Today the tentacles of occult philosophy embrace every area of our society. Police departments request psychics to solve crimes. College students are addicted to fantasy games (Dungeons and Dragons) which introduce them to the world of the occult through role-playing. Well-known science fiction writers mask occult doctrines in their works through pseudoscientific language. Colleges and universities offer graduate degrees in esoteric thought. Occult themes provide popular material for TV shows and movies. A leader of the women's movement urges her followers to return to the ancient religions in which female deities were worshiped (witchcraft). Even the American Medical Society endorses the search for the "new" powers to aid the healing process.

One effect of global, high-tech communication on this shrinking planet is the increased exposure we have to other lands, peoples, and worldviews. Today students on major university campuses will likely encounter professors who teach their subjects from vastly different perspectives. For example, a Hindu may be found teaching psychology; a Marxist, history; an existentialist, literature; and a humanist, science. Young people are now confronted with a virtual supermarket of worldview options upon which to base their lives. As a result, many Christians--confused, defensive, and often in the minority--tend to incorporate much non-Christian thinking into their own worldviews.

Since the early '50's the search for Noah's Ark has been the subject of many books and movies. What gave rise to this interest was the distinct possibility that actual remains of Noah's Ark might be found. The spark which set off this burning interest among Christians was the claim in 1948 of an eyewitness who said he stumbled onto the Ark high on the snowcap of Mt. Ararat. Since that time others have made similar claims. Based on these alleged eyewitness accounts many expeditions have been launched, countless hours have been spent in research, and large sums have been spent to verify what many critics said was an impossible quest.

Modern culture, no longer held together by a consensus world view, is in the midst of an ethical crisis. Today there is only a faint memory of biblical norms. Naturalistic philosophies have made it their goal to critique and replace traditional values based on the Judeo-Christian world view. Moral values, say the humanists, are not based on the revelation of a transcendent deity but are the product of human experience.1 Hence, Harvey Cox, liberal theologian, and author of The Secular city, writes:

This address on "The Scientific Preparation of the Minister" was delivered September 20, 1912, at the opening of the one hundred and first session of Princeton Theological Seminary. It is found in the Princeton Theological Review, Vol. XI, No. 1, 1913, p. 1.

It would not be an overstatement to conclude that no issue has so polarized our nation during the last few years as the issue of abortion. Proclaimed a deciding factor in recent election campaigns, it was and is the issue of many controversial court cases. Ethicists are enjoying the attention the abortion issue elicits but can present no authoritative answers. At best they tell us only about alternatives and consequences. Feminists promote abortion as the doorway to equality of the sexes while their opponents view it as a sharp decline in morality. It is a troublesome issue for politicians because there appears to be no middle ground upon which to stand.