An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.

From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.

My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough. So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.

Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.

Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.

Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.

In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.

Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Surprisingly enough, not written in 2006.

Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true. The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.

Bliase Pascal (1623-1662) in Pensées

Hmmm... is that Biblical?

How does showing religion not contrary to reason convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment? (John 16:8) And who are the "good men" that we are supposed to make wish religion were true?

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Jeremiah 17:9, 10 (ESV)

According to the Bible, "good men" is an oxymoron. Only God is good, and man is wicked from the heart. And, note this, God even judges us by not only our deeds, but also by our hearts.

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Galatians 3:10 (ESV)

Because we are so wicked, we cannot possibly be justified by keeping the law -- we cannot possibly keep the law. Even if we could manage to keep one or two commandments, we are cursed by not keeping all things written in the Law. So, we are all under God's wrath.

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 (ESV)

Unavoidable judgment is coming. As the Bible has shown, all men are justly under God's wrath. Here is God's love shown in His wrath,: He warns us that it is coming.
Even under the Old Covenant, He declared,

Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
Isaiah 55:3 (ESV)

In Acts 13:34 this offer is repeated, revealing the "holy and sure blessings of David" as reference to Christ.
To each individual it is declared,

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.
Acts 16:31 (ESV)

You want reason? Here's your reason:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)

Don't forsake your hope of steadfast love (Jonah 2:8, 9). It is even blasphemy to do so:

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1 John 5:10, 11 (ESV)

This sin is the greatest:

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:22 (ESV)

Righteousness can only be had by faith in Jesus Christ. The Jews, "being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10:3, 4, ESV).

By [Jesus Christ] everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:38b-39 (ESV)

The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin..
1 John 1:7b (ESV)

When you embrace this, you can understand:

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil..
1 John 3:8 (ESV)

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:14 (ESV)

But, if you do not embrace this:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:18, 19 (ESV)

This is how you win a true convert, Pascal.

Yesterday on Way of the Master Radio, Scott Klusendorf of Life Training Institute gave solid, practical advice how to handle faulty debate tactics.

An ad hominem argument (attacking the person, not the argument):

This kind of ad hominem or personal attack does nothing to refute the case... I would play along and say, "Okay, you're right. I'm an evil, selfish guy... Tell me how that, in any way, refutes the evidence I've just presented."

Christianity is just a crutch for simple, weak-minded people:

"Well, maybe I am weak, maybe I'm not. But, how does that in any way call into question the evidence for the resurrection for Jesus Christ."

Well, you just grew up in a nation where most people are Christian. You grew up in a Christian home, that's why you are a Christian.

And, maybe that person just grew up in a neighborhood where there were only skeptics and atheists. That's why they are an atheist. Come on, we can do better than that. Let's look at the evidence. Is there better evidence for atheism being true, or better evidence for Christianity being true? Is there better evidence for Islam being true, or better evidence for Christianity being true? Let's not play this game that's just because you were raised in that environment, therefore your position can be counted as something we shouldn't buy into.

What about when you ask a question, and the person switches the topic.

I think you need to stop... Stop and say, "Wait a minute. I just asked you a question. I think it's important. Could you show me the respect and give me an answer."

Don't let yourself be distracted.

Profanity.

When people are losing an argument, they often resort to dramatics. The old saying in law school that when you have the facts pound the facts and when you don't have the facts pound the table and do it loudly is what's going on.

The unbeliever "scores" on you.

It's important to be gracious and winsome. If somebody makes a point that is a good point, acknowledge it. And, secondly, if you don't have the answer, there's nothing wrong with saying, "You know what, intellectual credibility requires me to say I'm not ready to respond to that at this point, give me a day or two." Just because somebody comes up with an objection you haven't thought of doesn't mean the objection is valid. It just means it's one you haven't thought through yet. That's all.

Tough questions ("What about all the pygmies in Bora Bora?")

Sometimes, I think, asking a question to clarify can help. Greg Koukl has a great way to respond to that type of question. He simply asks the person, "Do you think people who commit moral crimes deserve to be punished?" "Well, yes." "Do you think all humans, including pygmies have committed moral crimes?" "Well, yes." "So, if God punishes all humans, He is not being unjust, is He?" Now, see, right away that diffuses a lot of that. But notice that we started things with a question. We didn't just get defensive. We simply asked a question. It's part of what Koukl calls his "Colombo Tactic," which is just a brilliant way of dealing with these kind of objections.
If God threw every one of us into hell, and saved no one, He would not be unjust. The fact that He saves some by His grace is a testament to His goodness, not a testament to His "badness."

The Bible's been changed. It's full of old fables.

Oh? In what way? "Oh, I don't know. And, I'm not smart enough. I don't have a theology degree the way you do." It's like, wait a minute, you didn't think it was a problem for you to make the assertion. You were smart enough to make the assertion, but when you're asked to defend it, you pump the ball and say, "Oh, I'm not smart like you."

An assertion is a statement that doesn't have anything under it to ground it. An argument, though, has reasons given in support of a conclusion. So, it is possible for unbelievers to make arguments against God's existence. They do. And some of those arguments are at least valid in structure, meaning there is proper reasoning in the structure of the argument, though we can question some of the content. For example, someone says, "Well, I don't think God exists, because there is evil in the world." Now, that's a problematic argument. It doesn't work. But, at least the person's offering a reason for what their conclusion is. They're not simply offering an assertion like, "Oh, the Bible's been changed a bunch of times."

By the way, the argument that God doesn't exist because evil exists is self-defeating. For God to be accused of tolerating evil, we have to assume evil is a real thing. Well, if evil is a real thing, objective moral good is also real, but there cannot be objective moral good without an objecive moral Law-giver, ergo we've just assumed some kind of theism.

The c-word. (Bull manure)

Before you say somebody is just giving us a bunch of bull, you need to give specifics. Don't let the statement go unchallenged.

"I respect your opinion. You respect mine."

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (1) am not my own, (2) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (3) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (4) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (5) and so preserves me (6) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (7) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (8) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (9) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (10)

1. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. (Romans 14:7, 8)
2. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
3. And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. (1 Corinthians 3:23) Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14)
4. Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:18, 19) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2) I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. (1 John 2:12)
5. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil. (Hebrews 2:14) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)
6. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. (John 6:39) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:28) But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3) Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5)
7. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31) But not a hair of your head will perish. (Luke 21:18)
8. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
9. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:20-22) He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 5:5) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14) The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16)
10. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14) And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)