September 18, 2015

Without Hesitation

There are several people in the community who regularly attend public meetings, speak up at forums and write letters-to-the-editor. They get a lot of ink in the newspaper, so it seems logical that we should know a little bit about them and whether their opinions are meant to hold others accountable, enlighten, sway, or spin the issues. It’s interesting that out of that vocal group there are a handful who turned down my request for an interview. Some did not returned my call, one man abruptly said, “I’m not interested,” and another said he had no reason to say no, but, “No.” I’m now wondering if some of these folks only speak their minds when they are in a situation where they can control the medium. It occurs to me that believers do something similar when we are hesitant to proclaim the Gospel unless we are in a friendly environment. Paul felt no such reservations, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Ro 1:16-17 NIV).

1 comment:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----It would be interesting to see the variety of reasons your requests for interviews were turned down. Same with the reasons we are hesitant to proclaim the gospel. Somehow, I grew up with an intense animus towards salesmanship. People know what they want, I figured, and they can select it without my interference. It’s not hard to recognize the interference that is a storm siren. Its even easier to recognize the interference that is a tornado. The more the Islamo-fascists spread themselves over the world like rancid Mayonnaise, the more that line of reason takes effect in me.
-----Nobody likes being gullible. We live in an age like there has never been before. The Greeks of the last few centuries BC inspired the fools our world has become, but their civilization of deceit did not quite live up to the deceit of today. Now, the Greeks were not stupid. Nor is the world today, in so far as knowledge is concerned. But knowledge formulates to either the left or the right; its like looking at the young girl old lady illusion. The more you study its details the more you see all the lines and curves and shades well used by two completely different perspectives, if you look without bias. Science is the study of the picture framed by this existence, and its details also show two possible perspectives. The Greeks did what of science they could and a lot of thinking about what they saw. We’ve done far more study today than the Greeks could have imagined, but it seems we’ve done far less thinking.
-----I enjoy proposing that atheist scientists are not at all scientists, and many Christian scientists are even less. Science is the study of what exists. Many things bear little need for study, the gravel on your driveway, for instance. Unlike it, the Bible’s message is not only a very grave siren, it blows from times three millennia ago about today’s situation it also describes. That calls for study more than does gravel. But atheist and many Christian scientists treat it like so much gravel, although it is just as real. Its propositions, being as numerous as gravel, are either an absurdly incredible coincidence needing study, or they are prophesies telling us where to get off and how to get on. Portentous anomalies carry new insights, beckoning true scientists to study. And a few scientists have answered the beck of the Bible’s existence. But non-scientific scientists put on the old woman perspective without having studied or even considered seeing the young lady. Science which does not consider every relevance is not science, and its scientists are not scientists.
-----Archeology has founded the Bible indelibly within historic reality; current events answering its prophecies validate its import; signs in the heavens aim that import straight at what keeps on coming; and obeying its messages turns your personal life into undeniable, living proof. Worried about being gullible? Set aside the evolution books and study and think and obey the Word. Soon you won’t want to remain silent, the reality of it becomes too compelling.

Love you all,
Steve Corey