JetLeg
17th March 2009, 10:05 AM
From The Christian Research Institute
Dear Friend:
I’m not an alarmist by nature. And that’s probably a good thing, given all that is alarm-worthy in our world today.
But given the assaults that Christianity is experiencing on multiple fronts, failing to sound the alarm that truth is under siege would be dereliction of duty elevated to the level of criminal negligence.
Consider the statement by Richard Dawkins, the Oxford professor of zoology whose rants against God are breathtakingly blasphemous:
"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
And what is more dangerous still is that his book, The God Delusion—from which this quote is taken—is an international bestseller!
I wish I could tell you that the assaults on Christianity were limited to Oxford zoologists or Hollywood comedians like Bill Maher, but the sad and dangerous fact is that biblical truth is under siege from a growing army of “isms”: atheism, secular humanism, relativism, materialism, philosophical naturalism, experientialism… the list goes on and on.
And to compound the danger, these frontal assaults from outside the church are often matched by unorthodox assaults from within! Because these assaults are taking place when biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high among Christians, we underestimate the consequences only at grave risk to life and civilization as we know it.
Well, even a passing familiarity with the history of the 20th Century will reveal that ideas have consequences. For instance, did six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust think that Hitler’s notions of truth and the “Final Solution” were existentially irrelevant?
And that when Truth dies, history shows that countless millions of lives are often consumed in the wake.
That’s why I want to help you—and Christians everywhere—to be equipped to stand for Truth. Not timidly and reluctantly, but boldly and confidently.
That means being able, with passionate conviction and laser clarity, to answer the questions that are increasingly being posed to ill-prepared Christians.
Because my experience on the Bible Answer Man broadcast has taught me that some questions surface much more frequently than others, I’ve taken 23 of these questions and have provided succinct answers in a booklet titled Confronting the New Village Atheists: Are Christians Really ‘Ignorant,’ ‘Stupid,’ ‘Brainwashed,’ or ‘Insane’?
Questions like:
What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?
Who made God?
How can Christians legitimize a God who orders the genocide of entire nations?
How can we be sure about the resurrection of Christ?
In response to each question, I’ve provided cogent answers and irrefutable facts you can use, should you be on the receiving end of these questions. And I’d like to send this booklet to you for your gift to help sustain and strengthen the outreaches of CRI.
You see, CRI continues 24/7 to rally and equip thousands of Christians every day as truth is under siege. But all that we do here is made possible only because committed Christians like you really care. And only because you understand what’s at stake.
May God bless you richly for all that your support means to the lives touched by your partnership. And for all that your partnership means to me personally.
Standing for Truth,
Hank Hanegraaff
President
Dear Friend:
I’m not an alarmist by nature. And that’s probably a good thing, given all that is alarm-worthy in our world today.
But given the assaults that Christianity is experiencing on multiple fronts, failing to sound the alarm that truth is under siege would be dereliction of duty elevated to the level of criminal negligence.
Consider the statement by Richard Dawkins, the Oxford professor of zoology whose rants against God are breathtakingly blasphemous:
"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
And what is more dangerous still is that his book, The God Delusion—from which this quote is taken—is an international bestseller!
I wish I could tell you that the assaults on Christianity were limited to Oxford zoologists or Hollywood comedians like Bill Maher, but the sad and dangerous fact is that biblical truth is under siege from a growing army of “isms”: atheism, secular humanism, relativism, materialism, philosophical naturalism, experientialism… the list goes on and on.
And to compound the danger, these frontal assaults from outside the church are often matched by unorthodox assaults from within! Because these assaults are taking place when biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high among Christians, we underestimate the consequences only at grave risk to life and civilization as we know it.
Well, even a passing familiarity with the history of the 20th Century will reveal that ideas have consequences. For instance, did six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust think that Hitler’s notions of truth and the “Final Solution” were existentially irrelevant?
And that when Truth dies, history shows that countless millions of lives are often consumed in the wake.
That’s why I want to help you—and Christians everywhere—to be equipped to stand for Truth. Not timidly and reluctantly, but boldly and confidently.
That means being able, with passionate conviction and laser clarity, to answer the questions that are increasingly being posed to ill-prepared Christians.
Because my experience on the Bible Answer Man broadcast has taught me that some questions surface much more frequently than others, I’ve taken 23 of these questions and have provided succinct answers in a booklet titled Confronting the New Village Atheists: Are Christians Really ‘Ignorant,’ ‘Stupid,’ ‘Brainwashed,’ or ‘Insane’?
Questions like:
What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?
Who made God?
How can Christians legitimize a God who orders the genocide of entire nations?
How can we be sure about the resurrection of Christ?
In response to each question, I’ve provided cogent answers and irrefutable facts you can use, should you be on the receiving end of these questions. And I’d like to send this booklet to you for your gift to help sustain and strengthen the outreaches of CRI.
You see, CRI continues 24/7 to rally and equip thousands of Christians every day as truth is under siege. But all that we do here is made possible only because committed Christians like you really care. And only because you understand what’s at stake.
May God bless you richly for all that your support means to the lives touched by your partnership. And for all that your partnership means to me personally.
Standing for Truth,
Hank Hanegraaff
President