Tomorrow's Big Event

For tonight's post I simply want to remind all of our readers of Colton's big debate tomorrow. Tomorrow, April 20, 2010, Colton Scott (a part of us here at The STAND) will be debating Sean Shcifano on the existence of God. I'm sure most all of you have heard something about this debate as we have had many posts dedicated to it here lastly. We have also made many announcements on our Facebook page about this event. We, at The STAND, ask all of our readers to continue to pray for this event. It is a big event in Colton's life and also a big event for the Christian community. The debate is at 7:00 p.m. and lasts till 9:00 p.m. in the Performance Center of the Guillot University Center in the middle of UNA's campus. We ask all that can come to be in attendance to help support Colton in this big event. Thank you so much for the continued support for all of us here at The STAND. All the feedback and positive reinforcement it so greatly appreciated. God Bless.
-Ben Stevenson

One Word

Galatians 5:13-14 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

How great would our world be if we all lived by this simple message?

True Christians

One of the most common points that atheists make against Christianity is that Christians do bad things. They love to bring up the crusades and the Salem witch trials. They say Christianity is a poison, and it's bringing down our society. Most atheists, however, will admit that Jesus was probably the best human being that ever lived. I think Gandhi really summed up their point when he said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. You're Christians are so unlike your Christ."

I almost find this amusing, because it is so ironic. Allow me to explain. How would you define a Christian? Someone who is doing their best to live like Christ. Christ himself tells us in John 14:15 that if we love him, we are to keep his commandments. If someone is not living their life how Jesus commanded, that person is obviously not a Christian. So if a person is doing immoral things, such as murder, robbery, fornication, using foul language, not attending church, drinking, etc.... that person, by definition, is not a Christian. So how is it possible to say, "I like Christ, but not Christians." I think a better way to have said that would be, "I like Christ, but not people who claim to be Christians, but in reality, just do whatever they want."

It's pretty simple. You are either a Christian, or you're not. It can't be both ways. "Christian" isn't just a title that we wear around, it is a way of life. There is no such thing as a Christian who doesn't live his life to serve Christ. That would be like saying someone is a married bachelor. It's a contradiction, and therefore couldn't exist. True Christians are those who choose to live their entire life based on the teachings of Christ. True Christians are the best people to ever live.
-Colton

Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

One of the most commonly asked questions out there is, "What does one have to do to go to Heaven?" There are several answers to this question. One of the most controversial topics among Christians today, is baptism. Is it essential for one's salvation? Let's take a look at the scriptures, and I think we will find the answer very clear.

The first thing that we need to realize is that receiving salvation is a process. There isn't one single step that saves us, but several steps. Those steps are as follows: 1. Hear the word (John 6:45 2. Believe (Hebrews 11:6) 3. Repent (Acts 17:30) 4. Confess (Romans 10:9,10) 5. Be Baptized (Acts 2:38) 6. Live faithfully (2 Peter 2:20). Baptism is just one step of the process, and is in no way more important than the others. It is also of no less importance than the others. If one is baptized, but doesn't believe in God, that person is obviously not going to receive salvation.

Does the bible really suggest that baptism is vital to one's salvation? Absolutely. There are several passages that tell us we are to be baptized to be saved. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." Who will be saved? He who believes AND is baptized. Peter told us in 1 Peter 3:21 "There is also an antitype which now saves us- baptism." Luke writes in Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" We all know that if we want to receive salvation and live in eternity with God, we must die to sin. Let's look at what Paul says in Romans 6:2-4 "How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you no know that as many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in a newness of life." If we want to be baptized into Christ's death, we must be baptized into Christ. It is pretty simple. Throughout the New Testament, the apostles made it very clear to us that baptism is certainly a step in God's plan of salvation.

-Colton Scott

Faith: For Christians and Atheists Alike

Atheists are very quick to point out that Christians use faith. This is true. Romans 11:6 says that it is impossible to please God without faith. Many atheists claim that this is why they are not Christians. They claim that having faith is not logical. Mark Twain once said, "Faith is believing something you know ain't true." Another quote says, "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." I recently came across an atheistic article by Jerry Wilson who says, "Faith is the act of treating something as factual when it is not backed up by any facts or empirical evidence." He goes on to say, "believing in something without evidence is childlike" and "Having faith isn't something to be proud of. It means you have left reason behind. It means that believing in something because you want it to be true is more important than believing in the truth." Well, isn't that just fantastic. Christians are stupid because we have faith, and having faith is "childlike". We might as well have faith in Santa Clause and the Easter bunny. I wish we were all smart and sophisticated like the atheistic community. They would never be so silly as to have faith in something. Or would they?

Let's take a look at how sophisticated atheists believe we came into being... A long time ago, there was nothing. Then nothing became something. Then something exploded. Then something became the entire universe. Then the entire universe was made perfect so that it could one day support life on this tiny planet called Earth in the Milky Way galaxy (by complete chance). Then on this tiny planet called earth there was a bunch of rocks. Then rain started falling on all these rocks and it formed a warm chemical soup. Then one day lightening struck this chemical soup and it formed life (we think). Then one day this tiny particle of life started evolving. Now after about 4.5 billion years, this one tiny particle of life is responsible for every single species on the planet. This process is called evolution. This can also explain consciousness, human rationality and morality. Oh, but it can't explain free will, so that must not exist. And they know all of this without using one bit of faith. Therefore, they must have "empirical evidence" to support this entire theory. Do they? Not even close.

Let's start from the very beginning. We have known for many years now that the Universe is not eternal. It did have a beginning. Scientists such as Alan Guth, who is an expert on the Big Bang, will tell you that at one point our universe was "literally nothing." This begs the question, how did nothing become something? Where is the "empirical evidence" for that? Have you ever, in your entire life, witnessed something spontaneously form from nothing? I think it's pretty safe to say that you have not. And you never will, because it does not happen. Atheists, on the other hand, believe that once upon a time it did happen. Why? Well, considering they have no evidence to back that up, I guess they just have faith. I think Frank Turek said it best when he stated, "Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could. If you can't believe that something came from nothing, you don't have enough faith to be an atheist."

Next up, is design. How do atheists explain the fact that the entire universe seems to be constructed to support life on earth? I mean, the chance of our universe supporting life is very small. Some physicists claim that the chances are one in ten raised to the 229. This is logically impossible. But atheists claim that, against all odds, it must have happened by chance. How is that even possible? Well, there are a few theories out there to explain the design that appears in the universe. One of those theories is the "Multiple Universe theory". This theory claims that there are an infinite number of universes. Basically, if the chances of a universe supporting life is 10 raised to the 229, then there must be 10 raised to the 229 universes. This theory is accepted by many big time atheists, including Steven Weinburg and Richard Dawkins. So what is the evidence to support this "Multiple Universe theory"? There is none. Weinburg admits, "These are very speculative ideas... without any experimental support." What was it called again, when one believed something without any "empirical evidence"? Oh yeah, faith.

Last but not least, the origin of life. The Law of Biogenesis states that life cannot form from non-life. But to be an atheist, one must believe that life formed from non-life, without any help from something supernatural. So, how did that happen? Well, they don't know. They never have, and they never will. Not only did life form on it's own, but it is also very complex. Richard Dawkins realizes this as he states that the simplest living cell contains more information than multiple sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica. So how does Dawkins, one of the world's most praised atheists, explain how life began? He says, "However improbable the origin of life may be, it must have happened, because we are here." Wow. It takes a lot of faith to believe things like this.

I hope that by now, you have seen my point. I didn't have to mention consciousness or morality, which an atheist can also not explain, because you can already see that they use faith every day. So the next time you hear an atheist harp about how Christians only want to talk about faith, just laugh and bring up some of these points. It should be very interesting to hear how they respond.

- Colton

Daniel Takes A Stand

Daniel 1:3-20 "Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, ⁴ young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. ⁵ And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. ⁶ Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷ To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
⁸ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. ⁹ Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. ¹⁰ And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
¹¹ So Daniel said to the steward^a]">[a] whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹² “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” ¹⁴ So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
¹⁵ And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. ¹⁶ Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
¹⁷ As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
¹⁸ Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ Then the king interviewed^b]">[b] them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. ²⁰ And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm."

Daniel is someone who is willing to take a stand for what he believes. He knew what foods God had commanded him not to eat, and he was not going to compromise God's commands, even if it was offered to him by the king. Daniel's decision could have very easily cost him his life, but that was the price he was willing to pay to serve God. Daniel was a true man of God, and he is a great example for those of us who are wanting to take The STAND for God.
-Colton B. Scott

Capitol Punishment

We at The STAND have been asked to discuss the topic of capitol punishment, and whether or not it is biblical. The answer is yes, it is. The bible makes it very clear that capitol punishment has always been God's will for mankind. In the old testament there were sixteen crimes which were punishable by death. Those crimes are as follow: 1. Murder (Exodus 21:12-14, 22-23) 2. Kidnapping (Exodus 21:16) 3. Striking or Cursing One's Parents (Exodus 21:15, 17) 4. Incorrigible Rebelliousness (Deuteronomy 17:12) 5. Sacrificing to False Gods (Exodus 22:20) 6. Violating the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2) 7. Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-16) 8. Being A False Prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-11) 9. Human Sacrifice (Leviticus 20:2) 10. Divination (Exodus 22:18) 11. Adultery (Leviticus 20:10-21) 12. Bestiality (Exodus 22:19) 13. Incest (Leviticus 18:6-17) 14. Homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22) 15. Premarital Sex (Deuteronomy 22:20-21) 16. Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25-27)

Some may point out that those examples are under the old law, and want to know if the death penalty is reaffirmed in the New Testament. The answer is yes. In Romans 13:1-4, Paul says "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil." Paul is telling us that we should respect our governing authorities, because they have been appointed by God. If we do evil, the government has the God given right to "bear the sword", which represents capitol punishment, and "execute wrath on him who practices evil." Paul believed this, even in reference to himself. In Acts 25:11, Paul tells Festus “If I am an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I do not object to dying”.

Well, what about the woman in John 8, who committed adultery? Wasn't she worthy of death? Why did Jesus defend her? There are a few possible answers to these questions.

First of all, the law stated that a person could only be executed if there were two or more witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). In the story, it is mentioned that the woman was caught in the act, but it never mentions how many witnesses there were. There very well may have only been one.

Second, the law makes it very clear that in matters of adultery, both the man and the woman are to be executed. Where is the man in this story? This was obviously a messed up situation. To correctly follow the law of Moses, the woman would have had to been let go.

Third, we really need to examine the statement made in John 8:7 , "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." This is often misunderstood. Most people would say this statement means that anyone who had any sin at all would be unable to administer justice. This is not the case. If so, there would have never been an execution, because Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone has sinned. Instead, Jesus was saying the same thing that Paul was saying in Romans 2:1, which was "you who judge, practice the same things." Jesus knew that the men who were condemning this woman, were partaking in the same things of the woman in which they were accusing.

It is quite evident that capitol punishment has always been part of God's plan of justice for mankind, and with good reason. Over the years, the American justice system has failed to "bear the sword" as commanded in the bible, and we have seen the results. Our prison systems our overcrowded. Premature parole and early release has been commonplace in order to make room for lawbreakers. This has had disastrous effects on our society. For example, let's look at what happened in Kentucky with the Kentucky Early Release Program. In an effort to save 30,000,000 dollars over two years, Kentucky released 1,004 prisoners from prison. 146 of those prisoners were once again charged by a grand jury after their release. Sixteen of those were accused of committing violent crimes, including rape, robbery, and domestic violence. This is the case all over our country. We are going to continue to see this trend spread until we get back to our roots. It's a pretty simple concept: The easier we make it on criminals, the more criminals we're going to have.
-Colton Scott

Many of the facts in this article can be found at http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/1974. Dave Miller.

Imagine There's No Heaven

Many people out in the world, such as members of the Freedom from Religion Organization, would love nothing more than to see a Godless society. They make the claim that "the history of Western civilization shows us that most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion." So what would happen if they got their way? What if we lived in a Godless world? John Lennon once told us to "Imagine there's no Heaven. It's easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky. Imagine all the people Living for today." Well, if John had done a little research, he would know that we don't have to imagine. We have a perfect example of what life would be like if we were all "free from religion."

In the summer of 1880, a man by the name of George H. Walser founded the town of Liberal, Missouri. His objective was “to found a town without a church, [w]here unbelievers could bring up their children without religious training,” and where Christians were not allowed. The people living in Liberal even made an advertisement which bragged that Liberal “is the only town of its size in the United States without a priest, preacher, church, saloon, God, Jesus, hell or devil”. They believed that their town of "freethinkers" would strive. But all of their optimism faded away pretty soon. One young resident wrote this about Liberal in 1895, “...like all other unworthy causes, it had its day and passed away.”

Clark Braden visited Liberal in 1885, and this is what he had to say in an article titled "An Infidel Experiment" which appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on May 2, 1885. "The boast about the sobriety of the town is false. But few of the infidels are total abstainers. Liquor can be obtained at three different places in this town of 300 inhabitants. More drunken infidels can be seen in a year in Liberal than drunken Christians among one hundred times as many church members during the same time. Swearing is the common form of speech in Liberal, and nearly every inhabitant, old and young, swears habitually. Girls and boys swear on the streets, playground, and at home. Fully half of the females will swear, and a large number swear habitually.... Lack of reverence for parents and of obedience to them is the rule. There are more grass widows, grass widowers and people living together, who have former companions living, than in any other town of ten times the population.... A good portion of the few books that are read are of the class that decency keeps under lock and key....These infidels...can spend for dances and shows ten times as much as they spend on their liberalism. These dances are corrupting the youth of the surrounding country with infidelity and immorality. There is no lack of loose women at these dances. Since Liberal was started there has not been an average of one birth per year of infidel parents. Feticide is universal. The physicians of the place say that a large portion of their practice has been trying to save females from consequences of feticide. In no town is slander more prevalent, or the charges more vile. If one were to accept what the inhabitants say of each other, he would conclude that there is a hell, including all Liberal, and that its inhabitants are the devils."

The town of Liberal was a complete failure. Braden went on to say that “[n]ine-tenths of those now in town would leave if they could sell their property. More property has been lost by locating in the town than has been made in it.... Hundreds have been deceived and injured and ruined financially” Even committed atheists found that living in Liberal was too much to bear.

The town of Liberal, Missouri still exists today. However, it is a quite bit different. There are at least seven different religious groups associated with Christianity in a town which once banned Christianity. And a recent poll showed that 50% of the people living in Liberal are actively involved in church.

So to all of those out there who would love to live in a world free from religion, we tried that once, and it simply doesn't work.
-Colton Scott

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'"- Psalm 14:1

Why Christianity?

Why does religion exist? This is a questioned that has puzzled many evolutionist over the years. Not only its existence, but its survival. Here's the problem from the evolutionary point of view, if religion is completely false, then why did humans evolve in such a way that they would come to believe in things that don't exist? Here's another problem, as explained by Daniel Dennett, "The ultimate measure of evolutionary value is fitness-the capacity to replicate more successfully than the competition does." Therefore, Christianity would be useless. It costs time, money, it forces us to make sacrifices, and in some cases, even giving one's life for their beliefs. So why would this thing which, according to atheists, hinders our lives, become part of our evolutionary history? Now obviously, the best answer is because evolution never took place. But, the point we are going to make tonight is because Christianity works and atheism doesn't.

In his book, The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin said, "The vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply." So let's take a look at two creation stories. In the secular account, "You are the descendant of a tiny cell of primordial protoplasm washed up on an empty beach three and a half billion years ago. You are the blind and arbitrary product of time, chance, and natural forces. You are a mere grab bag of atomic particles, a conglomeration of genetic substance. You exist on a tiny planet in a minute solar system in an empty corner of a meaningless universe. You are a purely biological entity, different only in degree but not in kind from a microbe, virus, or amoeba. You have no essence beyond your body, and at death you will cease to exist entirely. In short, you came from nothing and you are going nowhere." In the Christian view, "You are the special creation of a good and all-powerful God. You are created in His image, with capacities to think, feel, and worship that set you above all other life forms. You differ from the animals not simply in degree but in kind. Not only is your kind unique, but you are unique among your kind. Your creator loves you so much and so intensely desires your companionship and affection that He has a perfect plan for your life. In addition, God gave the life of His only Son that you might spend eternity with him. If you are willing to accept the gift of salvation, you can become a child of God."

Now let's imagine we have two groups of people. The first group subscribes to the atheist worldview, while the second group subscribes to the Christian worldview. Which of these groups is more likely to survive, prosper, and multiply? Obviously, it is the Christian group. The Christian group has a sense of purpose. They are composed of individuals who view their every thought and action as consequential. They are willing to work hard. They believe in treating everyone as they would like to be treated. They believe in taking care of those who can't take care of themselves, such as the elderly, widowed, or handicapped.

The bottom line is that Christianity works. Christianity has survived the test of time, and it always will, because it works. In my next couple of posts, I will give an example of these two groups that I mentioned earlier. I think you will find the results to be pretty interesting.
-Colton Scott

The Public School System

Most of us know that atheism is spreading like wild fire here in America. As a matter of fact, statistics show that atheism is the fasting growing religion in our country. More and more Christians are losing their faith every day. Why? I believe there are many factors to consider here, but the one I want to talk about in this article is the public school system.

The public school system has been doing its best to promote atheism for years, and it has been very effective. It has forbidden prayer in school. In Maryland, children aren't even allowed to bring their bibles to school. If you search the word "Bible" or "God" or anything that deals with Christianity on the school's computers, you will be denied access. It preaches to us the theory of evolution, but refuses to teach Intelligent Design, because it is based upon religion. Not only Intelligent Design, but anything that goes against the theory of evolution is considered to be religious. In Cobb County, GA this note was placed inside the cover of their science books, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered." This note was removed because it was said to be full of religion. Seriously?

The school system is promoting religion through evolution, and that religion is atheism. Many will claim that evolution does not promote atheism. However, militant atheists such as Richard Dawkins and William Provine both state that evolution was the leading factor in them becoming atheists.

I feel that the public school system makes many attempts to destroy the idea of religion in the minds of our children. That may sound a bit extreme, but I honestly believe it's the truth. Daniel Dennett once said this concerning parents who teach their kids anything other than evolution, "Those of us who have freedom of speech will feel free to describe your teachings as falsehoods, and will attempt to demonstrate this to your children at our earliest opportunity." Dennett is saying that if you teach your children the bible, which leaves no room for evolution, is the true word of God, he will tell them that you are a liar. And when does our school system start telling our children the bible is wrong? In kindergarten, when they tell your children that dinosaurs lived millions of years before humans did. Our children are being taught ideas that go against the bible by the time they are five years old.

So is there really any question why atheism is growing? Why God is becoming less prevalent in the minds of Americans? Why many Christians are losing their faith? Why so many claim there is no evidence for God? Why people claim that those who believe in the bible are ignorant? Just look at what we are teaching ourselves. I mean, with an educational system like the one we have, what else would you expect?
-Colton Scott

Change

No matter what we do, there is one thing that we cannot change. And that is change itself. Everything in this world is constantly changing. That's just the way it is, and that's the way it will always be. No matter how bad we want some things to remain the same, they never do. You can fight it if you want, but you would just be fighting a battle that you cannot win. The only power we do have, is the way that we react to those changes. The bible tells us to remain positive, no matter what happens. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
It seems that most of the time when something doesn't go our way, we want to soil up and find somebody to blame. We have to realize that when things go wrong, that leaves new opportunities for us to step up. We find a perfect example of this in the story of Job. Job was an upright man, who feared God and shunned evil, yet his entire world was changed for the worst. He lost everything that he had. His whole world had fallen apart. And what did he do? He got angry and blamed God. Little did he know what was really going on. God allowed him to be tested by Satan, because he held him in such high esteem.
As we go through changes and trials, we must realize the need to stay positive. James 1:2-4 says "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." There is a reason for these changes that we face. It is so that we can become perfect.
Satan told God that if he would change Job's world, Job would curse him. (Job 1:11). So let us ask ourselves, "If my world was changed for the worst, how would I respond?"
-Colton Scott

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." -Reinhold Niebuhr

Inspiration

Everyone who attended CYC this weekend saw a man speak by the name of Robert Reed. Robert is a huge inspiration to me, as I'm sure he is to everyone who has ever heard him speak. If you have never had the opportunity to hear Robert, I think you will be truly inspired by his story...

His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t
feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro®. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette. Robert has Cerebral Palsy.
The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But
it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian
University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t
keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five
mission trips.
And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.
He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying
Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a
tutor who would instruct him in the language.
Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about
Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife,
Rosa.
I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair
onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force
open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration
from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the
opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, "I have everything I need for
joy."
His shirts are held together by Velcro®, but his life is held together by joy.(Peace That Defies Pain, Max Lucado)
-Colton Scott

2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Dinosaurs and Evolution

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2528412371399195162#

This is a video of Kent Hovind speaking on the truth of dinosaurs and evolution. He is quite entertaining, and he really knows his stuff. It would be a real blessing for you to watch.
- Colton Scott

"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." -Albert Einstein

Christian Unity

It is pretty safe to say that Christianity is under attack in the world today. Atheism is spreading, and atheists are becoming louder. One would think that Christians would ban together and fight back. This isn't the time to turn the other cheek, this is the time to overthrow some tables (Matt 21:12), but that's not what's happening. Instead, Christians are not fighting back. We're not even banning together.
I can't even begin to name all of the different denominations and divisions among Christians today. It seems like anytime there is a tiny disagreement between two Christians, there is a new church established. In America today, only 60% of people claim to go to church on Sundays. That 60% should be doing everything that it could to be reaching out to the other 40%, but it's not. Instead, that 60% is too busy fighting amongst one another.
Is this what Jesus had in mind when he established his church? Certainly not. The bible only tells us of ONE church. Ephesians 3:21 says, "To him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus." In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says, referring to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build MY CHURCH." Ephesians 4:4 says "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling." What does the writer mean by "one body"? Well, let's take a look at Ephesians 1:21-22 which says, "And He put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body". His body is the church. So if there is only one body, there can only be one church.
So if the bible states that there is only one church, why are there so many different churches? Why is there so much disagreement? Why can nobody agree about what the bible says? It's because so many people aren't reading their bibles! The Gallup polling organization surveyed many U.S. citizens and asked them some basic bible questions. Six out of ten did not know who gave the Sermon on the Mount. Fifty percent could not name the four gospels. Less than fifty percent could name Genesis as the first book of the bible. Eighty percent believed that the bible says, "God helps those who help themselves." And twelve percent of those polled thought Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. (Kyle Butt, A Matter of Fact). Is there really any wonder why there is such disagreement about the bible? It's like were all arguing over the rules to a board game instead of just reading the rule book.
The bible makes it very clear that there is only one church. Obviously that church should be the one of the bible. So what do we do now? We need to come together as one. Paul told the Philippians to be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind (Phi 2:2). And who should we look to as our leader? Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:23 says, "Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body." When asked about the most important matter of the law, Jesus said that we were to love our God with all of heart, and treat our neighbor as we would like to be treated. I'm afraid that as we sit here and bicker back and forth with one another, we're missing the whole point.
-Colton Scott

Would A God of Love Create A Place of Misery?

In the world today, there are many who question God. Why does God do this? Why does God allow that to happen? Why has God done this to me? This is nothing new. People have been questioning God for forever. Once Job suffered his hardships, he was quick to question God. One topic that many people want to question God about is Hell. Is it real? Would God really send someone there? Do good people go to Hell? If yes, then why? Does Hell, a place of eternal torment, make God any less great? This was a topic that really tested my faith not too long ago. It's a question that demands answers. Once one really decides to study his bible, he or she will realize that the answers aren't too hard to find.
Is Hell a real place? The answer is yes. The bible mentions Hell several times. In Matthew 13:42 we read that Hell is a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is just as real as Heaven. Why would God prepare such a place like that for us? He didn't. God never intended for any of us to go to Hell. The bible tells us that Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41). Why do people go to Hell? That's easy. People go to Hell because they refuse to go to Heaven. God couldn't make it any easier. He sent his son to die for us, so that we could live with him in Heaven, and many in the world today still refuse to do what's right. Is this God's fault? Certainly not. Is God sending them to Hell? No. They are sending themselves. It is God's intention for each and every one of us to live with him for eternity, but if they want to follow the devil, then God will let them do so.
Well, what about good people who haven't been saved? Do they go to Hell? I want to make this point very clear, I am not in the business of trying to send anyone to Hell. I am not judging anyone. I am only stating what the bible says. That being said, if someone has not done what the Lord has told them to do to go to Heaven, that person is not going to go to Heaven. I know this, because I know that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). That's a tough concept to understand. But it's the truth.
So, if someone lives a good life, follows the golden rule, but hasn't followed God completely, they have to go to Hell? Why is that so? How can God be so good, if this is the case? Let me explain it like this: I want to tell you about a guy named Jim. Jim is a senior in high school. He makes good grades, performs well in sports, and is just an all around great guy. Jim is the first one to help out a friend in need. Everybody loves Jim. One night, Jim is at a party, and he decides to have a few drinks. He feels fine, and he decides to drive home. Jim is stopped by the police and is arrested for driving under the influence. Now Jim is a great guy, but he has made a huge mistake. He is scheduled for court the following week. Jim shows up at court and walks up to see the judge, who happens to be his father, to find out his punishment. His father tells him that he has to pay a fine of one thousand dollars or serve up to six months in jail. Jim is very upset. He says to his father, "Dad, you know I don't have that kind of money." His father says, "I know son", and he then pulls one thousand dollars out of his pocket. Instead of accepting the money, Jim turns his back on his father and starts to walk out of the courtroom. What should happen to Jim? Should he have to serve his six month jail sentence, since he couldn't pay his fine alone, and refused to accept his father's gift? Of course he should. He may be a great guy. He may be loved by everyone. But he made a mistake, and justice has to be served. His father even offered to pay his debt, so that he could be set free, but he refused. The last thing his father wanted was to see is his son in jail, but what else could he do? Nothing. I know this is just a silly made up story, but I think you get the point.
Just like the father in this story didn't want to see his son in jail, our heavenly father doesn't want to see us in Hell. He has done everything in his power, without imposing on human free will, to make sure that we don't go to Hell. So, does Hell, a place of eternal torment, make God any less great? Absolutely not.
-Colton Scott

"There's good deeds and then there's good intentions, and they're as far apart as Heaven and Hell."- Ben Harper

Richard Dawkins vs. John Lennox

http://www.fixed-point.org/index.php/video/35-full-length/164-the-dawkins-lennox-debate

This is a great debate on Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion. It's really long, and I'm sure most of you will not want to watch the whole thing, but it contains a lot of great information. Richard Dawkins and John Lennox are two professors at Oxford University, and they both do a great job at presenting their case. Please let us know what you think.

- Colton Scott

"I feel bad for atheists. They don't have nothing to look forward to."- Linzee Crunk

Evolution: True of False?

In today's society, evolution is no longer recognized as a theory, but a fact. Richard Goldschmidt says, "Evolution of the animal and plant world is considered by all those entitled to a judgement to be a fact for which no further proof is needed." J. Savage adds, "No serious biologist today doubts the fact of evolution... The fact of evolution is clear." Is that true? Does evolution really have enough facts that no further proof is needed? Daniel Dennett (atheist philosopher) sure thinks so. He once said this concerning parents who teach their kids anything other than evolution, "Those of us who have freedom of speech will feel free to describe your teachings as falsehoods, and will attempt to demonstrate this to your children at our earliest opportunity." Not only do atheists believe that evolution is the truth, but they believe it so much, that they are willing to tell your children that you are a liar for teaching them anything else. Let's take a look at some of these "facts" that evolution proclaims to be true, and you can just decide for yourself who is lying.

1: The English Peppered Moth. The English peppered moth is what many claim to be proof for evolution. Let me explain. Back before the industrial revolution, English peppered moths were 95% light colored, and 5% dark colored. After the industrial revolution, when chemicals darkened the tree trunks, English peppered moths became 95% dark colored, and 5% light colored. The theory goes, once the tree trunks became dark colored, English peppered moths evolved to being dark colored so they could blend in with the trees and protect themselves from predators. Many science books have pictures of these moths on tree trunks to show you just exactly what they mean. (I have a few of these pictures on PowerPoint.) This is what many claim to be proof for evolution, some even say the best evidence that they have. So what's the problem? Well, you might find this interesting. English peppered moths do not land on tree trunks. They have been studied for over forty years, and they have only ever seen two land on tree trunks, and that was at night. So how did they get pictures with them on tree trunks? Great question. They artificially put them there. Why would they do that, and why are these pictures in our schools' textbooks? Bob Ritter, a Canadian textbook writer who knew the pictures were fake but still used them, says this "You have to look at the audience. How convoluted do you want to make it for a first time learner?" "We just want to get across the idea of selective adaptation. Later on they can look at the work more critically." Wow. How many of you knew that your textbooks are lying to you? But it's okay, they're just trying to make easier for all of us first time learners. Later, they will let us look at it more critically. Well, when is later? This same drawing is used in many college textbooks. Are we supposed to get our doctorate degree in biology before the evolutionists can tell us that they lied to us?

2. Ernst Haeckel. As soon as Charles Darwin's book The Origin of Species was published in 1859, Ernst Haeckel became an immediate fan. He loved the idea of evolution, and he wanted to do anything he could to help prove this theory. So he came up with the idea of "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny". This basically means that every creature goes through its evolutionary stage while it is being born. He proved this by his drawings. If you look at them, you will notice that in the first stages of life, humans look exactly like a fish, pig, rabbit, etc. This was considered proof that we all came from a common ancestor. So what's the problem? Well, the drawings are fake. A scientist who studied embryos told Haeckel that his drawings didn't even resemble what the embryos really looked like, and the theory was a bust. That was back in the 1860's. Why is this interesting? Haeckel's drawings are still being used in textbooks as proof for evolution! Here are just a few schools and school systems who use science books that proclaim Haeckel's drawings as proof for evolution; University of Western Florida, South Huntington school district, NY, University of Tennessee Martin, Central Michigan University. Stephen Jay Gould (atheist) had this to say on the subject, "“Haeckel remains most famous today as the chief architect and propagandist for a famous argument that science disproved long ago but that popular culture has never fully abandoned." “We do, I think, have the right to be both astonished and ashamed by the century of mindless recycling that has led to the persistence of those drawings in a large number, if not the majority, of modern textbooks.”

3. Eohippus. The Eohippus or the "dawn horse" is a small creature, about the size of a Boston Terrier. It is also the supposed first stage in horse evolution. If you have ever been to the American Museum of Natural History, you will have seen about a 200 thousand dollar exhibit of horse evolution. What's the problem? That's right. It's fake. Heribert-Nilsson said "The family tree of the horse is beautiful and continuous only in the textbooks." Stephen Jay Gould said this, “Once ensconed in textbooks, misinformation becomes cocooned and effectively permanent, because, as stated above, textbooks copy from previous texts. (I have written two essays on this lamentable practice: one on the amusingly perennial description of the eohippus, or “dawn horse” as the size of a fox terrier, even though most authors, including yours truly, have no idea of the dimensions or appearance of the breed.”

You want to know what bothers me about Gould's statement? He considers the description of the dawn horse as amusing. He thinks this is funny. He thinks it's just a big joke. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think this is a joke. Why? Because this is exactly the kind of misinformation that atheist like Daniel Dennett use to tell children that their parents are liars. Call me a stick in the mud, but I just can't find the humor in that.

- Colton Scott

“There were so many fewer questions when stars were still just the holes to heaven...”- Jack Johnson

But What About Evolution ?

In my last post, I discussed how we could prove that God did exist. That brings up the question: What about evolution? Ever since high school, I have always been told that evolution is a fact. In today's society, people will look down on you, even call you names, just for not believing in evolution. Richard Dawkins, a biology professor at Oxford University said, "It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet someone who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane. (or wicked, but I'd rather not consider that.)" So is evolution true? Can evolution really explain everything in the universe? No it can't. As a matter of fact, I am going to discuss two topics that evolution will never be able to explain. (Even though it may claim that it can.)
1. The beginning of the universe: How did this universe begin? Evolution claims that around 14.7 billion years ago, a tiny ball of matter, that derived from literally nothing, exploded. Expansion then took over, and this caused everything that we see now. There are a lot of problems with this theory, including a lack of evidence, but I don't really have enough time to discuss all of them. So I am just going to discuss the main issue here; How does something come from nothing? I don't know a whole lot about science, other than what little I've read, but I just don't understand how, in a material world, something can just magically appear out of nothing. That just doesn't make sense to me. What makes even less sense, is the fact that so many people believe that it can. Some may say, "These scientists have doctorate degrees, shouldn't we believe them?". That is true, most of the them do. So does my math professor. But if he ever tells me that 2+2=5, I'm not gonna buy it. I don't care what kind of degree he has. The fact of the matter is that nothing can come from nothing. It just can't happen. Those who believe in evolution believe with all of the hearts that it can; and we're the ignorant ones?
2. The Law of Biogenesis: The law of biogenesis simply states that life only forms from previous life of its own kind. In other words, life cannot form from non-life. Evolution claims that it can. Evolution states that a long time ago there was a warm chemical soup on the planet. That soup was struck by lightening, and this caused the first building blocks of life. Even though there is no evidence to support this theory, most atheists will claim this is exactly how we were created. Many will say that they know it for a fact. That's funny. Let me explain why: Robert Hazen is one of the most credentialed scientist on the planet. He received his doctorate degree in earth science from Harvard University. He is a research scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington Geophysical Laboratory. He is also a member of ISSOL (International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life). Only 500 scientists in the world are members of ISSOL. He done a lecture series on how life formed here on this planet. You might find some of his comments pretty interesting. He starts off by saying, "This course is unusual, because at this point, there is so much that we don't know about life here on earth." He then says, "The origin of life is a subject of immense complexity, and I have to tell you right up front, we don't know how life began." "How can I tell you about the origin of life when are so woefully ignorant of that history?" Here is one of the smartest scientist on the planet, who has devoted over ten years of his life to nothing other than the origin of life on this planet, and he still has no idea how it got here. So yeah, it's pretty funny when some 20 year old kid (or a professor at Oxford University for that matter) tries to tell me that I'm stupid for not believing in evolution.
You may be saying, if all of this is true, than why does so many people believe in evolution? That's a great question. The answer is, because so many people don't really examine evolution carefully. They just believe everything that they hear, and sometimes what they hear, are nothing but lies and misinformation. In my next post, I am going to discuss all of the misinformation that Darwinists try and make you believe. I think you will find some of it to be pretty interesting.

- Colton Scott


"Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could. And if you can't believe that nothing caused something, then you don't have enough faith to be an atheist." - Frank Turek

Just Plain Common Sense

Does God exist? Yes, he does. The book of Genesis explains to us very clearly that there is a God, and that he created the universe in six days. The skeptic will disagree. The skeptic will say that I have no proof for this claim. I do have proof. As a matter of fact, I will show that all I really need is just a little bit of common sense.
What is my proof? How can I use common sense to prove that God really does exists? Well, let me explain. Let's say you come over to my house, and you see a painting on my wall that you really like. You then ask me, "Who painted it?". I say to you, "Nobody. I just got home one day, and that painting was just sitting there." Would you believe that? Of course you wouldn't. Because we all know that if something is designed, it obviously had to have had a designer. Hopefully, nobody would disagree with that. This is common sense. So, if I could prove to you without a shadow of a doubt that the universe we live in was designed, you would have to admit that it had a designer. I don't see how anyone could disagree with that.
So is the universe designed? Yes, it is. How can I prove this? By using the Anthropic Principle. The Anthropic Principle is the mounting evidence that has many scientists believing that the universe is extremely fine-tuned (designed) to support human life here on Earth. Let's look at some of the Anthropic Constants.
Anthropic Constant 1: Oxygen level. The oxygen level on earth is at 25 percent. If it were altered in anyway, life on earth would be impossible. Anthropic Constant 2: Jupiter. If Jupiter was not in its current orbit, the earth would be bombarded with space material, and life on earth would be impossible. Anthropic Constant 3: Gravity. If the gravitational force were altered by .00000000000000000000000000000000001 percent, life on earth would be impossible. If these three constants aren't proof that the universe was designed, I don't know what is. But it just so happens that these three aren't the only constants in the Anthropic Principle. Actually, there are 122 of them. What are the chances that all of these constants could have occurred by chance, without design? Astrophysicist Hugh Ross has calculated that the probability is once in every 10 raised to the 138. That's the number 10 with 138 zeros behind it.
There is absolutely no way that anyone who has looked at all the facts could say that this universe was not designed. As we have already stated, anything that is designed must have had a designer. So based off of what we just saw, we can establish that the universe had to have had a designer. It's just plain common sense.

- Colton Scott

"Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith. If you really study science, it will bring you closer to God." - James Tour, Nanoscientist

Why Do I Believe in God?

Why do I believe in God? I remember the very first time I asked myself that question. I was around twelve years old, laying in bed late at night, and the thought just hit me. I mean, my parents have always told me that there was a God, but how could I know for sure? How could I know that they weren't mistaken? I had never heard any good reason to believe in God outside of the bible. God had never talked to me. I had asked God to let me see a miracle so that I could believe, but he never did. As far as I was concerned, there wasn't one good reason for me to believe in God, or anything supernatural for that matter. It was a very scary thought. I didn't like it. But it was there, and I couldn't get rid of it.
I struggled with that thought for years. When I was sixteen, I finally put the thought behind me. I was at a christian youth camp (Camp Wiregrass) when I finally decided that there just had to be a God. I saw so many young people worshiping God with all their hearts. I could feel the emotion for myself, and I just knew that this "God thing" had to be legit. I was baptized into Christ later that year for the remission of my sins, and I put all my worry and doubt of God's existence behind me for good. Or so I thought.
It wasn't until after I graduated from high school and was getting prepared to start my adult life when the question struck me again. Why do I believe in God? The doubt had taken its a game to a whole new level. Now I was old enough to understand the theory of Evolution, and that most scientists believed it to be a fact. Now I understood that there are many other religions out in the world, and that the followers of those religions believe that there religion is true, just like I do. What gave me the right to believe that I was right and they were wrong? What really hit me the hardest, was the matter of Hell. I knew what God commanded us to do in order to go to Heaven, and based off my own personal observations, I came to the conclusion that about 9 out of 10 people, including many of my loved ones, weren't living the way God had commanded. Did this mean that around 90 percent of people on earth, including people I loved dearly, were going to Hell? I just didn't want to believe that. As a matter of fact, I refused to believe that. If God loved us so much, why would he allow that to happen? What gave God the right to send so many people, including some who I would consider to be really good people, to an eternity of torment? These are the kinds of questions that I could not seem to get out of my head, and once again, my faith had been rattled.
I finally decided that it was time for me to make a decision. I wasn't going to play the fence any longer. Was I going to believe in the God of the Bible or not? I started investigating for myself. I wasn't to going to shy away from things like evolution anymore. I was going to study it, with an open mind, and see what kind of facts that it really had. I was going to do more in depth studies of the bible to see if it really would prevail as the inspired word of God. I was going to take to look at history to see if the bible's accounts of Jesus really were true. So what did I find?
In all the research that I have done, I have come away with the conclusion that the God of the bible is the one true God. I don't understand how anyone who has taken a look at all the evidence could come away with anything else. Over the next few weeks, I am going to be answering the question, "Why do I believe in God?". I am going to discuss why evolution is a theory and not a fact, and I am going to inform you why some of your science text books lie to you. I am also going to talk about how we know that Jesus Christ really did live on this earth 2,000 years ago, and how we can know for sure that the bible is 100 percent accurate. The goal of this discussion is to help you grow in your faith, and to better equip you to defend the reason for what you believe in (1 Peter 3:15). I am going to do my best to explain these topics in a way that a college or high school student can really understand. If you would like to study these topics on your own at a higher level, I would suggest that you visit www.apologeticspress.org. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know, and I will do my best to answer them. - Colton