Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Psalm 111:2. Rochester, N.Y. Chapter. May 2008 Newsletter

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1 1 Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them. Psalm 111:2 Reasons To Believe Rochester, N.Y. Chapter May 2008 Newsletter Building bridges between the science and faith communities

2 2 In This Issue President s Corner 2 Article: Thinking as Christians in the Real World 3 Resource Spotlight: RBC Ministries 4 New RTB Resources 5 Coming Events / Announcements 6 Who We Are 7 President s Corner by Jim Reeverts I had been studying John 15:1-8 in preparation for a sermon. Then, in the midst of my yard work the thought, no - the realization stopped me in my tracks: WHERE'S THE FRUIT? I mean, MY fruit? It was a backward, reflecting question; looking over my life. Could I imagine the fruit of my labor for the years of living for & serving Jesus? It was also a forward thinking question: was I investing my life in that which would bring the most fruit for Jesus? Blossoms were all around me,...and ironically, as I was out standing in my field, the passages in the lectionary came to mind - around the theme of fruitfulness. These scripture verses are keys to the ministry of Reasons To Believe: Psalm join in praise with ALL OF CREATION, the fruit of our lips and lives that praise the Lord. 1st Peter 3: join with the Apostle Peter in affirming that fruit-bearing emerges through suffering, whether through incarceration (Acts 4:1ff) or confrontation for personal, sheepish hypocrisy (Gal. 2:11-21). "Always be prepared to give an answer..." In the context of our church family or the larger Christian community, our oneness in Christ goes a long way - with love, humility and competent/gentle apologetics, - further than "asserting our view" on an issue. Acts 17: join with the Apostle Paul in witnessing. The Creator is unknown to many and needs proclaiming in the language of the culture; Paul called them to repent of their small concept of God. SO, when the question is asked this spring, WHERE'S THE FRUIT?" To what or where does your heart turn? Reasons To Believe's commitment to work within the constraints of established science - to reach those who have an intellectual problem with the truth claims of Christianity, and provide powerful evidence for the God of the Bible, has produced fruit time and again. "Every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may produce more fruit." May you look forward to YOUR spring pruning.

3 3 Thinking as Christians in the Real World - Part I INTERSECTIONS This is the beginning of a series of articles on areas in our lives where faith intersects with secular thought, including apologetics (the defense of the faith) and a Christian worldview (how we think about the world). In our culture, faith is often thought of as a subjective feeling, a matter of mere values and not the sort of fact or truth that science and other intellectual fields deal with. We are expected to keep our faith private, and not bring it into the real world of the workplace or the classroom. In return, it is assumed that objective facts can t intrude upon the reality of our faith. But God seems to have gone out of His way to make sure we don t think of our faith as a mere abstract philosophy unrelated to the physical realities of science and history. He made that real world; He came into that real world in a real human body and died a real, physical death in it. He teaches us mostly through stories of real, historical people who lived in real, historical times and places. The Bible identifies dates and places and tells about eyewitnesses and visible evidence. Unlike most religions, ours constantly intersects with the physical world, and even challenges us to test its claims. If the historical facts of Jesus resurrection are not true, then our faith is vain! Therefore we are obligated to honestly face the issues that arise when scripture comes in contact with other sources of information what we believe is not only comforting but true. How might your faith in the Bible cross paths with human reasoning and secular information? You re reading the Bible, and realize that the way you are imagining the story probably isn t realistic in terms of the actual culture of the times. You wonder about the geographical, historical, or cultural background, and want to get some information beyond what the Bible says. How can you make proper use of uninspired sources? You re reading the Bible again, and notice that something it says doesn t agree with what you have learned about history. How do you decide whether you are just misinterpreting the Bible, or the history books are wrong (or maybe a little of each)? You re talking with a friend about your faith, and he says he doesn t believe the Bible because by David Peterson of a contradiction between what it says and (a) what he learned in science or history, or (b) his own experience of how the world works, or (c) what he thinks God should be like. You can t force him to believe; but can you show him the Bible is worth listening to? You re in school studying biology or astronomy or history, and realize that what they re teaching doesn t agree with what you learned in Sunday School. Can you fit all the facts together so they make sense? You re watching television, and see a story about a popular novel that makes false claims about church history, or a newly-discovered document that says Jesus wasn t really what we think he was. How can you answer your friends at work if it comes up in conversation tomorrow? You re discussing current issues like global warming or politics with coworkers, and realize you don t have an opinion based on scriptural principles, or on a real knowledge of the facts. How can you use your mind in a godly way? You re reading a classic book with your kids, and some of what the characters say and do doesn t seem quite right. Can you and your children recognize a theological error hidden in a fun story? Is your own mind full of wrong ideas that you ve never thought to challenge? These interactions between faith and reason should happen all the time, if you are serious about loving God with your mind as well as your heart. If we avoid bringing scripture s truth face to face with the world s truth, we will give the impression that the Bible doesn t stand up to examination, and that God s truth doesn t reside in the same real world as the rest of our lives. My goal is to open up discussion in areas like these, to help us integrate our lives, so that faith, reason, and action are not kept in separate compartments. Next time, I will survey some fields of study in which these intersections occur, so we can think about how to deal with different kinds of problems that arise. Dave teaches math at Monroe Community College in Rochester and is an elder and teacher in his church. This article was originally written for the church newsletter.

4 4 Resource Spotlight by Virginia Peterson RBC Ministries, < formerly known as Radio Bible Class, is a Bible-teaching ministry that was started in 1938 by physician-turned-pastor Dr. M. R. De Haan. Today, headed by the grandson of its founder, Mart De Haan, RBC has nearly 12 different web addresses to cover its range of activities. Perhaps the product you re most familiar with is Our Daily Bread, a devotional booklet that is widely available at churches, by mail, and online. But there is much more to explore at this wide-ranging ministry, from radio and television programs to online Bible courses and music publications. The resource in particular that I am going to highlight is the Discovery Series study booklets. < There are over 180 of these 32-page booklets, on topics such as theology, the Bible, salvation, marriage and family issues, counseling issues, and apologetics. Each booklet is available online in PDF format as well as in print on a donation basis. When you or someone you know has a question, perhaps these short discussions of various topics will provide just the answer you need. Here is a sampling of what s available on the apologetics topic: How Can I Know There is a God? Did Christ Really Rise From the Dead? Can I Really Trust the Bible? Studies in Contrast: Resolving Alleged Contradictions in the Bible What About Those Who Have Never Heard? How Can I Share My Faith Without an Argument? Developing the Art of Gracious Disagreement How to Identify a Dangerous Religious Group Celebrating the Wonder of the Wilderness [general revelation] Dinosaurs and the Bible: Defusing the Creation Controversy In particular, I recommend the last booklet because it could be a help in dealing with someone who wants to make an issue of the topic. The author, Dean Ohlman, does not take a stand on either side of the creation-age issue, but instead discusses various views and what it means to believe in Genesis, and models how disagreements should be handled: In these matters, we must live faithfully, graciously, and humbly with our differences. What we know and agree about is far more important than what we don t know or fully understand. A catalog of these resource booklets is available for download online, or a printed catalog can be requested.

5 5 New Resources Coming from Reasons To Believe The Cell s Design: How Chemistry Reveals the Creator s Artistry by Dr. Fazale Rana (June) < Download a sample chapter from the book, or preorder a copy at reasons.org. What Does God s Word Say About the Creation Days? by Krista Bontrager (June) A seven-lesson study guide with DVD for individuals or groups. Dual Revelation: God s Word, God s World (60-minute docudrama, September) < Download a trailer for the DVD and show your friends. Why the Universe Is the Way It Is by Dr. Hugh Ross (September)

6 6 Coming Events Rochester Chapter The May chapter meeting will be Thursday, May 29, at Pearce Memorial Church, 4233 Buffalo Rd., N. Chili, N.Y from 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm. We will be watching the DVD presentation The Privileged Planet, with discussion and refreshments following. Announcement Since new by-laws have been adopted by RTB headquarters for the governing of RTB chapters, the titles and duties of the officers will be changing, and will be made official at the next election. Please pray for wisdom for the officers in decision making and in implementing the new changes. If you would like a copy of the new by-laws, please contact Jim Reeverts at <rtb@rochester.rr.com> Advice from the Apostle Paul Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:2-6.

7 7 Reasons To Believe - Rochester, N. Y. Chapter rtb@rochester.rr.com Mailing Address: 904 Savage Rd. Churchville, NY President: James Reveerts jreevert@rochester.rr.com Vice-President: John Prouty fireworksinjuly4@hotmail.com Secretary & Newsletter: Virginia Peterson vtpeterson@prodigy.net Treasurer: Rick Kinde rickanbev@frontiernet.net