CARM Newsletter 06-07-07

Welcome to the May 30, 2007 Newsletter

Mini-devotional - Thank you for 1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," (1 John 1:9).  There was this young man I used to know in my youth. I would like to speak to him again so I might rebuke him and correct his errant ways.  I would like to talk sense into him and tell him how to avoid some serious sins and their consequent future anguish.  But, that foolish young man is gone, never to be seen again -- I hope.  He is a shadow now, a memory of self-centeredness and sin, a ghost from a past life.

Yet, that young man has left me with memories that I have tried to forget. But the Lord brought to surface a particular sin in a very sudden, unexpected, and profound conviction.  So, I found myself struggling with a memory and suffering from it with a newfound pain and shame.

It hurt to remember what I was capable of doing in my youth.

Why did the Lord choose this day, after all these years, to bring this issue to light with renewed strength and guilt?  I don't know.  But, after hours of trying to ignore it, and avoid God in the process, I finally chose to confess my sins not only to God, but also to someone who I love and trust.  You see, for some reason I needed to speak about it.  I needed to confess it with audible words.  I don't know why I needed to.  I just did.  So, I told my wife about that old sin and cried while confessing. This sin didn't involve her, but I needed her to hear it.  I needed my wife to hear my words. 

She touched me with a gentle hand, kind words, and spoke about forgiveness in Jesus.

But, the most important person I had to confess my sins to was the Lord.  Of course, I know he is eager and willing to forgive.  That is how he is.  Therefore, it was with confidence that I finally approached him, yet again, in confession and, by his grace, was cleansed once more.  I am so glad for 1 John 1:9 and its demonstration of love, commitment, and forgiveness that flows from the heart of God through the person of Jesus.  God forgives because of Jesus.  I am forgiven because of Jesus.

Are their sins in your life that you have suppressed?  If so, has your suppression moved you further away from God and caused you to be uncomfortable when contemplating the things of God?  If this is the case, confess your sins to the Lord and, if need be, to those whom you have offended.  Receive forgiveness, kindness, grace, and peace from the Lord and only he can give.  God is faithful, even when we are not.

Santa Cruz, CA Trip

Last week my wife and I drove down to Santa Cruz California to interview a pastor and check out his church.  The pastor was Dan Kimball and he is the head of an emerging church called Vintage Faith.  As I said in the previous newsletter, the emerging church seeks to reach the lost with the Christian gospel by adapting to present day culture.  There are many critics of the emerging church as well as proponents.  Some emerging churches are so liberal they aren't even Christian.  But, others are very orthodox.  As with most things, there is is good and bad.
I found Dan to be polite and knowledgeable about Christian doctrine.  He is definitely orthodox (though he seems to approve of women pastors).  After attending the church service I was definitely encouraged.  Though some emerging churches leave much to be desired, I thought his church was doing a good job of reaching out to the culture in Santa Cruz.

It was Memorial Day weekend and there were over 200 people attending the 7 p.m., Sunday evening service.  You have to remember that this is in Santa Cruz, perhaps the drug capital of California and is heavily situated within a surfing and new age type culture.  The fact that 200 people, mostly young, chose to attend a service on Sunday evening was great to see.

Dan preached a message on the deity of Christ and I thought he nailed it very well.

In fact, I felt comfortable in the service and would have no problem attending it again in the future.

In a couple of weeks I hope to go to Seattle and, Washington, and attend to other emerging churches.  One is quite orthodox and the other, well, I'm not sure where it stands.  It should be interesting and I'll continue my research and writing on this.

Finally, we drove down on Saturday, attended two churches on Sunday, and came back on Monday.  In all, I drove about 26 hours and traveled over 1600 miles (including a wrong turn that cost us two hours).  Needless to say, I was quite tired when we finally got home.  Why didn't my wife and I fly?  Because CARM didn't have the money for airfare and car rental.  It only cost about $150 in gas for the round trip since my car gets 33 miles per gallon.  Whew!

Seattle, WA Sponsorship

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I still plan to travel to Seattle, Washington during the weekend of June 9 through 12th.  There are two emerging churches there and I would like to attend both of them.  So, I'm looking for sponsors to cover the costs of gas and hotel.

This is the same as the last newsletter: Ryan Turner is a student at Norman Geisler's Graduate school who, Lord willing, will graduate next year with a Masters in apologetics.  He has expressed a very strong desire to work with CARM.  Ryan will be flying out to Boise on June 8 and will stay here for 10 days, in our home.  This is so he can check us out to see if he wants to make a commitment to work with CARM by moving here next year.  Anyway, I plan to drive from Boise to Seattle with Ryan and stay there for two, three, or four days while we check out two emerging churches and also, hopefully, the Discovery Institute that works with intelligent design theory.  Again, if anyone would be willing to sponsor us for our trip up there (hotel and gas), please let me know.  Or, if someone has a spare couple of rooms in their home for a few days, that would be fine, too.  My car gets great gas mileage and has GPS navigation so directions aren't a problem, nor is traveling an hour (or less) to get to the churches should we find lodging at a distance.  So, if you want to help out, please contact me at [email protected]

Rexburg, Idaho

Next weekend, I might also be going to the east side of Idaho to a city called Rexburg.  The plan is to go Saturday night, get a hotel, and attend a church service the following morning.  There is a Calvary Chapel opening up there in the midst of a very heavy Mormon population.  I was told that cover Chapel had some difficulty with the Mormons during a preliminary "test" service in that area.  I wanted to attend, take notes, and support this pastor and congregation in their difficult task.  I'll let you know if and when I go and what happens

Video Camera

Man! researching video camera stuff is tedious.  Is there anybody out there who knows enough about video cameras to be able to give me a recommendation?  I need a camera (or two) that is high enough quality to produce DVD presentations, has an audio input jack, and will produce video that can be edited on a computer.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Oh, one more thing.  I have $2000 to work with to either get one camera or two.  I would prefer to have two cameras to produce videos with different angles, not to mention to have a backup.  However, it might be necessary to buy a single camera and work with that.

Again, I'm looking for somebody who has some expertise in this area and could make recommendations.  By the way, which is better, 3ccd, cmos, or HD?  And, I have concluded that I probably should use MiniDV for storage.  I'm open to suggestions.

Advertising Space

Are you interested in purchasing advertising space on CARM?  If so, please let me know at [email protected]  CARM gets about 400,000 unique visitors a month.

One more thing, I'm new at the idea of having someone advertise on CARM.  Of course, whoever did would have to be acceptable to CARM is a Ministry.  Also, does anyone have any idea what would be acceptable rates for charging for advertising on CARM?  If you know, please contact me at [email protected] and let me know.  Thank you.

Logos Software

By way of reminder, if any of you are interested in perhaps one of the very best, if not the best, Bible programs available, please check out http://www.logos.com/carm.  I use it all the time.  If  you purchase software through the CARM link, you can get a discount and it helps to support CARM as well.

If you get anything at Logos, use CARM as the coupon code during checkout.

Love and Hate Mail
CARM is constantly getting e-mails of thanks and praise and condemnation.  Here are a few...in the raw.  (At the suggestion of a reader, the hate mail is first so that the last taste in your mouth, is the love mail).

  • Hate mail:
    • I think that you, Mr. Matt Slick, are a sadistic cult leader. If people like you will be in heaven, I will more than happy to take my place in Hell. You are a disgrace to humanity. I yearn for the day people like you are systematically slaughtered. I will feel pity for you.
    • I read your articale about pokemon and it was very helpfull. It made me realize how some sites like yours are a load of crap. Yes i said it your hole organization is crap. there is nothing wrong about pokemon there never will be. So you need to shut up and go hide in a corner.
    • I have reviewed your website and have concluded that you are producing a message that is contrary to Christ.  I must ask you to reconsider, to abandon the ways of Satan, and embrace the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Only through the Church can you be saved.  Otherwise, you are nothing more than false prophets and blasphemers that Our Saviour warned us about.  I will pray for your souls that are otherwise damned.  EMBRACE THE FAITH, blasphemers.  Jesus will return and judge you.
    • you think Christ has called you to do his work by wasting your time   attempting to discredit other religions of believers in his Father?   you really think you should be wasting all of your energy on that   while people are starving and in need of real help all over the world?   Christ calls us to spread the news of him to nonbelievers, not to   discredit everyone we (who are men) decide don't worship him properly   (don't hate people who dont hate you for worshipping God in a way that   you have no idea about)
  • Love mail:
    • I just wanted to say how impressed I was with he accuracy of the LDS doctrine that you have on your site.  I am Mormon and it is so nice to have a non-Mormon site actually presenting actual Mormon doctrines.  Most sites I visit usually are immature and innaccurate, but, your site is accurate and handles the doctrine very clearly.  I realize that you are doing what you feel is right and I appreciate you doing it in a way which is not slanderous and mean.  We all have different beliefs, and I respect yours and appreciate how your sites respect ours.  Keep up the good work.
    • Just wanted to say thank you for your ministry... very good stuff... Be encouraged and keep fighting the good fight!
    • God bless you, brother in Christ.  Keep up the terrific work.  I'm always encouraged by your newsletters and communication knowing that you have been walking with faith and not just by sight.  I will continue to pray for you and your family.
    • I would just like to thank matt slick for being an instrument that God used to save me.  he doesn't have to spend all of his time on Carm especially because he doesn't get paid, but if he ever wonders if people just hate him and want to shut him down then i want him to know that i was one soul that was saved.

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    1. Podcast Link -  If you are interested in listening to the radio podcasts of faith and reason,  there are several options.  One is to go to the CARM home page and click on the radio link, or go to www.carm.org/radio/radio.htm, or click on this link http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=432798 and enter your e-mail address.  Its free and you'll be notified every time the podcast page is updated.
    2. Feedback and Suggestions - I would love to have feedback and suggestions from the CARM readers about the website, the radio show, and this newsletter.  Please feel free to let me know what you would like covered and/or addressed.  [email protected]
    3. Please Support CARM - CARM is supported by the voluntary gifts and offerings of people like you.  I have revamped the donations system and hope that this new year will bring in more support so that we can hire an additional staff person.  Even $5 a month can make a big difference.  CARM is on the front lines and we need all the help we can get.  Please pray for us.  We need it.
    4. Discussion Boards - The CARM Discussion Forums are doing extremely well.  In less than a year we have over 13,700 people signed up as participants. We even have a donation option for people to support the Ministry and have extended posting privelaes.  If you are interested in learning how to defend your faith as well as finding out what others believe about vendors, than the CARM discussion forums are the place to be.
    5. Chat Room http://www.carm.org/boards/chat.htm.  Want a live discussion?
    6. Thanks Again - Thanks to all of you who have been signing up for the online schools and donations to CARM.    They have been a real encouragement to this Ministry as they have increased lately.
    7. 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.
    8. Online Schools. Theology, Apologetics, and Critical Thinking.  You can support CARM and also learn.
    9. Live Radio Show! - 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, counseling, the occult, etc.  You can call in to the number is 208-377-3790 and/or listen live via the Internet at www.myfamilyradio.com on the AM station.  P odcasting CARM now has podcasting ability for past radio shows:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/carmorgpodcasting.
    10. Suggestions?
      Do you have any suggestions for the CARM newsletter or the CARM website?  If so, please contact us at [email protected]  We want to know what you think, areas of need that you would like to see addressed, as well as any comments you might have.
      11.

    • Same as Last Newsletter

 

From the CARM Theological Dictionary

Hell
Hell is the future place of eternal punishment of the damned including the devil and his fallen angels. There are several words rendered as Hell: Hades - A Greek word. It is the place of the dead, the location of the person between death and resurrection. (See Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Acts 11:27; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:18; 6:8). Gehenna - A Greek word. It was the place where dead bodies were dumped and burned (2 Kings 23:13-14). Jesus used the word to designate the place of eternal torment (Matt. 5:22,29,30; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5). Sheol - A Hebrew word. It is the place of the dead, not necessarily the grave, but the place the dead go to. It is used of both the righteous (Psalm 16:10; 30:3; Isaiah 38:10) and the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job. 24:19; Psalm 9:17). Hell is a place of eternal fire (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20). It was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) and will be the abode of the wicked (Rev. 22:8) and the fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4).

 

 

Be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium

In Jesus,

Rev. Matt Slick, your missionary to the  Internet. Equipping the church to defend the faith in a secular society.

_________________
Notes

  1. Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.

 

 

 

 
 
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