Ron Sider’S Threat
Tim Stafford’s analysis [“Ron Sider’s Unsettling Crusade,” April 27] of why Ron Sider’s message is so unsettling to evangelicals was interesting. I think many conservative, evangelical Christians find Sider unsettling for the same reasons they support conservatives over liberals or Republicans over Democrats: they are protecting their own middle-and upper-class wealth and whiteness. This was never more obvious than with evangelicals who supported Reagan over Carter.
Evangelicals find Sider unsettling because he threatens this same self-interest by applying the Bible where it hurts: to their pocketbooks and to their racially insulated society.
J. Bruce Kilmer
Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
So, now we’re going to fix the world? How shall a church in retreat amass the enormous staff and billions of dollars to fix the world? Some may wish her to return to her old habit of dalliance with government. But the price of harlotry is a steep one to pay for a hopeless task. Besides, why attempt something Christ never assigned us? His agenda is for us to preach the gospel to a world that hates us as it did him. Fixing people, not the world, is what will pay off.
Norman L. Meager
Sonora, Calif.
We need more people like Ron Sider to wake this country up. It surprises me there would be so much hostility to his crusade, since it is very biblically based. Yet, North American Christians show little concern for social injustices. We are a very self-centered bunch.
Deane Anderson
Madison, wis.
Stafford overlooked one of Sider’s most creative ideas, recorded in Nuclear Holocaust and Christian Hope (InterVarsity Press). He advocated the U.S. totally disarm—nuclear and conventional—allow Soviet Communists to invade, endure the slaughter of one or two million Americans, and see world peace emerge. The terror, misery, and heartache such a slaughter would have brought is viewed as a necessary evil.
Sider fails to see that liberalism’s theological base is secular humanism, not biblical Christianity.
David A. Noebel, President
Summit Ministries
Manitou Springs, Colo.
Thank you for your willingness to present Ron Sider as a man of God rather than an out-“Sider.” I believe he is truly trying to live the biblical model of Jesus: not only the New Testament Jesus, but the historical, Old Testament Jesus!
Bradlee T. Bame
Neffsville Mennonite Church
Lancaster, Pa.
Love Versus Logic
After reading “How Wide Is God’s Mercy?” by Edward Fudge [April 27], I would compare the extremes of both systems. Calvinism at its worst, hyper-Calvinism—the Freddy Krueger of witnessing—is a loveless system. Arminianism/Wesleyanism, Wesley’s doctrine of perfection, has led to the charismatics—a logicless system, which believes God is a puppet of our own desires.
Fudge states: “The hallmark of a Christian is not logic, but love.” True, but should this love not be well-informed? I believe any true Calvinist or Arminian will be honest in love toward the other—we are brothers and sisters in the Lord no matter how heated the battle. A third alternative is not plausible—the twain shall never meet—except in heaven. For now, the “constant controversy” wages on—but both are Christian in their simplest forms. Iron sharpens iron.
Rodney Beason
Knoxville, Tenn.
My heritage is diametrically opposed to that of Edward Fudge, so I found his seven couplets very interesting. I concur with all 14 statements. He says they come short of a third alternative between Arminianism and Calvinism, as indeed they do. I believe he can find a well-developed alternative, as I have, in Lutheran theology. The Lutheran perspective is neither Calvinist nor Arminian; both would find it difficult to understand. Most Lutherans I know assiduously avoid discussing the subject.
David P. Tamminga
Pardeeville, Wis.
Twelve-Step Habits Of The Heart
I got a visit last week from Millie Montgomery, who came bouncing into my office with something urgent on her mind. “It’s high time our church entered the nineties,” she said, “and started one of those 12-step programs for people struggling with addictive behavior.” She had an addiction, she went on to confess. In fact, she had several addictions in need of taming.
Not wanting to pry, but sensing she wanted to say more, I asked what it was she was struggling with: Alcohol? Overeating? No. Millie began by saying she was addicted to her time of Bible reading and reflection each morning. But that wasn’t all. She prayed (compulsively, she said) before each meal, even snacks. And she was addicted to church every Sunday. Millie confessed all this had been going on for years.
Was there more? I asked. And she seized the opportunity to add brushing her teeth after every meal to her list of compulsions. I tried to console her by pointing out the obvious—namely, that there were worse things to which she could be addicted. But she would hear none of it, insisting that she had to prove to herself that her behavior was sincere, not compulsive. To do this, she was determined to go cold turkey: skip church on Sunday, eat without praying, and ignore the Bible all day long.
Millie made me promise to pray for her to resist the temptation to go to church. I suggested that if on Sunday afternoon she felt compelled to read Scripture, she could call the pastor for counseling. By the time we finished, she had backed away from calling upon the church to found a 12-step group to support her in her struggle. Until I made the mistake of offering her a left-over coffee-break doughnut, and she reached in her purse to check for a tooth brush.
EUTYCHUS
What Causes Sexual Violence?
In your editorial “Making Porn Pay” [April 27], Deen Kaplan is quoted as stating that evidence clearly shows that exposure to sexually violent materials “is a causal factor in the commission of sexual violence against women, children, and even men.” Judith Becker, a member of the Meese Commission on Pornography, disagrees. She told the New York Times, “I’ve been working with sex offenders for ten years and have reviewed the scientific literature and I don’t think a causal link exists between pornography and sex crimes.”
Concerning the Pornography Victims Compensation Act: Say a father got drunk two nights in a row, committed incest with both of his daughters, and, as a result, both of them became pregnant. Then, the authorities arrested the man for his horrendous act. If he blamed his conduct on having just read an identical story in Genesis 19, would Thomas Nelson Publishers, Zondervan, or some other Bible publisher be held liable for the man’s actions?
Skipp Porteous, President
Institute for First Amendment Studies
Great Barrington, Mass.
The Truth About Native Americans
In response to Chuck Colson’s column “Dances with Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing” [April 27], I was surprised to find such prejudiced ideology in your magazine. It shows the ignorance some Christian individuals and organizations have shown throughout history toward the native American.
From a native American perspective, Dances with Wolves was one of the few motion pictures that dared to portray the truth. Ask native American peoples if all they have experienced at the hands of Europeans truly reflects the love of God or Judeo-Christian morals and ethics. Colson seems resentful that the Sioux were depicted, as he says, “noble and humane.” I know my heritage, and the Sioux people and our ancestors were indeed a noble, humane (and clean) people. It is ironic how the Sioux fought for their women and children; yet, because of that, they have been called “savages.”
Jesus Christ is redeeming, cleansing, and lifting up native Americans so that we too may stand up and be heard. We are trying to win our people to Jesus and present an accurate picture of Christ. Yet statements like Colson’s serve to build the walls between Christians and native Americans higher. Let’s pray the truth will be able to be told and accepted.
Art Begay
Columbia Falls, Mont.
I was shocked at the idea of holding onto an incorrect view of history in favor of keeping “society’s common history” intact. Colson would seem more concerned with upholding traditional American values than with the truth. His interpretation of Kevin Costner’s comment on the number of white men that were to come as being “as many as the stars” seems like witch hunting. Throughout the history of the church, many missionaries have seen the culture of those they wished to convert as utterly sinful and sought not only to convert the peoples, but also to destroy their culture.
Peter Cariño
Philadelphia, Pa.
Solving Cultural Differences
I appreciated “Why Is Latin America Turning Protestant?” [CT Institute, April 6]. “They” are becoming “us.” Give God the credit; he’s the only solution to cultural divisions.
The articles highlighted an issue that needs clarity; the Protestant-Catholic division. While many evangelical leaders have desired rapprochement with Rome, and many American Catholics hold Protestant views, there are still major differences. At this late hour in the post-Christian age, we need each other like no other time since the first schism; the Belfast problem is not a solution, yet we cannot wish the differences away. Perhaps our Hispanic brethren will teach us.
Dave Gibbs
Seattle, Wash.
Thanks for your excellent articles on the growth of the church in Latin America, but there is more to the story than your authors communicated. I would love to have seen three other emphases:
1. A little less clinical analysis and a little more rejoicing that multitudes of people are coming into a personal relationship with the Christ they have heard about but not really known.
2. A little more credit given to the work of the Holy Spirit in this region. I have been overwhelmed with the reality that God the Spirit has been brooding over this land for centuries.
3. More about how a continent turning Protestant relates to the completion of the Great Commission. American Christians are missing out on the greatest story since the resurrection.
Dr. James H. Montgomery, President
Dawn Ministries
Pasadena, Calif.
There seemed to be a glaring omission. Luis Palau and his team have held crusades in almost every South American country. In April, he held a crusade in Mexico City. In most countries he has a daily radio program in Spanish; when there in person, he has a TV program.
It seems to me the Lord working through Palau has helped cause this awakening.
Elsie Cooper
San Jose, Calif.
C. René Padilla’s answer to why the Vatican has opposed liberation theology is a shocking piece of ignorant bigotry. Power and intransigence, he says; the truth is entirely different. The Vatican is not simply opposed to liberation theology, and it strongly wants and promotes social justice and change in Latin America and elsewhere. Let your readers study two Vatican documents on the subject: Instructions on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation” (1984), and Information on Christian Freedom and Liberation (1986), both from Cardinal Ratzinger’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Many other periodicals and books by Catholics and non-Catholics treat these matters in depth and are widely available. Your readers—and the truth of the matter—deserve a proper presentation.
Rev. Jerome F. Treacy, S.J.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Help For Ethical Problems
Thank you for publishing the articles by Drs. Cameron and Orr on advance directives [“Living Wills and the Will to Live” and “Get It in Writing,” April 6], The Patient Self-Determination Act has engendered widespread confusion in the health-care industry. I am a hospital director and emergency services chaplain. The articles help highlight ethical issues all of us are facing. Most of us are facing them in the heat of emergency, not in the cool atmosphere of the church. We need all the help we can get.
Rev. Wayne Detzler
Calvary Baptist Church
Meriden, Conn.
How can anyone be sure “it is clear a person cannot recover”? How many times do we read in God’s Word of people being healed? How many times have we been healed or know of others healed of life-threatening illnesses? Who are we to decide that God will not heal a person? I could not, in all good, God-given conscience, fail to do everything possible to save another person’s life.
Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Certainly this must include those with terminal illnesses, in comas, and so on. God does not kill, nor does he want us to kill.
Jeri Payne
Mt. Clemens, Mich.
Readers’-Choice Book Of The Year
We found [your readers’] choice of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood as Book of the Year an appalling validation of our belief that most Christians turn off their brains when they read “Christian” books. We have yet to find a book that includes so many logical inconsistencies, errors, and substandard scholarship. It is too bad that these so-called traditionalists cannot do a better job of researching and writing in defense of their indefensible position than this very poor piece of work. We would have welcomed a well-researched, well-written, and truly scholarly book by the authors on this subject.
Jeff and Ruth Bolton
Brooklyn Center, Minn.
If two white supremacist authors wrote a book promoting and justifying white supremacy, and an audience of white supremacists liked it, we would offer no congratulations. The [readers’] choice of Piper and Grudem’s book demands repentance, not congratulations.
51 Signatories
An Unlikely Mistake
Due to the misprint of one word, the entire content of my letter in response to “For the Love of Zion” [News, Mar. 9] was misrepresented [Letters, May 18]. The word likely (p. 6) should be unlikely. My position was misrepresented.
Sandra Batdick
Anaheim Hills, Calif.
Israel And Biblical Prophecy
It was refreshing to read Ken Sidey’s balanced presentation on Christian Zionism [“For the Love of Zion,” Mar. 9]. As an evangelical, and also a journalist covering Israel since 1982, I have experienced firsthand the dilemmas that contemporary Mideast events can present to Christians who believe the modern Jewish state is connected to biblical prophecy. Yet I am firmly convinced that prophecy is indeed being fulfilled by the large-scale Jewish return to the Holy Land.
Opponents of this view usually have a hard time accepting that a journalist working for CBS Radio can still privately take a Christian Zionist theological stand. The truth is, one does not have to be an Arab basher or a dispensationalist to be a Christian Zionist. As your sidebar shows, Christian support for a Jewish state, based on a literal reading of biblical prophecy, has been around for centuries.
David Dolan
Jerusalem, Israel
Christians forget how desperate a situation the Jewish people are in. The nations around them would still want to destroy them. Christians are being confused by the unfair media message that highlights the Palestinian needs, while neglecting the horrors of the Arab world. If such a thing were possible, the Arab world would destroy the Jewish people in a second, and wipe them clean from the land of Israel.
Those who love the Lord and believe the Scriptures are the only ones who will pray for the peace of Jerusalem and stand by the Jewish people in their hour of need.
Sam Nadler, President
Chosen People Ministries Inc.
Charlotte, N.C.
Did It Happen?
In Christian principle, what’s wrong with trying to find out exactly how many Jews the Third Reich murdered, and how and where?
Yes-the-Holocaust-did-happen Gerald Fleming and no-it-didn’t Ivan Lagace agree that Auschwitz had 46 cremation ovens. They disagree on how many cremations/day the 46 ovens could handle. Surely CT can show us a picture of one of the ovens with a few comments by a current cremation expert. Such a picture would have as much impact as Pierard’s editorial [“It Happened,” Mar. 9].
Andrew Lohr
Lookout Mountain, Ga.
