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 Living  the Blessing http:// www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/ columns/ancient-paths/19377-living 

View the world in love,Gregg

Perspective

Having a Conversation

Gregg Cudworth

March 12th the Catholic Church stood upfor truth by holding on to the church

doctrines of marriage between a man and women, life of the unborn, and the sanctity of life in the elderly.

 They did this by electing a pope who hashad a tradition of holding up church ortho-doxy. But that wasn’t the way it was told inthe secular media. Pope Francis has beenreported to be against same sex marriage,against abortion, and against euthanasia. The difference being as Chuck Colson saidsome time ago, we need to be more about what we are promoting and less about what we are against.

 This is liken to the cliché, is the glass half 

full or half empty. When the glass is half empty it is a negative, when it is half full itis a positive. When defending a position by declaring the other person is wrong you arebeing negative. When you defend your po-sition by declaring what you are for withoutattacking the other person’s views may not

CONVERSING IS A TWO WAY  STREET 

Headline Story of the Week

The African-American abortion

rate, according to the study 

conducted by the Guttmacher 

Institute, is 41 per 1,000

women among the 15-19 year 

old age group. The national

average abortion rate is 18 per 1,000 women among 15-19-

year-olds.

The rate is also four times

higher than the teen abortionrate among non-Hispanic

whites, which sits at 10 per 

1,000 women, and twice as

high as the Hispanic rate of 20

 per 1,000. Continued on URL 

CCW is the sole content of the author. If you have enjoyed this

please forward without changing the content.

Newsletter Date March 18, 2013Volume 5, Issue 12

Christian Worldview

Weekly

The Colson Corner

Quote of the Week 

Study: African Ameri-

can teen abortion rates

reach twice national av-

erageBy Scott Greer  

http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-

center/columns/

worldview/19344-the-prayer-

channel 

Worldview : Biblical or 

Christianhttp://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/worldview/19316-worldview-

 biblical-or-christian 

Devotion of the Week Click URL to complete story:

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/14/

african-american-teen-abortion-rates-

reach-twice-national-average-study-

finds/ 

Bore: one who

has the power 

of speech but

not the capac-ity for conver-

sation. Benjamin

Disraeli (1804 - 1881) 

Follow me and others at: www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/ 

Continued on page 2

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always be a positive, but it certainly is not a negative.

 The issue for some Christians is they don’t know how to defend their position because they don’t fully un-derstand their position from a biblical view. I have

heard more than one person say, “This is what I be-lieve and that’s good enough for me.” Or anothermeaningless argument is, “The bible says so, I don’tknow how or where but I know it does.” I put thefollowing quote on the bottom of all my emails,“Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no oneshould be denied it” I don’t know anymore who saidit, but knowledge is good and when spoken in truth it will set you free. Free from the discouragement andembarrassment of speaking from ignorance.

 The second big issue is we don’t know enough about

the flip side of the argument. Francis Schaeffer wasonce asked, “If you only had an hour to talk to a non-believer what would you say?” His response was, “I would only ask questions for the first fifty five min-utes, then I would explain Christianity to him.”Schaeffer’s point was, until I know and understand theperson’s positions on life I have nothing to say to him.

 The question mark is our best ally and tool when trying to understand a person’s view points on life and the world. Most of us are too quick to voice an opinionbefore we have learned the other person’s outlook;

more likely than not this will come across as offensive,negative and aggressive. Learning to be a good ques-tioner and then a good listener is vital if we are going to have a civil dialog with people holding an opposing point of view.

So, how do we apply this to the three biggest issuesconfronting the church; i.e. marriage, abortion, andeuthanasia?

DOMA 

 The best argument for marriage is the quality of life ina proper relationship. Marriage between a man and a

 woman is not only biologically correct but sociologi-cally and culturally correct. The argument for marriageis the strength of a culture which has always promotedmarriage as it was intended by God. Everyone witheven an ounce of common sense knows all the pitfallsof homosexual marriage, so why rub them raw withthe negatives? But the argument is more than saying itis obvious heterosexual marriage is best; it must bearticulated in a positive way with factual truths.

CONVERSING IS A TWO WAY  STREET CONTINUED  

PROTECTING THE UNBORN

 The pro-life advocates have done an excellent job of transforming their approach. The once anti-abortiongroup is now pro-life. They are now using technology 

such as ultra-sounds to demonstrate the life of the fe-tus. This has been a big step in removing the false ideathat the fetus is only a tissue mass. But there are many other statistics to show the benefits to a culture whichpromotes the biblical truth of “be fruitful and multi-ply.” For example, Japan has been a culture in declineand their low birth is purported to be one of thecauses.

 Abortion statistics are staggering in Japan eventhough it is illegal. There was an estimated 210,000abortions in Japan for the year of 2010; but sources

say the number is probably much higher. Girls are themostly likely to be aborted and as a result there are notenough women for men to marry. The result has been women are treated like a commodity and are oftensold for a dowry to the highest bidder.

SANCTIFYING THE DYING

Lastly, there is a growing number who see economic value in euthanasia. The positive side of this issue isalways life and the benefits which come from making aperson’s last days as comfortable and rewarding aspossible. This is not only a plus for the dying, but a

bonus for the living. There is nothing in life more re- warding than helping a person to live through theprocess of dying.

 There are many statistics reported where the peopleshowing loving care for a dying person has not only grown spiritually, but they have also grown in theirother relationships. The positive side of the argumentis we all want to be loved, and the person most lovedis the person who loves the most.

 The next time you are confronted by a secular view-

point take the time to understand the person, under-

stand the issues and show the willingness to converse

respectfully. A conversation is by definition a two way 

dynamic, ask questions and respond with true factual

answers. When you do this you need not fear standing 

up for your convictions.

Talking with you is sort of the conversational equivalentof an out of body experience. Bill Watterson (1958 - ), Calvin & Hobbes 

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The Christian Leader

in the Digital Age The Digital Age is upon us. In the span

of less than three decades, we have re-defined the way humans communicate,

entertain, inform, research, create, and

connect – and what we know now is

only a hint of what is to come. But the

greatest concern of the church is not a

technological imperative, but a Gospel

imperative.

The digital world did not exist a genera-tion ago, and now it is a fundamental

fact of life. The world spawned by the

More on nest page

 personal computer, the Internet, social

media, and the smart phone now consti-

tutes the greatest arena of public discus-

sion and debate the world has ever 

known.

Leaders who talk about the real world

as opposed to the digital world are mak-

ing a mistake, a category error. While

we are right to prioritize real face-to-

face conversations and to find comfort

and grounding in stable authorities like

the printed book, the digital world is it-

self a real world, just real in a differentway.

Real communication is happening in the

digital world, on the Web and on the

smart phone in your pocket or business

case. Real information is being shared

and globally disseminated, faster than

ever before. Continued at: http://

www.albertmohler.com/2013/02/26/the-christian-leader-in-the-

digital-age/?

utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=F

eed%3A+AlbertMohlersBlog+%28Albert+Mohler%27s+Blog%

29 

Visit gocomics for a great selection of your favorite comic strips. http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes 

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Question: "What is sola scriptura?" 

Answer: The phrase sola scriptura is from the Latin: sola 

having the idea of “alone,” “ground,” “base,” and the

word scriptura meaning “writings”—referring to the

Scriptures. Sola scriptura means that Scripture alone is

authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian.

The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. “All Scrip-ture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,

correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy

3:16).

Sola scriptura was the rallying cry of the Protestant Refor-

mation. For centuries the Roman Catholic Church had

made its traditions superior in authority to the Bible. This

resulted in many practices that were in fact contradictory

to the Bible. Some examples are prayer to saints and/or

Mary, the immaculate conception, transubstantiation, 

infant baptism, indulgences, and papal authority. Martin

Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church and father of 

the Protestant Reformation, was publicly rebuking the

Catholic Church for its unbiblical teachings. The Catholic

Church threatened Martin Luther with excommunication

(and death) if he did not recant. Martin Luther's reply

was, “Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony

of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am per-

suaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and

unless they thus render my conscience bound by the

Word of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe

for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I

stand, I can do no other; may God help me! Amen!” 

If you are receiving this and wish not to, email cuddysark@gmail.com and put unsubscribe CWW in the subject line. If

you have received this as a forward and wish to get it regularly, send an email with the words “ subscribe CWW ” inthe subject line.

The primary Catholic argument against sola scriptura is

that the Bible does not explicitly teach sola scriptura.

Catholics argue that the Bible nowhere states that it is the

only authoritative guide for faith and practice. While this

is true, they fail to recognize a crucially important issue.

We know that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible de-

clares itself to be God-breathed, inerrant, and authorita-

tive. We also know that God does not change His mind orcontradict Himself. So, while the Bible itself may not ex-

plicitly argue for sola scriptura, it most definitely does not

allow for traditions that contradict its message. Sola scrip-

tura is not as much of an argument against tradition as it

is an argument against unbiblical, extra-biblical and/or

anti-biblical doctrines. The only way to know for sure

what God expects of us is to stay true to what we know

He has revealed—the Bible. We can know, beyond the

shadow of any doubt, that Scripture is true, authoritative,

and reliable. The same cannot be said of tradition.

The Word of God is the only authority for the Christian

faith. Traditions are valid only when they are based on

Scripture and are in full agreement with Scripture. Tradi-

tions that contradict the Bible are not of God and are not

a valid aspect of the Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the

only way to avoid subjectivity and keep personal opinion

from taking priority over the teachings of the Bible. The

essence of sola scriptura is basing your spiritual life on

the Bible alone and rejecting any tradition or teaching

that is not in full agreement with the Bible. Second Timo-

thy 2:15 declares, “Do your best to present yourself to

God as one approved, a workman who does not need to

be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of 

truth.” 

Sola scriptura does not nullify the concept of church tradi-

tions. Rather, sola scriptura gives us a solid foundation on

which to base church traditions. There are many prac-

tices, in both Catholic and Protestant churches, that are

the result of traditions, not the explicit teaching of Scrip-

ture. It is good, and even necessary, for the church to

have traditions. Traditions play an important role in clari-

fying and organizing Christian practice. At the same time,

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in order for these traditions to be valid, they must not

be in disagreement with God’s Word. They must be

based on the solid foundation of the teaching of Scrip-

ture. The problem with the Roman Catholic Church, and

many other churches, is that they base traditions on

traditions which are based on traditions which are

based on traditions, often with the initial tradition not

being in full harmony with the Scriptures. That is whyChristians must always go back to sola scriptura, the

authoritative Word of God, as the only solid basis for

faith and practice.

On a practical matter,

a frequent objection to

the concept of sola

scriptura is the fact

that the canon of the

Bible was not officially

agreed upon for at

least 250 years after

the church was

founded. Further, the

Scriptures were not

available to the masses

for over 1500 years

after the church was

founded. How, then, were early Christians to use sola

scriptura, when they did not even have the full Scrip-

tures? And how were Christians who lived before the

invention of the printing press supposed to base their

faith and practice on Scripture alone if there was no

way for them to have a complete copy of the Scrip-

tures? This issue is further compounded by the very

high rates of illiteracy throughout history. How does the

concept of sola scriptura handle these issues?

The problem with this argument is that it essentially

says that Scripture’s authority is based on its availabil-

ity. This is not the case. Scripture’s authority is univer-

sal; because it is God’s Word, it is His authority. The fact

that Scripture was not readily available, or that people

could not read it, does not change the fact that Scrip-

ture is God’s Word. Further, rather than this being an

argument against sola scriptura, it is actually an argu-

ment for what the church should have done, instead of 

what it did. The early church should have made produc-

ing copies of the Scriptures a high priority. While it was

unrealistic for every Christian to possess a complete

copy of the Bible, it was possible that every church could

have some, most, or all of the Scriptures available to it.

Early church leaders should have made studying the

Scriptures their highest priority so they could accurately

teach it. Even if the Scriptures could not be made avail-able to the masses, at least church leaders could be well-

trained in the Word of God. Instead of building traditions

upon traditions and passing them on from generation to

generation, the church should have copied the Scrip-

tures and taught the

Scriptures (2 Timothy

4:2).

Again, traditions are

not the problem. Un-

biblical traditions are

the problem. The avail-

ability of the Scriptures

throughout the centu-

ries is not the deter-

mining factor. The

Scriptures themselves

are the determining

factor. We now have the Scriptures readily available to

us. Through the careful study of God’s Word, it is clear

that many church traditions which have developed over

the centuries are in fact contradictory to the Word of 

God. This is where sola scriptura applies. Traditions that

are based on, and in agreement with, God’s Word can be

maintained. Traditions that are not based on, and/or

disagree with, God’s Word must be rejected. Sola scrip-

tura points us back to what God has revealed to us in His

Word. Sola scriptura ultimately points us back to the

God who always speaks the truth, never contradicts

Himself, and always proves Himself to be dependable. 

Site of the Week 

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