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1984 The Fundamentalist Journal

12-1984

Fundamentalist Journal Volume 3, Number 11

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RETURN TO:BELIEVERS BIBLE BOOK Co. TOTALP. o. Box 31284 ^MOUNT ENCLOSED:Raleish. North Carol ina 27622 nr

Volume 3/Number 1lDecember

t984

StcffExecutlve Editor,Jerry FcrlwellRrblisher,Nelson KeenerSenior Edltor,Edwcrrd DobsonEditor'Deborcrh Hr-rJfCopy Edltor,Eorlene R. GoodwrnAssociate Editors,W. Dovrd BeckDoniel R MrtcheilConHbuting WritersAngelo Elwell Hunt\,4nrtr n \,4mnnror

Col ThomosEcUtortcl Assistcrrts,Ctndy B GunterJeonne MosonLorno DobsonResecEch Asslstcrrt,Mortorre L FutchCreqtive Dlredor,Qionhon T A lhaeh ion

Grcrphics/Desigm,Brron Robenson SupvEdwoncr ColemonDrcrne JohrsonJone ClsenPhotogrrcphy,Les Schofer, MgrBrron PnnceCothy D WcrtsonProduction Assistqnt,Connre PiftsTlpogncphers,Suson W ShrpwoshNoio CoonsKothy ArringrtonSulrscrlber Services,Connre SchoferAdvedising,Brll LockordSpecicl Assistcrrts,Trm C SrmsLecr Gonzolez

Editoriql BoqrdVerle Ackermon. Roymond Borber

Trumon Dollor o Dovrd JeremtohJohn Rcrwlngs o.Elmer L Towns

Ior-k Wvrzen o Wenelell hmmermon

Stotement of PurposeThis mqgozlne is comitted to the histodc fundomen.

tols ol the Chrstm laitt! bllclicol seporction morol obso.Iute$ the pdodty ol the locql chuch md world evongeli-zqtion. Although no mogozine or lndividuql cqn speqkfor the overoll Fundomentolist movement, ii is our desireto creqte q forum to encouroge Cfuistion ]eoders ondstotesmen to delend biblicol Christiqni'ly. We wiU ex-omine mctteF ol rcntemporqry interest to oll Christlom,providing on open discussion ol divergent opiniom onrelevont issues. The Fundamentolist Jownal will olsoreoffirm our history ond heritqge, os well ds point theway to the luture.

The Star in God's Window-Dovrd Hoog

Does God Still Heal?-Rrchord Moyhue

Cox Proclcims lvtodern Theologry DeqdWllliom Motheny

T4arlz/^ ozo

. \ / Z \

a { )

34

42

53Editoriqls

Jerry Fqlwell CommentsWhy I Am Not Alroid of Criticism

Fundcmentqlism TodayIs Whot Others Think Importont?Edword Dobson

PerspectiveWhat's in cr Nome?-Horold O J Brown

10

122T

DepartmentsB

PUNDA]',IENTALIETJOUBNAL

ArticlesWhat Others Scry about FundcrmentqlismDr \lodin E Mody, Joseph Ccn'dino] BernordrnRobbi Yechlel Eckstern, Dr Ccr] F H Henry

Prcryer, The Keystone of Revivql-Vernon Brewer

Polqrizcrtion, Mcrn's Penchcrnt, God's herogcrtiveDovid F Wells

Hospitclity-A Mecrrs of Mission qnd MinistryDorothy G Hoke

Joseph" the Forgotten FcrtherDerrrc Johnson ond Phrhp R Stover

TJ oseph is the silent hero ol the CMstrnos

story. Althoqh hjs role is often lorgottentfuough him we ccrn see the results ol obe-dient laith.

Permcrnent Presentg Some Assembly ReguiredLors Dodds

Why Go Back Home for Christmcrs?Ruth Senter

rFI he cmnuol pilgrrimoge to Grcndmo's

horse lor Chrishncs ccn become ho-hum toscrythe leasl Butwhcrt crewe missingbynotmoking the journey?

You Sqid It

/ z \ a

Fundcrrentqls in FocusMqn, On the Eve ol Destruction?Dcrruel R Mrtchell

Iln this cenhlry, technologry hqs ex-

pcnded to monstrous proportions, SrvinSmon unprecedented copobilities lordestruction. Never belore hqs the need todevelop q proper view ol the worth qnddiSnity oI mqn been more urgent.

Hcrry RlmmerArdent Delender ol Creotion.uernoro 1( Lret{emer

Wrif" Iighting the evolutionists seems tobe o current phenomenon Hcrry Rimmerspent the lirst holl ol this century os on or-dent crpologist, delending the biblicql qc-count ol Creqtion with both historicql ondscientilic irrlormcrtion.

47Thunder in the PutpitBotony ond the Rose ol Shoron-Hcrrry Rrmmer

Successlul Tecching ldeasLet's Leqrn How to Receive-Wesley R W1111s

In Review

Trecsrxes from the TextGod Gcrve His Son-Rrchord D Potterson

Bible StudyGenesis, Book oI Firsts-Horold L Wrllmrncrton

Update

r /-\,-\( )

55

575B

ColumnsSoap Box / ,Is There Only on Evcngelicol Disoster?-Nelson Keener OO

62

NewsJudge Shuts Michigcn School Bible ClqssesErlc E Wiggn

For Your Informcrtion A/1\r'=

Funddmentalist Journql is published monthly, ll isues per yeqr, by Old-Time Gospel Hour. Posloge is pqidqt Lynchburg. Virgdnio, ond ddditionol moiling otfices. Address qll corespondence to FundmenlalistJournql Lynch.bug, Virgnniq 24514 (8O4) 52MI2.Ccnqdim Otfice Box 5O5. Richmond Hill. Onlorio L4C 4Y8.Subrcription SD.95 q yeor (ll issues) in U.S. Outside U.S qdd S5.OO per ytrr postoge prepqid U.S. cuffency.SI.95 per isue.Chmge ol Adclress, When ordedng o ctrqnge of oddres, pleqse retun your old mqiling lqbel olong withthe new oddress. Allow eight weeks tor o chonge.Adverlising, Frndcrmentqllst Journql Advenising Ofice,2O Longhome Rood, Lyncbburg, Virgdnio 24514(8O4) s28-4ru.Submissions Monuscnpts sulcmitted to Fundcsnentdlist Jounal should be occomponied by selt-oddressedenvelopes ond retun postoge. Publisher ossums no responsibility for rehtm ot umolicited m(Iteriol.Monucripts unoccomponied by retum postoge will not be rehlmed to sender.All moteiol in this isue is subjtrl to U.S. qnd lntemotionql copyright lffs. Pemision to reproduce mustbe oblqined by writing to Fud@ent(Ilist Jounql.O 1984 Old-Time Gospel Hour.Neithe! qdverused ptoducts witeE theologicol positons nor ediloriol contenl in Arndcmentolisi Joumclshould be comidered ds endoBed bry nor the ofiiciql posluon ol the mogczine or Old{'ime Gospel Hou.POS'tilASt'n! S€nd qddress chcng€s to nrndqnsnlqll|| Jourtrd, Subscrlber Servlceq Lynchburg,vi4dnld 2rt5l4.

Yours when you join the Conseruative Book Club .Values to $69.95 . Save up to $67

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2571 FALWELL: Beforc the Millennium - D.D'Souu. The oge of the liberals emerges as a warm, in-telligent Christian. His critics emerge as gossly unfair.Photos. $14.95

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2554 UP FROM LIBERAIISNI - Iltm. F. Buckley lr.Foreword bl John Dos Possos. Classic anti-liberalpolemic reissued. "What he says and how he says it is sure...to drive the liberals to the brink of mayhem...breathtaking. " - Iltoll St. Journal. $16.95

254I THE HEYDAY OT AMf,RICAN COM-MUNISM: The Depresion Decade - H. Klehr."Meticulous...filh a void." - John Chamberlain,IlallSl. Journol. "There is no longer any excuse (if there everwa$ for scholars and activists to fail to comprehend thecharacter of American communism." - New Republic."Brilliant. . . richly detailed." - Dallas Morning News.525 pages. $2.6.50

252I VIETNAM UNDER COMMUNISM I975-I9E2- N, y. Canh, By a refugee professor, the whole grimstory of what happened after the peaceniks got their way.$34.9s

2539 FIGHT, ILIGHT, FMUD: The Hislory of Trx-ation - C. Adans. lilould you believe anenlertoiningbook on taxation? "Marvelous...makes taxation in-teresting." - Ralph Rict, Connell Professor of Law,UCLA. Lavish: over 300 huge 9 x 12 paga, over 180 il-lustrations (some colo0. $35

2390 MY tfIT WITHOIII GOD - l1r. l. Murray.Son of Madalyn Murray O'Hair tells of growing up withatheism\ Earth Mother, and how he found God. "Ahonor story with shock value." - Publishers lleekly.Photos. $12,95

2514 THf, COf,RCIVf, UTOPIANS _ R. J. & S, E,Isaac. The people who want to change America - forthe worst. But they hide behind slogans that sound inno-cent. "Wide+anging, explosive, profoundly important."- Hunon Events. Slt.95

2527 THE ATPHA STRATDGY - l. A. Pugsley. "lfa person had time to read only one book on financialsurvival, I would advise him to read The AlphaStrategl." - Douglas Casey. $13.952517 THf, MYSTf,RY OF BANKING - Munay N.Rolhbard. From the $25 chak you deposit, walks youthrough the whole maze of international banking, offenlibertarian ideas to clean up the mess. "When economistRothbard is finished, there isn't much mystery left." -Pu blb he rs lleek b. 919.95

2323 THE BRANDf,IS-FMNKTURITR CONNEC-TION - B. A. Murphy. Landmark book shows howthe Supreme Court got politicized. "Striking...Morethan just delicious historical footnotes. . .even across thedecades, Murphy's disclosures have shock value.. .Forall its fascinating disclosures...a careful, measuredwork." - Newsweek. $22,502IE6 PSYCHOI.OGICAL SEDUCIION - I4/, K.Kilpatrick. Prominent psychologist wams: Christianityand psychology are now compting religions. "Tenificbook. . . major contribution to the raently emergingChristian critique of psychology." - P. C. Vitz, Dept.of Psychologr, NY[J. $14.95254f1THE NEW BOOM IN SILVER - lerome F. &Barbaro K. Smilh. Why "silver's price appreciationpotential is at lrut double that of gold." Says CBN\Dan Dorfman: "Smith hu demonstrated remarkableforecasting skills. " $19.95

2335 DICTATORSHIPS AND DOUBI-.D SIAN.DARDS - leane Kirkpatrick Our brilliant UN am-bassador at her feisty bat about tiberal hypocrisy. $14.95

24t7 SOCIAI ruSIICf, AND THE CHRISTIANCHURCH - R. H. Nasi. "Excellent praentation ofthe case for free enterprise...deadly indicment ofsocialism. ..should be read...apecially by those whothink the Bible calls for the redistribution of wealth." -Huold Lindsell, Editor Emeritus, Chrbfionity Today.f12.95

2509 AIPHAPHONICS - S. L. Blunen/eld. Ne*program by a pioncr in the private-school movementshows you how to teach your child to read by the goodold-fashiond phonia method. Oveniad quality papr-back. J19.95

Which 2 books will you take for 0NLY $2.95?Publisher's price listed qfter eoch bookto show how much lou sove.

249t SAIE BANKS - W. Wezglnl Ranks 2,352 safestbanks, using govemment data. ls your bank one of thesafest? "Ranks banks in a simplified manner so anyonewho deposits money can compare a bank which willsafeguard his personal life savings to one that is high risk. "-Miani Review. Ovenized quality paperback. $14.95

2l5l MODERN TIMES: The Wodd from the 20s to thet0s - Paul Johnson. For the first time: a detailed, stylishsurvey of our era - by a conservative. "Truly distin-guished." - Robe( Nisbet, NI/ Irtnes. "Brilliant,densely textured. " - I4 o I I S t. J ou r nal. "Extraordinary. "- Forbes. 8l 7 paga. $27.95

246E THE GENESIS CONNECTION - J. IViester."The real issue is not creation versus evolution [but]crellor versus no crealor," says this Christian geologist."Reasonable. . .appealing. . .sensitive to the Bible and toscience." -V. E. Anderson, prof. of genetics, U. of Min-naota. "Great book., . unique. . . filh a real need. " - D.A. Amold, prof. of anthropology, Wheaton (eadingChristian college). $14,95

2570 THE WRIIf,R'S ART - James J. Kilpatrick.How writen - and everyone else - can keep frommangling our morher tongue. Not only instructive, but ajoy to read. "Witty, entertaining and enlightening." -Publishers llteekly. "A sweet spring ofa book, brisk andbracing, thunderingly informative and gently instructive. "- ll/ashington Journalisn Review. "The best book of itskind I have experienced." - Wm F. Buckley Jr. $14.95

2374 WHERE'S THE REST OF ME? - RonaldReogan. ThePraident's autobiography is "utterly charm-ing" (Max [,emer, N/ Posl), "most interesting andenterlaining" (NY Review), "breezy and interating"(lltashington Post). Photos. $17.95

20? HIGH FINANCE ON A LOW BUIJ6,ET - MarkSkousen. Too strapped to invest? Not with this book.Famd hard-money counsellor shows you how to getsarted with as little as $100. "l strongly urge you to readthis book, and profit from Mark\ sound advice." -Howard Rufl. $12.95

boolcs forONLY $2.950296 THE TAILURE OF THE "NEWECONOMICS" - Henry Hazlitt. "A great book, thebest and most thorough exercise in economic demolitionsince Boehm-Bawerk exploded Mant labor theory ofvalue...best book on economics since Mises' geatHuman Action...will destroy the Keynesian System."- Munay N. Rothbard, National Review. gl5

2500 BROKEN EARTH - Steven ll. Mosher. Theoutspoken book about Red China that got the authorfired from Stanford. $17.952479 IDOIS I'OR DESTRUCION - lL scftloss-Derg. Stunning insights into how liberalism is erodingreligious and political life. "Extraordinarily trenchantand provocative critique of contemporary culture, from asolid Christian standpoint." - James Hitchcock. "Notto be missd by any." - Iyall St. Journal. "One of thebest, if not the bat. . .buy of the year." - Carl F. H.Henry, former dilor, Chrislionity Today 914.952339 WINESS TO POWER: The Nhon Yern -John Ehrlichnan Liveliest, bluntest of the memoin."Honest...worthwhile...painh in the warts andblemishes." -Manchester Union Leader. "Biting." -New York lifegazine. 432 paga. Photos. $17.50251t AMERICA'S GREAT DEPRESSION - Mur-ray N. Rothbard. Revisionist classic reissued. New in-troduction relates today\ economy to that of 3ft."Notable contribution." - Henry Hulitt. 919.95254t SAFE PII\CES FOR THE Ws - Dovid & HollyFranke. S irches out I l0 towns still nice, assesses crime,culture, the economy, living conditions in each, helps youfind your dream town. 456 pages, photos.919.95

2560 THE ANTICHRIST - Vincent P. Miceli. Con-servative priest reads wamings of doom - not leastwithin his own church. "ln the everlasting Holy Waraginst the D*i|The Antichlsl is a masterly textbook."- Malcolm Muggeridge. Oversized quality paperback.$il.95244{I SOVIEI IMPREGNANONAI PROPAGANDA- B, Hazan. How the Reds use films, art, books, ballet,cultural exchange, even sporh to spread their germs. "AsHazan demonstrates in a disturbing, revealing study, vir-tually all exportable products of Soviet culture carry apropaeanda load" - Publishers lleekly. $20O52E THE CRIIICS OF Kf,YNTS|AN ECONOMICS- Henry Hazlitt. Hayek, Mises, 20 more authoritiesmanhal the sasg rgainst Keynes. gl4

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2201 WEAITH AND POVERIY - George Gildu."A book so gand in its outlook, so optimistic in its ap-proach that it is breathtaking. Here at last is a positivedefense of capitalism as a moral force...a book to betreasured." - Banon's. $19,95

2506 THE APOCAIYPTICS: Polilics, Science, rndthe Big Crncer Ua - Edith ̂dfon. Batselling authorrocks the Cancer Establishment. "Efron hassinglehandedly demolished one of the most cherishedmyths of the environmental movement." - NationolRwiew. "Fully documented revelation of one of the mo$astonishing scientific scandals of our time. " -AnericonSpectator. 600 pages. $19.95

2403 THE IEFT,IIIE ruGHT AND THE JEWS _Il. D. Rubinstein Why the Jewish move to the Right?Rubinstein manhals the case in fascinating detail, nwerducks the tough questions. "lmportant...bound tostartle. . .dispasionate, calm, scholarly." - PublishersIlteekb. $IE.N

2547 CONVERSIONS - ed. by H. Ken & l. Mulder.From Paul, Constantine and Augustine through lrwis,Waugh, Muggeridge, Cleaver and Colson, converts tell- all in their own words - how thev found Christ.$12.95

2fr1 THE WAY OF THE HUNTf,R.WARRIOR:How lo Mrke a lfilling in Any Mrdret - Julian M.Snyder. "Forttnat€ly, mo$ investon think like losers.That's how people like me get rich," says Snyder, thenreveals his sarets. $12.952496 JESUS CHRIST DEFORE HE BECAME ASUPERSTAR - J. K. Fi2patrick. With insi$ts worthyof C. S. Lewis, reminds the updahrs what Christianityreally means. Ovenized quality paperback. 011.95

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2475 PANIC AMONG THE PHILISIINES - '. F.Grffin. Feuling gnm about the state of culture, literature,the arts? "Rambunctiously combative book attackingthose ... actively involved." - lltoll St. Journol."Feisty, clever, hugely entertaining," - lltoshingtonTimes. $12.95

2308 THE SPIRN OF DEMOCMTIC CAP-ITAIISM - Michael Novok. "One need not shareNovakk religious penpative on capitalism to find thisbook a $unning achievement. . .may prove one of thoserare books that actually changes the way things are." -Conmentarl, $17.50

2430 THE OUTLINE Ot SANITY: A Life of G. K,Chesterton - A. S. Dale. "Supersedes earlierbiogaphies." - Nationol Review. "lf la Chestertonrevivall ever becomes necessary [this bookl is the place tobegrn." - Time. $1E.95

2340 THE OMINOUS PAMLIJIS: The End ofFrcedom in America - L. Peikof; Inlroduclion by AynRand. Likens present trends here to Germany's in thepre-Hit ler years. "Extraordinari ly perceptive...fri$tening." - Alan Greenspan. $16.95

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Name

Address

ffi

City -State- Zip-

t . l t

I

I

Shimei's Dust

Cld Sonto Clous gels o lot ofr o . . - n r n r , l h r c l r m o n f t h o r r o a r J l h n k

rl someone'were 10 rewnle the Chnsl-f - , r r , - l r -

- I , o c h m r o r ) r ll l l v J J L v r y r v u I l u 1 1 t L u ^ - L r l u p r - . z . , '

would go somelhlng Lrke thrs'And there were rn the some coun-

' r y n i soo r ds ond l o l r € r s keep r " rgwol i . ovar 'h^ i l hom-s by nrghl

cn.i gorng lo work every mornrneJlo n-,cke lols of mone'y

"And 1o, the smooth-vorced TV on-nollncer come upon them ond theglones ol mony fLne possessronsshown roLrncl crbor,rl them, ond lhey-dere sore ofrorcl they would nol be)o la 1 . y o l l ' h ' 1 rng . ho r r f omr lo .

'wonled"And the TV onnouncer sord unto

lhem, ' f 'eor nol , for I brLng unlo yougood licirngs of grecrl 1oy, whrch shcrLlbe 1o ol1 folhers ond nolhers ondchrloren cnd relolrves For unlo you' h s d , y n l - . y w h ^ r ^ o L r s ' o r ^ . sc s(lvlour $ born, who rs our credltff,onoga Ard h . Sl O.' b^ cr s qnunto you You sholl frnd thrs wondrousa r , ^ / r ' n o o r ] n r , e l e l n l h r n r \ ^ / r i h -

I r l ^ ) r n . r , W h , L e W h , S k e t S

ond colled, SAN]A CLAUSI"And rt come io poss os the TV oc-

tors ioded owoy, the folhers crndmolhers sorcl lo one onolher, 'Lel usno-,r go even to thrs store whrch theTVonnouncer mode known unlo uslAnd they come wrth hmte ond foundgL"^rurg wrsf,,vol-hos ond fu cocfsA'cr v d^o gcrn as c lssa 'e p.oy^ 'slhe new ET Versron of the BrbLeilrcrowove ovens, oncl new clresses,on rno\ \ o t . o lno krCL over 2t yog ' t

f e : a a r a a l - - - , q n , I . . . , , I .U I U J

] ] I U 9 U L I I J ! T L U I U Y J U I I U U ]

O . tSA ha wOndt .g gna 6 j1a5ga6 l n

t o e l c r l l r n n h r r l h o e n c h r o t r c l o r q m / r n -r v I t t \ a

'Ho, Ho Hol'T h o r r m c r j o k n n r n r n n m n n a n l l, v I , v u ' l

l h o r r n o i n n l - n r c h m n r r i. . - . . ley were golngto hove one of the best Chrrstmoseso ' -o r e r :n ln ^ l r . r . c non jg reo Ol l lhe 1 I . )rpraq+ \o r//.q -^ r i lO COlleCt

Shrmer

You' re good but . . ,

I r,rot-t lo krror", whcl sgo ng on InCods world cnrd I lnurk yottr mogoz n o r ^ r r l l f f \ / a m a c n m a n a a r j r n c r a h l

V _ , , " _ ' m ^ - - 7 n A c r h A- v U q v v u y J J u y y U U 1 . . , - J L t . L . r . r r '

h e q l J c m n a l n r l l n n r ] o r n r n I I r c l

I ' - n. - r ' . ' 'A"- r . l r - - , " ^ ; 11 O- lhele Otea t h a ' m n n a T r n a c ^ r r r A I ^ \ a n a l r r

ChrS Lom We ne..d !.J gooo bcronce

Mrs Lucron SherburneDes Mornes, Iowo

No rivol or peer.,.

T r ro roeonrhr c tnnoa l mrz cneona l. , v - ^ - , - , l l r m / o 1 / o l r - f n a l) u u ) ! l l p l l u l l u t q t u l . . - t

anr r fm l l n rnh lom nr lae lu a f ohror - i r i r -

rh r rn tho moaozrno l

It rs well wltlen, honesl, ond o trueJ*a- r ' ' n loFn ' c .c r r?S O[ COnCen- I lO

he Ch "s' or-fundomonrolsr lcsnly Ino 'or mcr o' 11 rs k nd hcr snl eosy( - o m n m o r l l o l h O a t n a l m n o n z i n o q f I

hos no f l-J enl ' -vo o'peet -ha

o f ^rs

nc|vp become s^lj-se'vurg ond shokynn lr l-rlrenl nac lronq

-p 51, . r .. r , r, ho1 conln testo lrc well done

Trmolhy DovrsonJomestov,.rr, Chro

More obout movies,.,- -r-nmanrl ,r r SUCh On excel

l o n l m a n a z n o T m n r a n r r l o r r a ' h r h l ri l v P P ! ! ! g | ! y

e n l c n r n l n [ ] - n l m c o n n r - l n n n l o n a l i c r r n

mnrnnnhv v v r v e L r r

"tho . Shoir No A-ero Movtos oyT - n . - d - r V - a ^ ' . n m h e r r c n a m r jL V V V q U ' V \ ? W I I \ f , P L g I - J J I J N \ J ) \ J

o v m n l o C r r l m r j - r l n o r - t l ^ c n ^ n c a c r ^

r c o i a c ^ n t h - r l ^ A ^ - h r n r r a l r l : : n c - n n -, w , u , v

ffe, I belreve, one of the mon reosons^ ,- 'm\i c&^i r^6n^,.-rfton ChnS.tCn-S

fiom comervotrve homes find no rn-torocl rn f-h rclrmrtrr

l o g ^ s , ^ . , i , o l e h e o r e l l l w l l hDobson. porn's os wall os hrs p^rsonol. onv t_ r on Kaop .p . h_ good l o r k

Poui S Klemetsen, Pcrstorf n r l h R n n l c i a - h r e n n l ( z a a r \ / a l l o r r

D , , t t a W r - " , J o

. t t ^ " ( r ' 1 o n nose f o l Lne o l l le l o nn a i l ane l r , - m . \ / os T l nnnao ro . - li , v v v ! u ' u

to be sleerrng toword occommodo-t ron Mosl drsturbrng rs thol thecrrCIumen's wo-a 'oken 10 'he ve 'ge o '1 - r o n o r r - l r e r r l o r r q q l r n r l r n n e a m n l o r o l r r

f r a m t 1 a n ^ r n r - l l ^ a ^ - l r r a l n r r n c n l o

1n queslron- l r a n . l . I l a l - , o a r o - l , n al l l g u I L - i - u , , - . , )

. i . \ . . r I n r o n R r l - r l n a l l r r n a c ' r h l h r n n

o w l c l c T o r r r l e r r c l f l l f ) r. t s ' esenso ve rybost p ' rnc-p le And 'ho ' y^ n oy p r '. t r f t / ' , , . l L . . ^ I l v n n I n h n l r zl r - _ * r _ r ' . - r v v - | l y u L 9 ! l L v l y

ond between uncleon ond cleon"l l o o c n t t h c , a n r - l . r h a r \ / o r q o q

a l m r n o a o n y ^ r d o e - o ' ' n e ' o o omarr araac)

- , -1 o r l ^a 'a - ro r r rn . t -O l l le b .bL-o ln . 1 . n a . J . r r ' ' . l - - c h l o m e o s u t e

o u t c I ' t v t ' . ^ s l ' r s n o o n g e r o ' n o l l a( - 1 ^ . \ ' - . / ^ r - ? e d l e n c e

v l y l L 1 U 1 ! 1 l l L i U r 1 l y v |

( - n n c c l o n e t r m a \ / \ / F n / ^ / A l l . - t a, y ' \ yr y , . - . r L l a , , . o . son te o . ou lother oc[vl[es Are we oirord of thrsk tnd o f ̂ o r f l on o t o t ' ?

- r ^ p r n - p €sfound rn God's Word oddress oll of usand oLl oreos of lLle

Lrndq J Lewrs

Three cheersl

T h m l , r r n r f a r ( - n m n o L l n q a P n e o

l c a n r r l l n r r o N , 4 P o m r c ] - n l o m h o r l rw ) '

e a d a r n l r r r n l l l o c t h o e a n o a f l h o

- ^ ' JAnl- ' ' h ' r d Conlenl h,1th 'hee l m r d r n l - h o r r r f i e l o m r e l z l r r a t q f f l a o

Y \ ! ! ! y r ! r v

FU{DAMEMAUST JOURNAT

hecm of the Lrrsfutulronolized chLlch.cnrd one ccnrrrot reod rt wrthout doLrig- ff i ff i dml nf hryyl-we hrna Tl rc.lrf-

faran. irrm m,--m-, .f i^les i l r lhoT 1t nor

or rly shows the problerrs. out rr olso^ r ^ . ^ ^ i ^ n ^ l ' , t . a ^ - G ' m ^ h m ' n f n 'p r u w l l t J w t u l t u t D . 1 t l t w u t I w l J l u l

crtrcLes [ke thrs

\A/rl lrerrn | (ra7po+r611 Dq5lgJ

f.1qf Dr-oehrrl-o.rr-rn ch. rrgl

WrLono Loke. lndrcnio

Arswer these questiorrs..,

A ̂ . .- ,^r rl ^ c^hr^tr ber ssLLe wos n_ru suq Lr rs €vrs l I rforoctrna "[ho rrrt elo on nr r] 'r lrc orjr ren-v i , t / w u v

tron wos much 1oo close to humcrirstrcconch]slons Be{ore rushfrg lo the C[d ofstcie educotron. os the res:]l of humcnrmcnnrn^ cnma f f ract innc ar rnl_r l ln l . -c

oskedWhere in the B|cle rs educcrtron

mrion ln iho q tmo? lA Ih^ ,\ f l v v - l l V . f f U J . v r U : v v l l u l g U l g U U U

^^^^y+^ r^^^H^.^ ffihv^r '^ H. ' /-^^av v l r v l u r v L w l l r v r J u P P l v v s u u y w v '

\Mhere ore we to)d to support crrlr-Godnhrlnqnnhiaq nf mon?

Il mnmc r1-rrr l Czr^ . 1- '^- ^.-1- ,] L U } , | r t u J t l l U r \ w U V V U I V L t l 9 l r L 1 5 l

those who support the evolution, rm-mnralrhr mrl arvj lmcneq nrrcnl rn l l - ra

r-ra-rt mrrinnhr nf strrto educOlton

/ - lmr \h r l ia l l Dactnrv r e Y r \ u , , \ . ' . u / l \ ! L v ,

trnrrfnn- qolLa' q/-nll ql ChUfChFn rinnrt \,4rchrann

Agnee to disogrree,..

Thrrnk \rnr r r-T \A/ho ]S lhe Votce ofy v u l v r v v r r !

Fur-rdcn nentoirsm Todoy? (September;I hmro hnd tho nnrn lmo n f hmnn

mmrr n ( l l ra n l r jo r c f fn lc Trnncr . lo T) ico

Ral - r Tanac ( r a in (omo o f rho r in r rnnor

' r^nf'-n - hcfve nol hecfl.dr l r e r r y v u

ctrld do not knowQamonna car r - l r roarc nnn f ln r ]

l'rr rriac Hic r^r-rkorc hr rr l]iq r^/nrk c+ill nrmc

nn" l ln rn r \ ^ ra l l c rmLan l And T m n ln r - l

nn ^na cr.mkc fnr r rc \A/o Rmticlc oqle

^'^l-\ ' r i- /- l i+ F ,.v,-l - ' ^nt rmnncqrhla int l ( 4 y l l l r U 1 1 1 l U U . ! l l v . - . - . l J v r p . e . r v

find one mcn.l who colxd speok for oIoi us.

\/Trnrz o' ho rnon l,e J Ftct-tl( NOmS/ ' . .1^^'-

- ^-^^ ]-^f f i - l \ - . /ArA rnr- lmr-] m_

\ v v r r u l l l l \ . - , 1 - ] , w l l t u u / . v / v _ ! r L u w r v l -.mlq In frnth rrnd nrrr-tir-e. NOfWtthSCnd

n r n c r . - ] n r n n m r z n [ l h a m o nu 1 \ _ r . l I t g v g r u v l D l u g r w w _ y J r . v . _ . L r .

.rnrr -ent oner] rrc lhe votce Of Fun-r ]manfn l rcm (n r^ ra^ f f6 ln r j rcnmm

Thml r t ocmn {nr lh^ f ,n^ / - r ' i ^ l ^r i i \ d N u v \ J l l - v r l , l u l l l l c u l l u l c .

Kerrneth RobbPcnk Avenr le Prrnrisl a-hurchR n c h r * ' o n N ) p r a r V n " [

His concems qre my concerns,.,

A c a l r m e h r n n s d 6 r r . r l ^ - c ar u v . v u ! i L r v l . - , , \ ! r v . v v i l v E P l ! r r u y

omnhccic rc an lha rrAi.^ -^a'a '^v^^

^\ 'v r r r } J r r \ @ u D v r r r ^ r u v v l E - U y - V U I W Y A -

posltion of the Word of God. I wosveryonrr-rr rrnnad '. qFA F.l l')CbSOn'S "DO FUn-ejrrmontdl.stc T)qrl-rr P'eoch the BLJclez'rf)r-tnker\

Dr Dobson's concems hcrve been rr.n17 1.q,1- 'n'qrrre ri-a CBld ]'m eXCfledfo <:m \ /at t r nt r l - r l rcrr l to^ nracnnl -F a, v w u ] v u v w L v u . l v l r p l s E r r r L l l s

n m r j f a r o m c r l r n n n l l m e h i n n n f t h o

Wold thot will confiont people wtth lhe# r+ l - r a { Qmnf i rza na l . ,d r lna (aa ^ f C f f^i l u i l l v l & r l P r u v , l l v r J W r L t l g t u l t v t * l 1 g

h-re Were thcrkli for the Word of Cod"] -u r l T fm i l - rrr t l - rrr nal nlmlrr lmnl-rrnn

t I ] v t v I t r v t v l g \ J l I ' v v v l l l l L v

rt tn nr rr tqnlo l^ra'ro nr^rjr rarn^ -

nonarrrlrnn nr -hrct'mi5 WhO Ctre nO\^/harc norrr L)Frn.r r-rrfCd:le Of Unde1-ct.m.l'n.r .r qL.rnn- the lruth ol theWord of God

thfllk you for ths clecr, occuote,m^ rranr nmziari ^'^Senlotton

Br-ll CrowderPostor-TeacherOren B'hle B^rnl,sl r-hurchS- Alh'rrnc \A/oc' \/ r,rn1g

Ior ma hsmn h i r on,,.courogng you.n \ / .- l rrr frno.rrnrrnTrne On lhe whOlev r r ] v \ !

I an.l rl r"-rq'oh-'l r-rnrl effeCttveYour oticle of whether Fundcunen-

lrrlrqis rA-1llrr nrccr-h lha Bblg OddleSSeS^ \ /an/ c imif icmt nrnl-r lom Al lhnr rah I

a m m r n r r t h r r a r r r t h o c r c T m r r < f n n i n l a r r lJ v u L r r e r r q

d r l r q e r o n n n e r l i n \ / a r r r c n a c r I r eJ y v v r r r v

awmnloq

In Mcrfthew 2819, the verb trcmsloted^ ^ . . , * ^ ' ^ l ^ l J ^ ' . ' ^ . ' ^ '

v v D W y v u i l y u l & l i 9 l v l s r r v v v s v s l ,

the enhre construchon rs surxlctr to Mot-thew 2,8 cnd ro Moflhew 213 Such por-t s a i ^ , a l , , n a ' . n r h m i m m v # i r , ^ - l ^ ^ . ^t lut l .J lu \--N wl l I uI I t l lElul tvu uwJ u l -

r-lcer-l r-crmr rmnerrrtrrrql lofce SO tt rSlorilimr-rtc ln trr-rnslr-rte MCrlthew 28la oS"Col Moke dscrples" Mcrfthew 28 s Go'Secuchl" Mofthew 213 s AndToke:"

T norrrl lhrs or rl onlv Ln the nterest of^.a lrdlr I r^ri l l mmr thrri r inr rr frmcln-

t inn rc c r r rc l { rc in lh r 516 rc ' I - ' l a Uar , 'n . 'n '-1v1 - -O Ju l l l - v ] \ ! y PruWUtY. I lV VV V V q l ,

rl ic hffidhr fnir in lakel mrr trmclrrhnnI u r r u \ 4 l

(ctrld thol of mflry olhers) os o mrscrp-nl iaaf ian nf lho rrorcov l v v r r v r I

Dclrd A PttmorrCrncrnncrtt Chro

T cnr r ]r ln ' f df faa rrr i t l..n you more onthe subject ol Brlcle lnspirotion ondex-adaarq

'I hmro fram rantlrr lnld nonnlo

thot rt mcftered lttle whot they beIieve. or whot I beheve or whcrt JohnDoe belleves, or doesnl wont to be-heve beccruse it s oll gorig ro go Cods\ ^m / r n l ho f i na l ana l '- . . - .1S1S

Donold E MoteRlerside, CoLiformo

Thonk lrou...-hrrnk rror r for the Profile on Fred

Rrrnnrn in rrnrrr Or-tobrel l9B4 tSSUer . r ] v s a v v L v

\ r l r Cef lonao hnc . ]nn^ an avnrl lant- v r l v u r v \ , \ y ' U l r s o v v r l u u l r Y A U Y u g l l l

ral . r nf c lrmactar izrnn nn^ a{ t l - 'a . \ .^,- tn 'JVV Vr Vr lugvrur l4 rv v1 IU Ut t l lg u luul-

rrdrret*isc.l" rnrrntq nf On eIO

Ganrco \A/ Thnmrrc Pq5191v v v r v v

Hrnnrth nrnc Rrrntrqt f-hUfChT\ ral-ar Caarma

Dear Shimei. , ,

I must ossume fiom your tone of\^/r i+rn- t f )r+nl ' rort ihrr i rrar r nra {ar l r rn

rariih heinrr 'n'd nnl tO triCk-OrJreCrta f a f a f r n l h r q r r a r r r [ t r q r n t o r o q t r n n h n r n r -

o t r a r i h r r f \ r ^ t I 1 ^ / r r l / . . i ̂ l - ^ ^ ^ ^ i l - , a , ^ - . , ^v v 9 r , r l r u r y u u v v v u r u u I l u l J S g l l l Y I J S u uaf rrn|nr.'aan ,^ds lo condemnr w v r v u a r

schismotrcs.G r n n l e r - i r r a r r h m r o a r r a l r r _ l n a r n l r nyvr l r t rr r

I t T d n d r r n r f r r m n n a t l ^ ' a l . r r a t ] - r r a n f r . -u r v I l 1 \ , U r U r y u r r v t l v L l l g u l 9 t 1 t l g I 1 . D U L

T l ' r n c i o n t - c m r r r n i h r r r l l h a n r r c o n f

qnrrrn rrrl cnmnrom jqo tS O ShOllOwcommunlon

The Holloween seoson rs truly thea n o m r l ' q n l m r t i m o c n r l m r r c h a n n r a q -

sion is wreoked on iost souls We oshoirc nf -hrrcl 'c rrichnr nr rnht tn cnonrl

the evenrng rn proyer rcrther thon nrrrrtrrkrnr-r of tho r-elcl-rrqfion oi Mlches

DCe Rlckcu'dsDr rq ih r r rn \ / i rmn iav r r v ! a r v

Shinrei's Dust and a fr:mion of "Tlv Starin God's

'V/indaorr," crurteE of Drric

Jolnson Press, @1978.

'We welcune Jufi corunents and. will includ,e

them in our Letters to the Editor section asspace permits-subject to condensation at clvdiscretion of the editorial staff.

DECEMBER 1984

JflPPY IALVflLL COMMXNTcS

Confident in ourknowledge thotChristionity is basedupon the W ordof God, we shouldnot flee fromcriticism, but rotherIeorn from it.

s Fundamentalists we will always be criticized for ourbeliefs. \Ue have not been called to be popular withsociety, but to be faithful to the gospel. Some Liberals

lrave called Fundamentalists narrow-minded obscurantists. SomeEvangelicals have called us unloving and unkind. Some of ourcritics are concerned about the genuineness of our commitmentto people and to society as a whole. \il/hile there are times whenthese concerns are well founded, our critics often lack anypositive firsthand exposure to Fundamentalists.

Criticism is a normal part of life. The late B.R. Lakin usedto say, "lf you want no one to criticize you, say nothing, donothing, have nothingl" Any attempted work for God will fallunder criticism from both the left and the right.

Whether or not criticism is beneficial depends as much, ifnot more, on the spirit in which it is accepted as on the spiritin which it is given. If we angrily reject all criticism, we loseany opportunity to take advantage of it. Criticism is as profitableas we allow it to be. We can learn as much from it as we arewilling to learn-and no more.

Our Lord was an expert at dealing with His critics. InMatthew 22:1546, Jesus outwitted the Herodians, Sadducees, andPharisees-all in the same day! He was never afraid of His critics,nor did He overreact in dealing with them. He was so confi-dent of the truth of His position that He never degeneratedinto petty squabbles with His critics. Instead He stood for thetruth with grace and dignity that gave insight to even His harsh-est opponents.

10

lI

Why I Am Not Afraidof Griticism

Contending for the Faith

Fundamentalists have not been known for our acceptanceof external or internal criticism. Fundamentalism was born atthe turn of the century, out of theological and ecclesiastical con-troversy. Again in mid-century it broke from Evangelicalism overthe issue of ecclesiast ical separation.

The Scripture admonishes us to "earnestly contend for thefaith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3). A com-mitment to the defense of truth as we see it has always beena key factor in Fundamentalism. We define and defend the doc-trines ofScripture and denounce those who have defected fromthe truth. Therefore we are reluctant to listen to criticism orto admit that we may have weaknesses within our own system,Our minds are made up on most issues. We tend to block outanything that is negative toward our movement, blasting criticsfrom without and would-be reformers from within. We are alltoo often known for what we are against, rather than what weaffirm. We must learn to stand for truth without driving peo-ple away.

Benefiting from Criticism

If we are going to be fully effective in reaching our genera-tion for Christ we must listen to our critics. Ve will not con-vince our critics that we comprehend their point of view simplyby continually reaffirming our own. In addition, we must beaware of their concerns and their perceptions of Fundamentalists.We cannot relate to those whom we do not understand.

In the sincere hope that we as Fundamentalists will betterrealize how we are perceived by those outside our own move-ment, we offer four perspectives on Fundamentalism in this issue.We do not offer these articles as definitive statements, but ashonest observations by those who view us from without.

You may not agree with all they have to say. I certainly donot. But listening to criticism does not mean that we neces-sarily agree with our critics. Nor is it a sign of weakness. Refirs-ing to listen is a sign of weakness and insecurity. Confidentin our knowledge that Christianity is based upon the \Word ofGod, we should not flee from criticism, but rather welcome it.I believe we must listen to the concerns of others and therebysharpen the focus of our message so that no one misunderstandswhat we are saying or why we are saying it. The penetratinglight of truth will only illuminate our position all the more. Anyreproof can benefit the true disciple of Christ.

Again, we will learn only as much as we are wiliing to learn.May these perceptions of Fundamentalism cause us to rethinkour attitudes and methods and. above all. reaffirrn our commrr-

tf

FL]I'JDAMENTAUST JOURNAL

ment to the truth

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by Edward Dobson

Is WhatOthersTrrink Important?

hat would you say to a Fundamentalist if giventhe oppornrniry? This was the question we recentlyasked a Iewish rabbi. a Roman Catholic cardinal.

an Evangelical leader, and an articulate voice for liberalChristianity-all decidedly not part of the Fundamenralist move-ment. For too many years, we Fundamentalists have existedin our hermetically sealed world and promoted the attitude thatwe do not care what anyone else thinks about anything, In thisissue of rhe lournal, we venture into new territory and listen towhat others say and think about Fundamentalism.

Why Listen to Others?\7e live in a complex and changing society. \7e must not only

know what we believe, but we must be cognizant of what thesociety around us believes. This was clearly demonstrated in thelife of the apostle Paul. \X4-ren he debated with the Stoic andEpicurean philosophers in Athens, he revealed a personal knowl-edge of the current philosophical and cultural trends of his day.'!7e,

like Paul, must be able to stand in the modern marketplaceof secular ideas and give an intelligent apologetic for what webelieve.

Knowing what is on the minds of non-Fundamentalists, andbeing aware of their perception of us, will give us insights intohow we can better share the gospel of Christ. To confront theissues of today's world we must give attention to today's minds.We will never convert the entire world, but if we do our job,

as disciples and as the light of the world, we will communicateGod's grace. I must admit I was deeply moved by Rabbi Ecksteinsquestion, "How can you say you love me when you are not evenaware of what gives me joy or pain?"

A common misconception (although sometimes earned) isthat Fundamentalists do not listen to those who disagree withthem. To the contrary, some of us are listening and askingourselves, and others, probing questions. Thinking is notmonolithic in the Fundamentalist camp. We are nor afraid ofdivergent ideas and the criticism of the outside world.

Stimulation of the mind through interaction with issues con-fronting sociery is vital to the development of Christian characterand commitment. In recent years I have taken up jogging for exer-cise. Unless I run with another jogger who is as good or betterthan I am, I have a tendency to fall off the pace. The apostle

12

Paul likens the Christian life to a race. \What he meant by thatwas that we are competing against opposing forces, and it is ex-tremely important that we "stay in trainingl' By the same tokenI am not saying that "we," Fundamentalists, are right all thetime on every current issue and "they," non-Fundamentalists,are always wrong.

But we will not compromise inerrancy in the interest ofbrotherhood. To be sure, we will never compromise on theessentials. Dr. Marty can count on that. However, beyond thefundamental core, there is room for discussion, and I hope wewill take seriously some of the charges Dr. Marry makes thatare quite valid.

What Is the Outside World Saying?While reading "W'hat Others Say about Fundamentalisml'

take special notice of how the authors perceive Fundamentalists.Over the years, the wordFundamentalist has been used in a dis-paraging way to describe bigots, fanatics, and extremists of allsorts. Although the writers do not suggest these terms, it is evi-dent that they do not always seem to know who, or what, a

T ,onfront the issuesof todoy's world we must glve

attention to toda^t's minds,

Fundamentalist is. For example, Dr. Marty seems to think thatFundamentalists exclude all other branches of "mainlind'Chrisrian-ity, and he appeals for greater ecumenicity. To this we must pointout that the line of separation does not run along denomi-national boundaries, but upon one's faith in Jesus Christ. Jiueecumeniciry rests upon doctrinal commitment, not upon denomi-national alignment. Fundamentalists naturally oppose coopera-tion with those whose doctrine and practice are not consistent

L

FT]\IDAMENIAI]ST JOURNAL

with the fundamentals of the Christian faith, no matter whattheir denomination may be.

Howeveq Marty raises an important issue when he addressesthe "new worldiiness" of "many Fundamentalistsl'He states thatFundamentalists are getting "the reputation for being among themost materialistic, success-minded, appearance-obsessed religiousmovements aroundl''Ib this we should respond with more thana hearty "Amen." We must do something about itl

Rabbi Eckstein's article is imperative reading for those whodesire a better understanding of the Jewish community.

'Written

against the historical background of centuries of religious persecu-tion, his article points out that Jews are still suspicious of Funda-mentalists. While some Fundamentalists have made unkindremarks toward the Jewish community, our entire movementshould not be condemned as a result of those statements, just

as the entire Democratic party should not be condemned forthe statements of Jesse Jackson when he called Jews "hymies."

Rabbi Eckstein is correct in that we are a community com-mitted to evangelism. This is the essence of Christ's teaching(the Great Commission), and to imply that such activities maybe anti-Semitic is unfounded. \7e have proselytized Baptists,Presbyterians, and others for years, but that does not mean weare anti-Baptist, anti-Presbyterian, or anti-anyone else.

\7e have much in common with the Jewish community. Ourcommitment to the Abrahamic Covenant, and thereby to theState of Israel, binds us together. In fact, it is often Bible-believingChristians who are persecuted alongside the Jewish com-munity in various Communist countries.

The advice of Rabbi Eckstein is good. "ln truth, only whenFundamentalists make the supreme attempt to understand theindigenous Jewish experience and condition-that which hasbrought Jews joy and pain-can they ever hope to glean insightinto the Jewish psyche; only then will they be able to developa semblance of awareness of Jewish perceptions of theml' Thankyou Rabbi Eckstein and, "Shaloml"

The article by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin is especially inter-esting. It reflects many ofthe changes that have occurred in theRoman Catholic church in recent decades. !7e view much of thatchange in a positive light. Seeing people urged to a personal com-mitment to Jesus Christ and to Bible study is encouraging. How-ever, I cannot agree with the cardinal when he thinks that theonly "differences between us are. ,. in the areas of approach,style, and emphases." Indeed, the careful reader will see clearlythat Cardinal Bernardin is not working with the same definitionswe are in relation to such key doctrines as conversion, the NewBirth, and the inspiration of the Bible. For example, he viewsconversion as "both an event and a process," and a "thoroughon-going conversion is the work of a lifetime, in our Catholicway of thinking." He defines conversion on the subjectivelevel-man making the changes. Fundamentalists believe thatconversion occurs as an event, through repentance and faith,issuing in the objective declaration of God by which He justifies

us.

To be sure, we do share some common goals, but our differencesare substantive. To Cardinal Bernardin's unique insight into theAmerican Catholic church we say, "gratias."

The most moving article of all was the one by Carl F. H.Henry. Dr. Henry recounts his personal pilgrimage through thecontroversies of Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism. What isapparent from his article is that some of the divisions betweenFundamentalism and Evangelicalism were in part the result of

DECEMBER I9B4

personality conflicts. I received the impression that some of thedivision centered around the personality of Dr. Mclntire.Perhaps my impression is wrong-the reader can judge that forhimself.

Dr. Henry reveals his heart in the last paragraph of his article."l am nearing the time when I shall be gathered into Christ'spresence, there to join God's people who have preceded me; stillothers will enlarge the circle in due time. Grateful to God that

T, sdmulation of the mindthrough interoction with issues

confronting society is vitalto the deuelopment ol Christian

character end commitment.

lodgings are ready, I am oniy sorry that some Fundamentalistshad no room for me. I bear no malice toward these brethren."

\7hen we join Dr. Henry in our eternal abode, our searchfor scripturally based unity with all true believers will be over.'\7e

will at last have a proper relationship to each other. I sharethe regret of Dr. Henry. It is too bad we cannot find it withinourselves to discover that unity between Evangelicals and Fun-damentalists while we are here on the earth. May God helpus do itl

During one summer vacation from college, I worked as apainter for the local public school. My partner was an older manwho was actively involved in what we call a cult. He knew Iwanted to be a preacheq and we spent many hours together dis-cussing the Bible and how it related to what he believed. Iwitnessed repeatedly to him over the summer-to no avail.

One day he abruptly and pointedly asked, "Do you reallybelieve the Bible? Do you want the people to whom you preachto act like you?" He did not wait for my answel but moved alongwith his work.

For a moment I was baffled, but after a little thought I gotthe message all too clearly. Over the summer he had been watch-ing me as I began taking longer breaks each day and not work-ing up to the best of my abiliry-in general cheating my employer!He was teliing me that what I said about the Bible was not be-ing demonstrated in my daily life. His observation of my Chris-tian walk made an impression on me, and had I not changedmy ways, I would have forfeited all opportunity to reach himwith the gospel of Christ.

We Fundamentalists must start listening to others, lest webecome guilty of saying one thing and doing another. I hopeyou will be challenged as you read the following comments. Readthem with an open and critical mind.

What would you say to an Evangelical leader, a liberalmainiine Protestant, a Jewish rabbi, a Roman Catholic cardinal,if given the opportunity? Maybe you will have that good momentsooner than you think. If so, I hope your words will show thatyou really do understand him and that you are interested in

D13

loving him.

Fundamentalism is experiencing itsgreatest visibilitl euer, it even became anissue in the recent Presidential election. AsFundamentalists we know whttt we belieue.But tf Fundamentalism is to continue toimprotte tts tmpact on societJ, we need toknow andunderstandhow that soclery ulewsus,

In rhis lssue we present four perspectiueson Fundamentalism by those who viewthemselq,,es as being outside the moqLement.Clurch historian Dr. Martin Marty is aprolific autlnr, an associate editor of aliberal magaTine, and a noted critic of con-temporarJ American Christianity. I osephCardinal Bernardin is archbishop o;f theArchdiocese of Chicago and one of ournation's often quoted Catholic statesmen.Rabbi Yechiel Frkstein is a foremost I ewishspokesman for bridge-building between tlvChristi,.rn anJ Jcwish communittes inAmerica. Dr. CarI F. H. Henry has beenrecogntTed for many Jears as a lender of theEvangelical movement in America. He is astaunch defender of biblical inerrancy, yetdiffers with Fundamentalists on certainrssaes.

These commentdries on the strengtlu andweaknesses of Fundrtmentalism represent theopinions and t'eeltngs of the specific authors,not the posttion of this magaTtne. Eacharticle has been written t'rom th.e heart andoffers an honest look at Fundamentalism.The wrtters are to be commended t'or theirwillingness to prouide a candid viewpointi.n tl'Lis forum. Our rearJers mct1 , not agreewith aII or cLnJ of what is presented.Howeuer, we hope these perspectives willserue ds d me(tns t'or understandtng and forIearntng how to be more et'fectiue inministering to our total socict;r.

The Editors

Wnrt Ohers Srtany mainsrream lrotestants, Iamong them, perceive Funda-mcr-rtal ists as making up a

Tneir faith and theircommunity haue oftenhelped produce people

of winsome andconst&nt character,

people down the blockon whom one cancount for quiet actsof love in Christ,

for firm wordsof testimony to the

Word of God.

faithful communtt^t. Amid the acids ofmodernity, thcy have remained and pros-pcrcd, lor. ' ing ( iod, proclaiming Christ,rv i t t t t : s i t tg t t ) t hg 1r1 r11 gJ , ' f t l r t SP i r i t . Ara great spir i tual ice agc sccmcd to crosstnu t l t , ' f Europc r rnJ N, ' r th Amtr ic i r , theyhavc cxpcricnccd and sprcad ' ,varmth.

Thcir faith and t l-rcir community have, ' f t . r r I t . l l t . J p r ( )JuLr 1 ,L ' . r1 , lL ' , r f w i r ) : ( )mcand cotrstirnt ch:rractcr, 1-:rcoplc dor"'n thcblock or-r rvhom orlc can c()unt for quictacts of krvc in Christ, for firm ',vords oftcstimony to tl'rc Wrrrd of God.

Furrdamental ists makc up a Jui. th.-t 'ul l\ ( ) r n n r u l r i l y . T l r i r t i s , t h t ' y i r t s i s t t h n t t h .substancc of fait l -r is of importancc. Thcyarc knorvn f()r stressing cert ir in "funda-rncntals" in an cra rvhcn Christ ian com-nunity, t() many, is gathcrcd only anrundcncJcavor, pcrsor-ral i ty, or I ikcrl i ndcdncss.Whilc othcrs do not sl-rarc al l thc rvaystl ' rosc fundarncntals arc hcld, do notalways I-ravc prcciscly rnatcl ' r ing l ists offundamcntals, or sharc thc worldvicwt I r r r r , ' i n f , ' r , ' , ' . t hcnr , r he y f inJ r h . ' Fur r -dumcntal ists' rvorldvicu's not to be lcssplausible than, say, Marxrst or modcrnistoncs. Tl-rcy f ind thcn-r more crcdiblc asbearcrs of Christ ian truth.

Thcsc nvo grcat posit ivcs f ind thcirnatches in two ncgativc featurcs. Main-strcam ltrotcstants often see Fundamen-tal ists rnakir-rg idols out of thcir rvay ofstat ing and holdir.rg the fundamentals,cor-rfusing thcir statement and hold withthc Tiuth i tsclf . In short, thcy oftcn turnassurancc about God to /anariclsm abouttl'rcir grasp. Columnist Peter Fir.rley Dunne'scharacter Mr. Dooley spoke of this: 'A

f irnatic is a man that does what he thinksthe Lrrd ',vould do if he knew the facts, ' f thc . : rs . . " A b i t n ror . pc rspcc t ivc onthemselvcs need not lead to a weakeningirr iai th anJ would rdd ro i ts attract iveness.

Am,rng rhe iunJrmcnta ls , thc onethat reinforces fanaticism is bibl ical iner-rnn , r ' As rn Ar remnl lo asser t th . [u l lauthority of thc Bible, this may be ana l .p ropr ia te rhough i t i s no t the on lvrvay of speaking. Yet many of us have ex-perienced Fundamenral ists using i t not asa doctrine but a weapon, against other

by Dr. Martin E. Marty

FUNDAMENTAL]ST JOURNAL

Abotrt Ftndamentalisffi-Christians including against many classi-cally conservative ones. They do notrecognize that they have a hermeneutic,an approach to interpretation, in which-inerrancy or not-they bring preunder-standings to texts and come back withsome predictable understandings. On manyissues, such as baptism, the Lord's Suppeqthe Sabbath, the Second Coming, Fun-damentalists differ from others. Inerrancy,clearly, has not solved everything, yetthey often use it, and not faith in Christ,as the "scandal" that determines Christianl v r r r r r r u r r r ( Y .

Alongside inerrancy, a problem manyFundamentalists create for others is theirparticular millennialisms, be they "pre-trib" or "post-trib" or whatever. While wemay admire them for keeping the note ofurgency about the end times fresh in theChristian community, we re6.rse to bejudged by formulations that Fundamen-talist historians themselves trace to ori-gins in nineteenth-century Scotland,England, and America. These fall into anineteen<entury-long pattern of announce-ments about an end that has not yet come.Not to seek to read the signs of the timesis a betrayal; to overidentifi' one's readingswith the assured counsel of God is a riskthat often turns to tragedy. To judge otherChristians who do not share this cen-tury's or even this year's favored Funda-mentalist identifications of the plot inIsrael, in Russia, in the Pentagon, strikesus as a failure of Christian vision andcharity.

In today's world the organization ofFundamentalists in political lrle is a majorevent, perceived for the first time by manyin the rnedia and the public. Historiansamong rts know that there are long rootsfor such politicization, even if there aresome novelties. While I know many main-line Protestants have cried "foul!" othersof us, I emphatically among them, say,"'l7elcome to the club!" Vith that saying,howeveq comes a recognition that theessence of life in a republic implies thatwhen you organize for politics, even inthe name of the [.ord, you have to beready for counterorganizing in politics,also in the name of the [ord. MainlineChristians who resent Fundamentalistpolitics are as misguided as are Fun-

damentalist politicians who are surprisedthat other Christians may disagree withsome of their policies. Still, Fundamental-ists as a people and for their faith, havesomething to say in public life. I onlyhope they do not resort simply to effiortsat getting 51 percent of votes to imposeviews; there are some things that, throughpersuasion, we might make "unthinkablel'while many Fundamentalists would,through coercion, make them merelyillegal.

The new worldliness of manv Funda-mentalists confr:ses others. Watchers oftelevision, readers of Fundamentalist books,observers ofthe scene, are seeing Funda-mentalists get the reputation for beingamong the most materialistic, success-minded, appearance-obsessed religiousmovements around. I would hope to seeleadership, at the risk of some popularity,reverse this trend, How ironic and tragicif at the moment when Fundamentalismis winning some part of the whole world,it would lose a whole part of its soul.

Should there be a Fundamentalistcommunity tomorrow, or would one wishit out of existence? I believe that, along-side Evangelical, Pentecostal, classical, andmainline Catholicisms and Protestantisms,it has a great place to play in the Chris-tian cause. Were it to decline or disappear,something important would be lost. Ibelieve that it is less than Pauline, lessthan scriptural, when Fundamentalists donot regard the rest of their Christian com-pany in similar terms. First Corinthians3:3 finds complement in Romans 8:9. Ourdivisions are of the flesh, but we are notin the flesh, we are "in the Spirit, if sobe that the Spirit of God" really dwells inus, as I believe that Spirit does in "you"Fundamentalists and "us" other Christians.

Dr. Martin E. Marty is the Fairfax M.Cone Distinguished Service Professor of theHistory of Modern Christianity at theUniversity of Chicago, Illinois, and isassociate editor of the ChristianCentury.

by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin

he Fundamentolistmovement hareminded oll

Christions obout theexcitement of

Christianity-how byits uery nature it

something to beshared ond multiplied

with people nearond far.

l,s

15DECEMBER 1984

Wnat Oth.rr Suv About Fundamentalism

would like to thank the publisher andeditors of the Fundnmcnnlist Joumalfor this oppornrnity to share some

prayerful thoughts about issues that con-cern us today. As shepherd of the Catholicchurch in Chicagq and an active memberof the National Conference of CatholicBishops, I am aware of the missionary zealof the Fundamentalist movement evidentthroughout America and abroad. I affirmthat zeal and offer some reflecdons onevangelization from a Catholic perspective.

Many areas of focus and concern to theFundamentalist movement are similar tothose of the Catholic church in its morerecent evangelical efforts. Actually, our con-cern for centuries has been to evangelizeand lead others to a personal relationshipwith Jesus and responsible membership inthe church, the body of Christ. But fromthe mid-sixties to the present day, theCatholic church has been sharpening itsfocus and refining its emphasis on "thechurch as evangelizerl'The late Pope Paul\{1, in a landmark encyclical letter in 1975,challenged the entire Catholic church tosee evangelism as its central focus andmission in the third millennium of Chris-tianitv.

Since I think that Catholics and Fun-damentalists are concerned about thesame thing---€vangelization of the modernworld-let me enumerate what I perceiveas some elements of this common agenda.I think the differences between us aremore in the areas of approach, style, andemphases rather than in the substance ofthe gospel we proclaim.

Missionary zeal. For many years,

when Catholics thought about the mis-sion of the church, we thought of foreignlands and "pagan" peoples. Of course thisremains a dominant concern. With mis-sionary effors focused away ftom ourselves,howeveq a local church or congregationcan easily allow its own spirit to erode.

Recently, we have become more con-scious of the needs within our own coun-try for extensive missionary activity. Werealize more deeply that a local congrega-tion is not true to its own identity andcalling if it does not possess within itselfa kind of synergistic missionary outreach.The Fundamentalist movement has re-minded all Christians about the excite-ment of Christianity-how by its verynature it is something to be shared andmultiplied with people near and far.

t6

In renewed missionarv zeal. the Catho-lic community tries to avoid any evan-gelistic style or technique that is intrusive,judgmental, demeaning, or in any way pe-jorative to an individual or group. \7e seekto imitate the evangelizing style of Jesus,which was often quiet and always in-viting. \7e recognize that we evangelize byour words, but often more powerfirlly byour daily conduct or by the ways we arepresent for each other.

Ministry that flows from baptism.There is another area where we have morein common than it might first appear. Inthe renewal of the Catholic church sincethe Second Vatican Council, we havebeen focusing our attention on thesources ofour faith and practice, especiallyin the Bible.

Roman Catholicism recognizes diverseministries in accordance with the char-isms or gifts of the Holy Spirit. As we re-mind members of our church about theirbaptismal call to serve, we try to helpthem discern how their gifts can best beused for the good of others.

Emphasis on conversion. PerhapsFundamentalism and Catholicism arenowhere more in agreement than in theircommon emphasis on the importance ofconversion in the Christian life. To follow

Jesus, to be a part of God's kingdom,necessitates a radical change of mind,heart, and behavior. The experience of"being born again" is not an experiencethat is particular to any one expressionof Christianity. The third chapter of theGospel of John reminds us that beingbom again is essential to being a Christian.

Ve believe that conversion, or beingborn again, involves removing much ofthe idolatrous clutter that can take overour lives in order to place God alone atthe center. Conversion means turning

/rom mistaken notions about life, self,others, and God. It is a movement fromthe forces of sin. I t also means turningtoward God, to the influence of the HolySpirit, to the power of God's grace. It isan awakening to the presence and love ofGod in our lives and in our world.

Conversion is both an event andprocess, and it is perhaps here thatperceive a difference in emphasis betweenour two traditions. Initial conversion maybe a sudden event, but thorough on-goingconversion is the work of a lifetime, in ourCatholic way of thinking. Even after we

have made a decision for Christ, l iv ing -,in accordance with that decision takes a

- '

whole lifetime to fully accomplish. Con-version means transforming our lives intoHis so that He can live in us. The morewe accomplish this in our lives, withGod's help, the more we realize howmuch we have yet to change in order tomake the mind and heart of Jesus ourown. Conversion for us implies continu-ing daily to make decisions for Jesus.

Emphasis on the scriptural Wordof God. I admire the enthusiasm of Fun-damentalists for the sacred Scriptures. AsSaint Jerome said so succinctly: "lgnoranceof the Scriptures is ignorance of Christl'

Unfornrnately, in the past the Catholicchurch developed the reputation of ne-glecting the Bible. Some, but not all, ofthe reputation was earned. Howeveq letme acknowledge that it is no secret thatthe Bible played little direct role in thelives of most Catholics in recent centuries.

Happily, the situation has been rapidlychanging in recent decades. In the darkdays of World Var II, Pope Pius XII, withthe backing of succeeding pontiffs, gavenew impetus to the study of the Scripturesin the Catholic church. For example,there is much greater stress on the Biblein preaching in our liturgies today, andthe Word of God is a point of departurein all of our religious educational efforts.

As you do, we believe the Scripturesto be the product of divine inspiration;they contain God's self-revelation to us.However, while Fundamentalism favors aliteralist approach to interpreting the Bible,Catholics take a contextual approach,paying ciose attention to the literary,historical, canonical, and theological con-text of any particular passage. \ile admitthat at times there may be more than onelevel of meaning in a passage, and al-though we try to discover the meaningintended by a divinely inspired author, wealso try to discern, with the help of God'sSpirit, how that meaning applies to thesituarion of the believing community today.

Emphasis on the kingdom of God.The goal of missionary zeal, evangeliza-tion, conversion, ministry, and the studyof the Scriptures is to lead people into thekingdom of God. The kingdom is at oncea new vision for life and a quest.

The vision of the kingdom invites usto see life through the eyes ofJesus. It callsus to interpret our experience and set our

I

FUNDAMENTAI]ST JOURNAL

goals in terms of His values and attitudes.The quest or mission that flows from ourvision of the kingdom is the transforma-tion of our world into one of justice andpeace. In the quest for social justice, Ibelieve Fundamentalism and Catholicismare once again in agreeme^t.

Conclusion. I see Fundamentalism asan enterprising, expansive, and organizeddedication to the values I have outlinedabove. I feel that Cathoiics are dedicatedto the same basic values, even though wemay go about translating them into ac-tion in ways that are different from yours.

The Catholic church is made up ofmany types of people from a great varietyof ethnic, racial, and cultural traditions.\7e have a great diversity in the ways weexpress our faith.'We are a church of bothsaints and sinners, !ile are a church thatis seeking to walk with the lord in all Hisways, but we are not yet fully in Hiskingdom.

My prayer for the readers of this Joumalis that in committing ourselves to thegospel of Jesus, we will help advance thekingdom of God in years to come.

Joseph Cardinal Bernardin is arch-bishop of the Arch.d"iocese of Chicago.

DECEMBER 1984

or "loqtet' for them,

bv Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

here is a Jewish story told of ayoung student who exclaimed tohis Rabbi one day, "Rabbi, I love

you dearlyl" The Rabbi, who was bothtouched and amused by this outburst ofemotion said, "Gll me, my son, where doI hurt?" The bewildered student replied,"Rabbi, I do not know what ails you butI love you nonetheless,"'Ib this the Rabbiresponded, "But how can you say you loveme when you do not even know whereI hurt: when vou are not even aware ofthat which brings me joy or pain?"

Jews are a people whose ethos hasbeen indelibly imprinted by their collec-tive historical past. Their perceptions ofChristian piety and Fundamentalismhave, likewise, been shaped in light oftheir 2,000-year encounter with thoseforces. In truth, only when Fundamental-ists make the supreme attempt to under-stand the indigenous Jewish experienceand condition-that which has brought

Jews joy and pain-can they ever hope toglean insight into the Jewish psyche; onlythen will they be able to develop a sem-blance of awareness of Jewish perceptionsof them or "love" for them.

By and large, American Jews are sus-picious of Fundamentalist Christians andleery about cooperating with them. Apartfrom their overall liberal orientation,which plays a significant role in moldingtheir attitudes toward Fundamentalism ofany kind, Jews have a keen memory andsense of history. Many still bear deep-rooted scars from prior Jewish encounterswith Christian orthodoxy and Funda-mentalism. Their visceral reaction towardChristian Fundamentalists, seeking asthey do to convert them from their Jewishfaith-frequently through overly aggressive,offensive means-is nurtured in the mem-ory of the long and painful history ofChristian triumphalism and of the manysuch prior attempts over the past 2,000years. Inquisitions, Crusades, pogroms,blood libels, ghettos, degradation, humilia-tion, intolerance, death, and marryrdom-these are some of the images conjured upin the minds of Jews, and some of theanguishing associations they frequentlymake when they consider those who seekto "win the world over for Jesus Christl'Even the cross, which for Christians is asymbol of God's unbounding love forhumanity, is for many Jews, a stark re-minder of their past suffering under its

\7

^n]-Lfnlv when

Fundamentolists makethe supreme ottempt

to understand theindigenous Jewishexperience and

condition-that whichhas brought Jews ioyand poin-can theyeuer hoPe to glean

insisht into the Jewishpsyche; only then will

they be able todevelop o semblonce

of owareness of Jewishperceptions of them

Wnat Oth"rr Srv Abo,rt Fundamentalism

banner. Sadly, Fundamentalists are oftentotally unaware of these Jewish associationsand sensitivities. Certainly Christian prose-lytizers (who tend to be Fundamentalists)are viewed as threatening the central Jew-ish commission today-to survive as a

Jewish peoplehood-and as challengingthe integrity of Jews and their ancestralfaith.

Decades of dialogue and social interac-tion between Jews and mainline Protestantsand Catholics have helped to allay manyof these anxieties and to dispel many ofthese stereotypes and associations, How-ever, Jews essentially still tend to perceiveFundamentalists against such a backdrop.These perceptions are reinforced in the

Jewish mindset by Fundamentalists who,wittingly or unwittingiy, make insensitiveor intolerant remarks about Jews and

Judaism or who, by their statements andpolicies, threaten the foundation of re-ligious pluralism in America and try toerode Jewish civil and religious liberties.Claims such as those made by certainleading Fundamentalists, for example,that Christians should strive toward making America into a "Christian nation]'that God does not hear the prayers of a

Jew, that Jews control the media and thecity of New York, or that Jews are an un-godly people concerned only with moneyand poweq tend to confirm some of thedeepest Jewish fears and suspicions.

Jews generally believe that they canhave greater religious freedom, and canthrive better as individuals and as a com-munity, in open secular societies that arerooted in strong moral and religious un-derpinnings-but that do not dictate orlegislate religion-than they can in "re-ligious" ones, which they fear wouldsooner or later become exclusivist, sec-tarian, and "Christian" in nature. Jews to-day are preeminently aware that the forcesof universalism, secularism, liberalism,and enlightenment-and the breakd.ownof "public religiori' in Christian-dominatedEurope, and the supplanting of religiousrule with a secularist model-broughtthem emancipation and new religious,civig and socio-economic oppom:nities inthe W'estern world. However, many Jewsfeel these very same values are being com-promised and threatened by the Funda-mentalist community.

Jewish perceptions of Fundamentalistsare more complex than these brief com-

ments may suggest. For while much oftheir religious and political agenda maybe anathema to a large segment of Jews,Fundamentalist positions on anotherissue of critical concern to Jews-lsrael-tend to be extremely favorable. Thisphenomenon leads some Jews to embraceFundamentalists, some to seek selectivecooperation with them on the matter ofIsrael and on other issues of mutual con-cern, and still others to reject their offersof help and friendship in the belief thatFundamentalist support for Israel is partof a ploy to convert them and is con-tingent upon their eventual acceptance of

Jesus Christ.Whether these are, indeed, Funda-

mentalist motives, and whether Jewishanxieties are, in fact, warranted is, how-ever, only one aspect of the matter. Thatmany, if not most, Jews tend to perceiveFundamentaiists in this way is of great im-port. Only by sharing together in dialogueand mutual respect, and learning to un-derstand each other as we trulv are. notas we are stereotyped to be, can eithercommunity ever hope to develop accurateperceptions of the other and a genuineappreciation for each other's values andreligious traditions. Only then can theycome to genuinely know and perhapseven loq.,e each other, and in the midst ofsuch a relationship find the one livingGod, Creator of al l humanity.

Rabbi Yechiel Frkstein is president ofthe Holyland Fellowship of Christians andlews, Chicago, Illinois, which seeks to buildbetter Christian]ewish relations and aunited base of support for Israel. He is theauthor of the recently published WhatChristians Should Know Aboutlews E Judaism (Vord,Inc.).

]B

by Dr. Carl F. H. Henry

-

If in the cumentlyconfused theological

sitwtion bothFundomentolists ondEwongelicals become

uneas\ about anidolatry of overarchingterminology, perhapswe should all just opt

for suipturolorthodo,x! or biblical

theism whilesubscrip tural and

uns cripturel n t agab ondsPlay theological games

with words

FUNDAMENTAT]ST JOURNAL

hen lbecameaChr i s t i anin the 1930s, Bible-believ-ers---one of whom I was

and conrinue to be-were routinely calledFundamentalists. In 1941 Carl Mclntireorganized the American Council of Chris-tian Churches, just before the NationalAssociation of Evangelicals was formed in1942. Conservative ranks were divided ac-cordingly. Mclntire insisted that to remainin any denomination affiliated with theFederal Council of Churches was not amatter of conscience but of apostasy.Vhile active in the NAE virtually fromits beginnings, I did not separate fromother Evangelicals; some, however, dis-tanced themselves from me.

In 1944 I traveled to Indianapoliswhere Carl Mclntire was preaching. Afterthe message, which honored Christ, I ex-pressed appreciation and mentioned thatsome of us were praying that the rivalrybetween the ACCC and the NAE couldbe transcended in a coopenative Evangelicalwitness to the glory of God. He repliedbluntlv: "There's room for the NAE inthe American Council anytime they wantto come in." That was the end of theconversation,

Christian leaders in Chicago decidedto sponsor a citywide Life Begins cam-paign in the Chicago Arena in April1946. The speakers for the five-week ef-fort were all Fundamentalist evangelists-Paul W. Rood, John R. Rice, and BobJones, Sr., as I recall. As a former jour-nalist I contributed time and effort aschairman of the publicity committee.

Shortly before Fuller Seminary openedin 1947 (in the face ofsharp criticism byBob Jones, Sr., and by Mclntire in hisChristian Beocon), the founding faculty in-vited Alan MacRae, a competent Funda-mentalist scholar, to be professor of OldGstament. A telegram of inquiry was sentto MacRae at Winona l-ake. Indiana, wherehe was to speak at a Bible conference. Thetelegram arrived before MacRae did, andMclntire opened it, publicly rurning downthe invitation before MacRae received it.

A few years later the Fuller facultyheard that Bob Jones, Jr., who had suc-ceeded his father as head of Bob JonesUniversity, was in the l-os Angeles area,and they invited him to speak in Fullerchapel. Jones came, but used the occasionto criticize Evangelical intellectualism, ofwhich there has seldom been a surplus.

In 1966 the \ilorld Congress on Evan-gelism convening in Berlin, \ilest Germany,had invited leading Bibie-believing evan-gelists from 100 countries. Carl Mclntirearrived independently, announcing thathe would picket the congress for beingsoft on Communism (because some dele-gates came from ecumenically related, aswell as nonrelated, churches). The Neu;YorkTimes quoted my comment, as chair-man of the congress, that if Mclntire reallywished to protest against Communism,he should nor begin at the Berlin \il/all

and march against the Congress Hall (ashe proposed to do, and in fact did), butshould rather march from the CongressHall to the Berlin \Uall and keep travel-ing eastward.

Not long thereafter the AmericanCouncil observed its 25th annrversarv. orsomething akin to that. Letters came fromMclntire-as I recall-to Eugene CarsonBlake, Billy Graham, and me to participatein a panel discussion. I accepted, but Inever got even an acknowledgment. (Theothers, as I remember, had prior engage-ments.)

\ilhen, inspired by an editorial inChristianity Today, Key '73 emerged as anational opportunity for Evangelicals tojoin hand to hand and heart to heart towitness in every city and hamlet to theredemption that is in Christ Jesus and tothe rewards of reading the Bible, Funda-mentalists and ecumenists alike wanted aslittle of it as did American Jews. TheFundamentalists wanted to do it sepa-ratistically-but did not, and do not doso now. The ecumenists wanted socialprotest more than personal evangelism.Jewish leaders labeled the projected effortanti-Semitic.

I guess I would have to say with sadheart, in response to the present invita-tion to write an article on how I perceiveFundamentalists, that some Fundamen-talist leaders have deplored me as anapostate, a rationalist, and even a "pinko."As a Christian who has not even a singlepulsebeat of sympathy for apostasy, Com-munism, rationalism, or even for theo-logically pluralistic ecumenism, suchcharges would really disconcert me, wereI to take them seriously.

I must say that not long before hisdeath, John R. Rice sent word througha mediary asking if I would confer withhim and other fellow ministers. The

meeting never eventuated, although I sentword of my willingness to come.

My creative energies have been in-vested in enterprises committed in theirbeginnings to the inerrancy of the Scrip-rures: National Association of Evangelicals,Fuller Theological Seminary, EvangelicalTheological Society, Christianity Tbda1,the symposium Reqtelation and the Bible,and the multivolume series God, Reuela-tion and Authoity. That some critics wantme to move "right of right" reflects theirproblem, not mine. Nor do I see any needto abandon the term "Evangelical." Theapostle Paul left no doubt of the centralityof the evangel the scripturally authorizedmessage ("according to the scriptures") offorgiveness of sins and new life on thegrounds of Christ's substitutionary deathand bodily Resurrection.

\n 1947 I wrote The Uneasy Conscienceof Mo dem F undmnennlism. Fundamentalistcritics responded by charging that thebook's emphasis on the social and culturalimplications of the gospel clouded theevangelistic priorities of Christ's church.Today some Fundamentalists are so intri-cately involved in politics that I some-times have quite different twinges of con-science! Moreover. there is reason now tospeak also of an uneasy contemporaryEvangelical conscience. Ifin the currentlycon6.rsed theological situation both Fun-damentalists and Evangelicals becomeuneasy about an idolatry of overarchingterminology, perhaps we should all justopt for scriptural orthodoxy or biblicaltheism while subscriptural and unscrip-tural vagabonds play theological gameswith words.

I am nearing the time when I shall begathered into Christ's presence, there tojoin God's people who have preceded me;still others will enlarge the circle in duetime. Grate6:l to God that lodgings areready, I am only sorry that some Funda-mentalists had no room for me. I bear nomalice toward these brethren.

Dr. Carl F. H. Henry is an Evangelicaltheologian, duthor, and lecturer. He haspenned 28 books including the monumentalsix-volume work God, Revelation andAuthority. He was founding editor ofChristianity Today.

l9DECEMBER 1984

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Whot's..-iiTo''Nome?by Harold O. J. Brown

n general, names are ofsecondary importance. Butat times, and under some

circumstances, there are namesthat carry so much symbolicimportance that they canhardly be abandoned withoutrisking the reality that standsbehind them.

V4ren Marrin Llther's followers wantedto call themselves "Lutherans]' Luther in-sisted instead on the word Euangelical ltreflected, he felt, the importance of therediscovery of the New Gstament gospelin the Protestant Reformation. Jbdav. theofficial title of most of the Protestant statechurches on the European continent is"Evangelicall' but in most of them onlytraces of the New Gstament gospel, atbest, can be found. The original Germanword euangelisch has become so meaning-less that Germans who wanr ro srresstheir commitment to personal conversionand the authority of the Bible have just

taken over the English word and now callthemselves evangelikal.

During the last years of his life, FrancisSchaeffer (who died in Rochester, Minne-sota, May 15) consistently called himselfan Evangelical-perhaps in an effort toprevent our English term from losing itsoriginal strong meaning, as the Germanet,angelisch has done. Yet strangelyenough, Schaeffer more often found himself

Harold O. J. Brownis professor of biblicaland sJstematic theologlat Trinity EuangelicalDiuinity School, D eerfield,

Illinois. He is annently on leave, sentingas minister in the Evangelical ReformedChurch, Klosters, Switzerlnnd. He holdsa Ph.D. from Haruard Uniuersity.

in harmony with outspoken, self-styledFundamentalists than with many who callthemselves Evangelicals. In fact, his lastwork, The Great Evmgelical Disuw, puntsa bleak picture of the confusion and com-promise that plague much of contempo-rary American Evangelicalism.

Francis Schaeffer's efficrts to keep themeaning in the word Et,angelical refl.ecthis awareness that there are tremendousassets in Evangelicalism in America, ofinestimable value for the cause of Christ

rLf you wsnt to ottoin

true academicrespectebility, it is notenough to glve up thennfiL e' T un dnnt entnli st !'

whole Christian foith.

Ultimately you willhove to glve up the

and His kingdom. Nevertheless, althoughhe was Evangelical (in the best sense ofthe word) since his own conversion, therewas a time when he preferred the name"Fundamentalistl'

I first met him in 1960, soon after mygraduation from theological school. Atthe time, if pressed, I would have said thatI was "in sympathy" with the Fundamen-talists, but in general I would have wiggledand squirmed as inconspicuously as pos-sible to avoid getting *uck with that label-this despite the fact that I had alreadybeen warned, by one of my teachers atHarvard Divinity School, that it wouldbe hard to avoid the label without reou-

diaring the gospel itself. Georges Florovsky,a Russian priest who escaped from theSoviet Union, first to Prague, then toParis, and finally to the United States, asHitler took over all of continental Europe,was held in some disdain by his liberalcolleagues at Harvard because of his out-spoken and clear convictions. Althoughhe was one of the most brilliant men inthe whole university, not merely thedivinity school, Florovsky was always con-sidered a bit odd. And he had the ex-planation for it: 'Around here]' he said,"they call me a Fundamentalist becauseI believe in Godl' Florovsky was willingto be thought a fool for Christ (or a Fun-damentalist, which in the eyes of hismockers was the equivalent of a fool)rather than give up a single element ofhis precious faith in the effort to gain alittle intellectual prestige. lndeed, Florovskyrecognized a profound truth. If you wantto attain true academic respectability, itis not enough to give up the name "Fun-damentalistl'Ultimately you will have togive up everything that the word standsfor, namely, the fi.rndamentals themselves:in other words, the whole Christian faith.

Schaeffer was educated in the traditionof Charles Hodge, Benjamin BreckenridgeWarfield, and J. Gresham Machen-all or-thodox, Bible-believing Presbyterians.They held to all of the firndamentals, butthey were generally not calied Fundamen-talists. For a variety of reasons, that termtended to be restricted to people withoutan lvy League accent. With an h,ry accent,and the accompanying social standing,the worst that one could be was "Ortho-doxl' never "Fundamentalistl'

The stalwarts of the Evangelical renais-sance ofthe 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s hadsome good reasons for calling themselvesEvangelicals. The term has tremendouspositive associations, most of all, of course,with the gospel itself (the et,angelion oreuangelion of New Gstament Greek). Butthere were also some unworthy reasons

2tDECEMBER 1984

for avoiding the term Fundamentalist-not least the fact that accepting it usuallymeant instant forfeiture of academic pres-tige. Academic prestige was important tous then, and to some extent rightly so.But where it is gained at the cost of ciar-ity of fundamental convictions, the priceis far too high.

If Florovsky taught some of us that weneed not be ashamed at having others callus Fundamentalists, it was Schaeffer whoencouraged us to be willing to call our-selves that. Perhaps not to use the wordexclusively-for Fundamentalist, like allour other labels, from Orthodox throughEvangelical to Conservative-can carrysome unwanted implications and canserve to mislead if it is not explained andplaced in its proper historic context-butdefinitely to be willing to use it wheneverdoubt is cast on the seriousness withwhich we take the precious fundamentals.

After the 1960s, Francis Schaeffer nolonger found it so necessary to use thelabel Fundamentalist. Following the pub-lication of his first three or four books,everyone knew where he stood. For those

who disliked his position, Fundamentalistbecame inadequate as a term of abuse!Particularly as he began to spend .moreand more time back in the United States,he became aware of a dangerous driftwithin the Evangelical community. By hispresence and example, as well as by hisspeaking and writing, he tried to stop thedrift, and to some extent he succeeded.While certainly not all Evangelicals ap-preciate Schaeffer or agree with him, somany do that the word Evangelical is stilla legirimate terrn to apply to Bible-believingChristians. At the same time, his lastyears and months were darkened by agrowing fear that Evangelicalism, as awhole, was on a downward slide and waslikely to destroy itself before it could berescued.

Over the centuries, many honorablewords and names have lost their originalmeaning, and in some cases have cometo mean something altogether different,even opposed. "Hereticl' really a term ofreproach, has come to be a status symbolin the eyes oftrendy theologians and theirfollowers. "Christianl' which once meantsomething so precise that people were putto death for being Christians, has cometo be so devalued that in the West itgenerally applies to anyone who is not a

Jew. In other words, in common speechit hardly means much more than "Gen-tilel' "Catholic]' which means "universal]'should by rights apply to the whole bodyof Christ, to the whole people of God,but today it defines only the RomanCatholic church.

Fundamentalist, for the moment, isstill such a term of disrespect in the eyesof the world that it is being left, uncon-tested, to those of us who are willing toclaim it. Whether or not others mock usfor i t , let 's keep i t , and even more impor-tant, keep what it stands for, the funda-mentals of biblical faith.

Evangelical is basically a good word.In fact, it has the very best of pedigrees,being derived, as we have noted above,ffom the original Greek for gospel. In fact,it is such a good word that no one wantsto lose it-not even those who are makingserious compromises with respect to thebiblical principles for which it is supposedto stand. When originally pressed into usein the United States during and afterWorld War Il, it was supposed to meansomething like "a better-educated Funda-mentalistl'That is a bit insulting to otherFundamentalists, but it does not imply

anything bad-for being educated is good,being a Fundamentalist is better, and be-ing an educated Fundamentalist is reallynot a bad idea. But today-at least for all o.too many-Evangelical is coming to mean,"diluted Fundamentalistl' And that isterribly sad. Indeed, it is potentially di-sastrous, as Schaeffer has warned.

Funao*entalist isstill such o term

of disrespect that itis being left to thoseof us who ore willing

to claim it,

A generation ago, Francis Schaeffersucceeded in teaching and demonstratingto some timid conservative Christiansthat it was better and more honest to becalled a Fundamentalist than to be indoubt or to leave others in doubt aboutone's basic beliefs. In his last vears. hemade a valiant effort to convince thosewho call themselves Evangelicals that ifthey want the name, they have to deserveit by standing for what it stands for-thebiblical gospel, taught in an authoritativeand altogether trustworthy Scripture. Asof the time of his death, he had not yersucceeded; the struggle is still going on.Vhether posthumous success will be hisis something he can no longer influence.It is up to those he left behind, who havelearned from him something of clarity, ofcharity, and also of courage, neither to beashamed of the word Fundamentalist, norto let the word Evangelical degenerateinto something of which we ought to beashamed.

In our generation, both Fundamental-ist and Evangelical are such terms. Bothhave been misused and abused, and nodoubt each will be many times in thefuture. Francis Schaeffer knew that bothwere worth fighting for, and he fought forthem both. Those of us who have beenwith him know it too. Now that he isgone, let us not forget what we havelearned. D

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22 FUNDAMENTAUST JOURNAT

t'.'Wi:.:.Tliifriitiprotest song painted a bleak picture ofthefirrure of mankind. Today man is closerthan ever to this specter of Armageddon.In previous centuries, primitive technologylimited man's ability to harm himself andhis world. But in this century, technologyhas expanded to monstrous proport ions,giving him unprecedented capabilities fordestruction. Unless mankind discovers anadequate reason why he should not de-stroy himself, he conceivably could beforethe ligh; dawns upon the twenty-first cen-tury. Never before has the need to de-velop a proper view of the worth and dig-nity of man been more urgent.

Is World Destruction Possible?

Some readers may object that worlddestruction is not possible since Bibleprophecy is silent about it. At least 7years of tribulation and another 1,000years of millennial bliss are necessarybefore any general dissolution of theearth is indicated.

However, in Bible prophecy, exactdates are extremely difficult to pinpoint.\Vho could possibly have known whenIsaiah 61:2 was written that it contained

DECEMBER i9B4

a gap of time involving millennia? God'stimetable is never bound to man's.Hence, we cannot be so dogmatic as thisobjection presumes. Also, while prophecyclearly speaks of the Tribulation and theMillennium, there is nothing in Bibleprophecy that precludes the possibility ofGod's al lowing this generation to prac-tically destroy itself.

Regardless, whether or not world de-struction is probable, it is an abuse ofScripture to use Bible prophecy to givelicense to reckless abandon in the pro-liferation of unspeakabiy destructive in-struments of war. There is a power thatrules through fear of death, and it is notthe Prince of Peace. We are responsiblefor preserving and caring for the planetwhich God created so beautifully for ourenjoyment. We are never justified in thewanton abuse of it.

Is Man Worth Salvaging?

David asked, "When I consider thyheavens, the work of thy fingers, themoon and the stars, which thou hast or-dained; what is man, that thou art mind-ful of him? And the son of man, thatthou visitest him?" (Ps. B:3-4).

lmplici t in David's question is an at-

titude held by many people, that perhaps

man is not worthy of God's attention andlove. For some, this feeling is born outof a sensitivity to sin and its devastatingeffects upon man's relation to God. Butfor many it is based upon such distortednotions as racism, chauvinist ic nation-alism, sexism, and egoism. For the lattergroup some people are worth salvaging,but not all. Privilege is quantified byqualifuing those who may receive it. Thismind-set is seen in racial and interna-tional unrest, child and spouse abuse,pornography, abortion, suicide, criminalviolence, marital infideliry, and countlessother examples of man's inhumanity toman.

Man does not have to wonder abouthis value to God. The Bible overflowswith evidence of the importance of man

Daniel R. Mitchell isan associate editor ofFundamentalistJournal and professor oftheolopical studies at

Liberty B(tptist College, Lynchburg,Virginia. He lnlds a Th.D. from DaIIasTheological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.

23

to his Creator. It outlines specific prin-ciples vital to both the salvation and sur-vival of man. These principles establishhis dignity, and provide the rationale forhis continued existence upon the earth.

To correctly evaluate and understandman and the cosmos, we must see themin their relation to God. Anv effort tostudy the universe, or man's place in it,that does not build upon this premise isdoomed to fail.

How Did We Get into Such a Mess?

One of the most persistent of modernideologies views the cosmos as a closedmechanical system. Isaac Newton was theoriginator of this concept which domi-nated

'Western thought for more than

two centuries, and which served as thebasis for much that has occurred in thetwentieth century. In accordance withNewton's "scientific outlook," nature isviewed as a vast machine, predictable inevery respect according to the laws ofmotion-sort of a large clock designedand wound by the Creator, but left totick away the hours alone. This viewpresents man as merely the sum of his

atoms, devoid of freedom, controlled bythe natural laws that govern the machine.

If Newton was correct, many tradi-tional ideas about God, man, and thecosmos could no longer be accepted. Theidea of a personal God, present every-where in the universe, was replaced bythe "absentee" God of Deism or variousforms of idealism or pantheism. The no-ble status given to man in Scripture alsohad to be discarded. Instead he was madeout to be a microcosmic speck wander-ing about on a tiny planet in a remorecorner of the galaxy. Today, of course,no informed scientist views the universeas Newton did. The tragedy is that otherdisciplines altered their views of God andman to correspond to Newton's physics,but have continued into this century asthough Maxwell and Einstein had nev,erbeen born,

If we learn anything at all from therise and fall of Newton's theory, it is thatscience must never be allowed to replaceRevelation. While his theory may behelpful to sort out some of the mysteriesof the universe, it is only a model. Theseall grow old and are cast aside. God aloneremains and His \ilord endures forever

(see Heb. 1:10-12; I Peter 1:25). Manypeople are concerned that science and theBible do not always agree. There is a goodreason. Only one is always correct. Thereis no such thing as "pure science." Scienceis approximate-or it is not science at all.Only God's Word "is pure and righteousaltogether"-or it is not His \7ord at all.Therefore, we must recognize that theconcept of man as set forth in Scriptureis fundamental to all our thinking. Nomatter how tempting it is to follow thelatest ideas in "scientific" thought, wemust allow God to speak with authority.

What Is Man?

The Bible teaches that man cameinto being through the creative word ofGod. Man is a crearure and God is hisCreator. Nothing can alter this fact. \Uhenwe attempt to bridge the ocean thatseparates nothing from something, onlyGod will do. We say this not because wecan necessarily prove it from science, butbecause it is axiomatic to Scripture.\Tithout Genesis 1 through 3, all thatfollows in the Bible is unintelligible.

Scripture further asserts that man andthe cosmos were endowed by their Creatorwith inherent digtity and worth. God sawthat it was good (Gen. 1:31). Man is im-portant because he is important to God.He is unique above all other creatures.Created in God's image (Gen. 1:26-27),heis given dominion over the earth (Gen.1:28). He alone is created with the capac-ity to know God and to communicatewith Him (Gen. 2:15-3:19). Man's unique.ness is not merely in the collection and ar-rangement of his atoms, his relative in-telligence, or his strength. Vhat seems tobe implied in Genesis 2:7, and more ex-plicitly given later in Scripture (cf. Gen.35:18; Rev. 6:9), is that man is endowedwith a spiritual dimension. He has a soul.Paul's teaching on the Resurrection is basedupon this fact (1 Cor. 15:39). Hence, it isnot coffect to say with the naturalist, "Youare what you eat." Man is more. For thisreason, he has a dual responsibility-to theearth, over which he is to exercise domin-ion, and to God, whom he serves.

By contrast, the mechanistic model ofNewton generated the theories of evolu.tion. Darwin and others reasoned that theycould unlock the door to the mysteries ofbiological liFe by tracing its development onthe earth. Their ideas, of course, led notto Genesis, but to a primeval sea of pro-toplasmic pudding.

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'2ARII{DAMENTAI]ST JOURNAT

For Darwin the mechanism for theemergence of life is the principle of the sur-vival of the fittest. In keeping with thismaxim we have seen the development ofruthless totalitarian states where "nature isred in tooth and claw" and the future isbequeathed to the strong. The Fascism ofNazi Germany and the Marxist Com-munism of Russia and China are prime ex-amples. In such systems the state is like a

S.irn., is approximnte-or it is not science

at oll, Only God's Word"is ptne and righteornaltogether"-or it is not

His Word at all,

giant machine operated by a small eliteselected by chance and muscle. The in-dividual and all social agencies, includingthe church, exist for the good of thatauthority. The dignity of the individualsand of human life in general is measuredonly by their relative worth to the state.

Recent aftempts to modify our own syetem of govemment can be shown to followthis same line of reasoning. The individualexists for the good of the great machine(sociery) and man's worth is measured byhis abiliry to contribute to it.

The logic of euthanasia and infandcideis based on these ideas. Human life anddignity, rights and privilege are all deter-mined by the machine. This is why thereappear to be such glaring conrradicdors inmodern sociery. One mother is jailed bythe courts for child neglect because shefailed to provide necessary medical care forher dying child. Another (the mother ofBaby Doe) is given court sanction to dothat very thing. Some forms of life areregrenably forfeit because, like insects in thestreet, they happen to get caught under thewheels of the great machine. Other life-forms, like the baby seal, with real or sup-posed utilitarian value, are protected andgiven a place inside-with a seat belt onof course!

It all sounds cra / to those nurnrred tobelieve there is a God, but it makes perfectsense if you discard such a notion. This iswhy Secular Humanism is so intent on

DECEMBER 1984

throwing God out of public life. He justgets in the way.

Murder and suicide are wrong becausethey usurp a right that belongs only toGod, and presume to make value judg-ments that He does not recognize, Thesame is tme for abortion, i#anticide, oreuthanasia. Unequal ability, aptitude,quality of life, or promise does not alter thefact that all men are created equal-equalin value and in the right to become all theycan be.

"Liberal" Christianity acquired its namein attempts to come to terms with the so-called "scientific" approach. It was arguedthat the biblical teaching is broad (i.e.,liberal) enough to accommodate the ideasbeing suggested by the evolutionists andpolitical theoriss. This religiors Humanismartempted to explain man's conceptions ofGod and the supernarural on the basis ofpsychological or sociological factors.Ultimately, the idea of God was reducedto a subjective norion of man in his effortsat continual self-improvement. God is thusmeasured by man's idea of what He is supposed to be, and the question of man'srelative dignity is left unanswered.

Karl Barth and the Neoorthodox theo-logians charged that the Liberals foundman only to lose God. They were right.Barth went on to say that it was not possi-ble to understand man apart from his rela-tion to God. While we cannot agree withwhat Barth made of this latter insight,there is no question that it represented avital breakthrough in addressing distortedideas about God and man based on themechanistic model of the universe.

Scripture further shows us that God'sconcern is both for Adam as Adnn andAdam as mankind (Gen 3; Rom. 5). Fromthis follows the principle of the uniry of thehuman race. One of the most shameful at-tempts made recently by certain fundamental Christiars is the effort to support racismon biblical grounds. The appeal of the bib-lical message is that we are all one race.Recognirion of this principle will eliminatemuch of the tension that exists betweencountries and ethnic groups today. Hereis a sin of the fathers that has been visitedupon the children in this generation. In-deed the world stands on the edge of di-saster hcause a previous generarion failedto recognize the inherent unity of the race,and that no nation or class is given theright to exploit others.

Fundamentalists have rightly repudi-ated the universal fatherhood of God andbrotherhood of man doctrines of the social

gospel. But, many have forgotten that asthe Creator, God rs the Father of all men,and as creatures we are all brothers. Note,for example, Luke's geneology, especiallyLuke 3:38: "\Vhich was the son of Enos,which was the son of Seth, which was theson of Adam, which was the son of God."

But man is also a sinner. He is a sin-ner by nature (Rom. 5:12-19) and by choice(R.om. 3:9-12). Throughout the ages man'saftempts to refute this truth have onlyserved to confirm his blindness and perver-sity toward God. Only a fool would denythat man is in trouble today. Social engi-neers attempting to find a solution to soci-ety's problems invariably overlook the sinproblem. They ultimately treat only thesyrnptoms, never the disease. The comic-strip character Pogo used to say, "'We havefound the enemy, and he is us," As longas man ignores the sin problem, the diseasewill continue to rage until, when it is fin-ished, it brings forth death (James 1:15).

Jesus speaks of God's continued con-cern and care on behalf of His creatures,and indicates that His love is not erased

s CommandOr Man's Demand?

New repo r t de to i l s l o t es t eye -open ingfoc t s . Me t i cu l ous l y r eseo rched . H i gh l ys c r i p t u r o l , o c c u r o t e ; o u t h o r i t o t i v e .Revo lu i i on i zes you r v i ew o f Mo l . 3 ' 8 - ' l l ,G e n . 1 4 , 2 0 , 2 8 ' 2 0 - 2 2 , P r o v . 3 , 9 , M t . 2 3 ' 2 3 ,l C o r . 1 6 , 2 - l , 9 : ) 3 - 1 4 , H e b . 2 , 1 - i 8 " p l u smony other verses. .A reol breokthrough --

mos t comprehens i ve t i t he r eseo rch i ndecodes ! Jom-pocked w i t h eosy - reod inge x p l o n o t i o n s i n p / o i n E n g / i s h . N otheo log i co l doub le - t o l k . Fu l l ' co l o r cove r ,p ro fuse l y i l l u s t r o ted t h roughou t . He re swhot o lhers ore soying:" l t is not only wel l organized, but excel lent inco ntent . "

Dr. . loseph HopkinsWestminster Col lege

"( l t ) is loaded and is def in i te ly not a one-n i g h t r e a d e r . . . c o n t a i n s a w e a l t h o 1 'informat ion not usual ly found on th issubject . "

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by sin (Matt. 6:30; Luke lZ:Z4i cL John3:16). Consequently, our ethical and moralaccountability are sdll demanded $ohn10:i0-14r Ps. 139:7-16).

Is There Any Hope?

Never in the history of mankind hasthe need to communicate the Christianmessage been greater. When Jesus gave the

command to disciple the nations (Matt.28:19), He was not merely giving thechurch something to do. He knew whatwe are only beginning to internalize, thatthis was the only hnpe for the world. Unlessman is brought under His authority, theterrifiring reality is that he may destroyhimself and everything he touches. On theeve of 1985 we are much closer to thatpossibility than ever before.

'!ilhether through ignorance or arro-

gance, when man excludes God from hispersonal and public life, he turns his backon the only One who can make any serse a

of it. James observes: "From whence comewars and fightings among you? Come theynot hence, even of your lusts that war inyour members?" (James 4:1). James recognized the frustration that comes when menseek for happiness and fulfillment apartfrom God. His answer is, "Ye have not,because ye ask not," or "ask amiss" (fames4:Z-3). The good things that bring peaceto the restless soul are not gained throughpower, wealth, or fame. They are God'sgifts to His children who are willing tohumbly receive them from Him.

Paul says, "We trust in the living God,who is the Saviour of all men" (1 Tim.4:10). Satan holds the world hostage to-day "through fear ofdeath" Gleb.2:15; cf.1 John 5:19). \7e have the message to liber-ate the captives, to set them free, and toset them on their feet with dignity andpride.

Wt rn mon excludesGod from his pers onnl

ond public life, heturns his back on the

only One who canmnke dny seru e of it.

Seeking to save the world, both spiri-ually atd temporally, is neither Liberalismnor idealism. It is acknowledging with theCreator that what He has made is goodand worth keeping.

During the Christmas season, as we re-flect on the incarnation of Christ. we seethe supreme value God has placed on man.He has visited him.

John instructs us that "God sent nothis son into the world to condemn theworld; but that the world through himmight be saved" (lohn 3:17). Jesus said tohis disciples, and to us today, "As myFather hath sent me, even so send I you"

$ohn 20:21). As we go, our theme oughtto be "This is my father's world, O let mene'er forget. . . God is the Ruler yet." D

Self Test1. Ilow often do you rcad your Btble?2. IIow nuch tlme do you spend tn prayer?3. Do you feel therc lo a need tn your llfe

for cplrttuel lrowth?

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26 FUNDAMENTAT]ST JOURNAI

PNAYEvery revival in the history ofthechurch. from the Dav of Pentecostto the present time, has been

born and cradled in prayer. Even Pentecostfollowed 10 days of prevailing prayer. Anunchangeable divine law decrees thatprayer is a power that will open the win-dows of heaven, and send forth an out-pouring of the Spirit of God. E. M.Bounds, a man mighty in prayer, wrote:"Prayer is the channel through which allgood flows from God to man, and allgood from men to men. . . . Prayer is aduty, an obligation most binding, andmost imperative, which should hold us toit. But prayer is more than a privilege,more than a duty . . . .It is the appointedcondition of getting God's aid. It is theavenue through which God supplies man'swantsl'

Earnest intercessory prayer has alwayspreceded great movements of God. In-deed, the Revival of 1858 should beknown as "The Revival of the UnitedPrayer Meetingl' Vhen the Americanchurch awoke to the full consciousness ofwhat God was doing, it found that theentire nation was alive with daily prayermeetings.

Two of these meetings are especiallynoteworthy. Jeremiah Lanphier, longingintensely for revival, begged a few of hisfellow Christians to meet with him. OnSenrcmher 7l lB57 he was alone forL J , L V J ' ' L L

some time in prayer. Later in the day hewas joined by five others. This was theorisin oithe famous Fulton Street Noon

Vernon Brewer is deanof students at LibertyBaptist College and direc-tor of LIGHT Minisrrie.r,an intemational euan-

gelistic team committed to req.,iqtal andworld evangelization.

Prayer Meeting in New York City, whichhas continued to this day.

In Philadelphia, 4,000 met daily in

Jayne's Hall to wait upon God. Drawnfrom every class, they were massed to-gether in a great stillness, broken only fora while by the sobs of the repentant.Then brief, earnest prayers, often only afew broken sentences. would be offered.

Errry spiritunlreaiaal throughout the

centuries con betraced to eornest

interces.$ory proyer.

The revival of 1858 came as a directresult ofthe prayers offered at these meet-ings. No television, no radio, no media,no evangelist, no singer, and no book on"How to Have Revival" brought about therevival that touched a nation. The revivalresulted, quite simply, from the ferventprayer of faithful Christians with a bur-den for nationwide revival.

In Acts 2:1, the Bible records a specificprayer meeting at Pentecost. It says, "Theywere all with one accordl' And so werethe believers of the 1800s. Although thoseprayer warriors were not all in one placeat the same time, they too were all of oneaccord. They were one in prayer and pur-pose. S. D. Gordon stated, "The greatestthing anyone can do for God and manis pray. It is not the only thing; but it isthe chief thing. The great people of theearth today are the people who pray. I donot mean those who talk about prayer;nor those who say they believe in prayer;nor yet those who can explain aboutprayer; but I mean those people who taketime to Dravl'

"The effectual fervent prayer of arighteous man availeth much" (James5:16). Ve must pray boldly and with con-fidence, believing that God is going tosend revivai. We must pray in faith. Wemust pray with urgency and with a fer-vency that we have never had before. Wemust, as Paul so aptly said in Hebrews4:16, come boldly before the throne ofGod. Ve need to sense the urgency of thehour. Charles Finney, the great Americanevangelist said, "Prayer is an essential linkin the chain of causes that leads to revival,as much so as tmth is. Some have zealouslyused truth to convert men and have laidvery little stress on prayer. They havepreached, and talked, and distributedtracts with great zeal and then wonderedwhv thev had so little success. And thereason was that they forgot to use theother branch of the means, effectualprayer. They overlooked the fact that tn-rth,by itself, will never produce the effectwithout the Spirit of God, and that theSpirit is given in answer to earnest prayeri'

Why is it that we still have not seena nationwide awakening of God's HolySpirit in our lifetime? Because we as Chris-tians are not united in prayer and spirit.\7e have not sensed the urgent need topray. Could it be that revival has notcome in this cenrury because America hasnot seen and heaven has not heard froma "Jeremiah Lanphier"?

'We must realize that God is just as

able today to revive the church body asHe was able to revive the body of His Sonalmost 2,000 years ago. Praise God thatHe is ready and willing to answer ourprayers.

Samuel Chadwick said, "The one con-cern of the Devil is to keep Christiansfrom praying. He fears nothing fromprayerless studies, prayerless work, andprayerless religion. He laughs at our toil,mocks at our wisdom, but trembles whenwe pray." D

Adaptcd by pamision of UG Aoion Minisic, Buchm, Michigo.

DECEMBER ]984 27

an finds security in "belong-ingl' We want to feel the com-fort and sense of comoleteness

that comes with being part of a group. Inthe sixties we were either "hippies" or partof the "establishment." As sports fans weeither root for the Rams or the Redskinsin the East vs.

'West Super Bowl. Whether

we realize it or not, our penchant for join-ing groups is a polarizer. Vhat followsfrom polarization, of course, depends onwhat kind of polarizing it is, who is do-ing it, and why. Vhen God does it, theconsequences are only good; when we doit, anything is possible.

God the PolarizerThe gospel is a polarizer. It must divide

people because Christ's Cross and God'sjudgment demand a decision. There areonly two spiritual categories, and everyperson can be placed into one or theother. \ile are either in Christ or outsideof Him, regenerate or unregenerate, abeliever or an unbeliever. lf we allow theline between these categories to becomeblurred, if we soften this polarization, wegive up our gospel and abandon our faith.

This kind of polarization is not of ourmaking and when we consider those whowill ultimatelv be lost. it is not even toour liking. God is the polarizer. Ourresponsibility, as His people, is to declareHis will and make known His tn-rth.

Divine polarization is central to God'sdealing with our world. \Ue are now liv-ing in a time when evil is enjoying itsplace under the sun, when sin and humanrebellion are accorded the status of nor-mality in our world. The clock, however,is ticking. Time is running out. The dayis coming when God Himself will puttruth forever on the throne and errorforever on the scaffold. Those who haverejected His truth will experience theultimate polarization. As sheep fromgoats, the unbelievers will be divided fromthe believers and experience total separa-tion in hell. Thus, He is and will be thegreat polarizer, even sundering apart theclosest of families (Matt. 10:34-36).

Massachusetts.the Unio,tersity

David F, Wells rs pro-

fessor of historical andsJsrcmadc theology atGordon-ConweIITheological Seminary,South Hamihon,He holds a Ph.D. fromof Manchester, England.

God's People As PolarizersThe prerogative to polarize people is

God's, not man's (cf: Col. 2:16; Matt.13:28-30; Rom. 14:10,13; 1 Cor.4:5). Themessage of Christ-not His messengers-must cause polarization. There are someobvious exceptions to this rule, for in-stance when the church is called upon todiscipline its members or when the churchbecomes so apostate that the preachingof God's truth becomes impossible andseparation from that church is the onlyviable solution. These are, however, theexceptions. The goal we should all havebefore us is the realization of the unityfor which Jesus prayed in John 17'21-26.

I he prerogofivefo polorize peopleis God's, nof mon's,

The messageof Christ-not Hismessengers-musfcouse polorizotion,

In Ephesians 4:16 Paul developstheme most strikingly, in the form ofa paradox. First, he states that we whoare in Christ are already one.lf thereis onlyone Father, there can be onlyone family; if there is only one Lord,there can be only one faith, onehope, and one baptism; if there isonly one Spirit, there can be onlyone body. Christians, then, arealready one. But, Paul says this unitymust be maintained by our commonbonding in truth and our relation toone another in love (4112,16). We are to"speak the truth in love" (4:15), and in sodoing we both show our Christian marur-iry and preserye Christian uniry.

This balance, of truth spoken in love,is exceptionally difficult to maintain. Wehave a tendency to stress either love ortruth, pursuing truth at the expense oflove or love at the price of truth. Polariza-tion occurs in both cases.

Three books have recently been writ-ten depicting the loss of truth in Evan-

POLARIMon's P

God's Pr

28 FUNDAMEMAUST JOURNAL

zt$loN:erogotive

by David F. \X/ells

enchohf,

gelicalism: Thomas Howard's Evanpelical lsNot Enough, Francis Schaeffer's Th. Gr*tEuangelical Disaster, and James Hunter'sEvangelicalism: Conserqtatiu e Religion andthe Quandary of Modernity. The mostsignificant of these books is Hunter's. Hisargument is that modernity is playinghavoc with the Evangelical mind and rob-bing it of its sense of conviction. He arguesthat even the preaching of the gospellasbeen tailored and trimmed to appeal topeople as religious consumers rather thanaddressing them as sinners under God'swrath. He notes that some Evaneelicalshave shamelessly thrown themselves intothe search for self-fulfillmenr, jusr as our

A bve for God'sinfollible truth

does nofguoronfeeon infollible

undersfondingof it,

culture has. To others, meaning issynon),rnous with material gain, as inour culrure.

\Uhile worldliness is rapidlydestroying Evangelical authenticity,Evangelicals, however much lovethey may have, have too little truth.The surrounding currents of modem-iry first swept away what were con-sidered secondary matters, so Chris-tianity became identified only with

belief in the gospel. Then the gospel it-lelf began to disappear, and being a Chris-tian has come to mean finding yourself,being fulfilled, being successful, being happy,being the epitome of the American Dream.

Many Evangelicals have recoiled fromthis because they sense a vacuum oftruthat the center of the Evangelical empire.\7hat has often happened in response,however, is that the remedies that havebeen devised are worse than the diseasethey are seeking to cure. Peripheral in-terests have become central, to providesome content to the gospel, For the readers

of Sojoamer,,it is radical social action thatmust be added to the gospel; for the NetlOxford Review it is the Anglo-Catholicunderstanding ofthe church; for KennethCopeland, it is the promise of health andwealth; for some in mainline denomina-tions, it is denominational politics. Thecenter is collapsing in Evangelicalism.\Uhile love remains, the pillars of truthare crumbling. Disarray and fragmenta-tion are already appearing as a result.

Fundamentalists have kept rhe houseoftruth in relatively good order, but havethey been as successful relationally as theyhave been cognitively? Have they heldforth the truth in loq,,e/

Many would say they have not, butthat verdict needs to be examined. Loveis often confused with the modem taste forpluralism. To be loving, it is supposed,is to be willing to say that few things areultimately wrong and that most, if not all,religious roads lead to God. That, ofcourse, is the very anrithesis of biblical love.Does this verdict have any validiry, rhen?

What critics have seen in Fundamen-talism is both its passion for nuth and themisdirection of that passion. Those whobelieve in truth, as Scripture defines it,run the risk of becoming overzealous inapplying the distinction of righr andwrong. A love for truth forms in us amindset that facilitates quick, cerrainjudgments as to what is true and false,right and wrong. Everything is eitherblack or white. There is no room for anysort of ambiguity or uncertainty. Life con-sists of drawing sure lines, of sering allpeople and all.issues on one side or theother. What is judged ro be right is pur-sued, and what is deemed to be wrongis opposed, with all of the passion tharshould attend the prosecution of truth.

Some issues are clear-cut. Murder isalways wrong, whether committed uponan unborn child or a man in the orimeof life. Theft is always wrong, whether ac-complished by a club or in the soft-clatterof a sophisticated computer. Adultery isalways wrong, whether done F.rrtively onthe side or brazenly within an "open"marriage.

However, not all issues are so ethicallysimple. Scripture does not address allmodern problems directly, and it is un-wise to prosecute our preferences with thekind of passion and certainty that rightlybelong only to biblical truth itself.

continued on page 65

29DECEMBER ]9B4

re you a "lover of strangers"?That is the original meaning ofthe word lwspiality -what Jesus

had in mind when he admonished us. "Iwas a stranger, and ye took me inl'Hebrews l3:2 states, "Be not forgetful toentertain strangers: for thereby some haveentertained angels unawaresl' In Romans12:20 we are told to feed even a hungryenemy. Scripture tells us that Abraham re-ceived strangers with courtesy; Lot ex-tended care to the angel visitors; Labanwelcomed Abraharrfs senant; and Rahabopened her home to the spies frorq Israel.

The pattern continues in the New'Ibstament. Martha freely opened her home

to Jesus, Lydia sheltered Paul and Silas,and even the barbarians, wrote Paul,"lodged us three days courteouslyl'

But times have changed. Entertainingcan be expensive, and we have beentaught to be cautious around strangers.Why take the risk and the trouble to openvour home to others?

The Bible commands us to be hospi-table. Titus l:8 recommends that eldersbe "lovers of hospitalityS' First Peter 4:9suggests that we practice "hospitality oneto another without grudgingl'

I know one minister's wife who says,"If I provide the beef roast, God providesthe guestsj' and her table always includesextras at Sunday dinner. People gravitateto the warmth of her home, and her hus-band's ministry is magnified.

One of our church members has de-cided that over the next several years hewill have every church member as a guestin his home. Others are quick to spotpeople who need a place to stay whilelooking for a new job, or the lonely col-lege student, and families who are ex-periencing movingday madness. My fam-

Dorothy G. Hake is afree-Iance writer inLaurel, Manland.

ily has moved six times, and I will alwaysappreciate those unexpected invitationsand the meals thoughtfully brought in onour moving day.

If you have a heart for foreign mis-sions, look at the possibilities around you.

Snorc your specialtimes, snd watch theloae of your family

circle growto include others,

We live near the University of Maryland,where 1,300 foreign students from 93countries are enrolled. Many colleges anduniversities have "host family" programsencouraging relationships between foreignstudents and local families. Imagine thefriendship that could develop between astudent and your Christian family!

Summer and winter vacations orovide

by Dorotlq G. Hake

special problems for college students whoare far away from home. Invite a studentto spend the holidays with your family.Resist the temptation to hoard holidaysfor your family alone; share your specialtimes, and watch the love of your familycircle grow to include others. My familyhas provided sulnner housing for studentsftom Ethiopia and China. We found theseboys to be gracious, intelligent, and wellinformed. \7e enjoyed the Chinese dinnersDave cooked for us, and our friend fromEthiopia taught us much about his countryand his people.

There are many strangers in our owncommunities as well.

'!7e once participated

in the "summer fresh air" program forghetto childrcn. Another time our familydeveloped a friendship with a prisoner.Although he did not live with us uponhis release, he shared many meals at ourhome, and we were able to help him withmany personal needs.

lately we have been involved with thefoster parent program. \7e have cared fortwo foster sons, both l5-year-old delin-quent boys referred to us by the depart-ment of juvenile services. Gking one ofthese youngsters into your home is noteasy but it is rewarding. \7e have becomeaware of problems we did not encounterwhen we raised five children of our own.\ile learned that these boys needed toknow that people can be trusted. We aretrying to be trustworthy people.

Can hospitality be a means to evan-gelism?

Of course. Our two foster boys accom-pany us to church and Sunday school.They join in our daily Bible-reading anddiscussion time. Each reads his own Bible.But beyond this, they see us as we are-people who love the lord and are willingto take a chance on loving them.

God alone knows what seeds havebeen sowed, and when these seeds willbear fruit. But I have seen how hospital-ity opens doors of ministry and missionif we are willing to be "lovers of strangersl'

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worried motherl l tpnoned tne

church office onthe afternoon of the an-nual Sunday schoolChristmas program. Shewas sorry to say that herson, who was playing therole of Joseph in theNativity scene, had a coldand was in bed on doc-tor's orders. "'Well, it's toolate to get another Josephnowl' the teacher replied.'We'11

just write him out ofthe scriptl'They did, andthe sad thing is, no onemissed him.

Joseph really is the forgottenman at the manger. In a well-known hymnbook containing 11Christmas carols, there was notone reference to Joseph in their41 verses.

'We sing of virgin mother

and child, angels from the realmsof glory, shepherds in the fieldabiding, and three kings of theorient, but nothing of Joseph. Oh,\7e know he was a common manwho did not add much excitementto the scene, but to me, Joseph isthe silent hero of the Christmasstory.

\7e do know that he was adevout man of simple faith in andobedience to God. Scripture doesnot record any words from themouth of Joseph, but his life is anexplicit description of the life weshould lead.

Our first glimpse of Joseph is inMatthew 1:19 when he discovers

DECEMBER 1984

Mary's pregnant condition. \fhenhe heard that Mary was expectinga child, he was going to sever theirengagement, but he had no desireto publicly humiliate her. No angryresponse is evident, no irrationalimpulse. Before jumping into ac-tion, Joseph thinks about what hewill do. \fhile he was thinkingabout the situation, the angelspoke to him and told him whatto do. Joseph repeatedly exhibitedhis sensitivity and obedience to

left to us, perhaps we overlook thequality of his life as an example tohis family and to us. There are veryfew Christmas messages about sucha central figure in the Christmasaccount. And little is said regard-ing his influence in the life andgrowth of the [-ord. While theolog-ically proclaiming the humanity ofChrist, we often tiptoe quietlyaround it. Yet if we believe thatChrist was fully human, we mustbelieve that His human father hadan impact on His development.

Scriptures give us as much in-sight into the life of Joseph as intothat of Mary. Through the accountof young Jesus at the temple wefind both Mary andJoseph involvedin the spiritual training of theirson. Joseph led his family in beingfaithful to God's house.'We

often see evidence of thequality of a father's commitmentand consistency demonstrated inthe lives of his children. How did

Josephs children turn out? Two ofthem, James and Jude, wrote booksin the New Gstament, and theycommitted their lives to service fortheir human brother and spiritual[.ord, Jesus. What a testimony toa faithful father.

By heritage Joseph was in theroyal line of David. By vocation hewas a carpenter. The Scripturemakes it clear to us that Joseph wasknown in his community and thathe was a just man, which in thosedays meant he lived in a right rela-tionship with God. Our legacyfrom Joseph is not in what he saidbut in what he did. His life was themost vocal part about him.

I guess the best word to describe

Joseph, besides forgotten, is "ordi-nary']-and who cares about or-dinary people? God does! D

a a

Ou, bsacyfrom Joseph isnot in what hesoid but in what

he did,

God's directions. When Godrevealed His eternal purpose,Joseph gladly became Mary's hus-band and attended her at the hourof Christ's birth.

Several passages describe Josephgetting out of bed and immediatelyfollowing the instructions givenhim by God. A testimony to hisfaith is in Matthew 7:13-14 as hequickly leaves for Egypt to protecthis young son. Even though therewas a large Jewish community inEgypt, a mo{/e such as that re-quired great confidence in follow-ing the [.ord's leading. There wasno room for question or debate inJosephs obedient faith.

Since no words of Joseph are

hristmas. It has an almostmagical quality for me as Ithink of reading Luke, candle-

light, winkling trees, and gaily wrappedpackages. I love the anticipation of open-ing grfts and seeing my husband and threechildren, now teenagers, open the ones Ihave planned for each of them.

In our family we love to make and givepresents. \7e like celebrations and find funin thinking up ways to please each other.When I look back on our children'sgrowingup years and reflect on my ownchildhood. I realize more and more the im-portance of dai$ grft grving-the kind thatis a part of every hour. These gifts, I be-lieve, have a far more lasting impact anda more profound influence in shaping ourchildren's lives than any material gft wehave ever given them.

Ten "gifts" especially stand out to mewhich you can give your children as in-terlocking building blocks to help thembecome mature and fulfilled persons.

1. The Knowledge of God: Toknow God personally at a young age is thepriceless foundation of a child's life and thekeystone for fulfillment. You can help yourchild learn about God and introduce himto Jesus early in life. Even very young

Lois Dodds is a missionary withWycliffe Bible Trmsbtors in Lima, Peru.

children are amazingly perceptive and opento spirirual mrths.

Toddlers love to sing about God andto memorize short passages of Scriptureand other material that embody spiritualconcepts. God's injunction to the Israelitesstill stands for us today @eut. 6:69).Knowledge will be assimilated into a child'smind and heart when he has leamed it aspart of his everyday experiences.

'When we

ourselves know God, sharing Him can beas natural a part of life with our childrenas three meals a day or a.tighth bath. Wedo not have to save faith building forspecial occasions, l ike childhoodinocularions.

2. Langaage: At Christmas we loveto read, "And the Word was made flesh,and dwelt among us." This is one of themost beaudful and profound truths in allof Scripture God expressed Himself in the\ford, Jesus. Jesus was the perfect, visibleexpression of the Father, sent to com-municate to us all His desires andintentions.

Just as God gave Himself to us d.s HisWord, so we glve ourselves to our childrenttwough our words. Acquisition of languageis one of the most basic and distinctiveabiliries of humanity. Language is the vehi-cle for communicating our thoughts andfeelings; it becomes the mold into which

34 FUNDAMENTAIIST JOURNAT

*M "-*

our thinking is cast. If you give this gift toyour child from the earliest days of his life,you will enrich him forever.

Asl held two-month-old Seth and talkedand smiled with him, he responded withhappy gurgles and smiles. His whole bodymoved in rhythm to our "conversation."

Talk to your child from the first dayof his life. Read to him. Listen to him andencourage his effons in speech. Let him fallin love with words.

If you help your child to talk freely andencourage him to build his vocabulary byusing adult words with him, you give himthe moit valuable tool for communicationand self-expression.

DECEMBER I9B4

s

3. Music: Music is a gift from God-one that you can pass on to your children.God loves music, and He has equipped usto make it for our pleasure too. lf childrenare exposed to good music ear\, they grow

up with an appreciation for it and an ap-tiude for producing it themselves.

For our children, learning to sing andplay musical instruments early has paved

the way for their involvement in manywholesome activities: concerts, plays,musicals, church prograrns, singing groups.Music has opened many avenues of shar-ing and fun in the family and beyond it.

4. Creativity: You give your childrenthe gift of creativiry by having an aftitude

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of spontaneiry which praises the novel andinnovative and does not reject new ideas.God expressed His creativiry by allowing

Doily stft stvins haa far more lrcting

impoct in shaping ourchildren's liues thsnony mnterial Stft we

haue ever glven them.

Adam to name the animals-and by say-ing He too would use the names Adaminvented.

You teach creativiry when you are will-ing to risk making things or solving prob-lems without forcing conformiry. If your at-tirude is "make new" rather than "makedo," your child cacches this basic orienta-tion and learns to venrure into his ownunique ways of doing things.

Because I grew up as one of 12 chil-dren when rimes were hard, I learned tomake or improvise much of what I needed.I was not bound into someone else's solu-tion to clothing, decorating, or problemsolving. I came up with my own ideas, outofnecessiry, and that has proved to be oneof my most valuable resources.

JC

During our years in the jungle of Peru,our children have had to develop the samekind of resourcefulness. Therefore, theirgifts (not just the material ones) are farmore rewarding and fun.

You can encourage creativity in yourchild by allowing his imagination todevelop and by praising him for novelideas. Practice "greenlighting" or brain-storming to see how one idea triggersanotner.

5. Sensitivity: Sensirivity is a gift thatcan be communicated and nurtured.

h ,ou let yourchildren know from

the begtnning that youenioy thern, they .willkeep on shonng their

t . . . 1

llt)es wfin you.

Through your responses to God, to peo-ple, to the needs of the world, and thebeauties and harshness ofnature. vou canhelp your children develop sersirivity. Youdo this by sharing your observations andyour feelings-not by hiding your wonderor your sadness or your exhilaration.

Sersitivity enriches your children's livesin a thousand ways. True, it puts themmore in touch with the pain of life, butthat pain can serve as a poweful morivatorin meeting the needs of the world. Sen-sitiviry amplifies the joys of life, too.

6. Self,conffdence: Another preciousgrft you can give your children is to helpthem believe in themselves. Your love says,"You are lovable," and to a child, "Youcan do it!" means "l believe in you." Bymaking your child secure in your love andin the love of God, you give him a foun-dation upon which to build his selfesteem.

Be careful what you tell a child abouthimself or about your expectations for him.He believes you! The "self-fulfilling proph-ecy" is a very real principle; make it work/or you by reinforcing your child'sstrengths rather than focusing onshortcomings.

If your child is a Christian, he has anextra resource to learn about: the powerof Christ in his life. "I can do all things

36

through Christ who srrengthens me" canbe his principle of life to help him over-come his own sin and fear and to sur-mount obstacles. Paul's words, not to thinkmore highly of ourselves than we ought to,imply having a sensible understanding ofour wofth and our abiliries. You give apriceless gift to your child when you helphim see himself and accept himself as heis-and that "as is" includes tremendouspotential for development. God wants himto become like Jesusl

7. Selfdiscipline: Success in life,whether spiritual or otherwise, usuallycomes to people who have some kind ofgoal and arrange their lives to fulfill it.

Just as a young child is capable of pro-ducing complex speech and music, so heis able to learn how to plan time, fulfillresponsibiliries, and behave with corsidera-tion for others. As a teacher, I have dis-covered that the happiest and most suc-cessful srudents are those who have afairly high level of expectation to meet.They respond by being better organizedand by using their rime in a way that leadsthem to feel successful. In conffast, the oneswho seem least happy are also least dis-ciplined. Because they have not masteredthemselves they have difficulty masteringother things.

By junior high age at least, aim for yourchildren to plan and use their time wiselyto accomplish the goals they have set. Helpthem to see that self-discipline leads tofreedom and ensures time for creativepursuits.

8. Enthusiasm: This qualiry of life isbetter "caught" than taught. My husband,l.arry, and his father, Archie, exemplifiT en-thusiastic living. Archie's contagious in-terests, as diverse as building steam enginesand preaching on prophecy, reproducedthemselves in Larry and multiplied in ourchildren. Thev are in love with life andwith the oppornrnities for leaming becausethey never run out of things to do or read.

To be enthusiastic is to be optimisticabout life-and that mears o<pecting it willalways be full.

9. Hospitality: Vhen you make yourchildren's friends welcome in your homeyou give them a special gift that says, "Ilove you and I want to enjoy your friendswith you." fu you share your home andpossessiors with people in need, you set thepaftern for your child to develop generos-rty. Having guests from many countriesand cultures in our home has helped ourchildren leam the art ofconversation andease in sharing.

\ilhen my children were all small, ittook patience to have messy play, art, andbaking sessions. But the effort has richlypaid off. Now our house is full of teenagers-and I have the fun of being part of theirlives. If you let your children know fromthe beginning that you enjoy them, theywill keep on sharing their lives with you.

10. Yourself: Give yourself to yourchildren through your smile, your touch,your time. Enjoy them. Tune in to themfor concentrated periods.

Your smile is a gift. Psychologist JamesMcConnell writes that 80 percent of theparents of delinquent children with whomhe works are punitive and seldom smile.He has never met any who were warrn, en-couraging, and smiling. I love the passagesof Scripture that speak of God's face "shin-ing upon us." To me that means He smilesapproval on me. Let your smile shine onyour children oftenl

Give your child your touch. Touch-hunger is a normal need for everyone, yetin our cool Western cultures we practi-cally deny this. ln our house we give fingerrubs, head rubs, foot rubs, neck rubs, andback rubs. \7e brush each other's hair.These are practical avenues for touchingteens who may be embarrassed by affec'tion. Kept up regularly from babyhood,though, good-rught kisses and hugs are stillsurprisingly welcomed.

Give your child time, not just when heis a baby and toddler, but steadily throughhis growing-up years. Psychiatrist ArthurGlasser says, in The Identity Sociery, thata child "needs parental involvement morethan ever when he is an adolescent anda young adult if he is to achieve a successfulrole. If he cannot find involvement withinhis family, he will look for it outside."

Encourage your children to be involvedin your life in any way appropriate for theirages. Our friends who take their olderchildren on medical mission trips raveabout how this brings them together andincreases their children's awareness of theneeds of the world.

"Let us not underrate the joy of givingor the joy of receiving, for these are in-dissolubly related, and both symbolize thejoy of being loved. Men need to grvebecause they need to give themselves, andall their gifts are signs of that deepseatedand universal desire to give oneself. To liveis to commit oneself" (Paul Tournier).

oAdaptcd by pemision of Etemi.J mageine, copyright 1979,

Emngelical Minisaia, Inc., 1716 Spruce Sce, Philadelphia,Pomylvania 19103.

ru]\DAMEMAI]ST JOURNAI

Wn,&ristma0r

BochHome

'V*in':tgfl'.f::iiliend of the line conveyed a trace of hurt.She stnrggled to recover.

"lt just won't be the same," she said."l know 800 miles is a terribly long drive,and we did just see you in September. Butit will be different, not having you here tohelp celebrate.

Her voice seemed strong again."Well, we can send the presents United

Parcel and call you that day," she said."And this way the children wont have

to miss their Sunday school program."I was glad she saw it my way. I was sure

Mark and I had made the right decision.Now that Nick and Jori were getting

older, spending the holidays with theirfriends hd" gown more important. \Vhiletheir youth group went tobogganing, they

DECEMBER 1984

always had to sit in the backseat of a car."Nobody else goes to his grandma's

house et,ery Christmas, We miss out on allthe fun around here."

"There's nothing to do there exceptplay Parcheesi and talk about the old days.Can't we stay home? Just this once?"

They were right. It was rime to start ourown Christmas traditions. Who's to savyou must have a Z4-pound rurkey and 16people around the dinner table?

\(/hat about a dinner for four in thepeace and tranquillity of our own fourwalls? I could finally use my own recipesand serve them on those Christmas dishesthat I've never had a chance to use.

It would be fun to open presents, justthe four of us, on Christmas morning, Foronce we wouldnt have to rush through theevening gift exchange on December 20,because we wouldn't be leaving on that

long drive to Grandpa's house.Best of all. we wouldn't have to endure

the "pilgrimage," 15 long hours ofi "Whenare we gonna get there? Daddy, he's on myside. Yes, he isl His foot is over the hump."

"There's nothing to do. I already readall my books. You mean we have sevenmore hours to go?"

"My tummy hurts. I think I'm gonnathrow up,"

Meanwhile, toll booths would gobbleup our dollar bills, and salt trucks wouldspit their chemicals all over our windshield.The kids even seemed grateful when adefecdve water hose broke our monotony,and we would have to find midnight ser-vice at a rurnpike oasis midway throughOhio.

And I would sit lndian style in the car,my legs tucked underneath me, trying toavoid a foot encounter with the thermos.

picnic basket, books, and game bag.Often, gazing out the car window at the

night sky, I would think of how differentlife must have been for those stargazers ofold, the wise men who followed a star insearch of a Child. How I wished for thosedays of simpliciry, days when travel wouldhave been less complicated, time lesspressured, and the mission more divine.

But tonight I'm far from icy rurnpikes.Jori has just lit the last candle on ourAdvent wreath. And Nicky, garbed inbathrobe and towel, is reading a storyabout the little shepherd boy.

I'm glad we are home, just the four ofus together on Christmas Eve. It's quiet,peaceful.

I feel a smooth order easing us throughthe evening. There is nothing more to doexcept to sit back, relax, and reflect uponthe mystery of the God Child.

But now I notice the evening has astrange ambivalence about it. The oak logspits its red-hot embers against the fireplacescreen, yet something sad burns throughthe sparks. The glowing log had ejected apan of its very core, the fiber that madeit oak.

But what about m1 funily, m1 extendedfunily? Certainly having Chismns for fourdidn't mean we haA permanently rejectedgrand,parents, aunts, uncles, coruiru.

I try to convince myself, but I feeldisconnected being away from my oldhome. It's as if I've forgotten a part ofChrisrmas.

For the third time that evening, I turnthe stack of Christmas records. Then Isweep together our scattered popcornkernels.

The children spread their sleeping bagsin front of the blazing hearth-a newlyformed family tradition Jori has suggested.

Grandma's house didn't have a big fire-place. The children always hung theirstockings along the staircase banister where,after all the liftle cousins were rucked safelyin bed, Grandpa would filI the stockings.

I move my rocker closer toward theroaring fire and watch as the onetime logcnlmbles into ashes. And from somewherein the night, I hear muffled sounds ofcarolers coming closer.

Ruth Senter is a free-ktnce witer and. editor ofPartnership in CarolStreun, Illinois.

"'!7e wish you a merry Christmas, wewish you a merry Christmas."

Peering from the front windows, we seea group of neighbors lined along ourdriveway, Their carols draw me back topast Christmases.

Caroling on Chrisrmas Eve was ourfamily tradition, too.

'We'd sing and then

give out baskets of Mother's sandtarts andholiday spritz to some of the older folkswho lived in the neishborhood.

Hofng Chisrnas fmfour liln't mean ile

lml pemantntly rejede)our atenleA family.

Thev alwavs looked forward to ourvisits. Some of them told our parents thatthey almost cried when they saw uscoming.

"You don't se€ many families like yoursan1'rnore-having fun and doing things to-gether. Everybody's too busy with theirown plans. Keep bringing those childrenby to see us, even if there are 16 of you.We love to see 'em all,"

So Daddy had promised he would.I knew he felt proud to have all of us

there, singing together, throwing snowballsat each other, racing down the srreets, andsliding on the firmly packed snow-just likewe'd done when we were kids.

The assortment of ages and sizes neverseemed to matter. lf anything, it simplymade the commotion merrier.

\{4ren the last basket had been deliv-ered. our voices would crack with cold onthose high notes of 'Joy to the World," andwe'd trudge back up the hill to the sprawl-ing old house.

'White electric candles shone

from the windows, and brown-bag lumi-naries lined the circular drive.

Uncle Ed supervised the brown-bagoperation. He directed big and little handsin filling the paper bags half fulI of sandand carefully anchoring the candles intotheir foundation.

Then, at twilight, we all gathered at thetop of the driveway. We held our breathas Grandpa seemed to create magic, going

from bag to bag and lighting the candles.For once, no one said a word. This was

a moment to cherish. The glow from thebags reflected against branches of the greenarborvitae, and the warm light led the wayto Grandma's front door where her signread: WELCOME HOME CHILDRENDEAR. Grandpa's old sleigh bells, at-tached to the door, would announce ourglad arrival.

"Children are an heritage of the Lord,"Grandpa would quote, "As arrows are inthe hand of a mighry man; so are childrenof the youth. Huppy is the man that hathhis quiver full of them" Ps. 127:3-5).

That was his favorite verse. He read itChristmas Eve as we all gathered aroundGrandma's 95-year-old table that hadbelonged to her grandmother.

It took all six table leaves, rwo of thelongest tablecloths Grandma could buy,and every chair in the house, but there wewere-all 16 of us.

From Alabama, Illinois, New York, andjust the other side of the hill-we all cameto be together, to hear our father read, andto watch our mother light the candles inthe center of our Christmas Eve commu-nion table.

From his well-worn Bible, Dad wouldread: "This do in remembrance of me."

"Because God loves you and I iove you,I give you this bread, rhis drink." Dad saidit to the person on his left, and the messagecontinued on around the table.

Five or 65-here was a setting whereage didn't matter. We were drawn togetherby the common blood running throughour veins as weli as that which ran fromthe Cross.

Grandpa prayed. Some of us wipedaway tears. Others held hands under thetable. The men cieared their throats.

As we ate our traditional cream ofpotato soup, homemade rye bread, andGrandma's special Chrisrmas salad (whichlooked like a glowing candle), we knew wehad experienced true kinship.

But. most of all, we celebrated-as themen and boys fixed the Christmasbreakfast, as Uncle Daryl played Bach andBeethoven scores on the old player piano,as Denny read excerpts from his seminarydissertation.

The afternoon ushered in amateurhour. Sometimes we came in cosrume.

A long dress and a shawl from Grand-ma's attic allowed 9-year-old Jori to makeher organ debut with 'Jingle Bells" and"Deck the Halls."

aa FUNDAMENTAIIST JOURNAI

Meanwhile, 3-year-old Jonathan in-troduced his new Ernie and Burt puppets,one on each hand, and gave us his rendi-tion of "Sesame Street."

Uncle Mark set up the projector andtransported us to old gristmills and clearmountaln streams.

Uncle Ed played folk tunes on themountain dulcimer he had made, whileGrandpa read from his ageless book ofverse and poetry. He remembered myfavorites, the ones I begged him to readwhen I was only 6 and srill sitting on hisl"p.

Grandma then donned an old-fashionedPilgrim's dress. Holding the children spell-bound with her gentle voice, she read "TheCourtship of Miles Standish."

It was so quiet we could count the tickson the mantel clock. Suddenly, we wereall children again.

One by one, we had offered our giftsto each other. This time it was not silverpaper and red bows but the diverse talentsand personalides that combine to make ourfamily a reservoir of entertainment andfascination.

After I read my most recent story aboutmy visit to a crippled children's hospital(while Aunt Marv Ann served us her Flan

Crw* grui up.Il/n famllies ail tuaAftiawemerge. ts"t ,ilry bury the

ob tuaAilions beforethE'o leal?

Krchcn, a fruit pastry she'd learned tomake during her student year in Germany),we all leaned back and breathed deeply.

Another Christmas celebration hadcome and gone. But from it, we'd drawna storehouse of memories that would carryus through until next year.

There was something safe and secureabout knowing that the old white houseon the hill with its red sign on the doorwould welcome us, that the mantel clockwould still be ticking, that Grandpa wouldlight the luminaries, serve communion, and

DECEMBER 1984

secretly ruck goodies into the children'sstockings.

Amid a world always in a hurry to gosomewhere "different," it is comforting toknow that some things always stay thesame.

Another oak log crumbles through thefireplace grate. Our fire is now buming low.

I stand and shake myself from my rev-eries. Then I glance at the children,wrapped in their sleeping bags, soundasleep, and my husband, Mark, dozing onthe couch.

No. One can't liqte in the past. Things doclwnge.

ChiWren grow up. Their needs orc dif-ferent. New t'amily units emerge. Time fornew traditioru.

But what about tl'nse trad.itions that stillliue? Vlq buq them before th4're dead?

ln my mind, I hear Grandma's oldmantel clock. I smell her bread, and tasteher thick, savory cream of potato soup.

But that was then. This is nou.,-the pres-ent. Whrlt about m1 hame, rny funily, ourtraditiorc?

Listlessly, I move through the lastmoments of the evening. I fill stockingswith their miniature treasures, check theturkey in the refrigerator, put another logon the fire, and join my sleeping family.

fu I wait for sleep, I fiink, Funilies weremeant to be togeth.er, and suddenly I under-stand my Christmas Eve feelings of loss.

Even more important than memoriesof brown$ag luminaries, caroling, snowballfights, and the amateur hour are the peo-ple of those memories. Our people. Ourfamily extended.

I close my eyes and see their faces. Lit-tle do I know that next Christmas one facewill be missing around our table-that wewill live with only memories of when wewere a family of 16.

And in the years to come, it will alwaysbe the people-our Grandma, Grandpa,aunts, uncles, cousins-that will call ushome again.

Next yem, next year for xne, we'Il go backhome for Chnsa,nas. D

Adapted by pemisim from Moody Mmfily, Dccmba 1982.

39

r in Go{b Wintrow-

b1 Dauid Haag

n a wintry evening walk dur-ing World'!Var ll, a 5-year-oldboy asked his father about the

stars hanging in the windows of the neigh-borhood homes. The father erplained thateach blue star represented one son in theservice, and a gold star was for a son whohad served his country and would not becoming home.

The boy made quite a game of point-ing out the stars. "L.ook, Daddy, there arethree stars in that windowl" he exclaimed.'And another one over there!" As theypassed a vacant lot, the child saw one eve-ning star framed in the branches of ascraggly tree. "Look, Daddy, there's onestar in God's windowl'And as he noticedthe gold color of rhar star, he added,"God's Son died, didn't He?"

This frequently told story illustrateswhat Peter said of the Saviour, Christ thelord: "We have also a more sure word ofprophecy; whereunto ye do well that yetake heed, as unto a light that shineth ina dark place, until the day dawn, and theday star arise in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:19).In Revelation 22:16 Christ reGrs to Himselfas "the offspring of David, and the brightand morning star."

The wise men who followed the firsrChristmas star are men of mystery. The\ilestern church speaks of their number asthree while the Eastern church's traditionsuggests twelve. \7here they camefrom is unknown, perhaps Persia, Babylon,or even Egypt. Folklore has even givennames to the "three wise men", callingthem Melchior, Balthasar, and Caspar-making them kings from Egypt, India,and Greece. Some even say that they werelater baptized by Thomas and that Helena,the mother of Constantine, discoveredtheir bones and had them placed in the

David Haag js a mission-ary engaged in Bibleteaching and church plntt-ing in Hinburgh,Scotlzlld.

FUNDAMENTAUST JOURNAI

Church of Saint S"phi" at ConstantinopleJiadition often takes us where truth wilinever go.

The background of the Magi is notimportant-their mission is. These Gen-tile wise men had seen "his star in theeast" and came "to worship him" (Matt.2:2).

They saw His star. Scripture does notsay that the star guided them to Jerusalem,only that it appeared to them somewherein the East.

H, corne as "thebrisht and morning

storl' bringlng the lishtof gospel dny to eorth.

Much has been wrirten about this starof the Magi. There are two prevalentviews regarding its presence: one holdsthat the star appeared through narural,though unusual, circumstances. The Ger-man astronomer Johannes Kepler heldthis view. In the winter of 1603-04, Keplerwitnessed something unusual in the heav-ens. He saw the conjunction of Jupiter,Saturn, and Mars. As a result, he wrotethat a new, extraordinarily brilliant andunusually colored star became visible be-tween Jupiter and Saturn. After furtherresearch he discovered that the Chinesehad recorded something similar in theyears 4 BC. and 7 gc. Based upon theirrecords and his own observation, he sug-gested that this "star" was what the wisemen had seen in the East.

The configuration witnessed by Keplermight explain the Magi's star. But inMatthew 2:9, the strange star is said tohave gone "before them, till it came andstood over where the young child wasl'This sort of movement is entirelv alien tothe conduct of any natural star and is ex-plained only by taking a supernaturalview ofthe star and surrounding events.

Scripture records many references toGod and the stars. Genesis 1:16 andAmos 5:8 tell us that He created the stars;Jeremiah 33:25 and Job 38:33 add that Hehas set their boundaries according to Hislaws. Psalm 147:4 says that God numbersthe stars and calls them by their names.Certainly God could use one of His cre-

DECEMBER ]984

ated stars in a supernatural way to firstappear in the East and then reappear overJerusalem to lead the Magi on to Beth-lehem.

This lesser star of the East became theherald of the greater Star, Christ, theChristmas "Day Starl' He, at His coming,was the Star out of Jacob in Balaam'sprophecy. He came as "the bright andmorning starj'bringing the light of gospelday to earth. John particularly speaks ofChrist as the Light in his gospel. In John1:9, Christ is called "the true Light"; inverse 5 His life is spoken of as a light shin-ing in darkness. In John B:12 Christ said,"I am the light of the world: he that

followeth me shall not walk in darkness,but shall have the light of lifei'

Even in the Revelation this symbolismis found. The scene is the eternal NewJerusalem. John writes, 'And the ciry hadno need of the sun, neither of the moon,to shine in it: for the glory of God didlighten it, and the Lamb is the lightthereof" (Rev. 21:23). Christ, whom theMagi came to worship, is God, and "inhim is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).

On a breezy night during this Christ.mas season, look to the sky and see thestars hanging in God's window, and re-member His greatest gift, the Day Starwho is risen in our hearts bv faith. D

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arry and Alice Parker desiredGod's best for their family of six.Wesley, their oldest son, suffered

from diabetes and regularly received in-sulin injections.

When a faith healer held special ser-vices in their Barstow, California, church,the Parkers "walked the aisle" with 11-year-old Wesley. They were sincerely seekinga miracle of healing.

The preacher pronounced V'esleyhealed. Larry joyfully entered, "PraiseGodl Our son is healedj'into Wesley's in-sulin 1og. But Wesley's ensuing insulin testindicated something different. By faith,the Parkers claimed the healing and blamedthe unexpected insulin results on Satan.

Shortly afterward, \Tesley began tosuffer the nausea and severe stomachcramps that are predictable indicators oflow insulin. They decided to postponemedical attention in favor of seekingGod's continued healing power throughprayer. lfesley fell into a coma and diedthree days later.

This tragic story illustrates the church'sstate of confiision over divine healing.Situations like these perplex many. Doeshealing really occur/ If not, how can weexplain some apparent healings? If itworks, why should we ignore or deny agood thing? \fhy are people sick anyway?

tX/inona

Richard Mayhue ispastor of Grace BrethrenChurch, Long Beach,California. He holds aTh.D. from GraceTh.eological Seminary,Indiana.

No doubt many similar inquiries agonizedthe hearts of the Parkers. Even thoughthey had placed their fuil faith in God,Vesley died.

Goa does at tinesact in such a way that

only His directintervention is an

adequate explanation,

Is it God's will to always heal? PhilipYancev's best-seller. Vhere Is God Wlrcnh Hurts? narrates the dilemma of Johnand Claudia Claxton. Claudia contractedHodgkin's disease soon after her marriageand had been given only a 50 percentchance to live.

Many of Claudia's friends stopped bythe hospital to encourage her. Here is anaccount of one such visit.

Another lady had dropped bywho. . . told Claudia that healingwas the only escape. "Sickness isnever God's willl'she insisted. "TheBible says as much. The Devil is atwork, and God will wait until youcan muster up enough faith tobelieve that you'll be heaied.Remember. Claudia. faith can movemountains, and that includes Hodgkin's disease. Jiuly believe that

you'lI be healed and God willanswer your prayers."Yancy records that Claudia tried to

build her courage and muster up herfaith. But she grew weary in the processand concluded that she could never haveenough faith. Claudia struggled with thequestion, Does God heal today?

Is there anything that God cannot do?

Jeremiah asserts of God, "There is noth-ing too hard for thee" (Jer. 32:17).

lf the answer is no, how do we answer

the following verses? Titus 1:2: "God, that

cannot liel'or 2 Timothy 2:13: "He [God]cannot deny himself." tWhat about Genesis9:111 God cannot flood the earth again.

And James 1:13: "God cannot be temptedl'

How can those apparent contradictions

be resolved? The issue actually involves

God's nature and will, not His infinitepower.

God cannot lie or be tempted becausesuch would contradict His character. Like-

wise. He cannot denv Himself or flood the

world because that would contradict His

revealed \7ord. God cannot and will not

act contrarily to His divine nature or

revealed wil1. ln those areas He is self-

limited.Can God heal? Can God heal miracu-

lously? Can God heal miraculously through

men? The answer to all three questions

is overwhelmingly yes, as easily seen in

a survey of the Scriptures.\ilill God heal? Will God heal miracu-

lously? Vill God heal miraculously through

men? These questions are not so easily

answered because they do not involve

God's potential but rather His revealedpractice. Our answers will not be found

in God's unlimited capacity to work but

42

Lake,

FUNDAMENTAUST JOURNAL

in His conformitv to His own will. Vhenwe see God's view of the physical, themoral, and the earthly, we will begin tounderstand why God has acted the wayHe has in history.

First note the supernatural dimensionof God's sovereign involvement in ourphysical being.

And the lord said unto him,Who hath made man's mouth? Orwho maketh the dumb, or deaf, orthe seeing, or the blind? Have notI the [-ord? (Exod. 4:11).

See now that I, even I, am he,and there is no god with me: I kill,and I make alive; I wound, and Iheal: neither is there any that candeliver out of my hand (Deut. 32:39).These Scriptures teach that God ulti-

mately controls life, death, sickness, andhealth.

In difficult medical cases doctors fre-quently say, "l have done my best; nowit is in God's handsl'

ln the moral dimension, sin resultedfrom the Fall of Adam and Eve (Cen.3:1-19). It will continue until the curse isremoved (Rev. 22:3).

Wherefore. as bv one man sinentered into the world, and deathby sin; and so death passed uponall men, for that all have sinned(Rom. 5:12).After the Fall, God expressed His love

toward believers in Christ. By God's mercywe sinners did not receive the death wedeserved.

'lo satisfy God's justice, Christ

took upon Himself the penalty for theworld's sins. Through God's grace wereceived what we do not deserve-eternallife in Jesus Christ.

In the earthly dimension we see mala-dies common to both believers and un-believers-baldness, dandruff, nearsighted-ness, sagging muscles, wrinkles, falseteeth, fatigue, gray hair, accidents, colds,and genetic defects. These are all evidencethat sin has afflicted everyone.

It is simply not true that God's willis for every Christian to be perfectlyhealthy. Many saints in the Scriptureshave been ill-lsaac (Gen. 27:1), Jacob(Gen. 32:25), Elisha (2 Kings 13:14),Daniel (Dan. 8:27), Paul (Gal. 4:13), andTimothy (1 Tim. 5:23).

Unless we see God as sovereign andsin as the cause of sickness, we will notfully understand the decaying worldaround us. \?hen God does heal, it isbecause of His grace, not because of our

DECEMBER I9B4

goodness. That is the true perspective onhealing.

God promises in James 5:15 that "theprayer offaith shall save the sick, and thelord shall raise him up; and if he havecommitted sins, they shall be forgivennlm.

\Uill God miraculously heal today? Yes,for that does not violate His nature or Hiswill. \7i11 God miraculously heal todaythrough men? That is another mafter.

There is no biblical basis for a ministryof miraculous healing directly through ahuman healer today. That ceased with theapostolic age. Alleged contemporary faith-healing ministries fall embarrassinglyshort of the biblical patrern in time,scope, and intensity. Acts2:22,2 Corin-thians 12:12 and Hebrews Z:l-4 all teachthat signs, wonders, and miracles wereused by God to authenticate the messageof Christ and the apostles. Since theirmessage has been given in Scripture, thereis no longer a need in God's economy todo miracles through men. They have ceasedby God's design.

On the other hand, God does at timesact in such a way that only His direct in-tervention is an adequate explanation forphysical healing.

Healing by God's direct interventionis not always instantaneous or alwayscomplete. Our Lord's unmistakable touchis not brought about by any demand,gimmick, method, or plea ftom a would-behealer. It is God's response to the earnestprayer of the believer.

Did God allow Claudia Claxton to diein the midst of her misery? He could have;but He did not. Instead, He chose tomake her the object of divine healing.After receiving a series of cobalttreatments, her cancer was in remission.God healed providentially throughmedical technology, and in that He wasglorified.

Larry Parker learned from his experi-ence and shared this testimony after'lVesley's

death.The trouble lies with the fact

that we tie healing to some abilityon our part to believe enough, i.e.,to have enough faith.

'Io withhold medicine, especially

life-giving medicine, is a very pre-sumptuous act on our part that ac-tually hinders the Spirit of Godfrom His work.

My prayer is that you will con-sider these thoughts at length, for

they have come at an incompre-hensible price that no one exceptChrist would voiuntarily pay.The issue is real. The lives of loved

ones are involved. God can, has, and doesheal; but always for His own purposes, inHis own way, and at His appointed time.

The next time you pray for yourseifor a loved one, pray as did Norwegiantheologian Ole Hallesby.

[-ord, if it will be to Your glory, healsuddenly. If it will glorifu You more,heal gradually; if it will glorifu Youeven more, may your ser\,ant remainsick awhile; and if it will glorifyYour name still more, take him toYourself in heaven.If you have ever been sick and re-

covered, in a very real sense you havebeen divinely healed. Do not let anyonerob you of your joy of knowing that Godwas involved in your physical being. C

Larry and Alice Parket have published their story in We lzt C)urSm Die (lrvine, Calii: Harver House, 1980). Lany Parker has given

libeny rc quote their work. In doing rc, however, rhe Parkers are notendorsins all of the conclusions reached in this anicle.

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43

Harry RmmerArdent Defender

f / ^ .

oI Ureatlonby Bernard R. DeRemer

arry Rimmer was a survivor.Born in San Francisco in1890, he battled his way

through childhood and into his youngadult years. His father died when he wasvery young, and by the age of 5 Harry andhis older sister had become the step-children of the abusive Mr. Stubbs. Hehad smooth-talked Katherine Rimmerinto marriage and a life on the edge ofcivilization in the gold-mining country ofCalifornia. Harry was 8 when the familymoved to Stockton where Stubbs leaseda hotel and let the burden of operating itfall to Katherine. There young Harrydiscovered Vyart Earp. He loved to watchthe marshal "practice" with his gun anddreamed of being like him.

Conflict and abuse at home seemed tokeep Harry corstantly on the edge of badeand never willing to back away from afight. His scl'rool days were plagued with"incidents," and by the middle of the thirdgrade he was expelled. At the same time,and with a final beating for Harry, Srubbsdeserted the family.

Katherine continued to run the hotel,and Harry worked at odd jobs aroundStockton to help out. When they finallycould manage no longer, Katherine left thehotel business and took a smaller olacewith Harry's sister and stepbrother. Aarrywent to live at a neighboring farm.

M

At 14 Harrv left Stockton to work withthe men building the rail bed across theContinental Divide. He spent rhe next fouryears doing the jobs of men twice his agein construction camps and lumber mills,faithfully sending money to his mother.

When he left school in the third grade,he by no means left his love for reading.Wherever he was he always managed tofind books-from the library behind Ler.y'sDepartment Store in Stockton or throughthe "mail order" library out of Sacra-mento-and he continued to educatehimself over the years.

He had an inclination toward medicalschool but no hope of meeting the en-trance requirements. On the advice of amill foreman he entered the army at 18.There he could get the formal educationhe never had and could not afford. By thistime Katherine had moved back to SanFrancisco. and Harrv was able to secure amilitary assignment there.

His four.year hitch in the army was acombinarion of boola and boing. His reputation for settling everything with a fight,and the body-building labor he had donesince his early teers, made him the perfectchoice for the army ring.

He was accepted by Hahneman Medica.lCollege in San Francisco when he was 22,having achieved a 96 on his entrahceexam. One evening after classes Harry

came upon a street meeting at the cornerof Fillmore and Sutter. He loved to breakup street meetings of any kind and wadedin to start a good brawl. To his surprisehe saw Dr. Trout, his professor and friendfrom college, preaching from 2 Corinthians5. Harry was spellbound, motionless. Thereon that sffeet comer the future ambassadorfor Christ surrendered to Him.

The fight was out of Harry, but he stillloved to scour the waterfront-now look-ing for men who needed Christ. They allknew his reputation for having his way,and they did not resist when he hauledthem into the mission to hear the gospel.At the mission he met Mignon Brandon,who often visited with a special music pro-gram. They fell in love and were marriedin 1915.

That year fummer left medical schoolto prepare for the ministry at Whinier Col-lege and then attended the Bible Instituteof [.os Angeles from 1917 to 1918.

He was ordained and became pastor ofFirst Friends Church in that city in 1916.He later went on leave to work with Vorld\ilar I servicemen under the auspices of theYMCA. Here he got his first taste ofIarge-scale evangelism.

After the war fummer began full-timeitinerant evangelism, reaching southernCalifomia and gradually other westem andsouthwestern points. At the same time he

RII{DAMENTALIST JOURNAL

took the oppornrnity to engage in fieldarcheological expeditiors. Discovering andsrudying human and animal remains 6rr-nished firsthand evidence to illustrate manylectures and refi.rte evolutionists.

Students facing the inevitable conflictbetween faith and evolution came to fum-mer for advice and information. Some o(the young people wanted to accept boththe theory of evolution and Creation. Tothat Rimmer declared that trying to believein both evolution and the Scriptures was"like trying to ride two horses going in dif-ferent directions."

In 1920, because of the growing con-troversy on evolution and the biblical ac-count of Creation, Rimmer founded theResearch Science Bureau to "encourageand promote research in such sciences ashave direct bearing on the inspiration andinfallible nature of the Holy Bible; todisseminate information by mears of pubiiclectures and printed material concerningthe harmony of true science and the in-spired Word of God."

Mignon and their three children, Bran-don, Duncan, and Catherine, were in-volved with the project. Brandon recallshow his father would come home frommeetings, his pockets bulging with thenames of people who had bought bureaumemberships at five dollars each. "Motherwould address envelopes, and we would allsit around the dining room table, stuffingpamphlets-messages by my father onscience and the Bible." His printedmaterials became more and more vital ashe realized that the need was greater thanhe could begin to meet through personalcontact. These pamphlets were the hum-ble beginnings of the powerful apologeticbooks fummer authored over the years.

ln 1934 Rimmer accepted a call to be-come pastor of the First PresblterianChurch, Duluth, Minnesota, under anarrangement permirting him to ministerelsewhere six months each year. By thenRimmer's science bureau was gefting somuch mail that a postal official toldDr. Rimmer, "You have put Duluth on theworld mao."

As the demands of the pastorate in-creased fummer left the posifion to devotehimself fully to itinerant evangelism, Bibleconferences, and meetings with college anduniversity srudents.

From his lefters to Mignon over theyears.we get a brief glimpse of a few of hisuavels:

"Scheduled for every high school andcollege in the city, including the medicalcollege and every lunchmn group. . . .

Rn r er declaredthot trying to belieuein both evolution aldthe Scri ptures-was

"like trying to ride twohorses going in

diff er ent dir ectiorls. "

"Tomorrow I have the whole srudentbody for one hour on 'The Antiquiry ofMan.' I'll follow that with a lecture to thegeoiogy section, then the biology section,then the entire group again. Next week anentire series, closing with an evangelisticmessage. . . . The door is not only wideopen-but off the hingesl"

In a 1931 letter to its members, theAmerican Professronal Institute of Duluthdescribed Dr. Rimmer this way:

"Did you ever imagine yourself listen-ing to Lowell Thomas and Floyd Gibbonswrapped up in one speaker? You justmissed that in the person of Dr. fummer,who conducted a series of talks at the FirstPresby'terian Church on science and theBible and who spoke to us on Science'sContriburion to Civilizarion. In one of thefinest speeches our club has ever heard,Dr. fummer held us fascinated and yetamused. . . . He unfolded for usanthropological and geological aspects ofthe past, told us of amazing accomplish-ments of physics and chemistry of the pres-ent, and prophesied as to the accomplish-ments of science in the future. We aredeeply grateful."

Dr. fummer told the full story of oneof his most dramatic experiences in That

chaeological studies, ndayb Hand-bmk of Bible Times & Customsoutlines the cultural, social andpolitical backgrounds of the Oldand New Testament. It includesauthentic little-known facts aboutpeople of ancient times; theirfood, clothing, home life, medi-cine, sexual practices, vocations,music, politics and much more.

Clearly organized and illustratedwith hundreds of photos, it's anauthoritative, up-to-date reference

$li5Jn"= actually fun to read!

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ffiBernard R. DeRemeris a free-lance writer inArlington, Virginia.

DECEMBER 1984

Lawsuit Agairrt thc Bible. ln i932 theResearch Science Bureau offered $100 "toany person who would establish a scien-tific mistake in the Bible." The offer waspublished in newspapers and magazines of27 countries plus innumerable radio broad-casts and meetings all over America. Thisgenerated an enorrnous response based on"every fantasric theory and wild imaginingof unbelief."

Aker 7 years with no successful claim-ant, the bureau canceled the original offerand made a more eiaborate one of $1,000to any person who would "discover andprove an error of science in theBible," subject to certain conditions.

\filliam Floyd, of New York City, ac-cepted the challenge and began by claim-ing that the Bible "states that the creationwas effected in six days, whereas theuniverse has evolved gradually throughmillions of years, as proven by manybranches of science," and went on to listother alleged "errors."

He filed a list of 53 alleged scientificerrors in the Bible, but a New York City

municipal judge ruled that "you havewasted the time of this court for a day anda half, and you have failed to prove onesingle iteml"

Rimmer concluded that for 27 vears hehad studied "the sciences which touchupon the content ofthe Bible, and I havenever yet found an error in its marvelouspages."

'\7orld \far II mobilized millions of men

and opened many doors of oppomrnity forHarry Rimmer. One of them was theMorning Cheer Center, at Fort Dix, NewJersey, for which fummer helped raisefunds. He told of 1,163 men crowded intoa building designed for 250, saying, "l havesometimes thought we couldnt get anotherman in there with talcum powder and ashoehorn."

The purpose was to provide a cleanChristian atmosphere where servicemencould relax, rest, and play, and to presentChrist for those heading for the battlefieldsof the world. Multitudes were reached andmanv decisions for Christ were made.

As is often the case, with giants of thefaith, fummer's most lasting contributioncame via his pen. The Library of CongressCard Catalog contains 38 entries under hisname. Eerdmans Publishing Company hasonly two titles in print: Modem kimce mdthe Genesis Record and The Hannony ofScimce and Scripntre.

Rimmer had planned two final years oftravel before retiring to devote himselffully to writing. "Magazine articles werepromised and long delayed; books plannedand even outlined, eagerly awaited by hispublishers." But an earlier cancer spread tohis lungs, and his last days were markedby severe coughing spells and increasingweaKness.

ln February 1952Harcy fummer wroteto Charles E. Fuller, of the OldfashionedRevival Hour, a letter that was read on thebroadcast and later printed in a numberof magazines:

Next Sunday you are to talkabout heaven. I am interested inthat land because I have held aclear title to a bit of property therefor over 50 years. I did not buy it.It was given to me without moneyand without price; but the Donorpurchased it at tremendoussacrifice,

I am not holding it for specula-tion, since the title is not transfer-rable. It is not a vacant lot. For Ihave been sending materials, out of

which the greatest Architect andBuilder of the Universe has beenbuilding a home for me, which willnever need. remodeling or repairsbecause it will suit me perfectly, in-dividually, and will never grow old.

I hope to hear your serrnon onheaven next Sunday, but I have noassurance I shall be able to do so.My ticket to heaven has no datemarked for the journey-no returncoupon, and no permit for baggage.Yes, I am ready to go, and I may notbe here while you are talking nextSunday evening, but I will meet youThere some day.One moming after a rain, the nurse

parted the curtains in his room. Mrs. Rim.mer said, "See the rainbow in the sky,dear?" Rimmer smiled and answered."Mansions." Three days later, he enteredhis prepared mansion. D

Sunday, September 29,1940, dawnedbright and beautiful in !ilashington, D.C.I spent the morning in Dupont Circlestmggling to assimilate some mighty dif-ficult facts about Palmlithic man for classesat George Washington University, whichI had just entered.

That night after supper with friends, Iwent with one of them to an evangelisticmeeting, a unique e><perience for me. WhileI had been exposed to the gospel messageon a few occasions, it never made any im-pact before. That night was destined to befar different.

The speaker emphatically declared thata debt once paid can never be chargedagain. My heart had been touched, but Idid not budge to go forward during theinvitation. On the way home my com-panion, a Moody Bible lnstirute graduateand prospective missionary, led me to asaving knowledge of Christ.

That service, which so wonderfullyprepared me for salvation, was my in-troduction to the inimitable Harrv fum-mer. G. Campbell Morgan called him"God's most power6:l voice in thisgeneration."

\fhile fighting the evolutionists seemsto be a cunent phenomenon, Harry Rim-mer spent the first half of this century asan ardent apologist, defending the biblicalaccount of Creation with both historicaland scientific information.-BRD

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THUNDEB IN THE PULPIT

And God said, Let the earthbring forth grass, the herb yield-ing seed, and the fruit tree yield-ing fruit after his kind, whoseseed is in itself, upon the earth:and it was so. And the earthbrought forth grass, and herbyielding seed after his kind, andthe tree yielding fivit, whose seedwas in itself , after his kind: andGod saw that it was good. Andthe evening and the morningwere the third day (Gen.l:11-13)

n such simple languageas this does Mosescover the stupendous

Botany and the Rose of SharonI

by Harry Rimmer

ar. l o . .wrcnprure s4ys

I

botnn\ comein responseto a commnndof God. Thematerialist sors

botony is the result of the nnhnoltendency to combinntion inherent

in the particles of matter.

combine without some kind ofactive agent to force the com-binarions; so he does not assem-ble on the dinner table theelements of a meal, and then sitdown and wait until they com-bine themselves into a meal tosatisfy his hunger. He wouldstarve to death while he waitedlInstead, he gets the elementsalready combined in an edibleform by some crearure whichhts been aliue, and there is noother kind of food for man thatwill sustain his life indefinitely.

Plants are well-regrrlated ma-chines, or perhaps a better fig-ure would be to say that everycreature of botany is a well-regulated chemical laboratory,

fact of vegetation, which is thefirst appearance, in his record,of uitali1. Note that on thepreceding days of Creation nothing is mentioned or dealt withexcept inorganic mafter. In that realm there is no growth, reproduc-tion, change, or mutation, but things remain as they originate,subject only to the law of degeneration. Granite decomposes, suf-fers erosion, and becomes in tum gravel, sand, dust, soil, but thereare no infant granites being brought into being by the ancientrocks of this system! The plants are the first things to appear withthe power of reproduction, and with the abiliry to multiply andpossess new terTltory.

The whole round globe teems with the creatures of botany.Vhat is the origin of this order of life? There are two answerswhich are in absolute opposition to each other, and cannot bereconciled. Scripture says botany came in response to a fiat com-mand of the omnipotent God, and thus is His creation. Thematerialist, or the naturalist philosopher does not agree with this,and says, instead, that botany is the result of the narural ten-dency to combination inherent in the particles of mafter.

A very brief examination will convince the ffue scientist thatthe theory of naturalism must be rejected, as particles of matterdo not combirc. but on the contrary th4 mtut be cunbined! Tlnetendency to combine would be a natural process if it existed, butparricles that are combined demand direction, force, power, super-vision, and above all else, intelligence! There is no tendency in-herent in matter to form combinations. As an instance, nitrogenand oxygen will combine, but only under certain circumstancesand in obedience to force exerted. Under the influence of strongelectric currents this process will occur, and every laboratory workerrealizes the *ubbornness of nitrogen in its narural state.

Even the materialist knows in practice that elements will not

DECEMBER 1984

functioning with amazing consistency. There is no machine with-out the inventor, who thinks it out and assembles it, and decidesthe power that operates it. Thus we seem to be brought up tothe conclusion reached by Moses through the revelarion that Godgave him; namely, that the world of botany is the result of thecreative oower of God.

Moses starts his record with the mention of grass. The amaz-ing manner in which grass, the absolute essential to animal life,covers the earth has been commented on many rimes, not onlyby the scienrist, but by the layman as well. \ilherever there is soilenough to sustain roots, grass comes into possession of that bitof dry land. Quietly, humbly, with no shout of marching forcesor display of banners, but with power sufficient to cleave thestoutest stone and to lift and spread concrete sidewalks, the grassconquers where it is left alone to work its will.

All grasses are good for food for some creature or another, be-ing amazingly well equipped to convert the invisible powers ofsunlight into chemical constituents, and to organize, concentrate,and make these elements accessible to animals as food. From theirstant that the grass springs into being, the whole plant works,root and blade alike, to fulfill its function in obedience to the com-mands of God who creatd it.

To every creature of the world of botany certain individualpowers and uses have been given, but certain functions andorganizations are common to all of them, Thus we see that allthe plants have roots, which no other order of life can be saidto possess. Two functions are perficrmed by this perFect arrange-ment, the first being mechanical-to anchor and balance the plant,and to act as a retaining structure in the face of *ress. In the same

47

ome two years ago I took my two boys ro the upper waters of the SanJoaquin River on a fishing trip after steelhead salmon. \7hen we madecamp we discovered a field of watermelons across the road, and after a

little chat with the owner we acquired (legally) one of the biggest and best melonswe had seen that year. Ten minutes later, back in camp, we were buried up toour ears in the aforesaid melon, when one of our camp neighbors came over andengaged my oldest boy in conversation. He said, "Boy, do you like warermelon?"My son replied, "Yes sir. Did you ever see a boy who didn'tl" The man smiledand said, "I suppose you know where that watermelon came from?" The lad said"Yes sir, God made it for us to enjoy." The fellow was an infidel, and his faceturned brick-red with exasperation. He snorted, "Bahl God made nothing. Thatwatermelon just came because of the nature of all plants. They desire to haveseeds so that their kind will persisr, and continue ro exist. Get that fool idea ofGod out of your head; that melon came just so the plant would have a placeto keep its seed in safety."

I waited to see what the lad would say. At first he looked puzzled and thena slow grin came over his face and he said, "No, Mister, you are wrong. \ilaita minute and I will show you why." He turned back into the rent, and quicklyreturned with a small gourd in his hand. It was about as big as a baseball, round,hard, and so tough that they had been bouncing it on a huge rock most of thetime they had been playing with it. Holding this gourd up ro the doubter theboy shook it, so that it rattled, and said, "Do you hear that/ It's fulI of seeds;in fact it has more seeds in it than a watermelon. But this gourd is too toughto eat; it has no taste, no sugar, and no juice. These seeds are safe, so the plantwill live again. The watermelon seeds will never grow, because the melon is sogood to eat we pick it and throw the seeds into the garbage can! Now ir seemsto me that if the watermelon vine just wanted to make a holder for its seeds,it would not have wasted time making 30 or 40 pounds of nice, sweet, juicy redmeat that would tempt us to eat it, and to keep the plant from making use ofthe seeds. It would make a gourd or something else nothing could use, No, sir.God made it for us to enjoy, so if you will excuse me, I'll just go back to mineand enjoy it." Faith, plus intelligence, is able always to meet the silly reasoningof irrfidelity, even when that faith is in the heart of a child. and the intellieenceonly that of a lad. *Harry Rimmer

fashion, the intelligent engineer buries alog that he calls a "dead man" to anchorhis towering poles, and afford an anchorto hold them upright when the pressureof the wind becomes too great.

The root system of the planr or rrec isin accordance with the shap and size ofthe tree, the need in each individual casebeing exactly met by the provision for thatneed. Thus, a tree that towers far up intothe air has a deep root which goes fardown into the soil to afford a counter-balance agaimt that height.

The second and even more imponanrf-rnction of the root is to feed the p1ant.The plant is a chemical device that as-sembles and ftansmutes certain elementsinto food, and the work is done by theIeaves and roots. The termini of the rootsare tiny threadlike parricles called rootlets,and these are the "mouths" of the plant.Out of the soil these rootlets take thechemical elements that the parent plant

48

needs, and they never make a mistake!How many students of chemisrry make thisproud boast; that they never made a mis-take all their lives, nor confi:sed onechemical with anotherl This, however, theroots can mthfully claim. lf it is potassiumthat part icular plant requires, potassium iswhat the root chooses out of all the ele-ments of the soil. If it is nitrogen, then theroot takes nitrogen. So absolute is thechemical knowledge apparently possessedby these roots, that the roots of 20 differentspecies may all be tangled in one indis-tinguishable mass, yet each tiny root willinvariably choose fiom the many chemicalelements available just those required byt h p n o r e n t n l a n t

At the same time that the roots are per-forming this function in the soil, the leavesare functioning as the "lungs" of the plant.Not only does the plant "breathe" bymeans of the leaves, but these leaves alsohave power to take out ofthe atmosphere

invisible marter conveyed by the rays ofthe sun, and apply these to the problemof plant production. Certain food valuesare put into the plant by the lights, as wellas by the food it gets from the soil. Thusan amazing and ingenious machine fi-rnc-tions all through the life of the plant, forthe benefit of man and beast alike.

V4ren we turn to the division of plantlife we call the flowers, we are once morefaced with a perfect proof of design andcreation. Flowers are common to all plantlife, from grass to the tallest rrees. Theremust be flowers before there can be fruitor seeds, and there is no more {iuitful orprofitable sphere of study for the scientistthan that offered by the flowers. Eachblossom is colored to attract to the parenrplant just the amount of heat and the kindof light rays the plant needs, and there isa very specific and material reason for thesecolors. So intricately is the problem inter-related, that the amount of heat elementsthe plant gets is determined by the flower'scolor, ar-rd this also assures that shade ofcolor in the next crop of flowers, so rhatthe process may be continued, to rhe last-ing benefit of the plant.

Flowers are not only exquisite in color,but in shape, form, and structure as well.It may havc been intended as a poetic ref-erence when the Lord Jesus Christ said,"Consider thc lilies of the field, how they

$ow; they toil not, neither do they spin:and yet I say unto you, That c-ven Solomonin all his glory was not arrayed like one ofthese" Matt. 6:2&29), but it was also a tmescientific observation. lt is absolute truth,as was every word that fell from His lips.

After the blosrcms come the seeds, andthey also are an able witness to the factof specific creation. Our Lord calls atten-tion to their ftuirfulness when He statesthat some of the "good seed" brought forth60-, 70-, and 100-fold. Were this not sothere would be no science of agriculture,no business of farming, and no food forman. If the farmer got only one or twoseeds back for every one he planted, wherewould his increase come in/ But the verythought of planting and growing is boundup in the companion thought of increase,and the two are inseparable.

A sunflower will reproduce 4,000 seedsfrom one seed that is planted, and sweetcorn much more than that. The land areaof the entire United States is about3,743,344 square miles; but if we saved andplanted all the progeny of one grain ofcorn, in three years we could have enoughto plant the entire United States, as thickly

FLI}JDAMEMAUST JOURNAL

as corn is ordinarily planted by the farmerin his fields. No wonder God said, "lt isgood,"

So God, at the end of this Third Day,looked at all His work and said of theworld of botany, "It is good." What reason-ing being can refirse to agree with thatdivine comrnendation? It rs good.

It is good for food. In some varieties wefind nourishment in the leaves, some feedus by their roots, others by their stalks, andof some we eat all three. It is good forshelter, so the desert traveler erects himselfa house of canvas for the temporary abid-ing place of the night. In the world ofbotany there are various powers and prop-erties that have a healing influence uponthe suffering bodies of humaniry. Theseproperties must have been imparted tothese growing things at the time of theircreation. Ifthe lordJesus has incorporatedin some botanical creature, drugs that healthe body of men when used by human in-telligence, who then is the ultimate healer?

The references to this order of life thatare met with in the Scripture are many andvaried. Peter says, "Al1 flesh is as grass, andall the glory of man as the flower of grass"(1 Peter 1:24). Like the grass, we must fadeaway and die; yet the dead grass ascendsand arises to a newness of life, and all fleshis as grass.

Again our Lord says, "I am the vine,ye are the branches" (John 15:5). Separatethe branch from the vine, and the branchwill die. Take away all the branches, andno vine is left. \ile note also that fruitalways comes on the branches, never onthe trunk of the tree or the vine.

Flowers also enter into the blessedBook, for Jesus is called the "Lily of theValley," and to Him is ascribed all thesweetness and beauty of that entrancingbloom. The most poetic and pleasing namethat is ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christis perhaps the "Rose of Sharon." \X4rat isa rose? It is a creation of God that Hedesigned and endowed with power to takethe unseen beaury of the heavenly light ofthe sun. and make it visible to the humaneye. Also it has the power to capture theelusive fragrance of the ethereal atmosphereand condense it into sweet perf:me to de-light the soul of man. So Jesus, the "Roseof Sharon," was incarnated to walk amongmen, and to bring to ihem in visible formall the beaury and light of God, and todistill among us the fragrance of heavenitself. He who was God became man, thatHe might make the invisible Father real tous, and by His very presence set us yearn-

DECEMBER 1984

ing for the scenes ofsplendor, beauty, andglory in that home He has prepared forthose who love Him.

The world of botany praises God. Thesea, the dry land, the green grass, and thetallest trees, they all cry aloud that Moseswas right when he said that they are theresults of the creative power of an omnipo..tent God. All the creatures of God, savesinning man alone, unite to sing Hispraises, to do His will gladly, and to 6rnc-

tion for the purposes for which He createdthem. Not only do they testify that Moses,who knew none of these facts that sciencehas now confirmed, was right in all hewrote; but they challenge us with a clarioncall to join in with all Creation in the wor-ship and praise of Creation's God. D

Adapted from MdJtm Uw nl the Greis Reod by Haryfummu. Ured by pmision of \Tilliam B. Eedmm fublishing Com-pany, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"An urgent call to Christian activism which also gives sound andpractical solutions to the pressing issues of the day. Whether youagree or disagree, this book is absolutely essential reading."

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The Baptist Bulletin"On our scale of 1-10, i t 's a 10."

UPI Radio Network"Franky Schaeffer has uncovered and identified a number of dis-turbing trends within evangelical Protestantism . . . All evangelicalChristians should be alarmed."

James Hitchcock, Professor of History, Sf. Louls U."Every Christian who takes his faith seriously needs to face up tothe issues raised in Bad News for Modern Man."

Dr. Homer A. Kent, President, Grace Seminary and College"ln this important book, Franky Schaeffer deals with controversialweaknesses within the church. Those who are tired of an anemicChristianity will applaud this book."

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'Wesley R. Willis

Ahh-your tree sund.s ccrnplete. Yan haveplmned euery gift with precision and each isunapped beautifully. Euen thz extra box ofcartdl it radJ, shntll the wrcamtd or forgot-ten friend. ariue with gift in hnnd. ExtraChnsrmas cards are signed, sea)ed, and ruilyto ollress and senl-iwt tn case . . .

ow many gifu have you pur-chased at the last minute, toreciprocate for a gift given to

you? And how many Christmas cards haveyou frantically mailed on December 24thbecause you received one you were not ex-pecting? Probably all of us, at one time oranother, have found ourselves embar-rassed becaur someone gave us somethingwhen we had nothing to give in rerurn.

Unfomrnately much of our giving re-

Wesley R. Willis 'ssenior uice president ofScripture Press, tYheaton

Illinois. He hntds a Ph.L).from Indiana Uniuersity,Bloomington, Indiana.

flects the concept of parity-making surethe gift we give is of equal value to the onewe receive. Indeed some folks are deeplydisturbed if they give a gift and do notreceive a comparable one. Because of this,much of the joy of giving is lost. Givingbecomes a commercial exercise in equaliz-ing value given with value received.

Of course it does not have to be thisway. And in many instances it is not.However, there may be a relationship be-tween our level of marurity and our at-titudes toward giving. As we mature, ourunderstanding of giving and receivingchanges. At least three different attitudestoward giving correspond with levels ofmaturity. Ve all began at level one. Ourprimary concern then was with what wereceived. The child drooling over the"Chrisrmas !ilish Book" typifies this im-mature level. Receiving is the goal, and themore the better. Some never mature be-

vond this selfish level.Level two is an improvement. At this

level we want to give. We have maruredto the place where we understand Paul'squotation of Christ's teaching, "lt is moreblessed to give than to receive." While thiscertainly is a higher level of understanding,it may reflect incomplete maturity because

the motivation can still be selfish. Some liketo give because it makes them feel superior.Slogans such as "Give, you'll feel good thatyou did," recognize that much of our giv-ing stems from selfish motivation.

Level three reflects a high level of ma-turity in which we are willing to receivebecause it can make the giver happy. Ofcourse this means that the receiver is notin the position of power. Indeed it requiresmaturity and humility to graciously acceptwhat is given. Progress from level one,through level rwo, and on to level threeis normal. But it'does not necessarily comeautomaticallV.

One way to help people mature in theseareas is to plan Christmas celebrations forhome and church to stimulate such marur-ity. Of course this means that more plan-ning needs to go into the celebration.Gdinarily our celebradons mirror those ofprevious years. But by beginning to planearly, meaningful activities can be built intoChristmas festivities.

Those who are still at level one mustbe challenged to think more about givingthan about receiving. Instead ofnurturinga "geting" atritude, the church should em-phasize reaching out to others. One churchorganized an "adopt-a-church" program. A

50 FUNDAMENTAUST JOURNAI

relationship was established with anotherchurch in a depressed area. Children wereencouraged to go shopping with parents forgifts to be taken to a child in the otherchurch. Rather than just thinking aboutthe things that they would receive, thechildren were helped to think about giv-ing to make others happy.

Chrisrian families can adopt missionaryfamilies of about the same size. Rather thanpurchasing gifts only for those in their ownfamily, each person chooses to have oneof his gifts (or the money that would havebeen spent on that gift) sent to the cor-responding member of the missionaryfamily. This not only helps stimulate giv-ing, but it also forges closer relationshipswith missionary families.

IJnf*tunately muchof our gtvin1 reflectsthe concept of parity-mokin1 sure the Stftwe glve is of equnluolue to the one we

recetue,

Why not encourage Sunday school de-parrments to minister to other age groups?For example, the junior children could plana Christmas program to present to the pre-primaries, Some of the departmental timecould be spent preparing a musical or dra-matic program. Shortly before Christmas,the juniors could perform their "Chrisrmaspresent" for the younger children. Or per-haps the teens could volunteer to babysitfor the young couples' class so they couldgo shopping without their children.

Often church groups go Christmascaroling. Vhy not encourage meaningfulinteraction along with the singing? If yourteens carol or conduct a service at a nurs-ing home, plan to have some time after-ward with the people there. The dme spentlistening, and just caring about the ill orelderly may mean more than anlthing elsethey could do. Sharing, listening, andperhaps holding an eiderly hand is a wayto learn to receive love-love that elderlyperson otherwise might have no way ofexpressing.

DECEMBER 1984

Once people learn to give, they needto learn how to receive graciously. Perhapsone of the best ways to reemphasize thisis to remind people of God's gift of salva-rion. At Christmas, people tend ro be moresensitive to spiritual matters, and there isno better rime to tell them about the great-est gift they can receive. Take the oppor-tunity to explain why God gave His Son,that we may have life and have it moreabundantly (John 10:10).

Chrisrmastime is a delighrfully festivetime. Yet our celebration is often routineand self-centered. Be sure you begin earlyenough to plan meaningfi:l activiries. \7orkat balancing gving and receiving. Helpthose who are in the process of growingup spirirually to maftrre to higher levels.Make Christmas a true time of spirirualcelebration and rejoicing. D

Adapred by permision. Copyright 1983, Scipture Prs Publica,tioro, Inc., Wheaton, lllinois.

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Religion in the Secular City:Toward a Postmodern Theology

arvey Cox of Harvard DivinitySchool, and author of TheSeanlar Ciry, now gives us

Religion in the Secular City: Toward aPostmodernTheology. He might well havecalled it The Ciry of God Strikes Bacl<. Theoriginal book was written in the 1960swhen liberal theologians were declaringthat "God is deadl' Now one of thebrightest stars in the liberal theologicalconstellation proclaims in essence that, tothe contrary, "modern theology is deadl'

The subtitle more accurately indicateswhere Cox is headed with this work:Toward a Postndem Theology.ln a sensethis is a theological version of JohnNaisbitt's Megotrends. He claims that liberaltheology served its purpose, and spoke aneeded word in its day, but it has nowceased to ask the right questions of theright people. Addressing itself to the wrcngaudience (other scholars mostly), it illicitsanswers to questions few people are ask-ing in the last quarter of the twentiethcentury. The real action is elsewhere. Butwhere?

Cox believes that most of today'stheology is coming from the far right andthe far left, or as he puts it, "from the bot-tom and the edge." There are theologicalprofessors and writers of the Roman Cath-olic church, mainline Protestant denomi-nations, Evangelicals, and Southern Bap-tists who will be shocked that the liberalbooks and journals they read, copied,taught, and discussed so eagerly are nowrelegated to the past, of importance mostlyto historical theologians. The reason? They

William Matheny ischairman of the Diuisiono/ Missions and Cross-Cuhural Studies, Lib ertyBaptist College, Llnchburg,Virginia. He holds a Ph.D.

from Tixas Christian Uniuersitl, FortVorth. Texas.

Modern fi}1*gl*gy lDead

do not address the plight ofthe poor andthe structures of oppression (to Cox capi-talism, consumerism) that keep them poor.

In Part One, Cox analyzes moderntheology from the conservative perspec-tive, devoting 53 pages to his opinion of"redneck religionl' Since the conservativereligious spectrum is too vast to discussin a comprehensive way, he selects JerryFalwell as a symbol of where the actionis on the right. After sharing his impres.sions of a visit to Thomas Road BaptistChurch, he leads into the most interestingchapter in Part One: "Tiue Reason, TiueScience, and Tiue Faith: The Burden ofFundamentalist Theologyl' He begins bysaying, "There are no modern theologianswho study it [Fundamentalism] seriouslyas theology. This is unfortunatel'He thenproceeds to do just that, using as his sam-ple Liberty Baptist College and Seminaryin Lynchburg, Virginia.

Liberty Baptist College, thefast-growing institution founded byJerry Falwell in 1971, together withLiberty Baptist Seminary, providethe intellectual core of the wholeLynchburg complex. The faculty islargely young and vigorous. Thebuildings and laboratory are brand-new. There is an upbeat fiontierquality. The professors talk excitedlyabout the day Liberty Baptist willbecome a full-fledged university.There must have been a similar at-mosphere among the eager youngpreacher-educators who founded acollege along the banks of theCharles River in 1636. [The latterrefers to the beginning of HarvardUniversity.]He seemed surprised to find serious

theology and philosophy in a fi.rndamen-tal Christian setting, and zeros in onDavid Beck, chairman of the Departmentof Philosophy and Apologetics, who holdsa doctorate from Boston University, andGary Habermas, a professor in that depart-

ment who holds a Ph.D. from MichiganState University and is co-author of abook on the famous Shroud of Tirrin.Cox writes, in reference to Beck:

Whether he is right or not, itis significant that he does not merelyappeal to the authority of an iner-rant Bible (which he does believein) to make his case. Rather, hedisplays a confidence in the powerof reasonable discourse to help set-tle basic philosophical issues. Pro-fessor Beck's style and his assump-tions . . . are reminiscent of the pre-modern and ear ly modernphilosophers . . . it can be seen askeeping alive a once highly respectedphilosophical tradition which, giventhe decline and disarray of contem-porary philosophy, may once againemerge (in a postmodern philosoph-ical atmosphere?) as a viable possi-bility. In fact this may already haveoegun.

The point is that Fundamentalists havea rational faith in reference to both phi-losophy and science, and Liberalism doesnot. This is just the reverse of the usualstereotype.

\Uhat obviously fascinates Cox, how-ever, is the Moral Majority and the politi-cal clout of the "new rightl'This is a com-mon denominator he finds between theFundamentalists and the liberation theo-logians-the interjection of biblical prin-ciples and kingdom-of-God values (aseach group sees them) into the politicalarena. Those who insisted that religionand politics don't mix, quoting separationof church and state cliches they usuallyinvented themselves, are seeming to saythat the vital areas of legal/political/economic structures that mean so muchin the daily life of the people do not meanmuch to God. To the contrary, Cox in-sists that people cannot live in the man-ner God intended, if political and eco-nomic stmcnles are manipulated in a man-

A 2DECEMBER 1984

ner God did not intend. The only waythe oppressed peoples of the world canbe what God meant them to be is to getinto the political process, one way oranother, get their hands on the levers ofpower, and reorder the structures ofsoci-ety in a way more pleasing to Cod.

Cox is on more familiar ground whenhe deals with "The Radical Critique ofModern Theology" in Part Two. He is ob-viously enamored with the liberationistswho go to bat for the poor, the down-trodden, and the oppressed. He feels thatwhat is going on among the poor in the"base communities" (of Latin Americamostly) is an authentic work of God, andwill have as important an impact on the6.rture of theology as the Protestant Refor-mation of the sixteenth century.

Cox takes Father Ernesto Cardenal ofNicaragua as his symbolic personality onthe left. Father Cardenal, "the controver-sial priest, poet, and symbol of Christianparticipation in revolution]' has heldvarious posts in the Sandinista govern-ment, including minister of cultural af-fairs, head of the Sandinista youth oryani-zation, chief of neighborhood defensecommittees, and is now minister of edu-cation (according to an Associated Pressnews release dated July 20, 1984).

This points up a criticism the book islikely to receive: the difficulty of compar-ing apples with oranges (which Cox recog-nizes). The Fundamentalist examples aremostly right of center-U.S., Baptist, blue-collar to middle-class people in a freesociety. The liberationist examples are

mostly left of center, Roman Catholic,poorest of the poor, with relatively littlecontrol over their lives, living in oligarchy-or military-ruled "republics" in LatinAmerica.

Part Three is an apologetic for libera-tion theology, which will be the majorcomponent of the postmodern theology,in Cox's view. He rejects Fundamentalismas the major force of the 6:ture becauseit is too divided, too dependent on themass media, too centered on the indi-vidual, too committed to capitalistic valuesand structures, shows too little concernfor the poor (collectively as a class), doesnot take prcsent problems seriously enoughbecause of its "imminent return of Christ"eschatology, is too committed to an iner-rant Scripture, and has a system of the-ology based mainly on what happens afteryou die.

Some of his cuts at the free enterprisesystem, the middle class, "consumerism,"the United States, and Western civiliza-tion in general will probably make somereaders angry, but they need to hear whatCox is saying. The book tells Fundamen-talists where "the other guys" are comingfrom.

There are some minor miscues. For ex-ample, on page 45 he credits the BaptistBible Rllowship International with "thirry-five thousand churches in Americal'Ac-tually the number is closer to 3,000 (the35,000 churches belong to the SouthernBaptist Convention and represent a figurefor about 1981-82). By way of interpreta-tion, Cox underestimates the importance

of the local churches to the Fundamen-talist resurgence (their "base communities"if you will, where the intimate face-to-faceencounters take place), and overstresses o,the electronic media as their source ofstrength. However, to nitpick minor de-tails would not do credit to the impor-tance of the book.

The most serious problem that Fun-damentalists have with the book is withliberation theology itself, rather thanCox's presenration of it. Actually, histreatment is more balanced, measured,and less strident than most. Readers ofa more conservative theological bent willnote that he must redefine all the majorChristian doctrines to make the libera-tionist "new theology" hold together, anddefend this procedure with a "new herme-neutic" to make it stick.

\7hat we have presented to us by Coxin liberation theology is therefore nor theold modernist theological package with afew minor adjustments. No, this newtheology represents a paradigm shi/t ofsignificant proportions with far-reachingimplications. If Cox is right in believingthat the theology of the postmodernchurch will be most heavily influenced"from the bottom and the edge" (and heprobably is), then winning the struggle be-tween opposing edges should not be amatter of indifference to the Christianchurches (or the world in general for thatmatter). The future envisioned by thesetwo edges is as different as the fi.rture in"The Planet of the Apes" is from thefirture in "Star

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FUNDAMENTAIIST JOURNAL

TUTVconclusion that God does heal today,but not miraculously through men,because this is not His method of heal-ing in our day (p.8a).

Mayhue also discusses reportedhealings today, citing documentedcases of misleading reports, deliberatefraud, satanic involvement, the healingcapacity of the body, wrong medicaldiagnoses, and psychosomatic andemotionally induced illnesses. One onlywishes the author would have givensome space to specific techniquesemployed by modern faith healers.Such an investigation would itself ex-plain the majority of so-called divinehealings performed today.

Parl 2 of the book focuses on theChristian's response to sickness. In-cluded here is a helpful study of James5:14-2O. Mayhue argues forcefully forsymbolic anointing and prayer by theelders with the expectation of divinehealing / the sickness is sin-relatedand proper confession is made. Theauthor concludes by looking at someof God's purposes for allowing sick-ness and illustrating these with a per-sonal example and a fascinating inter-view with Joni Eareckson Tada.

The appendixes are an invaluablestudy tool, listing topically the biblicalpassages relating to healing. They arean excellent place to begin ones studyof this subject.

While there will not be comoleteagreement on every point made in thisbook, it is probably the best singlevolume the pastor or layman can haveon the subject. lt is a well-outlined,well-indexed work, valuable for study,reference, and for the one confrontedby today's healing movement.

Tough Times Never Last,But Tough People Do!by Robert Schuller, Thomas Nelson,1983, 238pp. , $12.95 .

Rev iewed by Rona ld Hawk ins ,assoc ia te p ro f essor o f pas tora lcounsel ing, Liberty Bapt ist Col legeand Seminary, Lynchburg, Virginia.

This is a great book! Surprised?Don't be. . . Robert Schul ler is an ex-cellent writer who has given somepositive help to people in trouble. Whilethis book reveals Schuller's weak the-ology, this book offers help to peoplefacing problems.

ln Tough llmes Schuller weavesbeautiful biographies of real peoplestruggling with real prqblems. The workis laced with Schulleribtic proverbs of"possibility thinkingl' For example: "Whenyou've exhausted all possibilities,remember this: You haven't!" "Never leta problem become an excusel' "God'sdelays are not God's denialsl' "Betterto do something imperfectly than to donothing flawlessly." While these con-ceots are true. he fails to demonstratethem from Scripture.

The author also orovides excellentlists of how to tackle problems: everyliving human being has problems, everyproblem has a limited life span, everyproblem holds positive possibilities,every problem will change you, youcan choose what your problem will doto you, and there ls a negative and apositive reaction to every problem.

Divine Healing Todayby Richard Mayhue, Moody Press,1983, 168pp. , $5 .95 .

Reviewed by Jarl K. Waggoner,free-lance writer in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Much has been written on the mod-ern healing movement in recent years.Unfortunately most of it has been rathersuperficial and fails to adequately dealwith the scrioturaldata. In Divine Heal-ing Today Richard Mayhue has givenus a book that is thoroughly biblical andeminently practical-a rare combinationof scholarly study and practical insights.

Mayhue's work answers the need ofpastors and laymen for a solid, biblicallybalanced and non-contentious approachto the topic. As a scholar in his own right(Th.D., Grace Seminary), Mayhuedemonstrates careful exegesis andtheological reflection in this study.

Divine Healing Today is a success-ful attempt to throw the light of biblicalrevelation upon this controversial sub-ject. Part 1 of the book deals with thebiblical record of divine healing in theOld Testament, Gospels, Acts, andEpistles. While brief, this overviewraises some interesting points thatmodern faith healers have for the mostpart ignored: God often afflicted; Godhealed unbelievers; Jesus approved ofdoctors; faith was not alrruays necessaryfor healing; healing techniques varied.Also included is a discussion of lsaiah53 and the question of healing in theatonement. Drawing upon Matthew'stranslat ion of lsaiah in 8;14-17 theauthor demonstrates the careful dis-tinction between sacrificially bearingour sins and simply taking away oursicknesses (p.50). He clearly showsthat the redemptive value of the Atone-ment is primary, and there is no presentguarantee of heal ing (pp.52-53). Aprovocative discussion of miracles andwhat constitutes a miracle leads to the

DECEMBER I9B4

His lists also include "Twelve Prin-ciples for Managing Problems Posi-tively" (Don't surrender to forces,faces, frustrations, fantasies, fears,etc.), "Ten Commandments of Possibil-ity Thinkingj' 'Alphabet for Action" (Alfirm, Believq Commit, Darq etc.). Whilemany of these sayings appear simplis-tig they reveal the personal philosophy

perhaps the most professionally pro-duced and informative pro-life film tocome along since Assignment Life.

Watching Conceived in Liberty asit presents the pro-life issue and thereality of abortion is a powerful andmoving experience. The film includesinterviews with the employees of acontainer company as they recounttheir experience of finding 17,OOOaborted fetuses in a garbage containerin southern California. Then, via thepoliticians, the film shows the judicialand legislative battlefield, and the op-posing opinions on all sides of theabortion issue. Abortion is discussedin an informative way by experts in themedical profession who explain theirviews on human life and its beginnings.Probably one of the most moving se-quences shows experimentation doneon an aborted fetus, until the babydies. This scene is accompanied byDr. Bernard Nathanson's comments onthe physician's actions.

A dramatic presentation of abortionis highlighted through a sonogram dur-ing an actual abortion, showing thechild's struggle to escape the probingsuction tool by moving to oppositeends of the womb. As the instrumentbegins to tear and remove sections ofthis living human being, this dot matrixbaby image recoils in pain and dies.

Conceived in Liberty is without adoubt the best update on the pro-lifemovement and a dramatic educationaltool on abortion. American PortraitFilms of Southern California has pro-duced a film that should be viewed bychurch groups, pro-life organizations,schools, and anyone who wants orneeds to be informed on this modern-day holocaust.

Bible 'Chal lengeby Bible Games, Inc., $29.95.

This excellent new game providesa fun-filled learning experience for the

entire family. While Bibte Chailenge isplayed in much the same way as thepopular Trivial Pursuit, the promotersquickly note that the Bible is not trivial.They have designed the game to stim-ulate the players' mental power to re-cord and recall Bible facts. Players winby correctly answering questions indifferent categories such as Old Testa-ment, quotes, places, life of Jesus, andso on.

The well-designed questions covera broad range of difficulty. Some, youngchilcjren will readily answer-others,most adults will not. A helpful touch is

the inclusion of the Scripture referencewith each answer. This allows playersto look up the context of the answersand turn a game into a series of shortBible studies for the whole family or agroup of friends. Part of the genius ofthe game is its flexibility, which en-courages creativity.

The well-crafted and durable gamecarries with it the price of other triviagames, but it is well worth it. -D.8.

Growing Strong in the Seasons ofLifeby Charles R. Swindoll,Multnomah Press, 1983, 4O5pp.,$ 1 2 . 9 5 .

This is an exciting devotionalbook.Charles Swindoll, using the four sea-sons of life and the four seasons of theyear, blends those together with ex-citing devotional truths to create a sen-sitive and beautiful devotional book.There is a wonderful diet of hope forthose who are struggling, challenge forthose who are weary, and inspirationfor those who simply need to be moti-vated to move ahead for the glory ofGod. Scripture is carefully woven intothese devotional thoughts, and herewe see Charles Swindoll at his verybest. -R.H.

FLI\IDAMENTAUST JOURNAI

ROBEBT HSCHULLER

of the nationally known minister. Mostof these principles can be clearly seenin the Proverbs, although the authornever draws the parallel. The chapteron prayer is excellent and powerfullyillustrated by a moving personal ac-count of Schuller and his son.

While Schuller's theology (or lackof it) is the book's greatest weakness,it does offer practical suggestions forhelping negative-minded people whohave given up on God, the Bible, andthemselves. lf Schuller's thesis is true,and tough people do outlast toughtimes, then we need some tough coun-seling to confront those who havedropped out of the race and surren-dered to their problems instead of toGod's solutions.

Conceived in Liberty

58 minutes. Rentaland purchase pricesmay be obtained by writing AmericanPortrait Films of Southem California.1695 W. Crescent Ave., Suite 5OO,Anaheim, California 92801 .

Reviewed by Jim Savley, executivedirector, Save-A-Baby Ministry, Lynch-burg, Virginia.

Conceived in Liberty a definitivefilm about the development of life, is

56

igj

fromthe

God Gave His Sonohn 3:16, one of the most frequently quoted Scriptures,speaks of God's love in His free gift to the world of Hisown Son: "God so loved the world, that he gavei'The

Greek construction here is a rare one in the New Gstament,being found elsewhere only in Galatians 2:13 (insomuch tlwt).By its use, John lays stress on both the cause and the resultsof God's love. The usual New Gstament construction wouldIay emphasis on the relation of God's love as the cause orreason for God's giving; because God loved the world, Hegave. John's construction, however, suggests that the givingis equally as important as the loving: God gave because HeIoued.

Herein lies the truth of the gospel. It is not just that Godis love (1 John 4:8), but that a loving God gave that whichwas most precious to Him, His own dear Son, to effect a lostworld's redemption (1 john 4:9-10). In giving his Son, Godintended more than Christ's living among men; He gave Himto die for sinfrl men (Rom. 5:8, Gal. 2:20).

Jwo other matters are also of crucial significance. Theverbs loued and gaue speak ofan accomplished deed that hap-pened once and for all. They imply that there would be noother "givings" or other redemptive plans (cf. John 1:12;3:17-18,36; 10:17-18; 14:6 with Acts 4:12).

Secondly, there would be no other "sonsl'This One aloneis God's'bnly begotten Sonl'This latter term, although oftenused of human relationships, emphasizes here not the pro-cess of physical procreation, but the uniqueness of the One

thus born. He is the only Son, the one and only child. Suchwas Jairus's daughter (Luke 8:42) and the son of the widowof Nain ([.uke 7:12). The wiiter of Hebrews calls Isaac,Abraharrls 'bnly begotten]' emphasizing the uniqueness ofIsaac's position. Abraham did have other children (Gen.251-4), but not of Sarah, so that Isaac was Abraham's sonin a special sense; he was uniquely "his son" (Gen, Z2:2).

Technically, the word means "only one" (mono) "of itskind" (genes), so that Jesus is the One who alone shows Godthe Father's essential being. Only Christ is both God andfully unfallen man, the God-man.

John uses the term "only begotterl' (monogenes) elsewhereof Jesus' intimate communion with the Father flohn 1:18),of His incarnate display of God's glory and being, "full ofgrace and truth" flohn 7:14), of the reason for Christ'scoming-that believing men might be saved and thus trans-ferred from death to life (1 John 4:9-10), and of the crucialnature of man's decision with regard to Christ: not to believeon God's only Son renders one already under the sentenceof God's judgment (John 3:18; cf. John 3:36).

\Uhat a momentous declarationl "\fhy did Jesus come?"The reason is clear. A loving, concerned God cared for Hiscreated world, despite its enmity, so much that He gave theOne who uniquely is God the Son, in order that, once-for-all, Jesus might be the perfect sacrifice for sins $ohn 10:11;17-18; I John 4:9-10).

PERSONALOOK ATTHE FAITHOF THE

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f a twentieth-centurv adverriser wrotecopy to introduce the Book of Gene-sis, he would probably write: "Your

attention pleasel The infinite and holyCreator of this universe is now ready tobegin His amazing storyl Every singleword is true. No names, dates, or loca-tions have been changed to protect eitherthe innocent or guilty. Here it is, theunabridged, unedited, original, factual,fast-moving account--explaining the who,why, where, when, and how of all things!"

Genesis is, by any conceivable stan-dard, the most important book ever writ-

Genesis, Book of Firststen. It is the foundation to all humanlearning. Genesis is at once the introduc-tion to and the explanation of all things.It clearly gives the origin and purpose ofthe universe, the world, life, and manhimself. One cannot even remotely under-stand anthropology, geology, literature,philosophy, history, theology, or prophecyapart from this book.

Genesis traces to the beginnings ofIsrael, marriage, government, the problemof sin and evil, and the complexity of raceand language. The future activities ofboth Satan the destroyer and Shiloh theSaviour are described (3:15; 49:10).

History's first recorded revival is alsodescribed in Genesis (chap. 35). Genesisis the fourth longest book in the Biblewith 50 chapters, 1,533 verses, and 38,267words. It is quoted or alluded to some 260times in 21 New Gstament books.

Genesis may be divided into two sec-tions, chapters 1-11 and 12-50. During thefirst section God deals in general with theuniverse, nations, and great masses ofpeople. But beginning with the secondsection in Genesis 12, He zeros in on oneman, Abraham, and his descendants. Thefloodlight is now replaced by a spotlight.'\fhile

Genesis spans a total time periodof at least 2,200 years or more, 20 percentof the book (Gen. 1-11) describes the first1,800 years. This covers Creation, the Fall,Flood, and Babel. Eighty percent of thebook (Gen. 12-50) describes the final400years. Here we read of Abraham, Isaac,Jacob, and Joseph.

Genesis 1-11 describes Creation, includ-ing everything from electrons to galaxies,from dinosaurs to dandelions, and fromAdam to angelsl It is the only passage thatdescribes God as resting (2:2-3).lt recordsthe first human to be born (Cain), thefirst man to die (Abel), and the first mannot to die (Enoch) (4:1; 4:8; 5:24).

Here we are introduced to a serpent,a raven, and a dove (3:1; B:7-8). The glory

of God in Creation (1:1) and the grace ofGod in salvation (6:8) are both clearlyseen. This book describes the world'searliest civilization (Cainite), the world'soldest citizen (Methuselah) (4:17; 5:27),the first marriage, the first murdeq andthe first promise of the Messiah (2:23-25;4:Br 3:15) .

It gives us the first illustration of hu-man religion (the fig leaves) and the firstexample of divine redemption (the coatsof skin) (3:7,21). In its pages sinners aredrowned and a saint is drunken (7:2119:20-71). A ship settles on a mountain anda tower rises on a plain (8:4; 11:1-4).

In Genesis lZ-50 we see a city destroyedon the plains (Sodom) and a boy sparedon a mountain (lsaac) (chaps. 19,22). \/eread of a son (Jacob) deceiving his father(Isaac), who is later himself deceived byhis sons ftrothers of Joseph) (chaps. 27,37).Here we read of the first barren mother(Sarah) and the first dying mother (Rachel)(chaps. 16,35). Jerusalem (a type of theheavenly) and Egypt (a type ofthe worldly)are first mentioned in this stage (chaps.13-14). Here we first learn of a king calledMelchizedek and a cave named Machpelah(chaps. 14,25). The Abrahamic covenant,first of three great biblical covenants, isintroduced (12:1-3). The birth of Isaacmarks the first of five divinely aided con-ceptions in the Bible, excluding Christ'ssupernatural birth. The others are Samuel,Samson, the Shunammite's son, and Johnthe Baptist. Bethlehem appears, whereGod's Lamb would someday be born(3519), and Abraham climbs a mountainwhere God's Lamb would someday dieQZ:Z\. On this occasion Isaac asks hisfather, "\Vhere is the lamb?" (22:7). Hisquestion would be answered some 20 cen-turies later by John the Baptist, "Beholdthe Lamb of God, which taketh away thesin of the world" flohn 1:29). O

Adapted from Willmingtm's Visulized,Study Bible, Tyndale House

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Jenkins Presented with Special GiftLiberty Baptist College students

recently raised $9,832 for Ken Jenkins,a missionary to New Cuinea. Jenkinsis home on furlough and needed a carto visit the churches who provide hissupport. Students raised the money topurchase a 1985 Olds Cutlass by tak.ing special offerings during threechapel services and two Wednesdaynight prayer meetings. According toRobert Knutson, director ofthe LibenyMissions Departmenr, the originalidea was that each student contribute$3.

'Of course, some students wereable to contribute more and somewere not able to contribute. But ithink their effort was tremendousl'

Jenkins returned to the UnitedStates when it was discovered that hiswife was suffering from cancer. Sherecently passed away, and jenkins will

A Beport on the Thamas Boad Baptist Church and nehAd Ministries

stay in the United States with his threechildren until he has visited thechurches who support him.

TRBC Hosts National BBF MeetingThe meeting featured 16 speakers.

Music was provided by Libeny BaptistCollege students and other specialguc)ts from around rhe country. Thefellowship's largest missionary offeringof $890,275 was pledged during thismceting. The Tiresday evening serviceincluded a 20-minute film on the lifeand ministry of B. R. Lakin. Mrs.Lakin was honored in the service andgiven an offering for $10,000 from theThomas Road Baptist Church andvisiting pastors and guests.

A highlight ofthe conference wasthe pastors'breakfast at the RadissonHotel in Lynchburg. Over 400 pastorsand associates attended the earlymorning meeting with Jerry Falwell,John Rawlings, and Truman Dollar.

Dr. Falwell said, "We thoroughlyenjoyed hosting this group of pasrors,many of whom are known for theirlarge and fast.growing churches inAmerica. Ve look forward to ourfuture together with this influentialgroup."

The annual fall meeting of theBaptist Bible Fellowship rvas hosted inLynchburg, Virginia, by Jerry Falwelland the Thomas Road Baptist Church.Approximately W0 out.of"town guestswere registered for the four-day con-ference held September 74-77. Capacitycrowds {illed LBC's multipurposecenter for each evening session.

Baptist Bible Fellowship is a coali-tion ofnearly 3,000 Independent Bap-tist churches who mutually supportmissionaries in 6? nations. The 34"

year-old fellowship is headquartered inSpringfreld, Missouri, and has eightofficial schools: Baptist Bible College,Springfield, Missouri; Baptist BibleCollege East, Boston, Massachusetts;Baptist Bible College Vest, Denver,Colorado; Pacific Coast Baptut BibleCollege, San Dimas, Glifornia; LiberryBaptist College, Lynchburg, Virginia;Baptist Universiry of America, DecaruEGeorgia; Baptist Christian College,Shreveport, Louisiana; and SpanishBaptist Bible Institute, Miami, Florida,

DECEMBER i9B4

29Dr.

CalendarUpdateNovember20.27LBC Tlran[sglui ng Br eak21.27LBC and TRBC foreign exfusure

group trauels to Haiti28Dr. FaIweII allresses Life Noocates

of Hous ton, Texas -Br e akf at8:00 a.n.

FalweII speaks at the Church ofthe Open Door, Los Angeles,Califomia, T:N p.n.

December7-9TRBC Liuing Clvistmw Tree2}"laaury 20LBC Christna Break

MissionariesShareExperiences

Liberty Baptist College recentlyobserved its third annual Foreign Mis.sions Emphasis Week, bringing 19 mis-sionary families to the conference andproviding studenrs the opporrunity tomeet with representatives from sevenmission boards, including LibertyBaptist Missions. Students heard pre.sentarions from the missionaries andwere able to talk personally with themduring mealtimes.

Dennis Lugar, a missionary roSouth Korea, said rhat he especiallyenjoyed being able to share withstudents in their dormitory devotionseach evening. "The concepr of missionrvork is changing. Srudents are nowrealizing that all missionaries are norchurch-planters-there is a need forevery rype of service on the missionfield.

Over 600 women from 22 states,including California and Hawaii, con.verged on Thomas Road BaptistChurch dunng the weekend ofOaober18-20 for the "Vonderful Weekend forVomenl' The conference promoted the"Wonder6.rl Life" available to today'sChristian women. During the eightspecial sessions and many workshops,women heard speakers such as Mrs.John R. Rice, Edith Schaeffer, JoyMartin, Elizabeth Handford, MacelFalwell, and many orhers, Specialmusic was provided by Kendra Cook,

Mrs. Celeste Vemp and her steer"ing committee prepared for the con-ference for nearly a year. "l've heard

MissionsTeamGoes to Haiti

Each school year students fromLiberty Baptist College have the op.portunity to visit a foreign missionarywork. Thrs yeart fall breign ExposureCampaign was a seven.day trip to thenation ofHaiti, located on the Islandof Hispanola, about 500 miles south.east of Florida.

As with all exposure campaigns,the young people worked with mis.sionaries, examined their ministries,

and discussed various aspects of mis-sion life and work.

Vendell Valker, who heads themissions Foreign Exposure Campaignsays that a spring campaign is plannedfor England and Scotland, and nextsummer a team will be going to thePhilippines.

6O

Women's Conference Brings 600to Lynchburg

nothing bur favorab[e comments]' rc-ports Mrs. Vemp, "and another con-

ference is being considered for nextyear,"

ChristmasUniqueby lrne S. L"arxx6 lunu Lib erty BaptbtCollege English tearhn

There was silence-dead silence onthe sixth floor of the Liberty BaptistCollege downtown dormitory Decem-ber 74,1976, for I was its lone occu-pant. A malady was afflicting me. ltwas affecting not only my throat, butalso my vision, making the rice withraisins I had cooked to keep a DanishChristmas Eve tradition difficult toswallow and hard to see, In additionmy thinking was muddled. The sick.ness, whatever it was, evidently was ag-gravated by my unique circumstance:for the first time in my life there wereno kith and kin, no holiday hum; itwas not a White Christmas, and I lvasalone.

But the indisposition was tempo'rary; gradually I began to think moreclearly and to realize that, thoughphysically aprrt, God was keeping ourfamily together. I rvas not in dire cir-cumstances as are the paralyzed, thestarving, or the oppressed whose sur-veillant governments cripple theirminds. Furthermore, I had not soughtout solitaires in the community withwhom to share that Silent Holy Night.Really, joyous was my condition: Iwaswell, comfortable, and free. Best of allI was the recipient of the Cift Ulti-mate-God himself Then, in adora-tion, I worshiped Jesus who came todwell among us thar Silent Night sorhi.r Silent Night I need not be alone.

Miss Liberty 1984Penny Lynn Ervin, a 2l-year-old

physical education major from Mem-phis, Tennessee was crownd the 1984Miss Liberty at the seventh annualpageant held October 19. Miss Ervinwas awarded $500 and will reoresenrLBC for the next year, speakrng arclubs and luncheons, and appeanngin parades, as well as traveling to

alumni receptions and various recruit-ing trips for the college. She was alsoawarded Miss Congeniality, votedupon by pageant contestants,

First runner-up was Alicia Farrisfrom Vinchester, Virginia, and secondrunner-up was Stephanie Cratch fromSterling Park, Virginia. Both receivedcash awards of $100.

The two-hour play required thework of 50 behind-the.scenes workersand 13 actors. It was named the bestplay on Broadway when it openedthere, and it was the most spectacularplay LBC has presented to date, Theelaborate costumes and Tudor back-ground displayed pageantry neverbefore seen on Libeny Mountain.

Later this year the Liberry dramadepartment will present You're a GoodMan,ClwrlieBrwnand SIoc, Bum, anoriginal drama written by facultymember Steve V/edan.

FUNDAMENTA]IST JOURNAI

"A Man for All Seasollsn'Highlight of Drama Productions

In November the Liberty dramadepartment presented the first ofthree plays planned for the 1984-85season. Department Chairman DaveAllison believes the plays "communi-cate messages to the audience as wellas entertainl'

The fall show featured Robert Bolt'sA Mm for All Selsons, the story of SirThomas Moore's conflict with KingHenry VIIL "The play does not stiremorions because a powerfrrl man losthis life, The emotions are moved b,e.cause a righteous person was put to

death by cowards and a conuptgovernment. Moore's conscience wassteadfast because of his religious con-victions, which could not allow himto condone the divorce of QueenCatherine and Henry VIIIj' saysAllison.

. The play makes the point thatwhen politicians betray their own consciences, they lead the country on aroad to chaos. It emphasizes the im-portance of the convictions of men'ssouls over mandates by dogmatic andpowerful institutions.

IsrcI'85A )erry Ealwetl Friendship Tour

-Departure Dates: February 24, 25, 26, 27, 28-

Be a part of what promises to be thelargest and

the HolymostLand

exciting trip toever planned.

10 days of exciting sight-seeing in the Holy Land-including: The Old City of Jerusalem,Garden of Gethsemane, Gali lee, The Golan Heights, Joppa, Caesarea, Haifa, Mt. Carmel,Druze Vil lages, and Tiberias.

Something new during your 1O-day tour-you may choose one of the following 2-dayelectives:o Visit new archeological digs never before opened to tourists.o View the sites and hear the background of modern wars of Israel from military leaders

who fought and led in those battles.o Join in a SinaiSafari in four-wheeldrive vehicles, visit remote desert vil lages, and learn

about the flowers and wildlife of Israel.

Basic Cost: $1,195 includes round-trip airfare from JFK on a Jumbo 747 Jet,5-StarHotel accommodations, tour, and most meals.

Enjoy an optional 4-day tour to Egypt or a 5-day tour extended Sinai Safari.

Including a 3-day International hophecyConference in the Jerusalem Conven-tion Center with Jerry Falwell, Harold L.Willmington, Jack Wyrtzen, Tim LaHaye,and John Walvoord. Subjects include:the Signs of Christ's Coming; the Truthabout the Rapture, the TribulationPeriod, and Millennium; and muchmore . . .

YES, JERRY, I'm interested. Please send memore facts.

NAMEADDRESS

PHONE NO.: homework

Return fo; Israel '85

305 Sixth StreetLynchburg, VA24504804-528-5009

fudge Shuts MichiganSchool Bible Classes

KALAMAZOO, Mich.-Two westemMichigan elementary schools will no longerbe able to hold voluntary Bible clubs. Thechildren's Bible clubs held during recess byBible Centered Ministries are an "uncoruti-ffional acrivity" and the "public interestis served to close them," declared U.S.District Court Judge fuchard Enslen onOctober 1. Judge Enslen asserted that tocontinue the classes which children havevoluntarily attended over the past 32 yearswould cause "irreparable harm" to theirFirst and Fourteenth Amendment rights.Enslen admited that he used "an extraor-dinary exercise of judicial power" in grant-ing the Michigan Deparrment of Edu-cation this preliminary injunction againstthe Tri-Counry Board of Education. Thecourt's decision was based on the objecrionof Alan Maki, a parent who complainedabout BCM's school activities. Maki is anelectronics technician and an avowedMarxist who conducts classes promotingMarxism in Michigan public high schools.

Maki, whose daughter attends firstgrade in one of the schools, but does notattend the Bible classes, demanded that theBible classes cease, claiming that the schoolboard had fostered them to "promote nar-row, Fundamentalist religious beliefs inorder to cover up the problems of theschool district."

Maki feels that the "very poor" readinglevels of some youngsters in the Mac-Naughton Elementary School in HowardCiry are tied to the school board's atten-tion to Bible classes rather than readingclasses. Asked how he accounted for thefact that the history of education overmany centuries has been tied to Bibleknowledge, Maki responded that "we nowlive in a world of science and technologyrather than religious bigotry."

Though Maki denied that his daughterhas "ever been pressured to attend" the

62

NewsOr

Bible classes, he claimed that "peerpressure" in her school violates his child'srights. "lf the majority of the people wanttheir kids to have a Christian education,they should form a Christian school," hesaid.

Michigan Superintendent of Public In-struction Philip Runkel, state AttorneyGeneral Frank Kelley, and the MichiganACLU took note of the Bible classes assoon as Maki raised his objections. Thoughthe classes had been held for over threedecades, state officials claim they were

"W; ore beingpwhed into a corner3

unaware of their existence until Maki'scomplaints hit the media.

Tri-Counry District SuperintendentRobert Miller and his elementary prin-cipals, Susan'Wanner and Thomas Horb,claim that no parent except Maki has evercomplained about the classes. Until lastyear BCM was known as the Bible ClubMovement. The BCM classes were heldweekly in a school library and a multipur-pose room during an afterlunch recess, un-til stopped by court order. Horb said, "Theschool belongs to the parents. . . . My ques-tion is, who does the noon hour belongto-the parents?" Or is it a part of the re-quired "students'day with us?" Though heexpressed dismay that the U.S. SupremeCourt will now probably never get to hearthis case, the Evangelical Baptist believes"the final say will be in God's hands."

Judge Enslen's opinion expressed "con-cern" whether "children at a tender age"

might believe their Bible teacher-a BibleCentered Movement volunteer-to be "aschool authority." He further questionedwhether attendance at the classes couldactually be "voluntary" for "children asyoung" as first through fifth gade, thoughthey are never permitted to attend withoutthe express written permission of theirparents. Principal Horb noted that Bibleirstn:ctor Kay Molder has always observedthis requirement conscientiously.

Enslen cited the 1948 U.S. SupremeCourt McCollzm decision, claiming that itis a "violation of the establishment clause"of the First Amendment to use "tax-supported property" for religious purposes.The judge also asserted that Superinten-dent Miller "is entangling himself in the af-fairs of a private religious group" (BCM)if he so much as ascertains which childrenare attending these classes. He also re-ferred to the 1977 Lemon u. Kurtnwm deci-sion in his judgment.

Enslen's decision stnrck down the argu-ments of lawyer Jon G. March, counsel forthe Tri-County Board of Education, thatthe McCoIIwn case differed substantiallyfiom the case in question. ln courtroomtestimonv. March noted that BCM instnrc-tors are neither "approved" nor "en-dorsed" by school officials, as were thereligion teachers in McCollwn Contraryto the McCollwn case, where religious ex-ercises were held in the regular classroomsand those not participating had to leave,the Tri-Counry students voluntarily wentto Bibie classes while the rest of the schoolwas at recess. Finally, March argued, inMcCoIIwn the instructors in religion werepermitted a special exception not grantedto other groups, to use school facilities. Butin the Tri-Counry schools, the BCM wasresponding to a unanimous, general policyof the board that permitted other groupsto meet with children at recess. Bov Scouts

FUNDAMENIAIIST JOURNAI

and Cub Scouts, he poinied out for therecord, also met with the srudents fromtime to time.

School board president John Stevensonsays the Tri-County board "might notpush" its fight with the state of Michigan.But Sandy Saunders, wife ofschool boardmember Bruce Saunders, said, "\iUe are be-ing pushed into a corner" by A.G. Kelleyand Maki. As a founder of CitizensAcdve for a Free America, a group formedto raise money to fight the state on issuessuch as these, Mrs. Saunders vowed to bat-tle to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mina BosGraa( acing director ofBCM for western Michigan, believes that"the Lord has given us alternatives" suchas release-time classes, upheld by theSupreme Court in i951 in rts Zorach u.Clausen ruling. She is in "sr,tmpathy,"however, with the people in HowardCity's farming community who want theclasses to continue.

Judge Enslen quoted British classicalHumanist Alexander Pope to justify hiscontention that it is "too dangerous" topermit the children to stlrdy the Bibleuntil a full court trial can settle the issue.\7rote Pope: " 'Tis education forms thecommon mind; Just as the twig is bent, sois the tree inclined." Enslen feels that thetender minds of Michigan's rural youngsters will be twisted and "bent" by thepresence of a Bible srudy in their school.

The issue ofrecent federal equal-accesslegislation was not raised at the hearing.But since legislation pertains basically tosecondary schools, March remarked afterthe session that First Amendment religiousentanglement cases now before theSupreme Court "may change the wholesiruation." He alluded to an Alabama silentprayer law and a Grand R"pi&, Michigan,parochial school that uses public schoolteachers in art and music classes,

-Eric E. \Yiggin

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Ior Your Information

Southem BcrptistRepod on Growth

According ro The Baptist Standard,August 29, 1984, the typical SouthernBaptist Church has 237 total members,116 people enrolled in Sunday school,and six baptisms a year.

Phillip B. Jones, director of theSouthern Baptist Home Mission Board'splanning and service research depart-ment. said that the median-size SBCchurch has 237 members, which means"half of the churches have a membershiplarger than 237 and half a smallermembership." His research revealed 70percent of SBC churches fall below theaverage total, which is 388 members.

The typical SBC church had 2.9 bap-tisms per 100 resident menbers. Pastoraltenure for the typical church runs be-tween two and three vears.

Clergry Goes to Court

LOS ANGELES-For the first timein the nation's history, a minister will goon trial for "clergy malpractice."

John MacArthur, Jr., head pastor ofGrace Community Church, Los AngelesCounty's largest Protestant church, is be-ing sued by the parents of a young manwho shot himself in the head while in thepastor's care.

Kenneth Nally, who was reportedlydepressed over problems with girlfriendsand family members, committed suicidein the spring of 1979 shortly afterMacArthur agreed to allow the youngman to stay at his home to receivespiritual counseling.

The parents, Mr. and Mrs. \TalterNally, charged MacArthur with beingagainst psychiatric help and being"negligent" by not having adequatelytrained counselors available for their son.The Nallys also qharged MacArthur with

IA

prompting their son's suicide with antiCatholic teachings and thereby exacer-bating his guilt.

Though a lower court dismissed thesuit, a three-panei court of appeals saidMacArthur must stand trial. The two-to-one divided court ruled,'A reasonable in-ference could be drawn [ftom the evidence]that Grace Community Church and eachof the individual defendants , . . followeda policy of counseling suicidal personsthat, if one was unable to overcome one'ssins, suicide was an acceptable and evendesirable alternative to livingl'

The appellate judge who dissented,however, said, "His parents. . . wereclearly aware of Kenneth's suicidaltendencies and his consistent rejection ofhelp from all sources, and took no stepsto have him committed for psychiatrichospitalization against his will."

Church officials claim that a favorabledecision for the Nallys will mean thatministers could be subject to scrutiny bythe courts for content of soiritualcounseling.

Bible Groups Need Permits

SANFORD, Fla.-The Seminole Baptist Association is fighting zoning officialsin Seminole County for requiring Biblegroups in residential areas to obtain a per-mit before meeting.

"That's telling me what I can do as faras family worship is concerned," com-plained George Dunn, director of mis-sions for the association. "They're sayingto us that we cannot express our freedomof religion in our home with a Biblestudy."

Zoning officials say unlicensed Biblegroups could affect limited parking spacefound in many residential areas. Theassociation first became aware of the zon-ing ordinance when one of its memberassociations was meeting in its pastor's

double-car garage while awaiting con-struction of a permanent site to be com-pleted near Enterprise.

Dunn said the association has no orob-lem with requiring "established" chuichesto obtain permits. But he objects to re-quiring family, and friends of family, toobtain a permit before meeting in a homefor religious study.

Dunn said he asked the zoning direc-tor whether the ordinance would applyto Bible groups. "His response to me wasthat we could not have a Bible studyfellowship in a home on a regular basiswithout an exception to zoning," Dunnsaid. He added, "I asked, 'Well whatwould happen if I wanted to have a cardparty in my house every Monday night,and I invited five or six couples to comein and play cards?' And he said, '\7ell

that would be all right.' "The association will appeal the codes

in court if necessary.

"60 Minutes" Focuseson Mqines Christicm Schools

"God gave children to parents, not tothe state, and I don't know why the statefeels that they can do a better job or haveany more love for kids they don't evenknow, than the God-given parentsJ'

'\ilith that statement, Herman (Buddy)

Frankland opened the September 30 edi-tion of CBS's "60 Minutesl' The programexplored the confrontation between thestate of Maine and private Christianschools. Maine wants private Christianschools to have state certified teachersand to be approved by the state, butFrankland refirses to comply. He believesthat since his school, Bangor BaptistSchool, receives no state money, it shouldnot be subject to state regulation.

Privately, Maine education officialstold "60 Minutes" that if all Christianschools were as fine as Bangor Baptist,

FUNDAXIENTAIIST JOURNAT

there probably would not be a problem.Eighth graders at Bangor Baptist receivedthe highest Stanford Achievement Testscores in the nation-they were readingat the college freshman level.

Tcur-Exempt Stcrtus Restored toBcrptist Home for Cfrildren

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (RNS)-Afederal jury has ruled that the TennesseeBaptist Children's Home does not haveto file an information form with the In-ternal Revenue Service. In 1977 the IRSdetermined that the "principal activity"of the home was not "exclusively reli-gious" and told it to file InformationReturn Form 990. When the home de-clined, it was forced to pay penalties andinterest of $29.665.12. But the six-member jury ruled that the home's prin-cipal activity is exclusively religious, andU.S. District Judge L. Clure Morton toldthe IRS to refirnd the penalties andinterest.

Polarizationcontinued from page 29

But many Fundamentalists are uncom-fortable appearing tentative about any-thing, feeling their own Christian integrityis at stake, as weli as the tn-rth of Christian-ity itself, if they do not oppose those whooppose them with all the vehemence withwhich they ought to oppose those whooppose God. They take over God's placeas polarizer. This is not a happy situation.

This passion for truth bypasses theobligation of listening to one anotherrespectfully, listening to learn and growin the Lord.

\7e stand at the crossroads today. Onone side are those who have been infectedby the virus of modernity and who arealtogether too tentative about biblicaltruth. They need to recover afresh theReformers' insistence on sola scriptura.The authority of Scripture is not just anice theologicai point to make; it is that

standard by which every worldly standardis judged, the criteria by which everyworldview and every system of valueserected apart from Christ is seen to be ahollow mythology. Its truth unmasks theworldliness of every age; its truth must beheard to unmask our own with unmistakable finality.

On the other side are those who havedecided that they know what God's mindis on matters about which He has notspoken directly in Scripture. A love forGod's infallible truth does not guaranteean infaliible understanding of it.

Ve should aim, rather, to be inflex-ible about matters of clear biblical affir-mation, flexible where biblical teachingdoes not address situations directlv. andcharitable in all things. Christian truthcannot be diminished, but Christian lovecannot be violated. Where a commlrmenrto truth and a commitment to love gohand in hand, there is the kind of matu-rity that preserves the unity we alreadyhave in Christ. C

Unusuql Ad GivesGospel Messcge

Last year an unusual ad appeared inthe business magazine The Financial Plavner. Mark Leonard, president of LeonardFinancial Planning Systems of Raleigh,North Carolina, placed the ad "WhatDoes Christmas Really Meanl" in theDecember 1983 issue. The ad proclaimsthat God's Son provides life more abun.dant, resilient peace, and strength to menwho are worried about the SEC, the IRS,and tax liabilities.

\7hy did Leonard place the ad? The47-year-old financier states, "'We tend tolose sight of the real values with all thebig deals. I realized that if I could have10 million dollars in the bank and all mytax problems solved and be a super bus-iness success and ani other superlativesthat connote a success by the world'sstandards-but didn't have inner peace,I was a failure.

Leonard plans to run another ad thisyear to let businessmen know "God gavethe world a grft . . . His son. . . and in thatgift were a lot of promises . . . promisesthat can make an even greater dramaticdifference in a man's inner life than acreative professional planner can make ina client's tax liability."

DECEMBER 1984

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Abortion PomoglaphyMedia Bias

Gfime and Pfison RefomEducational UaluesReligious Freedom

ilucler Ams PouerUThese are not iust

election year is"sues!These are the issues which affect our lives andthe lives of our children in the 80's! Christianscan no longer be satisfied with just being"informed." We must learn to activelyinfluence our country's policy makers andpoliticians.

In The High Cost of Indifference the authorsthoroughly examine the explosive issues we'refaced with today. The book tells you whyChristians can no longer afford to beindifferent. Then it gives us positivedirections-step-by-step practical guidelines towork to solve these critical problems. You'llfind out how you as a Christian CAN make animpact on the nation's social ethic NOW!

These issues are so important that if you readonly one book this year-this must be it!

Is There Only anEvangelical Disaster?

he Great Evangelical Disaster, the last book FrancisSchaeffer wrote before he died, focused on the weaknesses in the Evangelical movement. Some

Fundamentalists quickly applauded the book even thoughthey had been silent on the other 25 books Schaeffer wrote.Schaeffer said what Fundamentalists have been thinking andsaying for years regarding those "wishy-washy" Evangelicals.His book gave us the perfect opportunity to jump on thebandwagon and say, "l told you so."

In Editor Merle R. Hull's review of the book, the BaptistBulletin reported that "the Schaeffer broadside is welcome-and potent! Naturally, the ones who get hit will howl . . . .In[the] evaluation of the situation, [he is] dead center ontarget . . . . The Schaeffer indictment of present-day

W; connot be effectivein communicoting the gos|el

to this and the next generationunless we leorn to eualrnte

ourselves honesflry.

evangelicalism is courageous, accurate and devastating." CarlMclntyre reprinted the article verbatim in the ChristianBeacon.

But we must not get caught up in Schaeffer's reproof andmiss the point of the book. We must realize that Fundamen-talists are not perfect either. \7e need to read the book withan open mind and heart and apply his admonitions toourselves wherever necessary.

In a chapter entitled "The Practice of Tiuthl' Schaefferwrote about balancing truth and love. He said, "To be reallyBible-believing Christians we need to practice, simuhaneous-ly, at each step of the way, two biblical principles. One prin-ciple is that of the purity of the visible church . . . . Thesecond principle is that of an observable love among all true

b1 Nelson Keener

Christians. In the flesh we can stress purity without love, orwe can stress love without purity . . . . Spirituality begins tohave real meaning in our lives as we begin to exhibitsimultaneously the holiness of God and the love of Godl'

Failing to balance truth and love may well be Fundamen-talism's greatest disaster. Our identiry is based on the fact thatwe have declared ourselves the sole perpetrators and defendersof the faith and biblical truth. But we must remember thatthe truth is God's, not Fundamentalism's. Jesus Christ, notFundamentalism, is the foundation of our faith (1 Cor. 3:11).And Jesus Christ, not Fundamentalism, is our master. TheBible does teach ecclesiastical separation, and we espouse itstrongly. But we cannot ignore Paul's teachings concerningChristian unity in Ephesians 4. Further, this lack of balancein truth and love is probably the root of our obvious wealcnesses in the areas of social responsibility, discipleship ofbelievers, and infighting and wrong attitudes toward fellowFundamentalists.'We

cannot be effective in communicating the gospel tothis and the next generation unless we learn to evaluateourselves honestly. However, when a Fundamentalist raisescriticisms of his own movement he becomes suspect. Unfor-tunately, we too often assume we have "all the answers" andsubsequently regard with suspicion anyone who asks ques-tions or challenges the status quo. As Fundamentalists wehave been too sentimental on some issues, That is dangerousbecause sentimentality tehds to obstruct truth and progress.Perhaps a book should be written on "The Great ChristianDisasterl' These problems are not exclusive to one segmentof Christianity. The Liberals think the Fundamentalists arewrong. The Fundamentalists think the Liberals are wrong.The Evangelicals are not sure who is wrong.

Balancing truth and love is not easy. Personal and cor-porate discipline are key factors in living a biblical Christianlife. Extreme Fundamentalism on the right and Liberalismon the left are both lopsided in their approach toward spiritualpriorities. One is legalistic and intolerant. The other isliberated and too tolerant. As Schaeffer states, both are easyto achieve in the flesh. Balanced Christian living requiressacrifice, understanding, and forgiveness, as well as manyother characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. It can beachieved only through a Spirit-filled, surrendered life.

FUNDAMENTAI]ST JOURNAI

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