I am pleased to announce that we will be working with our newest ministry partners in Fenwick, Ontario on Saturday, October 30-31, 2009. Pastor EJ de Waard and his congregation at Bethany, CRC will be hosting a conference on addictions featuring noted Christian teacher, Edward Welch. Many of you may know Ed Welch from some of his counselling material, most noteably Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. He works for CCEF and has written other useful counseling material. The staff and I will be in Fenwick for the weekend providing books and resources by CCEF as well as other noted Reformed literature. Below is the email press release from Bethany, CRC as well as a link for more information:

Bethany CRC hosts conference on addictions featuring Ed Welch October 30-31, 2009

Albert Mohler comments on a recent Gallup poll survey in which for the first time in decades, a majority of Americans have labeled themselves pro-life instead of pro-choice. A full 51% of those came out in favour or at least identified with the pro-life position. The previous high was 46% in 2001. Only 42% identified themselves with pro-choice. Lest we think that this is a major conservative sea change, Mohler goes on to state that when you delve into the stats, what you find is an enormous amount of confusion in the minds of the American public. The full article appears below.

Here is an amazing fact — over 35 years after the legalization of abortion this nation is still deeply divided over the issue.  America has an unsettled conscience on abortion, and this most contentious of moral issues may be further from resolution than at any moment since the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down in 1973.A new Gallup poll tells the story.  The headline of the report from Gallup should encourage pro-life Americans:  “More Americans ‘Pro-Life’ Than ‘Pro-Choice’ for First Time.”  Indeed, 51% of those polled indicated that they are “pro-life” on the issue of abortion.  Prior to this poll, the highest percentage identifying as pro-life was 46%, and that was in August 2001 and May 2002.

Only 42% of respondents identified themselves as “pro-choice.”  And, even as the percentage of those identifying as pro-life grew, the number of Americans who believe that abortion should be legal under all circumstances fell to 23%.  According to the data, 53% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal under some circumstances and 22% believe that abortion should be illegal under all circumstances.  That means that fully 60% of Americans are opposed to removing all legal restriction to abortion — a stunningly large majority.

As the Gallup organization noted, this means that most Americans fall into some middle position on abortion.  As other surveys and polls have made clear, a majority of Americans want some access to legal abortion, but want some forms of abortion and abortions under some circumstances to be illegal.  They also want some abortions to be illegal but they do not want women arrested for seeking or securing an abortion.  They are opposed to the claim that women should have access to abortion for any reason at all, but they are also unclear about what circumstances should make an abortion legal.

In other words, Americans are confused.

The Gallup organization confirmed its findings through additional polling and research.  It is clear that many Americans are rethinking the abortion question, and it is also clear that many Americans hold confused, contradictory, or inconsistent positions on issues related to abortion.

All this points to an unsettled conscience on abortion, and this confusion is perhaps deeper now than at any point since 1973.

Responding to the new data, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America told The Los Angeles Times:  “I am pretty confident that Americans really don’t want Roe v. Wade overturned.”  Keenan also pointed to recent elections in which pro-choice candidates achieved electoral success, starting with President Barack Obama.

In this context, Kennan’s statement looks quite defensive and pained.  The best she can do is to offer her assurance that “Americans really don’t want Roe v. Wade overturned.”  That is hardly a ringing defense of abortion as a basic right — an argument central to American feminism and to the pro-choice movement throughout recent decades.

On the other hand, Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, told the paper: “People are generally pro-life depending on how you ask the question.”  This new poll from Gallup seems to confirm her confidence.  At the same time, her qualification of “depending on how you ask the question” is huge.  Kennan can rightly point to recent elections as evidence for her claim that Americans must not be as pro-life as they think themselves to be.

The elections do seem to demonstrate that the pro-life convictions of many Americans are not well grounded or considered.  While the pro-life movement can take real hope from this new headline, there is clearly much ground yet to be won.  Americans may be squeamish about abortion and, thanks to modern ultrasound technology, they have a genuine concern for the unborn child, but this has not yet translated into a firm and convictional determination to bring the scourge of abortion on demand to an end.

The pro-choice movement can point to the election of President Obama and many other pro-choice candidates, but the movement must be biting its nails over the trend evident in this new poll and similar surveys.  The most ominous trend for the pro-choice movement is the increasingly pro-life character of younger Americans.  As some observers have pointed out, a generation that can see ultrasound images of themselves in their own baby books tends to see abortion for what it is — the killing of a child.

Here is the great quandary for the pro-choice movement:  More than 35 years after Roe v. Wade, they find that abortion is anything but the “settled issue” that some abortion proponents were certain would be the fate of the abortion question soon after 1973.  To the contrary, the pro-choice movement is losing ground, not gaining.  The frustration of pro-choice leaders is starting to show.  They have little reason to be confident.

Abortion remains the greatest scandal confronting the American conscience.  Those of us who yearn for America to return to its senses on this issue can take hope, even as we have much to do.  Rebuilding a Culture of Life is no easy or quick task.  This is one of the greatest civilizational challenges faced by this generation.

America has an unsettled conscience about abortion.  We should be thankful for this fact, but not satisfied.  An unsettled conscience is far better than a conscience settled on the killing of unborn children.

© 2009, All rights reserved, www.AlbertMohler.com

I woke up this morning to see an exceptionally encouraging email from a good friend. Apparently, Biola University staged a head to head debate with Atheist champion Christopher Hitchens and Christian apologist William Lane Craig. Hitchens, true to form could only muster his tired mantra that religion is not good and need not appeal to a transcendent deity in order to establish a basis of ethics and morality. As one blogger has noted:

“Craig used cosmological argument, teleological argument, moral argument and the resurrection of Jesus and the immediate experience of God as his main arguments. Craig noted in his closing argument that Hitchens failed to engage any of these arguments throughout the debate. Hitchens resolved back to the argument that morality is not dependant upon God throughout most of the night and that he saw a lack of evidence for a supernatural realm. At the end of the evening, he stated that unbelief will insure you against evil”.

For a fuller report of the debate click here.

BRUSSELS, April 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Changes made this month in the EU Anti-Discrimination Directive could force Christian and other religious groups to perform homosexual “marriages” and allow non-believers to receive Communion and other sacraments in their churches. So reports Hilary White of Lifesitenews.com

This does not bode well for the Christian Evangelical Churches in England and the rest of  Europe. In the past, confessional entities such as churches, seminaries and para-church organizations enjoyed an exemption that allowed them to carry out the ethical mandates of the Christian Faith. The Bible is clear that as Christians, we have an obligation to obey God rather than men and by extension government, when there are clear cut conflicts between God’s law and human law.

This represents the doctrine of separation of Church and State run amok. Christians are to quietly cower in their religious bubbles and say nothing. Faith is important to an individual’s private thought life but dare not venture into the arena of ideas. This new edict takes the next logical step that Christians may not even apply their standards in the administration of denominational sacraments/ordinances. In other words, we are not permitted to challenge Caesar, but Caesar has every right to interfere with the faith tenets of any given denomination.

Brothers and sisters, we need to pray for our European brethren and for ourselves. Given the left-ward swing of western politics, our liberal politicians increasingly take their legislative cue from their European counterparts. Make no mistake, we will see this increasingly hostile malevolence leveled at Christians in Canada. It is only a matter of time.

For the full transcript of this article click here.

I came across an older article in the Ottawa Citizen the other day dated 2007. But the information is relevant for today as it succinctly explains one of the problems facing faith based radio progamming. It is interesting to note that political correctness seems to stretch much further back in Canadian history than the 80’s or 90’s. Click here to read the full story.

One of the most articulate and well read Atheists today, is A.N. Wilson. Originally slated for the priesthood some twenty years ago, Wilson cast off his religious vestments in favor of existence without God. Since that day, he has embraced Atheism with a curious blend of fanaticism mixed with lingering doubt. Having walked two decades now, wrestling with the mysterious drama of human life, Wilson has come full circle and once again embraced The Faith Once Delivered. You can read his testimony here.

Welcome Home!

Soli deo Gloria

This afternoon we received a rather painful phone call from Dr. Michael Haykin. It was the kind of call that strikes right at heart of our humanity reminding us of the fragile nature of life and just how fleeting our lives are. It was with great sorrow and sadness that I must announce the passing of our dear brother Pastor Randy Singbeil. Brother Randy was taken from us this past Monday evening through a sudden and undiagnosed brain tumor. Thankfully, he knew His Lord and is even now resting in the sweet, sweet presence of his Redeemer King.

I first met Randy 10 years ago in 1999. This was the first year of my employment with then Ligonier Ministries. He was one of the first constituents I had the privilege of meeting at a small event at Jarvis Street Baptist Church. We instantly struck a friendship that has lasted one new marriage and two pastorates. His warmth, maturity and gentleness has been always been a source of personal delight. We shared much of ministry concerns together and regularly counseled one another on the travails and challenges of Gospel ministry. I am especially fond of the time we spent together at Ligonier’s pastors conference this past October.
Randy is survived by his lovely wife Crystal. He leaves behind his church in Alliston. No doubt they will feel the pangs of their loss in the weeks and months ahead. Those who may know the Singbeil family please uphold them in prayer. I will try and post funeral plans as they come to me.

It has been a privilege to have known you and to have served in Kingdom work with you. Rest well brother.

Soli Deo Gloria
Heinz Dschankilic

My good friends Paul W. Martin and Tim Challies have been kind enough to invite us to provide a substantial bookroom for their upcoming pastors conference in Toronto June 1-3, 2009. The featured speakers will be Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and Matt Schmucker of 9 Marks. If you are a pastor and woule like more information about this event, please click on Toronto Pastors Conference, Toronto, Ontario.

See you there,

Heinz

I finally have a  moment to catch my breath after a busy conference in Sarnia, Ontario. On March 27-28, 2009 we had the privilege of having Dr. Bruce Ware as one of our guests. Dr. Haykin, Dr. Ware and I spoke on the glorious truth of our Savior’s Resurrection and Ascension. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and in fact one long time supporter of our ministry commented that it was one of the best they had ever attended. The numbers were few but fiesty and we look forward to visiting  Sarnia again in two years.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Pastors  Glenn Tomlinson and Kevin Mahon. Glenn is the pastor of Sovereign Grace Community Church. His leadership and congregation hosted the conference and enllsted the aid of People’s Church in Wyoming, Ontario pastored by Kevin Mahon. Kevin’s congregation provided refreshments and volunteers as well as being instrumental in promoting the event to the wider Evangelical community in Sarnia.

Thank you to you both. You made a difficult task that much easier.

Soli Deo Gloria

Heinz

It was just about two years ago when the Discovery Channel aired Simca Jacabovichi’s feeble attempt at presenting the world with the earthly remains of Jesus of Nazareth. This cinematic charade paraded as cutting edge scholarship posited the notion that one of the ossuaries (burial boxes) recently excavated in Jerusalem contained the decomposed corpse of Jesus Christ. I wrote about this two years ago and the article can be accesssed by clicking on the link The Jesus Tomb-Another Hollywood Hoax.

In recent days, a Christian group called the Expedition Bible has filmed a 33 minute refutation of this hoax. There is a DVD available but the film can be viewed on line by clicking on this link called The Expedition Bible. 

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Soli Deo Gloria

Heinz Dschankilic