4/19/14

From Jim McGuiggan... BEAUTY & THE BEAST

BEAUTY & THE BEAST

Down the years many thoughtful people have observed that no one can free us from our ugliness unless he or she loves us even in our ugliness . Of course, they learned that from the all-wise Lover of Humanity.

The Disney screen adaptation of Madame de Villeneuve's story, The Beauty and The Beast, tells how a selfish and self-centered prince ruthlessly denied shelter to an old lady on a wintry night because her appearance repulsed him. When he discovers that the old woman is really a beautiful enchantress he apologizes; but his loveless apology is rejected and she turns him into a hideous beast. His outward appearance now reflects his inner ugliness [which says that the enchantress didn't make him ugly—she only exposed it].

The horrific appearance would disappear, the curse said, if he could learn to love and be loved by someone in his ugliness. Years pass and he falls into despair, losing all hope that anyone could ever love a beast like him.

When the Beast captures one of the villagers, the man's beautiful daughter, Belle, offers herself as a ransom to free her father. If she wants him free, the Beast insists, she must stay with him forever. Belle falters, asking him to step into the light where she can see him. He does and she recoils in horror at the sight of him but for love of her father she gives her word that she will stay with him.

Moved by Belle's love for her father the Beast tries to please her and by and by the desire to please her becomes something deeper. Though he's aware that his rage sometimes drives her from him, still, it enters his mind—the wish, the half of a broken hope—that she might be the one who can cure him. But he overhears her say in a fit of private temper that she wants nothing to do with him. Dismayed, he rumbles to himself, "I'm just fooling myself; she'll never see me as anything but a monster. It's hopeless."

Gaston, the handsome but vain, spiteful and cruel villager who wants Belle, gathers the villagers and works them into a fever that serves his own selfish agenda. "Kill the Beast!" He spreads his own inner darkness and the villagers go out to do just what he wants them to do.

But in the end, it isn't the villagers or the corrupt-at-heart Gaston that kills the Beast; it's Belle and the love she comes to have for the Beast. She doesn't deny his ugliness but she comes to see beyond it. ["Love covers over a multitude of things," a man of God once said.] In loving him she kills the inner beast and the visible beast vanishes along with it.

Her willingness to recognize lovely things about the Beast, to see possibilities where others, repulsed and fearful of his influence on their community, try to kill him—that's what saved the monster. And her commitment worked wonders for the Beast becomes a fine and honorable young prince. Love not only saved, it transformed!

Yes, yes, all very romantic, very appealing, very touching—but mere sentimentality, the Gastons of the world sneer. "Ugliness is ugliness and we need to save people from it!"

But God nor life allows us to believe that! The Bible is filled with the descriptions of our race and ugly isn't too strong a word for our state; beastly is not too harsh a description of our condition. That's true, but there's Someone who moves in the world seeking to save it not only from visible beastliness but from the handsome and starkly vain, spitefully jealous and vindictively sly Gastons who compare themselves too favorably with the beasts. There is one who even now moves about the earth transforming beasts into kings and queens in a royal priesthood. One who [so to speak] killed himself rather than rallying support throughout the community to: "Kill the beast!"

It's at this point, I'm convinced, that we are most unlike Christ. It isn't that we lack power—it's that we lack heart, or perhaps our tiny love pools have no depth and dry up, leaving in their place a little hole where the wind can stir nothing but the dust that remains. All that's there is the form of godliness without the heart, words that rattle out of mouths that speak everywhere to make a convert and when that's accomplished the convert is twice as heartless and dry and spiteful as the Gaston who made them [Matthew 23:15].

It didn't seem to enter Gaston's head that inside he might be as hideously ugly as the Beast was outside. The Beast deserved nothing but to be mangled and left a bloody wreck. It was all to save Belle, don't you know! It was holy work, saving work and it was to be done by gathering a feverish clan and making them feel as Gaston felt. And there's lies the special danger the Gastons are in! Though driven by envy and spite that's born out of that envy, they persuade themselves that their destructive malice is the will of One who dies for beasts. And because they believe this and fervently embrace that conviction they can't repent of it—how can you repent of doing the will of One who loves Beasts?

And that's what makes John 9:39-41 a spooky piece of scripture and Christ's love almost incredible.

                  Love knows no limit to its endurance,
                                          no end to its trust,
                                          no fading of its hope;
                            it can outlast anything.
                                          It is, in fact, the one thing
                                          that still stands when all else has fallen.

                                                  1 Corinthians 13:7-8, J.B. Phillips

[Taken by permission from my little book: WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS.
Howard Publishing/Simon & Schuster, 1999]

From Caleb Colley, Ph.D. ... Torporific Biomimicry

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=2251

Torporific Biomimicry

by	Caleb Colley, Ph.D.

Certain animals, such as the American black bear, exhibit hibernation, a temporary, sleep-like torpor during cold, winter months (see Tyson, 2000). The torpor involved in hibernation is “a state of self-induced reduction in body temperature and metabolic rate” to conserve energy (Harder, 2007; Fury, n.d.). Evolutionists are unsure why animals hibernate (see Luis and Hudson, 2006). How hibernation works remains a mystery. Harder reported for Science News Online:

Researchers still don’t understand how natural hibernators put themselves into torpor or how they bring themselves out of it. But new studies are peeling away the outer layers of that mystery. Far from succumbing to hypothermia, it seems, hibernators exploit it. Experiments are also revealing how animal tissues evade the damage that comes from inactivity and low blood flow, and suggesting that relatively few genes are involved in torpor and hibernation. That’s an auspicious sign for researchers who strive to manipulate the process (2007).

Physiologist Hannah V. Carey, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, added: “These animals have got it right. They know how to use hypothermia to their advantage” (quoted in Harder). Hibernating animals are resistant to tissue breakdown that would kill other animals exposed to frigid temperatures.
The arctic ground squirrel, for example, hibernates over half the year and adopts the lowest body temperature ever measured in a mammal (“Arctic...,” 2006). Researchers at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks have shown that the squirrel’s body temperature drops below freezing, a condition known as supercooling (“Arctic...”). Every two to three weeks, while still in a state of torpor, the hibernating squirrel shivers and shakes for 12 to 15 hours, warming its body to 98 degrees Fahrenheit (“Arctic...”).
Researchers hope to reduce the danger of certain tedious medical procedures, particularly when ill or injured human patients are involved, by inducing torpor. Harder reported that “recent findings in animals point the way toward medical shortcuts that might mimic in people the effects of torpor, although these measures don’t exactly reproduce the biological state” (2007).
In 2005, “[u]sing a natural chemical humans and other animals produce in their bodies, scientists...for the first time induced hibernation in mammals, putting mice into a state similar to suspended animation for up to six hours and then bringing them back to normal life” (Britt, 2005). This achievement, “the first demonstration of ‘hibernation on demand’ in a mammal, ultimately could lead to new ways to treat cancer and prevent injury and death from insufficient blood supply to organs and tissues” (“Buying Time...,” 2005). The mice required no freezing. Instead, “the rodents breathed air laced with hydrogen sulfide, a chemical produced naturally in the bodies of humans and other animals. Within minutes, they stopped moving and soon their cell functions approached total inactivity” (Britt). Mark Roth, affiliate professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine and leader of the mice investigation, said: “Manipulating this metabolic mechanism for clinical benefit potentially could revolutionize treatment for a host of human ills related to ischemia, or damage to living tissue from lack of oxygen” (quoted in “Buying Time...,” 2005).
Humans have gone essentially cold-blooded automatically in some emergency situations, so developing a reliable torporific procedure seems advantageous (see Britt). Clinical applications of induced metabolic hibernation could include treating severe blood-loss injury, hypothermia, malignant fever, cardiac arrest, and stroke (see “Buying Time...,” 2005). The potential medical benefits also include improving cancer treatment by allowing patients to tolerate higher radiation doses without damaging healthy tissue (“Buying Time...”). Roth commented: “Right now in most forms of cancer treatment we’re killing off the normal cells long before we’re killing off the tumor cells. By inducing metabolic hibernation in healthy tissue we’d at least level the playing field” (quoted in “Buying Time...”). Molecular biologist Sandra Martin, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, admitted that such applications “lie far in the future” (quoted in Harder, 2007).
While animals already “know” how to use hypothermia to their advantage, scientists, the alleged inheritors of millions of years of evolutionary development, are yet to understand the hibernation process well enough to manipulate it in non-hibernating mammals and harness torpor’s advantages. Man continues his quest to understand and apply God’s masterful design. Often, however, he does so while ignoring or denying the very existence of the Designer (Romans 1:19-22). Will multiplying examples of biomimicry open his eyes? Apologetics Press remains committed to offering him every opportunity to see the truth of the Genesis account and its massive implications for human life and spiritual afterlife.

REFERENCES

“Arctic Ground Squirrel” (2006), Denali National Park and Preserve, [On-line], URL: http://www.nps.gov/dena/naturescience/arcticgroundsquirrel.htm.
Britt, Robert Roy (2005), “New Hibernation Technique Might Work on Humans,” LiveScience, [On-line], URL: http://www.livescience.com/health/050421_hibernation.html.
“Buying Time Through ‘Hibernation on Demand’: Landmark Finding in Mice May Lead to New Approaches for Cancer and Trauma Care in Humans,” (2005), Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, [On-line], URL: http://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2005/04/21/roth.html.
Fury, Amy (no date), “Naturalist Notes: Birds in Winter,” Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, [On-line], URL: http://www.wolf-ridge.org/whats_hap/nat_note_archive/birds_in_ winter.html.
Harder, Ben (2007), “Perchance to Hibernate,” Science News Online, [On-line], URL: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070127/bob9.asp.
Luis, A.D. and P.J. Hudson (2006), “Hibernation Patterns in Mammals: a Role for Bacterial Growth?,” Functional Ecology, [On-line], URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2435. 2006.01119.x.
Tyson, Peter (2000), “Secrets of Hibernation,” NOVA scienceNow, [On-line], URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/satoyama/hibernation.html.

From Mark Copeland... Restoring Straying Saints (James 5:19-20)

                         "THE EPISTLE OF JAMES"

                   Restoring Straying Saints (5:19-20)
                                
INTRODUCTION

1. As James comes to the close of his epistle, he stresses the
   importance of restoring those who wander from the truth:

   19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
   him; 20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the
   error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a
   multitude of sins. (James 5)

2. Restoring straying saints is a responsibility given to ALL who are
   truly the children of God - cf. Ga 6:1-2; 1Th 5:14

3. Yet, it is a responsibility that is so easy to neglect, and in most
   cases IS neglected!

4. The purpose of this lesson is two-fold:
   a. To impress upon our minds the importance of engaging in this work
      of restoring straying saints
   b. To suggest how we should carry out this important work

[To appreciate the grave importance of restoring saints who have strayed,
consider this question:  "What is the condition of those who have
wandered from the truth?"]

I. THE CONDITION OF SAINTS WHO HAVE STRAYED FROM THE TRUTH

   A. AS DEFINED BY JAMES IN OUR TEXT...
      1. They are in danger of DEATH! - Jm 5:20
      2. One who has wandered from the truth has also wandered from the
         from the source of forgiveness - cf. 1Jn 1:6-7
      3. Separated from the blood of Christ to cleanse him of his sins,
         he is in danger of suffering the consequences of sin: DEATH!
         - cf. Ro 6:23

   B. AS DEPICTED BY PETER...
      1. "the latter end is worse for them than the beginning" - cf.
         2Pe 2:20-22
      2. That such a person is in danger of more serious punishment is
         stressed by Jesus in Lk 12:47-48

   C. AS DESCRIBED IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS (He 10:26-31)...
      1. "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins"
         -- the blood of Christ is no longer available for him in this
            state!
      2. "but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery
         indignation"
         -- all that remains is to be eternally lost in hell!
      3. "much worse punishment...will he be thought worthy"
         -- because such a person is trampling underfoot the Son of God,
            counting the blood of Jesus which had sanctified him a
            common thing, and is insulting the Spirit of grace!
      4. "the LORD will judge His people"
         -- for those who despise His mercy, they will face His righteous
            indignation!

   D. AS DECLARED BY JESUS HIMSELF...
      1. Such will be removed from His presence! - cf. Re 2:4-5
      2. He will expel such from His presence! - cf. Re 3:15-16

[When we truly understand the spiritual condition of our friends and 
loved ones who have strayed from the truth, it should move us to do 
something!

But how shall we carry out this responsibility?]

II. RESTORING STRAYING SAINTS

   A. IT REQUIRES SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES...
      1. PEOPLE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL - Ga 6:1
         a. Those who are producing the fruit of the Spirit in their
            own lives - cf. Ga 5:22-23
         b. Unqualified personnel need not apply for this work
            1) They might best work on themselves first - Mt 7:3-4
            2) Then they can help others - Mt 7:5
      2. A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS - Ga 6:1
         a. We are engaged in delicate "soul surgery"
         b. This is not the time to misuse the "sword of the Spirit"!
      3. A CONSTANT SENSE OF SELF-EXAMINATION - Ga 6:1
         a. If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the same
            fault!
         b. As many do when they counsel those with marital problems
            without proper supervision
      4. A WILLINGNESS TO BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS - Ga 6:2
         a. Which involves an expense of time and energy to help the
            weak to overcome their faults
         b. Our responsibility is not fulfilled by simply pointing out
            our brother's faults!
      5. HUMILITY
         a. This is implied in Ga 6:3
         b. It is stated outright in 2Ti 2:24-26
         c. People will not accept correction or advice coming from an
            arrogant person!
         d. In many cases, we may need to confess our own sin of
            negligence first! (for not coming sooner)
      6. AMPLE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S WORD - 2Ti 2:24
         a. We must be able to teach and apply God's Word to the
            situation
         b. For it is important that they respond to GOD'S word, and not
            just to OUR views or opinions!
      7. PATIENCE (longsuffering) - 2Ti 2:24
         a. The same kind that we receive from God for our faults
         b. The same kind that Paul showed towards the church at Corinth
            - cf. 2Co 1:23-2:3
         c. Of course, if repentance is not forthcoming, we can wait for
            only so long - cf. 2Co 13:1-2
      8. A SINCERE DEMONSTRATION OF LOVE
         a. Both at the time of rebuke - cf. 2Co 2:4
         b. And at the time of repentance - cf. 2Co 2:6-8

   B. IT REQUIRES THE PROPER PROCEDURE...
      1. The wrong procedures:
         a. Running around and talking to everyone but the person who
            needs to be corrected and restored!
         b. Preaching about these people from the pulpit at the very
            outset!
         c. Bringing it up at congregational business meetings at the
            very first!
      2. The proper procedure is outlined by Jesus in Mt 18:15-17
         a. Even though the sin may not be against you personally...
            1) This is still a good way to avoid misunderstanding
            2) This is still more likely to succeed
         b. Therefore...
            1) Go to the person first
            2) Then take others, if necessary
            3) Then tell it to the church, if necessary
            4) If he won't hear the church, withdraw any association 
               that might appear to give approval to their behavior
               - cf. 1Co 5:1-13; 2Th 3:6-15; Ro 16:17

CONCLUSION

1. The work of restoring or correcting saints may be unpleasant at 
   times, but it has the potential for great joy!
   a. Both in heaven:  "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in
      heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and
      nine just persons, which need no repentance." (Lk 15:7)
   b. And in our hearts:  "I have no greater joy than to hear that my
      children walk in truth." (3 Jo 4)

2. It comes down to this...
   a. Do we really love God?
   b. Do we really love our straying brethren?
   c. Read 1Jn 3:16-19, and substitute "spiritual goods" for 
      "world's goods" to answer our question

Brethren, let us love one another!

From Gary... The missing ingredient

The secret of happiness is t.... I guess someone just doesn't want others to know!!! And how many of us can say we are truly "happy"? I guess it boils down to how we define the word, doesn't it?

Happy Hap"py
   1. Favored by hap, luck, or fortune; lucky; fortunate; successful; prosperous; satisfying desire; as, a happy expedient; a happy effort; a happy venture; a happy omen. [1913 Webster]

   2. Experiencing the effect of favorable fortune; having the feeling arising from the     consciousness of well-being or of enjoyment; enjoying good of any kind, as peace, tranquillity, comfort; contented; joyous; as, happy hours, happy thoughts. [1913 Webster]

And then there is the definition of Jesus....

Matthew, Chapter 5

(Young's Literal Translation)

Mat 5:3 `Happy the poor in spirit--because theirs is the reign of the heavens.
Mat 5:4 `Happy the mourning--because they shall be comforted.
Mat 5:5 `Happy the meek--because they shall inherit the land.
Mat 5:6 `Happy those hungering and thirsting for righteousness--because they shall be filled.
Mat 5:7 `Happy the kind--because they shall find kindness.
Mat 5:8 `Happy the clean in heart--because they shall see God.
Mat 5:9 `Happy the peacemakers--because they shall be called Sons of God.
Mat 5:10 `Happy those persecuted for righteousness' sake--because theirs is the reign of the heavens.

Most translations use the word "blessed", but I like Happy better, because I think it conveys the meaning of the original more accurately. If I were to go a bit farther, I would say "Oh, the blessed state" of the one who... and fill in the blanks. So, how can someone be blessed or happy or be in a blessed state if they are: poor in spirit or mourning or persecuted??? The answer that seems to work best for me is that only those whose lives are truly in accord with the will of God can truly be HAPPY!!! I mean, a happiness that transcends health, wealth, possessions and longevity. To some out there, this might sound like foolishness, but look at the LONG PICTURE. In a thousand years, what will matter? Answer: How you have pleased God!!! I know that this is difficult, but just think about it, OK?

In the meantime, here is an additional little something from the 114th Psalm to add to your definition...

Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord. --Ps. cxliv. 15. [1913 Webster]

4/18/14

From Jim McGuiggan... Butterflies and promises

Butterflies and promises

"May the Lord deal with me ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."
Ruth the Moabite

There's so much betrayal of trust in the world that you might think we'd all be cynics by now. Believing no one, insisting on pre-nuptial agreements, pages of fine print and a list of witnesses the length of a football field—that's pretty much the order of the day in some cultures.

In light of all that, isn't it a grand kick in the head to discover that the bus you run to catch is packed full of "trusters". Supermarkets are jammed full of them, they're bringing up coal out of the mines and fixing your televisions; they're hanging off roofs and swinging on chandeliers; they're writing you a speeding ticket or cutting your hair. Everywhere you go they're popping up or out or in or over or across or back again. They're everywhere! Praise God they're everywhere! They know the horror stories, know their own limitations and the shaping power of a glib and shrewd society. They look at the world with steady eyes, fully aware of the shiny veneer and the gold-plated promises, missing nothing; and then as if the world was made of solid oak they give their hearts away. They mortgage the only hearts and lives they have because someone says to them: "I'm not very smart, I'm not good-looking and I may never make my mark in this world; but I love you. Yes...I do, I...love you, and if you'll come with me I'll never leave you!"

They hear that and they trust! They deserve to be honoured with our faithfulness because they've earned it with their "yes!" And it's precisely because of their noble-spirited trust that they suffer incredible heartache when that trust is trampled in the dirt. Their emotions are savaged but their whole view of the world takes a battering as well and that adds calamity to tragedy. Believing that somehow right is stronger than wrong they defy the jeering world and are run over by a juggernaut. The more cynical among us aren't hit as hard by treachery because we don't commit a lot—we know better, you see. Still, while we don't get badly hurt we aren't greatly loved or blessed and, perhaps what's worse, we never love gloriously. We shrewdly grab the shiny metal and turn down Aladdin's lamp because we've seen too many poor souls mangled beyond repair by the callous and the glib.

In Puccini's opera, Madam Butterfly, Cio-Cio-San is a sensitive fifteen-year old Japanese girl who's swept off her feet by Lieutenant Pinkerton, U.S.N. She turns from her traditional religion and marries the sailor who makes her believe she's the only one in the world he wants. Despite the bad record of marriages with "visiting foreigners" and despite the fact that the marriage has an "out" clause, Butterfly believes in Pinkerton with all her heart. He sets her up in a fine house, promises her that he will come back and take her to America, and goes back to sea. It's only later she discovers she's going to have his child—a child he doesn't know about.

He's gone for three years, she misses him beyond words, she's having a hard time financially and socially but far worse than all that, there's a lingering dread. But when her devoted maid Suzuki tries to persuade her of the worst, she rages against her and says that Suzuki lacks faith, that she simply doesn't know Pinkerton! At that point, full of faith and smiling, seeing it all with her trusting heart, she sings the beautiful aria One Fine Day.

Hear me! One fine day we'll notice a thread of smoke arising on the sea—In the far horizon, and then the ship appearing; the white trim vessel glides into the harbor, thunders forth the cannon. See you? Now he is coming! I do not go to meet him. Not I! I stay up on the brow of the hill, and wait there...and wait a long time. But never weary of the long waiting. From out of the crowded city there is coming a man, a little speck in the distance, climbing the hill. Can you guess who it is? And when he's reached the summit can you guess what he'll say? He will call "Butterfly" from the distance. I without answering, hold myself quietly concealed, a bit to tease him and a bit so as not to die..."Dear baby wife of mine!" "Orange blossom!" The names he used to call me when he came here. This will come to pass as I tell you. Banish your fears, for he will return. I know it!

The American Consul, Sharpless, arrives with a letter saying that Pinkerton has married in the U.S.A. and is returning with his wife. Sharpless tries again and again to tell her but he can't bring himself to do it. They're interrupted by the arrival of the young prince Yamadori who wants to marry Butterfly but she insists she's already married to the only one she'll ever love and, on the basis of what Pinkerton had promised, she turns down security and dignity for her child and herself.

Later Pinkerton does arrive, but with his wife Kate. He learns of the child and is torn with grief at the agony his selfishness has caused. As soon as Butterfly enters and sees Kate, she senses who she is, and when the woman confirms it Butterfly's world collapses. She sets her house in order, arranges for the little boy's future with Pinkerton and all alone, broken-hearted and beyond comfort, she stabs herself and dies.

Only a silly story? Hmmm, do you think so?

The biblical Ruth took it all seriously and wouldn't walk away from her calamity-ridden mother-in-law even though the older woman urged her to go back to her familiar and secure world. The young Moabite made this unforgettable commitment (1:16-17):

Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord deal with me ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.

The good news is that there are tens of thousands who say to one another, "I can't be sure of the world or what they will do; I can only be sure of me and what I'll do. I will stay!"

Landon Saunders put it like this, "Marriage is two people looking deep into each other's eyes and saying: 'Others may come and go in your life but I never will. If you get sick, I'll care for you, feed you, bathe you; I'll do anything for you except leave you. I will never leave you.' "

To give our solemn promise is a gallant and profoundly serious thing. It alters the world for us because it shapes the future; it says some things are no longer options for us. But it doesn't only change our world—it changes the world for those who take us seriously. They too see the world and the future differently because they believe some things are certain. And on that promised future their present world is shaped—they live in the light of that.

I know some lovely people who are as distressed as I am at times about the state of the world, about terrorist threats, about the global economy, about the restlessness of the nations, about spiraling crimes rates and deteriorating health. It's all that uncertainty, don't you see. But if I were to ask them if they were sure that their beloved would always be there, the answer would come back decisive and immediate, "Oh, always and always, come what may."

Now that's something to be sure of.

From Kyle Butt, M.A. ... Turmoil in Scotland Over A.P. Books

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=4735

Turmoil in Scotland Over A.P. Books

by	Kyle Butt, M.A.

Many of us were shocked to read an article featured on the front page of Scotland’s The Daily Record that ran on September 6, 2013. The article was titled: “Parents’ Outrage as Extremist US Religious Cult Hand Out Creationist Books and Preach to Kids at Scottish School” (McGivern, 2013). The “extremist US religious cult” under discussion is the church of Christ. The article caused quite a stir, as you can imagine, and provides a case study in unfair, unbalanced, biased reporting, which we will analyze later in this article. Before doing so, consider the background of the events that elicited the article.
Last year Alex Gear, a native of Scotland who preaches at the West Mains church of Christ in East Kilbride, Scotland, visited north Alabama. He gave reports to various congregations, including the Stony Point church of Christ in Florence, AL where I am a member. After meeting Alex, I invited him to my office and asked if any of our Apologetics Press materials could help in his ministry. Alex chose two of our books: How Do You Know God Is Real?and Truth Be Told: Exposing the Myth of Evolution. He said he could use about 500 copies of each book. He explained that he had been volunteering as a chaplain in two of the primary schools in Scotland and would like to give the children a copy of each book.
The shipping and printing costs were rather expensive, to the tune of about $5,000, but one of our donors offered to cover the entire cost of the project. We shipped the books to Scotland over the summer, and Alex had them ready to give to the students when the school year began. The books were not “sneaked” into the school in any way. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The head of the Kirktonholme Primary School in East Kilbride, Sandra Mackenzie, had invited Alex to be a volunteer chaplain at the school approximately eight years ago. Alex and several college students from the States had done numerous projects to help the school and the students over the last eight years. Two weeks before the books were distributed to the children at Kirktonholme, Alex presented the books to Sandra Mackenzie for her approval. Mrs. Mackenzie approved the books to be given away free of charge to the students as a part of the system’s religious education classes, and neither she nor Alex did anything illegal.
When the books were given to the children, a few of the parents at the school complained that their children should not have been exposed to the teaching about God and Creation. They were angry and began to cause a stir. One of those parents happened to be Paul Sanderson, a prominent member of the Scottish Secular Society. From that point, The Daily Record picked up the story and created quite a brouhaha.

The Daily Record Article

Mark McGivern, the author of The Daily Record article, made a number of blatantly false, outlandish statements and insinuations. First, the title of the article accused the church of Christ of being an “extremist US religious cult” (McGivern, 2013; Note: In the on-line version, he changed the title to read “sect” instead of the original wording of “cult.”). Anyone remotely familiar with the church of Christ knows that, first, it certainly is not based in the United States. In fact, it was founded in Jerusalem in the first century, spread throughout the world in the centuries that followed, and can now be found across the globe. Since each congregation of the church of Christ is autonomous and self-governing, there is no “base” for the church. One would be just as accurate to say the church is based in Africa, or Scotland, or New Zealand, as to say it is based in the U.S.
Second, the church of Christ is not an extremist cult. Even those fair-minded journalists who read the story, who are not members of the church of Christ, understand the falsity of the cult accusation. For instance, sports writer Bill McMurdo penned an article in response to the Record titled “Extreme Prejudice.” In that article he stated:

The Record has been on a “crusade” of late, denigrating a church in East Kilbride… According to the Record, the Church of Christ is an “extremist US religious cult.” Well, the bad news is that this church has already infiltrated the highest levels of government. We have actually had a British Prime Minister who grew up in this “cult” and who was influenced by it. Not only that, but this Prime Minister was responsible for leading the nation in a critical time of war. I am referring to David Lloyd George… Not bad for someone from an “extremist US religious cult” eh? Another epic fail for the Record (McMurdo, 2013).

He went on to include a statement from the West Mains congregation in which they stated: “The Church of Christ has a rich heritage dating as far back as 1669 in Britain. The Church of Christ is considered a mainstream church throughout the British Isles” (McMurdo). McMurdo ended his article by stating that Secular Scotland seems to be targeting the church, noting that their agenda, which “incorporates persecuting people who have an active faith is deplorable” (2013). The church of Christ cannot in any legitimate way be call an “extremist US religious cult.”
In addition, the Record put a picture with the article of a college student named Jared Blakeman. His face was painted to look like Jack Sparrow from the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean. The insinuation was that this was part of the “ministry” of the West Mains church. The truth, however, was that the picture was taken from Jared’s Facebook account. The face painting was done at a community fun day and had nothing whatsoever to do with anything that was ever done in the school. The posting of the picture was a devious ploy to make the church look bizarre and cultish.
Furthermore, the article insisted that by giving the books to the children, the church of Christ was trying to brainwash the kids. To “prove” this point about brainwashing, the father of one of the five-year-old children was interviewed—Paul Sanderson. It just so happens that Sanderson is a key player in the Scottish Secular Society. He said that when he took the books from his son that his son burst into tears. The Record then quotes him as saying: “I think it’s fair to call it brainwashing because when I took them from him he started crying. When I asked him why he was crying, he said the man who gave them to him told him they were really, really important.” Notice the argument Sanderson made. The members of the church are brainwashing his child because they gave the child free books that they said were important. The father of the child took the books away, refusing to allow him to read the books, and the child starts crying. This, he concludes, proves brainwashing. (I suppose the banktellers who hand out free suckers to “unsuspecting” five-year-olds are brainwashing them into eating suckers. I’ve seen very few kids relinquish those suckers without some crying involved.) Needless to say, such “penetrating logic” falls far short of proof of brainwashing. In fact, let’s turn the tables and ask this question. Who is more guilty of brainwashing: a person who attempts to give children access to information that they may have never been exposed to, or a parent who forces his child to learn evolution and censors any material to the contrary? Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.

Additional Fall Out

After the Record article, numerous other media outlets picked up the story. The Scotland Herald ran a piece on it; the Scotsman published an article (Gardner, 2013); the Telegraph out of London put their two-cents in (Cramb, 2013); numerous individual bloggers and media pundits chimed in, and even The London Times. The head teacher at the school, Sandra MacKenzie, was contacted and asked why she allowed such a thing to happen. She did not back down, but insisted she had done nothing wrong, and stated: “Whilst I appreciate that not every family in our school are practising Christians, I was only too happy to accept this generous gift on your behalf. I hope you will all accept it in the spirit with which it was offered.” As a result of the events, Mrs. Mackenzie and one other teacher at Kirktonholme have been reassigned to different duties while a “full investigation” is underway of their activities. Furthermore, Alex Gear and the West Mains church of Christ have been informed that they can no longer volunteer or work with the school.
Michael Glackin, from The London Times, called me Friday, September 13, and asked me if I would be willing to go to Scotland and publicly defend the teaching in the books that were donated. I explained to him that Apologetics Press stands behind all of our materials and I would be more than happy to defend the truth of Creation in Scotland if the opportunity arose. I further explained that the scientific evidence is firmly on the side of Creation. He quoted me as saying: “What the authorities in Scotland seem to want is for children to be given only one side of the argument. Kids are being forced to learn evolution. These people insist on teaching only evolution and yet we are accused of brainwashing, that doesn’t make sense” (Glackin, 2013).
Denominational minister David Robertson had an interesting piece on the whole ordeal. He is not a big fan of the church of Christ, but he assessed the situation based on the freedoms that are being restricted by the secularist in this case. He stated:

All you need is one militant atheist parent complaining that a teacher or chaplain is a “creationist” or a “homophobe” and the witch-hunt will begin. Why are the media not warning about the danger of militant secularist groups, or indeed militant homosexual groups like Stonewall? In every corridor in my daughter’s school there are Stonewall posters, “some people are gay, get over it.” Fair enough. But where are the “some people are ex-gay, get over it,” or even the “some people are Christian, get over it” posters? Why are these groups infiltrating and indoctrinating our children…. When the secular elites can call a militant mob to stir up hatred and fear, and rely on the compliance of both the tabloid and broadsheet press, I guess we all have to wonder—who is next? What will happen to anyone who dares to challenge the new absolutist state morality? (Robertson, 2013).

Indeed, it seems evident that we are witnessing what will happen to anyone who dares teach the truth in a world of secularism.
Let us be reminded that such opposition to the truth is nothing new. Jesus explained that the world hated Him, and His followers can expect the same treatment (John 15:18). The apostle Paul explained “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Christ’s apostles were commanded by the Jewish leaders to never preach again about Jesus, yet they defied such an unrighteous injunction and continued to preach the truth to all who would listen. When they were accused before the authorities, Peter and the other apostles simply said: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The Jewish authorities beat them and warned them to stop preaching about Jesus. But the Lord’s followers left the assembly “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:41-42). Let those of us who are Christians determine to pray for the Lord’s Church in Scotland, that this situation will turn out for God’s glory and the spreading of the truth. And let us all be unswerving in our determination to spread the truth of the glorious saving Gospel of Jesus Christ in spite of any human opposition.

References

Cramb, Auslan (2013), “Head Teachers Removed in Row Over ‘Creationist’ Church,” The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10307520/Head-teachers-removed-in-row-over-creationist-church.html.
Gardner, Claire (2013), “Sect’s Preacher Spent 8 Years at Primary School,” The Scotsman, http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/sect-s-preacher-spent-8-years-at-primary-school-1-3081113.
Glackin, Michael (2013), “Scots Head Teachers Removed from Jobs in Creationist Dispute,” The London Times, September 14.
McGivern, Mark (2013), “Parents’ Outrage as Extremist US Religious Sect Hand Out Creationist Books and Preach to Kids at Scottish School,” The Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/parents-outrage-extremist-religious-sect-2254926.
McMurdo, Bill (2013), “Extreme Prejudice,” Bill McMurdo’s Weblog, http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/4299/.
Robertson, David (2013), “They are Coming to Get Your Children,” Solas, http://www.solas-cpc.org/uncategorized/1846/.

From Mark Copeland... A Call To Prayer And Praise (James 5:13-18)

                          "THE EPISTLE OF JAMES"

                   A Call To Prayer And Praise (5:13-18)
                                
INTRODUCTION

1. As is common in many of the New Testament epistles, we find various
   commands and exhortations as we draw near to the end of the epistle
   of James

2. In Jm 5:13-18, we find a call to pray and sing praises, with
   guidance as to what to do and when

[For example...]

I. IN TIMES OF SUFFERING, LET US "PRAY" (13)

   A. WHAT KIND OF SUFFERING DOES JAMES REFER TO?
      1. The word used refers to suffering of any kind
      2. Such as sickness, bereavement, disappointment, persecutions,
         loss of health or property
      3. Later, James will deal specifically with sickness

   B. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?
      1. For the REMOVAL of the suffering, if it be the Lord's will
         - cf. Paul in 2Co 12:8
      2. For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering, if it be the Lord's
         will that we bear with it - cf. 1Co 10:13
         a. God may not always remove the source of our suffering, for
            it may be for our ultimate good - cf. Ps 119:67,71,75
         b. But at least He promises to help us endure it!

   C. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?
      1. Certainly for ourselves, as implied above
      2. But also for those who may be the source of our suffering
         a. As Jesus taught in Lk 6:28
         b. Doing this can help greatly to endure the suffering

[So in times of suffering, let us pray!  It is a wonderful privilege to
pray, and a great source of comfort when afflicted.

Next, we learn from James that...]

II. IN TIMES OF CHEER, LET US "SING PRAISES" (13)

   A. THE WORD "CHEERFUL"...
      1. Denotes pleasantness, agreeableness
      2. It suggests a state of mind free from trouble--the opposite
         of affliction--happy!

   B. IN SUCH A STATE OF HAPPINESS, ONE SHOULD SING PRAISES!
      1. For singing praises is becoming of God's people
         a. Consider the attitude of David, the sweet singer of Israel -
            Ps 92:1-2; 96:1-2; 101:1; 111:1; 113:1-3; 146:1-2; 147:1;
            149:1
         b. David was a man after God's own heart, shouldn't we be also?
      2. For singing praises has the power to make a good situation
         even better - cf. Ep 5:18; Col 3:16

   C. WHY DON'T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PRAISES MORE OFTEN, MORE FERVENTLY?
      1. Are they that "afflicted"? 
      2. Hasn't God done enough in our lives to prompt us to praise Him
         fervently in song?
      3. What excuse can we possibly give for refusing to praise God 
         for His glory and goodness?
         a. We cannot use the excuse that we cannot sing
         b. God "commands" all to sing, and unless we are "mute" the
            command applies to us
         c. Fortunately, God is not concerned with how it sounds, but
            that it is coming from the heart, therefore all who can speak
            can and should sing!
      4. Heaven is described by John in the Book of Revelation as a
         place where singing praises to God and Christ is an on-going
         activity
         a. If we don't sing praises to God on earth, though able...
         b. Can we really expect to be allowed to praise God in heaven?

[Singing praises to God is just as important as praying to God!  Perhaps
our prayers would be answered more often, if we would praise God more
often!

The rest of our text deals with prayer as it applies to a special
need...]

III. IN TIMES OF SICKNESS, LET US "PRAY" (14-18)

   A. ADMITTEDLY, THIS PASSAGE IS DIFFICULT...
      1. Questions abound concerning it
         a. Is the sickness physical or spiritual?
         b. Is the anointing with oil medicinal or symbolic?
         c. Is the healing through providential means or miraculous?
         d. Is the healing spiritual or physical?
      2. First, I believe the sickness and healing in this passage is
         physical, though spiritual needs are taken into consideration
         a. This is in view of the phrase "and IF he has committed sins,
            he will be forgiven"
         b. This implies the sickness is physical, though it MAY be
            accompanied with spiritual sickness as well
         c. But the conditional "IF" makes it clear that the illness
            may not be accompanied by sin, which if true, would mean the
            illness is not spiritual, but physical
      3. With the assumption that physical illness is being discussed,
         then there are two feasible alternatives...
         a. This passage refers to MIRACULOUS HEALING
            1) The elders were called because they possessed the gift
               of healing
            2) The anointing with oil was symbolic, representing the
               influences of the Holy Spirit - cf. Mk 6:13
            3) The healing was miraculous
         b. This passage refers to PROVIDENTIAL HEALING
            1) The elders were called because they were likely the most
               righteous in a congregation - cf. Jm 5:16
            2) The anointing with oil was medicinal, as was commonly
               practiced in those days - cf. Lk 10:34
            3) The healing was providential
      4. I lean toward the latter explanation...
         a. The first explanation must assume that the elders in every
            church possessed the gift of healing, which is not likely
            for two reasons:
            1) We have no record of such in the New Testament
            2) The qualifications for elders did not require this gift
               - cf. 1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-9
         b. In illustrating the efficacy of prayer, James uses an
            example of God PROVIDENTIALLY answering prayer - cf. 1 Ki 18:41-45
            1) God was indeed answering Elijah's prayer
            2) But God did so, providentially, working through natural
               means

   B. WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING, LET'S MAKE THE APPLICATION...
      1. In times of physical sickness, call for the elders of the church
         a. You want the prayers of the "righteous" working in your
            behalf, don't you?
         b. Notice:  You are to call for them, not wait for them to
            call on you!
         c. Have the elders pray with you...
            1) In faith (trusting in the Lord's power to heal, if it be
               His will)
            2) Fervently ("the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous
               man avails much.")
      2. Elders should not only pray, but see that appropriate medical
         aids are provided
         a. In a century where hospitals were non-existent, and
            physicians were rare, anointing with oil was a common
            treatment - cf. Lk 10:34
         b. In our present century, this would involve the elders making
            sure that the sick receive the treatment needed
      3. The sick should also confess their sins, if they have any...
         a. Verse 15 makes it clear that sickness is not always the
            consequence of sin
         b. But verse 16 and others (like 1Co 11:29-32) suggests
            that illnesses may be God's loving chatisement for sin, in
            an effort to direct us back to Him
         c. In any case, sins need to be confessed and forgiveness 
            sought if we hope to have God hear our prayers

CONCLUSION

1. However one interprets Jm 5:14-16, there is no dispute over the
   main thrust in this passage...
   a. Prayer and praise are very special privileges for the Christian
   b. There is not a time in our life when we shouldn't be doing one
      or the other
   c. We must be careful not to underestimate:
      1) The importance of praise
      2) The power of prayer

2. But to truly benefit from these two spiritual exercises, we need to
   be in a right relationship with God
   a. Which involves being open to God's Word:  He that turneth away his
      ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.
      (Pr 28:9)
   b. And being a doer of God's will: Not every one that saith unto me,
      Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
      doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Mt 7:21)

Are we?