seeks to accomplish these goals in two primary ways: in person and online.

In addition to the in-person and online programs, Summit produces educational curriculum for Christian schools, homeschools, co-ops, and public-school release-time programs.

“Through our intensive curriculum, courses, and in-person programs, we’ve been able to train more than a million young people,” Myers said.

Tackling tough issues

“There isn’t a tough issue that we won’t address,” Myers said as he described some of the topics Summit covers during its 12-day student conferences.

“We begin … with making the case for life,” Myers explained. “We help students to realize that if they can articulate a biblical worldview on one of the hardest topics of our time – abortion – then they can articulate a biblical worldview on other issues as well.

“Those other issues include: What is a Christian worldview, and how do we know it’s true? What does the Bible say about God, and how do we know that’s true? What are the counterfeit worldviews, and how do we respond to them?” Myers continued.

Marriage and sexuality, transgenderism and homosexuality, economics, and pornography are addressed head-on. According to Myers, the willingness to openly engage in such topics resonates with students.

“When students leave, they may not agree with everything they learned at Summit,” he said, “but they leave knowing the people at Summit care about them and are willing to tackle whatever subjects would prevent them from living out the truth.”

Validating parents

An increasingly important facet of Summit’s ministry involves coming alongside parents.

“We recognize that parents are the primary transmitter of faith from one generation to the next,” Myers said. “So, our goal is really to be a help to them.”

Myers explained how Summit often serves as a conduit of confirmation to students that their parents are not leading them astray. He shared that many students love their parents but often wonder if they are wrong or simply do not understand what is going on in the culture.

“They don’t want their parents to be wrong, but they have these feelings, and it creates a conflict within them,” Myers said. “But when they come to Summit and have all these leading experts showing them how the Bible is true, it affirms what they’ve been taught, and they go home with a new kind of relationship with their families.”

Making a lifelong impact

Myers is no stranger to the lasting impact of Summit Ministries.

“I was one of those kids who grew up and didn’t see the church answering what I thought were the ‘big societal’ questions,” Myers said. “When I graduated from high school, I was intending to graduate from church at the same time.”

Citing research from Lifeway, Myers said, “About 70% of young adults who were significantly involved in church during their high school years are no longer attending church by the time they reach their mid-20s.”

Myers fell into that same data pool until he attended Summit and was led into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

“So, it’s a real privilege now to have the opportunity to provide that same thing for young adults today,” he said. “Currently, 95% of our students, after completing the program, say they believe the biblical worldview.”

Myers added, in reference to the ministry’s long-term effectiveness, “And … right now, about 90% of them, even a decade later, say they are still strong in believing and practicing a biblical worldview.”