The Power of the Printed Pageby Milton Martin
Reproduced by permission

“The Lord gave the Word; great was the company of those that published it.” Psalm 68:11
 

After nearly two millennia of evangelization, over 50% of the world’s population has never heard the Gospel. It is estimated that the average foreign missionary has an outreach to only 5,000 people during his tenure. At that rate, we would need to send a million more missionaries to the field this year. This is probably humanly impossible.

God has a key - a means of giving the message to “every creature” in a meaningful, relevant, heart-reaching manner. God does not give commands that are impossible to fulfill. With every command given, God also makes available everything necessary to complete it. A key to many countries, languages and people groups is the printed page.

In America the printed page has become “cheap” and has been taken for granted. This is not true in many foreign fields. In Latin America, for example, one can walk through the villages and towns and pass out literature wherever there are people and the message will be read on the spot. It is not uncommon for people to actually approach the missionary and ask for a piece of the gospel literature. It is amazing to be a witness of the results of Gospel literature. In Central America there is one response to every one hundred pieces of literature passed out. In Mexico there is an average of one letter for every two hundred pieces of literature distributed. There is nothing else that produces such results, taking into account or regarding time and money expended, as Gospel literature.

Have you ever considered the impact of the printed page upon your life? Our opinions are molded, our character is formed, our very attitude toward life is determined largely by what we read. You owe everything you are to the printed page. The typewriter is mightier than the tank.

The greatest invention of all time is the printing press. How fitting that the first thing printed on Gutenberg’s first press was the Bible. Gutenberg wrote in the 15th century, “God suffers because of the great multitudes whom His sacred Word cannot reach. Religious truth is captive in a small number of manuscript books which guard the treasures. Let us break the seal which holds the holy things; give wings to the truth that by a means no longer written at great expense by the hand that wearies itself, but multiplied by an unwearied machine, it may fly to every soul born in the world.” The God-given purpose and vision of the man who invented the first printing press was world evangelism.

The greatest miracle of our generation is literacy. Over 3 million new people learn to read every 7 days - more than 150 million a year. They will read something - anything! They will be reached, and it is simply a question of who will reach them first.

Many nations now have mass nationwide literacy campaigns. Indonesia, with 838 languages, has a national language. Almost all of the schools of the country are now bilingual - classes in Indonesian and the local tribal language. In 15 years, Indonesia went from 6% literacy to 67% of the population being able to read and write. Some of the African nations have jumped from being 15% literate to being 52% literate.

We are at war - not a war of tanks, and guns, and planes, but a war of WORDS. The weapons are paper and ink, the victims are the minds of men, and the struggle is ideological. This is a day when conflicting forces are striving for world mastery, and it is imperative for them to win the allegiance of men’s minds. The millions of people who grope for guidance are an open prey. They search, not knowing where a sure word of counsel is to be found. Many are being deceived in their search by the clever, lying propaganda of the devil in the guise of isms, sects, and cults.

Early missionaries blazed the trail for literature evangelism. In recent years, though, we have allowed the cults and the communists to use this weapon which was forged by many of God’s pioneers. The Father of Modem Missions, William Carey, founded a printing press and devoted much of his life to literature work. But today in India 70% of all literature in some areas is communistic.

Charles Darwin wrote a book called Origin of the Species.This one book changed the course for evolution. Evolution is now taught, even though a hypothesis, in every state university and college, as well as most public schools in the world. The belief in God of one billion young people has been weakened by one book.

Karl Marx wrote just one book - Das Kapital. Almost two billion souls in at least 20 countries have lost their freedom and have had to lie under a totalitarian regime because of one book. It has been responsible for 100 million deaths.

The biggest propaganda machine of the communists is the printing press. They spend over three billion dollars annually on printing; they print three pieces of literature for every man, woman, boy and girl upon the earth every year. In one large Latin America country, they have 22 daily communist newspapers and 32 weekly publications. In Mexico City alone, there are at least 28 communist bookstores. Most state fairs in Latin America have a bookstand operated by the Russian Embassy.

When Lenin took over Russia he said, “The people will never believe or understand communism unless they are indoctrinated with communism by the printed page.” Every person was required to become literate, and a nationwide attack was made on illiteracy. Now the USSR is among the most literate nations in the world, even more literate than the United States. It is doubtful if any other people on the earth read more than the people of Russia. They read three times more than the average American. The Russian people have been molded by what they read, and by controlling what was given them to read, the Communist Party was able to convince them that they have the best form of government in the world. One hundred forty million pieces of anti-religious, atheistic propaganda is distributed to the Russian people every year. The communists proudly boast. “Let the missionaries teach the people to read; we will provide them with literature.”

From 1955 to 1980, the Jehovah’s Witnesses increased their membership 2000%. They did it by the printed page. In 1959, on one day, they filled the old Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds in New York City with 180,291 people: it is reputed to have been the largest religious service, up to that time, in the history of the world. On that one day they baptized 7,136 converts. They testified that the crowd of people and every convert was a result of the printed page. They have an eight-floor printshop in Brooklyn, NY, housing the largest printing press in the world.

Seventh Day Adventists operate at least forty-three printing plants around the world. In the last 130 years, they have published over three hundred fifty million dollars of literature in at least 220 different languages. Their annual literature budget is over thirty million dollars. In 1966, they testified that they had sent their correspondence follow-up literature to over twenty-two million people.

The editor of the Catholic Register not only runs the biggest but the most successful chain of religious newspapers in the world. Twenty years ago, they had in operations a $650,000 press capable of printing 52,000 papers of 32 pages an hour. The Knights of Columbus advertise a free Bible correspondence in English in newspapers and magazines. They presently receive over 300,000 requests every year.

The words of Daniel Webster are as appropriate today as they were over 100 years ago: “If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country I do not know what is to become of us as a nation. And the thought is one to cause solemn reflection on the part of every Christian and patriot. If truth is not diffused, error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the Gospel is not felt through the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.”

T. E. Floyd, former British Home Secretary of the African Inland Mission said, “Christian literature is today’s absolute number one priority, in all missionary planning.”

Dr. Harold Cook, the late Missions Department Chairman of Moody Bible Institute, said, “Literature can be our most effective medium of mass communication of the Gospel. In terms of the price paid for it, the number of people reached, and the fact that the message can be read over and over again until it is understood, there is no other method that can compare with literature.”

Dr. J. Oswald Smith said, “For more than fifty years I have prayerfully considered the problem: How can we evangelize the world in the space of one generation? Long ago I was convinced that we could never send out enough missionaries. But there must be a way. After travel and study in 53 countries, I have come to the conclusion: the only way we are going to be able to carry out the Great Commission, ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,’ will be by means of the printed page. By the systematic use of the printed page we shall be able to enter every home and thus reach every individual with the Gospel message.”

The message of salvation can be presented through means of the printed page. It never flinches, it never grows tired, never grows disheartened; it works while we sleep; it travels cheaply and requires no rented building; it never loses its temper; and it works long after we are dead. The printed page is a visitor which gets inside the home and stays there; it always catches a man in the right mood, for it speaks to him only when he is reading it; it always sticks to what it has said, and never answers back.

The printed page is deathless: you can destroy one, but the press can reproduce millions. As often as it is martyred it is raised. It can enter doors locked to the evangelist; it preaches in the factory, the train, the kitchen; it visits the school and the jail; it whispers in the ear of the dying.

The printed message can reach those whose religions forbid them to go to church. It can reach the student who, proud of his intellectualism, refuses to listen to the Gospel or relate himself to it for fear of his fellow students or professors. Away from searching eyes, from the probing investigations of the state, away from the demand of superstitious religion, away from the critical intrusions of friends and family, the message of salvation can be read and understood.

Yes, literature is the link to life. Tomorrow, many missionaries will have to leave their field, but our witnesses can remain. A link - LITERATURE - can be left in the hands of national Christians, sensitive to their responsibility and equipped to reach those masses who long for hope beyond their darkness.

Remember, people everywhere are reading. Education has become compulsory for school-age children in most countries. Just since you began reading this, almost 200 new readers have entered the world of the printed page. They are eagerly extending their hand for reading material.

The way to reach the most people in the shortest period of time is with the printed page. Certainly this does not imply that we should neglect other means of evangelism, but the churches of America should awake to the importance of the printed page. Churches, like the proverbial ostrich, have hidden their heads in the sand of neglect, ignorant and indifferent to the value and potential of literature in the evangelization of the lost and growth of believers. It is time to take massive projects, systematically covering countries and metropolitan areas with the printed page. Do not send your missionary to the battlefield without ammunition.

If God trusted the revelation of the Living Word to the written Word, then so can we. We have one task. It is to evangelize the human race with the only Gospel God ever gave. The size and urgency of our task demands the use of the mass media of literature. “He is not willing that any should perish.” Neither am I! Are you?

“What is the prayer of salvation?”

Answer: Many people ask, “Is there a prayer I can pray that will result in my salvation?” When considering this question, it is important to remember that salvation is not received by reciting a prayer or uttering certain words. The Bible nowhere records a person receiving salvation by a prayer. Saying a prayer is not the Biblical way of salvation.

The Biblical method of salvation is believing in Jesus. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Salvation is gained by faith (Ephesians 2:8), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) – not by reciting a prayer.

The Biblical message of salvation is simple and clear, and amazing at the same time. We have all committed sin against God (Romans 3:23). There is no one who has lived an entire life without sinning (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Because of our sin, we have earned judgment from God (Romans 6:23), and that judgment is physical death followed by spiritual death. Because of our sin and its deserved punishment, there is nothing we can do on our own to make ourselves right with God. As a result of His love for us, God became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life and always taught the truth. However, humanity rejected Jesus and put Him to death by crucifying Him. Through that horrible act, though, Jesus died in our place. Jesus took the burden and judgment of sin on Himself, and died for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was then resurrected (1 Corinthians chapter 15), proving that His payment for sin was sufficient and that He had overcome sin and death. As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, God offers us salvation as a gift. God calls us all to change our minds about Jesus (Acts 17:30), and to receive Him as the full payment of our sins (1 John 2:2). Salvation is gained by receiving the gift God offers us, not by praying a prayer.

Now, that does not mean prayer cannot be involved in receiving salvation. If you understand the Gospel, believe it to be true, and have accepted Jesus as your salvation – it is good and appropriate to express this faith to God in prayer. Communicating with God through prayer can be a way of progressing from accepting facts about Jesus to be true, to fully trusting in Jesus as Savior. Prayer can be connected to the act of placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation.

Again, though, it is crucially important that you do not base your salvation on having said a prayer. Reciting a prayer cannot save you! If you want to receive the salvation that is available through Jesus, place your faith in Him. Fully trust His death as the sufficient sacrifice for your sins. Completely rely on Him alone as your Savior. That is the Biblical method of salvation. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, by all means, say a prayer to God. Tell God how thankful you are for Jesus. Offer praise to God for His love and sacrifice. Thank Jesus for dying for your sins and providing salvation for you. That is the Biblical connection between salvation and prayer!

http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/reformed/limited.htm

Why Read?

Why read at all? Such a question, for me, runs parallel to “Why breathe?” We read to learn, and to know. We read to know what we otherwise would not know.

For instance, if more Americans read some books on nutrition, they would not have near the risk of cancer and heart disease they do. If believers would read the Church Fathers, the Reformers, and Church history in general - well, we wouldn’t have near so much gross error in our churches! But we don’t learn from the knowledge available to us today, nor do we learn from history - so we continue to perish and we continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

I have had a great love for books since I was at least six years old. My mother’s biology book fascinated me, and helped me advance quickly beyond Dr. Seuss. I remember in the third grade one day I was reading a book on, of all things, “ufos” - when the teacher (can’t remember her name now) was suddenly standing next to me. “Billy, what do you think you’re doing?” I remember thinking, “Uh-oh.” She took the book and told me to come up to her desk. As I followed her, I wondered what my punishment would be.

She sat down and uttered what I’m fairly certain were the first syllables of a lecture. But then … she stopped as she looked intently at the book. I had checked the book out of the city library, and I was now puzzled by her expression. She lowered her voice as she said, “Are you reading this?” Wondering what the deal was, I answered that yes, I was. She smiled as she handed me the book, with these words: “Don’t you ever let anyone stop you from reading.” I returned to my desk more confused than ever.

So, was my teacher a “ufo” cultist pleased with my choice of subject matter? No, nothing like that. Some years later, I understood how wise she had been. That book was about 250 pages long, had very small print, and used words that hadn’t seen any of my spelling tests yet - it was way above my “reading level.” My teacher confronted a dyed-in-the-wool reader, and she chose to encourage rather than discourage. Like I wrote above, I don’t remember her name - but I remember that one sentence she spoke to me at her desk. I hope I always will.

It was a book by Dave Hunt that taught me the importance of treating Scripture alone as the absolute authority. It was a book by A.W. Pink that confirmed what I began to discover in Scripture concerning God’s sovereignty. Two books, one by Martin Luther and another by Arthur Custance, answered many of the hard questions that came with such a view. Books by Andrew Murray, A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, the Puritans, the Church Fathers, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and others served as road signs directing me to Scripture.

Books on science revealed to me the wonders of God’s creation. Books on history revealed the providential hand of God. Good fiction, recipe books, and profound poetry have made it possible to thoroughly enjoy this life that God has given to me. Great literature - whether the stories of a Tolkien or the poetry of a Donne - is the manifestation of a creativity that is truly a gift from God. Writing is more than simply extended speaking. Writing has a permanence that speaking does not, offering the limitless opportunity for review by ourselves and by those who come after. Perhaps this is why God chose to leave us the canon of Scripture in writing?

For those who do not read, it is only because you never truly have. Our modern society makes it so easy to glide through life and never read beyond the newspaper. You have no idea what you are missing! Life lacks meaning without the pursuit of knowledge - without books. Consider this - wouldn’t it be great to be able to sit in a room with experts in every possible field of inquiry and ask them all of those burning questions you’ve so often wondered about? Of course, such is not possible for most of us - or is it?

Why read? Because if we don’t, we miss out on far too much. It’s just that simple. In the past, men and women risked their lives and labored much so that they could possess books - so that they could read. Today, we have so much and we are so neglectful of it all. Everything is right there at our fingertips, yet we have fooled ourselves into thinking that television and the movie theatre are a suitable replacement for reading. Check out my Essential Reading List to get started reading as a believer. It doesn’t matter where you get the books - just get them. I promise you that it will change your life.

For those of you who are readers already, I quote: “Don’t you ever let anyone stop you from reading.“

Dispensationalists Teach More Than One Way of Salvation.

In the 1967 preface to the New Scofield Reference Bible (p.vii) the following note is given:

As a further aid to comprehending the divine economy of the ages, a recognition of the dispensations is of highest value, so long as it is clearly understood that throughout all the Scriptures there is only one basis of salvation.

Charles Ryrie, in his excellent book Dispensationalism, has a whole chapter which answers this false charge (see Chapter 6—“Salvation in Dispensationalism”).  Ryrie in this same chapter clarifies the true position of Scofield and Chafer.  These men did not believe that a person could be saved by keeping the law.

Dr. Renald Showers, in his book, There Really is a Difference–A Comparison of Covenant and Dispensational Theology, makes the following clarification:  “The different dispensations are different ways of God’s administering His rule over the world. they are not different ways of salvation. Throughout history God has employed several dispensations but only one way of salvation. Salvation has always been by the grace of God through faith in the Word of God, and God has based salvation on the work of Jesus Christ” (page 31).

Dispensationalist William MacDonald (known especially for his one excellent one volume commentary, Believers Bible Commentary), in his book Here’s the Difference, wrote the following:   “While there are differences among the various ages, there is one thing that never changes, and that is the gospel.  Salvation always has been, is now, and always will be by faith in the Lord. And the basis of salvation for every age is the finished work of Christ on Calvary’s cross. People in the Old Testament were saved by believing whatever revelation the Lord gave them…We must guard against any idea that people in the Dispensation of Law were saved by keeping the Law” (page 98).

Yet in spite of these clarifications, many who are opposed to dispensationalism continue to insist that dispensationalists teach different ways of salvation.  Have they not read what leading dispensationalists have said on this issue?  Salvation has always been by grace through faith based on the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For a discussion on God’s way of salvation, including Old Testament salvation, see our study notes on Romans Chapter 3 and Romans Chapter 4.

Christmas

Christmas is the most popular holiday in America. Both the secular and the sacred celebrate it, but for different reasons. Some see it as the greatest business time of the year which is fueled by the exchange of gifts. Others consider it the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Either way, it is a very important holiday.
The word “Christmas” comes from two old words: Christes maesse. It means, “the Mass of Christ.” This comes from the Catholic Mass, that practice where the priest re-offers the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross during the time of Communion.¹

The Origins of Christmas

The origins of Christmas go back to before the time of Christ when many ancient cultures celebrated the changing of the seasons. In the northern hemisphere in Europe, for example, the winter solstice, which was the shortest day of the year, occurs around Dec. 25^th. These celebrations were based on the decline of winter. Since during winter animals were penned, people stayed in doors, crops didn’t grow, etc., to know that winter was half over and on its way out was a time of celebration.
In the ancient Roman system of religion, Saturn was the god of agriculture. Each year during the summer, the god Jupiter would force Saturn out of his dominant position in the heavenly realm and the days would begin to shorten. In the temple to Saturn in Rome, the feet of Saturn were then symbolically bound with chains until the winter solstice when the length of days began to increase. It was this winter solstice that was a time of celebration and exchange of gifts as the hardness of winter began to wane and the days grew longer.
December 25^th specifically coincided the day of the birth of the sun-god named Phyrgia a culture in the ancient Balkans.
In the Roman Empire, by the time of Christ the winter festival was known as saturnalia. The Roman Church was unable to get rid of saturnalia, so early in the 4^th Century, they adopted the holiday and tried to convert it a Christian celebration of the Lord’s birth. They called it the Feast of the Nativity. This custom has been part of western culture ever since.

The Christmas Tree and Mistletoe

One of the symbols of the life found in the celebration of saturnalia, was the use of evergreens. These plants which stayed green all year long, were often used in different cultures as symbols of life and rebirth. They were sometime decorated as a form of worship in some cultures in religious ceremonies dealing with fertility.
Mistletoe was considered a curative plant and was used in many ancient medicine recipes. The Celts even believed that the plant, which is a parasite that lives on trees, contained the soul of the tree it lived on. The Druids used Mistletoe in their religious ceremonies. The Druid priests would cut it up and distribute it to the people who would place the cuttings over the doorways of their homes. This was supposed to protect the dwellers from various forms of evil.

What Day Was Jesus Really Born On?

No one knows for sure what month, not to mention which day, that Jesus was born on. Various theories have been raised that put Jesus’ birth in April, October, and September. But no one knows for sure.
Additionally, our calendar is inaccurate. It set about 4 years too late. This is known by comparing the biblical accounts of gospels and the extrabiblical records known about Quirinius, the governor of Syria (Luke 2:2) and Herod the Great (Matt. 2:19) who died in 4 B.C. in the year of Jesus’ birth. Humorously, that would make Jesus, born in 4 B.C.

Can the Christian Celebrate Christmas?

Is the Christian free to celebrate a holiday that not only has pagan origins, but also is used by the unbelieving world a promotion of commercialism? In my opinion, it depends.
The Christians must hold his standard of righteousness and devotion to God above those of the world. The Old Testament says that we are to worship God in truth according to the dictates that He has established (Exodus 20:1-4; 24:12-31:18). Christmas was not established by God. In addition, there are no records at all of the early church celebrating the birth of Christ.
On the other hand, there are those who say we have freedom Christ and can celebrate any day we want to. Paul says, “All things are lawful, though not all are profitable” (1 Cor. 6:12).
Should we then participate in the celebration of a festival origins and exceeding commercialism?
It is my opinion that we are free to celebrate the day. This is why.
In the Bible in 1 Cor. 10:23-33, Paul speaks about meat sacrificed to idols. This meat was often sold in the meat market and the question arose, “Should a Christian each such meat?” Paul said in verse 25, “Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience’ sake.” The origins of the meat were, essentially, pagan. Many animals were raised for the purpose of sacrificing to pagan deities and their meat was offered in the market place. In reference to this Paul said it was okay to eat the meat.
Then in verses 28-29 he says, “But if anyone should say to you, ‘This is meat sacrificed to idols,’ do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; ²⁹I mean not your own conscience, but the other man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?” (NASB). Paul is saying that if you are with someone who might be stumbled by your eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, then don’t eat it — not because of you, but because of the other person. In other words, eating that meat won’t affect you. The false gods are not real. They have no power.
1 Cor. 8:-7-9 echoes this idea.  It says, “However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.   ⁸But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.  ⁹But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”   Though this passage requires a bit more examination, it still carries the sense of freedom.  And, Jesus has definitely set us free.
However, if you are not comfortable with this conclusion and you don’t want to celebrate Christmas, that is okay.  You must answer to the Lord.

Sanctification

The Lord, through His sacrifice, has cleansed us of our sins. When we come in contact with Him, it was we who were cleansed. It is not Him who was made dirty. The woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus (Mark 5:25-34) was made clean. It was not Jesus who was made dirty. Likewise Jesus touched the unclean lepers and cleansed them (Matt. 8:3). Jesus came in contact with many people and it was never Him who was dirtied. It was they who were cleansed.
I think this principle can be applied to Christmas. Yes, Christmas has pagan origins. Yes, it is a highly commercial time. Yes, many do not have their eyes on Jesus. But for the Christian it is a time to reflect upon the birth of our Lord and to celebrate. We are making the day holy.

________________
^1. Because of its strong Catholic associations, Christmas was often opposed by those in the Protestant Reformation. This opposition was based largely on the belief that it contradicts the biblical teaching of the finality of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. (Cf. Heb. 9:12, 24-26; 10:10-14).

Eight reasons why we need apologetics

There are several reasons why we need apologetics.  The first and most obvious is because we are commanded to defend the faith:  1 Peter 3:15 says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

Second, we need apologetics because it helps Christians know their faith. This is something that is sadly lacking among believers.  Most don’t know much about their faith, let alone be able to describe the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, His physical resurrection, or even be able to tell the difference between justification and sanctification.  Apologetics helps to define and defend what the truth of the gospel is.

Third, apologetics is an attempt to keep people out of hell.  God takes sin very seriously, and He will punish those who have rebelled against Him and are not covered in the blood of Christ.  As Christians, we should be motivated to present the truth of salvation in Jesus.  We should not sit idly by and ignore the dilemma of the unbeliever.  We need to tell them that sin is real because God is real, and that breaking God’s law has a consequence.  Since we have all sinned, we cannot keep God’s Law perfectly.  Also, we cannot undo the offense to an infinitely holy God because we are not infinite or holy, so the only thing left for us is to fall under the judgment of God.  But God has provided a way for us to escape that judgment.   That is why God became man in Jesus.  He claimed to be God, (John 8:24,58; compare with Exodus 3:14).  Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross, (1 Pet. 2:24).  By trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, we will be spared from the rightful judgment of God upon the sinner.  Salvation is not found in Buddhism, Islam, relativism, or in one’s self.  It is only found in Jesus and we need to not only defend God’s word and truth, but also to present the gospel to all people so they can escape the judgment to come.

Fourth, we need apologetics to counter the bad image that Christianity has received in the media and in culture.  Televangelists and their scandals, both sexually and monetarily, are a disgrace to Christianity. The Catholic church hasn’t helped with its scandals involving priests.  On top of that, a media is very biased against Christianity and you will see negative opinions of Christianity promoted everywhere.

Fifth, we need apologetics because there is a constant threat of apostasy in the visible Christian church.  Such is the case with the Metropolitan Community Church denomination, which openly advocates the support of homosexuality in violation of scripture (Rom. 1:18-32).  Also, as of 2002, the Evangelical Lutheran church is in risk of apostasy by entertaining the idea of accepting homosexual relationships into church.  “The United Church of Christ set up a $500,000 scholarship fund for gay and lesbian seminarians Friday and urged wider acceptance of homosexuals by other denominations.” (United Church Makes Gay Scholarship, CLEVELAND, June 16, 2000, AP Online via COMTEX).  Or “The supreme court of the United Methodist Church was asked Thursday to reconsider the denomination’s ban on gay clergy. (Church court of United Methodists asked to decide on gay clergy ban, NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Oct. 25, 2001, AP WorldStream via COMTEX).  Such examples are demonstrations of the incredible need for defending biblical truth within those churches that claim to be Christian.

Sixth, another reason we need apologetics is because of the many false teachings out there.  Mormonism teaches that God used to be a man on another world, that he brought one of his goddess wives with him to this world, that they produce spirit offspring that are born into human babies, and that you have the potential of becoming a god of your own world.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that there is no Trinity, that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, that there is no hell, and that only 144,000 people will go to heaven.  Atheism denies God’s existence, openly attacks Christianity and is gaining ground in public life and schools.  Islam teaches that Jesus was not God in flesh, that Jesus did not rise from the dead, and that He did not atone for our sins.  It teaches that salvation is partly based on one’s works and partly based on Allah’s grace.  It teaches that the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (Surah 2:97; 16:102); that Jinn are unseen beings, created (51:56) from fire (15:27; 55:15); and that Muhammed was greater than Jesus. Even within the Christian church, there are false teachings.  We can see that from both within the Christian church and from outside of it, false teachings are bombarding believers (and non believers) all over the world.

Seventh, the rise of immorality in America is a threat not only to society but also to Christianity.  This is a serious issue because an immoral society cannot last long.  The Barna Research group statistics show that 64% of adults and 83% of teenagers said moral truth depends on the situation that you are in.  19% of the adult population believes that “the whole idea of sin is outdated.”  51% believe that “if a person is generally good, or does enough good, he will earn a place in Heaven.”

When a society’s morals fail, the society fails. Just look at history and think of Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece or present day Enron, Watergate, and White House interns. Immorality seeps down into all areas of our culture. Consider this:  In the New York Times, online, of May 12, 2002, in the article “With Games of Havoc, Men Will Be Boys,” the author, Warren St. John, interviews some players of what he says is a very popular video game.  One young man says, “What I like to do is get in the car and drive around and do drive-by shootings.  You can haul someone out of their car and beat on them and steal their money and their car.  It’s kind of amusing that you have that ability.” ….  A publicist from Long Island says the game’s allure comes down to “just going on killing sprees.”   Not all video games are violent, but the fact that it is so popular and that the youth are being trained up by them is very disturbing.

I am not advocating a theocratic socio-political rule administered by stern Christians wearing black-and-white outfits and tall hats.   But these kinds of social trends are disturbing, and they reflect a moral decline in America, where what is good is called evil and what is evil is called good.   God tells us in Phil. 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. We cannot ignore God’s word without a consequence.

The eighth reason we need apologetics is because schools are not friendly to Christianity.  My own experience in non-Christian schools was a strong awakening to the unprovoked hostility that exists in school, where the philosophy teachers, history teacher, and even the art teacher all took shots at Christianity.  Don Feder in the Conservative Chronicle, in his article of Sept. 22, 1993, titled “Fighting Censorship, PAW Does it Its Way,” said that in some junior high libraries, book titles included The Joy of Gay Sex and How to Make Love to a Single Woman. There is an impressions series for grades one to six which promote the New Age and the occult; a controversial drug education program called Quest, which tells students that they alone can decide whether or not it’s OK to use drugs; as well as texts that direct students to fantasize about suicide, attack religion and undermine family authority.   Following is an email I received that represents the hostility of secular schools.

Our daughter had acquired an atheist’s heart since leaving home and attending college. It seems that the books in college breed atheists, because they are full of the philosophy of anti-God thinking.  She has been in college for four years now, and one of the last times we had a chance to talk to her, she said that she doesn’t think about sin, or heaven, or hell anymore because, according to her, they do not exist. She said that when she was young and asked the Lord to come into her heart, she did not know what she was doing because children do what they are told.

The fact is that Christianity is under attack in the world and we need to fight the good fight of the faith without shrinking back.  We need apologetics to give rational, intelligent, and relevant explanations of Christian viability to the critics and the prejudiced who would seek to undermine the teachings of our Lord Jesus.

If there was ever a time that apologetics is needed, it is now.

Kabbalah is difficult to categorize because it is a subjective non-falsifiable belief system.  In other words, it rests in non-verifiable philosophy not in historic fact.  Nevertheless, kaballah is a mystical and esoteric system of observing and interpreting the universe and mankind that also seeks to reveal the true relationship between God, man, and the universe.  It teaches that there is a divine being which is neither male nor female that has 10 primary aspects called sephirot which are represented in the Tree of Life (see diagram to the left).   Kabbalah teaches that the supreme being created the universe through a series of those 10 aspects that descended through various levels until creation was fully realized.
There are slightly different definitions of the word “Kabbalah”.  One source says it comes from the three Hebrew kbl which means “reception”.  Another source says “Kabbalah is a word meaning “tradition.”¹ Kabbalah is also know as cabala, cabalah, kabala, caballah, qabala, qabalah, etc. You do not have to be Jewish to study Kabbalah and its proponents state that it can adapt itself to any religious system.
Furthermore, the Kabbalist is supposed to gain understanding about God and himself by learning to understand these 10 aspects, their relationship to each other, and then apply the principles thus learned in his own life to help him return back to God — Kabbalah teaches the soul’s pre-existence.
Kaballah is the way of viewing reality based upon subjective, experiential interpretations of the world, life, death, creation, meaning, purpose, etc.  It is an inner-contemplative movement and is considered to be a way of life.
Kabbalah relies heavily on mystical interpretations of the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) as well as the rest of the Old Testament.  Its premises is that there are secret and hidden meanings in the biblical text that can be discovered by examining the shape of Hebrew letters, the gematria of words  (mathematical values), and how these word values relate to each other.  The problem is that this method often draws conclusions that are in contradiction to the plain teaching of the text that it examines.  Thus, Kabbalah can have a variety of disjointed beliefs.  This is why David A. Cooper, a Kabbalist, says, “Kabbalah does not lend itself to a straightforward definition or even a clear-cut history…it teaches us about the mysteries of life, how the creation works, where we are going, and how we get there.”²

Where does Kabbalah come from?

Mr. Cooper in his book, God is a verb asks, “What is it that cabalists receive?  And From whom do they receive it?”¹ Mr. Cooper’s questions are extremely important especially since Kabbalistic theology is  unbiblical. It teaches reincarnation, a type of karma, inner divinity, and no need for a Redeemer. Indeed, we must ask where does the Kabbalist in the Kabbalist of history get their information?  They get it from the Zohar and the The Zoar and the Sepher Yetzirah which are essentially mystical commentaries and interpretations of the biblical text as written and recorded by various Kabbalists throughout history.
Nevertheless, are we to conclude that the philosophy taught through Kabbalah is godly? If it contradicts both Old and New Testament teaching, then how can it be from God? We conclude that it is not from God but is in reality yet another deception that proceeds out of the Garden of Eden where Satan said “you will be like God,” (Gen. 3:5).  The Edenic lie echoes through the hearts of mankind and has taken root in the philosophy of Kabbalah.

Non Falsifiability

Kabbalists claim to receive their mystical interpretations of reality from beyond themselves.  The more you read Kabbalistic writings, the more you will that it is mystical and unbiblical.  You will also discover that the philosophy cannot be verified. In other words, there is no historical fact that verifies Kabbalah.  It and borrows heavily from the accounts written in the first five books of the Bible, but it also radically reinterprets so many events and so many concepts in the Bible that it is quite foreign from what the word of God actually says.
Please consider some of the following phrases used in the the books that teach Kabbalah and notice their ambiguity and New Age “feel”.

1. connections with other realities
2. contemplative exercises
3. mystical awareness
4. higher awareness
5. the worlds of awareness integrate along a continuum
6. higher and lower realms of consciousness
7. unification of the finite with the infinite
8. energy of darkness
9. cosmic fluctuation
10. inherent light of consciousness
11. practicing Kavannah (awareness of the implications of everything we do)
12. the path to awareness
13. mystical Academy

These kinds of phrases are unverifiable and subjective and have no inherent meaning apart from assigned philosophical interpretations given to them by Kabbalah literature.  Furthermore, the phrases are highly reminiscent of New Age teaching that also exalts humanity to the level of divinity, teaches esoteric knowledge, secrets of the universe, and also tries to unravel the mystical relationship between God, the universe, and ourselves — all based on subjective interpretations of the Bible.
Both Kabbalah and at the New Age do not rest in historical facts and historical events that can be verified so as to support their interpretations.  How do you connect with other realities? In fact, what does that mean? What is “higher awareness”? How does the finite become unified with the infinite? The answers that Kabbalah seeks to give to these kinds of questions are as equally subjective as the phrases that initiate the questions.
Because there is no way to verify the truth of the 10 aspects of God, that Kabbalah was given to the angels for the creation of the world, etc., the Kabbalist is left to either believe or disbelieve based upon his preferences.  Instead of believing what the Bible actually says, the Kabbalist is left with following the baby and mystical interpretations of a few ancient Jews.
Unlike the Gospels, Kabbalistic literature is full of philosophical mumbo-jumbo and unverifiable and subjective ideas and words that are strung together in such a way as to appear to be semi coherent. The problem is, Kabbalah contradicts the Bible. Therefore, it is not true.

Universalism is the teaching that all people will be saved.  Some say that it is through the atonement of Jesus that all will ultimately be reconciled to God.  Others just say that all will go to heaven sooner or later, whether or not they have trusted in or rejected Jesus as savior during their lifetime.  This universal redemption will be realized in the future where God will bring all people to repentance.  This repentance can happen while a person lives or after he has died and lived again in the millennium (as some “Christian universalists” claim) or some future state.  Additionally, a few universalists even maintain that Satan and all demons will likewise be reconciled to God.
Nevertheless, both facets of universalistic belief are in serious error.  People will suffer eternal damnation (Rev. 14:11) and the demonic forces have no redeemer.  But, in my opinion, though universalism is a grave error, holding to the idea that all will be saved in itself does not automatically make someone a non-Christian.  Please see Can a Christian be a Universalist?
However, there are those within the universalist camp (who claim to be Christian) who also deny the doctrine of the Trinity and, thereby, the incarnation of the Word of God as God the Son.  They also deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit. Usually, these denials are held by Unitarian Universalists, though others who are not of the Universalist camp also deny the Trinity.  Those who deny these essentials cannot be classified as Christians.
To deny the deity of Christ, is to deny one of the essential doctrines of salvation.  In this sense, those universalists who deny the deity of Christ are in a false religious belief system.  Of course, when one essential doctrine is denied, many other historic biblical doctrines are also denied and salvation is void because the object of faith is false.
There is no official “Universal Salvation Church” denomination but there is a Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).  The UUA can be classified as non-Christian because it denies the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, etc. It is not possible to categorize all of universalists into one tidy doctrinal category.  Its adherents vary in belief.  Some are Arian (God is one person, Jesus is a creation).  Some are Trinitarian.  Others even lean toward new age concepts of man’s divinity.
So, universalism is not really a doctrine that identifies a group.  Rather, it is a doctrine of different, even contradictory groups, who all claim universalism.

The problem with words

The cults are particularly guilty of using biblical words with non-biblical definitions.  This is absolutely necessary among them in order to maintain some sort of internal consistency of theology.  So too, with many universalists.  Hell can mean non-existence, after-life consciousness, or this present life on earth.  Some universalists believe that all punishment is accomplished here on earth, while others believe it is future event with a loss of rewards, and not a physical punishment.  The punishment in both groups is corrective and limited.  It will last only as long, and only be as severe, as it takes to accomplish its corrective purpose, which is to bring all mankind to a state of holiness and happiness in obedience to God.  Of course, the problem with this is that it strongly suggests that a person is made worthy to be with God through his own sufferings and corrections in the afterlife.
In universalism, the word “eternal” means “without end” when it comes to salvation, but not when referring to damnation, even though the same word is used for both and in the same context (Matt. 25:46).  Universalists divide history and the future into different “eons” or “ages” and assert that punishment is “age-lasting,”  not eternal.  The term “Son of God” is claimed by all groups as an accurate description of Jesus, yet to some it means a created being and to others it means God in flesh.  Therefore, determining which belief is held by which universalist is often difficult and it requires digging.

Misrepresentation

Universalists often use the most negative terms to represent historic positions they disagree with.  For example, regarding the damnation of the unsaved, instead of saying that historic Christianity teaches that those who reject Christ will suffer eternal damnation, they frequently say that historic Christianity teaches that “God can’t save everyone and wants to torture most of humanity forever.”  Or, it is often implied that God will not torture people forever because “God is not sadistic enough to send people to hell.”  Such emotionally slanted words reveal a hostile bias against historic doctrines and is an unfair description of those beliefs. It is a surprisingly common tactic among universalists which demonstrates their lack of objectivity and sheds an automatic cloud of doubt upon their observations.

Conclusion

As you can see, universalism covers a wide range of beliefs.  Though belief in universalism, in and of itself, does not automatically void salvation, it has the potential danger of allowing false teachers to abide alongside true believers as well as deny basic Christian teaching such as eternal damnation.  Therefore, to determine if a universalist is Christian, you must delve further into other areas of his belief system.

Relativism is the philosophical position that all points of view are equally valid and that all truth is relative to the individual.  This means that all moral positions, all religious systems, all art forms, all political movements, etc., are truths that are relative to the individual. Under the umbrella of relativism whole groups of perspectives are categorized. In obvious terms, some are:

cognitive relativism (truth) - Cognitive relativism affirms that all truth is relative. This would mean that no system of truth is more valid than another one and that there is no objective standard of truth. It would, naturally, deny that there is a God of absolute truth.

moral/ethical relativism - all morals are relative to the social group within which they are constructed.

situational relativism - that ethics (right and wrong) are dependent upon the situation.

Unfortunately, the philosophy of relativism is pervasive in our culture today.  With the rejection of God, and Christianity in particular, absolute truth is being abandoned.  Our pluralistic society wants to avoid the idea that there really is a right and wrong.  This is evidenced in our deteriorating judicial system that has more and more trouble punishing criminals, in our entertainment media which continues to push the envelope of morality and decency, in our schools which teach evolution and “social tolerance”, etc.  In addition, the plague of moral relativism is encouraging everyone to accept homosexuality, pornography on TV, fornication, and a host of other “sins” that were once considered wrong, but are now being accepted and even promoted in society.  It is becoming so pervasive that if you speak out against moral relativism and its “anything goes” philosophy, you’re labeled as an intolerant bigot.  Of course, this is incredibly hypocritical of those who profess that all points of view are true, yet reject those who profess absolutes in morality.   It seems that what is really meant by the moral relativists is that all points of view are true except for the views that teach moral absolutes, or an absolute God, or absolute right and wrong.
Some typical expressions that reveal an underlying presupposition of relativism are comments such as “That is your truth, not mine,” “It is true for you, but not for me,” and “There are no absolute truths.”  Of course, these statements are illogical, which I demonstrate in the paper “Refuting relativism.”  Relativism is invading our society, our economy, our schools, and our homes.  Society cannot flourish nor survive in an environment where everyone does what is right in his own eyes, where the situation determines actions and if the situation changes, lying or cheating is acceptable — as long as you’re not caught.  Without a common foundation of truth and absolutes, our culture will become weak and fragmented.
I must admit, however, that there is validity to some aspects of relativism. For example, what one society considers right (driving on the left side of the road) another considers wrong. These are customs to which a “right and wrong” are attached, but they are purely relativistic and not universal because they are culturally based.  Child rearing principles vary in different societies as do burial practices and wedding ceremonies. These “right and wrong ways” are not cosmically set in stone nor are they derived from some absolute rule of conduct by some unknown god.  They are relative and rightly so.  But, their relativism is properly asserted as such.  It doesn’t matter what side of the road we drive in as long as we all do it the same way.
Likewise, there are experiences that are valid only for individuals. I might be irritated by a certain sound, where another person will not. In this sense, what is true for me is not necessarily true for someone else. It is not an absolute truth that the identical sound causes irritation to all people.  This is one way of showing that certain aspects of relativism are true.  But, is it valid to say that because there is a type of personal relativism that we can then apply that principle to all areas of experience and knowledge and say that they too are also relative? No, it is not a valid assumption.  First of all, to do so would be an absolute assessment which contradicts relativism.
Furthermore, if all the things are relative, then there cannot be anything that is absolutely true between individuals. In other words, if all people deny absolute truth and establish relative truth only from their experiences, then everything is relative to the individual.  How then can there be a common ground from which to judge right and wrong or truth? It would seem that there cannot be.
Of course, the issue that is important here is whether or not there are absolute truths.  Also, can there be different kinds of absolute truths if indeed there are absolute truths?  We might ask if it is always wrong to lie? Or, does 1 + 1 always equal 2?  Is it always true that something cannot be both in existence and not in existence at the same time? Is it always true that something cannot bring itself into existence if it first does not exist? If any of these questions can be answered in the affirmative then relativism is refuted — at least to some degree.
More questions arise. If all moral views are equally valid, then do we have the right to punish anyone? Can we ever say that something is wrong?  In order to say that something is wrong we must first have a standard by which we weigh right and wrong in order to make a judgment. If that standard of right and wrong is based on relativism, then it is not a standard at all.  In relativism, standards of right and wrong are derived from social norms.  Since society changes, the norms would change and so would right and wrong.  If right and wrong change, then how can anyone be rightly judged for something he did wrong if that wrong might become right in the future?
Finally, is it fair to apply logical analysis to relativistic principles? Many relativists say no.  But, I do not see why not. If a relativist were to convince me that logic isn’t necessary in examining relativism, he’d have to convince me using logic, which would be self defeating. If a relativist uses relativism — the subjective view of his own opinions — to validate his position, he is using circular reasoning; namely, he is using relativism to establish relativism.  So, either way, he has lost the argument.
To conclude, if relativism is true and all points of view are true, then is my view that relativism is false, true?
Does truth contradict itself?  No it doesn’t.

www.carm.org