Parchment & Pen Blog

September 27, 2007

Frisco, Texas: When I started The Theology Program in 2001, I had no idea what God was going to do. We now have over 50,000 registered online and on-campus students in 110 countries. We are in hundreds of churches and soon to begin in hundreds more.

When The Theology Program grew into Reclaiming the Mind Ministries in 2006, I had no idea that the response would be so great. Our website receives over 100,000 hits daily. We are now looking to expand our ministry in ways in which we never dreamed. It blows my mind how many have endorsed and committed themselves to this ministry.

When the Parchment and Pen blog began over six months ago, (most of all) I had no idea that I would be writing so often! I really had no idea what an impact a simple blog could make.

In all the ministries of RMM, I have never sought to confirm prejudices, but to engage the issues as honestly as I could. This takes risk and trust.

The risk involved comes from a personal desire to see people more committed to a persuasion about the essentials of the Christian faith. While it is tempting to skew the evidence, make overstatements, and create straw-men, we have worked under the assumption that we must have a faith that is intellectually honest in all areas. In this, there is the real risk that people may not look like us in the end. They may find alternative positions more persuasive.

The trust must follow the risk. I think that God is a pretty big God. I trust that He is not alarmed with our questions or doubts. In fact, I think he is pleased with them. For in them we show an honest struggle for truth. If we follow the God of all eternity, then we have no need to stick our head in the sand on any issue. We can trust Him to guide us to the truth.

I am glad to say that, from everything I have seen, the risk has done nothing but disarm people and persuade them further in the truths of Christianity. They are disarmed because they cannot approach us with the suspicion so common in our postmodern world.

My greatest desire is for people to know that Christianity is true, not just a blind hope. So many people approach their faith with the hope that in the end the roll of the dice will have been favorable to them. Other faiths have only this choice available to them, but not Christianity. I desire for people’s faith to be real, defensible, and able to stand through the trials that so often turn people away from the faith or into a state of perpetual disillusionment. The seed must go deep. Theological discipleship must happen if the root is to be established.

This is not meant to be a ministry promotion or a plea for ministry funds (although funds are always needed!). It is simply meant to share encouragement with those of you out there who have, like myself, been lamenting the deteriorating condition of the mind within the Evangelical Church. Things really are changing. People are not as ready to turn away from truth as we often think. We just have to provide the avenue and the methodology that regains their trust.

I want to say thank you to all who are involved in and supporting this ministry in so many ways. It encourages me (and all the RMM staff), confirming that we are following God’s direction.

Folks, I think Aslan really is on the move.

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