Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 85

Ravi Zacharias and Hugh Ross Answer Questions from Non-Believers

I listened to this video with a recording of Ravi Zacharias and astronomer Hugh Ross, who were guests on Ohio State University’s radio program. It was recorded in 1994, but what both of them have to share and how they answer questions from callers,  many of them antagonistic toward Christianity, is timeless. Ravi and Hugh discussed supposed contradictions in Scripture, other religions, denominations in Christianity, and morality. It’s a pretty extraordinary logical response to hostile questions, and I think you’ll find it helpful as you talk with others about your faith.

Several months ago Ravi announced he had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing surgery and treatment. His daughter, Sarah, posted an update last Friday sharing that the cancer is rare in its aggression and there are no further options to treat it. She wrote,

We know that God has purposed and numbered each of our days, and only He knows how many more Ravi will experience on this earth. One day, likely sooner than later, we will be serving without our beloved founder, though I know his love and legacy will convict and inspire us to service of his Lord even greater than we have seen before. While we are full of so many emotions, we are also at peace, resting in the truth that God knows all and sees all and is sovereign and good. I think of the great joy my dad will have and I am comforted.

I have especially fond memories not of Ravi’s brilliance and apologetic prowess, great as those are, but of something that happened in 2001 when Ravi and I were headed opposite directions for media interviews at the annual Christian booksellers event, where we had talked various times over the years. Ravi was scheduled tightly and was with a publisher’s rep, who understandably wanted him not to stop. But in keeping with who he is, he stopped anyway.  I introduced him to my daughter Angela. (This was the release of our book The Ishbane Conspiracy, which we wrote with her sister Karina, who had gotten married the week before and of course chose a honeymoon over a book event!).

Ravi was very warm to Angela and asked her questions about herself, college, and her upcoming wedding (the girls were married seven weeks apart), despite the fact that he needed to be somewhere else. That, in my experience, is Ravi, a brother who has spoken to millions of people but makes everyone he talks with feel like they are the only one around.

I’m grateful for Ravi’s life and legacy, especially through his books. I highly recommend these:

Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message

Jesus Among Secular Gods: The Countercultural Claims of Christ

The Logic of God: 52 Christian Essentials for the Heart and Mind

The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists

I also recommend The Harvest Handbook  of Apologetics, which is a great resource with chapters from many different Christian apologists and Bible scholars, including Ravi (I contributed a chapter on “Is It Reasonable to Believe in Heaven and Hell?”).

Ravi recently shared these words from Richard Baxter, the great Puritan pastor:

“Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.

If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To welcome endless day?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that unto God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if Thy work on earth be sweet
What will Thy glory be!

Then I shall end my sad complaints
And weary sinful days,
And join with the triumphant saints
That sing my Savior’s praise.

My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim;
But ‘tis enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with Him.”

—Richard Baxter (1615-1691), “Lord, It Belongs Not to My Care”

Photo by Ilyass SEDDOUG on Unsplash

Keith Getty on What We and Our Children Sing About Matters

I met Keith and Kristyn Getty at a worship conference I spoke at many years ago. When they sang their recently composed (with Stuart Townsend) song “In Christ Alone,” my heart soared in worship, and I came home and told people, “You’ve got to hear this song!” Here’s a short bio:

Irish singer/songwriters and recording artists Keith and Kristyn Getty are among the preeminent modern hymn composers of this generation. They’re best known for “In Christ Alone,” along with the popular U.S. recording, Awaken The Dawn and Joy – An Irish Christmas. The couple’s music has been shared at the GMA Dove Awards, Franklin Graham Crusades, The Third Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization, and with television performances for Public Television and BBC.

I recently watched part of an interview that Keith did where he challenges pastors, worship leaders, and parents to think carefully about what songs we’re giving our children to sing. What he has to say is great and important:

I appreciated Keith’s comments about helping children be deep, serious, and intelligent believers, and leading them to have big thoughts about God. Encouraging biblical literacy in our homes and churches is a huge piece of that, but certainly worship and singing also play a vital role in helping children develop a heart for God.

The Gettys have been doing a weekly family hymn sing on YouTube (don’t miss this episode featuring Joni Eareckson Tada!). Here they are with their four precious girls, singing “His Mercy Is More”:

 “In Christ Alone” remains one of Nanci’s and my all-time favorite songs. Here are the Gettys singing it at The Gospel Coalition:

Children image by GemmaRay23 from Pixabay

He Is Worthy: Reflections on Revelation 5 and Daniel 7

I was recently listening to Chris Tomlin’s version of “Is He Worthy?”, and that prompted me to share some thoughts related to two favorite passages of mine, Revelation 5 and Daniel 7. But before I do so, please take a few minutes to watch this video of a precious little girl singing “Is He Worthy?” with her mom, and her dad playing the piano:

In this video I share more thoughts about the biblical grounds for the song:

If you’d like to read more, here are some related thoughts about Revelation 5 from my book Heaven:

Revelation 5:1-10 depicts a powerful scene in the present Heaven. God the Father, the ruler of Heaven, sits on the throne with a sealed scroll in His right hand. What’s sealed—with seven seals, to avoid any possibility that the document has been tampered with—is the Father’s will, His plan for the distribution and management of His estate. In this case, the entitlement of the estate is the earth, which includes its people. God had intended for the world to be ruled by humans. But who will come forward to open the document and receive the inheritance?

John writes, “I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside” (Revelation 5:4).

Because of human sin, mankind and the earth have been corrupted. No man is worthy to take the role God intended for Adam and his descendants. Adam proved unworthy, as did Abraham, David, and every other person in history. But right when it appears that God’s design for mankind and the earth will forever be thwarted, the text continues in high drama: “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. . . . He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. . . . And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation’ ” (Revelation 5:5-9).

Every finite being, angelic and human, stands in amazement at this man and what He has done. The Father, who sits on Heaven’s throne, will never die. Instead, the heir, the beloved firstborn son, has died. He was slain that He might “purchase men for God”—and not just a small representation of fallen humanity, but “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

The passage culminates with a statement about Christ’s followers: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10).

Psalm 2 speaks of Christ ruling “with an iron scepter” and dashing the nations to pieces “like pottery” (v. 9), a reference to the Messiah’s return, judgment, and perhaps his millennial reign. But once we enter the new heavens and New Earth, there’s no iron rule or dashing to pieces, for there’s no more rebellion, sin, or death. The vanquishing of sin doesn’t mean the end of Christ’s rule. It means the end of His contested rule and the beginning of His eternally uncontested rule, when He will delegate earthly rule to His co-heirs.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. …They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.  They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.” (Psalm 145:3, 6-7)

In chapter 22 of my book Heaven, “How will we rule God’s Kingdom?” I deal extensively with Daniel 7 as one of the richest Old Testament texts revealing the reality of the New Earth. Daniel 7 is a fascinating portion of God’s Word and I think you’ll enjoy learning more about it.

Browse more resources on the topic of Heaven, and see Randy’s related books, including 50 Days of Heaven and We Shall See God.

Photo by Kyle Johnson on Unsplash

Loving Your Brothers and Sisters Who Think Differently on the Timing of Reopening

This video, from my son-in-law Dan Franklin, married to my daughter Karina, is terrific. Some believers on both sides of the debate of when we should reopen are dismissive of the specific and very different circumstances that inform people’s viewpoints. For example, there’s the business owner who’s eager to get back to work not only for his sake but also because he wants employees he loves to actually have jobs to come back to. (Self-interest isn’t always the same as greed.) 

And then there are those who are tired of Zoom (I’m one of them) and would be saying yes to some (initially cautious, and socially distanced) get-togethers, but they live with high risk family members. While I would probably do fine personally if I got COVID-19, my taking unnecessary risks would be unloving to my wife who has cancer in her lungs and would be at great risk of getting it from me. 

I have a daughter who is a nurse and would be working in a hospital emergency room if COVID-19 took off here in Oregon. Back when health care workers in New York City were dying, I tried to gently tell someone who had no problem putting himself at unnecessary risk, “I’m fine with you risking your health, but please don’t risk my daughter’s.”

We all have different but sometimes equally valid reasons for leaning one way or the other in how long to wait. As Dan points out, this calls for grace and kindness. Loving our neighbors as ourselves means extending to them the same courtesy and understanding regarding their circumstances that we wish others would extend to us.

Thanks for speaking to us with great pastoral insight, Dan. I hope many will share this video!

I’ll close with Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-23 (here in the New Century Version): “I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me. I have given these people the glory that you gave me so that they can be one, just as you and I are one. I will be in them and you will be in me so that they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as much as you loved me.”

Also, though they are not specifically on this topic, the reminders in my daughter Angela’s past articles 3 Things to Remember When You’re Browsing through Social Media and 3 Things to Remember Before You Post on Social Media are timely.

Photo by Ave Calvar on Unsplash

Heaven: Headed Home

God’s people are aliens and strangers, looking for a country of their own. This world, as it is now, under the curse, isn’t our home. But one day not only we but the earth itself will be remade. That earth, the New Earth, will not only be a place made for us but the place we were made for.

Home as a term for Heaven isn’t simply a metaphor. It describes an actual physical place—a place of fond familiarity and comfort and refuge.

Scripture often speaks of banquets and feasts in Heaven. We’ll sit at tables with people we love, and above all with the Jesus we love. Revelation 21 and 22 tell us God will bring Heaven down to this New Earth by coming down to dwell there with His people. There will be natural wonders, a great river, and the tree of life producing different fruit every month. We should anticipate great sights and sounds and smells and tastes and delightful conversations. On that new world “his servants will serve him”—that means things to do, places to go, people to see.

As resurrected people, we’ll live on the New Earth, not a non-earthly angelic realm for disembodied spirits. We’ll live in our resurrected bodies on a resurrected earth, where the resurrected Jesus will rule on the throne of the New Earth’s capital city, a resurrected Jerusalem. And we will reign with Him as righteous people ruling the earth to God’s glory. That was exactly His design from the beginning. The Bible begins and ends with God and humanity in perfect fellowship on earth.

Because we’ve already lived on earth, I think it will seem from the first that we’re coming home. The New Earth will strike us as familiar because it will be the old earth raised, as our bodies will be our old bodies raised. The New Earth will be the home we’ve always longed for.

The unbiblical stereotypes of Heaven as a vague, incorporeal existence hurt us far more than we realize. They diminish our anticipation of Heaven and keep us from believing it is truly our home. Graham Scroggie was right: “Future existence is not a purely spiritual existence; it demands a life in a body, and a in a material universe.” Though many of us affirm a belief in the resurrection, we don’t know what that really means. Our doctrine dresses up people in bodies, then gives them no place to go. Instead of the New Earth as our eternal home, we offer an intangible and utterly unfamiliar Heaven that’s the opposite of home.

When we think of Heaven as unearthly, our present lives seem unspiritual, like they don’t matter. When we grasp the reality of the New Earth, our present lives suddenly matter. Conversations with loved ones matter. Work, leisure, creativity, and intellectual stimulation matter. Laughter matters. Service matters. Why? Because they are eternal. Our present life on earth matters not because it’s the only life we have but precisely because it isn’t—it’s the beginning of a life that will continue without end.

Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” The carpenter from Nazareth knows how to build. He’s built entire worlds, billions of them. He’s also an expert at repairing what’s been damaged—whether people or worlds. Romans 8 tells us that this damaged universe groans, crying out to be repaired. Jesus is going to repair it, and we’re going to live with Him on resurrected ground. He’s going to repair this earth because He’s no more given up on it than He’s given up on us.

Browse more resources on the topic of Heaven, and see Randy’s related books, including Heaven.

Photo by Sébastien Goldberg on Unsplash

Mincaye Is Now with Jesus

On Tuesday afternoon, Mincaye, the former warrior who in 1956 speared to death Nate Saint and Ed McCully, two of the five missionary martyrs in Ecuador, passed from this life to the next. A member of the once fierce Huaorani tribe, Mincaye had come to Christ, and was a transformed man, a delightful brother who was a joy to be with.

When I became a Christian at age fifteen one of the first stories I read was about the five missionary martyrs. As it did hundreds of thousands of others, this story inspired me and taught me that there is often a price to pay in order to spread the good news of salvation in Christ. Little did I know that many years later I would connect with the family members of three of those men, as well as one of their killers, now beautifully transformed.

Last year I shared an update from Joni Eareckson Tada about Mincaye, as their Wheels for the World team had provided him, then about 90 years old, with a wheelchair suitable for the rugged terrain in Ecuador.  Now he’s with Jesus, and no longer needs that chair! My friend Mart Green, producer of the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor and the movie The End of the Spear wrote, “What a reunion. First time in 64 years that Mincaye has seen Nate, Jim, Pete, Roger, and Ed! No social distancing for that home coming.”

Steve Saint (Nate Saint’s son) and I became friends years ago, and he introduced me to Mincaye. In 2006 he and Ginnie came to my home church within a week of the 50th anniversary of the death of the missionaries, and I interviewed him and Mincaye. Of all the people I’ve met, one I felt the most privileged to spend time with was Mincaye.

Here’s a five-minute clip from that interview, in which you quickly get to know Mincaye:

(You can watch the full interview here.)

After those church services, Nanci and I and our friends Stu and Linda Weber had lunch with Steve and Ginnie Saint, Mincaye, and Ed McCulley’s son Steve and his wife Ellie at the home where Jim Elliot and his older brother Bert grew up, in Portland, Oregon, fourteen miles from our home. Bert and Colleen joined us, in their 80’s on furlough from Peru. (I share more about Bert and Colleen, who lived a remarkable life of faithful endurance, in this article.)

This photo was taken that day when we were in Jim Elliot’s bedroom. In it, three of the five missionary families are represented, with Mincaye who as a young warrior killed the fathers of Steve Saint (second from left) and Steve McCulley (far right), and then came to Jesus, a redeemed and precious brother and elder in his church in Ecuador. Bert Elliot is holding the photo of his brother Jim. I can’t wait to see Mincaye again! And Bert and Colleen! And Elisabeth Elliot, who also spoke at our church many years ago.

I also look forward to seeing Marge Saint, Nate’s wife and Steve’s mom, who I spoke with on the phone when she was in a hospital nearing her death. Steve had been reading to her my book Heaven, and he called me and said, “My mom wants to talk to you.” She only had the strength to whisper to me two words: “Thank you.” I wept, and managed to say, “No, thank YOU for your life!”

Nanci and I are rejoicing in the great reunion going on in Heaven where the missionary martyrs and their wives are. I suspect they were there to joyfully welcome Mincaye into the presence of Jesus! I think it’s no stretch to believe besides the Lord Himself, others are there to welcome home saints when they die. Second Peter 1:9 says of the faithful, “You will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Another person who I think was part of Mincaye’s welcoming committee was Stephenie Saint, Steve and Ginny’s daughter. I share this in my book If God Is Good:

Steve Saint told me about the day he and his wife, Ginny, eagerly waited to meet their daughter, twenty-year-old Stephenie, at the Orlando airport after she returned from a long trip. With the Saints stood Mincaye, one of the tribal warriors who, in 1956, murdered the five missionaries in Ecuador, including Steve’s father, Nate. Eventually the gospel his victims had brought to him transformed him. Mincaye became part of the Saint family, with the children calling him Grandfather. At the airport, Grandfather Mincaye waved a sign (upside down) reading “Welcome Home, Stephenie.”

That night, in the midst of their celebration, Stephenie developed a headache and asked Steve to pray for her. Ginny sat on the bed and held Stephenie, while Steve put his arms around both of them and started praying. While he prayed, Stephenie suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage. They rushed her to the hospital, where Mincaye saw his beloved Stephenie, whom he called Star, lying on a gurney with a tube down her throat and needles in her arm. He grabbed Steve and said, “Who did this to her?”

“I don’t know, Mincaye. Nobody is doing this.”

Mincaye grabbed Steve again and said, “Babae, don’t you see? God Himself is doing this.”

Excitedly, Mincaye addressed all the people in the emergency room: “Don’t you see? God loving Star, He’s taking her to live with Him.”

Then he told them, “Look at me, I’m an old man; pretty soon I’m going to die, too, and I’m going there.”

Finally, with a pleading look on his face, Mincaye exhorted these bystanders, “Please, please, won’t you follow God’s trail, too? Coming to God’s place, Star and I will be waiting there to welcome you.”

Within a few hours, Stephenie died. I’m confident that when she left this world a celebration erupted in another world where others, including her Lord and her Grandfather Nate Saint, who she’d never met, stretched out their arms and said, “Welcome home, Stephenie.”

Now the story of these precious and everlasting relationships, which started on Earth, continues in Heaven, and will go on forever when God brings down the present Heaven to the New Earth, where He promises to live with His people forever and where there will be no more suffering and death and He will wipe away all the tears of His redeemed  (Revelation 21:1-4).

I praise God for faithful people, including the Saint family, who invested in the Huaorani tribe. (Steve’s aunt Rachel lived with the tribe for years.) They brought them the gospel, and a forged a deep family relationship with Mincaye. This small but big-hearted warrior faithfully walked God’s trail and followed his markings (see the five-minute video for the significance of this statement).

Don’t miss Steve Saint’s tribute to “Grandfather Mincaye,” as they affectionately knew him, with many more pictures and videos.

For more on the persecuted church, and God’s eternal purposes, see Randy’s novel Safely Home.

Heaven and Hell: Bart Ehrman’s Latest Attack on Christianity

Note from Randy Alcorn: This is an expanded version of a book review I did for The Gospel Coalition a few weeks ago. For word count purposes, I needed to edit out some important things I wanted to say in that article, but I have included them in this one (hence it is 40% longer). This is more than a book review—it is a reflection on a battle of worldviews that many churches and individual Christians are sadly losing. It’s also a call to take greater efforts to teach our young people to understand and defend their faith in Christ in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the teachings of Scripture.

Bart Ehrman is professor of religious studies at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He also teaches eight of The Great Courses’s widely acclaimed Bible and Christianity classes, and has a part in 78 others. (This is odd, since featuring Ehrman as their primary professor on biblical issues is comparable to selecting N.T. Wright or Wayne Grudem to be their go-to authority on atheism.)

The subtitles of Ehrman’s books, including his five New York Times bestsellers, capture his premises: e.g., Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, How Jesus Became God: the Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee, and Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are.

Why even talk about books like this? Because they are having a widespread and powerful influence. Paul warns us of the human proneness to fall prey to false teachers who deny biblical truth: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

False teachers influence the church from both inside and outside, but outsiders gain special credibility when they are former insiders. In this era of escalating deconversions, #exvangelicals, and the “Dones” (with church), Ehrman is a major instrument in countless readers’ downward spiritual trajectory. (Skim through some of the 4,000 reviews of his books on Amazon, and you’ll see how weighty his influence is.) His books and teachings online and through the Great Courses are, from one viewpoint, liberating people from a narrow, oppressive, and outdated Christian faith that their parents and pastors imposed on them. (From a different viewpoint, this liberation is bondage in disguise.)  

Same Message, New Focus

Whenever I read an Ehrman book, déjà vu kicks in. His core message is always: “Christians are dead wrong; I know because I used to be one before I became enlightened.” Each of Ehrman’s books deals with something else Christians are wrong about; and his newest, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, is another volume in his expanding canon of deconversion doctrine.

Ehrman speaks with the authoritative tone of a historian-philosopher, a wise sage, unfolding humanity’s preoccupation with death and the fear of death. Beginning with the Epic of Gilgamesh, he then examines Homer, Virgil, Plato, and other ancients. Along the way he interjects his belief that there’s no need to fear death, since it’s simply ceasing to exist (the very thing many people fear).

Arriving at the Bible, just one more myth to Ehrman, he presents what he calls the “older Hebrew view” that death is the final end, followed by nonexistence. He then addresses the “later Hebrew position” on resurrection and Judgment Day from the intertestamental era. 

While he says little to refute pre-Christian views, once Ehrman gets to the historic Christian view of the afterlife, he conducts an all-out verbal siege. But he doesn’t rant and rave; he calmly presents his assertions, such as that Jesus and Paul disagreed on much, including the way of salvation, but shared a disbelief in an eternal hell. He says both of them, and the author of Revelation (whom he’s certain wasn’t the apostle John), taught annihilationism. He simply ignores or reinterprets passages to the contrary (e.g. Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:41, 46; Mark 9:43,48; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Jude 7, 13; Revelation 14:9–11; 20:10, 14–15).

Ehrman’s thorough and excellent treatment of Homer, Virgil, and Plato stands in stark contrast to his awareness of how Christians historically handled the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and Peter. Ehrman studies the writings of critics with whom he agrees, but I have the impression he relies more on his memories of what he heard at youth group, Moody, and Wheaton than on actual research of what evangelical scholars say. (This may be because “evangelical scholars” is to him an oxymoron.)

Interestingly, though Ehrman doesn’t believe there is a Heaven, he leaves room for its possibility:

I certainly don’t think the notion of a happy afterlife is as irrational as the fires of hell; at least it does not contradict the notion of a benevolent creative force behind the universe. So I’m completely open to the idea and deep down even hopeful about it. But I have to say that at the end of the day I really don’t believe it either. My sense is that this life is all there is. (294)

However, Ehrman is certain he isn’t wrong about Hell:

Are we really to think that God is some kind of transcendent sadist intent on torturing people (or at least willing to allow them to be tortured) for all eternity, a divine being infinitely more vengeful than anyone who has ever existed? …Even if I instinctually fear it, I don’t believe it. (293–94)

At the end of the book Ehrman quotes from ex-evangelical Rob Bell:

In [universalism], the love of God knows no bounds and cannot be overcome. . . . In the words of one modern Christian author, once himself a committed evangelical with a passion for the biblical witness, in the end “Love Wins.” (290)

Ehrman seems to offer universalism as a backup position to his naturalistic worldview. He’s saying, in essence, “I don’t believe in an afterlife, but if there is one then everyone will be in Heaven.”

He goes on to essentially applaud the rise of universalism in Christian churches: “Harkening back to Origen, and Paul before him, these committed believers maintain that in the end no one will be able to resist the love of God. . . . [E]veryone will be saved” (290).

Opinion Isn’t Proof

I admire Ehrman’s skill as a persuasive communicator. He knows how to lay out his position with great effectiveness. (Never mind that this entails considerable overstatement and omission of dismissiveness of evidence to the contrary.) Sadly, he denies the One who gave him those gifts, which makes me wish for the sake of others that he were less eloquent than he is.

Ehrman carefully uses selective information which—in the absence of evidence to the contrary—makes it seem obvious to the jury, his loyal readers, that he is always right. Ehrman would make a skillful defense attorney or prosecutor, as he could argue either side and in the absence of opposition would win his case ever time. (Hence the vulnerability of uninformed believers or unbelievers who read his books.)

Ehrman frequently states what he believes as if opinion constitutes proof. For instance, he emphatically says, “There was a time in human history when no one on the planet believed that there would be a judgment day at the end of time” (8). Really? No one? Does he have private access to an ancient poll taken of every living person?

Ehrman denies the Old Testament ever speaks of resurrection (never mind passages such as Daniel 12:2, which says, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt”). Ehrman explains in a footnote:

Some readers may wonder why I am not contrasting this view of Job with the famous passage of Job 19:25–26: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (ESV). (301)

I was one of those wondering readers! Ehrman negates Job by citing a Jewish scholar who says, “The text has been garbled and we cannot tell exactly what Job intended to say.” This scholar adds, “Job is almost certainly not talking about seeing God in the afterlife.”

I consulted 12 major translations by different teams of Hebrew scholars, some of whom certainly don’t hold to biblical inerrancy. Their translations contain only minor differences in word choice. All of them suggest Job is indeed speaking of seeing God in the afterlife and affirming that, in what seems clearly to refer to the resurrection, he too will stand with that Redeemer upon a redeemed (New) Earth.  

This is just one example of Ehrman’s practice of (1) inaccurately conveying what the Bible says; (2) accurately conveying what the Bible says, then declaring it’s wrong; (3) arguing the text really doesn’t say what Christians believe it says (why would that matter if what it really says is also wrong?); and (4) citing Scripture in support of his contentions, even though he regularly dismisses Scripture’s validity. 

When researching my book Heaven, I read more than 150 books on the subject, including many I disagreed with. Yet, in reading Ehrman’s book, I saw no evidence that he had read a single evangelical book on Heaven, though he did manage to cite one on Hell (containing arguments for annihilationism and universalism).

While his footnotes reflect extensive research in ancient Greek texts, he seems largely unaware of what the Bible or evangelical Christians actually claim about Heaven—the New Earth. He refers to Revelation 21:1, and recognizes the teaching of bodily resurrection, yet doesn’t develop what the Bible teaches about the eternal dwelling place of God’s people. I don’t expect him to agree with that teaching, but in a book called Heaven and Hell, I would expect him to give it a chapter, or at least a paragraph or two.

With a few exceptions when he admits he’s not certain, I’m struck by Ehrman’s normally unswerving confidence that he is 100 percent right. He is, just like evangelicals, relying on an ultimate authority—but instead of the Bible, it’s his own intellect. Delivered from that “intellectually feeble” life as an evangelical, his opinions about the Bible, Jesus, and the Christian faith are his creed, the objects of his faith.   

Anyone who grounds his life on the belief that Jesus is not God, not the King of Kings or Judge, is naturally going to be resistant to any evidence that He is.  After all, a great deal is at stake. The vested interests in not believing in God are every bit as strong as those in believing in God. “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. …They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them” (1 John 4:2-3, 5).

Apostle of Deconversion

As he does in most of his books, Ehrman seeks to build credibility by sharing his testimony of conversion to unbelief, thereby marketing himself as a reverse C. S. Lewis. Lewis was an academic intellectual who moved from atheism to agnosticism to deism to biblically based Christianity, and in the process burnt academic bridges.

Ehrman, however, professed faith at age 15 at Youth for Christ, then attended Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. He was a card-carrying evangelical. His exodus from evangelicalism began when he went to Princeton Seminary, where he lost his faith in the Bible and Jesus:

[At Princeton] my scholarship led me to realize that the Bible was a very human book, with human mistakes and biases and culturally conditioned views in it. And realizing that made me begin to wonder if the beliefs in God and Christ I had held and urged on others were themselves partially biased, culturally conditioned, or even mistaken.

These doubts disturbed me not only because I wanted very much to know the Truth but also because I was afraid of the possible eternal consequences of getting it wrong. . . . What if I ended up no longer believing and then realized too late that my unfaithful change of heart had all been a huge blunder? Wouldn’t my eternal soul be in very serious trouble? (xvi)

Ehrman appears to believe his studies at Princeton were guided by objective truth and his rejection of the Christian worldview was a courageous submission to this truth. Ehrman’s lack of self-awareness is evident when he claims, “In this book I will not be urging you either to believe or disbelieve in the existence of heaven and hell.” No reader could imagine Ehrman is urging belief in Heaven or Hell. But it seems intellectually dishonest to say he isn’t encouraging disbelief in them. Arguably that is a central purpose of the book.

The names of C. S. Lewis, Francis Shaeffer, Lee Strobel, and Ravi Zacharias often show up in the testimonies of those who had intellectually resisted belief in Jesus but came to faith. It’s now common for Ehrman to be credited in someone’s deconversion, particularly because of his credentials as a convinced insider who left the fold to become a vocal skeptic.

In fact, to understand Heaven and Hell and Ehrman’s other writings, we must grasp that his deconversion redirected, rather than removed, his evangelistic zeal. It’s not that he’s no longer on a mission, but that his mission has radically changed. Many people have quietly lost their faith, but Ehrman didn’t go gently into the night. Instead, he has become an eloquent apostle of deconversion, and his disciples are many. 

While critics of the faith come and go and many have minimal impact, I regard Ehrman as one of the most significant modern opponents to the Christian faith. Christians who might never be persuaded by scientific atheists like Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens are regular readers of Ehrman’s books. He’s a secular prophet to certain evangelical and ex-evangelical readers. He has been where they are, and many are headed where he is. His books carry an unspoken but persistent sense of “Come, follow me.”

I considered Ehrman’s writings influential enough to devote an entire chapter in my book If God Is Good to his book God’s Problem. Both books center on the problem of evil and suffering, but with radically different conclusions. Remarkably, Ehrman argues there that one of his primary reasons for rejecting the Christian faith is poverty and suffering in other parts of the world. Yet he fails to realize that those actually suffering have turned to faith in Christ in huge numbers.

The subtitle of God’s Problem is “How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer.” When reading it, I had spent the previous two years studying what the Bible has to say about suffering, why we suffer, and what God has done in Christ to address our suffering. After reading every page of Ehrman’s book I thought a more honest subtitle would be “I Don’t Like the Answers to Suffering That the Bible Gives.” (See the full chapter from my book, or an abridged version of it.)

Call to Hold Fast

I feel sorry for Bart Ehrman, but I’m even more saddened at the harm done to those who embrace his teachings. We who believe the Bible must recognize this is about our adversary, Satan, who comes to destroy and devour people through persuasive arguments, and who when he lies, “speaks his native language” (John 8:44, NIV). 

In a time when “everyone has a story,” people listen to stories without discernment. The personal testimony has historically been used by faith-affirmers to reach the lost. Now it has become a tool of faith-deniers to reach the found. 

There are still wonderful conversion stories, and we should tell them. But we should also, in our families and churches, teach our children to cultivate their intellects, and we should help equip them to refute falsehood and denials of the written and living Word of God. We should demonstrate the transcendent vibrancy of a generous, Christ-centered, and people-loving life, enlightened by the authentic God-man Jesus, full of grace and truth. 

Finally, as we call on God to do the miraculous work of conversion in people’s lives, we “must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that [we] can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception” (Titus 1:9-10).

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Charles Spurgeon on Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy

I recently read these words from one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, and found them both timely and encouraging:

It will sometimes happen that where there is the most sorrow in the antecedents, there will be the most pleasure in the sequel. As the furious storm gives place to the clear sunshine, so the night of weeping precedes the morning of joy. Sorrow the harbinger; gladness the prince it ushers in.

[William] Cowper says: “The path of sorrow, and that path alone, Leads to the place where sorrow is unknown.”

To a great extent we find that we must sow in tears before we can reap in joy. Many of our works for Christ have cost us tears. Difficulties and disappointments have wrung our soul with anguish. Yet those projects that have cost us more than ordinary sorrow, have often turned out to be the most honorable of our undertakings. …You may expect a blessing in serving God if you are enabled to persevere under many discouragements. The ship is often long coming home, because detained on the road by excess of cargo. Expect her freight to be the better when she reaches the port. 

As I’ve shared before, reading and discussing biographies of faithful believers can give both children and adults footprints to follow, especially through our suffering. So let me recommend John Piper’s excellent presentations on the life of Charles Spurgeon and the life of William Cowper (whom Spurgeon quoted above).

If you’d like to read more from Spurgeon, see my book We Shall See God. In writing that book, I became Spurgeon’s coauthor, without his permission, drawing extensively from the best of his sermons about Heaven and the New Earth and adding my own thoughts, so it’s about half and half. If the saying “it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission” ever applied, I’m confident it will when I meet Spurgeon and explain how he and I wrote a book together. :) It may help to tell him that all the royalties went to causes he would endorse!

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Great Books to Share with Your Kids, and Thoughts on Encouraging the Next Generation to Read

I grew up in a non-christian home and learned love reading through comic books: Archie and the Marvel comics among them, especially the Fantastic Four. But mainly I was a DC fan, my favorites being The Justice League of America (Green Lantern was my hero) and The Legion of Super Heroes (go, Lightning Lad). From there I dove into science fiction and fantasy, spending my nights looking through my telescope, then coming to bed freezing and reading science fiction by flashlight under my covers, so Mom wouldn’t see the light on.

Much as I would have enjoyed video games and computers as a boy, I’m profoundly grateful they didn't exist then. If they would have, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have come to love reading as I did. (That creates a real challenge for today’s Christian parents, doesn’t it? How do you cultivate a love for reading in children, especially your boys, when there is so much in our culture working against it? And especially when we remember that those who are not readers will not be readers of God's Word.)

I think of how God had His hand on my life long before I was in high school, when I read for the first time a book that really captivated me...the Bible. That book came alive to me when I met the Author, who soon became my best friend.

That’s why my advice to parents is read to and with your children! A child who doesn’t learn to love to read will not love to read God's Word, and will be robbed of joy and perspective. The love of reading is a delight far more satisfying than the love of movies and video games, which is not inherently evil, but will generally not foster the spiritual life. A love for reading must be instilled early, as it seldom develops later. So read to your kids and give them great books to read! (And also model to them the importance of reading as an adult.)

I share some more thoughts on my childhood love of reading, and the importance of passing on that love to the next generation, in this video:

Here are some great books to consider sharing with your kids:

The Jesus Story Book Bible and Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd Jones

The Jesus Story Book is the best Bible storybook for kids I’ve seen. (I enjoyed reading it with my grandsons when they were younger.) Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing is a children’s devotional also written by Sally Lloyd Jones. Stephanie Anderson, one of our staff members, writes, “I love the short and sweet little devotional thoughts in this book, with beautiful illustrations by Jago. I also love that Sally quotes from theologians and heroes of the faith. I’ve enjoyed starting my mornings with my girls using this book.”

Emblems of the Infinite King by J. Ryan Lister

This book introduces kids ages 10+ to God’s radiant beauty using the main categories of systematic theology. When sound systematic theology is conveyed to kids in a vibrant and accessible way, it is a victory to be celebrated. Emblems of the Infinite King does this!

My daughter Karina, mom to three boys, writes, “I’m reading Emblems of the Infinite King with my grade schooler and middle schooler. It's a beautiful book that unfolds systematic theology in a narrative form for kids. My boys, who love storytelling, are very engaged with both the text and the illustrations. We often make connections with Scripture and the Apostles’ Creed, so they can see how we evaluate beauty in light of revealed truth. I've found it to be an excellent next step after the Jesus Storybook Bible, as kids get older and are ready for more conceptual learning.”

Oh, the Treasures You'll Know! by Dan Olson and Lucy Olson

This Christian parody of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is a witty, wonderful, and beautifully illustrated book about following God’s narrow path and storing up treasures in Heaven that will never be lost. It’s a delightful book.

The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung

Both young and old will enjoy Kevin’s book. The Biggest Story is a small treatment of a huge theme—God’s drama of redemption, centered on Jesus Christ. Kevin’s words are fresh, engaging, playful, and biblical. Many Bible storybooks offer pearls without a string. This one puts the pearls on a string—the right one. The result is magnificent and memorable.

Indescribable and How Great Is Our God by Louie Giglio

EPM staff member Stephanie Anderson writes: “Our girls, ages five and ten, have loved these devotionals. They’re well written and full of fascinating scientific facts, which Louie then masterfully ties in with themes from Scripture. Even my husband and I have learned many new things, and we like the emphasis on science not being at odds with our faith, but rather being a means of appreciating and learning about the Creator.”

The Action Bible  

The Action Bible, which my grandsons love, has sold over a million copies. It’s proven that the Bible in graphic novel form can be both engaging and Christ-honoring. Kids eight and older and many adults love it.  I find it true to Scripture. (See also The Kingstone Bible¸ which my graphic novel The Apostle is a part of. It’s the longest single graphic novel ever published, as well as the most complete graphic novel adaptation of the Bible, and is available in three volumes.)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Through Lewis’s Narnia series, we and our children can learn to envision the promised Heaven on Earth in a biblical and compelling way. I encourage parents to read them aloud to their family or to listen to the complete books in radio theatre audio productions copublished by Tyndale and Focus on the Family.

More fiction recommendations: EPM staff member Amy Woodard shared that her young teen girl has liked the Christy Miller Series by Robin Jones Gunn. Her kids have also enjoyed the Cul-De-Sac Kids book series by Beverly Lewis.

Here are some book recommendations from The Gospel Coalition:

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross by Carl Laferton
God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell
The Ology by Marty Machowski
The Donkey Who Carried a King by R.C. Sproul
The Gospel by Devon Provencher
God by Devon Provencher
Jesus by Devon Provencher
The Friend Who Forgives  by Dan DeWitt
Jesus and the Lion’s Den by Alison Mitchell

If you’d like to introduce your kids to a biblical view of Heaven, you can check out my books Heaven for Kids (a chapter book intended for ages 8 to 12, but would work well for a family to read through, and also available as an audio book), Tell Me About Heaven (readable by many eight year olds, but designed to be enjoyed by the whole family; it contains eleven fantastic paintings by my friend, artist Ron DiCianni), and Wait Until Then (a picture book that emphasizes, in story fashion, that according to God’s Word, the best is yet to be; it’s now of out print but used copies are available on Amazon). Older kids might also enjoy my graphic novel Eternity (based on Christ’s story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16;  the graphics were done by two artists who’ve worked with Marvel Comics).

Finally, you can find more recommendation and ideas in Trevin Wax’s book recommendations for preschoolers, and Justin Taylor’s article with a list of recommended reading for kids, grade by grade. And here’s a great article about pointing your kids to the gospel through good books.

The Anger Problem in Sports and All of Life (Including in Our Families and Relationships)

I put these verses together for a wonderful young man who loves Jesus, and was struggling with getting angry during sports, especially with referees. (Of course, some who are just spectators, even in their own living rooms, struggle with perpetual complaining and whining about bad calls which they sincerely believe are always against their team, and these verses can help them as well.)

Right now most, nearly all, professional and local sports are cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. But with many families staying home together, there will certainly be times when we struggle with anger and frustration towards one another. So what I share here will be applicable for any reader who struggles with anger, not just those who are athletes or enjoy watching sports.

For those who wonder if it could be discouraging for a young athlete (or anyone) to be given these verses, I think it’s an important reminder that God doesn’t just call us to make each other feel better but to help each other be better. And coming to terms with anger is one of those things. If we get victory in this area it not only glorifies God but also brings peace and contentment to our own lives.

Of course, I too have various areas of weakness (at one time anger was one of them, but God has graciously helped me grow in that area). I have invited others, including the young man talking with me about anger in sports, to let me know if they see or sense I’m not honoring Jesus in any area of my life. Tim Keller writes in God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life, “Self-deception is not the worst thing you can do, but it’s the means by which we do the very worst things. The sin that is most distorting your life right now is the one you can’t see.” That’s why we all need this kind of input from other Christ followers: “Speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).  

If you struggle with anger, it would be great for you to read these verses daily, mediate on them, memorize some of them, and ask God to give you victory. I do this in my own life in areas of struggle, and every Christian must do the same to experience the change we want, and in order to please and glorify Jesus. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

Here’s what God says to us. May He use it to renew our minds:

“People with quick tempers cause a lot of quarreling and trouble.” (Proverbs 29:22, GNB)

“Don’t give in to worry or anger; it only leads to trouble.” (Psalm 37:8, GNB)

“…human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:20, NIV)

“If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin.” (Ephesians 4:26, GNB)

“People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm.” (Proverbs 14:17, GNB)

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20, NIV)

“Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes.” (Proverbs 14:29, NLT)

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:1-2, ESV)

“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered.” (Proverbs 22:24, NIV)

“Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.” (Proverbs 29:11, NIV)

If you or someone in your family struggles with anger…or irritation, complaining, or bitterness, I highly recommend David Powlison’s book Good and Angry. I think you’ll find it a great help.

Photo by Marc Szeglat on Unsplash