Over the weekend, I put together this video. Take a look at it (it’s set to It’s About The Cross by the band Go Fish).
Watch the video on YouTube!
The video can be downloaded in QuickTime format by right-clicking the first link below and selecting “Save Target As” (for IE) or “Save Link As” (for FireFox) or “Download Linked File” (for Safari). The higher-quality video can be downloaded by simply clicking its link, which will take you to www.Files-Upload.com.
Download Low Quality | 5.2MB
Download High Quality | 25.2MB
The High Quality download had been lost but it has now been fixed. Thanks for the hint, all those that let me know!
Special thanks to Way of the Master Radio for posting the video on their home page!
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Evangelism, Miscellania at 10:36 pm on 12.11.06 by standonbible
UPDATE
Drew has recovered completely since this post was made. No brain damage! Praise the Lord and thank you all for your prayers.
On Monday evening, my good friend Drew was climbing a tree and fell 30 feet onto his head. He was unconscious and not breathing when they rushed him to the hospital. They were able to get him breathing again, but his brain activity was down to 3 (1 is death, 15 is normal).
The ICU doctors operated Tuesday afternoon to try and relieve the pressure in his brain. They were successful, but the pressure rose again and they had to do an emergency surgery again on Wednesday.
As of this afternoon, Drew is still in a coma in ICU, but his brain activity has increased to 7 and his breathing and bodily function is normal. The pressure in his brain has dropped to 10 (it was formerly 22). He is still in critical condition, but the doctors have decided to wait a day and a half to see where he is then. He is currently in a drug-induced paralysis so that he will not injure himself further (he has been thrashing around wildly despite his semi-comatose state).
He has other injuries as well: a badly broken arm, one fractured rib, and a minor break in his back. Please keep him in your prayers. His parents are taking it very well considering everything. He has two younger siblings. Please keep them in your prayers as well.
Drew is a sophomore in high school.
Please keep praying.
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Miscellania at 10:30 pm on 08.10.06 by standonbible
Literally hundreds of books, websites, and even movies have been made about Noah’s Ark. Hundreds of presentations – but they have all been fiction.
But I am here to tell you that “Noah’s Ark” has been found.
“And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.” Genesis 11:2
God’s Word gives us two clues concerning the location of the Ark that He commanded Noah to build to escape the Flood of Judgment. The first is that the ark “came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The second is that the location is almost due east of the “land of Shinar”. This is now northern Iraq.
Noah’s Ark has been called a myth, a legend, and a fairytale. But Dr. Bob Cornuke, a Biblical archeologist who has led searches for many Biblical events and locations, believed God’s Word. Based on a few Biblical clues and the testimony of an army sergeant engineer during World War II named Ed Davis, he became convinced that the true location of the Ark was somewhere in Iran.
Dr. Cornuke led an expedition to try and find Noah’s Ark in the mountains of Northern Iran along with such notables as Barry Rand (former CEO of Avis), the author and Christian apologist Josh McDowell, Frank Turek (co-author with Norm Geisler of I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist), Boone Powell (former CEO of Baylor Medical Systems), and Arch Bonnema. They found a huge pile of petrified wood on the top of Mt. Sabalon at 15,300 feet above sea level – one thousand feet higher than Pike’s Peak in Colorado. The wood was darker than the surrounding rock and appeared to have been dyed black with pitch or some other dark substance.
The long, hand-hewn timbers sticking out of the mountain were squared off at the ends. Pictures show that the timbers were between one and two feet thick. The pile is about 400 feet long and is surrounded by marine fossils that originated under water.
Copyright laws prevent me from posting photographs here, but you can see a video and seventeen high-resolution photographs at www.arkfever.com.
However, I do have terrible news for you. This find, incredible as it is, will not trigger a huge rush of converts to Jesus Christ. Some may be convinced by the preponderance of evidence. Oh, but the turnout will be small – very small.
A famous atheist once said, “Even if they find a big boat up on Mount Ararat and drag it down Main Street, I wouldn’t believe that there was a worldwide flood. I wouldn’t believe that there is a God.” A famous man – Jesus Christ – once said that even if a man were to rise from the dead, people would still not believe.
There were thousands of people before the Flood that saw Noah’s Ark for almost a hundred years. Yet only eight escaped the Judgment of God. Why will it be any different today? There is a judgment coming. Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, the most perfect people on the earth, then we will by no means enter the kingdom of God. He said that all liars will have their place in the Lake of Fire that burns for ever and ever. “All liars” is pretty inclusive. It means Hitler. It means Stalin. But it also means Mother Theresa. It also means Oprah. It also means you and me and your next-door neighbor. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
There is only one name given under heaven by which men might be saved, and that is the name of Jesus Christ. He took the sin of the entire world on His shoulders two thousand years ago. The wrath God had for us was poured out on Him, and only by trusting in Him alone for forgiveness of our sins can we escape the wrath of God.
Noah’s Ark is an amazing discovery that will bolster the faith of many and may even push some over the edge. But it is not a license to send a non-Christian an email and let “the evidence” do the rest. It will never replace the holy conviction of the Holy Spirit that comes from the Holy Law of God – the Ten Commandments.
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
This article was first posted at Regenerate Our Culture. It is part of the July 4, 2006 Noah’s Ark blogburst.
Postedin Uncategorized at 4:56 pm on 07.04.06 by David S. MacMillan III
“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands that have connected them to another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle….”
If you are an average American reader, then it took you about twelve or thirteen seconds to read the foregoing quote from the Declaration of Independence. In that time period, twenty human beings who had never experienced the love of Christ died and went to Hell.
A liberal estimate places the number of born-again Christians at somewhere around 7% of the world’s population of 6 billion. One hundred and fifty thousand people will die every twenty-four hours. These statistics give rise to a few statistics that are even more interesting - and sobering:
- In the time it takes you to change the dial on your car radio, 3 unsaved people die.
- During an average TV commercial “hook”, 22 unsaved humans meet their Maker.
- While you take a shower (assuming that to take ten minutes), almost a thousand non-Christians die.
- The average church service: 5,800 people go to Hell.
- A youth group meeting in an average American church: over ten thousand people go to Hell.
- During a Christian rock concert: a group of people equivalent to more than a thirtieth of the population of Washington, DC perish forever.
Do those statistics surprise you? They should at least make you think.
Recently, an “evangelical” leader was quoted as saying, “When you are on an airplane, you should never witness to the person you are sitting next to.” Ostenibly because they might feel “trapped”.
Fine. What are you going to tell God when He asks you, “I gave you two hours next to a person who desperately needed to hear My Gospel. As he left the airport, he was hit by a bus and slipped into a coma. He died a week later, never once coming out of the coma. Why didn’t you witness to him?”
It is said that only two things last forever: the Word of God and the souls of men. Every human being on this planet will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell. If you are a Christian, it is your duty to share the Gospel with every single person you possibly can. Do not wait for God to tell you to witness; He already has. Remember that even though we are not judged by our works as Christians, we will still be required to give an account of every word, thought, and deed. Only what is done for Christ will last.
Keep going until the net is full!
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
P.S. While you read this article, one hundred and ninety-six unsaved people died. From here on out, it’s up to you.
Postedin Uncategorized at 1:53 am on 06.27.06 by David S. MacMillan III
Reader RC directed me to an excellent post on his blog in reference to the PCUSA’s decision to include Mother, Child, Womb as a “reclamation” of the Trinity. I blogged about this in my last post here.
The new push centers around the idea that the conventional Trinitarian view is somehow “outdated” and needs to be “reclaimed”. Subsequent to that thread, Presbyterian Charles Wiley came up with a set of “rules” to create new versions of the Trinity - some of the results were “Mother, Child, Womb” and “Lover, Beloved, Love”. I figured that under the same rules we could use “Hen, Door, Blanket” - but that’s just me.
One version that I hadn’t heard about was shown me by RC at his post. This made me positively sick:
Rainbow, Ark, and Dove
RC made a very good point. As Jesus hung on the cross, bearing the sins of the entire world, separated from His Father, he didn’t cry out “My Rainbow, My Rainbow, why have you forsaken me?”
It is one thing to compare the attributes of Almighty God to a Rock, a King, or a Door. But it is another thing altogether to call the Holy Creator of the Universe “Rainbow”, “Compassionate Mother”, or “Lover”. This is called sacrilege. That’s a word that has been misused in the past again and again, but this is a time it can be pulled out of the closet, dusted off, and put to excellent use.
“From the creation of the world, God’s invisible attributes are clearly clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, so that mankind is without excuse.”
They changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.”
When we reject God’s Law and interspose our own ideas about Him, suppressing the truth in ungodliness, we are setting ourselves up for His judgment. Don’t believe me? Read Romans 1 and consider what has happened in mainstream “churches” like Anglicanism that has now ordained and made normal practicing homosexual “bishops”. This isn’t about denominational issues - this is about exchanging the Truth of God for a Lie. On which side do you stand? God has appointed a day that He will judge the world in righteousness, and He will require an account of your every thought, word, and deed. He says that a place has been made for whoever “loves and practices a lie” - that place is Hell. Eternity is a long time. If you died tonight, where would you be?
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 2:36 am on 06.24.06 by David S. MacMillan III
Been listening to Way of the Master Radio. A lot.
The Presbyterian Church USA recently met for a convention. A lot of churches are doing that lately.
One of the resolutions that came up at the convention involved a benchmark of Christianity - the Trinity. The fundamental doctrine espoused in the Nicean Creed that the Godhead is composed of three individual, distinct persons/personalities with one fundamental essence and being: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Presbyterian Charles Wiley feels that the Trinity needs to be “Reclaimed”. It is apparent from his writing that the “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” is really just an analogy but it is outdated so any analogical approach is good and we need to come up with more terms to express the Trinity. Et cetera.
Mr. Wiley even has developed a set of rules to guide the formation of new Trinity threesomes.
We are able to draw from the well of Scripture to enrich the ways we speak of God and to God.
This liberating approach also demands discipline. We cannot “pick one from column a, one from column b and one from column c,” as if any three terms can express Trinity. Are there “rules” to be followed, then? Yes. In the same manner that grammar rules help us to be clear about what we say, the rules of Trinitarian language help us to be faithful to what we believe.
In that spirit, I propose three rules:
- The three terms must have an inner relationship.
- The terms must either be personal or functionalÂthe two should not be mixed.
- Functional terms cannot replace personal terms, but can amplify and enrich our understanding of God.
As might be expected, they have come up with some very far-out “versions” of the Trinity (this includes those on thePC-USAA website and a few others I have heard on this basis):
- The One to Whom, the One by Whom, and the One in Whom we offer our praise
- Speaker, Word and Breath
- Overflowing Font, Living Water, Flowing River
- Compassionate Mother, Beloved Child and Life-giving Womb
- Our Sun, Ray and Warmth
- Lover, Beloved, Love
- Rock, Cornerstone and Temple
- The Fire that Consumes, the Hammer that Breaks, the Storm that Melts Mountains
Okay, the last one is not that bad, but it still should not be used to “Reclaim the Trinity”. But “Our Sun, Ray, and Warmth”?
And “Mother, Child, Womb”? Is it just me, or do I detect a little attempt to introduce feminism here?
“Lover, Beloved, Love”? This is getting sticky here.
God is not a big ball of fire in the sky that keeps us warm. He is not Mommy. And He is not the cosmic girlfriend/boyfriend either. He is an awesome, just, powerful Creator and Judge whose wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.
Yes, God loves you. But it isn’t a pampering love. I repeat, God is NOT your cosmic girlfriend with a human-shaped hole in His heart. The love that He has is a perfecting love - He sacrificed His life so that our debt to justice would be paid and we could grow to be like Him.
Get it straight, Mr. Wiley. I am sure that you meant well. But this is too important to miss.
If you want to find out more about how the Trinity “works”, check out my article on the subject.
So do you think that the PC-USA went overboard in voting to accept “Mother, Child, Womb” as a “Reclamation” of the Trinity? “PC” … Politically Correct? How about Biblically Correct?
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 12:16 am on 06.23.06 by David S. MacMillan III
Story found at EnGadget.com.
Look. I have no problem whatsoever with immigration. Granted, you should probably speak English or at least want to learn how before coming to the U.S. of A., and you’ll have to leave your flag behind you, but if you think about it all of our ancestors were once immigrants so a bias against legal immigration is just plain irrational.But illegal immigration is a different thing altogether. Rather than coming in like respectable people, illegal immigrants want to take
our Social Security and
our police protection and
our governmental system (which, by the way, is the best in the world) and refuse to pay taxes to support it. All this while stubbornly refusing to learn English and hanging on to their own culture
to the exclusion of an American way of life.
I am all in favor of a zero-tolerance policy in the realm of illegal immigration. If some guy comes to my front door, then fine. If he tries to jimmy his way in the back window, he will probably find himself full of buckshot. Honesty is always the best policy.
Texas (yee-hah!) governor Rick Perry has announced a revolutionary plan to solve the border crises that floods Texas will illegal immigrants every day. His idea: use the Internet and high-speed digital cameras to automatically create thousands of unpaid border control agents across the United States.
Perry estimates that the system would cost about $5,000,000, a small price to pay in exchange for the power would be created. Voyeuristic web surfers would be able to view live streams of the Texas-Mexico border 24/7 and have a toll-free number to report illegals trying to enter. This is all part of Perry’s $20 million plan to secure the Texas border without any federal help.
Sounds good to me! Texas forever!
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 10:58 pm on 06.05.06 by standonbible
A few days ago, one of my readers left a comment that referred me to a blog called “GoodMath where one more liberal evolutionist had written a post attempting to debunk another one of Dembski’s speculations. Of course, the speculation of Dembski was in no way related to my personal beliefs, but that didn’t stop the reader!
Rather than try and defend Dembski, I pointed the reader - and the author of GoodMath - to one of my posts that starts from the ground up in explaining a particular piece of scientific evidence that supports the idea of a Creator - namely, the formation of life. The post uses only mathematics, common sense, and data from the secular Nature magazine.
Trying to be fair, I also left a comment on the GoodMath site referencing my post - in case he wanted to try and debunk it. Which he promptly tried to do.
My initial argument was pretty simple: the odds for the formation of the simplest possible reproducing, living cell (from the Nature article) by random chance are greater than the most improbable set of odds in this universe. By definition it is therefore impossible for the simplest possible reproducing, living cell to arise by random chance.
His “rebuttal” was this: typing a random string of keys and calculating the odds of getting that particular result. Even though the odds are greater than 1 in 1080, it still happened, right?
I wonder what is wrong here. . . .
I already have a pretty good idea what the matter is with this obviously flawed argument. Care to guess?
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 1:55 am on 06.03.06 by David S. MacMillan III
Nope. Not for me at least.
Ultimate Frisbee, for those of you who are so unfortunate as to have never played it, is a variation on a game of American football played with a Frisbee disc. The object is to
pass the disc forward, backward, or sideways down the field and into the end zone for a touchdown. The catch is that when you have the disc you cannot move. If the disc touches the ground, the other team immediately takes possession.
Because of this game’s versatility, ease of play, and relative safety, it is extremely popular with many colleges and youth programs. It is the “official sport” of TeenPact.
However, I found out the hard way on Memorial Day evening that Ultimate is not really a no-contact sport. At least it isn’t when you are:
- Playing at night
- With a Disc Golf disc instead of an Ultimate Frisbee
- On wet grass
- On a small field
- With 11-year-old girls who don’t know how to throw a Frisbee
As my team advanced up the 10-or-so meter field, one of my sister’s friends caught my pass and found herself blocked by another player. So, she decided to pass it to me.
We were playing with a disc golf putter. Not only is this disc much harder to catch, but it also weighs between a quarter and a half a pound and is much more compact than a traditional frisbee. And, it was thrown at six feet in the air from only a few yards away at a speed that I didn’t know the girl possessed.
And I am six feet - and three inches - which places my eye level at approximately six feet in the air.
Needless to say, I ended up in the Emergency room at 2 AM the day after Memorial Day with blurred vision, a bleeding face, a black eye, difficulty focusing or moving my eye, and a really bad headache. Plus sensitivity to light in both eyes and a host of other minor aches and pains - including the whiplash I got when the impacting frisbee made my neck snap back and threw me to the ground. One word: Ouch.
Just a little update on the life of David S. MacMillan III….
Despite my aching head, I will be making a few more posts in the near future. They will tackle such tough subjects and questions as:
- Do angels “live” in time or eternity?
- Why this unscientific rebuttal is really quite absurd and depressing.
- The Final Solution to the illegal immigration problem - you?
- The discussion over my last post.
One thought to leave you with. So many high-level theologians are saying today that “The Gospel needs to be more relevant to the culture today.” This is patently absurd. But hey! I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Here’s relevant:
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 10:27 pm on 06.02.06 by David S. MacMillan III
In the first century AD, the followers of Jesus Christ met mostly in homes for meals and fellowship, and spoke publicly in synagogues and marketplaces only to portray the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” The informal home assemblies focused on edifying the believer, strengthening his or her faith, and equipping each person to more effectively share the Gospel and live for Christ.
Teaching varied greatly depending upon the audience. In a Christian environment, believers encouraged one another with the Scriptures, the letters from the apostles to the churches, and with the promise of God’s grace. However, in a secular environment Christians preached the law of God and the terrible reality of His righteous judgment on those who rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Their purpose in these settings was to bring unsaved people to a knowledge of their sin and a knowledge of the Gospel.
The Biblical way of “sermonizing” was Law to the proud, Grace to the humble.
Now, skipping forward 1900 years. . . .
Today’s “sermon” follows a much different tack. Generally a pastor is preaching to an audience that has both Christians and non-Christians in it, so he must try and appeal to both crowds equally. The mixed group, however, prevents him from using the law - it would confuse and condemn the Christians - or from speaking about grace - it would be “foolishness to those that are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
So today’s sermon is forced into a tight mold that constrains it from displaying the true Word of God. A “good” pastor today will usually give a watered-down version of Grace:
God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. If you are a Christian, come up front! We can help you to live God’s wonderful plan even more. If you aren’t a Christian, you need to ask Jesus into your heart so that you can start living God’s wonderful plan! Either way, come down to the altar and pray with one of our qualified advisors!
Sound familiar? Sadly, attempts to cater to a mixed crowd has turned the Gospel into a “contemporary” message of happiness and contentment through saying “the prayer”. No wonder most Americans live like Pollyanna.
Organized religious Christianity has done much for the Gospel - but it really has not done much good. Rather than equipping believers and saving the lost, it has presented an unbiblical “Jesus message” that is producing greater and greater numbers of false converts every day. No where in the Bible do we find one of the apostles saying, “Pray this prayer with me and Jesus will come into your heart.” Nor do we find the “life enhancement” message so prevalent in our “Christian” culture today.
Remember: Law to the proud, Grace to the humble.
Jesus changed His message based on who He was speaking to. Why shouldn’t we?
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 1:09 am on 06.01.06 by David S. MacMillan III
A few days ago, I came across this post over at Agent Tim’s Blog. It spoke about a letter to the editor that was published in the Daily Record on May 21. The writer of this letter, Jeffrey Huppert, claimed among other things that America was not a Christian nation and that most if not all the Founders were deists. Naturally, I had to set the record straight.
I sent the following letter in to the Daily Record, but they truncated it quite a bit when it was actually published. Oh well! I got at least part of the word across.
While surfing the blogosphere, I came across a link to a letter to the editor in the Daily Record titled “America not a Christian Nation”. I would appreciate it if certain people would take the time to get their facts straight.
The only accurate statement in the letter was the opening sentence:
“A recent letter claimed that the United States was founded on Christian thought.”
Jeffrey H., the reader who penned (or typed) the letter, apparently believes that the thousands of quotes from the Founding Fathers expounding upon the attributes of Jesus Christ are somehow irrelevant to the question of whether any of the Founders were Christian. I suppose that these letters, treatises, and speeches are the result of a massive conspiracy by the incorrigible Republicans to fool all the innocent populace.
Mr. H. states that “References to gods and religions are purposely left out of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, as well as all amendments.” This absence of direct reference to God in the articles of governmental arrangement obviously proves something. I’m just not sure what.
I suppose that Mr. H. has never read the Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States. It states expressly that the inalienable rights given to men by Creator God form the basis for all government - and especially the United States government!
And it gets worse.
“The founders wanted government to leave religions alone and equally wanted religions to leave government alone. […] Neither Franklin, Washington nor Jefferson believed in a personal God.”
It is becoming increasingly obvious that fewer and fewer people know how to accurately examine source documents. In Benjamin Franklin’s 1749 plan of education for the public schools of Pennsylvania, he insisted that schools teach “the necessity of a public religion . . . and the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern.” Likewise, Washington claimed on May 12, 1779, that what children needed to learn “above all” was the “religion of Jesus Christ,” and that to learn this would make them “greater and happier than they already are”. During the winter of 1777 in Valley Forge he charged his soldiers at Valley Forge that “To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian”.
Jefferson was another Founder who supposedly lacked belief in God or Christianity. And yet he himself stated “I am a real Christian, that is to say a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ.” The very word “Christ” means Savior or Messiah.
In the words of David Barton of Wallbuilders Ministries:
“Perhaps critics should spend more time reading the writings of the Founders to discover their religious beliefs for themselves rather than making such sweeping accusations which are so easily disproven.”
Please get your facts straight.
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
You can view the truncated version
here, but they left out most of the best part. Phooey.
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 11:20 pm on 05.29.06 by David S. MacMillan III
Breaking News
Last night, the TeenPact primary election ballot for the 2006 National Convention opened up for absentee voting!
If you have ever attended a TeenPact 4-day State class, you are eligible to vote. Here’s how it works:
Go to http://teenpact.com/elections/primary_parties.html and select your party. Each year, TeenPact chooses a hot political topic and creates several parties with different platforms in order to divide the candidates up. This year, the subject was illegal immigration, and the three parties were More Minute Men, Christian Amnesty, and Bush Guest Worker.
The More Minute Men party is clearly the best choice. Why? Not only are all the cool candidates running in this party, but this is the only party that can include the proper response to the illegal immigration problem: snipers and land mines. Understand, I have no problem with immigration; our ancestors all came here as immigrants at one time or another. But I do have a big problem with illegal immigrants who seek to leach money out of our government without paying taxes.
So, when you go to the elections, select the “More Minute Men” party. For the presidency, vote for Daniel Monplaisir and Anna Boyles. They are undoubtedly the best candidates for the presidency.
For the Senate and House of Representatives, I can only suggest that you vote for Chip Cocks for Senate and Paul Martin for the House. They both staffed my TeenPact state class this last year and are really great guys. And Chip is awesome at Ultimate Frisbee, too. . . .
So get out and VOTE!
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 10:59 pm on 05.26.06 by David S. MacMillan III
A quick Google search for “combat, attack, unbiblical, or false Da Vinci Code” just turned up almost ten million hits. Organized religion has definitely come out in force against this particular “heresy”.
Yesterday marked the premier of the film production of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Today, millions more Americans went to see the action-packed thriller that has truly captivated the minds of everyone - whether they be for it or against it.
According to a statistic from an article by Rod Martin, of the 45 million people who read the book, ninety-five percent state that it has not caused them to change any of their beliefs or religious perspectives because of the book’s content. In other words, this book will probably not have a terrific impact on the average person who already has some set religious ideas.
Nevertheless, I joined the hype this afternnoon by placing 50 $10,000 bills in car windshield wipers at the local theater. These slightly oversized bills have an image of Mona Lisa on the front:
This gospel tract in disguise is good because it does not attempt to go through and debunk each and every of the numerous factual errors in The Da Vinci Code. Rather, it takes what I would consider to be a more biblical approach; the back of the bill is as follows:
One of the most amazing claims of The Da Vinci Code is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, and she then became the most important of the apostles. If this is true, then the New Testament cannot be trusted, and its entire inspiration is in question. Did you know that… [read more]
Read it.
Rather that attacking the book and the movie, the tract affirms the authenticity of the Bible and challenges the person on the basis of their conscience. It closes by showing The Da Vinci Code for what it really is:
If you choose to ignore the Bible’s warning, and instead believe the fantasies of The Da Vinci Code, then be aware that you have joined the “Elvis is Alive!” crowd. You’ve included yourself in the ranks of the wide-eyed and faithful tabloid customers. The choice, however, is yours. It’s your eternity.
A great tract. Like I said, the entire parking lot was peppered with them - while the film was showing. So when everyone came out they had $10,000 with Mona Lisa on the front under their windshield wipers. Hee hee hee. When we were about eighty percent done, one of the employees (who happened to be an old friend of mine) came out and asked us if we had a permit to do what we were doing. I told him that since we weren’t trying to sell anything, we didn’t need a permit - and gave him a copy for the road. He read through the whole thing and went back into the theater and showed it to the other employees.
What do you think a good response is to this phenomenon?
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 2:03 am on 05.21.06 by David S. MacMillan III
“God intended us to live in harmony with God, with one another, with the rest of God’s creation. God’s dream was shattered by sin. The alienation just got worse, reaching a kind of climax in the scattering of the peoples in the story of the Tower of Babel when human community became impossible because humans could no longer communicate in a common language.
“Jesus, it appears, was quite serious when he said that God was our father and that we belonged all to one family, because in this family all, not some, are insiders. None is an outsider  black and white, yellow and red, rich and poor, educated and not educated, beautiful and not so beautiful, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, all belong, all are held in a divine embrace that will not let us go  all, for God has no enemies.
“I have said that God is not a Christian. Some people chewed me up for saying that, but I believe it. Some like to think that we Christians have the duty of protecting God. But I wish these people could meet the Dalai Lama. He is a holy person, incredible. We are the ones who keep trying to put limits on God, but God gives the incredible gift of grace.”
“Bishop” Desmond Tutu has made a very - obvious - point. Of course God is not a Christian. God is Christ.
Apparently, when man sinned, God was tearing His hair out trying to figure out what to do. It crushed His dream! No, the Bible says that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. The plan of redemption was God’s plan from the beginning because it would result in the maximum glory to Him.
And apparently God has no enemies. I suppose, then, that these verses don’t mean anything:
“May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may His foes flee before him.” (Psalm 68:1)
” ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ‘ ” (Matthew 22:44)
I am not the one who is saying this. God’s Word is the defining factor here. Where does the Bible say that “Buddhists, Hindus, [and] atheists” are held in God’s “embrace”? The Bible says that if you have not called on the name of Christ, you are condemned already!
God’s Word tells us that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is one name given under heaven by which men can be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
This is not about my opinion. The fact is, by trying to “not condemn” people (a philosophy that I am sure Mr. Tutu would adhere to), we are in faccondemningng them to Hell. If we are too chicken to tell people what God’s Word says, then we are sending them to Hell in a handbasket.
So do you think I am being too harsh and this guy is pretty close to the truth? You tell me.
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 11:55 pm on 05.16.06 by David S. MacMillan III
One of the first things that lawyers and paralegals are taught is to look at “both sides” of each and every story. It is too easy for us to concentrate on the first story we hear and miss important details later on that change the entire scope of the debate.
But in fact, there are thousands of sides to every story, not just two. Everyone has their own interpretation of the facts, and everyone is at least partially convinced that they are correct. It is in the nature of man to draw his own conclusions about each and every controversy.
What are the facts? In That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis says, “There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there’s never more than one.” This quote (which I found in Alex King’s email signature) is really an eye-opener.
I used to think about my faith in this manner: there is the Truth (God’s Word), and then there is the Lie (everything else). Either people were on my side, or they were on the side of you-know-who.
But it is really not this way. Everyone has their own concept of truth. Witnessing to people just a few times a week will show you how variegated and often strange the beliefs of the “average American” really are. But the fact is that we know the truth.
When we approach people, we have to remember that there is only one truth and only one Way! It isn’t a case of Our side versus their side; we simply have to explain the Truth to them so that they will leave their particular falsehood behind.
There are an infinite number of sides until you know the Truth. Then, there is just One.
Jesus said, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6
You know the truth. Get out there and share it!
In Him,
David S. MacMillan III
Postedin Uncategorized at 8:44 pm on 05.12.06 by David S. MacMillan III
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