UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES: 2002/11
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The Newsletter of Contend for the Faith, Inc
1 Chronicles 12:32
NOVEMBER 2002
APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE
The National Conference on Apologetics here in Charlotte was a tremendous success. Praise God!
More people attended the event than ever before by far. There were 1200 people in attendance on Friday evening (which was free) and more than 900 paid participants in the daylong workshops on Saturday.
My workshop on “Why Bishop Spong is Wrong” was full, and many people were both shocked and appreciative to find out what is being preached from the pulpit of various Christian churches. My notes from this workshop are available online free at www.ContendfortheFaith.org.
UPCOMING INVITATIONS
I am tremendously excited about some upcoming invitations I have received recently for ministry. And I fervently request your prayers for each of these.
On Thursday, December 5th, I have been invited to participate in a panel discussion of current issues and events with representatives of others religious perspectives. The panel is hosted by a group called Leadership Charlotte, whose mission is to develop and enhance community leaders in this city. I am told that the group of 50 going through the Leadership Charlotte program this year includes CEO’s, vice presidents, and community leaders. Other worldviews represented on this panel will be Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and atheism. I will be representing the protestant Christian worldview. I am hoping to reasonably and responsibly articulate biblical positions on the issues discussed, and, if appropriate, give the gospel message at the same time.
For the last three Sundays in December I will be speaking to the college students at Hickory Grove Baptist Church concerning defending their faith at school. I am tentatively calling this “Countering the Campus Clichés.” I will be addressing the things that concern these students the most on secular campuses.
I have been invited to speak to a Senior High School youth group from a church in Pennsylvania at a ski retreat January 24-26, 2003. What a great opportunity to help these students learn how to think in our postmodern world.
In February I am scheduled to speak at Temple Beth El here in Charlotte on Wednesday, February 19, 2003, as a representative of the Christian faith, explaining what the faith is all about. This synagogue has invited speakers from various faith traditions to come teach about their beliefs. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to contend for the faith before a group which would likely be hostile to this kind of presentation normally, but since they have invited me to do so, I can’t wait! Perhaps I will get a sense of what Paul felt like on Mars Hill (Acts 17).
Please pray for me as I prepare for each of these events, and please pray that the hearts and minds of those in attendance will be persuaded of the truth of Christ and His teaching.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Please continue to pray for Heather, the young lady raised in a solid Baptist church who recently became a Mormon. Pray that the Lord would strengthen her so that she can cut her ties completely with this false religion.
Please pray for another young lady named Crystal who is a former Jehovah’s Witness who has now received Christ as her Savior. I met with her to help her to better understand the Trinity and the deity of Christ, doctrines that the JW’s deem satanic. She is very receptive and greatly desires to understand biblical truth, so pray that I would be able to help her understand these key truths.
SPEAKING SCHEDULE
Dec. 5
Leadership Charlotte “Diversity Day” Panel Discussion, Charlotte
Dec. 15, 22, & 29
College Sunday School Class, Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte
Jan. 24-26, 2003
Senior High Ski Retreat, First United Methodist Church, Lancaster, PA
Feb. 19, 2002
Comparative Religion Series, Temple Beth El, Charlotte
www.ContendfortheFaith.org
CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
UNDERSTANDING THANKSGIVING 2002
At this time of year when we pause to give thanks as a nation and as individuals for that which with the Lord has blessed us with, I often quote proclamations and statements from past presidents to discuss the roots of our Thanksgiving holiday. But this year I thought it would be appropriate to print the proclamation of our current president, George W. Bush.
Since 1864 when President Abraham Lincoln issued his second annual proclamation establishing the final Thursday in November to be a day of national Thanksgiving to God for His blessings on this nation, each president has continued this tradition and made his own annual proclamation. Since these are rarely publicized in the mainstream media, I have printed it here for you:
Thanksgiving Day, 2002
By the President of the United States of America
A ProclamationIn celebration of Thanksgiving Day 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt wrote, "Rarely has any people enjoyed greater prosperity than we are now enjoying. For this we render heartfelt and solemn thanks to the Giver of Good; and we seek to praise Him — not by words only — but by deeds, by the way in which we do our duty to ourselves and to our fellow men." President Roosevelt's words gracefully remind us that, as citizens of this great Nation, we have much for which to be thankful; and his timeless call inspires us to meet our responsibilities to help those in need and to promote greater understanding at home and abroad.
As the Pilgrims did almost four centuries ago, we gratefully give thanks this year for the beauty, abundance, and opportunity this great land offers. We also thank God for the blessings of freedom and prosperity; and, with gratitude and humility, we acknowledge the importance of faith in our lives.
Throughout the Thanksgiving holiday, let us renew our commitment to make our country and our world better. As we welcome new opportunities and face new challenges, we are thankful for the resolve and generosity of so many of our people who are touching countless hearts and souls through thoughtful acts of kindness. By answering the call to serve others, Americans are building a culture of service that strengthens our Nation. We also honor and salute the selfless sacrifice of the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who are defending our lives and liberty at home and abroad with skill, honor, and dedication.
This Thanksgiving, we recognize the ties of friendship and respect that bind us together. And we renew our pledge to uphold the timeless principles of freedom, equality, and opportunity that have made our country into a great Nation. By working together, we will continue to build mutual trust, peace, and hope for all across this land and around the world.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 2002, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage Americans to gather in their homes, places of worship, and community centers to share the spirit of understanding and unity, and of prayer, as we express our thanks for the many blessings we enjoy. I also encourage Americans to reach out in friendship to the larger family of humankind.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.
GEORGE W. BUSH
We have many things in this nation for which to be thankful, a president who is not ashamed to profess his faith in Jesus Christ being one of them.
Colossians 3:15-17
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Dave
Jude 3
