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Y3 Senior High Ministries + About

What is it?
Why God is a senior high immersion weekend and yearly material that explores the meaning of existence and intellectual integrity in the search for God.

Background
In a world of science and skepticism, it is interesting to learn that the highest percentages of faculty at universities who consider themselves Christian are mathematicians and astrophysicists. Do they know something we don’t know? And can their latest research into the universe, life, and the human experience help our young people walk out of high school with a confident faith in the God of the Bible? Can we send them out equipped to discuss their faith with sound logic and an articulate, informed defense?

Faith Inkubators is in the development stages of a new series of Senior High Apologetics weekends designed to give young people confidence in their faith in the God of the Bible. Materials are currently being written on a three year cycle, going in-depth into the themes: Why God, Why Jesus, and Why the Bible.

Rev. Dana Hanson from First Lutheran in Northridge, CA, is quarterbacking the project. FINK Chief Creative Officer, Rev. Rich Melheim, along with dozens of young writers and evaluators, is developing the PowerPoints, nightly devotions, weekly small group handouts, and supplemental materials for youth to teach a quarterly adult forum after they have thoroughly studied the material themselves.

Dana, the senior researcher and main teacher for our test phase, is working with some of the best minds in science and philosophy to gather up-to-date data on the complexity of the universe and the design arguments for a Creator. Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross from Cal Tech, biochemist Fuz Rana, and ethicist Dallas Willard from the University of Southern California are advisors for the project. Lad Allen of Illustra Media is providing copies of “Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe” and “The Privileged Planet” for the events. Hollywood actor and FINK Music Guilder Thomas Ian Nicholas and Dove nominee Rick Barron have written four NRSV-verbatim theme songs for the first theme, “Why God?.” Isaiah Nordhagen is serving as a special consultant on the project to make sure the science translates into words and concepts that can be readily understood and absorbed by senior high youth.

A Three Part System
Because Why God is much more involved and complex than other Faith Inkubators’ systems, training is mandatory for anyone wishing to join as a member and use the materials. Why God Weekends are being hosted for this purpose. By attending Why God Weekend with a team, your church becomes a Why God member for that school year. Signing up for a weekend signs you up for the materials.

PART I: Why God Weekends: The process starts when you train a Why God Theme Team of one or two adults and at least four of your sharpest sophomores, juniors and seniors to lead 24 youth discussions and 4 adult forums at your church on:
• The Big Bang of the Universe
• The Big Bang of Life
• The Big Bang of the Brain
• The Big Bang of the Soul

PART II: Why God Weekly: Your Theme Team returns home equipped and ready to lead six weeks of youth group discussions on each of the four topics. The strongest arguments for God’s existence in each theme are inspected, dissected, role-played and thoroughly understood prior to doing Part III.

PART III: Why God Adult Forums: After a six-week immersion into each argument, your Why God Theme Team—youth and the students they have taught—present an adult education session to “teach their parents well” before moving on to the next theme. Adult Theme Teamers act in support roles.

Training at Why God Weekends will include:

Year 1: Why God?• Cosmology: Big Bang of the Universe
• Biology: Big Bang of Life
• Psychology: Big Bang of the Human Brain
• Morality: Big Bang of the Soul

Youth attending the weekends will return home equipped to:

1. Speak intelligently, eloquently, confidently and respectfully about their faith in the God of the Bible

2. Lead 24 short youth group discussions or Sunday School topics on the strongest arguments for the existence of God based on the complexity of the universe, the origin of life, the uniqueness of the human brain, and the existence of the soul.

3. Lead 4 adult forums on the four major themes.