with Brent Crowe

"We got him." With those words, Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, announced the momentous capture of the former Iraqi president and tyrant, Saddam Hussein. What can we as Christians glean from these historic events? One of the first depictions I ever remember of Saddam is as of a ruthless dictator, and that image has since stuck with me. It's interesting to note, however, that there have always been tyrants around throughout the pages of history, validating the words of Solomon who said in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. From Nimrod to Nebuchadnezzar, from Hitler to Hirohito, and from Stalin to Saddam, the tyrants who have plagued our world have all had one goal in common: they wanted to be god. Yet, nothing but destruction results from their attempts to rule and subdue their people and their land.

The Iraqi people lived in constant fear under Saddam, always wondering if their most recent words or actions could trigger their own assassination. What causes tyrants to become tyrants? A quest for control, domination, power, and authority has driven many to tyrannical states. When tyranny is empowered, stability is dethroned, and traditionally established affirmed rules are thrown out the window while irrational and harsh rules are established in their place. On the Sunday evening following Saddam's capture, Peter Jennings of ABC commented that "Iraqis keep telling us life is not as stable for them as it was when Saddam Hussein was in power." When Saddam was empowered, the Iraqi people were forced to trade in what they had for Saddam and what he had to offer. Because Saddam had stolen their foundation, the Iraqi people now have no stable foundation to which they can easily return. That's why there's a huge emphasis on the quick establishment of a new Iraqi government that will eventually rebuild the foundations of their government and return a level of sane stability to the land and the people of Iraq.

Sadly, this hauntingly reminds me of our postmodern culture today. I'm not suggesting that we are a destitute people headed for absolute tyranny, but as the traditional values and rules of our foundation have been stolen away, we experience a new type of tyranny: the tyranny of liberalism and of postmodernism, which has forced our culture to openly accept things that would never have been accepted years before, has coerced our culture to reject God and absolute truth, and has driven people to hate God and to become their own god. Our culture has tyrannically enslaved us individually with the same theme shared by the likes of Hussein and Hitler: you can be god. The thought of our culture seems to proffer the view that no rules is right, and we as Christians have even become infected with the desire to embrace some of the same twisted values that marks our culture and society. Marriages no longer are forever, sexual abstinence is an idea of ridicule, the value and sanctity of life has little meaning, and vulgarity and obscenity are everywhere. This is the new type of tyranny.

Christians, this is our call to arms, our calling to engage our culture, and to impact the world around us. We can no longer stand idly by while the culture around us and the foundation we once stood firmly upon continues to wither away. We can no longer ignore the call to be salt, to be light in a very dark world. We must resist this new tyranny of postmodern culture and return to the stability of life available to all found in the Christian worldview. We must not seek to become our own gods - living our life without rules, just the way we want it, adjusting God's rules with our own modifications. Instead, let us return to the absolute truth of God and His Word so that we might not be swayed by the culture, but that we might impact and influence culture instead. Saddam is gone, but tyranny is not. As we return to and continue in the truth of God's Word, we will be able to be freed from the bonds that subject us to the lies of this world. As President Bush noted, the war against terrorism and tyranny is a long way from over, but we must start by winning one battle at a time. May this be our calling as Christians in today's culture as well.

When I first heard about Student Leadership University, I had never dreamed that my life would be transformed so radically. Within three years, I feel as though I have added 21 years of knowledge.

In my junior year of home schooling, I attended SLU 101 in Orlando. I was at the point in my life where I believed that I had learned as much as I could on my own about leadership, people, and life management. I began searching for something that would challenge, stretch and motivate me. Once I heard about SLU, I knew it would offer me the opportunity to grasp a new lease on life.

Attending SLU 101 enabled me to create a vision for my life.  I determined to finish high school by Christmas, enroll in a difficult massage therapy school by January and become a Nationally Certified Therapist by the time Christmas came again. At the time, these seemed like lofty goals as it was the toughest and most intense therapy training program one could participate in, but I was strongly convinced that this was God’s calling for me. Using the tools that SLU had thoroughly equipped me with and drawing on my deep-seated passion for life, I was able to attain every single one of these goals within the time frame that had been set. I was only 18 years old.

My encounter with SLU didn’t end with 101, but I continued on to SLU 201 in Washington D.C., and this past summer traveled to London/Oxford/Normandy/Paris with SLU 301. It was impossible to keep this revolutionary experience to myself, so I determined to share SLU with eight students from my church this past summer. Under my supervision, they were able to fundraise over 90 percent of the cost to attend 101 in Orlando including travel and meals for the ride down from Boston! It has been such a blessing to share SLU with others and watch their lives become transformed as well.

I will go on to Rome with SLU 401 in June with my new husband, Micah, as we seek to grow in servant leadership. SLU has taken my life to the next level. It has encouraged me to set and reach goals and I am dedicated to a life of service for Jesus Christ.

In Philippians 3:14 Paul says, “I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling in Christ Jesus.” One thing that I have learned is that those who attend SLU must be willing to apply the principles taught in order to initiate the heart change that God is calling us towards. Over the past three years, Student Leadership University has challenged me to commit to excellence. Leadership and excellence have become my new way of living life.

What's in store for the New Year at SLU? Look for new features to be included in each edition of The Edge as we also increase our database of articles in the new Critical Issues section of our website. We want you to stay equipped and empowered! We're also gearing our website up for even more updates and changes that will enhance your experience as you browse through our site. For youth pastors, stay informed with the latest information on the 2004 Youth Pastor's Summit, which will be held in Orlando on March 11 & 12. In the meantime, we're getting ready for the best year of SLU in our 10 year history! Our 2004 season will feature brand new, cutting-edge sessions along with the classic features that have made SLU what it is today.

Registrations are already piling in - you definitely won't want to miss the latest and the best from SLU next year! Make sure you take advantage of our Super Early Bird Discount pricing. Remember, the latest you can register with those discounts is March 15, and some sessions are already beginning to fill up! Register online today and secure a spot for the best year of SLU ever!

From all of us here at SLU - Thank you for a great year, and we are definitely excited about this next year! We wish all of you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. See you in 2004!

To view past editions of The Edge, check out our archive here.
Questions or comments are always welcome. E-mail us at edge@studentleadership.net

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