Los Angeles County Edition Vol. 24, No. 6
June 2013
www.christianexaminer.com
Achievements
Eric Metaxas
Immigration deformed: New bill is flawed
Christian Examiner wins top reporting award
Be a heroic dad
page 7
page 4
FREE
Cal Thomas
page 4
The young actors of Haven Academy practice their moves behind stage. They are joined by one of the adult coaches.
Performing arts program cultivates character in youth By Lori Arnold EL SEGUNDO — Though raised in a Christian home and surrounded by positive role models, Rebekah Hellerman spent most of her teenage years acting out. Her parents and pastor couldn’t have been prouder. “When I was in high school my
church was crazy, and they just let me start directing youth productions,” she said. “They would cancel their Sunday services and let us put on Christmas productions. It was a real amazing experience for me. I was 16, 17 years old and they let me direct these kids.” See PERFORMING ARTS, page 8
McDowell addresses parental role in instilling Hikers attribute power of prayer a biblical worldview to rescue after veering off trail
After three days of trying, the missing hikers from Grace Chapel of the Coast in Oceanside were finally able to light a fire to keep warm. The fire eventually caught the attention of rescuers.
By Lori Arnold
SAN DIEGO — Sometimes teaching children the ABCs or even the simple task of dot-to-dot can be a cumbersome process—even for Christian high school students trying to learn how to approach life with a biblical worldview. “As a whole, it’s the exception that a young person really understands biblical truth and can consistently apply it to the way that they actually live,” said apologist Sean McDowell, who teaches and leads the Bible department at Capistrano Valley Christian Schools. “It’s compartmentalized for their life,” he said of their views on faith. “That’s really the key, that we live in a culture that says when it comes to religion it’s a matter of preference and it’s personal and it’s true for you, but not true for somebody else. So, as long as I have my religious faith, it’s fine for me, but I certainly don’t think it’s actually true (nor) should I try to persuade somebody else to adopt my ideas. See WORLDVIEW, page 7
By Lori Arnold
Apologist Sean McDowell, who teaches and leads the Bible department at Capistrano Valley Christian Schools, said parents and churches need to step up in order to train Christian children to have strong biblical worldviews.
OCEANSIDE — Jill Shankles holds on to an old prayer journal in which she inscribed prophetic words that the Lord gave to her about her soon-to-be husband: he would be an adventurer. “He’s always been an outdoorsman—all things mountains, all things rivers, all things oceans,” she said. “I knew who I married.” It was that knowledge that kept her emotions in check when a friend at church handed her his cell phone and said a deputy wanted to talk to her. “That wasn’t a very good feeling,” she said. The deputy explained that her husband of four years, Ryan, and two friends from church went missing May 4 while trying to hike up Southern California’s highest peak, Mount San Gorgonio in the mountains of San Bernardino, where temperatures were in the 20s. A full search was under way.
“I wasn’t scared when he was missing,” she said. “The Lord was very specific with me about not partnering with fear and about really demonstrating what it’s like to walk in faith and not show fear to anybody who is watching.” Instead, she dropped to her knees.
“I knew they were going to find Ryan,” she said. “I knew it in my spirit.” The men, Ryan, David Yoder and Miguel de la Torre, were doing a practice run for upcoming expeditions to Half Dome in YoSee HIKERS, page 3
In order to stay warm in 20-degree weather, the hikers slept underneath this Jesus is Lord banner, shown in a previous hiking trip. The men later cut the banner into strips to help fuel their campfire.
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