Considerations of the Future of the Big Sky Worldview Forum
Over the last year or more, our committee and a few friends of the Forum have been seriously evaluating what our future should be.
Before anything else is said, let me be clear about one thing:

The necessity for – the need for worldview related equipping is more critical now than ever before in this world’s history.

For reasons discussed below, America and the West is weaker now, in terms of worldview issues, ethics, morality, virtue etc. than it ever has been. If you were with us at our last Forum, Dr. Tackett said essentially the same thing. While I think the Trump presidency might offer a short time of partial reprieve, anyone who thinks that America is out of the woods, is not in touch with reality.

The most soberingly true article I have read in a while is this one in The Federalist, 11/07/24. I commend it to your reading. Take a look also at the author, John Davidson’s, new book Pagan America: The Decline of Christianity and the Dark Age to Come 03/2024. Here is the article:

After Trumps Victory, There Can Be No Unity Without Reckoning If you’re serious about Christianity and America, please read it. Towards the end he says this:
“Even with a reckoning, unity will be difficult. We can’t just say “Oh well we’re all Americans in the end.” That won’t cut it. The stark reality is that there are a large number of our countrymen who are no longer Americans in any meaningful sense. As Glenn Ellmers has written, [really a good read] they “do not believe in, live by, or even like the principles, traditions, and ideals that until recently defined America as a nation and as a people. It is not obvious what we should call these citizen-aliens, these non-American Americans; but they are something else.”
After those who broke the law are held accountable, and those who lied are ostracized and ignored, we will still face the problem of disunity and division among our people. We will still be two nations occupying the same territory, with two irreconcilable visions of what the country should be. We can’t paper over those differences, and we shouldn’t.”
I will be quick to add that those citizen-aliens he refers to are militantly anti-Christian – no exceptions!
At this time, we feel confident that we should put the Forum on HOLD.
If your interested in seeing the full list of speakers and subjects we have had or the last 15 years, you can find them HERE.
Allow me to attempt to detail why we have come to this decision, but first a comment to those who have been part of this work in various ways. We can not begin to express our gratitude for your interest. We respect you so much. Thank you. Rest assured; we will not be silent! The ‘arm-chair quarterbacks will ask why are you quitting? They are clueless about this reality!
Why This Decision, Why Now?
Over the last two years, and especially since the COVID Reset, our attendance has continued to decrease. While a couple of our speakers have been less than we had hoped for, even solid speakers like Dr. Jay Richards have seen small turnouts. The shift became glaringly obvious when Matt Sharp from Alliance Defending Freedom came to speak in September of 2023 on Protecting Our Rights of Conscience in the Public Square. We anticipated that this subject and this respected speaker would be of huge interest - but it was not. Matt is wildly popular with ADF fans. In spite of an Alliance Defending Freedom Ambassador’s event in Billings only days before where there were over a hundred people, our turnout was under 100 and none of the Ambassadors showed up that were not regulars at our events. Not even the leaders.
Allow me to walk you through some of our observations and reasonings:
First, as the coordinator I have to consider stewardship - wise use of resources. I cannot, in good conscience, ask a speaker to come from Washington D. C. or Dallas to spend three days (plus preparation time etc.) to come and speak to a hundred people when they could speak to many more somewhere else during that time. Our motto has been Equipping Cultural Influencers With a Christian Worldview. While we have some great folks coming, in terms of wise use of resources, how many influencers are we now really equipping?
Second, have we run our course:? And/or have people just become tired of this format? I used this example with a friend from Powell. For five years, you went to the Cody rodeo and every year and you loved it. Then, one day, you decide, not anymore. The rodeo has not changed, the distance from Powell to Cody is the same so what or who changed?
We were never a large influence and certainly not an entertaining one. It may very well be that we have served a purpose or run our course. But the question remains, will the church, will America, turn from its apathy and embrace TRUTH? Or, will all-things-Postmodern continue to increase? Who will speak for this?
Third - the Great Reset: I have read books and heard many wise people talk about this. In the end, what is being observed across America is what can only be honestly labeled a Giant Reset of Indifference. Talk to leaders, talk to others who do this kind of thing. If it’s not amusing, entertaining, or the like – Christians are not engaging – not interested! Leaders have tried to diagnose it – was it partially because churches shut down for COVID and then opened up offering the opportunity to sit at home and watch in your jammies? Partially! Was it affected by the “work from home epidemic”? Absolutely.
The Great Deception: I have had people I respect suggest that people are getting their information now more on line, from Blogs, etc. He was correct. Yes, we have become a sound-bite culture. Let’ think about that for a minute. What are they not understanding? What really changed? I will return to that question in a minute. Because… I believe this question relates – not only to our demise – but also to the challenge to serious, multiplying, Christianity.
As the Millennials and GenZ influence has become more predominant - even on older people - America has declined. Even leaders who spend their lives working with these generations will tell you that they are self-absorbed, lazy, very arrogant, uninformed – even largely anti-Christian. But this is on us for poor mentoring. The tail is wagging the dog because the DOG – us – are not leading.
I remember a mom telling me about how she had asked her home-schooled daughter why she was not interested in hearing our speakers. The daughter said, “My friends are not interested in listening to lectures on Friday night, they want to be having fun.” (Hello American Christian youth groups!) Interestingly, shortly after that, the Mom faded from the picture also.
Perhaps most troubling, these are in a relationship crisis. And, we have followed them! Keep reading and think!
Our youth do not relate well to others, they do not have friends – unless you have been living under a rock you know this is a crisis
Now, lets return to the thought - The Great Deception - of where we – and our youth - get our information from above. They get it, as my friend suggested, from social media, blogs, You-Tube – all STUFF they get while basically alone! NOT from books – most college educated people NEVER read a book after they graduate. NOT from church because the church is not equipping them and dares not try.
“We’re so smart, we can set at home and do this without other people, without some OLD GUY or Pastor.” We will decide what to do, what to believe, what to think.
This demonic spirit permeates our culture – and the church! And adults have followed them…
In our last event, Dr. Del Tackett said very clearly – “some things you have to GO TO, PARTICIPATE IN, GET INVOLVED IN.”
Are we so self-absorbed that we believe the Holy Spirits influence is the same on our sofa as it is in a meeting!
In his final talk, Del talked about The Biblical Path Forward. What is it? Love your neighbor by building relationships with them and getting involved with them. This, Christians have rejected!
Romans 12:9-13 gives a series of commands; they are not suggestions. “Let love be without hypocrisy… [and ends with] practice hospitality.” Those two words are a command in the Greek language and they are literally translated ‘to entertain strangers.’ I have often asked Christians, when was the last time you had someone into your home for a meal that was a stranger – not your buddy or relative? It gets VERY quiet OR the excuses begin to pile up. Most of the Christian leaders I know get an “F” on this.
Remember that pesky little passage from Acts 2:42-47 when the church was growing exponentially? When believers were spending time together… fellowshipping etc.? But they didn’t have computers and cell-phones to replace people!
The Conditioning Process: For decades we have been conditioned for this in most churches. Equipping the Saints to do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:10-12) became a nuisance. We’ve actually heard pastors say “You get them to church and I’ll get them saved.” This completely turns this passage of scripture on its head. Frankly, it is sin!
Yes, Christianity became a spectator’s sport. Come, listen, nothing expected of you, and go home. Then COVID hit and we learned we could be spectators without getting the car our of the garage – and the ENEMY loved it. Do these Christians also take communion by themselves?
“Let us not neglect meeting together” (Heb. 10:25) was twisted to be interpreted “we can live-stream this - individually” – a giant step to the rear! If I was KING FOR A DAY, you would have to have a CODE - be a true shut in - to stream a church service. Aren’t you glad I am not? 😊
No, this is not an apologetic about the Forum, but it is about our culture and it matters. You are in denial if you don’t see this! And, it is a large part of our decision. Remind me to say three more times – this is not just with us, it is EVERWHERE!
Let’s not sugar coat it, Christians have become LAZY and WHIMPY. Or, as Del Tackett put it – “addicted, soft, dependent, and lost.” When Israel was crossing the Jordan and rooting out the enemy from the promised land, some of the tribes didn’t want to fight. In Numbers 32:6 Moses said to the sons of Gad and Reuben “Shall your brothers go to war while you yourselves set” Those who were doing the fighting asked this question – this was a ‘Coming to Jesus moment’ for the Jews – and hello American Christians!
Christianity has become perverted. Pastors and leaders can’t get people to serve in the nursery, teach Sunday school – the list goes on. And, it’s not just in the church. Why do you think there is a HELP WANTED sign on the front door of every business? Why? Because America has changed in a huge way!
Before our last event, I had a young person ask if we would STREAM the event. She used the popular Millennial excuse today, “We can’t find a baby setter.” It strained my patience to not ask (because I hear this often) - if it had been a concert she really wanted to go to, maybe they could have found one?
And then there was Billings: Is Billings a strong city spiritually? It is my observation, over the last 18 years, that there are Christian influences that have eroded that strength. I will leave that to your observations and analysis for now but just a few observations:
• Two years ago, Billings overwhelmingly approved Ingrid Gustafson to the Montana Supreme Court – by 11,000 votes over James Brown. This woman is a radical Progressive but she lives in good-old Billings.
• This year, Billings voted by a strong margin for Judge Katherine Bidegaray for Montana Supreme Court. This woman is evil and incompetent in almost every way as you will see HERE p.5-8
• Billings voted overwhelmingly for CI-128 enshrining abortion into our Montana constitution. Thankfully, most Evangelical and Catholic churches were vocal about this – with notable exceptions. By vocal I mean with a clear voice calling out the opposition and naming the bill.
• When Matt Rosendale ran for Senate a few years ago, in the primary, Billings voted against him by an 11,000-vote margin.
• And why is abortion acceptable in Montana and Billings? Because Christians are not being equipped – (Eph. 4;12) Abortion, same-sex marriage, transgenderism, homosexuality, CRT, DEI - the list of subjects is long that are not being taught - from the pulpit, on Sunday morning. By teach I mean 40 minutes, one subject – history, logic, scripture, reasonings, and conclusions! Teach to persuade, teach to equip.
• What was it Dietrick Bonhoffer said? “Silence in the face of evil, is evil, NOT to speak IS to speak.”
Just politics some have said?... Worldview issues I would argue…
Our Committee: Over the last 15 years, we have frequently asked if there are those who would be willing to work with us. For the most part, there has been no interest. A few have come for a short while and dropped out. Our average age is 60’s+. Speaking for myself and Nancy, we are not as strong as we were in 2011 when this started. We could continue to help, but not carry the water. And I will add, I hear all the time, I would liked to have come, but I had something on my schedule. I smile and think to myself, you know, our speaker schedule is out on average 8 months in advance… it’s all about priorities.
My Commitment to speak about government: Without question, my observations about Montana and National politics have not pleased some. FYI – the primary reason we never sought 501C3 status. While I realize that at times, I have been unduly offensive, I have attempted to message ‘fenced by truth and integrity’ - without compromising. But the price I or we have paid for attempting to speak into the culture is small compared to the price some of our legislators have paid.
I would again echo the words of Jeff Ventrella Esq. when he was with Alliance Defending Freedom. “Those who would win the world for Christ, must have the courage to come into conflict with it.”
What our being ‘On Hold’ is NOT about:
As strange as it may seem to some, our immediate issue is NOT about money – about finances. Somehow – and I can’t explain it except the generosity of a few friends – our finances are in the BLACK in spite of us losing money on the last several events.
If Dr. Del Tackett’s event was our last one, then we will have finished on a high note. To be clear, we know that we went from about 125 on the last several events to about 350 attendees for this one. Many of these people were from outside of Billings and/or followers of Del Tackett as we are. As good as this event was, we are clear-eyed - the November event was not the reality we have experience since COVID. And REMEMBER, we never stopped during COVID and our numbers were very respectable.
We feel very good about that. Time will tell where we go from here but we will not be silent.
Blessings to you,
Respectfully, Dick Pence – Coordinator, Big Sky Worldview Forum rapence45@gmail.com 406-672-9207