Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 207

Conception to Birth, Visualized

A mathematician discusses and illustrates the extraordinary process of how a human being is conceived and develops. Fascinating. And God gets the credit for the "magic”, the miracle of life.

 

      

Scottish or Irish?

I am Scotch-Irish (or some prefer Scottish-Irish), descending back to three Alcorn brothers who lived in Belfast long ago. There are indications the three brothers came from Scotland.

When I was a kid my dad told me my ancestors came from Ireland, but never mentioned they were Scottish, so I grew up believing I was Irish. When I was thirty or so I found out from my cousin James Alcorn, the family historian, that I was really Scottish. I looked at my dad and said, “You told me we were Irish.” Dad shrugged and said, unfazed, “Guess not.” Every Saint Patrick’s Day since then, and every Irish Spring commercial, I say to Nanci, “I used to be Irish.”

Some get confused between the Scottish and the Irish. Here is a quick and entertaining clarification.

      

Seminar at The Cove: "Four Central Truths of a Biblical Worldview"

This October 2-4, I’ll be speaking at The Cove, Billy Graham’s mountain retreat center in Asheville, NC. The seminar is titled "Four Central Truths of a Biblical Worldview." We’ll be covering the topics of Heaven, evil and suffering, stewardship as God's money managers, and living a life of grace and truth. Learn more at www.thecove.org/Alcorn. If (and only if) it’s what God has for you, I hope to see you there!

The Least of These: Street Children

Today we’re launching a new blog series (every few weeks we’ll share a post) that addresses social justice issues that affect the most vulnerable people in the world today. Each blog will focus on a specific, often overlooked, people group in need both physically and spiritually. Also, at the end of each post, there will be further information and ways for you to get involved and make a difference. (My thanks to EPM staff Julia Stager, Kathy Norquist, and Stephanie Anderson for assisting me with these.)

This first blog focuses on child poverty in urban areas. Though many groups through the centuries have reached out to suffering children, the breadth and depth of poverty is only increasing. In the past, children who lived in or near cities were usually better off than poor children in rural areas, but that dynamic has dramatically shifted. Today, children (many of whom have at least one deceased parent) are living on the streets and in slums. This puts them in serious danger of malnutrition, exposure, disease, violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child labor. (Unicef’s 2012 “State of the World's Children” report provides more statistics and information.)

Watch this insightful 1.5 minute video about children in crisis from ACTION International, a ministry that has been laboring for decades to reach street children for Jesus:

I’m also sharing a blog from Covenant Ministries, one of several ministries that supports street children. It’s a poignant account of the Lord’s provision and a little boy’s path to a better life.

Reclaiming the Innocence and Opportunity of Childhood

by Covenant Mercies

Many large African cities are faced with the challenge of street children. When families are decimated children lose hope for their future, and they often end up on the street begging and stealing. The streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia are replete with examples of this tragic loss of childhood’s innocence and opportunity.

Most children living on the streets have relatives nearby who might be minimally capable of putting a roof over their heads. However, antisocial behaviors learned on the streets aren’t easily broken, and this can make the task of reconnecting children with their families quite challenging. Such was the case with a young boy in our program named Bereket. After years of fending for himself on the street Bereket was befriended by Tesfaye Melaku, our Program Coordinator in Addis Ababa (whom we introduced in last year’s Sponsorship Program Update.) Tesfaye was quickly able to find a relative willing to take Bereket in, so we assigned him a sponsor and started supporting him in the context of his extended family.

However, things didn’t go well at first. Instead of going to school, Bereket returned to his friends on the street. He stole from his family and soon wore out his welcome. With no other relatives willing to take him in, Bereket was back on the street again. But Tesfaye continued visiting him regularly. He found a family in our program who agreed to include Bereket in their meals, then set out prayerfully to find him another home.

In time, Tesfaye found a guardian in our program who was willing to give Bereket another chance. The grandmother of a young girl named Meskerem agreed to take him in, as long as he would receive the same nutritional, medical, and educational support her granddaughter was receiving. This represented a wonderful opportunity for Bereket. He now had a chance to claim a different kind of life; far from the area of town where he might be tempted to rejoin his old friends on the street.

As of this writing, Bereket has lived for almost a year in his new home. He has adjusted well to family life, and developed a genuine love for his guardian and young foster sister. He has made friends in his new neighborhood, including some older boys (also sponsored in our program) who have been a positive influence on him.

Bereket has made a good educational adjustment as well, despite the fact that Tesfaye needed to convince the school administration to accept a 13 year-old who had never attended school. Bereket’s academic aptitude appears to be strong, and he finished his first year ranked near the middle of his class. He is in Grade Two this year, and we are looking for ways to provide extra tutoring to help him catch up with other students his age.

Bereket is learning that we serve a God of second chances. In one way or another, this is the story of every child in our program. We pray that all our children will make the most of this opportunity for a second chance at childhood, and we are grateful for each and every sponsor whose generosity is making it possible.

How Can You Get Involved?

Pray

Set aside a time and place to pray specifically for children living on the streets and in slums. Medical Teams International has listed these helpful seven ways to pray for the poor:

1. Ask God to provide food, shelter, water, and health to those without income or resources.

2. Ask God to touch your own heart, making you sensitive to the needs of the poor.

3. Pray that churches serving those affected by poverty will be able to provide spiritual comfort and physical help to people in their communities.

4. Pray that God will touch the hearts of political leaders to make decisions in the best interests of the poor.

5. Pray that God will protect those who are poor from abuse and exploitation by others who have greater power or resources.

6. Ask God to call His people to demonstrate His love for the poor—both in our own communities and around the world.

7. Pray that God will help the poor gain the understanding and power needed to improve their own circumstances.

Raise Awareness

Share this blog, or others that address children in crisis, with your friends!

Support an Organization

Every Christian must ask, “What am I doing to feed the hungry and help the least of these? What am I doing to secure justice for the poor? What am I doing to uphold the cause of needy children?” Sentiment is not enough. Why not determine a salary to live on, then give back to God every dime he entrusts to us beyond that, so every day we work and earn income is a day that will help the poor and reach the lost.

“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. . . . Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

—Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:40, 45)

Below are some organizations EPM recommends that reach out to children living in poverty.

A Future and a Hope/Kenya  (home for orphaned girls)
www.afutureandahope.net

Compassion International 
www.compassion.com

Covenant Mercies 
www.covenantmercies.org

Dalit Freedom Network 
(partnering with Operation Mobilization in India)
www.dalitnetwork.org

Home of Love Orphanage/Uganda
Action International Ministries 
www.actionintl.org

Kasana Children's Centre 
www.newhopeuganda.com/programs/kasana-childrens-center

Make Way Partners Sponsorship-Sudan
www.makewaypartners.org/child-sponsor-main.php

Shaohannah's Hope (engages churches in reducing barriers to adoption) 
www.shaohannahshope.org

May God one day say of us what he said of King Josiah: “He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” (Jeremiah 22:16)

      

photo credit

Will there be books and reading on the New Earth?

My friend said, “I don’t see why there shouldn’t be books in Heaven. But you will find that your library in Heaven contains only some of the books you had on earth.” “Which?” I asked. “The ones you gave away or lent.” “I hope the lent ones won’t still have all the borrowers’ dirty thumb marks,” said I. “Oh yes they will,” said he. “But just as the wounds of the martyrs will have turned into beauties, so you will find that the thumb-marks have turned into beautiful illuminated capitals or exquisite marginal woodcuts.” –C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock

We know that sixty-six books, those that comprise the Bible, will be in Heaven—”Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Presumably, we will read, study, contemplate, and discuss God’s Word.

There are also other books in Heaven: “I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:12).

Malachi 3:16-18 is a remarkable passage that tells us God documents the faithful deeds of his children on Earth: “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’ “

I believe that on the New Earth, we’ll also read books, new and old, written by people. We’ll have strong intellects, great curiosity, and unlimited time. It’s likely that books will have a greater role in our lives in Heaven than they do now. The libraries of the New Earth, I imagine, will be fantastic.

We’ll have no lack of resources to study and understand. I once helped a young friend search for her biological mother, going through old court records, looking for just the right clue. We finally found it. I had the privilege of introducing them to each other. It was a taste of Heaven—where not all reunions will happen all at once, I imagine, but as eternity unfolds.

Every biblical genealogy is a testimony to God’s interest in history, heritage, and the unfolding of events on Earth. Will God lose interest in Earth? Will we? No. The New Earth’s history includes that of the old Earth. But a new history will be built and recorded, a new civilization, wondrous beyond imagination. And we who know the King will all be part of it.

Books are part of culture. I expect many new books, great books, will be written on the New Earth. But I also believe that some books will endure from the old Earth. Any book that contains falsehood and dishonors God will have no place in Heaven. But what about great books, nonfiction and fiction? Will we find A. W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy, J. I. Packer’s Knowing God, John Piper’s Desiring God, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim's Progress, and Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps on the New Earth? I’ll be amazed if we don’t find them there, just as I’ll be amazed if no one sings John Newton’s “Amazing Grace” in Heaven.

Perhaps those of us who are writers will go back to some of our published works and rewrite them in light of the perspective we’ll gain. Maybe we’ll look at our other books and realize they’re no longer important—and some of them never were. The New Earth, I think, will confirm many things I’ve written in this book. It will completely dismantle others. “What was I thinking?” I’ll ask myself. (If I knew which parts those were right now, I’d cut them out!) And I’ll marvel at how much better the New Earth is than I ever imagined.

Consider comedy that makes you laugh but not at the expense of another. Reflect upon poetry that brings tears to your eyes, paintings that put you in raptures, music that gives you goose bumps, . . . Do our aesthetic adventures depend upon sin for flavor? I think not.

–Arthur Roberts, Exploring Heaven

      

Calvin Miller, author and Christ-lover, with the Lord

Five days ago a friend and author, poet, artist, speaker and professor Calvin Miller exited this world and entered a better one. The first time I met Calvin, I told him how his classic Singer trilogy had shaped and influenced me and charged my imagination as a teenager, a brand new Christian in the 70’s. (I’m sure he’d heard that hundreds of times, but seemed as thrilled by it as he’d probably been every other time.)

When I saw him periodically over the decades, and talked on the phone, we spoke of Jesus, his grace and Heaven. I love this man. What a joy to be with.

Years ago at Mount Hermon conference center, Calvin and I shared the keynote sessions at their annual writer’s conference, where I read from some of his writings to those attending , including a favorite poem I’ll cite below, which is included in Heaven and two of my other books. I saw Calvin at various places over the years, and always there was heartfelt warmth, picking up right where we left off. He was a very genuine brother, with a deep love for Jesus (and all the more so now). What higher compliment can I pay?

Five years ago when he asked me to endorse one of his books, I wrote something that didn’t just characterize that book but his life: “Calvin Miller baptized my imagination when, as a young Christian, I read his Singer trilogy. Once Upon a Tree is poetic craftsmanship infused with grace. Miller opens the window. Breathe deeply. He shines the light on Jesus. Open wide your eyes.” (Calvin’s website has a great video of him, a trailer for his latest book Letters to Heaven, which I enjoyed watching.)

In the final book of the Singer Trilogy, The Finale, Calvin wrote: “The world is poor because her fortune is buried in the sky and all her treasure maps are of earth.”

I’ll conclude with his poem I quote in Heaven and which I’ve read at several memorial services, and would love to have read at mine:

I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,
When it was but the end of pulse and breath,
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.
Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.
And dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.

Calvin Miller, The Divine Symphony (Minneapolis: Bethany, 2000), 139.

Over the years, whenever I’ve thought of Calvin, I always smile. I can’t wait to see him again when, by God’s grace, I make it through that doorway. I look forward to taking long walks with him and others together on the New Earth, laughing and rejoicing, and seeing unfiltered the love of Jesus on Calvin’s face and a myriad of others. And of asking Jesus to walk with us, knowing and celebrating the fact that all we are and have and will ever enjoy, we owe to Him.

      

George Verwer: Prolife Hero

I have the greatest appreciation for George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization (OM) and an advocate for worldwide missions.  We have long supported George and OM in funding special missions projects all over the world, and providing books to sell and give away on their ships.

Some years ago George contacted me, saying God had laid on his heart the plight of unborn children. I was grateful to hear this, but wasn’t sure whether this vision would last given the fact that many people, Christians included, object to hearing about it. Well, George is a man who listens to God rather than voices that don’t tolerate speakers who address abortion. He has given away thousands of copies of my book, Why Pro-Life?, in English and spearheaded its translations into other languages all over the world. EPM has donated to Operation Mobilization over 89,000 copies of the book.

Last year George wrote to his supporters, “My heart breaks for the unborn... I have in my hands just in from India samples of Why Pro-Life? in 4 more major Indian languages...huge quantities have gone out on the ship as 100,000 visitors came to the ship In Cochin in a couple weeks.”

I’m grateful for George’s partnership in sharing the truth about the unborn worldwide, and also for his example in serving Christ wholeheartedly. (A fun fact about his worldwide travels: OM reports that this year United Airlines awarded him for flying a million miles.)

George was recently presented with the “pro-life hero” award by SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) in London. I love what John Smeaton, director of SPUC, wrote, especially because it exemplifies that concern for the unborn is not some isolated issue, but is intertwined with helping all needy people groups:

George continues to travel around the world preaching about Christ and about seven people lying at the side of the road which include: children at risk, abused women, the extreme poor, the HIV/Aids patient, people with impure water, the unborn, and the environment.

Here’s what George said about the unborn in his recent article about “the people lying on the side of the road”:

Some estimates put the number of children who have been aborted at 500 million. The numbers are staggering, and in many ways I would rather ignore them. But I know that I cannot. I confess, when my close friend Dr. Francis Schaeffer decided to put so much effort into the pro-life movement towards the end of his life, I thought he had gone a little extreme. I no longer feel this way, and repent of my own inaction. In some countries there are more abortions than births, and the laws in some nations allow abortion until the day before birth. How can this be?

With so much abortion taking place, let us not consider it a lost cause and give up. No, many battles have been won, and every battle is a victory; every saved life a real person. I believe that there are thousands alive today who otherwise would not have been without pro-life action. Are not these saved lives worth the effort? Yes, they are!

So let us be people of vision, action and especially grace—grace for the mothers, for those in the pro-choice camp, and for fellow Christians who disagree. Recommended reading: Why Pro Life? by Randy Alcorn.

This isn’t about my book, though I’m delighted George circulates it. Rather, this is an example of a man whose life is focused on one central kingdom cause—world missions—but who has been touched by God to now frequently speak in defense of unborn children. In the context of missions, the unborn are seldom spoken of, and prolife efforts are sometimes considered a distraction from the main thing. (See an article I wrote whether prolife issues are a distraction from the Great Commission, or part of it.)

I know George well, and he has become unpopular in some circles for including the unborn on his otherwise fully acceptable list of people in need. And to speak about the unborn at missions conferences? It's utterly unheard of. (I believe missions should be spoken of at more prolife conferences too.) But George, arguably the greatest missions proponent on the planet, who has spoken at hundreds of missions conferences all over the world, sees no dichotomy between them. All those in need are worth our attention. Not only the unborn, but not excluding the unborn either.

I join my friend George Verwer in appealing to people to, on the one hand, not consider unborn children the only just cause, but to INCLUDE the unborn on that short list of critical "love your neighbor" issues crying out for our attention. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and. Let’s make room in our hearts for both already-born people and pre-born people. God is their Creator, and He calls upon us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

      

 

 

"Are homosexual sins worse than other sins?"

Recently when I posted an article from Tony Reinke about homosexuality and idolatry on my blog, I received a thoughtful question from a reader asking if homosexuality is a “worse” sin than others in God’s view. Here’s my answer.

The point isn’t that homosexual sin is worse than other sins, but that it’s a result of and related to idolatry.

Romans 1:22-27 says:

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Ezekiel 16:48-50 is a passage that is widely used now to defend the position that God doesn’t hate homosexuality. Those who cite it to defend this position say that Sodom was destroyed not because of homosexual sin, but rather because they were proud and didn’t care for the poor.

As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. (Ezekiel 16:48-50)

Ezekiel is not saying God didn’t hate the homosexual lust in the Genesis account (see Jude 7 below), but rather that the sin of Israel “whoring after other gods” was worse than the sins of Sodom. (Ezekiel 16 pictures Israel as a young woman who God protected and provided for but then she turned away from his love to seek other lovers more brazenly than a prostitute.)

Sodom was “haughty and did an abomination” (the abomination likely includes homosexual actions) before the Lord, but Israel’s sin was far greater because it included the rejection of the covenant they made with God in the days of Moses, specifically that they would not have any gods before him (Exodus 24:7, Jeremiah 11:10, Hosea 6:7).

This act of Israel, we are told, is beyond the sin of Sodom. Sodom wasn’t in a covenant relationship with God; so no matter how despicable their actions were, it would be impossible for them to commit the same sin of Israel. Thankfully, despite Israel’s rejection, God remained faithful to his promises and fulfilled them in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 explicitly says there is something different about sexual sin—ALL sexual sin—not just homosexual acts:

18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

One of the things I say to homosexuals is that I have many inclinations, including sexual ones,  which I must daily say no to. (I realize that sounds lame because I’m married and therefore can sometimes say yes to my sexual impulses.) Furthermore, many heterosexual believers are not married and many are in marriages where disabilities and other problems mean they cannot EVER say yes to their sexual impulses. Unfair? Perhaps, and certainly unequal. But consider a thousand other kinds of unfairness where some people can have and do what others can't.

I have godly friends who continuously say no to homosexual temptations (beginning with lust) and others who continuously say no to heterosexual temptations (beginning with lust). We are also to say no to greed, envy, pride, temptations to theft and slander and many other things, and are to say yes to the righteous nature of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to resist sin. This is often difficult, but not impossible, by the grace and power of God.

It’s interesting to note that the list of seven deadly sins articulated in Proverbs 6:16-19 (pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth) does not include homosexuality. This shows that other sins are as serious as homosexuality, though of course it doesn’t imply that homosexual relations (and heterosexual immorality) are not grave sins. Scripture says this:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 7)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. (Ephesians 5:5)

But there is good news—the Bible also records the transforming power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Notice how Paul addresses the Corinthians in past tense. Some of these people were living ungodly and unfulfilled lives, but through the hope and power of the gospel they have now been washed, justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus. That is good news and a testimony of the true hope, joy and fulfillment that abide in a relationship with Christ.  I personally know those who have lived as homosexuals for many years before repenting, turning to Christ and turning away from their homosexual lifestyle. They are now living faithful lives in which they say no to temptation, as heterosexual believers should say no to their temptations.

It is a hard calling to take up our cross daily and follow Christ, but the rewards are immense, not just later, but now. Consider Matthew 16:25: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” In other words, the one who does what he wants to do will lose his life, while the one who will lose his life in submission to Christ, doing what HE wants him to do, will find it. 

In the finding of life we discover what we're meant to be and what WILL make us happy, not what we and the world have told us (falsely) would make us happy. Of course, all this must be done by His grace and empowerment, and not merely by our labors of self-discipline, which will ultimately fail without Christ.

An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices. (Proverbs 29:6)

      

Made in God’s Image: Paul Smith, Ingenious Artist

Reading this story and seeing this art reminded me of what it means to be created in God’s image. And also what lies within us, including in the severely disabled, that glorifies God when we find creative ways to give it expression. Consider these passages, then read the story of Paul Smith:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

“And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs…” (Exodus 35:31-32).

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23).

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Paul Smith lived at Rose Haven Nursing Home in Roseburg, Oregon. He was born on September 21, 1921. 

He had no formal education as a child due to his severe spastic cerebral palsy, a disability that impeded his speech and mobility. But he taught himself to become a great chess player and a master artist.

"When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one. Since he couldn't press two keys at the same time, he almost always locked the shift key down and made his pictures using the symbols at the top of the number keys. In other words, his pictures were based on the characters @ # $ % ^ & * ( )_ .  Across seven decades, Paul created hundreds of pictures. He often gave the originals away. Sometimes, but not always, he kept or received a copy for his own records. As his mastery of the typewriter grew, he developed techniques to create shadings, colors, and textures that made his work resemble pencil or charcoal drawings." 

Paul passed away on June 25, 2009, leaving behind a collection of typewritten artwork that included the following:

(If you are reading by email, go to the blog post to see the slideshow.)

      

Response to the Idea that God Forgives a Child Killer

Years ago, I wrote an article about Westley Allen Dodd, a man who was executed in 1993 for torturing, raping and murdering three young boys in Vancouver, Washington, about twenty minutes from where I live. Dodd’s last words included the statement, “I had thought there was no hope and no peace. I was wrong. I have found hope and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Moments after he said this, the platform was dropped and Dodd went to another world.

Consider someone’s recent comment on this article, and their response to the idea that God could forgive a child killer:

Bull! He is not in heaven! What kind of God forgives a child killer? I don't want to worship him. If Dodd is in Heaven I would much rather roast in hell!!

The irony is that the commenter and I are as unworthy to go to Heaven without Christ as Dodd was. Romans 3:10 says there is no one righteous, not even one. Before a holy God we all stand condemned. We do not deserve Heaven; we deserve Hell. The reader thinks he is making sense, but he shows pride in his own worthiness. Unless he comes to grips with the fact that he does not deserve Heaven, he will never experience it. That he resents and doesn’t want to worship a God who forgives a terrible man demonstrates that he imagines his standards to be higher than God’s. As for preferring Hell over Heaven, ten seconds there will change his mind. I pray that before that day comes he sees his Dodd-like unworthiness and repents and turns to Christ for forgiveness.

      

photo credit: madamepsychosis via photo pin cc

Dialogue with Publisher About Mary Neal’s To Heaven and Back

In the previous blog I expressed concerns about some doctrines in the new bestselling book To Heaven and Back, by Mary Neal. This is my second and last article on this subject. It’s lengthy, but I think it’s important and I don’t want to drag it out with several shorter articles.

I have a good relationship with the publisher of this book, and asked them to review my blog draft, offering to consider any corrections or points of explanation or disagreement they had. Their letter was thoughtful and gracious. Though they naturally disagreed with me on some points, they were not defensive about my criticisms. Below, highlighted and in bold, are quotes from their letter (used with their permission). The portions not in bold are my responses.

You know our hearts well—that as a company we are committed to the Kingdom, strive to publish within Christian orthodoxy, and have a deep desire to bring people closer to God through Jesus Christ.

I agree. These are good, Bible-believing brothers and sisters laboring to exalt Christ among His people and bring Him to the world.

We would simply say that To Heaven and Back is not a book of theology. It is a true story of a woman who had a remarkable experience of a supernatural God, a life changing event that brought her into a real relationship with Jesus Christ.  Why wouldn’t we all praise God for that? 

I must respectfully disagree that this is “not a book of theology.” True, the book is not a theological treatise. It is not formal theology and is mostly a personal account. But a book that claims someone visited Heaven and recounts conversations with Christ and/or angels and shares with readers what the author learned in Heaven, from God, is certainly a book of theology. The theology may be good or bad, but it is in fact “theology” (which literally means, “words about God”).

I hear with increasing frequency the “but it isn’t theology” defense.  When I met with the author of The Shack and pointed out a dozen places in the book that contradict Scripture, he assured me, “This isn’t a theology book, it’s just a novel.” But the book was full of theology and has shaped the theological convictions of countless readers. In fact, when the book was picked up by a Christian publisher and released at a booksellers’ convention I attended, a huge promotional sign visible a hundred feet away asked, “What is God like?” The answer—so they said—was found in The Shack.

But even if they don’t think a book is theological, Christian authors and publishers should still seek to be biblically accurate, shouldn’t they? If Mary Neal (or anyone else) claims much of her book content came from Heaven, shouldn’t her memory of what she saw and heard be subject to the authority of Scripture? If a book is “life changing”—which is the sort of book everyone wants to write and publish and read—shouldn’t it change lives while being faithful to Scripture?

I agree we should all praise God for people coming to Christ. But Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). He did not say “their experience, even the parts of it that contradict your Word, is truth.” So can’t we praise God for people coming to Christ and  praise God when what they write honors God’s Word and recognizes its authority over our words and memories?

Orthodox Christianity is fundamentally based on a belief in the supernatural—specifically that God exists beyond the natural order, that He is sovereign over the nature he created. We’re sure you agree with this. Yet much evangelicalism has marginalized its own belief in a supernatural faith—in so many ways it has substituted natural, “logical” explanations for God’s work in daily life—“God doesn’t work that way now,” so it goes. Is this not a serious theological deficiency? It effectively denies God’s sovereignty, his ability to enter into the natural order and do supernatural things. We believe that also deadens many people’s experience of God. This is a significant crossroads evangelicalism is facing today.

Mary Neal’s experience of death and heaven confronts that head on. Here, a person of science and logic—a credible narrator-- is thrust into the supernatural realm and returns transformed, on fire for a God she once only casually nodded to and considered distant and theoretical. Isn’t this the crux of it—as a Christian do you really believe your God is supernatural?

It seems to us that’s a significant, challenging, radical question most worthy to be published.

I agree emphatically with my publisher friends that far too many Bible believers are in effect anti-supernatural. Some Christians argue against the miraculous with the same scorn of atheists and agnostics. The irony is stunning, since the Christian faith is rooted in the miraculous and dependent upon it. I believe absolutely that God does miracles today. I am completely convinced, for instance, that for decades the Lord Jesus has been appearing to Muslims in dreams and visions, bringing many people to faith. The evidence is clear, repeated and consistent.

So, the reason I believe that the teachings of certain dreams, visions and personal experiences with God are not true is not that they are miraculous. It is that they contradict the inspired Word of God. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16). Some claims fail the test of Acts 17:11, which says the Bereans examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Now suppose I heard that a Muslim had a dream in which Jesus Christ said that Mohammed was a true prophet of God and that Islam is the true faith. Here are my belief options:

1) The dream is true, and Jesus really said that. But this conflicts with Scripture—not because it is miraculous, but because Jesus and Mohammed made some contradictory claims.

2) The dream really happened but it was not Jesus speaking. Maybe it was just a dream influenced by someone’s pre-existing belief system, power of suggestion and/or by medications or even indigestion.

3) The dream really happened and it was indeed supernatural, but it wasn’t Jesus speaking: “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).  

When there is demonic deception, the human being—sincere or not—can become a false prophet: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies…” (2 Peter 2:1)

I totally agree with the publisher that as Christians we should affirm God’s miracles. This does not mean 1) we should believe that everything claimed to be a miracle really is one, or 2) even when we do believe it was a miracle, we should assume everything remembered and said by the person is entirely accurate.

Someone can believe Mary Neal did not go to Heaven. Someone else can believe that she really did, but that her memories of what was said to her in Heaven are—like all memories—fallible, and subject to correction by Scripture. Both viewpoints allow us to affirm the sufficiency of Scripture. We do not require further revelation (as if God’s Word were not enough), but when someone claims to be bringing it, we evaluate it by Scripture, which remains our authority.

I think it’s also fair to ask whether we believe that the supernatural God has supernaturally revealed Himself and important truths to us in the Bible. And whether, when there is a conflict, that supernatural revelation trumps supernatural experiences. 

We think the appeal [of all the to heaven and back books] is that these are people’s real-life experiences, today. 

I agree that’s the appeal. Much is said today about the importance of everyone’s story. But God has given us an inspired redemptive story, containing many propositional truths, by which we can evaluate the parts of our own story (including not only our experiences but our thinking) that are to be trusted, and those that should not be. It is a fundamental belief of historic Christianity that our personal experiences, valuable as they may be, are never on a footing with the God-breathed story.

Not all things said to be real-life experiences or sincerely thought to be real-life experiences actually are real-life experiences. And even when they are real and supernatural, the take-away from these experiences is subject to flawed human understanding and memory.

Every police officer, attorney and judge knows that five people who witness a car accident or robbery will often have three to five contradictory stories. None are lying. They sincerely believe what they’re saying. It’s not just that they forget what happened; it’s that they remember things that did not happen.

People in extreme trauma are in a substantially more vulnerable and subjective position than unharmed witnesses. Traumatized people often have faulty memories of what happened to them. Their relatives have to gently correct them about what really transpired. Strong medications are routinely administered to the severely traumatized and many of us know what it’s like to have altered perceptions due to this. (As an insulin dependent diabetic, my vivid memories of what happened during an insulin reaction can be very inaccurate, even after I am perfectly fine).

Does dying or nearly dying qualify as extreme trauma? I’m no expert, but I think it does!  Frequently, not only are strong medications involved, but also life-saving actions such as CPR and powerful electric bursts from the paddles of a heart defibrillator. It stands to reason that these extreme measures might cause a swirl of unconscious imagery. If someone were in Heaven during this brief period of bodily distress, would it be easy later to separate trauma-induced brain imagery from one’s memories?

I am not saying miracles don’t ever happen to traumatized people. In fact they’re likely to happen more often, given their desperate need. I’m simply saying, those at an accident scene or hospital room will often testify that not everything severely traumatized people remember really did happen. And even what did happen may not have happened as remembered. So is it possible some memories a person has of being in another world, and what they heard there, could also be fallible?

If you disagree, as a Christian, what do you do with all the after-death experience memories of unbelievers whose accounts contradict the words of Jesus, advocating such things as salvation by good works, universalism, reincarnation, and other unbiblical ideas?

Theologians may find theological statements compelling, but many more people encounter truth about God (theology) through their own daily experiences and those of others. People are hungry for a faith that is truly extra-ordinary. And too many evangelicals don’t have that. Going to church, getting all the theological points right, reading Christian books—all good—but it leaves many wishing for a faith more vibrant than simply a religion of what’s on a page and in a pew.

My first response is to say let’s not underestimate the power of God’s Holy Spirit working through His Word to change lives, which should not be stereotyped as “getting all the theological points right.” The illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit in teaching us as we meditate on His Word is itself miraculous and life-giving (1 John 2:27).

Nonetheless, I certainly understand and identify with this observation. It reminds me of how disillusioned I was as a young Christian when the signs and wonders I read of in the Gospels and Acts didn’t happen in my church. I went to Kathryn Kuhlman healing crusades, and I watched Filipino Christian “psychic healers” supposedly remove tumors from bodies with their bare hands. I went forward to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit at a church service conducted by Marjoe Gortner. I prayed repeatedly for supernatural gifts and experiences, including healings. I certainly wanted what by God’s grace I still have: “a faith more vibrant than simply a religion of what’s on a page and in a pew.”

But in the process, as an excited but confused young believer, I also failed to exercise biblical discernment. I trusted things to be miraculous that weren’t. (Marjoe Gortner turned out to be a fake, and so, I believe, were the psychic healers.) Today I believe in a God of miracles and I also believe we should weigh people’s claims to supernatural experiences in light of Scripture. Of all people, Christ-followers should believe in miracles, but not in every claim to the miraculous. This isn’t a contradiction. Neither is it dead orthodoxy. Rather, it is spiritual discernment, and submission to the sound doctrine advocated by the apostles who saw God’s Word and supernatural work distorted and misrepresented:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

Why wouldn’t we as a company publish a book like this which brings readers face to face with the reality of a supernatural God, the truth of heaven, and the promise of everlasting life?

My answer is: there would be no good reason, unless there were a character and integrity issue with the author, which I do not believe, or if there were teachings in the book which contradict God’s Word, which I do believe. The other option would be to work with authors and provide--even require--good theological editing so that they (and by extension their publisher) do not advocate false doctrine.

Mary Neal is not Mormon, and in fact is actively involved in a Reformed church.

I did not suggest Mary Neal was a Mormon, I only pointed out what is an objective fact—that she holds to a distinctly Mormon doctrine of the pre-existence of human souls in Heaven. Furthermore, she writes of an LDS bishop uttering a prophetic word over what she called a “spiritually devoted” Mormon patient who had an after-death experience she appears to believe was real and valid. And Neal’s words closely parallel those of Mormon Betty Eadie who advocated the same doctrine of preexistence in Embraced by the Light.

Respectfully, I think it would be good for her Reformed pastors and members of her church body to discuss with her the biblical teaching on when and where life begins, and the sin nature, and the fact that we come into being alienated from God, not first having been in right relationship with God in Heaven. (See the Scriptures on this in my previous blog.) Hopefully her friends and church leaders are already doing this, and can help her understand that the real human problem is not amnesia about our wonderful relationship with God before coming to earth, but that prior to our conversions we’ve never had a relationship with God. By the empowerment of God’s Sprit, people need to turn from their sins and bow their knees to the Christ they’ve never before known so that they may one day enter the Heaven they’ve never before lived in. 

Someone who read in the previous blog my biblical arguments against pre-existence in Heaven asked how I understand Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” My answer: God is omniscient and eternal; He knows everything and every person in advance, and not being subject to time, doesn’t have to wait until they are conceived on earth to know them. Now if this passage said “Before I formed you in the womb, you knew me,” that would clearly indicate a doctrine of pre-existence. But no such indication exists in Scripture. (It’s also likely that Jeremiah 1:5 involves the concept of election, paralleling Amos 3:2, where “you only have I known” is best understood as you only have I chosen.)

Jesus is central to Mary’s faith, and in this book she speaks movingly about her relationship with Him. We would also point out that this is, among other things, the story of a life drawn back into Scripture—which again is very much a part of the book. Mary rediscovered the Bible as a result of her experience. 

Mary Neal is not intending to argue theology in To Heaven and Back. We believe that anyone reading the book would understand that. And readers are smart enough to know that neither personal testimony nor theological commentary carry the authority of Scripture.

I don’t question Mary’s love for Jesus or what He means to her personally. However, saying “readers are smart enough to know…” may sound like a compliment, but it’s really a disservice. If pastors used this logic they would welcome guest speakers mixing doctrinal errors with the truth, and not bother to correct it. After all, aren’t their people “smart enough” to know that what they’re hearing doesn’t carry the authority of Scripture?

I believe Christian pastors and publishers should not give a platform to, and circulate, what is not true to Scripture. Obviously orthodox Christianity has room for differing opinions on secondary doctrines. But the idea that all human beings begin their lives in Heaven in a close relationship with God—do any orthodox Christians believe that? Based on what Scripture?

I also must disagree with the statement “Mary Neal is not intending to argue theology.” That may be true for most of the book, but she actually does argue theology in the strongest terms when she presents the doctrine of the pre-existence of souls and then writes, “I need to categorically state, once again, that I believe very young children clearly remember where they came from [Heaven].”

Why does she “believe” this theology? Why does she “need” to state it, and “once again” repeat it and to do so “categorically”? She sounds like she’s insisting on this particular theological point.  For better or worse, she is definitely arguing theology.

And while they may be “smart enough,” many readers have insufficient biblical grounding to realize that what the author argues for categorically is—without a doubt—a false doctrine.

In my experience, many Christians believe every word they read in books about people’s visits to Heaven. While I don’t think many would say, “This book is as inspired as the Bible,” their misperception is that the Bible doesn’t tell us much about Heaven. But this person actually went there and therefore whatever he or she says must be true. And if what they remember of what they saw and heard contradicts what the Bible seems to say, well then, we must be misinterpreting  the Bible, right? I mean, who are you to argue with someone who has actually been to Heaven and got their information directly from Jesus and angels?

I believe pastors, parents and publishers should heed this advice: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who…create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them” (Romans 16:17). In some cases those believing false doctrines won’t listen, but in many cases we can offer shepherding and gentle correction to avoid the problem in the first place.

My concern is far bigger than this one book. There is a wave of doctrinal carelessness in Christian colleges, churches and publishers. Where will it stop? What will we do when people have opinions, experiences, dreams and visions that contradict the doctrines of Christ’s deity, substitutionary atonement, and the inspiration of Scripture?

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:1-3)

As you know, it’s virtually impossible for any publisher to publish a book that everyone in the evangelical world would agree with. And even if we could, would that book be worth publishing?  We believe it is our mission to publish books that dare to challenge people’s casual faith, books that look differently at what many have always benignly assumed to be true,  books that portray a supernatural God smashing into daily life.  We want to publish books that help people wrestle with theology, not just blindly accept it.

I’ve never written a book everyone has agreed with. And I certainly wouldn’t respect a publisher whose goal was to only say what people agree with. But my question is: what theology do we want people to wrestle with?

Do we really want them to wrestle with whether their lives began in intimate relationship with God and angels in Heaven, when the Bible so clearly indicates that’s simply not true? If they are already up in the air on that question, wouldn’t we want them to land in the right biblical place? Rob Bell’s book Love Wins has certainly caused people to wrestle with their theology of Heaven and Hell and universalism. But is there a time when encouraging people to wrestle with theology actually becomes encouraging people to move away from the theology of Scripture itself?

As for “blindly accepting” theology, is there a place for believing Scripture even when it says something different than my culture teaches, my friends teach, and different than what I want to believe? Is it “blindly accepting” theology to believe people come into existence on earth, at conception, rather than believing they are created in Heaven, then come down to live on earth?

Isn’t it reasonable for Christian publishers, as well as pastors and parents, to be advocates of and defenders of sound doctrine? “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). If some doctrines are from deceiving demons, shouldn’t we pay careful attention to what doctrines we are endorsing and giving creditability to through the platforms we provide?

I get it that publishers, like some pastors, like to be edgy, and there is a place for that within the context of biblical fidelity. I also understand that there is a difference between publishers and pastors, and the book industry is not equivalent to a church. However, we share in common a belief in God’s Word and a commitment to the cause of Christ and the nurturing and enlightenment of brothers and sisters in Christ. That, to me, means that a Christian publisher is responsible to promote sound doctrine and to keep at bay false teaching. That is a ministry of love, compassion and kindness. Why? Because false doctrine not only dishonors Christ but harms people.

False doctrine also undermines credibility. In the case of To Heaven and Back, virtually no one would have believed Mary Neal’s account specifically because she teaches people begin their lives in Heaven. But discerning readers will disbelieve it because they see the conflict with God’s Word, raising red flags about the rest of the book. So while much is lost, what was to be gained by the inclusion of teachings that conflict with Scripture?

I believe my publisher will agree with 90% of what I’m saying, just as I probably like 90% of what they’re publishing. I know that this publisher and a number of others still believe they have a stewardship from God that involves upholding biblical truth—in creative and challenging and edgy ways, yes, yet still respecting and honoring God’s Word. But that stewardship is increasingly difficult and it will require conscious efforts to stay faithful to it. My prayer for the remaining Christian publishers is that they will make these conscious efforts, recognizing how much is at stake.

We believe that God doesn’t wait for people to get every tidbit of their theology “right” before he snatches them up and transforms them to their core.  These people, their life experiences, deliver a valuable message that can and should electrify the rest of us. The Christian world needs them desperately, and for us, well, those are folks we want to publish.

I agree that God doesn’t wait for people to get every tidbit of their theology right before he transforms them to their core. The question is whether he desires to move them toward more biblical theology as part of the ongoing work of sanctification. Shouldn’t Christian publishers help their readers to be electrified by a biblical message rather than an unbiblical one? Isn’t it our responsibility to help young believers and church members and authors, whose theology may be weak, to strengthen it and to convey as sound a theology as possible in their writing and speaking?

I’m concerned by where many books—not just To Heaven and Back—are taking us, little by little (and sometimes, it appears, by leaps and bounds). Evangelical publishers have promoted open theism and some are flirting with universalism and countless other doctrines once considered incompatible with Scripture. Even the doctrines of substitutionary atonement and hell are under attack (of course that’s true among secular publishers, but I’m talking about Christian publishers).

What does it mean these days to be Bible believing? (For more on this see my article, “Does the Word ’Evangelical’ Mean Anything Anymore?). Can’t we submit ourselves to the authority of Scripture, not because we are intolerant nit-picking Pharisees, but because we are in love with Jesus, because we worship the triune God and believe He has spoken to us dependably in God-breathed words graciously given to guide us into truth?

      

 

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taxis: DYFL via photo pin cc

open Bible: Ryk Neethling via photo pin cc

blindfold: MadEmoiselle Sugar via photo pin cc

worship: dtcchc via photo pin cc