Saturday IT Thoughts

This has been quite a week as our excavation for the new Sprung building has really taken shape over the last few days, and I am really excited to hear Lance Smith speak from God's Word over SEND IT and the Suppan Suwaan church in Thailand tomorrow. We finished up a very spiritual, Biblical set of Elder interviews this week with our current Board of The Bridge. I am extraordinarily impressed with how far these people have come in their discipleship with Christ in the past three years.

Then, on Wednesday night, I attended (with the Board, Jon Bird, and Murphy Thomas) the debate between Christopher Hitchens and Danesh de Souza at Powell Symphony Hall on the existence of God (God on Trial). The crowd was split rather evenly and Hitchens was a superb villain as he is passionate about his distaste for Christianity and all that it entails. Danesh was brilliant and witty, but the evening was not a stunning knockout. The secular humanists that were present to support the atheist Hitchens are deep into "for although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images...Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not be done. They have been filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity" Romans 1:21,22,28,29). There was very dark thinking present in the room, but Danesh shined some light through the darkness with the true Gospel. Hitchens main attacks came against some of the historical failures of the Catholic church which have some validity, but these failures do not hold the true Church in contempt. Danesh is Catholic, and he is obviously one of the Catholic church's successes. I did find myself appreciating Hitchens though because at least with him we know what we are dealing with. He is very outspoken in his opposition to the true Gospel of Christ. Many of these midwestern chair 3 Bible-belters who think that they are in the Kingdom make making disciples quite difficult. The secular-humanist's rejection of the Gospel is angry and misguided, but at least it is overt and honest. It was really interesting to see liquor served by PSH at this event and many delving deep into it before the debate began. There were many of the seculars drinking heavily (and probably some closet-Baptists pretending to be atheist - HA) before the debate. The atmosphere was tense and spiritual warfare was thick, but I do not think the presence of IT was recognized except by those who came with IT. However, the Gospel was presented and IT never comes back void, so who knows.

Secular-humanists can recognize IT when there is time to develop a relationship. Kelley, Justin, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Isaac Grimm's blog last night as he described how he and his travel partner (the beautiful Melissa Sandoval) perceived their encounter with our Chacocente team. Isaac is a magnificent writer, so I suggest that you take your time and read his blog on their trip experience where they ran into the "Missourians." Isaac's Blog on Chacocente.
Isaac's Blog on Bridge Medical Clinics. Isaac & Melissa were blatant secular-humanists from the east coast who outwardly denied the Bible as truth when we first meant, but who knows what effects IT has had on them now.