Vision Forum
Encyclopedia
Vision Forum is an evangelical Christian organization based in San Antonio, Texas
. Vision Forum Ministries is a 501(c) non-profit organization, while the associated commercial operation is called Vision Forum, Inc. It advocates Biblical patriarchy
, creationism
, homeschooling
, Family Integrated Church
es and Quiverfull
beliefs. The president of Vision Forum is Doug Phillips
, son of U.S. Constitution Party leader Howard Phillips.
interpret the Vision Forum statement to imply that "women really cannot be trusted as decision makers" and "unless a daughter marries, she functionally remains pretty much the property of the father until he dies." They also argue that Vision Forum promotes a "pagan top-down view of authority".
.
In 2007, the group organized an alternative celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement
, saying that the official celebration did not give enough emphasis to the Christian perspective of the settlers.
series created by the Institute for Creation Research
in the late 1990s that is now being produced by Vision Forum Ministries. The storyline revolves around the lives and families of fictional characters Dr. Kendall Park and Jim Brenan as they build a creation museum
.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Vision Forum Ministries is a 501(c) non-profit organization, while the associated commercial operation is called Vision Forum, Inc. It advocates Biblical patriarchy
Biblical patriarchy
Biblical patriarchy is a set of beliefs in evangelical Christianity concerning marriage, the family, and the home. It sees the father as the head of the home, and responsible for the conduct of his family. Notable adherents of biblical patriarchy include Douglas Wilson, R. C. Sproul, Jr. and...
, creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
, homeschooling
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
, Family Integrated Church
Family Integrated Church
A family integrated church is one in which parents and children attend church services together, children stay all through church services and organised groups and activities for children and youth are non-existent...
es and Quiverfull
Quiverfull
Quiverfull is a movement among some conservative evangelical Christian couples chiefly in the United States, but with some adherents in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and elsewhere. It promotes procreation, and sees children as a blessing from God, eschewing all forms of birth control,...
beliefs. The president of Vision Forum is Doug Phillips
Doug Phillips
Douglas "Doug" V. Phillips was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s who at club level played rugby union for Swansea RFC, and at representative level played rugby league for Great Britain, and Wales, and at club level for Oldham, and Broughton...
, son of U.S. Constitution Party leader Howard Phillips.
Distinctive beliefs
Vision Forum is an advocate of "biblical patriarchy". The "Tenets of Biblical Patriarchy" article on its website advocates such beliefs as:- God reveals Himself as masculineGender of God in ChristianityGod has traditionally been described using masculine terms in Christian scripture and theology. While this has sometimes given rise to the idea that Christians consider God to be male, the majority of Christians believe that God transcends gender....
, not feminine. - God ordained distinct gender roles for man and woman as part of the created order.
- A husband and father is the head of his household, a family leader, provider, and protector.
- Male leadership in the home carries over into the church: only men are permitted to hold the ruling office in the church. A God-honoring society will likewise prefer male leadership in civil and other spheres.
- Since the woman was created as a helper to her husband, as the bearer of children, and as a “keeper at home,” the God-ordained and proper sphere of dominion for a wife is the household and that which is connected with the home.
- God’s command to “be fruitful and multiplyCultural mandateThe cultural mandate or creation mandate is the divine injunction found in Genesis 1:28, in which God , after having created the world and all in it, ascribes to humankind the tasks of filling, subduing, and ruling over the earth...
” still appliesQuiverfullQuiverfull is a movement among some conservative evangelical Christian couples chiefly in the United States, but with some adherents in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and elsewhere. It promotes procreation, and sees children as a blessing from God, eschewing all forms of birth control,...
to married couples. - Christian parents must provide their children with a thoroughly Christian education, one that teaches the Bible and a biblical view of God and the world.
- Both sons and daughters are under the command of their fathers as long as they are under his roof or otherwise the recipients of his provision and protection.
- The age-integratedFamily Integrated ChurchA family integrated church is one in which parents and children attend church services together, children stay all through church services and organised groups and activities for children and youth are non-existent...
communities of family and church are the God-ordained institutions for training and socialization and as such provide the preferred pattern for social life and educational endeavors.
Criticism
Vision Forum has been criticized for holding views that demean women and view them as property. Don and Joy Veinot of Midwest Christian OutreachMidwest Christian Outreach
Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc , is a non-denominational, evangelical organization. It is a "a big Chicago support group that encourages people to leave cults" and "an apologetics ministry in suburban Chicago."...
interpret the Vision Forum statement to imply that "women really cannot be trusted as decision makers" and "unless a daughter marries, she functionally remains pretty much the property of the father until he dies." They also argue that Vision Forum promotes a "pagan top-down view of authority".
Events
The organization sponsors the Christian Filmmakers Academy and the San Antonio Independent Christian Film FestivalSan Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival
San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival is a film festival located in San Antonio, Texas.- 2007 competition :The winner of the Best of Festival Award was The Monstrous Regiment of Women, a documentary on Feminism by the Gunn brothers who in 2005 won the best documentary for their film...
.
In 2007, the group organized an alternative celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown Settlement is a name used by the Commonwealth of Virginia's portion of the historical sites and museums at Jamestown. Jamestown was the first successful English settlement on the mainland of North America...
, saying that the official celebration did not give enough emphasis to the Christian perspective of the settlers.
Jonathan Park
Jonathan Park is a radio dramaRadio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
series created by the Institute for Creation Research
Institute for Creation Research
The Institute for Creation Research is a Christian institution in Dallas, Texas that specializes in education, research, and media promotion of Creation Science and Biblical creationism. The ICR adopts the Bible as an inerrant and literal documentary of scientific and historical fact as well as...
in the late 1990s that is now being produced by Vision Forum Ministries. The storyline revolves around the lives and families of fictional characters Dr. Kendall Park and Jim Brenan as they build a creation museum
Creationist museum
A creationist museum is one that uses the traditional natural history museum format to present a young Earth creationist view that Earth and life on Earth were created some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago and that the Earth was created in six days...
.
Albums
- Volume 1: Jonathan Park: The Adventure Begins ISBN 1929241852
- Volume 2: Jonathan Park: No Looking Back ISBN 1929241879
- Volume 3: Jonathan Park: The Winds Of Change ISBN 0975526367
- Volume 4: Jonathan Park: The Hunt For Beowulf ISBN 097875591X
- Volume 5: Jonathan Park: The Explorer’s Society ISBN 0978755960
- Volume 6: Jonathan Park: The Journey Never Taken ISBN 1933431849
- Volume 7: Jonathan Park and the Voyage Beyond
- Jonathan Park Goes to the Zoo ISBN 1934554286
- Jonathan Park Goes to the Aquarium ISBN 1934554294
- Jonathan Park Goes to the Galapagos ISBN 9781933431741
External links
- Vision Forum Ministries - non-profit organization
- Vision Forum, Inc. - commercial arm
- Jonathan Park
- San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival