The Bible Society Australia organizes an annual event where teenagers deepen their knowledge of Jesus.
“The problem isn’t religion or irreligion; it’s the human heart unrestrained by compassion,” Dickson said.
Called Masterclass, the one-day-event encourages senior high school students to continue with their faith despite persecution against Christians and Christianity’s own terrible history, Eternity News reports.
Three speakers are invited for Masterclass. They aim to inspire young Christians, to teach them to love one another, and to challenge them on how to make the best decision on their Christian journey.
John Dickson, co-founder of the Centre for Public Christianity, pointed out that there were many horrific things Christians did in the past in the name of following Jesus. He also revealed that there are also many good things Christians did. History, however, painted the worst picture as it recounted Christianity’s appalling past, many of which were just exaggerations.
“The problem isn’t religion or irreligion; it’s the human heart unrestrained by compassion,” Dickson said.
Dan Paterson from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries focused his speech on the topic, “Has science buried God?” He explained to the year 10 and 11 students that “coming to believe [in Jesus] and continuing to believe are different things.”
Another speaker, Natasha Moore, research fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity, talked about tolerance and the lost art of free speech. She used the lessons of 19th Century English philosopher John Stuart Mill to help the teens learn about the freedom of speech.
The students enjoyed Masterclass. One said, “I feel challenged to have more conversations about God, Jesus, Bible evidence and political views with my friends and family.”
Another teen claimed, “I took home the message that we have an impact on the way non-Christians view Christianity and should make the most of that.”
For those who didn’t attend the Masterclass, the participants have one thing to say to them, “Why weren’t you there? You need to go next year.”
Masterclass will be held this August in South Australia on the 15th, Victoria on the 22nd, and Tasmania on the 29th.
Sources:
Eternity News
Bible Society Australia
