Post by Josh on Apr 10, 2010 10:14:01 GMT -8
A support email I received from Hugh Ross (founder of the organization Reasons to Believe). Thought it was interesting enough to share. I've always appreciated Hugh's coolness under a lot of really hostile and often baseless criticism of him and his views.
April 8, 2010
I understand it's an honest mistake to misspeak and confuse "astronomy" with "astrology." When I was announced (on radio) awhile back as having a PhD in the latter, one of my two interviewers gasped, "I didn't know you could get a doctorate in that!" And I smiled when I was introduced to a television audience as a cosmetologist (caused by confusion over the word "cosmology"). My friends and family still laugh about that one.
But I can tell you I would rather be misrepresented any day as a cosmetologist than to be introduced as someone who undermines the authority of Scripture, exalts science above Scripture, distorts the doctrine of atonement, denies the reality of the Fall, and embraces an evolutionary worldview. That's how I was depicted in two publications by two Christian organizations on the very same day not long ago.
Nothing I say or write will change the opinion of the people who wrote such words--though I have tried to change these opinions. My real concern is for the people who might believe these words without checking them out--and for you who may have to deal with such charges whenever my name or the ministry's name is mentioned.
I hope you will join with me in learning to take advantage of such opportunities. They can be wonderful occasions to reflect Christ-like character and affirm the unity of believers. Here are some suggestions from my experience and others' about how to respond:
Step one: Stay calm and compassionate, realizing and even affirming that the issues raised are significant ones for any committed Christ follower.
Step two: Ask questions and invite conversation. The vast majority of people who misrepresent my colleagues and me have never read what we've written, visited our website, or met any of us personally. They "know" what they know based on hearsay, and there's abundant hearsay available--via the "Hugh Ross Attack Pack" and now via countless postings on the Internet. (I'd be against me, too, if I believed what they say I believe!)
Step three: Here's your opportunity to invite the person(s) to "test" what they've heard by going to the source. I especially recommend the "About Us" section of reasons.org. Our statement of faith and the FAQs may be particularly helpful. These pages address virtually every one of the issues raised in the two publications mentioned above. And our web address is easy to remember.
Step four: If it's appropriate, invite further discussion. But if not, it's good to end by acknowledging we're all still learners. Only God has complete knowledge on any and all topics. My aim and RTB's aim is simple but not easy: It's to follow truth wherever it leads. And the truth of Scripture will never contradict the facts of nature, because they come from the same Source.
My eternal salvation rests squarely on the fact that Christ rose bodily from the grave, having paid the full penalty for my sin, inherited from a very real and fallen Adam and Eve. Facts definitely do count. And facts are not determined blindly. That's why Jesus showed Himself physically to His disciples after He arose. Some were content to see Him, but Thomas, the "scientist," had to touch Him. Notice that Thomas was also the first to declare, "My Lord and my God!"
I trust that's what you say when we communicate what we're learning from the frontiers of research--yes, even "secular" research--because the facts always point to our Creator and Savior.
Hugh Ross
April 8, 2010
I understand it's an honest mistake to misspeak and confuse "astronomy" with "astrology." When I was announced (on radio) awhile back as having a PhD in the latter, one of my two interviewers gasped, "I didn't know you could get a doctorate in that!" And I smiled when I was introduced to a television audience as a cosmetologist (caused by confusion over the word "cosmology"). My friends and family still laugh about that one.
But I can tell you I would rather be misrepresented any day as a cosmetologist than to be introduced as someone who undermines the authority of Scripture, exalts science above Scripture, distorts the doctrine of atonement, denies the reality of the Fall, and embraces an evolutionary worldview. That's how I was depicted in two publications by two Christian organizations on the very same day not long ago.
Nothing I say or write will change the opinion of the people who wrote such words--though I have tried to change these opinions. My real concern is for the people who might believe these words without checking them out--and for you who may have to deal with such charges whenever my name or the ministry's name is mentioned.
I hope you will join with me in learning to take advantage of such opportunities. They can be wonderful occasions to reflect Christ-like character and affirm the unity of believers. Here are some suggestions from my experience and others' about how to respond:
Step one: Stay calm and compassionate, realizing and even affirming that the issues raised are significant ones for any committed Christ follower.
Step two: Ask questions and invite conversation. The vast majority of people who misrepresent my colleagues and me have never read what we've written, visited our website, or met any of us personally. They "know" what they know based on hearsay, and there's abundant hearsay available--via the "Hugh Ross Attack Pack" and now via countless postings on the Internet. (I'd be against me, too, if I believed what they say I believe!)
Step three: Here's your opportunity to invite the person(s) to "test" what they've heard by going to the source. I especially recommend the "About Us" section of reasons.org. Our statement of faith and the FAQs may be particularly helpful. These pages address virtually every one of the issues raised in the two publications mentioned above. And our web address is easy to remember.
Step four: If it's appropriate, invite further discussion. But if not, it's good to end by acknowledging we're all still learners. Only God has complete knowledge on any and all topics. My aim and RTB's aim is simple but not easy: It's to follow truth wherever it leads. And the truth of Scripture will never contradict the facts of nature, because they come from the same Source.
My eternal salvation rests squarely on the fact that Christ rose bodily from the grave, having paid the full penalty for my sin, inherited from a very real and fallen Adam and Eve. Facts definitely do count. And facts are not determined blindly. That's why Jesus showed Himself physically to His disciples after He arose. Some were content to see Him, but Thomas, the "scientist," had to touch Him. Notice that Thomas was also the first to declare, "My Lord and my God!"
I trust that's what you say when we communicate what we're learning from the frontiers of research--yes, even "secular" research--because the facts always point to our Creator and Savior.
Hugh Ross