Who is Voddie?

Who is Dr. Voddie T. Baucham, Jr.?  Dr. Baucham is a former pastor at Grace Church in Spring, Texas (not BIG Spring).  He is now the Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia (he has lived there since 2015).   You may have heard the interview with Glenn Beck on Voddie's latest book Faultlines.  Voddie played football for New Mexico State University, Rice and Houston Baptist University.  In his first game against Univ. of Texas - El Paso (UTEP), he caught 10 passes for 106 yards.  Paige Patterson thought Voddie would make a great President of the SBC.  Voddie's first book was on Apologetics.  When Dr. Baucham taught Sociology, he used a standard mainstream textbook.

 

What can we learn from Voddie's latest book Faultlines?  The website "New Discourses" is a great source for info on Critical Theory.  Voddie visited the Slave Tree in Ndola, Zambia which reminded him that slaves were sold to Spaniards and others by their own African kinsmen. 

 

Speaking of football ... remember Colin Rand "Kap" Kaepernick?  In 2016, he knelt during the national anthem as a form of complaint regarding police action.  But what was the nature of his initial protest?  The incident involved the San Francisco Police and Mario Woods (BTW there is a Frisco, TX).  Police were dispatched because of an alleged stabbing ... Woods was brandishing an eight inch blade.  Five police were on the scene who first spoke to him without effect and then they used pepper spray and projectile bean bags.  Bystanders said, "Drop the knife!" but Woods refused.  Woods moved towards the officers with the knife and it was only then that he was shot.  He was dangerously close - less than ten feet away.

 

How should we react to this tragic event?  One radical activist stated, “If this country doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it”.  Do you want your town to turn into Kenosha, Minneapolis or Portland?

 

Only certain incidents involving police get high profile coverage.  Did you hear what happened to Tony Timpa in Dallas in 2016?  Timpa, who was schizophrenic, called the cops and said he was off his meds and needed assistance.  A security guard had already handcuffed Timpa before the officers arrived.  Three Dallas officers held Timpa as he said, "You're gonna kill me!" several times - this lasted around fourteen minutes.  Then Timpa went limp ... the DPD on the scene did not take this seriously and joked around.  However, one officer said, "I hope we didn't kill him."  Sadly, he had already passed.  The DPD refused to release the body-cam video for 3 years.  The officers involved received no disciplinary action at the time.  Why is it that Tony Timpa's name is not a household word?              

 

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:16-19, NKJV)   

 

#Sociology #VoddieBaucham #Kaepernick #Kap #football #TonyTimpa #police  #cops #officers #handcuffs #FaultLines #GlennBeck #Apologetics #Zambia  #MarioWoods #SBC #CriticalTheory

Unshackled Apologetics

Unshackled! is a radio drama series produced by Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago, Illinois, that first aired in 1950.  It is the longest-running radio drama in history (sorry, Johnny Dollar).

Well known evangelist and creation supporter Ray Comfort (and friend of Kirk Cameron) had his conversion story featured on Unshackled! 

WayneSpencer (M.S. Physics), who writes extensively on astronomy topics, had this to say:

The truth of Christianity is … born out in the real life experience of Christians who live by it.  Christian faith has a long track record for over 2000 years now of making positive changes in the personal lives of people.  So the reasons for having faith in the Bible are not merely intellectual, but also revolve around people experiencing God changing their lives and making life more meaningful for them.  It is usually the life of a Christian lived out with integrity that is more persuasive to most people, when it counts, than a logical argument.

C. E. M. Joad (d. 1953) was the head of the Philosophy Dept. at the University of London and was a long time critic of Christianity, but finally said, “I now believe that the balance of reasonable considerations tells heavily in favor of the religious, even of the Christian view of the world.”  Joad had appeared on BBC radio attacking Christianity in the 1940’s, but later wrote The Recovery of Belief in 1952.

Bishop John Subhan came to Jesus from a Muslim background.  When he read the Gospel the second time he came to see that is was the true Injil.  He was convinced that it was God’s Word and divine revelation.  He saw a dramatic difference between reading the New Testament and the effect of reciting the Qur’an. [1]

Have you ever heard a new convert say, “I wonder if Genesis One through Eleven is really true?”  The lost, who do not know Jesus, have not experienced regeneration and don’t have the assurance through the Holy Spirit that the Bible is true.

R. C. Sproul states, “The Scripture objectively gives evidence that it is the Word of God.  The Spirit … gives us the quiet assurance that the evidence is certain.” [2]  The Westminster Confession concludes, “… our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. (ch. 1, sec. 5).  Sproul, Gerstner and Lindsley proclaim, “… the Spirit of God persuades and assures us of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Word of God.” [3]

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.  And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit …  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth … (1 Thes. 1:5-8).

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:15, 16).

How does God give us assurance of our adoption?  Through the Bible!

These things [the book of 1 John] I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. …  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 Jn. 5:13, 20).

Glenn Beck and other Mormons claim to have had a dramatic conversion experience.  Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? by Cowdrey, Davis and Vanick, provide strong evidence that the Book of Mormon was based on a work of historical fiction, A Manuscript Found.  The Book of Mormon has been changed many times.  Beck’s evidence for Early American Jewish influence is better explained by Phoenecians traveling to the New World.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things (Phil. 4:8).

How can we think on what’s true if we don’t know the true truth?

Frank Turek, while debating Christopher Hitchens at Virginia Commonwealth University, on the topic of theism said, “I’m giving a probability argument … you can’t prove beyond any doubt that there’s a God.  I’m giving probability …  I’m giving cosmological, teleological, moral, consciousness, reason, mathematics [arguments].” [4]  Turek should have stated that as Christians we know God is there and Jesus is Lord (cf. Jn. 7:17).

Notes:

1)  Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Vol. 1) by Josh McDowell (Here’s Life Pub., San Bernardino, CA, 1979), p. 351.
2)  “The Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit” by R. C. Sproul in Inerrancy ed. by Norman Geisler (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1980), p. 342.
3)  Classical Apologetics by R. C. Sproul, John Gerstner and Arthur Lindsley (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984), p. 171.
4)  See this debate at 1:14:00.