Summit Ministries from a Grand View

On May 16, 1891, the Hotel Grandview, in Manitou Springs, Colorado, opened its doors to the public for the first time. Located high above Manitou Avenue, the hotel boasted one Grand View over the valley and Manitou Springs. The hotel welcomed patrons from all walks of life, from coal miners in Cripple Creek to U.S. Senators. It continued to serve their guests until 1962 when the hotel was sold to Summit Ministries.

Now, 118 years to the day since the doors opened for the first time, the aroma of home-made peanut butter and freshly baked bread drift through the hallways of the turn-of-the-century hotel. It is May and once again the Historic Grandview springs to life with students and staff. The hotel, after laying silent for the past several months, now resonates with laughter and worship as the summer sessions kick into gear once again. 

The ballroom, once used for mid-day teas and exquisite galas, now joins together some of today’s greatest minds when it comes to the Christian Worldview. Students sit under some of the most influential minds of our day, including Del Tackett, J.P. Moreland, Frank Beckwith and Dr. David Noebel.

The veranda, where Harry S. Truman once spent an afternoon reminiscing with an old friend, is still lined with rocking chairs and still overlooks the beautiful town below. Today, it is used as a forum for students to dialogue with speakers in a small group setting and to incorporate the ideas taught in class into real-life situations.

“Summit is an educational Christian ministry whose very existence is a response to our current post-Christian culture. Countless Christians are renouncing their faith and many more are adopting the false humanistic philosophies and religions of our day. 

Summit views its role in God’s kingdom as a catalyst to counteract this alarming trend–teaching Christians to analyze competing ideas, challenging them to stand strong in their faith, educating them to defend truth, and ultimately equipping them to impact the world for Christ.” (summit.org) 

 

In a survey, George Barna found that 80% of students who were active Christians in high school and college will have left the faith by age 29. Summit’s mission is to ground Christians in their faith, to equip Christians to defend the biblical worldview and to prepare tomorrow’s servant leaders. 

Summit was the first place I learned how to engage the culture without forfeiting Truth.  

For once, I was able to challenge the ideas that I have always been taught as truth and align them with scripture. Summit equipped me for college in a way that I would not be one of that 80%, and furthermore, opened the door for Focus on the Family Institute and AXiS.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and basic principles of the world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8

 www.summit.org

The Soloist - More than Music

I recently saw the film The Soloist, starring Robert Downing Jr. and Jamie Foxx. The Film is based on the real story of a columnist, Steve Lopez, and his encounter and journey with Nathaniel Ayers, a brilliant musician; living with schizophrenia on skid row in Los Angeles.

On the surface, the film is about a friendship formed through music; but more so than that, the film exhibited a glimpse of the reality of homelessness in Los Angeles and how we, as Christians are viewed in light of that reality.

According to the 2005 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, there are nearly 90,000 people living on the streets of Los Angeles County. The film showed an adequate representation of this staggering statistic, but what jumped out at me was something deeper than even that.

At different points in the film, Steve Lopez engages in conversations with both an Atheist and a Christian. At one point, Lopez interviews an Atheist, who is picking up trash alongside a Los Angeles freeway. The interview is cut short when Lopez sees Nathaniel across the street. Although the interview is very short; I think a very strong statement is made through this interaction (which I will define later).

At many points throughout the film, the camera pans the outer wall of the Lamp Community (a nonprofit that works to end homelessness by helping those with mental illnesses move from the streets into actual homes). On that wall is a very large, illuminated sign that states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” We all know the verse from Romans well, but the producers of this film do an excellent job of making sure the audience reads that verse a dozen times. At another point, a Christian musician decides to work with Nathaniel and asks him to perform in front of an audience; of course the audience is dressed in suits and those in attendance are not enthusiastic about seeing Nathaniel perform. Just before Nathaniel steps in front of his small audience, his mentor asks to pray with him and then sends him out to a scene of humiliation, alone.

Now to my point. 

The Atheist is willing to go out and pick up trash alongside the road, yet when this homeless man enters the scene, he goes back to his good deed of keeping LA beautiful. He is willing to clean up behind people, yet ignores the people in front of him that are in need.

We look at the world around us as an excellent opportunity to share the gospel and teach the Truth. After all, that is what we are called to do. I am not saying that the verse on the side of the building was wrong or that we aren’t called to pray for those around us; but is that all we do? I think the world tends to see us as those who will make a claim for Christ and walk away. I’m sorry, but that’s not the Jesus I follow. He not only spoke the Truth, he reached out and fed the hungry, he healed the sick, he loved those who no one else would love. If we claim to be disciples, is it not about time to actually be the hands and feet of God, rather than just the mouthpiece?