The Federal Healthcare Reform Bill and Its Impact on the Lives of Unborn Children and Their Moms

I don't often address political issues in my blog, but in light of the impact this bill could have on the prolife movement, I felt it was important to share. My friend Larry Gadbaugh, CEO of Pregnancy Resource Centers of Greater Portland, sent the following email to their constituents explaining the impact that the current federal healthcare reform bill could have on the lives of countless unborn children and their moms, and the pregnancy resource centers who serve them. Here's what he wrote:

This is the bottom line: Abortion must be explicitly excluded from the healthcare bill, or else abortion will become federally mandated and embedded in our national healthcare system. This would have disastrous implications for PRC's mission, including:

• Free abortions will be funded by taxpayers, unless abortion is explicitly excluded from this healthcare bill. 71% of Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortions. Passage of this bill will embed abortion into the American system of healthcare.
  
• Abortions could increase by 33% under the proposed healthcare reform bill, according to the Guttmacher Institute. We already know that "free services" are attractive to abortion-vulnerable women. So it's no surprise the research shows that free abortions will be attractive, too.
  
• The bill needs specific language that excludes abortion or else pro-life healthcare providers will be required to refer for abortions, or cease practicing medicine. This will violate their "right of conscience." PRCs would be left without the doctors and nurses needed to carry out our life-affirming medical services.


• This bill also threatens to trump many state pro-life laws across the nation that protect women and the unborn.

Would you please prayerfully take the time right now to take action according to your convictions?

What you can do to help:

1. Pray!

2. Email and write letters to your representative and two senators. Visit www.house.gov for your representative's contact information, and www.senate.gov for your senators' contact information. Here is example text that you can cut and paste into an email or a letter:

As one of your constituents, I am writing to urge you to ensure that language is included in any healthcare reform proposal or bill to explicitly exclude abortion. I am extremely concerned about the implications of what mandated coverage of abortion in healthcare plans would mean for our country. While the current bill would mandate coverage of abortion in every healthcare plan, it provides no provision for the rights of conscience of pro-life healthcare professionals. The current bill also threatens to trump many state pro-life laws that protect women and the unborn. I urge you to oppose any healthcare bill unless abortion is explicitly excluded from the scope of any federally mandated, federally subsidized, or federally defined health insurance plans.

3. Call your Representative and two Senators (see contact links, above). Use these instructions for a successful and informative phone call: a) Make sure that your phone calls are polite, concise, and personal to result in the most effective phone call. b) Tell them who you are, and that you live in their district/state. c) Keep it short and simple; and make sure your message includes, "As a constituent, I urge you to ensure that language is included in ANY healthcare reform proposal or bill to specifically EXCLUDE ABORTION." d). Be courteous and respectful. e) Thank them for their time.

4. Spread the word to friends, family, and co-workers! You can use the text of this sample letter.

This is not about politics. It's about people—the most helpless little ones and their mothers among us...and their families.

Randy here, again. Thanks for considering how you can “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…” Proverbs 31:8


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

Question and Answer of the Week: Taking Charge of the TV

With summer here, and kids out of school, many Christians, and especially those who are parents, might be wondering: How do I take charge of the television?

The fact is, you and your children will inevitably adopt the morality of the programs, movies, books, magazines, music, Internet sites, and conversations you participate in. GIGO—garbage in, garbage out; godliness in, godliness out. The cognitive is basic to the behavioral—you become what you choose to feed your mind on.

Sow a thought, reap an action;
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

"Above all else, guard your heart [mind, inner being], for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

If someone wants to pollute water, he pollutes it at its source. If he wants to purify water, he purifies it at its source. Our thoughts are the source of our lives. All our lives flow from our mind, and through the choices we make every day we program our minds, either for godliness or ungodliness.

1. Keep track of how much time you spend watching. (It's much more than you think).

2. Decide in advance how much TV to watch per week. (e.g. No more than six hours, only two nights or weekends).

3. Use a schedule to choose programs for the week (perhaps at family time)— then stick to your choices.

4. Keep your television unplugged, store it in a closet, and/or put it in a remote part of the house (prevents mindless flip-on).

5. Periodically "fast" from television for a week or a month. Notice the "cold turkey" effects. (Avoids addiction, reminds you of all that can be done when TV off).

6. Choose programs that uplift rather than undermine biblical values.

7. Use the "off" switch freely. If it's wrong and you keep watching, you're saying "I approve." (Unless it doesn't present temptation and you're critically analyzing it).

8. Use the channel changer frequently. Even decent programs often have explicit commercial clips of the latest adultery-rape-murder-madstalker-child-kidnapper movies. (Put the channel changer in the hands of one of your kids, under your supervision—let him exercise his conviction).

9. Watch and discuss programs together as a family—to avoid passivity and develop active moral discernment through interaction. (Avoid the second TV set that splits the family and leaves children unsupervised).

If this scene or program we just saw was biblically off base or promoted ungodly values, talk about how and why. (Discuss commercials too—have fun debunking them).

If there's a program your child wants to watch and you think he shouldn't, consider watching it together one time and ask him to tell you whether or not he thinks Jesus wants him to watch it, and why. (Don't deprive him of moral-decision making—it needs to become his conviction, not just yours).

Use programs as a teaching opportunity. "That's disgusting, turn it off" doesn't explain why we should set our minds on godly input and avoid what is ungodly. Use reasoned conviction, not unexplained legalism. Children must dialogue to develop ownership of values. Otherwise, when Mom and Dad aren't there, they'll watch because they won't have the conviction or courage to say "No."

10. Don't allow young children to choose their own programs—that's the parent's responsibility. As they get older, they can choose, but parents should always have veto power. Use it with sensitivity, but use it.

11. Don't use television as a baby sitter. Provide healthy alternatives, such as reading, projects, play and interaction with parents, siblings, and friends.

12. Spend an hour reading Scripture, a Christian book or magazine, or doing a ministry for each hour you watch TV. (It's not enough to get rid of the bad—go out of your way to renew your mind by filling it with the good).

13. Consider dropping cable, Showtime, HBO, or any other service that you determine is importing ungodliness or temptation into your home. (Many people who are fatigued find themselves morally vulnerable to flipping on ungodly programs late at night. In the moment of strength make decisions that will prevent temptation in the moment of weakness—get rid of the source when you can).

14. If you find you can't control it—or you're tired of the battle—get rid of your television.


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

Announcing the Winners of the Money, Possessions and Eternity Audio Book Giveaway

Here are the winners from July’s Money, Possessions and Eternity audio book giveaway.

The randomly drawn winners are:

1) Denise T.
2) nenyalorien lorie
3) ronpolly

All winners, please e-mail me at Stephanie (at) epm.org with your mailing address.

If you aren't a winner, but would still like to listen to this audio book, all audio books, including Money, Possessions and Eternity, are on sale from EPM at a 40% discount through the end of July.

Check back at Randy’s blog on Monday, August 3 for the next giveaway!

Stephanie Anderson
Promotions Director
Eternal Perspective Ministries
www.epm.org

The Bible: More Than Stories

I am often hearing people say these days that God has revealed himself to us in stories, and that story, not doctrine, is the framework in which we should see our faith.

I LOVE story (which is why I’ve written and enjoyed fiction and also love good biographies). However, story is NOT everything. There is also revealed propositional truth and many other forms of communication God has taken with us in his Word.

I love this blog from John Piper on this very subject. It’s not long so I’ll take the liberty of quoting it in its entirety, but I very much encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Desiring God blog it comes from, one of my favorites.

The Bible Frees Us From Being Swayed by Overstatements
By John Piper

Being convinced that the Bible as we have it is God’s choice for the world is pervasively decisive in how we think about a thousand things.

I’m not referring only to what the Bible teaches on a thousand things, but also what kinds of writing the Bible is made up of, and the fact that it is writing at all.

It makes a huge difference in how you think about reading and education if you are convinced that God thought it was good to communicate with the world through a book. There are dozens of foolish ideas about education that we will be protected from by simply thinking God was wise in using a book.

And it makes a huge difference in how you think about many things if you are convinced that God thought the world should have a book that contains

• fact-laden narrative history,
• poetry (lots of poetry)
• stories (lots of stories)
• seraphic prophecy like Isaiah 40-66
• proverbs,
• Gospels,
• parables,
• logically constructed, doctrinally dense letters like Romans,
• repetitive, spiraling letters like 1 John, and
• symbol-laden prophetic books like Revelation.

For example, if someone starts to overstate the case for “story” and says that the “real” way to communicate God’s truth is in “story,” implying that the other ways are “less real” and marginal, we will be protected from that sort of thing because we are convinced that God thought the tightly argued, doctrinal book of Romans was a very good idea for the world to have.

Or, on the other hand, if someone starts to overstate the case of doctrinal exposition to the exclusion and minimization of story and poetry, we will be protected from that sort of thing, because we are convinced that God thought it wise to put two-thirds of the Old Testament in poetry and fill it up with stories.

It is a great liberation to take the Bible—all of it, and as we have it—very seriously.

www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

Question and Answer of the Week: Relationships in Heaven?

Before I get to this week's Q & A, those in the Northwest may be interested to know I’m speaking about Heaven (being interviewed, but will pull from Scripture) at Solid Rock Church in Portland, Oregon this weekend. The Way, for those ages 18-28, is Friday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. Also speaking at Solid Rock’s church services Sunday, July 26 at 9:00, 11:00 a.m., and 5:00, 7:00 p.m. The church is located at 10500 SW Nimbus, Bldg T, Portland, OR 97223 www.ajesuschurch.org

Will we desire relationships in Heaven with anyone except God?

Genesis 2:18: The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."

1 Thessalonians 2:17: Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again.

God has designed us for relationship not only with himself but also with others of our kind. God planned for Adam, and all mankind, to need human companionship. In other words, God made people to need and desire others besides himself. Think of it—God was with Adam in the Garden, yet God said that wasn’t good enough. God designed us to need each other. What we gain from each other is more of God because we’re created in his image and are a conduit for his self-revelation.

Matthew 22:37-39: Jesus [said], “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Jesus affirmed that the greatest commandment was to love God, but that the second, inseparable from the first, was to love our neighbor. He never considered these commands incompatible. He saw the second flowing directly from the first. One of the highest ways we love God is by loving people.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20: What gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! Yes, you are our pride and joy.

Paul anticipates his ongoing relationship with the Thessalonians as part of his heavenly reward. Isn’t this emphatic proof that it’s appropriate for us to deeply love people and look forward to being with them in Heaven?

Some falsely assume that when we give attention to people it automatically distracts us from God. But even now, in a fallen world, people can turn my attention to God. Was Jesus distracted from God by spending time with people on Earth? Certainly not. In Heaven, no person will distract us from God. We will never experience any conflict between worshiping God himself and enjoying God’s people. Our source of comfort isn’t only that we’ll be with the Lord in Heaven but also that we’ll be with each other. We’ll sit at feasts not only with God, but with his people. That is his design, and we should look forward to it.


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

The Game Plan for Life, Joe Gibbs, and the World of NASCAR

In May, Nanci and I spent three days with Joe Gibbs in Charlotte, North Carolina related to a book in which he asked me to write a chapter about Heaven (The Game Plan for Life, coming out tomorrow, July 21). I did some filming and speaking in chapel at Joe Gibbs Racing (450 employees, 240,000 square feet of building).

Joe warned us before coming with him to the 2009 All Star Race (in a helicopter of all things, not how we normally travel), “NASCAR is a different planet.” Boy, was he right. It was crazy. But crazy fun. We were in the pit box looking right down below at four tires being changed and body work being done in seconds. The noise level from the cars was incredible. And the speed was a real adrenalin rush. Here's something I filmed:



(Click here if you're unable to view the video.)

And here's what I appreciated most. Whenever someone comes up to Joe asking him to sign something, he does it, but also autographs and hands them a tract sharing his life story and the gospel. He signed 250 of those that race day.

Joe Gibbs is a remarkably faithful guy with a heart for people to know Jesus, and to grow in their walk with God. Very refreshing. You'll see his heart in Game Plan for Life, and you'll also hear from the eleven men he asked to write chapters on everything from the Bible, God, and creation, to sin and addiction, finances, marriage, and Heaven. Os Guinness, Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias, Tony Evans, and Josh McDowell are among the contributors.

Some of you know NASCAR. For those who don’t, if you want to have a cross-cultural experience without leaving the U.S., it definitely qualifies. We knew very little about that world, but we had lots of fun. If you have some time, here's a 3.5 minute slideshow of twenty-some of my photos and two videos, including Joe's prayer before the race. Listen to that prayer in front of over 100,000 fans; I can almost guarantee you'll appreciate it! (And, yes, in one of the photos that is Kevin Costner; he has a band and they were singing a few hours before the race.)



Finally, and only for the interested, here's a 3.5 minute video of Joe, talking about Heaven and Nanci's and my visit to Charlotte:



(Click here if you're unable to view the video.)

You can purchase Game Plan for Life from your local Christian bookstore or from Christianbook.com and lots of other places. And check out the Game Plan for Life website that Joe mentions in the video, www.gameplanforlife.com


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

Babies on Skates

Okay, there is no reason for me to post this except that I want to. And I believe that God made us to laugh.



(Click here if you're unable to view the video.)

By the way, Christianaudio.com is offering Crazy Love by Francis Chan as their free audiobook download this month. I am listening to this now and really enjoying it. This is a product well worth the usual price, but it’s an amazing value at no cost!


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
http://www.epm.org/

Question and Answer of the Week: Fasting

Fasting seems to be an oft-neglected spiritual discipline for Christians these days. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on fasting?

A few years ago I was involved in a study group with some younger men, and we went through Dallas Willard's book, The Spirit of the Disciplines. One of the issues we discussed was fasting. Below is what I wrote to them when we decided as a group to fast:

Fast for a full day. We came to this because fasting is one of the least practiced and/or understood of the disciplines among us.

Our schedules and family situations differ, so choose different days accordingly.

For some of us, including me since I'm insulin-dependent, this will be a juice fast, no food, but the option of juice along with unlimited water.

The point of fasting is not to be miserable or to focus on being hungry, but (in part) to train our bodies by saying no to them for a while. Every time there's a hunger pang, it reminds us we're doing something different. The goal is to then think in terms of following Christ. Let our hunger remind us of our deepest hunger for God.

Suggestion: Choose a verse or a passage of Scripture to repeated come back to during the day. By meditating on it continually you will probably also memorize it. I was looking at a few passages I wanted to memorize, but then for some reason I was drawn to Proverbs 3:5-6, a passage I memorized 35 years ago as a brand new Christian in high school. I know it by memory, but I plan on meditating on it, and each component of it, throughout the day tomorrow, even as I do other things, including some work on a few of my writing projects. I wrote it out by hand and will have it posted on my computer screen and probably elsewhere, and maybe in my pocket too. As I wrote it out I broke it into small chunks, each of which has one or more components to focus on:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and don't lean on your own understanding
in all your ways acknowledge Him
and He will make your paths straight."
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

So, choose your day to fast, and choose some Scripture to fall back on as your reference point.

Let hunger remind you to pray and to meditate on the Lord, and delight yourself in Him.

John Piper has some good information on fasting:

The PDF file of his book on fasting, A Hunger for God

A Piper Sermon (shorter): "Fasting for the Father's Reward"


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

Carl F.H. Henry: Prominent Evangelical Thinker

Carl F.H. Henry, founding editor of the magazine Christianity Today and author or editor of more than 40 books, including The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism and God, Revelation and Authority, was often considered the most prominent American evangelical thinker of the mid-20th century.

In the last paragraph of God, Revelation and Authority, Henry wrote:

God who stands and stoops and speaks is God who stays: He it is who preserves and governs and consummates his cosmic purpose. But the awesome wonder of the biblical revelation is not his creation and preservation of our vastly immense and complex universe. Its wonder, rather, is that he came as God-man to planet Earth in the form of the Babe of Bethlehem; he thus reminds us that no point in the universe is too remote for his presence and no speck too small for his care and love. He came as God-man to announce to a rebellious race the offer of a costly mercy grounded in the death and resurrection of his only Son and to assure his people that he who stays will remain with them forever and they with him. He is come in Christ incarnate to exhibit ideal human nature and will return in Christ glorified to fully implement the Omega-realities of the dawning future.

Earlier this year my friend Jim Bell shared about an encounter Henry had with theologian Karl Barth. Carl Henry himself wrote about it in his autobiography Confessions of a Theologian:

When Karl Barth came to America for a few lectures at University of Chicago Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary, George Washington University made a belated effort to bring him to the nation's capital. Barth was weary, but volunteered for an hour's question-answer dialogue. The university invited 200 religious leaders to a luncheon honoring Barth at which guests were invited to stand, identify themselves and pose a question. A Jesuit Scholar from either Catholic University or Georgetown voiced the first question.

Aware that the initial queries often set the mood for all subsequent discussion, I asked the next question. Identifying myself as Carl Henry, editor of Christianity Today, I continued: 'The question, Dr. Barth, concerns the historical factuality of the resurrection of Jesus.' I pointed to the press table and noted the presence of leading reporters representing United Press, Religious News Service, Washington Post, Washington Star, and other media. If these journalists had their present duties at the times of Christ, I asked, was the resurrection of such a nature that covering some aspect of it would have fallen under their area of responsibility? 'Was it news,' I asked, 'in the sense that the man on the street understands news?'

Barth became angry. Pointing at me, and recalling my identification, he asked, 'Did you say Christianity Today, or Christianity Yesterday?' The audience—largely nonevangelical professors and clergy—roared with delight. When countered unexpectedly in this way, one often reaches for a Scripture verse. So I replied, assuredly out of biblical context, 'Yesterday, Today, and Forever.'

In a memoir to Henry, Timothy George, an executive editor for Christianity Today, wrote of the last time he saw Carl:

He could not walk, and could barely talk, but his mind was abuzz with ideas and plans and new ventures for the advance of God's kingdom. We prayed and read the Scriptures together. Even though he was in pain, his eyes still sparkled with the joy of Christ. Carl loved to quote Vance Havner's prayer, "Lord, get me safely home before dark."

www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
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Prayer: Six More Quotations, One More Story

Some of you liked the story and six quotations about prayer from my earlier blog. So here’s six more, followed by a story.

The first two quotes come from two Puritans:

Richard Sibbes said, "God can pick sense out of a confused prayer."

Thomas Watson said, "The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel."

Abraham Lincoln said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day."

This one's from John Bunyan, the imprisoned pastor who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress: “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”

Robert Murray McCheyne said, "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more."

E. Stanley Jones said, "Prayer is surrender—surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God."

And now the story, from the life of George Mueller:

Things looked bleak for the children of George Mueller's orphanage at Ashley Downs in England. It was time for breakfast, and there was no food. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Mueller was visiting in the home. Mueller took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do." In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account.

Mueller prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat." Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o'clock and baked fresh bread. Here it is." Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. He said that before the milk spoiled, he would like to give it to the children.

What a powerful reminder that prayer is never secondary, it's always primary. It's not the last recourse, when options run out; it's the first and best recourse.


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
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Question and Answer of the Week: Is the Bible inerrant?

I believe in the inspiration and authority of Scripture, but I don't think this means I have to believe in inerrancy. The Bible isn't meant to be a textbook, and we don't need to believe in the details of the creation account, and the first man and woman in the garden, or about Jonah being swallowed by a whale. The Bible contains parables and metaphors. Do I really have believe it has to be correct in all the little details to be God's Word?

Usually when people say they believe the Bible contains errors, I ask them to name those errors so we can look at them. They may raise easily answered questions such as "Where did Cain get his wife?" But usually they can't name many supposed errors, if any at all. They often take the word of other people that the Bible contains errors, without investigating for themselves. I have investigated for myself, and I am convinced that when God says all Scripture is "God breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16), He means that it is all accurate and reliable. When He says that "men spoke from God, as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21), He means that God was the source of their words and protected them from error.

My biggest problem with not embracing inerrancy is this: once we say the Bible contains errors, who decides what is true and what is false? A group of scholars, such as the Jesus Seminar group who cast votes on whether Jesus really said a certain thing (and decide he didn't, because as a loving person Jesus would not really say people are going to an eternal hell)? If so, then who is my real authority? Not Scripture, but these scholars. (And what is THEIR authority? Not Scripture, but themselves.)

Or do I trust my own judgment, my biases, my frail and faulty and ever-changing "knowledge," my desires and felt needs, and then conclude that because I want to leave my wife (I don't, by the way, she's terrific :), the passages restricting divorce are not really accurate, and come from the gospel writers' and Paul's restrictive conservativism, not from the loving heart of God. Or I want to live with my girlfriend, or my partner of the same gender, and I choose to believe the love and grace parts of Scripture, but not those that say such things are wrong. If I do this, then who is my real authority? Not Scripture, but myself (and "myself" is largely shaped by the current values of my culture).

Thomas Jefferson constructed a literal cut and paste Bible, that included what he liked and excluded what he didn't. (There was a great deal he didn't like—once you start cutting, where do you stop?) Who then was the authority? Not the Bible, but Thomas Jefferson.

We inevitably end up like the final verse of Judges: "There was no King in Israel; and every man did what was right in his own eyes." Unless God's Word is fully trustworthy, inevitably I must rely upon myself or others to decide which parts I should trust and which I shouldn't. If some of Scripture is false, I must develop some process whereby I determine which parts are true, since truth-seekers will not wish to embrace what isn't true. Then my authority is no longer God's Word, but my own judgment in determining which parts are true and which aren't.

Failure to believe in inerrancy must logically lead to my inability to trust the Bible as authoritative. Clearly those parts which are false—I speak not of parable or metaphor, but if Scripture actually affirms historical details that are not true—cannot be authoritative. I cannot rely upon what I do not believe to be accurate. I cannot place myself under the authority of that which is historically false. I cannot build my belief system upon the sand and chaff of historical error. (See Francis Schaeffer's Genesis in Space and Time on this subject.)

If I do not believe there was a first man named Adam created from the ground, as Genesis tells me, then I cannot believe that we all sinned in Adam, etc. Neither can I believe Christ is God, since he clearly believed Adam was a real first man, and if Jesus was wrong, I cannot trust Him, nor was he the perfect sacrifice for my sins.

When I hear Christians say that Jonah really wasn't swallowed by a fish, because that's just impossible, I consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:40: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." So I guess if it wasn't true about Jonah, we don't need to believe in Christ's literal death, burial, and resurrection either. And more to the point, why should we believe Christ's claim to be the truth and speak the truth and "I and the Father are one" if he naively believed in what was false—that Jonah was actually swallowed by a fish?

To believe that Jonah wasn't swallowed by a fish may seem to us a minor point—but how can it be minor if it means that Jesus was WRONG? Theologically speaking, what is at stake is not just bibliology but Christology. Failure to believe in inerrancy will lead me to believe Jesus was mistaken in implicitly trusting Scripture—which means not only that the Bible is errant, but also that the one who died for me on the cross was errant. If he was, then the whole redemptive work of God comes tumbling down like a house of cards. But if Jesus was the infallible living Word, affirming the infallible and authoritative written Word (by which I mean inerrant, for if it's errant it isn't infallible or authoritative), then redemption is not a house of cards to be blown in the wind by every passing critic. Rather, it is a chain of rock-solid historical truths involving Adam and Even, a garden, a flood, Abraham, David, Christ, a crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, and a return of Christ that is as real and certain as all of these were.

As humans we are proud, and much of the efforts to discredit Scripture come from pride. Ironically, without studying Scripture or researching the actual facts in evidence, countless believers embrace the claims of the Bible's critics. Spurgeon said the Bible no more needed his defense than a lion did. The Huguenots said of the Bible and its critics, "Hammer away ye hostile hands; your hammers break, God's anvil stands."

When people claim to believe the Bible is inspired and authoritative yet do not believe it is inerrant, I know many of them are sincere, but I do think this logical inconsistency can only hang on temporarily. The person holding to it may not end up setting the Bible aside because of their belief that parts of it are not reliable, but their children and grandchildren will. Meanwhile, they trust themselves and others to sit in judgment of revealed Scripture—which, if it is breathed out from God, cannot be other than true, and if not true cannot be breathed out from God. So instead of sitting under Scripture's judgment, we set ourselves up as judges over Scripture. Not only is this inappropriate, I believe, but it also simply won't work in the long haul. It will lead to the problems of disbelief not only in the culture but also in the church.

Francis Schaeffer warned us about this thirty years ago. For those unfamiliar with Schaeffer, you can find excerpts from nearly all of his books at www.rationalpi.com/theshelter/sitemap.html


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
www.epm.org

Giveaway of the Month: Money, Possessions, and Eternity audio book

This month we’re giving away three copies of the brand-new Money, Possessions, and Eternity audio book, which is being released July 15.

Who wants to settle for fleeting treasures on earth... when God offers everlasting treasures in Heaven?

It’s time to rethink our perspectives on money and possessions. In this thoroughly researched and extensively updated classic, Randy Alcorn shows us how to view them accurately—as God’s provision for our good, the good of others, and his glory. Also includes PDF study materials.



Here’s how to enter: Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, July 26. (If you're reading this post on Facebook or Amazon or elsewhere, visit http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2009/07/giveaway-of-month-money-possessions-and.html to leave your comment.)

In order to qualify for the giveaway, you must include your contact information (a blog, e-mail address, or website), otherwise we cannot contact you if your name is drawn. (If you do leave an e-mail address, to avoid having it picked up by spammers, I recommend encoding it, such as: youraddress AT yahoo DOT com) Need help posting a comment? Click here for step-by-step instructions. For further assistance, contact me at stephanie(at)epm.org

The three randomly drawn winners will be announced in a blog post on Monday, July 27, so be sure to check back and see if you won.

If you're a previous winner, rather than entering, we'd encourage you to share this giveaway with friends who are not familiar with Randy's books and Eternal Perspective Ministries.

To check out Randy’s other titles available as audio books, visit the EPM website. (All audio books are also on sale from EPM during the month of July at a 40% discount.)

While you're visiting our website, be sure to learn more about Randy's upcoming book If God is Good—you can read an excerpt from the book and also pre-order your copy for the introductory price of $16.49 (retail $24.99).

Stephanie Anderson
Promotions Director
Eternal Perspective Ministries
www.epm.org

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Summer and Grandkids

Jake Stump, who'll turn five in August, LOVES the rope swing I put up for him and the other two older grandsons. He shrieks with delight as his feet touch the top of the fence. So fun to be with.

Matt Franklin turns five in November. Loves to hike with us in the "forest" near our house. A math prodigy and a wonderful kid.


















Ty Stump, Jake's younger brother. A sheer delight, who loves to play anything involving a ball. Just had a squirt gun fight with him. He won.


















Jack Franklin, youngest grandson, loving life. A joy. I look into his big eyes and thank God for the wonders of childhood.

Thank you, Lord for such wonderful blessings. "We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done." (Psalm 78:4)


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Question and Answer of the Week: Looking Forward to Heaven?

With the deaths of several celebrities on the forefront of people's minds, I want to focus this week's question and answer on Heaven. Because the reality is, as human beings, we all have a terminal disease called mortality. The current death rate is 100 percent. Unless Christ returns soon, we’re all going to die. We don’t like to think about death; yet, worldwide, 3 people die every second, 180 every minute, and nearly 11,000 every hour. If the Bible is right about what happens to us after death, it means that more than 250,000 people every day go either to Heaven or Hell.

David said, “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath” (Psalm 39:4-5). Picture a single breath escaping your mouth on a cold day and dissipating into the air. Such is the brevity of life here. The wise will consider what awaits us on the other side of this life that so quickly ends.

God uses suffering and impending death to unfasten us from this earth and to set our minds on what lies beyond. I’ve lost people close to me. (Actually, I haven’t lost them, because I know where they are—rather, I’ve lost contact with them.) I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people who’ve been diagnosed with terminal diseases. These people, and their loved ones, have a sudden and insatiable interest in the afterlife. Most people live unprepared for death. But those who are wise will go to a reliable source to investigate what’s on the other side. And if they discover that the choices they make during their brief stay in this world will matter in the world to come, they’ll want to adjust those choices accordingly.

Yet you may be wondering, How can I change my perspective so that I truly look forward to Heaven?

Consider these Scriptures:

Luke 6:21 says, "God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh."

Luke 15:10 says, "There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents."

Nobody wants to leave a good party early. Christians faced with death often feel they’re leaving the party before it’s over. They have to go home early. They’re disappointed, thinking of all they’ll miss when they leave.

But the truth is, the real party is under way at home—precisely where they’re going! They’re not the ones missing the party; those of us left behind are. (Fortunately, if we know Jesus, we’ll get there eventually to join the party.)

One by one, believers will disappear from the world. Those of us who are left behind will grieve that our loved ones have left home. In reality, however, our believing loved ones aren’t leaving home; they’re going home. They’ll be home before us. We’ll be arriving at the party a little later. Laughter and rejoicing—a party awaits us. Don’t you want to join it? (If you aren’t certain you’ll be at the party, check out How Can We Know That We'll Go to Heaven?)

Yet even that party, in the present Heaven, is a preliminary celebration. To be in resurrected bodies on a resurrected Earth in resurrected friendships, enjoying the resurrected culture with the resurrected Jesus—now that will be the ultimate party! We will all be who God made us to be—and none of us will ever suffer or die again. As a Christian, the day I die will be the best day I’ve ever lived. But it won’t be the best day I ever will live. Resurrection day will be far better. And the first day on the New Earth—that will be one big step for mankind, one giant leap for God’s glory.


www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com
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