CARM Newsletter 12-30-05

Welcome to the Dec. 30, 2005 Newsletter

Welcome to the last newsletter of 2005.  I hope that all of you are having a great Christmas and New Year's season and that you are looking with expectation and confidence to what the Lord will provide for you in the future.  Remember, our trials and tribulations show us two things:  God and ourselves.  Every year brings both, but if you keep your eyes on the Lord through it all, the good and the bad, you will bring glory to him and he will comfort your heart.  Trust Him always.

Live Radio Show!

The radio show begins on Monday, Jan. 2, 2006.  It is going to be an exciting time.  I'm a little nervous about starting because it's going to be live, and because I will be in a new environment.  There will be a lot of stimulation around me from the board operator, notes being passed, etc., while I try and interact with phone callers, and do research on my laptop.  I think the first two weeks will be a time of needed adjustment as I get used to everything.  Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to beginning the show and hope that the Lord will bless it greatly.

The show is called "Faith and Reason with Matt Slick."  It will be one hour long, five days a week, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Mountain Time). We have committed to a three-month show and at that time we will decide whether or not it continues.  It's a live call-in show where people can ask all kinds of questions dealing with Christianity, the Bible, cults, etc.  It will be challenging but enjoyable. Also, the show will be streamed live on the Internet so people from all over can listen to it. There will be a toll-free phone number to call as well. Please pray for its success that it can be used by the Lord to help equip the body of Christ, exposed error, and give a reason for the validity of Christianity.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed financially to support the cost of doing the show.  It has been a big help and has made this endeavor possible. If you are interested in supporting the CARM radio show that you could hear via the internet, you can donate in two ways.  First, you can go here http://www.carm.org/goods/radio.htm.  Second, you can donate via CARM at PO BOX 995, Meridian, ID  83680.  Please make a note that it is for the radio show.  Thanks.

Finally, you can check out www.faithandreasonradio.com, too.

Goals for CARM

Every now and then I like to let people know what the goals of CARM are so that they know how to pray for this ministry.  As you know, the web site does very well and gets around 30,000 visits a week. This is a great means of disseminating information. But not all people are avid readers. Therefore, we are hoping to develop audio lessons as well as video lessons. The goal is to have complete audio and video sets on various biblical topics that can be downloaded very cheaply. Unfortunately, I can't give all of it away for free because it costs money to rent web space, pay for downloads (bandwidth), etc., and it is necessary to charge in order to cover the costs. Nevertheless, the Internet is expanding all over the world and it's a great opportunity for us to be able to spread the gospel.

What are they saying?

CARM is constantly getting e-mails of thanks and praise for the information and research that is available.  But recently there has been one person from Vietnam who has captured my heart in his e-mails.  I will reproduce one here, without corrections to grammar.  I gave him free access to the online school's.  Here are a couple of e-mails from him:

• Dear SIR
  Thank you SIR
  May GOD bless you
  I am not very good in English. But i will try
  In Viet Nam. Do not have Theology School
  Churches also were limited, and can not improve
  I am living at Nhatrang before 1975.At that time in Viet Nam has NHATRANG THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE.
  But when communist came to the south Viet Nam. Nhatrang Theolycal college had been closed.
  Since 1975 till now. Viet nam still do not have Theological college. and the pastors do not have good education.
  we also do not have many theologocal book. We can not read online, Due to INTERNET just had in Viet nam round 6 years. And became rather popular since last 2003
  I hope. the pastors and Chirstians can read. learn more about Jesus. Learn more about Bible. and the mission will be better than now
  I am a missioner among the trible people. We do not have church. We can not buil church. Because the gorvement do not agree we have church in the high mountain
  In Viet nam. Missionary is very difficult and ...
  Please pray for the missions here, we have thousand and thousand of people to beleive in GOD.
  But the pastors very rarely - Special in Hight mountain of Viet Nam among the trible people
  Dear Sir
  Hope my email you undestand me.
  Please forgive me if i say something wrong
  My English is not good, i will try to learn this course
  Thanks GOD
  Thank you sirs.
  Helleluja Amen
  Lan

• Dear Sir President
  Thank you very much Sir MATT
  It workes now
  it's no problem. In Viet Nam. The controllers .
  They often look at "relegions'class"
  for security. It's OK
  Hope they read the Word of Lord
  I am very happy to learn in CARM
  Thanks GOD, HE was Called you became a great Leader of this schedule, to teach Bible and help to many the Servants of GOD.
  Your name is always in my desk for pray
  May GOD bless you
  Thank you very much Sir MATT
  lan

His emails warm my heart.  We should be praying for him to spread the gospel message.  Amen!

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.

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.

Still looking for 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 as developing more content.  I'm looking for someone who is educated and/or has a passion for apologetics, who can write, and wants to work with CARM.  I firmly believe in increasing 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's 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.

$5 Support - We really need your support - The holidays hit us hard.  For those of you reading this far, please read this.

Please consider supporting CARM. Last month CARM got hit with a $3200 unexpected tax bill.  This month the IRS was so kind as to inform us we need to pay $1800 for 2004 Taxes.  Add to that the loss of medical insurance for my wife (who needs tests run for her Marfan Syndrome) and you can see that we really do need the support.  Also, CARM depends upon your giving in order to continue. I am not quite full-time with CARM yet. I have a part-time 20 hours a week job and I write and research for CARM an additional 50 hours a week. So, I work 70 hours each week and have been doing this for years.  I desperately want to do CARM full-time for two reasons: first, to be able to spend more time with my family. Second, to facilitate acquiring a staff in order to produce more material.

I have the passion, the experience (25 years in apologetics), and the education (Masters of Divinity).  But, I cannot do it all on my own.  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
Antinomianism
The word comes from the Greek anti, against, and nomos, law. It is the unbiblical practice of living without regard to the righteousness of God, using God's grace as a license to sin, and trusting grace to cleanse of sin. In other words, since grace is infinite and we are saved by grace, then we can sin all we want and still be saved. It is wrong because even though as Christians we are not under the Law (Rom. 6:14), we still fulfill the Law in the Law of love (Rom. 13:8,10; Gal. 5:14; 6:2). We are to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27) and, thereby, avoid the offense of sin which cost God His only begotten Son. Paul speaks against the concept of antinomianism in Rom. 6:1-2: "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?". We are not to use the grace of God as a means of sin. Instead, we are to be controlled by the love of God and in that way bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-25).

Be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium