CARM Newsletter 09-16-05

Welcome to the September 16, CARM newsletter.

I have just released a new section on CARM dealing with Kabbalah (www.carm.org/kabbalah.htm). Kabbalah is a fad that has been sweeping through Hollywood and, unfortunately, has been influencing thousands of people. Basically, Kabbalah is a Jewish mystical system of viewing God, the universe, and man. It often reinterprets the Bible in radical ways. The result is similar to New Age theology. It is interesting. If you want to read a revealing dialogue I had with a Kabbalist, then check go to http://www.carm.org/kabbalah/dialogue.htm. Its amazing what this guy said.

Chat room

On 9/15/05 I was teaching on the Internet on paltalk.com (a free voice chat system) where I open the CARM room in the Christianity section each Thursday night at 7 p.m., Mountain Time. It usually fills up quickly and great conversations ensue where I answer questions, debate issues, and teach Christian theology. Last night a person who claimed to be a Jew worked very hard to undermine the truth of Christ's Messiahship. He spoke of keeping the law in order to be saved, of the need to be circumcised, and he tried numerous times to defame Jesus. It was a battle as I worked through the Old Testament and covered such Scriptures as (Zech. 12:10; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2). He had no response to these messianic prophecies. Instead, he used mocking tones in his derision of the truth. It was sad. Next an atheist entered the room and spammed it with very profane and vile insults. I kicked him out quickly. Then a Jehovah's Witness and I dialogued about who Jesus really was and what she needed to do to be forgiven of her sins. She ended up saying that she was able to keep the commands of God!

It is a difficult thing to tackle these groups by myself, but I do. The room had many people in it and I do not know how many were Christian and how man were not. But, the truth of God's Word went forth and I can only pray that it does not come back empty without accomplishing what God desires (Isaiah 55:11). I thank him for the opportunity to teach his word and refute error.

Pray for this ministry

Also, please understand that I am engaged in a spiritual battle on a regular basis. I really do need your prayers. CARM is a front lines ministry.

Lately, since I began researching Wicca and Kabbalah, I've suffered some unusual "difficulties." I do not know if they are spiritual attacks, but when several things happen within three weeks of studying occultic material, you begin to wonder. For example, within three weeks I badly injured my ribs in a small river rafting accident, got a flat tire on the freeway, my health insurance was canceled, was told I would not have vacation pay anymore, had a potential lawsuit against CARM (it was cancelled), was attacked by two Christian women who published false information about me on the Internet, and my wife's health took a dive (she has Marfan Syndrome). Also, I was spiritually exhausted after finishing the Kabbalah section. It is very very difficult to immerse myself in occult occultic material for weeks on end so that I can write about it, expose it, and give Christians an accurate and safe analysis of what it is compared to Scripture. It isn't easy and I desperately and definitely need your prayers of support.

Also, please understand that there are many unbelievers on this e-mail list who deliberately pray against this Ministry. They want to know what I'm doing so they can pray against me. So please take this seriously and support CARM with your prayers.

Lawyer

The larger the scope of CARM, the the greater the possibility of a lawsuit. Therefore, if anyone out there would be interested in doing some pro bono consulting with CARM periodically, please let me know. Occasionally we have a question on what we should and should not do regarding copywrite, non-profit, etc.. Nothing significant has happened nor do we expect anything too. I just want to be prepared. Thanks.

carmpedia

Please remember to check out www.carmpedia.com. It is a free online encyclopedia that any Christian can add to. It seems a little daunting when you first try to write something, but you can get the hang of it easily. It has the potential of being a good repository of Christian information. Please check it out and consider writing an article or two. Of course, we review them and sometimes make suggestions. But we welcome any support we can get.

What would you like to see in this newsletter?

Please let me know what you'd like to see in the CARM newsletter. Basically, it has just been a place where I have kept in contact with those who are interested in what's going on with CARM. It isn't a place for deep exposition. But if there is something that you'd like to see, questions you'd like addressed about this Ministry, etc., please let me know. Just e-mail me at [email protected] Thanks.

$5 Support

The Katrina disaster has definitely affected the donations coming into CARM. We do not want to detract from that great need, but we want to remind people that CARM depends upon your giving in order to continue. I am not quite full-time with CARM yet. I have a part-time 20 hr a week job and I write and research for CARM an additional 50 hours a week. So, I work 70 hours a week and have been for years. It is tiring. I desperately want to do CARM full-time for two reasons: first, to be able to spend more time with my family. My wife has been very supportive in this effort, but working a part-time job and trying to get CARM to full-time status has been time consuming. Second, I know that I'm called to do this Ministry. It is my passion to equip the body of Christ by providing a place where they can go to get accurate information on false theologies, so they might better defend the faith, and learn how to witness.

My wife and I both agree that this is what the Lord is calling me to do. I'm just letting you know that we definitely need your financial support. Would you please consider donating five dollars a month to this Ministry? Just five dollars. It is easy to do. You can set up an automatic contribution and really help this ministry.

EMAILS FROM READERS

• "Thanks so much for this site! I have been looking at it over the years. And by the grace of God, I've learned so much about the deception of the evil one. Keep on fighting the good fight and see you in heaven!" Jonathan
• "Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a blessing your website is! It is very thorough, and succinctly brings out important points about the Jehovah's Witnesses- a satanical group, in my humble opinion." Linda
• "Hi, I'm only 15 and yet I sit here on the brink of tears. I truly believe it was Gods will for me to find your website. I think I've read almost every section of it!! Through your website I found a link to a site that provided a video about the life of Jesus. I watched it (about two hours) and at the end I recited a prayer and I just broke down in tears. I felt like the Holy Spirit was in me and I have to just say Thank You because without your site I dont know what I would have done!!" Dana
• "Thank you so much for your ministry. I have used your site as a resource many times, especially when I was in college (a very liberal, liberal arts college)." Elizebeth
• "I'm long overdue to send you a note of thanks for offering a completely reliable, Bible-based source of answers for just about everything. I've referred to your site so many times over the past 7 years. From my dining room, where I work, I can see who is walking the neighborhood. By the time missionaries or Jehovah's Witnesses are ringing my bell, I'm able to happily shake their hands and offer, "Can I give you some literature?" -- all printed from your site! When I'm stuck on a doctrinal point, I can rely on your answers to be thoroughly researched. For that reason, I also feel very comfortable referring others to the site. If someone I am talking to needs to hear some verse beyond, say, the five that I know, I can rattle off www.carm.org and know they can find what they need." Keena
• Do you have something you want to say about CARM? If so, please email it to [email protected].

Finally

I want to see how many people read this newsletter. If you do, could you please click [email protected] and email me. I have a special account set up to count the responses. Thanks.