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The Blessings of Deputation

May 19, 2009 by proftroy

Is it really possible to put those two words–”blessings” and “deputation”–in the same phrase?  To tell you the truth, I might have questioned that a few weeks ago, but a former deputizing missionary (who’s now on the field) helped me to renew my perspective by some comments she made about her experience.  It’s easy to focus on the various negative aspects of deputation, but I have had the positive aspects taking front-and-center in my mind recently.  The negatives pale in comparison to the positives.  Of course, I can only comment on my own experience (as a single missionary), but that’s what my blog is all about anyway–comments from my own perspective! 

First of all, I am always treated so well by the churches that I visit.  Churches typically find hosts with very nice homes to house me in.  And the hosts typically go out of their way to make my stay so pleasant and comfortable.  Even if I don’t speak in a particular service, the pastor usually recognizes me and often even has me say a word.  They definitely make me feel special.  I have to be careful about this, because I don’t want to become proud and selfish because of this kind treatment.  I always have to come back to servant-mindedness.  (There are typically enough experiences on deputation to bring me back to this point!) 

Second, I get to meet such wonderful people.  I find it very exciting to know that I have friends in so many different states, and I also have “homes” in those states.  Though I don’t have my own home at this point, the Lord has certainly made up for that with so many kind people.  I’m so thankful for these friendships that span from the elderly to the very young.  I really appreciate the friendships with the elderly, because I know I have met many prayer warriors.  I also cherish the friendships with children.  I am now corresponding regularly with a young boy in Gilbert, IL.  We “hit it off” at a meeting in Geneva, IL, when I joked around with him a few times.  Also, I met a young girl in Raleigh, NC, this past weekend, who waited outside my door on Sunday night with the hopes that I would come back out so that she could give me a hug good-bye.  Since I thought everyone was already on their way to bed, she had to resign herself to writing a letter to me, telling me how much she enjoyed my visit and that she would miss me.  I am so grateful for the impact I can have upon the youth. 

Of course, I’m also thankful for the new friends I’ve made who are between the elderly and the youth–the married couples and the singles.  Last week I went out to eat with a singles group made up of complete strangers.  But by the end of the night, it seemed that we had been friends for years.  The pictures on Facebook testify to this! 

A week ago I had the privilege of meeting Pastor Robert Vincent’s parents.  Pastor Vincent has contributed significantly to my life through the years, so it was a real privilege to meet his parents.  Unexpectedly, I found myself getting choked up when I shook his father’s hand.  I also had a hard time making mention of that encounter when I introduced myself to the church at the beginning of my presentation. 

At the same church I renewed contact with a former principal–Dr. David Pennington.  He was my principal in high school.  After earning a PhD and 20 years of other experiences, I was able to converse with him on a more adult level.  I also renewed contact with another of my high school principals–Randy Thaxton.  I enjoyed staying with him and his wife when I was in Lansdale, PA. 

Third, I’ve enjoyed renewing old friendships.  Recently, I ate supper with a guy who was the basketball team manager for my high school team.  It was fun to meet his wife and four boys.  Then that night I drove down to spend a few days on the farm of other friends from the same era.  I found out that they were at a church where I presented my ministry when their youngest boy came up to me to have me sign an AWANA page.  When he told me his name, I quickly realized that I knew his parents from about 20 years ago.

I’m also thankful for the chances to stay with family.  I was able to stay with my sister and her husband and my uncle and his wife.  Both were married only a year ago, so it was good to get to know the new additions to our family! 

Fourth, I am getting fed quite well in my travels.  Thankfully, I have not put on hardly any extra pounds, but that’s not because there hasn’t been plenty of good things to eat.  I’ve appreciated the kindness of so many people to feed me so well.  Of course, I also enjoy the many times I get to eat out.  Maybe some day it will get old, but so far so good! 

Fifth, and maybe most importantly, I’m thankful for being able to witness the works of God in various places and lives.  It increases my faith in His power and goodness, and it strengthens me to live more for Him.  In some cases, it also gives me cause for concern, but that also means that I have more to pray about. 

I have left out many experiences and people (but please don’t get offended if you are one of them! :-) ), but if I were to include them all, I wouldn’t have time to do the ministry I’ve been called to.  But hopefully this overview (mostly of recent activities over the past month) will give a good feel for the way in which God has blessed me during my deputation travels.

Speaking of ministry, please pray especially for our Chad field.  The regular readers of my blog will remember that our Chadian consultant, Ouya Bongo, tragically died in December.  A few months later a BMM missionary couple, who helps in a complementary ministry, had to leave the field because of health issues.  Now, the wife of a BI consultant that has been on the field for less than a year is having a terrible battle with malaria and possibly other health issues.  She might need to be evacuated.  Satan is definitely attacking this field, where we are working with 8 different languages and are close to completing two NTs.  Please pray for God to gain the victory on this field!!

On a personal note again, my back is still weak and sometimes sore, but it seems to be getting better.  I see the specialist tomorrow to find out the results and to get guidance for rehabilitation.  Please pray for wisdom.

Posted in deputation, ministry, personal | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

Translators, Graduates, My Back, and My Support

May 9, 2009 by proftroy

Translators.  I just finished reading The Theory and Practice of Translation, by Eugene A. Nida and Charles R. Taber (Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1969).  David Bell called Nida “undoubtedly the most influential figure in modern Bible translation.  He coined the term “dynamic equivalence,” which he defines in terms of receptor response.  Though the book posits various principles that I don’t agree with, I have found much helpful information.  As linguists and translation theory experts, the authors make a comment about language acquisition that is very supportive of Bibles International’s use of mother-tongue translators:

The average person can quite well master the syntactic structure of a language in four or five years, but it is a rare individual who masters the semotactic structure of a foreign language in less than twenty years, especially if he begins this process after he has become an adult. (’Semotactics’ has to do with ‘the linguistic context which pertains to the meanings of terms surrounding a given term.’)

In other words, you can learn the grammar fairly rapidly, but you cannot know how to use words in proper context with extreme precision until you have spent years being exposed to the language.  They also note:

Even with all the formal analysis of texts which he might be able to undertake, there is simply no substitute for the millions and billions of words a person should listen to and speak, if he is to build up a ‘feeling’ for the semotactic appropriateness of certain combinations.

So, rather than spending 20 years to master a language, it is better to train mother-tongue translators who already have this mastery.  That’s what we do at Bibles International.

Graduation.  I believe this year was the first in which Bob Jones University streamed the commencement ceremony live on the internet.  I remember finding the ceremony to be quite the bore as an undergrad, but after graduation I began to value the spiritual impact of it.  What an encouragement to listen as students recounted the marvellous works of the Lord.  How many other opportunities are there in life to hear this great concentration of such God-glorifying testimonies?!  It was a great blessing to listen to these graduating students. 

Speaking of this graduation, I must note that I had many of these students when they were sophomores.  With this graduating class of seniors exits the last class of students that I would have taught during my two years at BJU (2005-2007).  It’s very encouraging to think that I had a spiritual impact in some of the seniors’ lives. 

And finally, congratulations to my friend, Michael Cole.  He was the lone PhD graduating this year.  Now that the formalities are behind him, he must continue to travel on the deputation trail.  Pray for him as he and his family prepare to serve as missionaries in France.

My Back.  My back was quite sore this morning, but I believe that’s because of the bed.  It is getting better now as I move around.  I was worried that maybe I had made the wrong choice in not having the surgery done.  Pray that I will be patient in this healing process!  And pray for me to sleep in better beds in the future!

My Support.  Will you join me in asking the Lord to meet my prayer goal of 55% by the end of this 5th month of 2009?  That would mean an increase of 10%.  I believe I will add two supporters soon, but I will need more to arrive at 55%.  God can work!!

Posted in deputation, personal, translation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

No More Armor

May 7, 2009 by proftroy

It’s been three months since I had the sledding accident in which I fractured the T-12 vertebra.  The doctor said that the healing would be advanced enough that I could go without the brace at this point.  Since the temperatures have been rising recently, I decided I would get some relief by taking it off.  I knew that I would be in my car for 4.5 hours today too, so I thought it would be a good day to begin easing back into normal life.  So far, so good!  I’m still trying to be careful, though, since my muscles are not as strong as they were.  Though my “armor” protected me from certain things, it didn’t allow my muscles to do their job.  So they are weaker than they used to be.  I can definitely tell!  In about a week, I’ll probably start doing some exercises to strengthen the muscles. 

I’m so thankful for how the Lord has answered prayers.  I don’t feel any pain, except when I sleep in certain kinds of beds.  I’m not sure what kind that is, but I know that after about 6 hours of sleep, I get waken up because of a dull pain in my back.  Thankfully, some beds don’t cause such pain.  But at this point in my life, I don’t have a choice as to what kind of bed I sleep in.  Right now, I’m in a comfy prophet’s chamber at Grace Baptist Church (Leigh Crockett) in Anderson, IN.   We’ll see how this bed does tonight. 

What a blessing that I can take my brace off just as we move into summer and just as I begin heading further south!

On another note, I had a great time at Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, IL.  They have already shown their heart for Bibles International by taking on another consultant, Anna Beth Wivell, recently, and they demonstrated it again by their attentiveness to my presentation.  I also enjoyed fellowshipping with the Bradys, especially Dave Brady, the assistant pastor.  He and his wife got married only a little over a year ago, and Dave is older than I am.  Their testimony was an encouragement to me!

Posted in deputation, personal | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

Man’s Needs or God’s Glory

May 4, 2009 by proftroy

When I present my ministry to churches, I pray that the people will gain a burden for believers around the world who have no or insufficient access to the Word of God.  But recently a friend of mine let me watch a video on the internet that helped me to focus my thoughts in the right direction.  I’m referring to the “Revival Fire Video” on this website: http://www.plow.org/.  I don’t know much about this website, so I am definitely not endorsing it, but the video is well worth watching.  It had a very sobering effect upon me and challenged me to have right thoughts about my ministry. 

After watching this video and after meditating on some passages in Scripture over the past few weeks, I’ve come to realize that though we ought to have compassion upon those in need, our primarily burden ought to be for God’s glory.  Romans 15:25-27 puts everything in right perspective.  In missions work, our goal is the “obedience of faith.”  And as we strive toward that goal, we are seeking ultimately the glory of God. 

So when I think of those who do not have sufficient access to the Word of God, I ought to be burdened because God is not receiving glory through their lives as He should.  John 15:7-8 explain that we glorify God when He answers our prayers that issue forth from His words abiding in us and our abiding in Him.  If a person doesn’t know God’s Word well, he cannot allow God’s words to abide in him.  Consequently, his prayer life suffers, and then his fruitfulness is limited.  And as a result, God is not glorified. 

Bibles International must get God’s Word into people’s hands in a language that they understand–their heart language–so that God’s words can truly abide in them so that they can experience a fruitful prayer life and thus glorify God.  I hope I never lose sight of these truths. 

The Lord gave me a good time at Morning Start Baptist Church in Rockford, IL, yesterday.  The people showed great interest, and their love offering was very generous.  I head to Amboy to be with friends for a few days and then on down to Springfield for a meeting on Wed.  Then on to NC.  I plan on taking my back brace off later this week.  I think my body’s ready for that.

Posted in deputation, ministry | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

The Gospel in Aurora and India

April 24, 2009 by proftroy

I was able to go soulwinning with the teens at Calvary B/C in Geneva on Wed, but we weren’t able to give the gospel.  I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity today to give the gospel.  But I wondered how it would happen since I was going to be at a public library all day.  Well, the Lord allowed it to happen by leading me to do some reading on a picnic bench in a park area behind the library.  It’s such a beautiful day that I thought I’d take advantage of it.  Well, it turns out that another man was also doing the same thing. 

As I studied Spanish at my table, I began to wonder if he was reading Scripture.  I could hear pages turning and they had a distinct Scripture-page sound.  When I approached him, I saw that, sure enough, he was reading out of a little New Testament.  As we talked, it became clear to me that he was putting his dependence in his own efforts as well as in Jesus Christ.  I went through the whole gospel presentation with him, but he still focused on wanting to get things straightened out in his life first.  I will be visiting New Life Baptist Church here in Aurora in January 2010, so I told him about that church.  Please pray that Van would transfer all of his dependence to Jesus Christ.  Pray also that he would go to New Life.  He’s really searching for the Lord and for a good church.  And praise the Lord with me for answreing my prayer to have a solid gospel opportunity.  What a blessing! 

The gospel is also at work in India.  Though various persons brought the gospel to India throughout the centuries, I want to focus on William Carey, because he also did translation work.  He translated the NT for the Manipuri and published a NT for them in 1827.  We are also working with the Manipuri, but soon after the publication of the OT along with Carey’s NT in 1984, it was determined to begin a completely new translation.  BI officially adopted the project in 1990, and we are nearing the completion of the entire Bible. 

According to Suresh Singh, a BI consultant in India, there are 1.3 million speakers of Manipuri, of which 20,000 are believers (in various denominations).  These believers will soon have an accurate, complete translation of Scriptures.  It’s a blessing to continue the work that William Carey started. 

But though Carey worked with around 40 languages in India, he was not able to touch many of India’s other languages.  It is estimated that there are almost 500 distinct languages in India.  Of these only 60 have complete Bibles, and another 40 have only the New Testament.  What about those 40 that are waiting for the OT?  What about the 400 that have nothing at all? 

Another BI consultant in India, Jonathan Victor, let me know about a language group, Rathawi, that has over 300,000 speakers (as of 2006; the number is likely much higher today) and around 2,000 believers.  That’s one example of a language group that has nothing!  When are they going to receive their translation?  Currently, they have to be satisfied with hearing Scripture translated by their pastors at church.  Most, if not all, have no other access to Scriptures. 

Lest anyone think that the work of Bibles International is not necessary or coming to completion, let me assure you that there is still much work to be done.  Millions still wait!

Posted in ministry, translation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Missions Conference in Geneva, IL

April 21, 2009 by proftroy

It’s so good to be back in the Chicago area with my fellow Bulls, Blackhawks, and Cubs fans (the Sox are purposely not included!).  I’ve also enjoyed reconnecting with friends from the past.  I’m at Calvary Baptist Church, pastored by Rick Weesner, and I’ve been able to fellowship with Jenni (Muth) Green, who went to school with me in Schaumburg.  Jenni’s husband is seeking the Lord’s will about entering full-time ministry.  I also met David and Laura Neal, friends from my Mt. Calvary days.  David is pastoring a new church in Harvard, IL.  I’ve also seen Derek Black.  He was quite a bit younger than me at Schaumburg, but now he’s a missionary going to Alaska with his family.  Most importantly, I was able to see my sister Lori last night.  She was able to come to hear my ministry presentation.  I’ll see her again later this week as I stay at her house. 

It’s been a great conference so far.  I really appreciate the work that the church is putting into the conference and how the Lord is blessing.  I taught the teens and college-aged students for SS and then the children for Children’s Church.  The pastor asked if I would be willing to teach the latter, and I said ‘yes.’  So I put something together over the weekend.  But then when I got here, the pastor said that the CC leader wanted me to do just a 5-10 minute thing.  When I was talking to this man between SS and CC, he got excited about my presentation and asked if I could still give it.  After scrambling around to get my computer and projector from my car in the rain and then having my notes printed  off (which I hadn’t looked at since Friday night), I was able to teach the kids about language, communication, and their relation to what God has called us as believers to do.  The Lord gave us a wonderful time together. 

My speaking responsibilities are over for this conference, so now I can just enjoy the other speakers.  On Thurs I head to my sister’s.

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Goodbye Grand Rapids, Again

April 17, 2009 by proftroy

The Haitian Creole OT workshop ended on Tuesday, and we were able to accomplish a good deal.  Thanks for praying.  In total, we finished Ruth, Song of Solomon, Genesis 1-5, and Psalms 1-2.  Here are a few issues we wrestled with: 

  • “An evening went by, and a morning came.”  This sentence is repeated 6 times in Genesis 1, and this is directly from the rough draft of the Haitian Creole OT.  The Hebrew says: “There was an evening and there was a morning.” The Creole translation gives the impression that evening began the day, maybe even the darkness that preceded the appearance of light.  But this is not the case.  The day began with the appearance of light.  The evening came and then the morning came.  As soon as the morning came, the first day was complete.  The appearance of the morning also signaled a new day and was actually part of that new day.  I proposed: ’there was evening and morning—the first day’ or just ‘So the evening and the morning were the first day.’  Kidner suggests ‘evening came and morning came’ to avoid the impression that reckoning starts with the evening.  In the end, the translator decided that he would find a way to leave the sentence somewhat ambiguous while also avoiding giving the impression that the evening began each day.
  • In Psalm 2:3, the Hebrew says: “Let us tear apart their fetters, and let us cast off their cords from us!”  In Creole it is impossible to say “their fetters,” because the same word “yo” is used to indicate plural and third-person possession.  The result would be “chèn yo yo.”  So we had to leave only “yo” and leave it at that.

 

I’m thankful for what I was able to get done during the three days after the workshop.  I basically had to catch up from being away from the office for 6 months.  I was finally able to bring all of my financial records up to date.  But now I am getting ready to leave Grand Rapids again.  I won’t return until mid July.  But this trip will be different than the last, since I’ll see my sister and her hubby in Chicago, as well as my uncle and his new wife.  Then, I’ll be staying with my mom for the last half of the trip.  I’ll arrive in Greenville on May 18 and will be there until July 6. 

 

Tomorrow I head to Geneva, IL, for a missions conference at Calvary Baptist Church.  I’ll be speaking to the teens in SS and to the children in the AM service.  I present my ministry on Monday evening.  Please pray for effective ministry.  Pray also as I have much work still to do for the Children’s Church slot. 

Posted in deputation, ministry | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

Ruth, Solomon, and Adam

April 11, 2009 by proftroy

The Lord really helped me as I preached my sermon on forgiveness last week in Philadelphia, and He kept me safe all the way back to Grand Rapids.  As soon as I got back, I had lunch and then jumped into consulting.  We were able to finish the rest of Ruth and all of the Song of Solomon, and we have begun Genesis.  It’s been a very busy week as we are in the workshop all day, but then I have to take care of personal matters in the evenings.  I’m trying to keep up with other issues amongst the consultants while also taking care of deputation matters.  We spent another 5 hours working this morning, but then I had to spend another hour and a half getting ready for Monday.  I’ve finally been able to work through all of the back-translations I’ve received.  But we may even get into material for which I don’t have back-translations.  If we have time, we will also work on Psalms 1-5. 

Here’s what we’ve been doing in this workshop.  I should be with what we do before the workshop.  We consultants work through the passages by studying the Hebrew and then examining the translation through the back-translation (a translation of the Creole translation).  Then at the workshop, we begin by having Daniel Telfort (the translator) give an oral back-translation of his own translation.  This lets us see if the written back-translation isn’t exactly accurate.  As he’s reading, we are following along in the Hebrew.  When he has finished, I ask questions about specific issues that I’ve already noted to determine his understanding of the Hebrew text and of how he translated it into Creole.  If the Hebrew text can be taken a few different ways, I might present the issue by asking him to choose between the options.  I want to determine if he understands the Hebrew text first.  Then I want to understand how the Creole can best express that.  Sometimes it takes a great deal of work to stay close to the Hebrew words while also clearly expressing the meaning in Creole. 

When I have finished asking my questions, Dr. Bernard asks his questions about the Hebrew and/or Creole.  He often uses his questions to teach both Daniel and me (since I’m being mentored to become a senior consultant).  Often, we get into pretty in-depth discussions amongst the three of us as we seek to arrive at the best translation.  As I said in my Briefings article (current issue), the discussions can go on for almost an hour for just a few words.  If we cannot arrive at a translation that we are comfortable with, we give Daniel our proposition and have him take it back to his translation team in Haiti. 

Here are some issues that we confronted in our work this week:

  1. In the OT, the word for ‘heavens’ can mean ‘firmament’, ’sky’, or ‘the place where God dwells.’  The Creole work ’syel’ (pronounced like the French ‘ciel’) comprehends all levels but cannot refer to one in distinction from another.  So Genesis 1:1 can’t have the plural form because it sounds absurd in Creole.  Also, when Genesis 1 speaks about the birds flying in the sky, it cannot distinguish that from the firmament where the stars are.
  2. In Genesis 1:14, Moses writes about the creation of ‘lights’ in the expanse of the heavens.  The plural of the Creole word (limyè) refers to a plurality of lamps.  Obviously, this is not the referent in Gen. 1.  But we wanted to distinguish the reference to light here from the reference earlier in Gen. 1.  We decided to translate it as ’sources of light.’
  3. In Genesis 3:7, it says that the couple ’sewed’ fig leaves together to cover themselves.  The Creole word for ’sewed’ is ‘coud’, but it implies the modern-day instruments used for sewing.  Obviously, we cannot be anachronistic and put sewing needles into Adam’s and Eve’s hands.  We thought about using a more general word like ‘joined,’ but in the end we decided to let Daniel work on this with his stylists.
  4. Lest I give the impression that Creole is always deficient, I must point out one of its grammatical structures that surpasses English.  In Creole the definite article occurs after the noun, and it occurs after all modifiers of the noun.  So when there are complicated modifiers added to a noun, Creole has a nice way of making it clear that everything goes together. 

The workshop ends on Tuesday, so pray we accomplish much.  We are very thankful that we are going faster than hour pace at the first workshop in Dec (where we consulted on 5.5 chapters).

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Solomon and Forgiveness

April 4, 2009 by proftroy

What did I do during the day this week?  STUDY!  Ever since I arrived in Lansdale, PA, on Monday, I have been studying.  I arranged my schedule so that I would be studying this last week on the road in preparation for the Haitian Creole workshop next week.  I decided to save it for this week because I knew I would be able to use the Calvary Baptist Seminary library the whole week.  I spoke at the church on Wed and in the chapel on Thurs, so I needed to be here anyway.  I’m thankful for how well the two speaking times went, and I’m also thankful for the resources here at the library.  I definitely needed them! 

I had the task of working through the entire book of The Song of Songs.  I had never worked through it in Hebrew, so I knew it would be difficult for that reason.  Plus, I knew the Hebrew was complicated and I also was fully aware of how complex the interpretation of the book is.  I was definitely not mistaken about these issues!  It seemed that almost every verse had at least one extremely complex issue, and many verses had more than one.  For one verse, the Handbook on the Song of Songs strongly recommended adding a footnote to the effect that the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.  I probably could have done that for a number of items in the book.  But thankfully, I was able to work through the entire book, finishing only 20 minutes before library closing on Friday afternoon.

Though the exact meaning of many items in the book are difficult to determine, the overall theme of the book is very easy to grasp.  I was confronted over and over again with the joys and delights of an exclusive marriage relationship.  These are the rewards that God offers to those who are committed to saving themselves for “the right one.”  Interpreters try to justify the book’s place in the canon by drawing parallels between Christ’s relationship with the church.  Regardless of whether or not this is an acceptable approach, it is clear that the literal message of the book is needed in today’s society that praises “bread eaten in secret” and being “ravished with a strange woman.” 

Today I had the privilege of developing a sermon the cross.  My text was Luke 23:34 where Christ’s cry for forgiveness is recorded.  I look forward to preaching it in Philadelphia tomorrow for the first time. 

After Sunday dinner I begin heading back to Michigan.  I’ll be staying the night in Findlay, OH, on Sunday night and then driving the rest of the way to Grand Rapids on Monday morning.  Please pray for safe travels. 

Pray also for the Lord to do a great work tomorrow as I magnify His forgiveness!  And pray for the workshop to be very productive next week and the following.  The Haitian translator is flying up to the US this time so that we don’t have to spend money for two tickets (one for me and one for Dr. Bernard).  I’m also very thankful for this arrangement, because I wasn’t looking forward to going to Haiti during this hotter time of the year and with my back brace.

Posted in deputation, ministry | 2 Comments »

Landscapes

March 28, 2009 by proftroy

One of my greatest joys in deputation is getting to see new landscapes.  Most of my time has been spent in PA, VA, and WV, recently, and these states definitely have much for the eyes to look at.  I also remember traveling up and down alongside the St. Lawrence River in Quebec in May 2008.  The views along the river were magnificent.  I had supper with Pastor Rioux and his wife in the small town of Cacouna, where it is said that some of the most beautiful sunsets can be enjoyed.  Of course, the eastern states mentioned above have their own beauty to offer.  I absolutely love the windy, two-lane roads through the mountains.  I hate to travel the interstates, because I miss much of the local beauty.  So it’s a real thrill when I can get away from the semi trucks and divided highways to wend through the mountains and towns.  I’ve learned much about the physical landscape of this area in my travels.

I’ve also learned much about the landscape of fundamentalism.  I’ve experienced everything from the so-called progressive fundamentalists and to the rabbid KJV-only crowd.  In fact, the latter crowd are not comfortable with saying “The King James Version.”  It’s “The King James Bible,” since it’s the only true Bible. 

Thankfully, there’s a more balanced and biblical fundamentalism out there than the two types mentioned above.  Some of the churches are struggling and seem to be giving up hope, but thankfully, there are some vibrant congregations of fundamentalists who are making real impact upon their community.  The former group is often made up of mostly faithful elderly members, and the pastors struggle to find the answer for the church’s future.  But the latter group has a good mix of the elderly and the more youthful.  As I think back over the almost 60 churches in the eastern US and Quebec (not to mention those I visited on ministry travels to Haiti, Chad, and Papua New Guinea), I praise the Lord that He continues to raise up generations of those who fear God and desire to uphold the fundamentals of the faith.  I’m refreshed by the pastors who refuse to allow their churches to be infiltrated by worldliness. 

At times, however, I can get discouraged, because a relatively small group of believers in these churches are active in evangelism, and many of the younger generations are becoming enthralled with worldly Christian music.  I wonder what will become of fundamentalism in 20-30 years.  Where will we be with the English-version controversy?  Where will our music standards be? 

The Lord encouraged me this morning with the passage on the unjust judge in Luke 18.  The Lord gave this parable to encourage unrelenting prayer and undying hope in God’s purposes.  He ends the parable with a searching question: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (NKJV).   I heard a preacher explain that Jesus was really referring to “the faith,” but, though the article is present in the Greek, I don’t think the context allows it.  The parable encourages the believer to continue praying and not to lose heart that God will bring about justice for His elect.  Prayer is the greatest demonstration of faith and a sure sign that we haven’t lost heart.  God has promised that the body of faith will never be destroyed, but He does pose the question–will there still be the faithful on this earth when the Son of Man comes back?  There will be if the faithful don’t lose heart and stop praying!!

My heart has been burdened by the defeatist attitude of some fundamentalists that I’m meeting.  They seem to lack faith, and they may not be praying much for God to change the situation.  According to their pastors, they definitely aren’t actively obeying the Great Commission.  Do Christ’s words that there is a harvest into which He is sending laborers no longer apply to 21st-century America?  Is He no longer building His church in our land? 

Let’s not lose heart!  Let’s give ourselves to fervent prayer and to prayerful labor!  Balanced, biblical fundamentalism IS the answer for today’s hurting, dying world!  Let’s keep our focus on the true core of fundamentalism–the gospel–and then proclaim it to all!

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