ICR: Institute for Christian Resources - Since 1975 - Creating an oasis of Christ's Love through public Christian Libraries

By: Willard Black, Founder of ICR

Addressing Life’s Challenges

After 20 years of working with various Christian organizations, in 1975 I initiated the work of the Institute for Christian Resources as a teaching resource for churches, individuals, and community groups. Though many people I worked with had a reasonable understanding of the bible as the authority for belief and practice, they still had need of specific applications of biblical principles for family, work, and challenging life management situations. When searching for such teaching information, I discovered that little was available. Therefore, through ICR we began to provide some of these resources by enlisting laypersons who understood the problems to be addressed, who had a good working knowledge of the bible, and who could communicate in a popular and interdisciplinary manner.

Our purpose is to stay the course on fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28 by "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded," to cultivate the spiritual "transformation by the renewing of the mind" as taught by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2, and to promote Christian maturity as the early church did, described in Colossians 1:28: "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ."

Since American academia leads the world in social and behavioral sciences, I believe that biblical truth needs to be fleshed out in applications which would connect to the social and behavioral mind set and vocabulary of Americans. However, I also believe that we need European input of ideas and ways of thinking because of their philosophic rather than social scientific approach to learning. Having studied history under Arnold Toynbee and philosophy under Sir Karl Popper in one of my university programs convinced me of that.

Transforming Lives at Home and Abroad

A few years after ICR was established, I was invited to assist in the teaching program of TCM International, a mission that focused on work in the Soviet Communist Bloc, and an unexpected discovery was that what resources we were developing in Silicon Valley and the Midwest proved to be an ideal match for church leaders in that region. I cautiously worked in that part of the world before communism collapsed.

Though Europeans tend to lag behind us in applications of information, they are stronger than we in theoretical understanding. Therefore, church leaders need from Americans the "how to" of education added to their ministries. They recognize that, and invitations many times over what I could respond to began and continue to multiply. My early teaching role was that of an "information integrationist" of various resources produced in the US. I have served as the forerunner—John the Baptist—for such teachers as Ron Wiebe, Jim Koch, and Margo Greig who have now been teaching in other countries for a considerable length of time.

Providing Healing

An important part of our teaching curriculum has been family resources, which emphasize skills and understanding of biblical principles; this is needed because the family system was devastated by communist party control and enforced atheism. Also, in the broad picture both Eastern and Western Europe benefits from American teaching stimulus in areas of evidences for belief, skills and methods of evangelism, and exegesis and applications of scripture.

In much of Europe there is more unbelief than belief that God exists. European pagans drive Porches and have PhD’s! Because of traditional church/state relations many Europeans think that to be born "Austrian" or "Polish" is to be born" Christian". This precludes a biblical understanding of evangelism. Inductive bible study methods are well received in Europe and fill a void since Europe focused on theological study rather than direct biblical exegesis, and their educational systems focus on deductive rather than inductive methods of learning. The deductive method works from stated general principles to specifics cases. This allows the teacher to assume a position of authority that makes it possible for him or her to say that this is the way it is and that the student should accept it. In contrast to this, inductive teaching works from specific data to general principles. Individual facts are gathered, arranged and evaluated to build general conclusions. In that learning context, the teacher helps students to make up their own minds. This is especially important in challenging, and at the same time respecting, centuries old religious traditions.

European leaders welcome American teachers who partner with them in a sensitive, low profile manner and who view themselves as stimulus persons, not as final authorities. Delivery of resources in the Soviet Bloc historically came through word-of-mouth arrangements and a carefully sustained network. Everything happened by networking, not through Christian organizations and infrastructures familiar to us in the West. Blessed with a 20-year-old network, we can advance ministry there as infrastructures develop. Poland had some of the best infrastructures in that part of the world because of the daring and foresight of leaders contemporary with the Solidarity movement. For that reason Poland was the first place we began to train lay family counselors among church leaders, some professionals and business leaders in their communities.

Bringing Light into a Darkened World

Central and Eastern Europe and other communist countries lacked freedom of the press for 50 to 70 years under Hitler’s Nazism and Stalin’s Communism. The lack of access for books, non-book media, and study helps has been a continuing problem in that part of the world even though freedom came in ’89. Part of the problem of access has been financial. The general population lacks funds to buy many books, and owning a computer or purchasing bible study software has remained out of reach for the majority of church members. Though pastors have reasonably good libraries, they are not inclined to loan their books. Therefore lay church leaders, children’s teachers, and inquirers are left without vital information they want and need.

Our work in Central Europe has been focused on establishing public Christian libraries and training national church leaders. The libraries, located in Prague, Czech Republic, Budapest, Hungary, and Berlin, Germany have a special emphasis on collections of children’s Christian books and DVD’s and adult resources on evidences for belief, family issues, and general biblical studies. They also offer regular series of seminars on issues for applied Christian living such as What a Healthy Family Looks Like, Pre-Marital Counseling, Single Parenting, Step-Parenting, Business Ethics, Understanding Jesus, and How Jesus Treated People.

Now, leaders in many other countries are observing these libraries as a prototype for their communities.

Our historical posture is that we are one set of voices in the Christian community emphasizing the study of scripture and making thoughtful applications of biblical understanding to real life problems in various cultural contexts. We exist to serve God and use what gifts He has given for the benefit others.

• We believe in the one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit as revealed in the Holy Bible and made known in Jesus Christ our Lord
• We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord of all life as set forth in scripture; that the divine Son became human, was born of a virgin, ministered in word and miracles, died for our sin, was raised bodily from the dead, ascended to God’s right hand and is coming again for his people.
• We believe that the Holy Spirit is presently ministering through the Christian community, empowering lives of godliness and service.
• We believe that the Holy Bible is completely God breathed, true in all its teaching, and the final authority for all matters of faith and practice.
• We believe that Jesus Christ established his church on earth to carry out his saving mission among all nations and formed her to be one holy people.
• We believe that salvation is in Christ alone.

The Institute for Christian Resources is supervised by a self-perpetuating policy board which meets bi-annually. These individuals serve as guardians for the integrity of the mission as well as the fiscal accountability on behalf of donors.

• Willard Black - Founder: ICR Director of Resource Development, Rocklin, CA
• Phyllis Lanyon: - Director: Executive Director, ICR, San Jose, CA
• Walt Hoffer - Director: Retired, San Jose, CA
• Ron Wiebe - Vice Chairman: Organizational Consultant, San Jose, CA
• Phil Gregory - Treasurer: President of NK Technologies, San Jose, CA
• Elton Fay - Director: Attorney, Columbia, MO
• Dan Scruggs - Chairman: CPA, San Jose, CA
• Curt Palmer – Director: Educator / Counselor, Castro Valley, CA
• Diane Comstock – Secretary: Small Business Manager , Morgan Hill, CA