CARM Newsletter 03-02-06

Welcome to the March 2, 2006 Newsletter

Full Time Status!

This week has been my first in full-time status with CARM. It is a bit of an adjustment psychologically because I keep thinking I have to go to work. Already, I'm losing track of what day of the week it is -- which I find amusing. Work has a way of keeping you on track.

Again, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for me to go full-time and for those of you who are and have supported me financially, thank you. Without both the prayer and financial support I could not go full-time. But, after 10 years working on CARM, it's finally here and by the grace of the Lord, I will be able to accomplish a lot more with this Ministry.

Three Main Projects

There are three main projects I'm working on now. The first is a novel called "The Garden". It is a story about an unbeliever named Mark who encounters an angel. Mark and the angel discuss various theological points. The story line has demons fighting angels, battles, prayer, a pastor, bad guys, good guys, etc.  I've let the few people read the first few chapters and all of them have said that the story is very engaging.

The reason I'm writing this novel is for evangelistic purposes. The story is meant to be the hook that keeps the reader interested. The true "meat" of the book is found in the dialogue between the angel and Mark -- who eventually gets saved. By the time the reader has finished the book, he/she will have learned about the Trinity, the deity of Christ, His sacrifice, resurrection, salvation by grace, why there is evil in the world, the fall, God's nature regarding his character and holiness, etc.

It is designed to be relatively short, less than 200 pages, and interesting for both the Christian and non-Christian. Hopefully, Christians would be able to give the book to unbelievers as a witnessing tool. The effort is laborious, but it is well worth it. So, I would appreciate your prayers in this is well.

The second project I'm working on is a third school for CARM called "The School of Critical Thinking."  It is one thing to have knowledge but we need to be able to think critically so we can properly use what we know. This will take a lot of care to write because I need to develop a method for teaching people how to think critically (for evangelistic and apologetic reasons), yet do it without being so high-faluting that it can't be understood. I have read books on critical thinking, and to be quite honest, after a few pages it becomes so heavy, so mentally demanding, that I put the books down. Why can't people write simply and to the point and teach people how to think critically at the same time? Well, let's see if I can do it.

The third project I'm working on is developing Flash presentations on a host of topics: Christian doctrine, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, evolution, atheism, etcetera. I am doing this by producing PowerPoint slides with embedded voice, embedded video (if I can pull it off technically), and then convert the files to flash. I would then put them on CARM for free download and distribution. The goal is to produce five to ten minute slide presentations that are theologically and biblically accurate, not too deep to understand, and can be easily played on any computer system. I would encourage them to be copied and distributed everywhere.

As you can see, these are all significant projects.  I believe that they are good ones and worth the effort. Please consider supporting CARM as the Lord would urge you so that these projects could be expanded and achieved.

Thanks

Discussion Boards

The new discussion boards are doing very well with about 40 signups a day. They are located at http://www.christiandiscussionforums.org/v/index.php, and they have a LOT of new features that are really great.  If you like to interact with those who oppose God's truth, and want to sharpen your witnessing skills, then this is a place for you.

CARM Miscellaneous

CARM is averaging well over 30,000 visits a week now. I am down from over 4000 to 3758 unanswered e-mails. There are over 18,000 people on his e-mail newsletter list.

Online Schools

Just a reminder.  CARM has two online schools that you can sign up for. One is on theology and it is the most popular and the second one is on apologetics. Each school costs $50 (which is used to run CARM, expenses, etc.) and has about 90 lessons in each. So, if you are interested in both supporting CARM and getting some bang for your buck, check them out.  The are located at http://www.carm.org/online.htm

What are they saying about CARM?

CARM is constantly getting e-mails of thanks and praise for the information and research that is available.  Here are a few e-mails...in the raw.

• Love mail:
  • I signed up and downloaded the CARM MOAN and it is of a great help, May the Lord bless you and your ministry. Hans
  • I have been using your website for research for a class entitled Religions of America. I have found it very helpful and useful. Thank you for taking the massive amount of time to research and compile the information. Your website is easy to use and understand. May God continue to bless your efforts to, as Paul told Timothy, "contend for the faith." Your Fellow Follower of Jesus Christ.  Eric
  • Carm is God's answer to wrong doctrine and deliberate lies being pumped through the channels of the Internet, AND encouraging and equipping us with basic theology and answers to the infamous "difficult verses" (my fave) . The layout is accessible and perfect for the "learned" and the lay person like me. Praise God in going full time. Justin
  • I wanted to thank you for your ministry, for your passion for the Word of God. I have been helped greatly by the radio program and the website. You push us lazy American Christians to keep sharp and know what we're talking about. By calling Truth and error by their real names you shock us into a profound realization. That is, if we, as Christians, claim to have the Truth then we had better be for telling others and confronting the lies being strewn about. It is the only compassionate response to people who are trapped in spiritual/emotional slavery. Mike
• Hate mail:
  • Do you believe that acquiring knowledge and having child like faith is all a person needs. Well it shows how stupid you are. Read [a list of anti Christian wacko books] Can you read? Bet you won't read these and if you did you wouldn't learn any thing because you can't learn. You are a brain-washed, mindless zombie. I don't know how any one can watch your ********. Get educated about your religion and stop preaching lies. Beverly
  • I don’t hate you I just think you are stupid. You are uneducated.  Its not a hypocrite which I know you cant spell, its just stupid. You don’t really read the bible or you would know. I don’t hate you I pity you and the stupid people that will be what your kids are when they grow up. You are the Osama bin Christians. The end justifies the means. I don’t care what you do as long as it doesn’t impact on my life. Leave us the *** alone but you wont do that – you go on TV, the Internet and tell us we are all damned. And ignore that your kids are screaming stupid brats.  If Jesus was God he would have been without sin. Jesus wasn’t without sin so he was not god. Also the 10 commandments is another step. You have broken at least 4 I can count on your website. I know this is like talking to a lump of cheese but there are those of us that are highly educated, with upper middle class lives who are just sitting back wondering about the nut cases like you all and worrying that you are cooking another Timothy McVeigh in your midst. We in our home actually live the values in the bible because its more important to actually ACT god like than to SAY you are acting godlike. I don’t need a website to prove to anyone that I am good. I know we are. I don’t need to get on TV or sell CD’s to prove I am good, we just are.   Emily

What do you think of CARM?  Why don't you let me know at [email protected]?

CARM Ministries

• CARM has a Chat Room - The CARM chat room is a success and we have had as many as 20 people in it at a time who come from all over.  So, if you are interested in chatting with me or others, then check it out.  It's located here http://www.carm.org/boards/chat.htm.

• Prayer Ministry - CARM does have a prayer Ministry.  If you are interested in joining us as we pray for others' needs, or if you have needs that you need prayer for, please go to http://www.carm.org/prayer.htm and sign up.

• Live Radio Show! - Live radio show that began on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006. The show is called "Faith and Reason with Matt Slick."  I am on for one hour, five days a week, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain Time). It's a live call-in show where people can ask all kinds of questions dealing with Christianity, the Bible, cults, etc.  You can call in to the number is 208-377-3790.  You can listen to old programs here:    http://www.live365.com/stations/matt_slick) and live via the Internet connection at www.myfamilyradio.com on the AM station.

  Radio Show Times Monday through Friday Phone # is 208-377-3790
  Hawaii	Alaska	Pacific	Mountain	Central	Eastern
  2-3pm	4-5pm	5-6pm	6-7pm	7-8pm	8-9pm

   

• Weekly Teaching Time on Paltalk - Every Thursday evening I host a live discussion room on paltalk.com. Paltalk is a free voice chat system that is quite good. Paltalk is full of Christians as well as non-Christians and the battles over truth are frequent. It is however, a good place to learn how to defend your faith. If any of you are interested and would like to check it out, please join us for our weekly discussion by going to paltalk, download the program, and join us on Thursday evenings.

  Paltalk.com | Section = Christianity | Room = CARM Every Thursday
  Hawaii	Alaska	Pacific	Mountain	Central	Eastern
  4-6pm	6-8pm	7-9m	8-10pm	9-11pm	10-12pm

   

$5 Support - CARM depends on your support.  Please consider supporting CARM.

CARM is reaching thousands and thousands of people all over the world for Jesus Christ.  There are very few ways that are more efficient and more effective in preventing the gospel message than the Internet.  Your support can go a very long way in further in the kingdom of God.  Please consider supporting CARM with $5 a month or whatever you feel led to contribute.  It's easy to do and it does help a great deal.  If interested, please sign up here.

From the Theological Dictionary
Cosmological argument
An attempt to prove that God exists by appealing to the principle that all things have causes.  There cannot be an infinite regress of causes, therefore, there must be an uncaused cause:  God.

Be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium