Volume II, Issue 4

www.midwestapologetics.org

Welcome to the monthly Midwest Apologetics newsletter.  Each issue is designed to keep you informed on the latest news concerning the ministry.

What Will it Take?

We’ve all seen them.  Christians who are so fired up about their faith that sometimes we are almost embarrassed to be around them because they put us to shame.  I am not talking about those who are simply emotional about their Christian walk.  I’m referring to those who actually walk the walk and talk the talk.  They practice what they preach even when others aren't there to see them.

Conservative pastors would love to have a church filled with these people but most of the time they are lucky to have only a handful.  These pastors often bemoan the fact that 10% of the congregation does 90% of the work while the majority does very little.  They wonder what it will take to get the rest of the flock fired up like these people.  They try every new gimmick that promises to increase spiritual and numerical growth yet it seems that problem is never solved.  If anything, it worsens because they have grown numerically but not spiritually so now the 10% are left with even more to do.

Sadly, these pastors often neglect the biblical prescription for spiritual growth.  They fail to train their people to develop of biblical worldview so that all decisions in every area of life will be filtered through God’s Word.  Obviously, it is the Holy Spirit who will encourage and strengthen believers in their walk but He does this through the careful and prayerful study of His Word. 

Not only do so many pastors neglect this prescription, they unintentionally undermine it.  It has been our experience that when people are shown that God’s Word can be trusted from the very first verse then they begin to have confidence in the rest of the Bible.  Yet so many pastors, seminary and Bible college professors, and other Christian leaders are out there telling the Church that Genesis does not matter.  One can believe whatever he/she wants regarding the days of creation.  When this message is given (whether directly by word or indirectly by silence) then believers lose confidence in God’s Word and begin looking to man’s opinions for answers.

When will the Church wake up to this fact?  What will it take?  God has not given us permission to pick and choose which parts of the Bible we will accept as written.  This very notion sets the individual in the position of God by deciding what is inspired and what should be reinterpreted as myth or allegory.  Christian, if you truly want to see real spiritual growth in your life and in your congregation then you need to trust and teach the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20: 27).  Please pray that the Church will wake up from its slumber and begin relying on the only One who is worthy of our complete trust.

It is our sincere belief at Midwest Apologetics that everything in Scripture hinges on the accuracy of the first few chapters of the Bible.  If God did not tell us the truth in Genesis 1, 2, 3….11, then when does He start giving us real history?  When does the One who claimed to be “the Truth” (John 14: 6) start telling us the truth?

Upcoming Events

May 12 – 13: Creation Apologetics Conference at Living Waters Bible featuring Carl Kerby from Answers in Genesis.  For more information on the conference please download the brochure here.

June 3: Grace Church, Viroqua, WI – Breaking the Da Vinci Code (6:30 PM)

June 4: Grace Church, Viroqua, WI – The Inerrancy of Scripture (10:30 AM)

If you would be interested to have Tim speak at your church, school, youth group, etc. please email us for more information.

Articles

We have been adding articles to the website as time allows.  Tim updated his paper in which he critiqued the Old Earth Creationists’ biblical arguments.  In addition, a couple of articles were added concerning Tim’s trip to the Creation Museum.  Josh wrote a heartfelt article critiquing some of the leaders of the Word-Faith Movement.  Josh’s critique may sound a little harsh at times but keep in mind that he grew up in one of these churches and has a strong burden to see them get back to the authority of God’s Word.

The Futility of Old Earth Arguments (updated) by Tim Chaffey

New Wine Anyone? by Josh Hickok

Exciting Times Ahead for Midwest Apologetics by Tim Chaffey

The Creation Museum Trip by Tim Chaffey

The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code hits the big screen in just over a month.  The book also just came out in soft cover last week and will undoubtedly sell several million more copies.  Be prepared to answer the numerous attacks on the Christian faith that are promoted in this action-packed novel and movie. 

The Paradoxical Nature of The Da Vinci Code

Breaking Da Vinci's Code

The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code

Cracking Da Vinci's Code

Prayer Requests

Please pray for the following items this month:

-   Carrie – diagnosed with leukemia last month.

-   Gayla S. – the niece of a close friend of Midwest Apologetics has recently been intellectually convinced of the Christian faith but needs to take that step of faith to place her life in Christ’s hands.  Please pray that she will take that next step.

-   The Creation Apologetics conference at Living Waters Bible Camp.  This will undoubtedly be the biggest event that Tim has spoken at so far.  Please pray that God will give him clarity of mind and speech and that God will be glorified through the messages given at the conference.

-   Tim is in the midst of a large writing assignment and will also be starting work on his M.Div. at Liberty next month.  Please pray that he will be able to manage his time well.

-   PRAISE!!! – The trip to the Creation Museum went extremely well.  The students worked hard and learned a lot while they were there.  Special thanks to Answers in Genesis for allowing us to be a part of this mighty work.

It looks like we have been able to work out the bugs in our email newsletter.  We received a few emails telling us that the links were not working properly on the email.  We are sorry that this has happened.  Please let us know if you are still having trouble with the links.