Country Preacher's Almanac

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 49 CHECKMATE! “Science,” through the miracle of sonograms and other instruments, can now corroborate the biblical evidence of a baby responding to stimulus within and outside the mother, such as calm (peace) as well as pain.” 1) Biblical Evidence: Luke 1:44 “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” 2) Scientific Evidence: Fact Sheet: Science of Fetal Pain Charlotte Lozier Institute https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-science-of-fetal-pain/ February 19, 2020. (Cited 5/3/2021) Fetal Pain: What is the Scientific Evidence? American College of Pediatricians https://acpeds.org/position-statements/ fetal-pain (Cited 5/3/2021) NOTE: The issue of abortion is further discussed in PART II OH YEAH, WHAT ABOUT PROFESSOR POP-OFF? Case Study #1 continued (Professor Pop-off’s class): Charlie, “Professor Pop-off, could you show me where I can find the evidence that shows the Bible is not a reliable guide for life today?” Prof. Pop-off, “. . . . .” He might respond with claims that the Bible discriminates against women and the various sexual orientation self-identities of the day. He could suggest that it supports slavery. NOTE: each of Pop-off’s attempts can be explained by considering the basic rules of interpretation of any book (see Albert Garner’s Bible Analysis (How to Understand the Bible). Bottom line: God through

50 Country Preacher’s Almanac history has dealt with people and cultures as they are. The Old Testament is written to show that laws and the sword cannot bring the change of people’s hearts, as the New Testament witnesses. THE BOTTOM LINE: There is clear evidence that on the average, Christians who follow the teachings of the New Testament tend to live longer, be more generous toward the truly needy and tend to be more content and happier. This refutes Pop-Off’s claim that the Bible is unreliable. SECULAR EVIDENCE to support the Christian life, happiness, and charity claims: Longer Average Lives: Jamie Ducharme writes in the Time Magazine article, “Time to Florish” “...One of the most comprehensive, published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2016, found that women who went to any kind of religious service more than once a week had a 33% lower chance than their secular peers of dying during the 16-year study-follow-up period... Another study, published last year in PLOS One, found that regular service attendance was linked to reductions in the body’s stress responses and even in mortality–so much so that worshippers were 55% less likely to die during the up to 18-year follow-up period than people who didn’t frequent the temple, church or mosque.” https://time.com/5159848/ do-religious-people-live-longer/ (Cited 5/3/2021) Happier Average Lives: Joey Marshall, “Are religious people happier, healthier? Our new global study explores this question” https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/31/are-religious- people-happier-healthier-our-new-global-study-explores-this-question/ (Cited 5/3/2021)

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 51 “...In the U.S., for instance, 36% of the actively religious describe themselves as “very happy,” compared with 25% of the inactively religious and 25% of the unaffiliated.  More CharitableAverage: see Joey Marshall article cited above: “...in the U.S., for example, 58% of actively religious people are also involved in at least one nonreligious voluntary organization, compared with just 51% of the inactively religious and 39% of the unaffiliated.” (Cited 5/3/2021) NOTE: numerous other secular studies can easily be found to support on average a longer lifespan, happier lives, and more generous/charitable lives of those who are religious versus the secularists! BIBLICAL TEACHING to support the Christian life, happiness, and charity claims: 1) Proverbs 3:1-2 “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” 2) 1 Peter 3:10 “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:” 3) Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” 4) John 13:17 “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” 5) Luke 10:30-37, Story of the Good Samaritan 6) James 2:15-16 “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” 7) I Corinthians 13, The Love (charity) Chapter

52 Country Preacher’s Almanac WHAT GEMS HAS CHARLIE LEARNED FROM #3? 1.The temptation to immediately say, “Let me show you why the fetus is a human being with feelings and rights.” HE REMEMBERS THE POWER OF QUESTIONS and consider any evidence that Alvin may give as a basis for his claim. 2. Charlie goes to his pastor, youth leader, and parents along with personal Bible study and the internet to identify credible evidence that show: • For Alvin: Abortion is killing a human being • For Professor Popoff: Christians, who consider the Bible a reliable guide to life, tend to live longer, happier lives and be more charitable than non-religious people. 3. Charlie remembers that one never changes his belief until he questions that belief. By asking Alvin Atheist to share the evidence, he causes Alvin to question his view on abortion and Professor Pop-off to see evidence for the reliability of the Bible as a guide for life (from the womb to the grave: and beyond!!!). #4 HOW DID YOU COME TO THAT OPINION? (Logic/Reasoning/Heart) Case Study #2, continued (Charlie Christian and Alvin Atheist back at the dorm) “Charlie, “Alvin, about abortion, it seems to me that it boils down to some simple, logical questions: #1 Is the unborn a human being or not? #2 What or who determines when a human being has a right to life? Why? Is the answer to these questions satisfied by evidence and reasoning, or is the answer to these questions found somewhere else? One must consider the ultimate source

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 53 of life: God, Man, or Science? I would be happy to consider your reasoning on this and how you came to your opinion. Would you be willing to consider mine?” OH NO!!! UGH! Charlie makes it through Question #2 and Question #3 and still doesn’t realize that he has forgotten Question #1 “Why do you say that?” He makes a DISASTROUS assumption that Alvin’s problem is INTELLECTUAL: definition of terms, evidence, and logic. He fails to listen for the EMOTIONAL BIAS behind Alvin’s view on abortion: His mother and sister have both had abortions!!! HEADLINE: We often are guilty of the same failure. At this point, Charlie could follow one of two paths: PATH #1 He could proceed along the “come let us reason together” and match his logic (as reflected by his opinion) with that of Alvin, or PATH #2 He could wake up and listen to Alvin’s heart: his doubts, his guilt, and his fears— Alvin’s real barrier! Then, he could show him true hope. (I Peter 3:15) WHICH PATH? Note: If the barrier to the truth is rooted in the intellectual, Path#1 may be best. PATH #1 (Opinions based on the HEAD) “How did you come that opinion?”: First, Charlie addresses the meaning of abortion. In doing so he applies the first law of logic: The Law of Identity (LI): A is A. Simple, “A rose by any other name is still a rose.” Look up any dictionary and you will find that abort means to stop, terminate. Regardless of what word/s you use instead of abortion, abortion is abortion. Call it women’s health care; it is still abortion. Next, He applies the Law of Non-contradiction (LNC): A is not non-A. Thus, abortion is not not-terminating or not not-stopping.

54 Country Preacher’s Almanac Charlie then presents an inherent dilemma, the Law of the Excluded Middle, (LEM): Either A or non-A. There is only one of two choices: the unborn is either a human being or not. Example: the woman is pregnant or not—not, kind of pregnant. Remember Jesus did this in Luke 20:4, “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?” There is no middle option! Next, Charlie calls for deciding the ultimate authority source for determining what is a human being’s “right to life”? Reasonably: • The mother before and/or after birth? How long after conception or birth? • The mother and father before and/or after birth? How long after? • The mother and doctor or attorney or siblings? • Any religious body? • Government: through Presidential Executive Order; Congressional Laws; The U.S. Supreme Court, The World Court? The States, or the consensus of community standards? • The Bible? Charlie then asks Alvin to look at Charlie’s response to the evidence and logic around the issue: Is his position on abortion based on 1) the best evidence and logic, 2) emotion, or 3) just an unwillingness to really question his position? Charlie raises a necessary, underlying question: the ultimate source of life. Charlie shares his willingness to consider Alvin’s rationale for believing in elective abortion along with a kind and gentle expectation that Alvin will reciprocate. NOTE: For help when one follows PATH#1, see the Appendices at the end of the book. PATH #2 (Opinions based on the HEART): NOTE: The heart is presented in Scripture to describe the overriding capacity to obey or disobey what one knows. Thus, the heart of man ultimately must be considered in understanding and witnessing to the lost.

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 55 A Key to “heart ministry” is the power of stories. Sean McDowell notes that of the Bible explanation and defense of the faith, only 30% is presented as propositional truth. (claims supported by overt logic and evidence); 70% is presented through narrative, metaphor, symbol, image, and poetry. (Sean McDowell 122-23) WOW! Jesus was the master storyteller! A principle of motivation says, “One will not try to do something until he can see himself doing it.” A good story can put you into the story. As a child, I saw myself building my house, my life, on The Rock, Jesus Christ. (Luke 6:47-49); The hopeless, filthy prodigal son can see himself loved, forgiven, and given a new beginning. (Luke 15:11-32); The self- centered Christian can see himself changed into a Good Samaritan who sees the needy and takes the time to risk hurt, get bloody, and cough up cash to help the needy. (Luke 10:30-36) Biblically sound music which avoids ungodly sensualism can be a powerful tool in reaching the heart of youth. The Psalms contain few, if any, logical syllogisms, but they present some of the most powerful doctrinal truths to be found in the Bible, i.e. “The Lord is my Shepherd . . . .” (Psalm 23) But Beware! Sue Brown, quoted earlier, notes how imagery and music are being highjacked by Satan to mislead young people. Movies script with music lead many to accept evil as good! Back to Charlie Christian and Alvin Atheist FORTUNATELY, after wading through the first three questions focused on abortion, a light comes on! Is Alvin’s hang up truly one of 1) intellectual bad evidence or reasoning, 2) a bad emotional experience, or 3) Does he just not want to know the truth? (1Peter 3:5) Charlie spends focused time listening on the emotional/heart level to Alvin. As Alvin begins to see that Charlie really cares about him [don’t fake it ‘til you make it] and that he is one he can trust [not a gossip],

56 Country Preacher’s Almanac Alvin shares his heart. He tells Charlie that his real problem about abortion is his mother’s and his sister’s abortions. YES! If Alvin acknowledges that his belief in a woman’s right to an abortion is based on his emotional response to his mother and sister’s abortions, then Charlie can help him know the forgiveness and healing that only Christ can truly bring. Charlie, “Alvin, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your sharing with me the story about your mother and sister and how that has made you feel. I could see that was not easy and I know that you had to know that you could confide in me. As I have shared some of my struggles (my story) and a story that I read about, one with which I thought you might relate, I knew that our friendship was such that I could likewise trust you to truly care. That means a great deal to me, and I treasure that trust. You know that I have come to count you as a special friend, and I want to be here for you. We both know that the past is the past. The good news, Alvin, is that Jesus truly loves us just as we are, but He also loves us too much to want to leave us that way! Best of all, He wants to be with us with His love, faith, forgiveness, and hope. He has helped me deal with hurts in my life that I have shared, and I know He and other Christians can and want to be here for you, too.” YES!!! NOTE: Charlie knows that Alvin’s greatest need is Jesus. Charlie sees that Alvin could be cut off emotionally from his family if he comes to see abortion as wrong. He leads Alvin to Christ and helps him experience the reality of Psalm 68:6, “God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” Charlie introduces Alvin and facilitates development of “family” with friends in his church and with one who has gone through a

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 57 similar experience. See Appendixes 1 and 4 for suggestions on helping with the Emotional Barrier. NEWSFLASH!!! Before reviewing the above section, I was bombarded with another of Satan’s attempts to claim through religious leaders that evil is good and good is evil! Reading USA Today magazine, on October 11, 2021 opinion page A7, I read a pro-abortion article, “Faith guided our decision on 2 abortions,” by Rebecca Todd Peters. She is a Presbyterian minister, a professor of religious studies at Elon University, and a wife and a mother who has chosen to have two elective abortions. In the article, she describes elective abortions as guided by Christian principles and “morally good” when: 1) one cannot afford to care for a child, 2) one is not emotionally or physically able or ready to parent a child, or 3) a pregnancy will interrupt one’s education or career. (Peters A7) In today’s world, abortion is usually “all about ME—personal physical or emotional comfort, money, personal goals and values, or “I just don’t feel like I am ready.” Bible: The seared heart justifies; the open heart says it is sin! (Isa. 5:20; Jer. 5:39, 6:13; 1Tim. 4:1-2) DON’T FORGET PROFESSOR POP-OFF!!! Case Study #1 continued (Professor Pop-off’s class): NOTE: at this point, Charlie is still not aware that as a child Professor Pop-off’s father was a dedicated Christian. His father often quoted to him Proverbs 3:1-2, “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” HOWEVER, as a child, age 10, Pop-off had

58 Country Preacher’s Almanac to watch his 34-year-old father die a painful death from pancreatic cancer.] Charlie, “Professor Pop-off, Granted, the Bible is woefully unreliable for teaching Calculus. However, considering the purpose for which it was written, I would really like to know: How did you come to the opinion that it is not reliable for our day?” a BOMBSHELL!!! Professor Pop-off, “As a boy, I had to listen to my Bible believing father quote Proverbs 3:1-2, and then as a young man in EXCURCIATING PAIN DIE FROM CANCER! HOW CAN ANYONE STILL SAY THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE?”  BIG QUESTION: How would you respond to the professor’s bombshell confession? Would you immediately jump in with Scripture? Would you begin with an exhaustive theological treatise on the causes and meaning of suffering and death? Part II, Q#3 later addresses the problem of evil and suffering. Also, Marks of a Worthy Mentor, Chapter Six provides a lengthy discussion on the topic. In addition, I wrote a little booklet, What Do You Say to a Friend Who is Hurting? (G. Garner) This came after my daughter, Tammie Garner, went home to be with the Lord. She lived most of her twenty-eight (28) years as a quadriplegic. Her huge faith, love, and hope still humble me! “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”—yeah right! God forgive me! The greatest lesson Tammie helped me learn was from 2 Cor. 1:3-4. Comfort the Grk. word parakaleo (para- “along side of,” and kaleo- “to call”). Paul described with two words what he did to comfort in 3:12: simplicity (keep it simple saint!) and godly sincerity. (if you don’t truly care, then don’t try to fake it. They can

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 59 tell the difference) You don’t have to be a highly trained chaplain; better yet, just be there with simplicity and true care! POWERFUL! OFTEN THE MOST REASONABLE RESPONSE! — HOW THEY SEE YOU RESPOND WILL DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! Defensive? Judgmental? Preaching? Compassionate? Caring? Valuing the professor’s pain? Charlie, [give pause for the professor to say more. If he says more or gives a long pause that seems inviting to your response, you might continue] “Sir, thank you for sharing this. I have never been through what you have been willing to share, and I know there is no way that I can understand how that feels. I am truly grateful your willingness to share such a tragic, painful loss.” *What Charlie says next, if anything, will depend on the professor’s response to his care-gesture. Note: you might consider the scenario and develop your own dialogue between Charlie Christian and Professor Pop-off. Try to put yourself in the shoes of one who has experienced the tragic loss of a parent that seemingly contradicts the claim of Proverbs 3:1-2. Gems Charlie has learned Around Q#4 Charlie had been shown in his pastor’s teaching: 1) Evidence without logic is meaningless, and 2) Logic without evidence is empty! He remembers that Scripture speaks of “our reasonable service” and gives evidence for why it is reasonable time and again!! He has learned the power of opinion. Professors and we all like to think we have the facts— more than just an “opinion.”

60 Country Preacher’s Almanac Before confronting Alvin with Question #4, Charlie reviews the Three Barriers under Question #1 and what are called First Principles and the Three Basic Laws of Logic. Review First Principles, 3 basic laws of logic: Geisler Unshakable Foundations, p. 23ff By now, all parties should be challenged to consider: 1) what their claims really mean for them (logically, scientifically, emotionally, and spiritually) and 2) what causes them to question or affirm their opinions/ claims and the evidence, reasoning, and emotion behind their opinions/claims. Charlie invites Alvin “let us reason together” by making it clear that he wants to put his own reasoning to the test with Alvin. By listening to Alvin and modeling a spirit of meekness (I Pet. 3:15), Charlie finally understands that Alvin’s barrier is an emotional one: a deep emotional barrier that could affect his relationship with his family if he comes to Christ and sees abortion as morally wrong. Charlie grasps that tearing down an emotional barrier can bring rejection of loved ones and feelings of betrayal. Charlie realizes that tearing down emotional barriers often takes time and is painful. Charlie knows that he must be there to help Alvin and lead him to the healing of wounds through Christ. Psalms 68:6 “God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” Regarding Prof. Pop-off, Charlie learns that one may present what seems to be a barrier (intellectual), when the real barrier is the emotional impact of an “untimely” and “unfair” death of a loved one.

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 61 It must have been painful for the professor to open the wound of his father’s death. How Charlie responds to Professor Pop-off’s testimony may well determine whether or not Charlie can minister to him in any way, now or forever. GEMS FOR US ALL Reflect on all you can gather about Charlie, Alvin, and Professor Popoff: their biases and Charlie’s, the possible logical or emotional reasoning responses they might give to the four major questions, and Consider how Charlie might have responded best both from his head and his heart. (Take time to develop your own Monologue for Charlie and Professor Pop-off) Learn and review how better to apply the basic, God-given, Head and Heart principles that help one make good, life- impacting decisions. (see Appendix 2, 3 and 4) FINALLY, PLEASE REVIEW PART I, INCLUDING THE FOUR QUESTIONS GIVEN IN THIS CHAPTER AND READ AND STUDY THE CITED APPENDICES SO YOU CAN APPLY THESE 1) LAWS OF REASONING and 2) EMOTIONAL PRINCIPLES TO YOUR LIFE AND SHARE WITH THE KIDS! Get out of your comfort zone and get to know people who are lost and listen for the barriers in their lives and how you can help them tear down the barriers.



PART II GOING DEEPER: BIG QUESTIONS FACING OUR YOUTH



INTRODUCTION As you look at the Big Questions in Part II, some additional excellent resources are at Part III, The Appendixes. RESPONDING TO OUR KID’S TROUBLING QUESTIONS OR STATEMENTS As you enter into dialogue with each of the questions discussed in PART II, Chapter II Listening, ask yourself, “Should I start with RULE #1?” Rule #1 The first step to reaching and impacting the lives of young people is to genuinely listen to them. Review ALL of Danny Jones’ Part I, Chapter 2 Active Listening. Following are some key questions confronting our youth along with brief suggestions to biblically help them answer their questions. By the way, some of the questions they ask may find you saying, “I don’t know the answer, but God does and that is enough.” Really??? Could be, but just maybe God is expecting us to find or help them find the answers. But, if you don’t search out what can be known, then you can count on the world to give them their answers!!!



QUESTION #1 YOU CAN’T REALLY KNOW TRUTH FOR CERTAIN; IT IS RELATIVE, JUST A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT? First: Remember Rule #1, Listening, and Questions “You have your truth and I have mine” “It is really just a matter of perspective” “We can’t know anything for certain” “It is all in how you look at it” Underlying Claim: Truth is relative or if there is such a thing as absolute truth, it is unknowable. KEY VERSES: John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth [the ultimate and final yardstick], and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth [it is knowable], and the truth shall make you free.” 2 Corinthians 10:12-13 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 13, But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule [Greek “kanon,” Scripture as our standard or yardstick] which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.”

68 Country Preacher’s Almanac ANALYSIS: 1. Review the definition of Secular Humanism and Postmodernism found in the introduction. 2. Look at the following illustrations and definition of truth: “that which conforms to reality.” This definition fits the Christian definition of truth recognizing that Jesus, who is God, is the ultimate reality. God, I am, exists before and independent of matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). He is the creator and sustainer of these, Col. 1:17. He names certain things (Gen. 1:10) and He lets man name (give grammatical definition to) certain realities (Gen. 2:20). The reality is that things and people exist with certain essential (essence) properties regardless of what they are called. Example: I point to an item below and claim that it is the picture of a table. Is my claim indeed true? If what I point to is in reality a picture of a table, then my claim is true. Someone might say, “No, it is a mesa (Spanish), or someone else might say tв состоянии (Russian). The truth is that regardless of the word used to describe its essence [which man can do], it essentially is still a table. (G. Garner Marks 74) 3. I am reminded of my first Philosophy class in college. The Professor shared the story of a man who dreamed he was a butterfly and spent the rest of his life wondering if perhaps he really was a butterfly dreaming that he was a man. WOW! And to think it cost money for me to go to college and learn that!

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 69 4. The Christian is faced with the absurd claim that the butterfly story is just as feasible as the claim that Jesus died, was buried, and after three days arose and in that resurrected body ascended into heaven. • True: it is impossible if Jesus’ essence (what is necessary for Him to be who He is) is ultimately limited by MEST (Matter, Energy, Space, Time). • True, it is impossible if 1) there is no credible evidence for the claim and if 2) there is credible, undisputable evidence denying the claim. 5. Kids are often told that we should use “Eastern Logic: both/and thinking” instead of “Western Logic: either/or thinking.” Example: The Elephant story, illustrated by a picture, is often shown to argue for “Eastern Logic” and prove “Truth is all a matter of perspective,” thus relativism:

70 Country Preacher’s Almanac Note: the elephant story shows that truth exists: The actual existence of the elephant is not just a matter of one’s perspective! It is in reality an elephant regardless of one’s “perspective” or what word one uses to describe it or feels about it! RESPONSE & CONCLUSION: This question includes two basic claims: 1) there is no such thing as absolute truth, and 2) if there is, it cannot be known. Someone says, “There is no such thing as absolute truth.” Is that claim absolutely true? If so, then when I say, “There is such a thing as absolute truth,” is my claim absolutely not true or perhaps just relatively not-absolutely true? Duh! Think long about this!!! When someone says, “If there is absolute truth, then we cannot absolutely know it,” Why not? To say the least, someone who claims I am absolutely wrong for making an absolute truth claim is just talking in circles! Truth deniers’ claim forces them to deny one of the most basic laws of logic: The Law of Non-contradiction which says, “contradictory claims cannot both be true when using the same definition of terms and referring to the same time.” See Appendix 2.

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 71 FUNNY: They thus cannot say, using Eastern Logic, “It is true that there is no such thing as absolute truth” and “there is such a thing as absolute truth.” Absolute, knowable truth is revealed in Scripture in several ways: The first instance in the Bible where man claims to either know or not know is, “And the LORD said unto Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” And he said, “I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) Likewise when one is standing in front of me, can I not truthfully claim that one is standing in from of me? Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) -Lier, Lunatic, Legend, or Lord? *Bible deniers have failed to discredit the authenticity of the Gospel of John! The Apostle John justified his gospel claims, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13) The French philosopher Descartes in 1637 gained fame by claiming, “I think, therefore I am.” The Apostle Paul to the Greek philosophers around 53 A.D. noted concerning God, “For in him [God] we live, and move, and have our being. . .” (Acts 17:28a) i.e., I am [exist in reality] because He gives me life! Postmodernists look to Quantum physics, claiming for evidence: since subatomic particles are relative, all [in this they would include God] is relative. They cite for proof the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: the position and momentum of a subatomic particle cannot be established simultaneously. To the above claim Henry F. Schaefer, an early pioneer in quantum theory, replies, “Very few scientists are sympathetic to the subjective (or postmodern) interpretation of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Scientists believe that there is knowledge,

72 Country Preacher’s Almanac not merely a collection of stories; there is a reality not contrived by human beings; and there is truth. These are not merely human constructions.” (G. Garner Marks, p. 80ff) Schaefer finally explains that just because scientists do not have the instruments to measure a reality, this does not suggest that the reality does not exist. NOTE: Dr. Schaefer is a Christian and recipient of the highest award ever given to a non-British subject by the Royal Academy of Chemistry and a five-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Ultimately, all must one day acknowledge Romans 3:4, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

QUESTION #2 WHEN YOU MAKE ABSOLUTE CLAIMS, YOU ARE JUST BEING JUDGMENTAL, AREN’T YOU? First: Remember Rule #1, Listening, and Questions NOTE: See Charlie Christian’s response to Alvin Atheist: Part I, Chapter 3, Question #2 “What Do You Mean by That?” Underlying Claim: You are being judgmental when you say I am wrong? KEY VERSES: John 7:24 “Judge not according to the appearance, [not by how it looks to me or “I think”] but judge righteous judgment [based on and consistent with the standard given by God in the Bible].” There is a time and a way to judge!!! Mat. 7:1-5 “Judge not that ye be not judged. . . .Thou hypocrite...” James 4:11 “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge” 1. The one who claims an absolute truth is often called JUDGMENTAL! 2. Simple Answer: “Are you judging me to be judgmental?”

74 Country Preacher’s Almanac 3. It is one thing to make judgments based on a reliable standard (The Bible); it is something else to be judgmental: 1) make hypocritical judgements (see Matthew 7:1-7) or 2) “I don’t know or care what the Bible says, but this is what I think,” i.e. put “I think” above the truth of the Word which Paul and James warned against repeatedly. 4. One cannot go through life without making judgments. The question is: by what standard are you making your judgments — am I the standard or is the Word the standard? • Paul judged the unrepentant man who was living in adultery (I Corinthians 5:3) and he called the brethren at the church of Corinth to judge the same man and exclude him from the fellowship (I Corinthians 5:12,13). • In his second letter, he admonished them not to make judgments by sayings like “I am better than him or I think I am good.” See 2 Corinthians 10:12-13. • James 4:11 warned one against putting self-judgments above the judgments of The Word. 5. When we are tempted to say, “You are wrong,” it is clearly best to simply look at what God has judged to be wrong, and if the shoe fits, then accept and share with the willing hearers what The Word says. If they get mad, they will be getting mad at God. Key: When possible, reflect first on Ecclesiastes 3:7 and Proverbs25:11!

QUESTION #3 HOW CAN THERE BE AN ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING, ALL LOVING GOD AND STILL SO MUCH SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE IN THE WORLD? First: Remember Rule #1, Listening, and Questions Underlying Claim: There cannot be a God like the Bible describes in light of all the suffering and injustice in the world. KEY VERSES: • John 6:68 “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” • Deut. 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” • Isaiah 45:5 “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:” • Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

76 Country Preacher’s Almanac Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure [think well of] in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” • Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” • Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Briefly, God or god refer to that being or resource which provides for, has power over, empowers, holds accountable, blesses or condemns one: for example, the secular god, money. Many people make money their god. They believe that money is the ultimate provider for one, has power over one, empowers one, in effect makes one accountable, blesses or condemns one in the area it controls. A LOOK AT THE PROBLEM OF GOD IN RELATION TO SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE FOLLOWS: ANALYSIS: I. REALITY: EVERYBODY has a god or God! Man by nature seeks out a god, but which god? —Sadly, often the god of nature, pleasure, power, pride, etc. or “stuff.” • Romans 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” • Philippians 3:19 “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 77 II. REALITY: ALL of the other gods (including atheism) still allow suffering and injustice in the world. Here are some examples: • Rabbi Harold S. Kushner presents a god who wants to help but has limited ability. • So-called Christian Science declares that evil, including suffering, is just an illusion. • Hinduism holds that everything that is not Brahman (god) is not real. (G. Garner Marks, 151) • The typical atheist, such as Steven Gey, a university professor, and famous American Civil Liberties Union attorney, responding to his diagnosis of the terminal Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), could only respond: “Stuff happens.” (Marks p. 123) Thus, no purpose and no final hope. III. Why not ask these questions of God or gods: Consider the alternatives: • Why not make us unable to experience suffering? • Why not make us unable to commit any injustice? • Why not make us able to make only healthy mental, physical, and spiritual choices? • Why not make us without the ability to make any choice that is contrary to our creator? • Why not make us unable to make any choices at all? • Why not make us totally controlled by our manufacturer? WOW! THIS SOUNDS GREAT! Problem? What would we be? *God, please, make us just machines and you push the buttons! Really? IV. SUFFERING IS A REALITY; NOW WHAT? Three Causes of REAL Suffering or Injustice: A. The Laws of a Corrupted Nature: 1. “...the bondage of corruption,” Rom. 8:21, the consequence of man’s fall has affected all of the earth: man and animals get

78 Country Preacher’s Almanac sick and die; plants decay; iron rusts! This affects the godly and the ungodly! • Matthew 5:45 “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” God’s “Laws of Nature,” though corrupted, still work. 2. Choosing to Rebel Against God’s Laws: • Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” • Proverbs 5:2-11, Solomon warns against following an immoral woman in vs. 11, “And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed.” • Scripture warns likewise against the consequences of alcohol, stealing, lying, etc. • David testified as to the consequences of his immorality, Psalm 31:9-12 3. Suffering Caused by the Action of Others: • Because of MY SINS, Jesus gave himself on the cross!!! Mat. 26:28; Heb. 2:9 • Because of the false accusation (sinful actions) of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph spent two+ years unjustly in a dungeon, Gen. 39:1-4 B. Freedom of Choice: Responding to Suffering/Injustice? 1. Godly Choosers: Deut. 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” 2. Dreamers: “If only this . . . hadn’t/had happened”: Eccl. 5:7 “For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.” Solomon warns that dreams and words alone are empty. 3. Positive Thinkers/Willers: Just will something to be so!

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 79 • Lucifer, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14b • Goliath, “And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.” 1 Samuel 17:44 V. Is Suffering without Purpose or Can There Be Purpose? • Steven Gey, the famous law professor and atheist could only say, as he lay dying with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), “Stuff happens.” (Marks, 123). • Suffering in this world is a fact! If you are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem, agnostic or atheist, all of us experience some suffering in this life. • Is there any real Purpose/Reason that suffering could lead to good? Alex McFarland notes twenty reasons God allows suffering. (McFarland 202-03) A brief digest of his reasons follows: 20 REASONS WHY GOD ALLOWS SUFFERING IN THE WORLD To uncover the inside of our hearts, break our pride, deepen our desire for God, mature us, breed humility, warn of something potentially worse, jump-start our prayer life, prompt the lost to receive Christ, lead one to confess sin, trust God, deepen appreciation for Scripture, appreciate other Christians victories, take our eyes off the world and self, teach us firsthand that God is truly sufficient, connect us with other people, create chances to witness, lead one into ministry, make us grateful for what we had or still have, position us to bring more glory to God, and if properly handled bring rewards now and in heaven. Note: Each of the above given reasons can be found through a careful study of Scripture. Most, however, quickly find a home/meaning in the heart of the reader.

80 Country Preacher’s Almanac A PERSONAL TESTIMONY: When my oldest daughter, Tammie Garner, at age 10 was diagnosed with a long-term, terminal illness, I cried out to God for her healing. I cried in my heart, “God, I am trying to faithfully serve you as an Army Chaplain and Tammie dearly loves you; please heal her!” He didn’t! I became angry at God (I am so ashamed to say) and gave Him, not out loud but in my heart, an ungodly piece of my mind. I was angry toward an “unjust” God! He had other plans, longer plans! One day as I lifted up my hand toward God, as if to show him how much I was doing for him, I remembered the Apostle Paul who shared all he had done for Him, and Paul reduced it down to one word: DUNG! Php. 3:8. I realized that I had a serious PRIDE problem! Any time we say to God, “I don’t deserve this” or “I deserve better than this,” it shows a pride Problem. I repented and spent the next eighteen years of Tammie’s life down here learning the truth of Rom. 8:28, and, I am still learning! Although God may remain silent, not answering every question like we want or not even answering it at all (remember Jesus’ question on the cross?), He does know the end from the beginning and His promises are true! Tammie went home (Psalm 16:11) after spending most of her remaining 18 years as a quadriplegic (tied not to a cross, but to a bed). I knew that with God all is well. Romans 8:28 is true. Through sickness, through loss, through the sadness of even death and combat, I came to know, as my late friend Bobby Michaels says so beautifully in song: “As I look back on the road I’ve travelled, I see so many times He carried me through; And if there’s one thing that I’ve learned in my life, My Redeemer is faithful and true.” (My Redeemer is Faithful and True) Hear it sung by Bobby Michaels on YouTube! To be played at my funeral unless Christ comes back first- gg!

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 81 RESPONSE & CONCLUSION: REMEMBER: The God of the Bible invites one to TEST Him: • 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Try in this verse means, “test, examine the facts, put on the witness stand.” Look carefully at who He is compared to any other god!!! We choose our own God or gods. • Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”  God (and all gods) allow suffering in this world. Reality!!! Is there any reasonable explanation or purpose for suffering, or as the atheist Professor Steven Gey says, “Stuff just happens”? • 2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” • Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” • Psalm 119:71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Is there a God who loves and has the power to bring us through any suffering? • 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation [trial] taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation

82 Country Preacher’s Almanac also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” AMEN! Is there a God who can give purpose in the midst of suffering? • Hebrews 12:10 “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.” • 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.” Is there a God who provides a reason for HOPE? • Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” • Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory:” ALL OF THE ABOVE QUESTIONS ARE FOUND IN A CAREFUL REVIEW OF THIS CHAPTER. PRAYERFULLY RE-READ IT AND SHARE THE TRUTH HEREIN WITH OUR YOUTH!

QUESTION #4 WE CAN’T REALLY KNOW IF THERE IS GOD, CAN WE? First: Remember Rule #1, Listening, and Questions Underlying Claim: To believe there is a God, one must suspend reason, deny the scientific evidence, and take a blind leap of faith. KEY VERSES: • Psalm 19:1  “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” • Hebrews 3:4 “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.” • Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” • Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” • Hebrews 11:3 “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things

84 Country Preacher’s Almanac which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” • Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  • John 7:17  “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I [Jesus] speak of myself.”  ANALYSIS: SUSPEND REASON? Reasonable Questions: • Did someone make something out of nothing or did nothing make something out of nothing? • Why is there something instead of nothing? The Bible Teaches One to Apply Reason (the ultimate source and standard for logic), John 1:1. God called on His people to apply reason to their life decisions: Old Testament: I Samuel 12:7ff, Here Samuel gave a list of reasons to believe in God. (Consider the evidence of God’s care); Isa. 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD...” New Testament: I Peter 3:15, (answer, Grk. apologia: a legal term that means to give a response based on the evidence and logic that supports one’s claim); I John 4:1, (try: a word that referred to the attorney questioning a witness) The Cosmological Argument for God: A. The Horizontal Argument: Everything that had beginning (event) had cause, The Universe had beginning. Therefore, the Universe had a cause. Every event has a cause. Necessary Conclusion: If every event has a cause and the universe had a beginning (which scientific consensus confirms), then it had a cause.

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 85 ALSO, The Cosmological Argument for Time: An infinite number of days has no end. But today is an end of history (collection of all previous days). Therefore, there were not an infinite number of days before today. *Necessary Conclusion: time had beginning! Gen. 1:1. Thus, either there is an “infinite” series of causes or there is ultimately an infinite, uncaused (self-existing) being. B. The Vertical Argument: Every part of the Universe is dependent. If every part is dependent, then the whole must be dependent.Therefore, the whole universe is dependent right now. Necessary Conclusion: There must now exist some independent, non-dependent, being for its continued existence. • Colossians 1:17 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist [held together].” • Acts 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have [present tense] our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” Necessary Conclusion: Without God, we and the very so-called “Laws of Nature and the Universe” would cease to exist! The Teleological (Design) Argument for God: Every Complex design has a designer. The universe and life have a highly complex design. Therefore, the universe and life had a Designer. 1. Every painting has a painter. 2. The agnostic Immanuel Kant was forced to acknowledge, “Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe . . . the starry heavens above and the moral law within me.” (Kant The Critique of Practical Reason, 166)

86 Country Preacher’s Almanac Psa. 19:1 “...The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” 3. The Anthropic Principle: evidence suggests that the universe appears designed to support life. • Oxygen is 21% of the atmosphere. If 25%, Spontaneous fires; If 15%, suffocation. • If not for Jupiter, a cosmic vacuum cleaner, earth would be bombarded by junk! • If earth’s magnetic field were stronger, electromagnetic storms would destroy us; If weaker, the ozone shield couldn’t protect against hard stellar and solar radiation. *There are countless more examples of critical factors that are necessary to support life on earth! The Moral Law Argument for God: Romans 2:14-15 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;” A. The corruption of sin has affected the whole world to some extent, Romans 8:20-21. B. Man still retains in his heart by nature the moral law of God; thus, the conscience either accuses or excuses one’s moral choices. EXAMPLE: man’s conscience says it is wrong to torture an innocent baby; it is wrong to steal, etc. (wrong to violate the works of the law, Romans 2:15) DENY SCIENCE? It goes against the foundational principles of science to say. “Something comes from nothing.” Scientists say, “Let the evidence lead where it may.” Why don’t they?

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 87 Please, for just a moment suspend reason and indulge my atheistic, hypothetical rendition of Genesis 1:1 and Colossians 1:17: In the beginning was nothing and the nothing was powerless. And the nothing, which was powerless, slowly (OK, the word slowly suggests time. Give me a break!) began to be capable (to have the power) of producing matter or power (or something like that!). And in the process of time (oops! Still not sure if time had arrived yet) this powerless nothing began (oops! Not sure how that first “began” power got here) or decided (scratch decided; Not sure intelligence had arrived yet) to produce power and that power eventually produced matter (or the matter without any power produced power), and energy, and space, and time, and anything else that science might one day discover, and that’s how the universe and everything in it finally got here. Oh, and that is also how it continues to hold together. (Garner, Marks, 114) NOTE: you might want to share the above laughable/ absurd rendition with your kid! I had fun putting it together! What a pathetic explanation for matter, energy, space, and time (MEST) apart from GOD! • Cited earlier, Ben Stein, Yale University Juris Doctorate, writer, and political and economic commentator, produced Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed, Stein was a non- believing Jew who realized that scientists in America who believed in Creation were being ostracized just like the scientists in Germany who rejected the Nazi “science.” • Cited earlier, Richard Sternberg, a scientist with two Ph.Ds. in evolutionary biology, was fired from his job as editor of the Smithsonian science journal for daring to publish a study that advocated intelligent design. The “scientific” presuppositions of an initial BIG BANG or OOZE or a FLAKE of crystal from outer space leave two key questions:

88 Country Preacher’s Almanac 1) What came before these? And 2) What makes these ideas more reasonable than the revealed truth of the Bible? What caused these and what came before these? Scientists agree that inherently, everything that is dependent and everything that has beginning has cause. The first and second laws of thermodynamics support the Romans 8:21 “bondage of corruption” claim about the universe. • 1st Law: the actual amount of energy within the universe remains constant • 2nd Law: the usable amount of that fixed energy is constantly decreasing. The problem of electricity is how it is “created.” Its energy is not sourced in some other energy consuming device. The energy is not really created; it is simply transferred. *Bad news! the usable energy will continue to lessen; Good news! there will still be enough available during the millennium reign for the desert to bloom like a rose, Isaiah 35:1. WOW!!! Many Leading scientists and scientific philosophers accept the God of the Bible: This is true even though scientists who believe in creation by God are largely blackballed by the “scientific” powers that be. • Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health, led the Human Genome Project to “solve the mysteries of DNA,” as Time magazine phrased it. (David Van Biema, “Reconciling God and Science,” Time, July 10, 2006) • Antony Flew, the famous philosopher and champion of atheism, came to believe in a theistic God noting, “the findings of more than fifty years of DNA research have provided materials for a new and enormously powerful argument for design.” https://www.inspiringquotes.us/quotes/ plRH_26FBpxV3 (Cited 10/14/2021) • Dr. Henry Schaefer, pioneer in Quantum Chemistry and five-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 89 and recipient of the highest award ever given to a non- British subject, gives a lecture scientifically supporting The Kalam Cosmological Argument. https://youtu.be/ Ziojymi5OYY (Cited 9/8/2021) • Dr. Gary Habermas, noted Christian scholar on the resurrection of Jesus Christ debates Antony Flew, the most famous atheist of recent time, who later became a deist) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksa8uGe21rw (Cited 7/2/2021) TAKE A BLIND LEAP OF FAITH? Since every part of the earth is dependent on something else, then the earth itself must be dependent on something else. This is consistent with all scientific knowledge of the universe. (The Law of Contingency) Simple! Everything that has beginning and every event has a cause. (The Law of Causality) Scripture is a “need-to-know” book: It doesn’t tell us everything; it does tell us what we need to know for salvation and godly living: • Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed [belong] unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” • Isaiah 40:5 “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” • Matthew 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” • John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

90 Country Preacher’s Almanac • Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (Note: faith is the noun form for the verb believe) • Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” • 1Corinthians 2:10 “But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” • Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Necessary Conclusions: 1. Trust in that which violates no absolute (ha!) law of science or reason and provides truth that is revealed through Scripture and confirmed/verified by reliable witnesses and reliable prophecy (See Question #7) is not BLIND FAITH! 2. Either there is an infinite series of finite causes, and nothing made something from nothing or, 3. Someone made something from nothing! Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Also, Psalm 33:9. 4. Why is there something rather than nothing? Unbelieving scientists cannot answer. 5. What caused God? Nothing! Why? because God is not limited to the Law of Causality. Rather, He is the uncaused cause. 6. When did God begin? The question is limited to the dimension of time. In the beginning God already was. John 1:1 “In the beginning was [already existed] the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Was refers to the dimension of time. God is not limited by time! Likewise, 7. “Where is God?” This question is limited to the dimension of space. Not relevant to God!

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 91 RESPONSE AND CONCLUSIONS: 1. There is no scientific basis for declaring that there is no God. 2. All scientific hypotheses that “matter is eternal” or that It all began with “THE BIG BANG, etc.,” are left without a cause; nothing to suggest they are uncaused. 3. The tools of science are limited to MEST (matter, energy, space, and time). Therefore, scientists must be 1) open rationally to revealed truth (truth that is not limited to their tools) or 2) closed-minded (limited to presuppositions of materialism or some other God-denying presupposition). 4. They must reject the Bible claims for God: Psalm 19:1 “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” 5. They must either, by blind faith, accept an infinite (interesting word) number of causes or rationally be open to the possibility of an uncaused cause (a being that is not limited to the Law of Causality). 6. Ultimately, all either accept or reject the call to revealed truth and life through Jesus: • John 7:17 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself”.  • John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” • John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” 7. Thank God, thousands of leading scientists have come to Jesus and realize that ultimately all truth is revealed by an all-knowing, all-powerful, uncaused God through the laws He created, called “The Laws of Nature,” and through the revealed truth of the Bible that carries us beyond the tools of science.!!!



QUESTION #5 AREN’T ALL RELIGIONS BASICALLY THE SAME? First: Remember Rule #1, Listening, and Questions Underlying Claim: No one religion can claim to have absolute truth superior to all others. And, if there is a heaven, those who are basically good will go there: Religious Pluralism. KEY VERSE: John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way [the one way to heaven], the truth, , and the life: no man [literally, “no one, not even one”] cometh unto the Father, but by me [not by self-effort].” ANALYSIS: Steve Turner’s satirical postmodern “Creed,” summarizes the perplexities of non-Christian worldviews: We believe that all religions are basically the same At least the one that we read was. They all believe in love and goodness They only differ on matters of Creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation. (G. Garner Marks 54)

94 Country Preacher’s Almanac OBVIOUS: SIMPLE!!! They only differ on the matters of truth that most affect one’s present life choices and eternity! WOW!!! RESPONSE & CONCLUSION: 1. Expose the logical error of religious pluralism- a view that contradictory religious views can both be true or “sufficiently” true. Example: Christians say Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Moslems say he did not. (Koran in Surah 4:157). Can both be true? 2. Explain the Law of Noncontradiction (LNC): Contradictory claims cannot both be true when 1) using the same definition of terms and 2) referring to the same time, event. Example of the LNC: “Anyone who denies the LNC should be beaten until he agrees that being beaten is not the same as not being beaten and until he agrees that being burned is not the same as not being burned.” (Attributed to Avicenna, a Medieval Persian philosopher) Probably not a great evangelistic tactic! 3. A BRIEF PERSONAL STORY (You gotta read this! Please!): When in college, I realized that Hinduism, Buddhism, and numerous other religions were known during the personal ministry of Jesus here on earth. I remember asking my pastor: “Why did Jesus, Paul, and the other writers not even mention Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.?” — “They did,” he said! “They just didn’t call them by name. You see, George, really there are just two religions: the DO and the DONE. Biblical Christianity is the DONE. Jesus truly has DONE it all. We can only repentantly trust what He has once and for all DONE. All other religions are just some forms of DO! (WORKS) DO this or DO that and if you DO enough, you

A Preacher & Parent’s Guide to Protecting the Next Generation 95 might make it to heaven, or nirvana, or become one with the universe (whatever that means!), or maybe just cease to exist. UGH! Yep, just two: DO or DONE!!! Everything else is just talk!” 4. How can one know eternal life through the one-way Jesus? a. The answer? REVEALED TRUTH: truth that exists independent of human determination. b. The Declaration of Independence acknowledges: “We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .” Certain truths exist independent of any President, Congress, Court, or ever-changing “community standard.” c. Self-evident recognizes that certain truths may only be discovered by man. They cannot be determined, legislated, willed, or dreamed up by man. d. Scripture is a “need-to-know” book. It doesn’t tell us everything; it does tell us what we need to know for salvation and godly living: • Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” • John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” • 1Corinthians 2:10 “But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” • Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  • Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”



QUESTION #6 CREATION: WE DO HAVE TO ACCEPT EVOLUTION, DON’T WE? First: Remember Rule #1, Listening, and Questions Underlying Claim: The evolutionary scientists’ explanations for life, including that of the human race, are the most reasonable. KEY VERSES: Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” ANALYSIS: 1. The scientific community is broadly divided into two camps: a. Those who reject any idea of creation as a result of God existing independent of the so-called laws of science (thus, they are not willing to even consider the possibility of things not limited to matter, energy space, and time— MEST)

98 Country Preacher’s Almanac b. Those who affirm or are open to the idea of God creating all - including matter, energy, space, and time (MEST). 2. Bible rejecting scientists approach all questions from a purely secular humanist viewpoint: only that which can be demonstrated/explained through the scientific tools certified by them (scientism) is worth considering. The door must be closed to any belief or even hypothesis that would question their presuppositions. a. Example: Richard Lewontin, Harvard University professor of biology and an avowed Darwinist and secular humanist, confessed, “Moreover that materialism is absolute [emphasis mine] for we cannot allow a divine foot in the door.” (Marks, 44) b. Carl Sagan comments, “The cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be.” (Sagan, Cosmos, 4) NOTE: Marxists claim the eternality of matter. Marxism and scientific atheism—what a beautiful marriage! c. Within the boundaries of scientism, atheism makes an open discussion of human suffering in a context of meaning and transcendent purpose next to impossible. A study by E. J. Larson and L. Witham reveals that ninety-three percent (93%) of members in the National Academy of Sciences (equivalent to being a Fellow in the Royal Society in Britain) reject the idea of a personal God. (Larson, Nature, 313; Cited in Marks, 147) NOTE: This academy wields tremendous power in determining the philosophy and standards that define “valid” science in America. By fiat, they determine what is to be accepted as truth and what is appropriate for “peer review” and publication! 3. Where Does This Leave Scientists and Academicians who are Open to or Affirming of Creation? a. Richard Sternberg, a scientist with two Ph.Ds. in evolutionary biology, was fired from his job as editor