“…and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Have you ever wondered why Jesus included Samaria in this text? Probably not. It is easy to assume that Jesus is simply expanding the geography of the disciples’ witness of Him. And that is true. The gospel began with the Jews but was quickly taken to the Gentiles as well. The Apostle Paul would go first to the synagogue to present the gospel to the Jews then to the Gentiles. But why did Jesus include the Samaritans? Is there some reason they are listed rather than some other nearby ethnic group or geographic direction?
Here is another thought to consider. The Samaritans were a cult arising out of Judaism. They were Jews who had intermarried with non-Jews in the eighth century BC. They also moved their worship of God from Jerusalem to Mt. Gerizim against the commands of Yahweh. They still exist today in a village called Kiryat Luza on the side of Mt. Gerizim. They are a small sect of seven hundred adherents who hold to the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. Like most cults they claim to be the true followers of Moses and the Jews returning from the Babylonian captivity brought back with them a corrupted Judaism. Most cults claim to be this pure “one true” version of the group from which they split.
To some extent Jesus was telling his disciples to carry the gospel to those from whom they were alienated, heretics of their own faith. Today Christians have the same situation with the pseudo-Christian cults. Besides the fact that they are sinners like everyone else they are also exerting great efforts to convert people to their “one true Christianity“ with “another” Jesus and “another” gospel.
They come to our doorstep with God’s Name on their lips and God’s Word in their hands. What will we do with them in our effort to reach the world with the gospel? In Jesus’ day the Jews would take the long route around Samaria to avoid the Samaritans. Today Christians don’t answer the door or say they are happy in their faith but fail to give a witness. Will we take the long route around this modern “Samaria” to avoid them as the Jews did in Jesus’ day? Or, will we face the cultists as Jesus would have us do?
Watchman Fellowship exists to guide Christians through this modern Samaria rather than around it. We publish our literature and present our seminars to help you through these difficult encounters. Contact us if you want more information.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Who Joins Spiritually Abusive Groups?
I regularly check for cult related news at a rather unique website. You can check it too at this link. http://www.cultnews.net/
One of the things I hate to see when I go there is under the title “Clergy Abuse.” Most of the news in this category is sexual abuse but other forms also show up occasionally.
If you have not experienced spiritual abuse personally thank God for it. You probably wonder how people get caught in something so obviously bad for them. Its not easy but it extremely common. Spiritual abuse grows out of a seedbed of legalism, a performance-based relationship with God. This leads to a focus on the external, or what is visible and can be checked by others. This is what Jesus referred to in the Pharisees as “whited sepulchers.” When our relationship with God can be reduced to the external it is probably accompanied with a person or group that reinforces that view.
Anyone who has experienced this abuse needs to know three things. First, recovery can be found. Second, when you have recovered, give from your experience to others who are struggling with abuse and legalism to help them find hope again. And third, thank God for your experience (and the recovery) because you will then be a much stronger, and wiser Christian whom God will use to heal His wounded sheep.
My workbook on Spiritual Abuse Recovery was dedicated “to the ‘Wounded Sheep’ who just wanted to serve God and please Him.” I have excerpted part of Chapter Two below to provide some insight into why this is a growing, and unrecognized, problem.
Chapter Two: Who Joins Abusive Groups?
“Most modern freedom is at root fear. It is not so much that we are too bold to endure rules; it is rather that we are too timid to endure responsibilities.”
G.K. Chesterton
The question of who joins high control religious groups seems like it would have a simple answer. It does not. Nor is there a simple answer to how it happens.
The starting place should be the question of what disposes a person to spiritual abuse? Why is a person vulnerable? What differences in people make one vulnerable and another not so vulnerable? I would love to know your answers to these questions but here is a list that may help you think it through.
Which of these statements fit you?
1) I had a lack of knowledge of the Bible.
2) I was raised in an abusive family or church so I didn’t know the difference.
3) I was not sufficiently strong in critical thinking skills or will power.
4) I came to Christ through the abusive group’s influence.
5) I was like the frog in the kettle where things changed so gradually I didn’t notice until it was too late.
6) I am easily led, or I want someone to take the lead for me….
…. People who were raised in families where dysfunction was the norm may gravitate toward a church that is like their family of origin. It’s all they know. It’s the familiar rut with an accepted comfort level. The way to break out of such a rut is exposure to a much more gracious culture. Hopefully the contrast will stir a hunger for grace and not performance. This is what the people in the Bible who knew they were sinners saw in Jesus. They contrasted Him to the self-righteous Pharisees and knew instantly that Jesus was someone to listen to.
If you would like to obtain a copy of the Spiritual Abuse Recovery workbook send me an email at the address on this blog. I will tell you how you can receive it.
One of the things I hate to see when I go there is under the title “Clergy Abuse.” Most of the news in this category is sexual abuse but other forms also show up occasionally.
If you have not experienced spiritual abuse personally thank God for it. You probably wonder how people get caught in something so obviously bad for them. Its not easy but it extremely common. Spiritual abuse grows out of a seedbed of legalism, a performance-based relationship with God. This leads to a focus on the external, or what is visible and can be checked by others. This is what Jesus referred to in the Pharisees as “whited sepulchers.” When our relationship with God can be reduced to the external it is probably accompanied with a person or group that reinforces that view.
Anyone who has experienced this abuse needs to know three things. First, recovery can be found. Second, when you have recovered, give from your experience to others who are struggling with abuse and legalism to help them find hope again. And third, thank God for your experience (and the recovery) because you will then be a much stronger, and wiser Christian whom God will use to heal His wounded sheep.
My workbook on Spiritual Abuse Recovery was dedicated “to the ‘Wounded Sheep’ who just wanted to serve God and please Him.” I have excerpted part of Chapter Two below to provide some insight into why this is a growing, and unrecognized, problem.
Chapter Two: Who Joins Abusive Groups?
“Most modern freedom is at root fear. It is not so much that we are too bold to endure rules; it is rather that we are too timid to endure responsibilities.”
G.K. Chesterton
The question of who joins high control religious groups seems like it would have a simple answer. It does not. Nor is there a simple answer to how it happens.
The starting place should be the question of what disposes a person to spiritual abuse? Why is a person vulnerable? What differences in people make one vulnerable and another not so vulnerable? I would love to know your answers to these questions but here is a list that may help you think it through.
Which of these statements fit you?
1) I had a lack of knowledge of the Bible.
2) I was raised in an abusive family or church so I didn’t know the difference.
3) I was not sufficiently strong in critical thinking skills or will power.
4) I came to Christ through the abusive group’s influence.
5) I was like the frog in the kettle where things changed so gradually I didn’t notice until it was too late.
6) I am easily led, or I want someone to take the lead for me….
…. People who were raised in families where dysfunction was the norm may gravitate toward a church that is like their family of origin. It’s all they know. It’s the familiar rut with an accepted comfort level. The way to break out of such a rut is exposure to a much more gracious culture. Hopefully the contrast will stir a hunger for grace and not performance. This is what the people in the Bible who knew they were sinners saw in Jesus. They contrasted Him to the self-righteous Pharisees and knew instantly that Jesus was someone to listen to.
If you would like to obtain a copy of the Spiritual Abuse Recovery workbook send me an email at the address on this blog. I will tell you how you can receive it.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Questions to Ask a Mormon
A scene from a Star Trek episode finds Captain Kirk posing questions to a computer that is determined to exterminate all carbon-based life forms. Kirk poses a question to the computer that the computer cannot resolve. Finally, the computer begins repeating the phrase, “More data please. It does not compute. It does not compute….” Kirk’s questions cause the computer to lock up in a never-ending struggle to resolve the logical conflict.
Mormons are not computers or Star Trek aliens. They are not like the Romulans, Klingons or Ferengi. I have already linked those alien species to other cult groups. :-)
On the other hand the use of a question can highlight a logical fallacy for any cultist. It can send the mind into what is called cognitive dissonance, a state of confusion caused by the perception of two conflicting truths. The resolution is found only in the acceptance of one and the dismissal of the other.
There is a significant problem, however, in using logical arguments with Mormons. They do not decide what is true on the basis of logic. They determine the truth of Mormonism by prayer. In the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:4) an “investigator” is challenged to read the book of Mormon and pray that God will show the truth of it. To a Mormon the proof is in a subjective “burning in the bosom” response to their reading. This is a physical/emotional/spiritual experience. Those Mormons who have experienced it have a stronger resistance to objective evidences. That is not to say that objective evidences, or logic, are worthless because God opens the closed mind. We are simply to present the truth and leave its impact to Him.
The Objective Challenge
Though Mormons test truth by prayer Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth President of the LDS church, gave an objective criteria for determining the truth or fallacy of Mormonism. He said in his book Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, page 188,
“Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false, for the doctrines of an impostor cannot be made to harmonize in all particulars with divine truth. If his claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions, which would be easy to detect. The doctrines of false teachers will not stand the test when tried by the accepted standards of measurement, the scriptures.”
The “accepted standards of measurement” have always been objective. They include the written revelation of God in the Bible, the natural revelation in His creation, and a rational mind that can logically weigh evidences. When the Holy Spirit speaks to the human heart His words will always be in agreement with those objective evidences. Though prayer is good it is not one of the “accepted standards of measurement” because Satan can impersonate the Holy Spirit through what the Bible calls “seducing spirits”. This presents us with the first question to ask a Mormon.
Questions About The Book of Mormon
If you have a “testimony” of the truth of the Book of Mormon how do you know it is not from a “seducing spirit” (see 1 Timothy 4:1)? Would not a “seducing spirit” be seductive, or in other words, feel good?
Why rely on a subjective test when the Biblical test of truth claims were always objective? Isaiah 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony (scripture up to that time) if they speak not according to this word there is no truth in them.”
Aren’t the scriptures “the accepted standards of measurement” according to Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of Salvation (quoted above)?
Do you know that the Muslim scripture, the Koran, is not scripture? How do you know? Have you read it and asked God sincerely whether it is true or not? Or, is it not true because you know it teaches doctrines that are not true? Isn’t that why the Book of Mormon should be tested by the same criteria, the “accepted standards of measurement,” the scriptures?
Next time you have a couple young missionaries at your door thank them for coming and say, “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve had some questions I have wanted to ask. Let me get them (print this out and put it in your Bible).
Friday, November 13, 2009
May The "Force" Be With You?
The Watchtower Society teaches that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force, not having the three attributes of personality intellect, emotion, and will. Nor do they believe the Spirit is deity. They compare the Holy Spirit to a radar beam or electricity, a force, hence the title of this piece.
The Watchtower can accept the eternal existence of the Holy Spirit because “it” is Jehovah’s power. Since Jehovah is eternal and His “power” or “active force” has been His eternally then the Holy Spirit is also eternal. By the way, the Watchtower never says “the” Holy Spirit. They always say Holy Spirit without the definite article.
Since Christians firmly hold to the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit it would be useful to pose a few questions to focus the Witnesses mind on a contradiction their belief presents. According to the Watchtower all “spirits” have the attributes of personality, intellect, emotion and will, except the Holy Spirit. Why? My opinion is that to accept the personality of the Holy Spirit would be to take a step toward the Trinity, which they hate. The Holy Spirit is, according to the Bible, eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and if He is a “person” then He must also be deity for only God is an eternal Person, having no beginning and no end.
First Question:
Is Jehovah a spirit and is He a “personal” being having the three attributes of intellect, emotion, and will?
Answer: The Jehovah’s Witnesses will say “yes.”
Second Question:
According to the Watchtower is Jesus a spirit today in heaven? Does He have the three attributes of personality?
Answer: Again, the JW will agree.
Third Question:
Are angels spirits? Do they have the attributes of personality?
Answer: Yes.
Fourth Question: Is Satan a spirit? Is he a being with the attributes of personality?
Answer: Yes.
Fifth Question: Are demons spirits? Do they have the attributes of personality?
Answer: Yes.
Sixth Question:
Is the Holy Spirit a spirit? Does He have the attributes of personality?
Answer: No.
Why not? Why are all spirits personal beings but not the Holy Spirit?
Another objection by the Watchtower to the personality of the Holy Spirit is that they believe a person cannot indwell another person. This objection has no logic to it in my opinion because the Witnesses believe you can be “indwelled” (possessed) by a demon. So if a demon can get inside you why not the Holy Spirit? This belief of the Watchtower is borne out in their mistranslation of many passages of scripture where believers are said to be “in” Christ, or Christ “in” us. They translate these verses as being “in union with” Christ.
Further, if the Holy Spirit is not a personal being how can an “it” carry on a personal conversation as in Acts 8:29; 10:19, 20; 13:2; 21:11; Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; and 3:6.
The Holy Spirit has the three attributes of personality.
Intellect:
Romans 8:27 “The MIND of the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 The Spirit “KNOWS.”
Emotion:
Ephesians 4:30 “GRIEVE not the Spirit.”
Will:
1 Corinthians 12:11 “The Spirit WILLS.”
Conclusion:
“Let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit SAYS…” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
The Watchtower can accept the eternal existence of the Holy Spirit because “it” is Jehovah’s power. Since Jehovah is eternal and His “power” or “active force” has been His eternally then the Holy Spirit is also eternal. By the way, the Watchtower never says “the” Holy Spirit. They always say Holy Spirit without the definite article.
Since Christians firmly hold to the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit it would be useful to pose a few questions to focus the Witnesses mind on a contradiction their belief presents. According to the Watchtower all “spirits” have the attributes of personality, intellect, emotion and will, except the Holy Spirit. Why? My opinion is that to accept the personality of the Holy Spirit would be to take a step toward the Trinity, which they hate. The Holy Spirit is, according to the Bible, eternal (Hebrews 9:14), and if He is a “person” then He must also be deity for only God is an eternal Person, having no beginning and no end.
First Question:
Is Jehovah a spirit and is He a “personal” being having the three attributes of intellect, emotion, and will?
Answer: The Jehovah’s Witnesses will say “yes.”
Second Question:
According to the Watchtower is Jesus a spirit today in heaven? Does He have the three attributes of personality?
Answer: Again, the JW will agree.
Third Question:
Are angels spirits? Do they have the attributes of personality?
Answer: Yes.
Fourth Question: Is Satan a spirit? Is he a being with the attributes of personality?
Answer: Yes.
Fifth Question: Are demons spirits? Do they have the attributes of personality?
Answer: Yes.
Sixth Question:
Is the Holy Spirit a spirit? Does He have the attributes of personality?
Answer: No.
Why not? Why are all spirits personal beings but not the Holy Spirit?
Another objection by the Watchtower to the personality of the Holy Spirit is that they believe a person cannot indwell another person. This objection has no logic to it in my opinion because the Witnesses believe you can be “indwelled” (possessed) by a demon. So if a demon can get inside you why not the Holy Spirit? This belief of the Watchtower is borne out in their mistranslation of many passages of scripture where believers are said to be “in” Christ, or Christ “in” us. They translate these verses as being “in union with” Christ.
Further, if the Holy Spirit is not a personal being how can an “it” carry on a personal conversation as in Acts 8:29; 10:19, 20; 13:2; 21:11; Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; and 3:6.
The Holy Spirit has the three attributes of personality.
Intellect:
Romans 8:27 “The MIND of the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 The Spirit “KNOWS.”
Emotion:
Ephesians 4:30 “GRIEVE not the Spirit.”
Will:
1 Corinthians 12:11 “The Spirit WILLS.”
Conclusion:
“Let him who has an ear hear what the Spirit SAYS…” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Scientology Takes a Licking?
In the past the Church of Scientology (COS) intimidated its foes outside the church to silence their criticism. They threatened Watchman Fellowship a few times to no avail. However, now the COS is facing a new and very high level of criticism from former high-ranking members who have “blown”, i.e., left the church.
In the 1980’s Time magazine published an extensive article describing Scientology as “A Cult of Greed.” They were sued by COS. Now The St. Petersburg Times is publishing extensive print and video testimony of a number of former Scientologists. What they have to say reminds me of the movies Enemy of the State, and The Firm. Interesting stuff to watch.
Go to the www.tampabay.com website and click on the banner “Chased by their church” to find the stories of escape and intrigue. One escapee constructed a tool similar to a rolling pin to slide down a ships hawser to the dock to escape his confinement. Another rolled his motorcycle near the iron gates and waited till a car left the compound. When the gates were open he gunned his cycle and got through the gates before they closed. The videos can’t be uploaded to this blog so go to their site and watch.
Meanwhile a court in France found the COS guilty of fraud. “Wednesday, 28 October 2009 was branded an "organised fraud" by a French court yesterday and fined €600,000 (£545,000) for preying financially on vulnerable believers.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/scientology-fined-163545000-in-first-conviction-for-fraud-1810519.html
Elsewhere in Europe, “The German domestic intelligence service keeps the Church of Scientology under surveillance as a potential threat to democracy. Belgian prosecutors have been building a blackmail case against it for 11 years.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scientology-religious-sect-or-money-making-cult/article1340903/
The Church of Scientology “has taken a licking, can it keep on ticking?”
In the 1980’s Time magazine published an extensive article describing Scientology as “A Cult of Greed.” They were sued by COS. Now The St. Petersburg Times is publishing extensive print and video testimony of a number of former Scientologists. What they have to say reminds me of the movies Enemy of the State, and The Firm. Interesting stuff to watch.
Go to the www.tampabay.com website and click on the banner “Chased by their church” to find the stories of escape and intrigue. One escapee constructed a tool similar to a rolling pin to slide down a ships hawser to the dock to escape his confinement. Another rolled his motorcycle near the iron gates and waited till a car left the compound. When the gates were open he gunned his cycle and got through the gates before they closed. The videos can’t be uploaded to this blog so go to their site and watch.
Meanwhile a court in France found the COS guilty of fraud. “Wednesday, 28 October 2009 was branded an "organised fraud" by a French court yesterday and fined €600,000 (£545,000) for preying financially on vulnerable believers.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/scientology-fined-163545000-in-first-conviction-for-fraud-1810519.html
Elsewhere in Europe, “The German domestic intelligence service keeps the Church of Scientology under surveillance as a potential threat to democracy. Belgian prosecutors have been building a blackmail case against it for 11 years.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/scientology-religious-sect-or-money-making-cult/article1340903/
The Church of Scientology “has taken a licking, can it keep on ticking?”
Friday, October 2, 2009
Characteristics of a Spiritually Abusive Group
(Note: This article is a summary of the latest issue of The News & Views, our monthly Watchman Fellowship newsletter. It will be sent free to any who request it. Click the email link to the left.)
In a high control group the most important control factor is the flow of information. We have all heard the saying that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” but the converse of that is that the lack of knowledge can be even more dangerous. The prophet Hosea said, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”
If you don’t have the knowledge of how to survive a trek in a rain forest you probably won’t be heard from again. Such an environment is hostile to almost all life forms. Human survival in such an environment is based on knowledge of the dangers and being able to adapt to them.
Interestingly, at least to me, religion can be like a dangerous environment where knowledge and adaptability are the two most important survival skills. For the sake of putting my analogy in a Christian context let me say that some environments are not very dangerous, if at all, while others on the opposite end of the scale are deadly. It should also be stated that the Christian gospel is not dangerous to anyone, but the message of radical Islam is very deadly as witnessed recently in the beheadings of three pastors in Nigeria who refused to recant their faith in Christ.
Http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/aug/06/national-06-08-2009-01.htm
Having set the scale of measurement between the extremes what are the telltale signs to look for in any group that might be problematic? In my workbook on Spiritual Abuse Recovery I list thirteen characteristics of a high control group. An analysis of the reasons for each of the abuses will help you to understand why they exist.
There are essentially two reasons for high control mechanisms to exist. First, the “truth” of the group is not the truth at all and must be defended with lies. Second, the leader is a narcissist, or a controlling personality, and feels insecure or threatened by anyone around him who does not submit to his will. I think you will see this with each of the abuse symptoms.
A Spiritually Abusive Group Will:
1) Claim a Superior Status With God
2) Focus on the Leaders Position of Authority
3) Provide No Accountability For Leaders
4) Try to Control Your Time and Sources of Information
5) Close You Off From Outsiders
6) Put You on a Performance Treadmill
7) Emphasize Conformity to Legalistic Rules
8) Use Fear and Guilt to Manipulate You to Comply
9) Blame Misfortune on Lack of Faith
10) Wound People Spiritually and Emotionally
11) Shut Off Discussion About Forbidden Subjects
12) Label Those Who Dissent
13) Label Former Members as Unspiritual
Conclusion
According to Jeff vanvonderen, author of The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, the symptoms manifested by a serious spiritual abuse victim are identical to those of a victim of incest. The ability to trust spiritual leaders is lost. Religious jargon can trigger anger for many years afterward. Therefore avoidance of the sources of their trauma is the only recourse left. Evangelical churches are not immune either. Scores of thousands leave evangelical churches every week according to William Hendricks in his book Exit Interviews.
We should be aware of the controlling tendencies of fallen man. We should also stand up for God’s truth while practicing the same grace toward others that He showed to us while we were still sinners.
In a high control group the most important control factor is the flow of information. We have all heard the saying that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” but the converse of that is that the lack of knowledge can be even more dangerous. The prophet Hosea said, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”
If you don’t have the knowledge of how to survive a trek in a rain forest you probably won’t be heard from again. Such an environment is hostile to almost all life forms. Human survival in such an environment is based on knowledge of the dangers and being able to adapt to them.
Interestingly, at least to me, religion can be like a dangerous environment where knowledge and adaptability are the two most important survival skills. For the sake of putting my analogy in a Christian context let me say that some environments are not very dangerous, if at all, while others on the opposite end of the scale are deadly. It should also be stated that the Christian gospel is not dangerous to anyone, but the message of radical Islam is very deadly as witnessed recently in the beheadings of three pastors in Nigeria who refused to recant their faith in Christ.
Http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/aug/06/national-06-08-2009-01.htm
Having set the scale of measurement between the extremes what are the telltale signs to look for in any group that might be problematic? In my workbook on Spiritual Abuse Recovery I list thirteen characteristics of a high control group. An analysis of the reasons for each of the abuses will help you to understand why they exist.
There are essentially two reasons for high control mechanisms to exist. First, the “truth” of the group is not the truth at all and must be defended with lies. Second, the leader is a narcissist, or a controlling personality, and feels insecure or threatened by anyone around him who does not submit to his will. I think you will see this with each of the abuse symptoms.
A Spiritually Abusive Group Will:
1) Claim a Superior Status With God
2) Focus on the Leaders Position of Authority
3) Provide No Accountability For Leaders
4) Try to Control Your Time and Sources of Information
5) Close You Off From Outsiders
6) Put You on a Performance Treadmill
7) Emphasize Conformity to Legalistic Rules
8) Use Fear and Guilt to Manipulate You to Comply
9) Blame Misfortune on Lack of Faith
10) Wound People Spiritually and Emotionally
11) Shut Off Discussion About Forbidden Subjects
12) Label Those Who Dissent
13) Label Former Members as Unspiritual
Conclusion
According to Jeff vanvonderen, author of The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, the symptoms manifested by a serious spiritual abuse victim are identical to those of a victim of incest. The ability to trust spiritual leaders is lost. Religious jargon can trigger anger for many years afterward. Therefore avoidance of the sources of their trauma is the only recourse left. Evangelical churches are not immune either. Scores of thousands leave evangelical churches every week according to William Hendricks in his book Exit Interviews.
We should be aware of the controlling tendencies of fallen man. We should also stand up for God’s truth while practicing the same grace toward others that He showed to us while we were still sinners.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Bible is Trustworthy
My favorite Christian apologist is Dr. Ravi Zacharias. I urge everyone to go to YouTube and type in his name and watch a few segments.
In the video below Dr. Zacharias briefly describes why the Bible is a trustworthy document and has survived thousands of years against the attacks of skeptics and critics.
It is in reality not one book but sixty-six. So when you quote the Bible to defend the Bible it is not circular reasoning. To quote Isaiah to defend Matthew about the birth of Jesus is to quote two people separated by hundreds of years.
The Bible has an internal unity that is not matched by any other religious scripture. The Quran can be divided into two contradictory parts. Mohammed wanted the favor of Christians and Jews and spoke favorably of them as “people of the book.”
"Not all of them are alike; a party of the people of the Scripture stand for the right, they recite the Verses of God during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer. They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin Al-Ma'rûf and forbid Al-Munkar ; and they hasten in (all) good works; and they are among the righteous. And whatever good they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for God knows well those who are Al-Muttaqûn." (Sura 3:113-115).
However, when the Jews and Christians rejected Mohammed as a true prophet he in turn rejected them. Afterward his attitude toward them was hostility and aggression. For example, the Quran says that Allah has cursed the Jews and turned them into swine and apes (Sura 5:60-64). This is an example of internal disunity, a conflict or contradiction, within the Muslim scripture.
The Book of Mormon has horses on the North American continent many centuries before they were first brought here by the Spanish Conquistadors. It lists places, events, tribes, religious beliefs and practices, and coinage that have absolutely no evidence in history. This is an example of an external disunity, or conflict with the evidence outside the Book of Mormon.
The Quran is a book of sayings similar in style to Proverbs.
The Book of Mormon claims to be a history similar in style to 1st and 2nd Chronicles.
The Bible, however, is a variety of literary forms. It contains history, poetry, apocalyptic, legal, biographical, letters, and the prophetic.
It was written in widely separated locations including Babylon, Rome, Asia Minor, and of course Israel.
It was written by forty authors from the whole spectrum of Jewish society. They included kings, shepherds, prophets, priests, and even a tax collector.
It was written over a period of 1500 years and despite this diversity of time, place, and authors, it is a unified message that is non-contradictory either internally or externally.
Most of all the Bible has changed lives. But it has also changed cultures, nations, and the world. The Bible’s central character, Jesus, is the dividing point in history, the years being BC (Before Christ), or AD (anno domini, year of our Lord). Western civilization is based upon the heritage of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Watch Ravi and I think you will find yourself watching his other clips on YouTube.
In the video below Dr. Zacharias briefly describes why the Bible is a trustworthy document and has survived thousands of years against the attacks of skeptics and critics.
It is in reality not one book but sixty-six. So when you quote the Bible to defend the Bible it is not circular reasoning. To quote Isaiah to defend Matthew about the birth of Jesus is to quote two people separated by hundreds of years.
The Bible has an internal unity that is not matched by any other religious scripture. The Quran can be divided into two contradictory parts. Mohammed wanted the favor of Christians and Jews and spoke favorably of them as “people of the book.”
"Not all of them are alike; a party of the people of the Scripture stand for the right, they recite the Verses of God during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer. They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin Al-Ma'rûf and forbid Al-Munkar ; and they hasten in (all) good works; and they are among the righteous. And whatever good they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for God knows well those who are Al-Muttaqûn." (Sura 3:113-115).
However, when the Jews and Christians rejected Mohammed as a true prophet he in turn rejected them. Afterward his attitude toward them was hostility and aggression. For example, the Quran says that Allah has cursed the Jews and turned them into swine and apes (Sura 5:60-64). This is an example of internal disunity, a conflict or contradiction, within the Muslim scripture.
The Book of Mormon has horses on the North American continent many centuries before they were first brought here by the Spanish Conquistadors. It lists places, events, tribes, religious beliefs and practices, and coinage that have absolutely no evidence in history. This is an example of an external disunity, or conflict with the evidence outside the Book of Mormon.
The Quran is a book of sayings similar in style to Proverbs.
The Book of Mormon claims to be a history similar in style to 1st and 2nd Chronicles.
The Bible, however, is a variety of literary forms. It contains history, poetry, apocalyptic, legal, biographical, letters, and the prophetic.
It was written in widely separated locations including Babylon, Rome, Asia Minor, and of course Israel.
It was written by forty authors from the whole spectrum of Jewish society. They included kings, shepherds, prophets, priests, and even a tax collector.
It was written over a period of 1500 years and despite this diversity of time, place, and authors, it is a unified message that is non-contradictory either internally or externally.
Most of all the Bible has changed lives. But it has also changed cultures, nations, and the world. The Bible’s central character, Jesus, is the dividing point in history, the years being BC (Before Christ), or AD (anno domini, year of our Lord). Western civilization is based upon the heritage of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
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