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Nancy Pearcey

Nancy Pearcey Quotes

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Nancy Pearcey is a renowned American author and scholar, born in 1952. Her works focus on philosophy, religion, and science, and are highly praised for their in-depth analysis and unique insights.

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Famous Nancy Pearcey Quotes

“It is a tragedy to see the medical profession move from suicide prevention to suicide facilitation. The right-to-die movement presents euthanasia as compassionate. But disparaging human life as expendable is not compassionate. The term 'compassion' literally means 'to suffer with' (com=with, passion=suffer). True compassion means being willing to suffer on behalf of others, loving them enough to bear the burden of caring for them.”

Suffering Compassion Suicide Euthanasia

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Beginning with sin instead of creation is like trying to read a book by opening it in the middle: You don’t know the characters and can’t make sense of the plot.”

Sin Creation Evangelism

Book:Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

Source: Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

“Christianity is the key that fits the lock of the universe.”

Integrity Wholeness

Book:Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

Source: Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

“Redemption is as comprehensive as creation or fall.”

Redemption Depravity

Book:Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

Source: Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

“What kind of ministry is that, just talking to people?" Criticism directed at Francis Schaeffer's plan to open an obscure spot in the Swiss Alps to those who came with questions.”

Humility Ministry Discipleship Obscurity

Book:Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

Source: Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural Captivity

“A biblically based worldview is capable of affirming the best insights of secular philosophies without ever falling into reductionism.”

Biblical Worldview Nancy Pearcey Saving Leonardo

Book:Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning

Source: Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and Meaning

“During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The pre-eminent Christian holiday was Easter, not Christmas.”

Firsts Christian Jesus Century Birth Setting Settings Celebrate Holiday Easter Bethlehem Jesus Birth

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Americans have grown impatient with the relentless politicizing of every area of life.”

Areas Impatient Relentless

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Indigenous people have discovered that Christianity is not inherently Western but universal - 'translatable' into any cultural idiom.”

People Christianity Universal Western Indigenous Indigenous People Idiom

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“My aim in homeschooling is to give my children the ability to be an adult learner, a skill set that will last the rest of their lives.”

Giving Children Lasts Ability Skills Adults Aim My Children Learners Homeschooling

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“No matter how much you like your local school teacher, he or she is a government agent.”

Matter Government School Teacher Like You Locals Agents School Teachers

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Schools ought to teach students to challenge secular ideologies masquerading as science in the classroom.”

School Challenges Teach Students Ought Ideology Classroom Secular

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The defense of marriage is the defense of freedom. Neither of which is obsolete.”

Defense Obsolete

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The human mind inherently seeks intelligible order. Thus the conviction that such an order exists to be found is a crucial assumption.”

Mind Humans Order Found Conviction Assumption Human Mind Crucial

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The more we learn about life, the less plausible is any evolutionary theory that relies on blind, undirected, piece-by-piece change.”

Pieces Theory Blind Rely Plausible

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The Tea Party has imparted political energy to common-sense American constitutionalism.”

Political Energy Party Common Common Sense Tea Tea Party Constitutionalism

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The White House should always be a friend to American freedom.”

Should House White White House American Freedom

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“To be intellectual does not require one to be alienated and oppositional.”

Doe Intellectual

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“We do not create marriage from scratch. Instead, in the elegant language of the marriage ceremony, we 'enter into the holy estate of matrimony.”

Language Holy Estates Elegant Ceremony Scratches Matrimony Marriage Ceremony

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“America has always welcomed anyone willing to assimilate to its national character. But radical Islam rejects assimilation and is bent on the conquest of our national character.”

Character America Willing Islam Radical Rejects Bent Conquest Assimilation Radical Islam

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“America is a knowledge-based society, where information counts as much as material resources. Therefore those with the power to define what qualifies as knowledge - to determine what are the accepted facts - wield the greatest social and political power.”

Facts America Political Social Information Materials Resources Determine Accepted Political Power

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Beginning under the Roman Empire, intellectual leadership in the West had been provided by Christianity. In the middle ages, who invented the first universities - in Paris, Oxford, Cambridge? The church.”

Firsts Age Church Christianity Middle Intellectual West University Paris Empires Middle Ages Roman Empire Oxford Cambridge Roman Civilization Cambridge University

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Homeschoolers are the ultimate do-it-yourselfers. They are self-motivated and self-directed, independent-minded and creative. They are not content to turn their education of their children over to the government.”

Children Self Government Turns Creative Ultimate Independent Motivated Self Motivated

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“If pro-abortionists want to commit intellectual suicide and deny scientific facts, that's their problem. But there's no reason a civilized society should fund their anti-scientific outlook - or accept its inhumane consequences.”

Ifs Want Should Reason Facts Problem Accepting Intellectual Consequence Suicide Deny Commit No Reason Fund Civilized Outlook Civilized Society Scientific Facts Inhumane

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“In Gnosticism, the physical world did not ultimately matter - which meant physical suffering did not matter either. Seeking 'enlightenment' meant cultivating an attitude of detachment, even indifference.”

World Matter Suffering Attitude Enlightenment Seeking Indifference Detachment Cultivating Gnosticism

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Literary theory has become a parody of science, generating its own arcane jargon. In the process, tragically, it discourages love of literature for its own sake.”

Literature Process Theory Sake Discouraging Parody Jargon Arcane Literary Theory

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Many journalists are influenced by a myopic multiculturalism that is suspicious of anything Western, while giving the benefit of the doubt to non-Western societies.”

Giving Doubt Benefits Western Journalist Multiculturalism Suspicious Benefit Of The Doubt Western Society Myopic

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The costs of marriage breakdown are borne by the entire society, and therefore it is reasonable for the entire society to demand support for marriage - to insist that it is privileged both culturally and legally.”

Support Cost Demand Reasonable Privileged Breakdown

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The word 'tolerance' once meant we all have the right to argue rationally for our deepest convictions in the public arena. Now it means those convictions are not even subject to rational debate.”

Mean Subjects Conviction Arguing Debate Tolerance Rational Arena

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Clearly, Enlightenment thinkers were seeking a God substitute.”

Enlightenment Seeking Substitutes Thinker Enlightenment Thinkers

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“Mitchell claimed that her materialist view leads to “humbleness.” But it is not humbling; it is dehumanizing. It essentially reduces humans to robots.”

Humans Views Robots Humbling Humbleness

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“Only a God of love is fully personal. Thus the Trinity is crucial for maintaining a fully personal concept of God. As theologian Robert Letham writes, “Only a God who is triune can be personal.... A solitary monad cannot love and, since it cannot love, neither can it be a person.” Therefore it “has no way to explain or even to maintain human personhood.”

Way Writing Humans Persons Love Is Concepts Crucial Solitary Theologian Maintaining Trinity Personhood

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“But things that are intrinsically good can also become idols-if we allow them to take over any of God's functions in our lives.”

Ifs Our Lives Function Idols

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“Modern secular thought has its own dualism: It treats only the physical world as knowable and testable, while locking everything else - mind, spirit, morality, meaning - into the realm of private, subjective feelings. The so-called fact/value split.”

World Mind Facts Feelings Spirit Values Modern Morality Treats Realms Splits Secular Subjective Dualism

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Yet church youth groups rarely teach apologetics, majoring instead on games and goodies.”

Games Church Teach Groups Youth Apologetic

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“Materialists try to live in the lower story NON-MATERIAL WORLD Subjective, Superstitious, Mental Constructs MATERIAL WORLD Objective, Scientific, Knowable Facts”

World Trying Facts Stories Materials Objectives Constructs Subjective Superstitious Material World

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“To adapt a phrase, idols have consequences.”

Consequence Phrases Idols

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“Atheists often denounce Christianity as harsh and negative. But in reality it offers a much more positive view of the human person than any competing religion or worldview. It is so appealing that adherents of other worldviews keep free-loading the parts they like best.”

Humans Persons Reality Views Christianity Offers Negative Atheist Harsh Competing Worldview

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“When people commit themselves to a certain vision of reality, it becomes their ultimate explainer. It serves to interpret the universe for them, to guide their moral decisions, to give meaning and purpose to life, and all the other functions normally associated with a religion.”

People Giving Reality Purpose Certain Universe Decision Moral Vision Ultimate Function Guides Commit Moral Decisions

Book:Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“The whole point of building theoretical systems is to explain what humans know by pre-theoretical experience. That is the starting point for any philosophy. That is the data it seeks to explain. If it fails to explain the data of experience, then it has failed the test. It has been falsified.”

Ifs Knows Humans Has Beens Philosophy Whole Failing Building Tests Starting Data Theoretical Starting Point

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“For many women today, on a personal level, the problem is not male dominance so much as male desertion.”

Problem Today Levels Males Dominance Desertion Male Dominance

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“The most fundamental decision we all face over the course of our lives is what we will recognize as the ultimate reality, the uncaused source and cause of our existence. Everything else in our worldview depends on that initial decision. The Bible speaks of this foundational choice in terms of who or what we worship. We must all answer the challenge Joshua issued to the Israelites as they were poised to enter the Promised Land: "Choose this day whom you will serve" (Josh. 24:15).”

Source: Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes

“The loss of objectivity in moral thought does not lead to liberation. It leads to oppression. Secular ideologies preach liberty, but they practice tyranny.”

Doe Loss Liberty Moral Practice Tyranny Oppression Ideology Liberation Secular Objectivity

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“'Biblical worldview'. The term means literally a 'view of the world', a biblically informed perspective on all of reality. A worldview is like a mental map that tells you how to navigate the world effectively. It is the imprint of God's objective truth on our inner life.”

World Mean Reality Term Views Perspective Objectives Maps Biblical Worldview Inner Life Navigate Objective Truth Biblical Worldview

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Many people operate as though the definition of faith were, Don't ask questions, just believe. They quote Jesus himself, who taught his followers to have the faith of a child (Mark 10:15). But I once heard Francis Schaeffer respond by saying, "Don't you realize how many questions children ask?"”

People Believe Children Asks Jesus Realizing Heard Taught Mark Definitions Followers Just Believe

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“A worldview is not the same things a formal philosophy, otherwise it would only be for philosophers. Even ordinary people have a set of convictions about how reality functions and how they should live. Some convictions are conscious while others are unconscious but together they form a consistent picture of reality.”

People Should Philosophy Reality Together Form Ordinary Conscious Function Philosopher Conviction Unconscious Consistent Formal Ordinary People Worldview

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“In high school, I came to realize I had a second-hand faith, derived from my parents and family background. I had no actual reasons for believing it.”

Believe Reason Hands School Parent Realizing High School Backgrounds Second Hand Family Background

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“I began asking, 'How can we know Christianity is true?' Sadly, none of the adults in my life offered an answer. Eventually I decided Christianity must not have any answers, and I became an agnostic.”

Knows Answers Christianity Adults Decided Asking Agnostic

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“I discovered that Christianity does have the resources to meet the challenges posed by competing worldviews after all.”

Doe Challenges Christianity Resources Competing Worldview

Author:Nancy Pearcey

“Christian adults need to think about talking to our own children as a form of cross-cultural missions. Cultural change happens so quickly that teens are exposed to ideas and worldviews very different from those of previous generations.”

Thinking Needs Children Ideas Different Happens Christian Form Talking Generations Adults Crosses Missions Exposed Teens Worldview Previous Generations Cultural Change

Author:Nancy Pearcey

About the Author

Born: 1952
Known for: Author
Quotes: 90

Related Topics

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Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God SubstitutesRelated source material

Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from its Cultural CaptivityRelated source material

Saving Leonardo: A Call to Resist the Secular Assault on Mind, Morals, and MeaningRelated source material

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