CARM Newsletter 11-02-06

Welcome to the Nov. 2, 2006 Newsletter

From the President, Matt Slick

Things are going well
I have to admit that the past couple of months have been rather trying.  There has been a deep spiritual "adjustment" that I have been undergoing, but it has been well worth the staying the course.  As you know, the Lord is very skilled at working in our hearts.  He can use someone like George Mueller (the man who built orphanages in England in the 19th century), our friends, our families, and those "coincidences" of life that make us take pause.  This whole thing called sanctification is not an easy process, but it is always worth it.  I think God for his kindness and correction.

Please Pray
Please pray for CARM.  Its reach is increasing as are the newsletter sign-ups, contributions, podcast downloads, and visitors.  There has been so much activity on the web about CARM lately that we've received quite in influx of positive feedback.  Perhaps that is why the enemy has still attacking.  Maybe it is also why God allows trials and tribulations to occur -- to bring confirmation, refinement, and focus.  Whether the attacks come from those who claim to be Christians and knowingly join with the enemy camp, or those who blatantly war against God using lies and mockery, violence against the cause of Christ will regularly occur.  In the process, people take sides in the battle and reveal what is in them by the company they keep.  "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord", (Joshua 24:15).  The great thing is that God uses all of it to bless and strengthen CARM.  The fight for the faith has been good and I thank the Lord for his confirmation that this ministry is doing well.

Catholic Apologist
This past Wednesday night, as well as last week, I had on the Faith and Reason Radio Show a Catholic apologist by the name of Mark Bonocore. It was a great conversation and we discussed whether or not the Bible alone is sufficient to be the only rule of faith and truth for the Christian.  If you're interested in hearing the dialog, you can listen to it at http://feeds.feedburner.com/carmorgpodcasting. Let me Know what you think.

Video Response
I was surprised by the huge response I got regarding my idea of producing a video series on basic Christian theology.  It seems that there are a lot of people who want to get their hands on something like this.  So, I will continue to pray about it and start working on an outline.  I was thinking that I could produce several one half hour segments so that they can be used in Bible studies and followed by a half hour of discussion.  There could be handouts and notes distributed from the series as well.  I really think it has a lot of potential.  Please pray that God will guide me and provide the means to accomplish it if it is his will. If you have any further feedback about this, please contact me at [email protected]

Need staff:  someone to raise support and move to Boise, ID.

I'm still hoping that by God's grace he will provide one or more individuals who would be willing to relocate to the Boise area, be discipled in apologetics, and work with me in developing CARM to a much broader audience as well is developing more content.  I'm looking for someone who is educated and/or has a passion for apologetics, and/or who can write, and/or can do web development, and/or wants to work with CARM.  I firmly believe in using the ability of others to do the work of this Ministry.  I'm not in it for my glory.  I'm in it to equip the body of Christ and bring glory to God.  This world is not a playground.  It is a battleground.  We are to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium.  So, I'm aiming to do the best I can with what God has given me.... and I need help to do it.  Interested?  [email protected]  But, don't contact me unless you are very serious about it.

Nov. 1, 1974
History lesson:  Yesterday, Nov. 1, was an anniversary.  Since it was on my mind, I thought I would let you know about it.  This really happened.  On Nov. 1, 1974, my friend Dave and I were walking our bikes up a freeway overpass one brisk morning as we headed to high school in Southern California; it was easier to push the bikes rather than ride over this long ascending curve.  We were on the left side of the road, near the top of the bridge, heading into traffic when suddenly, a blue van screeched to a halt.  The driver got out and ran towards us.  We both waited, wondering what he was doing stopping in the middle of traffic.

The driver grabbed Dave by his shirt and started screaming that we almost killed him.  I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.  He then said he was going to kill us both.  Since he was only a few feet away from me, I turned my bike around to head down the hill to a safe place so that I could go into traffic and stop cars to get help.   At that time I weighed about 100 pounds and was no match for anyone.  Nevertheless, in my panic I realized I had left my friend behind so I hit my brakes and was going to get off my bike and run back to Dave and help him.  I looked behind me. Dave had broken free and was running across the Boulevard to safety.  The man was getting in his van.

I don't think I've ever ridden my bike quite that fast before or since.  I was standing on the pedals, leaning forward, rocking the bike back and forth as I muscled it downward off the narrow bridge.  A quick glance let me know that he was closing in.  Just in time I leaned to the right.  At the bottom of the bridge was an entrance to a small trailer park.  With as much speed and skill as I could muster, I leaned into the curve, cutting through the wind, trying to increase the distance between us.  I heard the sound of tires skidding on the pavement behind me as he followed into the park.

Inside the trailer park there was very little room to maneuver.  Another glance and I could see he was gaining on me.  The grill of the van was ominously threatening to devour both me and my bike.  I headed for a small brick divider and with the skill of an Olympian, jumped off my bike and continued my forward motion on foot.  The bike kept going and I heard the rattling metal as it crashed to the ground.

I remember looking around trying to find an escape route, listening to the sound of the engine roaring behind me and hearing the rhythmic crunch of gravel underneath my shoes.  I ran is fast as I could and darted to the left.  There were more grinding sounds as the gravel was shoved under the van's halting tires.  The door slammed and he was now on foot.  I was breathing as hard as I could, forcing myself to stay ahead of him.

Frantically, I ran as fast as I could, dodging and darting.  I was small in stature.  He was much larger and much faster.  My only defense was in being light.  It allowed me to change direction quickly and frequently and with that I was able to put distance between us.  But it was very difficult to do.  Fatigue was robbing me of my stamina, removing my ability to stay safe.  It was obvious that in a few minutes I would not be able to keep my distance.  I had to think fast.  So, I decided to take a chance and run across the Boulevard, through traffic, to a parking lot full of cars next to a large building.  Hopefully, there would be people around.

Just before I bolted, I felt his foot brush against my shoe.  Later I would find out that it was torn but had somehow managed to stay on.  Fortunately for me, the Boulevard had a break in the traffic and I was able to dart across quickly and easily.  It didn't take much to put cars between us in the parking lot and by doing that I could stop and begin to catch my breath.  I remember him glaring at me and threatening me again.  Each time he would move to one side I would move the opposite direction, keeping the cars between us.  My breathing was labored, rapid, and deep.  Then he bolted.  It was obvious that he was determined to get me and that this cat and mouse game would not last.  I dodged around another vehicle and spotted an open door in the building.  I knew I was about to collapse from exhaustion so my only choice was to run through the door and hope that there were people inside that might save me from this madman.

It took about half a minute more of dodging and sprinting before I gained a clear path to the entrance.  So, with all the strength I had left, I sprinted.  It's amazing how fast my eyes adjusted to the darkness as I ran down what was a narrow room.  To my right was a bar with a bartender behind it.  Two patrons were sipping on drinks - at 7:15 in the morning.  There was no exit.  I ran to the far wall and stopped.  There are was a Juke box to my right.  I turned around with my back to the wall.  Only a few feet away I could see a large man sitting on a stool, lifting a drink to his mouth.  He glanced at me and then returned to his business.  At the far end of the bar my enemy entered.  His dark silhouette stood out against the white background of the door.  He began to walk towards me.  I was cornered.  With nowhere to go and with no strength to fight, I collapsed onto the floor and managed a feeble appeal to the man near me.  "This guy is trying to kill me.  Help me."

The silhouette kept approaching.  All I could do was wait for the inevitable beating, or whatever it was that was going to happen. Then, just before he got to me the large drinking man stood up, stood between us, looked at my assailant and said, "There will be no fights in here."  For a long moment, my aggressor weighed his options.  The big man stood his ground and I sat on mine.  Then, with labored breath, he pointed his finger at me and said, "Wait till you get outside."   He backed away, turned, and disappeared out the door.  The large man went back to his drink and ignored me.

Little did I know that my friend Dave was in another part of the same building, in a different business, and had already called the police.  I waited to come out of the bar for 20 minutes.  After I finally got the courage to exit, I found that the police had just gotten there and the blue van was gone.  Dave was filling them in and said that he thought I had been abducted.  Needless to say he was glad to see me.  My bike was mangled, unusable.  But I didn't care.

We went to the police station and filed a report.  We gave them a description as best we could and to this day we have never found out who it was or why this irrational idiot behaved the way he did.  So, each November 1 I think of my friend and sometimes we call each other and reminisce.

Thanks
Thanks to all of you who have been signing up for the online schools and donations to CARM.  Things are going well and we are very encouraged.

Stats
The CARM homepage was accessed 38,632 times last week.  The total page views for the month of October was 167,356.  The entire site was accessed 325,629 times last week and 1,416,972 times for the month of October.  Praise God.  In addition, the discussion boards are also doing extremely well.  Since July 6, they have had 7,394,510 page views with 10,621 registered users, 269,440 threads, and 657,886 posts.   Whew!

Suggestions?
Do you have any suggestions for the newsletter or the CARM website?  If so, let me know at [email protected]  Thanks.

Quiz Program
I found a quiz program that I'm trying out.  There is a red link to it on the CARM homepage.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Note:  please remember that CARM is supported by the volunteer gifts of its readers.

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:

  • [The following is from an atheist that had called in to my radio show.  He was argumentative and difficult to communicate with.  In the last minute of the show, I had to cut him off in order to do the closing.  This is what he said in his e-mail.]  Since you did not allow me to present my argument without being insulted, talked over, belittled, and assaulted with outright stupidity as agreed, here is something I challenge you to put forward to your ignorant, and irrational audience (as well as for your own irrational self), its something to think about , even if you have a hard time thinking without intellectual honesty. [He then goes on to present an irrational argument against God]
  • You have lost your credibility. When you tell lies about other religions you are a non factor. And you are going against Christian teachings.  But you already know that don't you? Your site is teaching false things to anyone who might read it. Mormons do believe in Jesus Christ. But, as for this Mormon, I do not believe in you. Shame on you. And Jesus will judge you. We are Christians, and who made you the one to decide whether or not we are? Don't even answer this email, I will delete your answer anyway. I just wanted you to know what I think of your site and your false reports.
  • Who set you up to be the great "JUDGE OF ALL PEOPLE"?     You are sick!
• Love mail
  • To all who took the time to make such a site, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!! I'm a Christian and recently I began asking questions about the Shepard's chapel no rapture theory, and came upon your site. To be honest when I asked God to tell me and show me and to protect my mind body and soul as I research their site he (God) sent me to your site. In all honestly I thought I was reading their site it wasn't until further into my reading I realized I wasn't their at all. I was were God wanted me to be, and thanks to your hard work you answered every question I had. If you have a prayer request I have one, or two. The first is that everyone receives the answers they seek , and my son Adam R Warren is kept in your prayers he's fighting in Iraq 10/01/06 to10/01/07, and all the others.
  • I thought that the quiz was pretty neat.  It helped me know a few things that I was not sure of, but now I do know since I took the short quiz.  Thankyou for having it on the carm website.  I think that it will be used by many people.
  • Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you for taking the time and energy to put your website together.  The topics that you covered on Mormonism where EXCELLENT and, even better, they were organized in an easy-to-read format.  I will definitely bookmark your website for future use in discussing Mormonism with my family.  My only complaint?  That I didn't find this website 6 years ago when I left the LDS church and became a Christian.  You may work on your meta-tags and search engine results.

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Same as Last Newsletter

CARM Ministries

• Please consider supporting CARM financially at $5 per month: here

• 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.

• Online Schools. Theology, Apologetics, and Critical Thinking.  You can support CARM and also learn.

• Discussion Boards - http://www.christiandiscussionforums.org/v/index.php.  We have a very active discussion boards.

• Chat Room - http://www.carm.org/boards/chat.htm.  Want a live discussion?

• 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.

• Podcasting CARM now has podcasting ability for past radio shows:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/carmorgpodcasting.

• Weekly Teaching Time on Paltalk - Every Tuesday evening I host a live discussion room on paltalk.com. Paltalk is a free voice chat system that is quite good. It 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 interested, please join us for our weekly discussion by going to paltalk, download the program, and join us on Tuesday evenings at 8pm, Mountain time.

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.

From the CARM Theological Dictionary
Exegesis
Exegesis is when a person interprets a text based solely on what it says.  That is, he extracts out of the text what is there as opposed to reading into it what is not there (eisegesis).  There are rules to proper exegesis:  read the immediate context, related themes, word definitions, etc., that all play a part in properly understanding what something says and does not say.

Be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium