West Michigan Christian News

page 6
Record of Reality
Archaeological Discovery Supports Scripture
Chuck Colson
Breakpoint.org
Once again, archaeology confirms the
accuracy of biblical history. That’s good
news, but should it affect how we believers
view Scripture?
Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar has reported
an exciting discovery—evidence
that newly unearthed fortifications in Jerusalem
were built 3,000 years ago. Based
on the age of pottery shards that she found
at the site, Mazar believes that the fortifications
were built by Solomon, just as described
in the Old Testament.
Of course that’s interesting news for
Jews and Christians, but there’s a lot more
to this than you might expect. As the Associated
Press reported, “If the age of the
wall is correct, the finding would be an
indication that Jerusalem was home to
a strong central government that had the
resources and manpower needed to build
massive fortifications in the 10th century
B.C.”
That’s a direct contradiction to the views
of some scholars who believe, as the AP
puts it, “that David’s [and Solomon’s] monarchy
was largely mythical and that there
was no strong government to speak of in
that era.”
No wonder that Mazar calls the wall
“the most significant construction we have
from First Temple days in Israel.” And if
she’s right, we will have another link in the
long chain of evidence that demonstrates
the historical veracity of the Bible.
As I’ve said before on BreakPoint, discoveries
like these are worth getting excited
over—even though we need to be
careful not to get too carried away by
them. Every archaeological, historical,
or even scientific find that we make that
supports the Scriptures is welcome news.
They remind us that the Bible is a record
Three 'lies' about reaching
Muslims
by Erich Bridges/Baptist Press
MIDDLE EAST (BP)--Karim* grew up in
an Arab Christian family in a Middle Eastern
country -- part of the “1 percent of Christians
among the 99 percent Muslims,” as he
describes it.
When you’re part of a tiny, historically
persecuted minority, you tend to keep your
head down and your mouth closed. You also
tend to believe what your elders tell you
about the majority, whether it’s true or not.
Karim did -- for a time.
Now an evangelical pastor in the Middle
East, Karim fervently believes the Christians
of the region “are responsible for
reaching the 99 percent.” But too many still
accept three “evangelical lies” that prevent
them from sharing Jesus with their Muslim
neighbors:
-- A spirit of fear. “Most Christians are
afraid to go and reach Muslims because of
fear,” Karim declares. “We [Christians] say,
‘They will kill us. They will kill our family,
our children.’”
-- Muslims won’t believe. “Many, many
Christians say that Muslims will not follow
Christ” -- ever. End of story.
-- Christians lack the resources to evangelize
Muslims. “We say we don’t have the
money,” Karim says. “This is another lie, because
if I have the heart to reach Muslims, I
can go out and reach 1,000 people and share
Christ with them. Maybe I need $5 to put gas
in my car. If I go walking, I don’t need any
money at all.”
But it took Karim a long time to reject the
lies.
As a young man he wandered in the spiritual
wilderness. He worked in a nightclub (“I
was a big sinner,” he confesses). Weary of
cultural Christianity, he even converted to
Islam for several years. When he returned to
Christ with his whole heart, a Muslim friend
quickly noticed the change in his life.
“I was so excited about what happened
to me, so the first thing I did was to share
it with one of my best friends,” Karim recounts.
“He said, ‘Karim, if Jesus did that
in your life, I want to follow Him.’ I said,
‘No, no, no.’ You see, the fear is there inside
us. He said, ‘But I want to follow Christ as
you did because it is very good.’ I said, ‘OK,
think about it, and we can talk tomorrow.’
The next morning at 8:30 he came to me and
said, ‘I decided to give my life to Jesus and
to follow Him with no conditions.’”
A second friend believed, and a third, and
a fourth. All were Muslims. Not all decided
to follow Christ as quickly as the first, but
Karim could no longer deny Muslims wanted
the priceless gift he had to share.
He began to sense what a Saudi friend later
put into words: “We Muslims are beloved
people, but we are cheated” -- cheated out of
knowing about the One who loves them because
other followers of Christ are too timid
or indifferent to tell them about Him.
“You know the difference between leading
a Christian-background person to Christ
or a Muslim?” Karim asks. “The first is like
a tree planted in your backyard, and in six
months you start to get fruit. But to lead a
Muslim to Christ, you are digging in a mine.
You may spend years, but what you find
there is not fruit. It is diamonds!”
What keeps him digging? Every day he
hears about -- or personally witnesses -- a
Muslim coming to Christ.
“This is the fuel I’m getting from the Lord.”
*Name changed. Erich Bridges is global
correspondent for the International Mission
Board (imb.org).
of real people, places, and events—that as
Dorothy L. Sayers put it, Jesus Christ was
“born into history,” not into mythology.
At a time when the veracity of the Bible
is under attack from all sides, such reminders
are always refreshing and encouraging.
Yet at the same time, the primary source
of our beliefs must remain the Bible itself.
I made this point several years ago when
archaeologists discovered an ossuary—
that is, a box for bones—marked “James...
brother of Jesus.” Even today there is controversy
over the ossuary’s authenticity.
But even if the discovery of an ossuary
or a city wall corroborates what the Bible
says, that does not make the biblical
facts more factual—it simply confirms
them. And as historian Paul Johnson says,
the confirming evidence for scriptural accuracy
is mounting—so much so that the
sceptics, not the Christians, must fear the
further course of scientific discovery.
But always remember—the Bible stands
on its own credible witness, regardless
by Tom Strode/Baptist Press
WASHINGTON (BP)--Adult stem cells
have restored sight to more than threefourths
of patients blinded by chemical
burns to their eyes, according to a new
research study.
The results, reported at the International
Society for Stem Cell Research
meeting in San Francisco, showed success
in 77 percent of people in the study
after one or two procedures, according
to Bloomberg News. It showed partial
success in 13 percent of the cases and
failure in 10 percent.
Italian researchers tracked participants
in the study for an average of three
years, some for as many as 10 years.
The procedure involved taking healthy
stem cells from a patient’s eye and, after
growing them, layering the tissue onto
the injured eyes, Bloomberg reported.
The stem cells were taken from the limbus,
which is at the intersection of the
cornea and the sclera, the white portion
of the eye. The cells produced a healthy
cornea in the successful cases, resulting
in an eye that is normal in color and appearance.
West Michigan Christian News | AUGUST 2010
of whether secondary sources confirm or
seemingly contradict it.
If we get too caught up in each discovery
that seems to support the Bible, we run the
risk of building our faith on a less-than-solid
foundation. And we run the risk of being
disappointed and disillusioned should
a certain artifact be somehow discredited.
Better to build our faith on the solid rock
of God’s Word—even as the evidence continues
to mount, this time from a pile of
ancient rubble pointing to the Word’s veracity.
Several years ago, Paul Johnson gave
a remarkable speech at Dallas Seminary
called “A Historian Looks at Jesus.” It’s one
of the best pieces on the accuracy of Scripture
I’ve encountered. I encourage you to
read it as well—and you can do that now
because we have it for you at our website,
BreakPoint.org.
From BreakPoint, June 23, 2010, reprinted
with permission of Prison Fellowship,
www.breakpoint.org
Study shows adult stem cells
successful in restoring sight
“The patients, they are happy, even the
partial successes,” said lead researcher
Graziella Pellegrini of the University of
Modena’s Center for Regenerative Medicine,
according to Bloomberg. “We have
a couple of patients who were blind in
both eyes. Can you imagine for these patients
the change in their quality of life?”
The study involved treatment of 112
people.
The method may assist in other therapies,
a researcher said.
“This is bigger than just the surface
of the eye,” said Ivan Schwab, a stem
cell researcher at the University of California-Davis,
according to Bloomberg.
Schwab said it may work on regenerating
“livers or other organs.”
The study is another success for adult,
or non-embryonic, stem cells, which
have produced therapies in trials for at
least 73 ailments in human beings, according
to Do No Harm, a coalition promoting
ethics in research. Embryonic
stem cell research, which results from
the destruction of human embryos, has
yet to generate successful treatments in
human beings.
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