Got "The Message"? Oh, I Hope I Got that Wrong...

Last night, I was perusing Ephesians 1-3, and came upon this verse: I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (v. 17)

Needless to say, I have read Ephesians many times before, but I love it when God "quickens" a verse to my heart. Knowing the Lord, as opposed to simply knowing about Him, has been my passion since I was about 12. God is faithful, and I can truly say I have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, but I often get discouraged and have doubts about His closeness. Apparently, Paul foresaw that and prayed for the Ephesian Christians to know Him better...and by extension, that we would, as well.

Well, since I now have that new shiny laptop (see post of a couple weeks ago), I can now take my time, reading several versions on Biblegateway.com in the warmth of the first floor. I sometimes like to check out passages in different translations, just for fun. It makes life all the more interesting. Sometimes, the Amplified Bible will offer an insight; the King James will clarify if "you" was singular or plural; and the Bulgarian will come in handy for a future witnessing opportunity.

And then there's a relatively new addition: Eugene Patterson's translation, The Message. This one is supposedly in easy-to-understand vernacular, for those mornings when you haven't had your coffee yet and you feel really lazy. I confess I've never read it before. (I usually have had my coffee by 6:00 am).

Well, I checked out my New Favorite Passage in The Message. My eyes scanned it quickly....and then, dear readers, I nearly choked to death on my Raisin Bran. Here are verses 15-17:

That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength! (emphasis mine).

The "Master Jesus"??? 'What is He', (I immediately thought), 'a Hindu avatar???'

Just as I was clicking away from the page, I caught the rendering of the final clause of verse 17 - 'endless energy'. Energy? Where does that appear in any of the other translations? It certainly isn't in the Greek. I immediately thought of the New Age concept of 'Christ consciousness' and cosmic energy. Either one of the two terms might have gotten past me, but taken together, my discernment flags went off. (Knowing how often Beth Moore quotes Eugene Peterson, I should have been suspicious from the get-go). I Googled "Christ energy", and returned 14,900,000 results. No, I didn't check all of them; just the first two pages. Without exception, they were New Age and occultic healing pages. Here's a gem from the first site I checked: "This Master Teacher was known as Jesus the Christ. The man Jesus was a perfect child of the Goddess and God energy - just as we all are perfect children of the God-Force!

"Master Teacher." Catch that? Not Lord and Saviour.

"What really made Jesus so special was that he was able to be enLightened in a time when the inner channel to Christ Consciousness that all humans possess was blocked by planetary conditions."

Peeps, I couldn't make this stuff up.

It gets better. Check out how The Message butchers 1 Peter 1:18: "Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God." (Sounds more like something Deepak Chopra would say than the Apostle Peter). Now let's check out the NASB (I use the NIV myself, but they say the NASB is a word-for-word translation): "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,"

I knew full well I couldn't be the first one to catch teh occultic overtones in The Message (and this was just TWO PASSAGES!!) I don't have time to do real research. Thankfully, Lighthouse Trails has done it for me. I Googled "Eugene Peterson The Message" and bingo:

The King James Bible refers to Jesus as "Lord Jesus" about 115 times. The New King James Bible uses this term about the same amount of times and the New American Standard about 100 times. How many times does Eugene Peterson's The Message use the phrase "Lord Jesus"? None! Not once. Never! (Check it out at (www.biblegateway.com)

What The Message does refer to Jesus 77 times is the title "Master Jesus." This is a New Age term.

Read full entry here. The Message is chock-full of New Age terms. Stay away from "The Message". Buy a real Bible instead. If you don't have one, leave me a message in the combox and I'll send you one - free.

New Laptops and Respectable Sins

My first post in a while.....my first post from my brand spankin' new LAPTOP, which my husband bought me this morning!

I am not a technical person. Small computers without mice scare me. Anything that costs more than I earn in several days intimidates me. I have resisted getting a laptop with the same intensity I fought flip-phones (it took me weeks to figure out my old outdated cell phone. Don't make it any more complicated than it has to be...please).

I now own a laptop.

You see, it's like this.

I like to write. I like to read the Bible and biblically-oriented books. I like to write about the Bible, biblical books, and various aspects of Spirit-led living. Unfortunately, the computer is in the (finished but chilly) basement. Apparently, I have let too many meals burn while I am deep in theological thought, intently pecking away in the basement.

I have let preschoolers run wild in the house while translating under deadline. I have overcooked burritos while Skypeing with Tyndale House. Well, Friday took the biscuit - I nearly burned the house down while hashing out Chapter 10 (extolling the virtues of nouthetic counseling vs. integrationist theory - and no; I haven't forgotten my promise to post it over here. It is forthcoming).

While systematically tearing apart the self-esteem gospel, I completely forgot about the tongue boiling (on high, mind you) upstairs in the kitchen. I had re-filled the pot about a half hour earlier (or maybe it was an hour; who knows) and returned to my subterranean office, when my husband awakened to smoke filling the house. (Thick, nasty smoke). Note to self: never leave a pot unattended while writing/translating/studying in basement. (That was the second time this week. I can't tell you how many pots of dried beans I've destroyed in my literary zeal).

Now I have a laptop. From which I can write at the kitchen table. Conveniently located near the stove, which is where the conscientious wives prepare meals for their families when their so-called minds aren't on loftier things. (I am writing a book on biblical deliverance from eating disorders. I reached 51,000 words this weekend, and feel that I can safely say that.) If anyone has any friends in the Christian publishing world, feel free to introduce us!

Speaking of books, here's a wonderful one which I'm sure I will be quoting at least once in my own manuscript: "Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate" by Jerry Bridges. This man is a wonderful writer, is well-respected in the evangelical world, and I can't believe this is the first book I've read by him. Our church's men's group recently studied it, and now our women's small groups are following suit. Targeted towards everyday Christians, in twelve chapters Bridges destroys the illusion that we're actually pretty decent people, and God did well to save us. Confronting such infractions as gossip, impatience, anxiety and frustration, Bridges reminds us that all sin is "cosmic treason" and is equally grave in God's eyes.

However, before we can even hope to uproot and annihilate these offensive character traits, we must learn how to apply the Gospel to ourselves in practical terms. An excerpt from Chapter 4, "The Remedy for Sin":

"...not only does the Gospel prepare me to face my sin, it also frees me up to do so. Facing our sin causes us to feel guilty. Of course we feel guilty because we are guilty. And if I believe, consciously or unconsciously, that God still counts my sin against me, my instinctive sense of self-protection forbids me to acknowledge my sin and guilt, or, at the least, I seek to minimize it. But we cannot begin to deal with a particular manifestation of sin, such as anger or self-pity, until we first openly acknowledge its presence and activity in our lives. So I need the assurance that my sin is forgiven before I can even acknowledge it, let alone begin to deal with it.

The assurance that God no longer counts my sin against me does two things. First it assures me that God is for me, not against me (see Romans 8:31). I am not alone in this battle with sin. God is not watching me from His heavenly throne saying, "When are you going to get your act together? When are you going to deal with that sin?" Rather, He is, as it were, coming alongside me saying, "We are going to work on that sin, but meanwhile I want you to know that I no longer count it against you." God is no longer my Judge; He is now my heavenly Father, who loves me with a self-generated, infinite love, even in the face of my sin. That assurance greatly encourages me and motivates me to deal with the sin."

Can I get an "amen"? This book is excellent - very convicting, yet encouraging. When dealing with the matter of sin and personal holiness, that is a fine balance to strike, yet Bridges does so seamlessly. This is a great tool to use as you pursue spiritual growth - it is thought provoking, easy to read, and does not require some of the mental gymnastics that J.I. Packer and C.S. Lewis demand.

Coming soon: Christian Counseling vs. Nouthetic Counseling

The Church's Response to Treachery and Persecution

The following is an excerpt from "Heralds of the Truth: The History of the Evangelical Church in Bulgaria" by Rev. Hristo Kulichev of Sofia, Bulgaria. I edited the English translation of the book, and it should be published later this year. In this chapter, Kulichev is not speaking about the Inquisition or counter-Reformation atrocities. Rather, he refers to the period of Christianity's greatest persecution in Bulgaria, under the Communists (1944-1989); then subsequently during a backlash directed at the growth of Gospel-preaching churches in the mid-ninetees. I attended his church, First Evangelical Church of Sofia, from 1992-1995.

"Throughout its existence, the Church has encountered numerous trials wherein it persevered in the truth. In doing so, it has also received many blessings in leading souls to Christ, through the accomplishment of its calling to proclaim His Gospel. The Church has also fallen when it has deviated from its call to seek the well-being of the world. During a prolonged period of trials and persecutions, some church leaders became obsessed with the satanic idea that the existence of the church hinges on the goodwill of the world and the indulgence of the authorities ‘who granted us the right to live’.

In such times of tribulation one could frequently hear the words, ‘Let us be cautious and circumspect’, ‘Let us preserve the Church’, or, ‘Let's spare our strength for more favourable times’. Many of the Christians saying such things were in leadership positions in the church. In this manner they actually sought to disguise their concern and self-serving worry. They had no understanding that God had placed us not to be keepers or guardians of his Church, but rather to be servants and ministers within it. God has no desire for our zeal of tomorrow; He seeks our faithfulness of today. The general counsel was, ‘Let us be cautious’, and not, ‘Let us be bold for the Lord’.

The history of the early Church was forgotten. When threats were extended to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, the believers in Acts 4 gathered together and lifted up their voice to the Lord in one accord. Their prayer, however, was not something like, ‘O Lord, have a look at the hardships and the intimidations we are facing; remove the obstacles placed by Satan before Your Word!’

No, their prayer was, ‘And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word’ (Acts 4:29).
In their ‘concern’, many Christians were willing to conceal their fear for themselves, their cowardice, and their unwillingness to endure sufferings for Christ. Who can destroy a Church over which even the gates of hell cannot prevail? Who can destroy the body of the living, resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, whom the chains of death and hell could not hold in the cold grave?
The Word of God reveals to us the truth that no one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it. The Church is the Body of Christ and Christ provides for his own body. He wants us to be obedient and docile members of His body (Ephesians 5:29-30).

Knowing that the whole world is in the wicked one, and we are not of the world but of God (1 John 5:19), what co-existence and friendship could there be between the Church and the world? Should the Church compromise with the world in order to evade the hardship and trials? Is it pleasing to God that we should allow compromises? Any case of compromising with the world is sinful, since it is a retreat from God's will.
If it existed by the will of the world, the Church would have been destroyed long ago. That is why the world forces the Church into all kinds of compromise, as if the existence and subsistence of the church was dependant on the world's good pleasure. YET THE PRESENCE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD IS NOT DUE TO THE WORLD'S BENEVOLENCE, BUT RATHER TO THE WILL OF THE LORD.

The will of God is the sovereign will, and the Church, having persevered in all things, will one day triumph in the glory of its Lord.
In the times of struggle for upholding truth and purity, many martyrs and heroes emerged from within the Church. Unfortunately, it also brought out many backsliders, apostates and traitors. Faithful and devoted children of God worked in the Church, but it was also infiltrated by false teachers, false brethren, false apostles and false prophets who took advantage of their freedom in Christ to accomplish their own interests and ambitions. Along with the chastity of Joseph, fervency of Moses, the power of Elijah, the diligence and earnestness of Paul, the gentleness of John, the Lord’s people have also seen prophets like Balaam, kings like Saul, disciples like Judas, workers like Demas and leaders like Diotrephes.

However, God’s children have always been found in the Church. In the power of the Spirit, they have persisted in their defiance of the spiritual powers of ungodliness. These saints have contended for the faith, which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3), and have earnestly guarded the purity of the Church of Christ that it may be without ‘spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish’ (Ephesians 5:27).

We should not be surprised at the variety and the number of Satan’s attacks against the Church, but we should always be wary and alert to resist him so that he will flee from us (James 4:7). Neither should we think that having once repelled and driven him back we have chased him away forever. He will always try in a different way, through other vehicles, to sneak into the Church. He will either employ sweet and flattering words, or resort to brute violence. We need the wisdom and insight of Christ to discern his wicked craftiness, and not to succumb to his deceptions. We need God's power to withstand the ordeals he might inflict upon us. And, above all, we should always have in mind that Satan is a defeated enemy.

He knows he is running out of time to exert his power, and he will grow still more wicked, ferocious and ruthless. (Revelation 12:12b). But in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and redeemed us through His death on Calvary (Romans 8:37). The Bible says that the saints will be able to overcome Satan through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives so much as to flee death (Rev. 12:12)."

Jody Davis is Returning to The Newsboys!

This is the best news I have heard in months. For those of you who don't know, The Newsboys are the best Christian band on the planet (ergo, the best band period). Most of them are Aussies. Several years ago, their guitarist, American Jody Davis, left the group because his infant daughter had serious physical/neurological handicaps and he needed to be with her full-time. Today, the group released news that he will be returning and touring with them soon:

NEWSBOYS ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF LONG-TIME GUITARIST JODY DAVIS
New Single, "In The Hands Of God," Impacts Radio Jan. 16


(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) Jan. 5, 2009— Guitarist Jody Davis returns to newsboys after a five-year hiatus. Davis, who was a member of the band from 1993-2003, contributed to many of newsboys' greatest hits like "Shine," "Entertaining Angels," and "It is You." In 2003, he took time off to care for his daughter, Bethany, who has cerebral palsy.

"I am thrilled to be returning to the band and back with my bandmates, who are some of my best friends," says Davis. "This is a big change in my life, and I'm looking forward to the tour and new record with excitement."

Peter Furler, lead vocalist for newsboys, is also excited about Davis' return. "Jody is like a brother to all of us, and we have missed him greatly over the last five years. It's going to be great to have him back with us."

Paul Colman, who played guitar with newsboys the last three years, will be continuing his solo career and performing shows nationwide in 2009. "My three years with newsboys were among the best of my life. I learned an immeasurable amount about music, ministry, and life, and am happy to say I left with all our friendships wonderfully intact. I always was and always will be one of newsboys' biggest fans. I am very excited about the return of Jody Davis!"

Newsboys will release the title track and debut single, "In The Hands Of God," from its forthcoming May 5, 2009 project to both AC and CHR radio Jan. 16. The band will also embark on a 30-city "Join the Tribe" tour with special guests DecembeRadio, Vota and Bread of Stone in February. Additional tour details are forthcoming. For more information, visit newsboys.com.

Now, if we could just get Phil Joel to rejoin on bass guitar....

The Children of Leningradsky Train Station

Recently, one of my blog entries on an orphanage ministry in B E l A R U S was picked up by Shepherd's Purse, an American aid organization which helps street kids (most of them abandoned rather than technically orphaned) on the streets. I like to focus on Christian ministries that work abroad from time to time, in order to to call attention to the plight of the kids they are helping.

Michael Wetzel is the director of the organization, which operates in the Ukraine. You can check out their website and specific projects at their web page, here: http://www.shepherdspurse.org/pictures_

Please take a half hour to watch the following documentary, "The Children of Leningradsky". It was filmed in 2004, on the streets of Moscow. This video follows a group of youngsters who beg in the city's central train station by day and sleep in the sewers on hot water pipes by night. (It's in Russian, but subtitled - uses some raw language). The music is haunting and beautiful in parts, but the film will bring you to tears.

Here are some interesting facts to consider.

Moscow is now home to more millionaires than any other city in the world. Notwithstanding this, Russia and the former Soviet republics are plagued by poverty and a wide disparity of haves and have-nots. (Many elderly are also on the street or close to it, living at a lower standard than they were during World War II). However, children in these societies do not wind up on the streets because their parents are too poor to take care of them. Sometimes poverty will drive desperate parents to leave their newborns in orphanages, but not put their 8, 9, and 10-year-olds out on the street.

Broadly speaking, there are two reasons why kids in Eastern Europe beg, sniff glue and sleep on the streets:

- organized "mafia" of adults who abuse and force kids into stealing and prostitution, pocketing the money (trafficking). This is sometimes, but not always, the case with groups of Gypsy (Roma) children who "work" certain sections of a city.

- alcoholism and/or drug addiction. Long the scourge of Russian society, this is the #1 cause of misery, poverty, and abused and abandoned children in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states. None of the children in the Moscow footage were Gypsies or connected to any mafia-type trafficking ring. Across the board, all of them had been abused by parents who loved vodka more than they loved their kids. Sadly, this is very common. Most of the street kids and institutionalized "orphans" are not actually orphans at all, but have drug or alcohol addicted parents.

Another interesting fact: Western aid organizations are the only ones doing anything about it. There is, essentially, no social safety net for these children, who are either ignored or seen as discarded refuse by their own countries. (There is footage of a policeman brutally beating up an 8-year-old boy in the video.) Shelters are non-existent. If it weren't for the American Christian ministries helping them, the situation would be even worse. Many of them perish on the streets.

The population of Russia is imploding, and they are destroying their most valuable resource: their children. Besides the spiritually unhealthy, excessively materialistic society in which they live, even the lucky ones in "stable" families grow up amidst the allure of drugs, alcohol and corruption. Seven out of every ten children never makes it out of the womb - 70% of all pregnancies in Russia end in abortion. (In the US, it's 30% - Bulgaria, about 50%). In a country with a negative birthrate, ten percent of all Russian women is sterile due to repeated abortions.

The crisis is not simply economic, but spiritual, and the young are most affected. The Christian missions tirelessly serving and teaching the children about their Savior are a true ray of light in a very dark, cold world. These children, and their parents, desperately need to know Christ.

What Peter Says in Response to Persecution

This morning, while reading 1 Peter, I realized something about myself. Later in the day, when Barbara sent me the link to a great blog, "Far East Russia for God's Glory", I realized it anew.

I don't deal well with persecution.

What I mean is this: I care deeply about the persecuted church. I am bothered by apathy in the Body about it, and I burn with anger when I read of Christians being mutilated in Turkey, burned to death in India, or being tortured with power drills in Pakistan. I am consistently dismayed by the deliberate lack of coverage this receives in the media, which attempts to portray Christians as bigots and buffoons at every turn.

Apart from these cases of overt, barbaric, physical persecution, closer to home, the more subtle oppression of Christians in Eastern Europe is a pet peeve of mine. I have written about society and governmental perception of Bible-believing Christians in Bulgaria and the more hard-line regime against them in Belarus here before.
Widely considered cultists, loonies and heretics, the Church in Eastern Europe experiences a uniquely passive-aggressive form of persecution which is the result of smear campaigns, media propaganda and jealousy from the Eastern Orthodox Church. In the 19th century, this took the form of Orthodox-led riots, pogroms and burnings of Protestant property; nowadays registration permits are denied, rumors are spread, and the mass media are used to publicly discredit evangelicals.

This infuriates me.

But here's the interesting thing: it seems to bug the Christians caught in the fray far less than it does me.

When I was in Bulgaria again last summer, the elderly congregants at the Baptist church were the most joyful, contented individuals I noticed the entire time we were there. Half of the 2.5 million people in Sofia look angry; the other half look clinically depressed. But not the Christians. They don't seem to give a rat's patootie that they are still a maligned minority; they've got Jesus, and He's all they need to be joyful.

When I spent time interviewing my former pastor, he passionately said his years in prison were the best gift God could have given him. Most of his books center around the theme that as disciples of Christ, we must expect persecution and be ready at all times to make sacrifices for our faith. He related anecdotes of recent media attempts to cast Christians in a bad light - most of them instigated by the Orthodox Synod (itself the center of a political controversy). Despite the slander, he held not a hint of animosity.

Recently, I posted a review of an earlier Bulgarian pastor's 13-year ordeal at the hands of the Communists. When I read details of how deranged men tortured, beat and starved Christ-followers within an inch of their lives, I seethe. My anger is all the more intense knowing how this evil, godless ideology has sucked in naive people. People who are close to me, and are thoroughly brain washed. Pastor Popov prayed for and warned against hating the Communists. But you know what? I hate the Communists. HATE them. I hate extremists in India who slice open pregnant women and pour kerosene on Christians, just to watch them burn. Two years ago, when I read of the attack on the Australian missionary family whose father and sons were burned to death, I felt rage.

And then the widow forgave the killers. The Indian believers continue to praise God, knowing each service might be their last. The Belarussian Christians hold their illegal meetings surreptitiously, and the Bulgarian evangelicals doggedly continue to feed the hungry and counsel the prisoners.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

They get it. I struggle to rejoice, because according to my human logic, it's just so wrong.

Even closer to home, I do not do well with the even smaller, also annoying barbs that come from my parents for my being a Christian. Part of the reason I am so well-versed in Scripture and apologetics is to be able to give a ready response to the attacks my father makes on my faith. (Oh, he likes to be sneaky about it - I call it back-door antagonism). To be sure, as Beth Moore once wrote, "I'm not sure we can really relate to religious persecution in this country, and it's rather nauseating when we try." (That's the one and only time I'll quote Beth Moore on this blog. In this case, though, her point happened to be well-taken.)

I keep a calm demeanor and a rational tone when countering attacks, but inwardly

I want to slap the snot out of I am a bit irritated. Why don't people open their idiot eyes already and just believe on Christ? The Bible's authenticity has been proven many times over; how hard is it to get a library book on apologetics?!?

Here's Peter's advice (I dearly love the apostle Peter; especially that sword episode with Malchus' ear):

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:8-9; 14-17).

Lord, change my heart. Somewhere deep down inside, there's a quiet and gentle spirit just dying to get out.

Yeah, I just am finding the balance between righteous anger and the acceptance of suffering with joy (especially other people's suffering, when they don't deserve it) hard to find. Amazing that those in the midst of it handle it with so much more grace and acceptance than I can find possible.

Below is a September 2008 posting from the Russian Christians in Siberia:

Dear brothers and sisters! We ask you to pray for our ministry to the Far East Russia.

«With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel…" Eph. 6:18-19

1. Following a week September 18th in our city will the big Christian concert.Please pray, that the government our city to open their hearts to cooperation and to not interfere in carrying out of a concert.Also that it is a lot of people which not know the God could to come on this concert and to hear the gospel.

2. In the begun October Nika will organize regional Christian conference for women .Please pray, that the God to give her a wisdom and Holy Spirit to change a life many women through this conference.

3. In connection with event in Georgia and South Ossetia the government has changed attitudes to Christians. The main religion Russia - Orthodoxy. Many Christians Protestants cannot spend public a meeting and cannot openly preach the Gospel.Please pray, that the government has changed the attitude and has opened a door for the sermon of the Gospel.

4. Pray, that the God has given new work (jab) for Zhenya that he had more time for our ministry in Birobidzhan. Time for personal preparation a pray and reading the Bible, also for a meeting with people for the Bible studying. That the God has filled our financial need.

5. Pray for greater Christmas meeting that much our friends have come to our house and to learn about love the God who was given His son for them.

6. Pray, that the God has given us a building for church.

Your in Christ Zhenya and Nika Aksutin

Apparently I'm not the only one....

...who thinks it was an evasive non-answer.

Last month, some controversy arose over an entry I wrote, taking issue with a leading Christian publication's portrayal of Islam, through the revisionist eyes of one of its adherents (see my original entry here). This month's edition arrived yesterday, and with a sense of great satisfaction and vindication I see that I am not the only reader who thought the interview misrepresented Islam's true agenda.

(I have to be careful about naming the publication, as they are publishing one of my articles in a few months). Many kudos to Mr. Goldberg for articulating what millions of Christians with intact critical thinking skills already know:

Islam According to the Qur'an

With chagrin I read the article "Islam According to Gallup" [November]. To say that it soft-pedals Islam is an understatement. The interviewer should have asked more probing questions or offered some refutation to what Islamic scholar Dalia Mogahed gave an ignorant public.

Mogahed glides over the question about the punishment for apostasy in Islam by saying, "Islamic law is a vibrant, ever-changing set of interpretations." Islamic law, however, is clear that the penalty for apostasy is death. The more secularized Muslim governments may impose lesser penalties, but that is because they are not following Islamic law strictly. On October 20, Afghanistan's government commuted the death sentence of a young journalist for blasphemy. The sentence was reduced from death to "only" 20 years in prison. A couple days later, a Somali man was murdered because he had converted from Islam to Christianity. Yet the article did not address occurrences like these. Why not?

Further, Mogahed says that some violent verses from the Qur'an have a "historical context and must be understood … in a specific way," implying that those verses are no longer valid. Yet the fundamental principle of Islam is that the Qur'an is the literal word of Allah, perfect, complete, immutable, and valid for all eternity. Is Mogahed prepared to openly and publicly declare that those violent verses are no longer valid?

Gallup can survey the opinions of Muslims, but it cannot determine what Islam is. There is only Islam according to the Qur'an and the sayings of Muhammad.

Carl Goldberg
Phoenix, Arizona

Here is the link to his letter (third one down). To their credit, the magazine consistently publishes opinions dissenting from what they print on many issues. This month's cover story on "Marketing Jesus" was superb.