Wichita Still Stirred Up by Gospel Proclamation

Pastor Mark Holick writes an excellent apologetic defending why we go to the streets and why we proclaim this wonderful absolute Gospel that Jesus Christ is Lord! Be encouraged, strengthen your weak knees, follow hard after Christ, and smile. ~ Flip ~

Wichita Still Stirred Up by Gospel Proclamation

The Eagle ran another article about our God Going Back to School.  The article is first and the link and Pastor Mark's response is after that.  Spirit One Christian Center, where it takes faith and courage just to be a member.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/editorial/13185149.htm

Posted on Thu, Nov. 17, 2005

Abortion protests reveal truth but lack discretion

BY JEFF SYRIOS

There has been a lot of rhetoric regarding the propriety of using posters with graphic images of aborted babies at pro-life demonstrations and rallies.

Those against the use of such images argue they misrepresent the truth by failing to communicate the context and circumstances accompanying the abortion. Additionally, the shock and emotional reaction divert attention from the real issue, which is a woman's right to control her body.

Those who support the use of such photos have a much simpler response: The truth hurts. If the images offend, it is because abortion is offensive. They believe the gruesome images combat the hidden sterility of what actually happens within the walls of an abortion clinic.

So who is right and what is the truth?

As experience shows, when fact is sifted through the filter of man's agenda-laden perspective, the truth lies somewhere in between.

The horrible images of abortion do represent the truth. Abortion is what it is. But more important, it always is what it is. Whether the child was conceived by rape, is being carried by a 13-year-old middle school girl, or is terribly deformed, abortion results in the taking of human life. And when that life has existed beyond the first trimester, an abortion looks gruesome. All of the context in the world cannot change that truth.

Abortion takes human life at every stage after conception. Science has verified that when the sperm and ovum unite, a genetically unique and complete human life is created. And it is precisely at that moment when a woman loses, for about nine months, her human autonomy. Her body is no longer just her own, for she shares it with another. And that other life is completely separate from her life, even having its own distinct purpose. Sometimes it takes the horrifying images of an abortion to strip away the gloss of context that hides these truths.

But there are no absolutes when it comes to the presentation of absolute truth. There is great force in truth, and it can be dangerous and even counterproductive when it is proclaimed carelessly. When it is mishandled, it is often due to a lack of humility in the one who has discovered it.

I question the propriety of using such images at a high school protest, which is what started this local debate. Some eyes and brains may not be mature enough to effectively process the meaning of such images. I also wonder about the effectiveness of the uncensored use of these posters. Often, when graphic photographs are used, they unnecessarily draw divisive lines in the sand, as well as overshadow many of the key issues involved in the abortion debate.

Truth is indeed powerful. And there is a time and a place to use images of abortion. But truth must always find a companion in discretion. And sometimes it is better communicated in a manner more resembling a sunrise than a sledgehammer.

PASTOR MARK'S RESPONSE

Mr. Syrios, I read your article in the Eagle today.  You were quite critical of us and our use of abortion pictures.  I would like to meet with you to discuss it if you are willing.

You said, 1) "Truth lies somewhere in-between, 2) That there are no absolutes when it comes to the presentation of absolute truth, 3) That truth can be dangerous and even counter productive."  4) You even said that I was lacking in humility.  5) You question our propriety at high schools.  6) Some brains are not mature enough to process the meaning.  7) We drew divisive lines, 8) You even said we over shadowed the key issues.  9) That we used a sledgehammer not a sunrise.

Response:

1. Truth is never grey...never 'lies somewhere in-between."  Jesus is God, Jesus is the Word (Jn. 1) and the Word is Truth.  God is unchanging, therefore truth is unchanging.  Your statement is a statement of moral relativism.  The atheistic, Godless, moral less Wichita Eagle was so overjoyed that you said it, that they '”pull quoted it."  How sad.

2. You said, “There are no absolutes when it comes to the presentation of absolute truth.” This is the state of most of us American Christians today. A belief that if Christianity isn't…nice, then it can't be Christian. So let's give our high school kids condoms for free, let's use our public schools to teach them how to use them.  Let's pull the 10 commandments off our school walls, after all we must present truth carefully, it could offend someone.  And let's outlaw the Bible in our schools; we certainly would never want to 'offend' anyone with this thing called the truth.  But Mr. Syrios, I am so grateful that one day someone so offended me by showing me that I was a terrible, miserable sinner that had broken all of God's moral laws, that I couldn't save myself, that I needed someone else...Jesus.  How offensive that truth was.  What did John the Baptist tell Herod..."Herod, God knows your heart; you really mean well, go ahead and keep your brother's wife."

How many ways can you present 2 +2 = 4.  How many inoffensive ways can you tell someone it doesn't equal 5?? Just the statement itself, “absolute truth” is like saying “wet water,” water is always wet and truth is always absolute and it will always be offensive, if it's not the answer we want.

3. You said, “Truth can be dangerous and even counter productive.” This is the most disappointing statement of your article.  And how do you determine what is counter productive? By how an unrepentant, uncircumcised Philistine responds to the truth of the Lord? Truth is always liberating and good and righteous because Truth is the Lord.  I am afraid that you have been affected by the politically correct thought of the day.  This statement is made out of a human mercy that never wants to offend, yet Jesus offended people on a regular basis (see Mt. 11:1-6, Lk. 14:1-4, Jn. 15:18, Ro. 9:33, 1 Pe. 2:8, Jn. 6:53-66, (In Mathew alone we have, Mt. 2:13, 4:17, 8:28, 9:32-34, 10:14--23, 11:20-23, 12:14-24, 13:53-57, 15:1-16, 21:23, 21:45, 46, 26:30, 31, 47, 27:15-26 and that's just from Mathew.  Mr. Syrios, the truth can only produce one of two things, a hardened heart that gets angry, or a softened heart that produces repentance.  These are the only two choices.  There is no other possible result.  Telling someone the Truth is the most loving thing one can do. Jesus was so loving...that nailed Him to a cross. It wasn't because he was so kind, merciful, compassionate, forgiving (though he was all those things).

By counter productive you mean it offended some, made some upset, hurt, even outraged.  But why would a person who has never had an abortion become so upset?  It is because we as Americans all have blood on our hands.  We have not hated bloodshed.  We the Christians have decided to peacefully co-exist with it.  Ez. 35:6 therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.  Is this truth, i.e. prophecy, not now being played out in our high schools via mass murders throughout our nation today? In other words, you're saying this sacrifice was messy.  I apologize that the way of the cross gets that way sometimes.  Mr. Syrios, did you get a chance to see Mel Gibson's, The Passion of Christ? By counter productive you mean that people wrote all kinds of angry things about us...most of which were false.

Did Jesus lack 'discretion' when he told Peter that he was an offense to him?  Or when Jesus told His disciples that they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  Did Jesus lack 'discretion' when he overthrew the money changers?  And the answer is...YES, truth can't always be discrete, there is only one way to tell someone that 2 +2 = 4. Sure we do it with a humble heart and respectful attitude, but the substance of truth can not change.

4. “You even said that I was lacking in humility.”  I have kept all the articles and Op Ed pieces that have been written about us.  At least 5 different Eagle writers have written about us.  Of the two that were the most critical (McCormick and Scholfield), one of them said the same exact thing as you did...lacking in humility, prideful.  So Mr. Syrios, you have agreed with some of the most liberal, leftist, humanistic writers on the Eagle staff.  They and you have decided that you can know what our motives were without ever meeting us and without being at the event.  Amazing.  I think to even attempt such a thing carries a log in the eye.

5.  You said, “You question our propriety at high schools.”  The sacrificed baby signs that we used were of Malachi.  A baby boy who was found frozen, in a jar by Flip Benham and other pro-lifers in an abortion clinic in Dallas.  With the vast majority of child sacrifices being done on teens and early 20's mothers, where would you say is the 'appropriate' place or setting?? 

Mr. Syrios, theologically pro-life Christians are biographically pro-life Christian's worse enemies.  How did you say it?  "Prepare for an atmosphere of family betrayal and death."  Did I get it right?  I have pastored for 15 years.  Have you ever counseled with a post abortive mother or father??  We are not there to be 'divisive, offensive, hurtful, or counter productive.'  We are there to help them, to save them from Planned Parenthood and Tiller.  To save them from many years of enormous pain and suffering.  I'll spare you all the statistics.

When I was in high school at Wichita South high, in our history class one day our teacher passed around 8X12 B&W photographs of concentration camps and holocaust victims.  They were as graphic as it gets.  Yet I don't recall any objecting to the fact that they were shown us.  Why?  Why do abortion pictures elicit such outrage and criticism even from pro-life Christians like your self but not from graphic holocaust photographs?  Because we are not guilty of the holocaust, but our apathy and indifference even objections to others who do show the truth, convict us as guilty...so many times guilty.

6.  You said, “Some brains are not mature enough to process the meaning.”  If someone is old enough to have sex and produce or become pregnant, then they are old enough to know the truth of their actions.  The holocaust pictures were shown to me when I was in high school and they taught me well.

7. You said I was ‘divisive.' The same was said about Martin Luther and Dr. Martin Luther King.  Do we stop speaking truth because it divides?  Were the Apostles ever…'divisive? (See Acts 4, 5, 7, 12, and many more.

“Jesus (Truth) unites our enemies (i.e. pro-aborts and homosexuals, Herod and Pilot) and divides friends”- Flip Benham .

Honestly Mr. Syrios, how many children do you think will be spared their lives because of the hundreds and hundreds of students who have now seen this 'divisive, without discretion,' truth of what child sacrifice looks like?

8.  You said we over shadowed the key issues. We showed exactly the key issue, that God, "hates the hands that shed innocent blood” (Pr. 6:16).  You see Mr. Syrios, the picture of Malachi is not 'just' an aborted little boy, and his blood is still speaking.  And if someone had done that to me, I would want people to take my picture of my mutilated little body and post it on the largest billboards you could find all across America .  I think Malachi would agree. Malachi represents the moral laws of God.  Malachi represents that murder (killing the innocent) at any time is wrong.  Malachi is the 10 Commandments (the moral law of God) in picture form.  It shows us how wicked the results of sin is.

9. You said, that we used a sledgehammer not a sunrise. This is more of the same 'you weren't nice, politically correct, everyone worships the same God whether Buddhist, Muslim, or Christian, mantra.'  But the sad part is that it's coming from pro-life Christians everywhere.  We in the church who have been feminized into believing that there is only a feminine (compassion, mercy, forgiving side of God), but having no understanding of the Father (discipline, righteous, holy, truth, prophetic, and yes, judgmental) side of God.

I would like to refer you to an EXCELLENT portion of a flyer written by Jeff Syrios called "Biblical Confrontation and Persuasion."  In it you write:

We as Christians are commanded to be active in our influence on society. As we step up our participation in today's moral debate, we will increasingly be confronted by a strong opposition. As we engage the world in this adversarial atmosphere, we must be well-grounded in our faith and prepared to display Christ during the heat of confrontation. This conflict is natural and should be anticipated as we continue to mature in Christ in the presence of a decaying world. In fact, our spiritual mode-of-operation should not be the comfort and serenity of a peaceful lif e, but the upheaval and violence of the sword (Matthew 10:34). The Bible documents many of the confrontations God's servants had with the culture of their day. The New Testament describes the clashes between Jesus and the human and spiritual evil of his day. (Emphasis mine) http://www.syrioslyspeaking.com/ - Biblical Confrontation and Persuasion – Jeff Syrios.

“UPHEAVAL,” WOW, did I get it right Mr. Syrios?

Mr. Syrios, had it not been for the saints 'confrontation' with the truth of God's law (Malachi) at our public high schools, there would never have been weeks and weeks of discussion, Wichita Eagle articles, Op Ed pieces, office cooler talk, etc., etc., about abortion.  Abortion is a secret sin and it must be exposed.  Nice, ‘discretionary,' ‘non divisive,' feminine gospel presentations will never stop abortion...never.  If it wasn't for us going out with this truth, not even your article would be printed today.  You're welcome.  I am sad that you used it as an opportunity to criticize the law of God and your brothers.  No we are not perfect.  I am a weak, sinful man.  But I would much rather have someone doing something that is producing and making some mistakes than someone who can only criticize.  The ability to criticize is not a gift.  If you have a more productive way, please, by all means, show us.  I would much rather have a better way and I'll drop this ‘divisive' way in a heart beat.

People have been asking me how I am doing through all of this and I jokingly tell them that 'I feel the love."  After reading your article, I felt just like when I read all the Eagle articles, how sad.

We can curse the darkness or we can light a candle even if some don't like my style, color, or size of candle.

In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Mark E. Holick
Spirit One Christian Center
Wichita, Kansas

P.S. It would have been better if when I called you this summer with my question about being at North high that you would have told me that you didn't believe in it.