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Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation. The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here. Off the Cuff - Part 4 DOES EVANGELISM PAY? An item in Baptist Press on the value of event evangelism was very interesting. It summed up a study by the It reported on two groups: “A-churches” with a membership of 50 or more experiencing 10% growth between 2002 and 2007 and baptizing more than 12 people in 2007. “B-churches” in the same size range who baptized at least one person in 2002 and between four and nine people in 2007. The first group was highly effective evangelistically, reporting an average of one baptism for every 25 members. The second group was less effective, but still more effecting than the average church in its denomination, seeing one baptism for every 104 members. The study revealed several common denominators among the highly effective churches: – They sponsor attractional evangelistic events, do several of them annually, do them especially well and get excellent results. – Two-thirds of highly effective churches sponsor both evangelistic events and an active personal evangelism program. – Significantly more highly effective churches sponsor evangelistic events than lesser effective churches. – They sponsor significantly more evangelistic events and do significantly better preparation and follow-up for evangelistic events than lesser effective churches. – They sponsor more holiday-related, revival-like and sports and recreation evangelistic events than any other types (in that order). More than half sponsor revival-like evangelistic events. Pipes said, "We define evangelistic events as special events, which intentionally draw lost people through relationships and attraction, clearly present the Gospel and provide an invitation to respond." He added, "A lot of churches have pursued a missional approach to evangelism and church growth to the neglect of attractional evangelistic events that will draw people in ... It's like asking a pilot flying over the Pacific Ocean whether he wants his right wing or his left wing. The answer is you need both wings – both missional methodologies and an attractional model." LifeWay Research’s president Ed Stetzer noted that “… when churches are committed to conducting evangelistic events, it creates a more evangelistically motivated congregation … Events help get people mobilized, and mobilized people reach out to their friends." He added, "In research we conducted for our book 'Comeback Churches,' we found that doing evangelistic outreach events was a key part of many churches' revitalization." Yes, evangelism still pays. For those that practice it, that is. FALLING OFF THE WATER WAGON! The latest group to join the “social drinking is okay” madness is the Baptist Bulletin (July-August, 2010), official voice of the GARBC. The writer, Jeff Straub (a history professor at the Central Baptist Theological Seminary who practices and promotes abstinence for himself), follows the usual modern line: “The Bible neither prohibits nor permits drinking in moderation. The question of the moderate use of alcohol is not a question any Old or New Testament person would have considered. For ancient Christians, virtually everyone consumed alcohol; it was nearly impossible to avoid.” WOW! What Bible these guys are using I have no idea. Mine definitely and strongly prohibits it. I gave up counting the errors in Straub’s article, but here is sample (ignoring his constant claim that any ‘wine’ in the Bible was ‘alcohol,’ including what Jesus drank – a fortress doomed to failure to defend): “… the fruit of the vine [was] impossible to preserve without the natural process of fermentation taking place.” Straub should have read David Brumbelow’s article in our last issue, “Preserving Unfermented Wine in Bible Times,” right? And all the social drinker advocates (and allow-ers) seem to forget the wine in Bible times and the wine of today are as different as the New York Yankees and the Podunk Mud Hens. I’m not sure you could pay one of today’s real winos to drink the ‘wine’ of biblical times. Straub credits Welch with coming up with nonalcoholic grape juice, calling it “… an alternative to wine for the Lord’s Table.” But who said “wine” was to be used in the Lord’s Table? Certainly not the Bible! It is never called “wine”; never anything but “the fruit of the vine.” After all, fermented wine is made by the process of the ‘corruption’ of the juice and to claim the fruit of the vine representing the blood of Christ is corrupted, rotted juice is, in my humble judgment, blasphemy. What say thou? And to bring in the “wine” Timothy used for his stomach’s sake as alcoholic, per Straub’s argument, goes far beyond what the Scripture is saying. As GARBC Greek authority Robert G. Gromacki put it, “Paul … did not command Timothy to become a wine drinker. Timothy was to use wine medically by mixing it with water to produce a non-intoxicating sanitary drink” (emphasis added). And he had a footnote for consulting two other authorities (Bibliotheca Sacra and Christianity Today) “for more information on the mixing of wine and water in ancient times.” Dr. Gromacki is Distinguished Professor of Bible and Greek (Cedarville University) and has graduate degrees from both Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.) and Grace Theological Seminary at Winona Lake (Th.D.). As for Straub’s article, he just speaks of “wine” as if you could go to Kroger’s on the east coast or Ralph’s on the west today and buy the same liquid. In addition to today’s wine being as different as the Mud Hens, “wine” in the Bible is actually 21 different words (13 Hebrew and 8 Greek) translated into the one English word – although you’d never guess it from Straub’s thesis. Some of the words always speak of unfermented, sweet grape juice; some always refer to an intoxicating, fermented drink; and some must be determined by the context. Question: if, as even Straub admits, “wine in Biblical times was dangerous,” why in the world would God condone – yea, advocate – social drinking? Straub argues, “Why warn against drunkenness in the Testaments if the saints were expected to abstain?” And we answer, “Why warn against adultery in the Testaments if the saints were expected to abstain?” Saints don’t always follow what God orders, obviously. They need repeated warnings. Do I expect some Regular Baptists to start drinking alcoholic beverages as a result of this article? Of course! Like the “saints” in other denominations, they’ve been looking and longing (should I say thirsting?) for an excuse. Now they have it, in spite of the article’s warning it could be dangerous. ‘Hey, if it ain’t sin, let’s go for it’ will be the reasoning of some. We also question Straub’s statement, “… I would answer a person attempting to make a Biblical argument for polygamy or slavery. The Bible never expressly forbids either practice, though clearly Christians are right today to reject them both.” The Bible never expressly forbids polygamy? Jesus Christ is our highest biblical authority and He said, speaking of wives (and, by inference, husbands): “… for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matthew 18:5-9, emphasis added). Perhaps I’m wrong, but that sounds pretty anti-polygamy to me – Joseph Smith and the entire Mormon church (along with other cultist leaders and their followers who’ve lusted after women among their disciples) notwithstanding. By the way, Straub has many good arguments for temperance (as in not touching the stuff); it is just that his main thesis is wrong! Speaking of the water wagon, Billy Sunday said in his day, “Eighty percent of all crimes are due to booze; ninety percent of all the murders are committed under the influence of liquor.” But, someone says, that was a century ago. Perhaps, but we don’t think the statistics have changed much; if anything, they are worse – as with all the other social sins. And it is definitely true today what Billy said then about booze, “… it eats the carpets off of the floors, the clothes off of your back, your money out of your bank, food off the table, shoes off the baby’s feet ...” Walk down the booze aisle (or, probably, “aisles” since it is a real money maker) of your supermarket, checking the prices, and you’ll get the idea. And that isn’t even the ‘hard’ stuff. As for “moderation,” all alcoholic drinks, including wine, have the capacity for addiction. Once one is addicted, all the ‘moderation’ sermons in the world will be like water off a duck’s back. I, for one, don’t want to be responsible for telling another it is okay to ‘gamble’ on becoming addicted. As Billy would say, “Get on the water wagon!” MONKEYSHINES IN MASSACHUSETTS! A law for folks who can’t think for themselves! The boys and girls who run the legislature in the This law is probably just a liberal joke since most folks in Massachusetts surely have brains enough to know that the legislation is unconstitutional and the only way to change from an “electoral” to “popular” vote election is through a Constitutional Amendment. May the power-hungry bureaucrats in The idea, of course, since they can’t change the Constitution about presidential elections, is to bypass it. They would be the first to admit that they are smarter than our founding fathers who decided that the ‘college’ would be the best way to handle it to give all voters all over the country the most equal say. Hopefully, such a change will never happen, as we’ve editorialized before. The big states would decide the elections and the small states wouldn’t even need to bother voting since it would do no good. Our founding fathers knew what they were doing in establishing a republic instead of a democracy. May the power-hungry bureaucrats never succeed! Columnist Arnold Ahlert put it like this: “… do away with the Electoral College. All the same elitist politician has to do now is set up shop at five star hotels in “As for the people who think the elimination of the Electoral College means every vote 'will count equally,' try selling that garbage in North Dakota or any other low-population state which would be routinely ignored in every presidential election thereafter. What these 'do-gooders' are really advocating is the eventual dissolution of states' rights altogether, and the permanent entrenchment of all meaningful power in Congress and the Oval Office – or more accurately, in the King and His Court. “The OUR ‘INANE’ SECTION (For Want of a Better Title) The religious circus that has been going on for the past 55 years at Garden Grove (CA) has taken a new focus. The founder of the Plastic Cathedral (oops, that’s what Missionary Stan Best called it; its proper name is Crystal Cathedral), “Father” Robert H. Schuller – after grooming son Robert A. Schuller for the post as his successor only to have it end in a public brawl and breakup – has named daughter (yes, you read that correctly, daughter) Sheila to the post. While Dad called her “the senior pastor,” since she is the “sole pastor” running the “show” (we use the word show advisedly), we are not sure what that title means. Most independent church congregants have a vote on it, but Dad, now 83, did it by papal decree, simply announcing the new leadership to a Sunday morning congregation. He said he had been training her for the job over the past year, so that probably consoled the folks. Conveniently, about a month ago, Dad had her ‘ordained’ so the Rev. (sic) Sheila Schuller Coleman – while she doesn’t have the biblical requirement for the position of pastor (“must be … the husband of one wife,” I Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6), she does have the fake Pentecostal equivalent as “wife of one husband.” Jim Coleman will have the opportunity of having his wife over him in a superior spiritual position and get to listen to her sermonize each Sunday from his regular pew. The new ‘pastor’ also has four grown children. TAX DOLLARS AT WORK According to the report Summertime Blues, $144,541 of Obama stimulus money went to the Baptists at Wake Forest University to study how “monkeys react under the influence of cocaine.” Hey, loosen up; it’s only money (yours). Then there was the $554,763 spent on window replacement on a Here are some more: $1.9 million to “listen” to foreign ants; $296,385 for studying dog domestication; $141,002 to send nine Montana State students to Hangzhou, China to study “dinosaur eggs and other fossils.” Where more of your “stimulus” money went, according to Baptist Press: – $712,883 for researchers at Northwestern University to develop a joke machine. The lead designer plans to use "artificial intelligence to create a comedic performance agent" that is funny no matter what it is talking about. – $770,856 and $427,824, respectively, for research scientists at North Carolina State and Georgia Tech, for collaborative research into how video games can help improve mental health for the elderly. – $762,372 to a Georgia Tech professor so he can study improvised music. – $298,543 for a study on how to predict weather on other planets. – Speaking of Neptune, $456,663 was spent to study the circulation of Neptune's atmosphere. – $90,000 for a new quarter-mile-long sidewalk in Boynton (OK) to replace a five-year-old sidewalk, part of which fronts no homes or businesses, and leads directly into a ditch. – $199,862 to help indigenous Siberian communities lobby Russian policymakers. – $677,462 to study why monkeys "respond negatively to inequity and unfairness." – $529,648 to study the effects of local populations on the environment in the Himalayas. – $193,956 to study voter perceptions of the economic stimulus. – $363,760 to help the National Institutes of Health promote the positive impacts of stimulus projects. (That’s a no brainer – zippo!) In reporting part of the above, columnist Kelly Boggs quoted Napoleon Bonaparte, “In politics absurdity is not a handicap,” adding “Some of the spending in the stimulus bill proves the French emperor knew what he was talking about.” In case you have forgotten, the stimulus bill had $787 billion of your tax money that was intended to “create jobs, promote investment and consumer spending.” It was a total farce! SODOMITE MARRIAGE IN AMERICA! As you know, one single openly declared Sodomite judge in Our Supreme Court, of course, has yet to rule on Sodomite marriage, but it has issued a directive on multiple marriage (polygamy). It was in Reynold v. U.S. back in 1879 and Chief Justice Morrison Waite wrote the unanimous opinion for the court. In some ways the two types of non-normal marriage are the same, hence with lessons for today. Waite wrote: "Marriage, while from its very nature a sacred obligation, is nevertheless, in most civilized nations, a civil contract, and usually regulated by law," adding, "Upon it society may be said to be built, and out of its fruits spring social relations and social obligations and duties with which government is necessarily required to deal." Getting to the heart of the issue he said, "An exceptional colony of polygamists under an exceptional leadership may sometimes exist for a time without appearing to disturb the social condition of the people who surround it; but there cannot be a doubt that, unless restricted by some form of constitution, it is within the legitimate scope of the power of every civil government to determine whether polygamy or monogamy shall be the law of social life under its dominion." Kelly noted, “Waite's opinion reveals that he understood changing any aspect of marriage would alter its very nature and thus its impact on society. Even if polygamy did not directly harm heterosexual unions, Waite argued, recognizing it would impact the ideals of marriage and family, which are the very foundations for a stable society.” This is different, he argued, from interracial marriage in that the latter did not seek to radically redefine traditional marriage, only be included. He went on, "‘Homosexual marriage’ is a redefining of the very nature of traditional marriage, which is one man and one woman for life. Even the four justices of the Massachusetts high court acknowledged as much in their landmark 2003 opinion, writing that it ‘marks a significant change in the definition of marriage.’ “Those who want to change the definition of marriage maintain that it is a socially constructed institution that must change as society evolves. They also point to various forms of marriage that have been practiced in societies throughout history.” He argued, “Once marriage is expanded to include homosexuals, how can you not further define marriage to include bisexual persons who want to marry a man and a woman? How can you justify not allowing two men and four women to wed? A changing of the traditional marriage equation alters everything.” The average Sodomite who enters “marriage” does not have monogamy in mind. Studies have shown that. For example, “The San Francisco Chronicle reported the results in July: "After studying the sexual patterns of 566 gay male couples from the Bay Area for three years, lead researcher Colleen Hoff found that gay men negotiate ground rules and open their relationships as a way to build trust and longevity in their partnerships ... In her study of gay couples, 47 percent reported open relationships. Forty-five percent were monogamous, and the remaining 8 percent disagreed about what they were." In short, more wanted an “open marriage” than wanted monogamy. Then there is the matter of children, which most individuals entering a marriage contract want to have. Sodomite couples cannot have them unless it is worked through outside sources. Kelly concluded his article: “Only time will tell just how changing the marriage equation affects nature and the outcome of matrimony in America. Will a new definition of marriage impact all couples' expectations with regard to monogamy and procreation? And if it does, how will that impact society at large? “Only one thing is for sure: If homosexual marriage becomes enshrined in law the future of matrimony in the United States will be nothing like the past.” [The information for this item was taken from the weekly Baptist Press column of Kelly Boggs, who also edits the Louisiana Baptist Convention (SBC) newsjournal.] THIS & THAT . . . The president of the United States, the governor of New York State, the mayor of New York City, the Speaker of the House of Representatives – plus other politicians too numerous to mention – have all pontificated about the constitutional right of the Muslims to build their mosque at Ground Zero. But why has the only church destroyed in the Muslim terrorist attack – the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church – been trying since 9-11 to rebuild and cannot even get a permit! In fact, authorities won’t even meet with church officials to discuss the problem. Okay, vociferous politicians, what do you say?... Did Greek philosopher Plato (429-347 BC) say it first: "Silence gives consent”?... Beatle Paul McCartney was at the White House recently to get the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, a lifetime achievement award the Library of Congress hands out. He cooed over Obama like a high school freshman over Miss Did you know that our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” written by Francis Scott Key, was originally titled by Key, "The Defense of Fort McHenry"?... Obama’s concern (‘I feel your pain’) about the oil spill was distracted long enough to make his usual solution speech about windmills. He never has explained to me (since it takes petrol to make my car run), how I attach one of those silly things to my vehicle. And will I, like today’s politician, have to go whichever way the wind is blowing?... Believe it or not, the inane comments of Helen Thomas about the Jews that got her fired were made at a Jewish Heritage Celebration at the White House. (She also had a graduation speech canceled and her ‘speaker’ agency, Nine Speakers, dropped her)… An atheist having a blast! A loud talking atheist named Ed Kagin took a hair dryer and “de-baptized” a bunch of his fellow disbelievers. Problem: symbolically removing sprinkling is not symbolically removing baptism – only ‘sprinkling.’ Baptism is a burial/resurrection in water to symbolize Christ’s burial/resurrection for our redemption, but you wouldn’t expect an atheist to be brainy enough to know that, would you? Enjoy your laughs now, boys and girls, because it won’t be funny when you meet Him!... The American Family Association’s past boycott of McDonald’s over its Sodomite policies was so successful the “kiddies restaurant” agreed to cease and desist. I watched its latest French commercial and there was nothing in it to sell food (it was subtly selling Sodomy). The old boycott may be brought back... Economic lesson for James Dale Davidson of the National Taxpayers Union rightly noted, "When you subsidize poverty and failure, you get more of both”… Have you noticed how heavily the government is legislating our nation and, hence, our lives? Maybe Cornelius Tacitus (c.55-117), a secular historian from Tiberius, had the answer, "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates”… Obama’s favorite answer, when asked why there isn’t more evidence his bailout funds helped the economy, is to say, “What would it be without that bailout?” The auto industry is a good example. Chrysler and GM took the money and ran. Both are in the tank today. Ford refused it and is doing great. That is your answer, Mr. President. Everybody would have been better off… The Senate is considering adopting the U.N. guidelines on Child Rights. According to Rosemary Stein, a pediatrician in Burlington (NC), "It takes away the parents' rights to rear their child and gives it to the government." Two samples from OneNewsNow about how it works: banning home schooling in Germany (which we have reported), and a 16-year-old teen in Britain whose parents forbade her to let her boyfriend move in and share her bedroom (the kids went to court and won)… This Dutch murderer Joran Van Der Sloot is the lowest form of scum. I am tired of reading about him. I am tired of hearing about him. The sooner he is brought to trial and disposed of, the happier I’ll be… You think your mail is slow? Our late friend Evangelist Del Fehsenfeld was ready to hold a meeting at the While the country staggers toward insolvency and bankruptcy, President Obama pledged $50 billion (minimum) Remember how loudly you whistled (or even sang) when as a kid you had to walk past or through a cemetery late at night? VP Biden did the same the other day, saying on ABC’s “This Week,” figuratively whistling, "We're going to win the House and we're going to win the Senate … We're going to be in great shape." Who knows? Maybe so… Flat-Earth Muslims in For “what it’s worth” department: see the editor’s “Is God A ‘Social Drinker’?” in his Fights I Didn’t Start … and some I did (chapter 10, pp. 228ff)... |
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