The Ad Hominem Attack

As long as the church keep wildin' out, I can justify all my foolish deeds. – Lecrae, “Church Clothes”

An Ad Hominem,  (Latin for “to the person”), is attacking an opponent’s character or personal traits in an attempt to undermine their argument. Ad hominem attacks can take the form of overtly attacking somebody, or casting doubt on their character. Ad hom attacks try to subtly undermine the person without actually engaging with the substance of their argument.

Examples of Ad hominem attacks against The Bible and Christianity are:

“The Bible has caused more deaths than the Koran”.

“Look at the Crusades, (military expeditions by European Christians to retake the Holy Land from Muslims), centuries ago.”

“What about the Inquisition, or the Salem Witch Trials?”

“Christians are just a bunch of Bigots and homophobes”

Etc.

Atheistic sceptics are not the only ones who try to sidestep the truth with ad hom tactics. Any time you hear people say the reason they’re not in church is because of the megarich pastors, backstabbing members, scandal-ridden ministries, fake men of God, etc. you’re facing an ad hom.

It’s not new. Even the Samaritan woman at the well tried the tactic on Jesus. When He told her that she’s had 5 husbands and that she was not married to the man with whom she was currently with, she immediately attacked Jesus’ Jewishness and the Jews’ bigotry in condemning the Samaritans’ style of worship! (Read John 4:1-30 again, she was totally trying to change the topic, but our Lord wisely kept the conversation in focus).

The aim of ad homs is sidestepping the issue in question. Knowing this will help us be more effective in our witnessing an also in understanding attacks on our faith.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

Bible Under Attack

Several years ago, I read an article on the Web titled, “What The Bible Got Wrong”. It was about an infographic that purported to display the various contradictions in the Bible. The project was commissioned by a non-profit sceptic organisation called Project Reason, and the article concludes that the image “managed to make an ancient text – over which men have fought wars and women have sacrificed babies – look downright silly.” This derogatory and trivializing view of scripture is all too common in the media today.

While each Christian is not called to be an apologist, it does help to be knowledgeable about the sly, deceptive logic that sceptics use, (or more correctly, NEED), to cast aspersions at God’s word.

It’s quite interesting that the organisation that commissioned the project calls itself Project Reason; as though people who believe the Bible are a set of misled, irrational ignoramuses. Nevertheless, careful analysis of these perennial attacks on scripture reveal a staple of logical fallacies. Fallacies like Ad Hominem, ‘straw man’, composition/division, middle ground, etc. (in addition to the other ones previously discussed here on TWFT).

And why do they keep these attacks on? Because attacking the Bible is attacking the very foundation that your very faith stands on. And Ps. 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

So next time you hear another attack on the credibility of the Bible, rather than feel overwhelmed, confront that statement by sifting out all the illogicality and speciousness packed into it and strip it of its seemingly intellectual and academic garb.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear – 1Pe 3:15.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

More Than Enough

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. – John 10:10

In John 10:10, our Lord emphatically declared that He came not just that we may have life, but that we may have it “more abundantly”. This does not mean to have a “full” life or have life “to the fullest” as several modern Bibles translate it; but to have life in a measure that is more than full; more than enough.

The Greek word, perissos, used here can also be found (probably unsurprisingly) in the famous Eph 3:20. But it’s appearance in two places during our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount is probably more illuminating.

Mat 5:37 says, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than (perissos) these comes from evil.” And Mat 5:47 says, “If you greet your brethren only, what do you more than (perissos) others? Do not even the tax collectors so?”

In the first the Lord says, “Don’t say anything more than ‘yes’ or ‘no’” and in the second, He says “by greeting only your brothers, you haven’t done anything more than the tax collectors”.

So when He used that same word in John 10:10, He’s promising not just full life, but more than full life.

This is not some Prosperity Gospel sales pitch; these are the very words of the Lord Himself. That’s what He came to give you!

He’s given you enough hints and glimpses already. Through nature and through scripture, He’s painted a picture of the kind of life He created you to have. And as you change your mindset and hold on to His promises, I pray that these pictures become your everyday reality in Jesus’ name. 

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN

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Glimpses: Hooper Balloons

The message of Rom 8:32 is essentially that, to have an idea of what God can – and will – do for us, we need to look at what He already did for us at the Cross.

When God gave you Christ, He gave you His all – literally. At the Cross, the sinless Christ took our place and died our death. His resurrection was not going to be a normal resurrection, because His death was not a normal death. It was actually the death God warned Adam about in Eden (Gen 2:17); it was total separation and wrath from God. But, Hallelujah, on the third day, to show that He was satisfied, God raised Him up from death.

And how did He raise Him? Paul gives us a hint in Eph 1:18-20. He says he prays that we know what is the “EXCEEDING greatness” of God’s power toward us who believe, “according to the working of his mighty power, Which he performed in Christ, when he raised him from the dead...

The word, “exceeding” before greatness is the Greek HUPERBALLO. It’s  is a combination of two words, “huper” (which means “over, above, beyond, exceeding abundantly, etc.”) and “bal'-lo” (“to throw, cast, strike, throw (down), thrust, etc.”). Thus huperballo means to throw BEYOND the usual mark, to SURPASS, to excel.

Paul is saying that at the Resurrection, God displayed an excessive, overreaching show of power. We were united with Christ at the Cross: His death was our death, we were buried with Him, and on the third day – to show how pleased He was that the whole salvation process was successful – God inundated the grave with all His Huperballo, exceeding great power!

Huperballo is when a billionaire pays a million dollars for the damage his son did to a window.

Huperballo is buying the hotel because you want to sleep for the night.

Huperballo is getting a 200-acre club when you ask for a club to play golf with...

Huperballo is the famed “exceeding” from Eph 3:20 that Martin Nystrom had difficulty translating in his song.

The Cross doesn’t just show God’s love for you, it also shows the extent of His love. It shows the profligate, extravagant, all-in, all-out gesture God did just to redeem you. Let Huperballo be a reminder of just what you have available as a Believer. Because “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

HyperCorrecting Marty Nystrom

hy•per•cor•rect [adj]: too greatly concerned about correctness – Encarta Dictionary

The Christian music labels of the 80’s and 90’s: Hillsong, Integrity! Hosanna! and Maranatha! are undoubtedly responsible for shaping today’s worship experience and have influenced – probably more than any single ministry – the spiritual life of millions of Believers around the world. It was rare in the 90’s to find any ‘Pentecostal’ who didn’t have one of those “ Maranatha!” cassettes; or a church worship session where Hosanna!’s songs were not heard.

These classic songs were often composed and sung by notable greats like Don Moen, Darlene Zchech, Bob Fitts, Ron Kenoly, etc. But the composers of some quite memorable titles are not-so-recognisable, yet remain highly influential.

One of these is MARTY NYSTROM.

If you don’t recognize him, Mr. Nystrom is the guy who gave us timeless worship songs like “As the Deer”, “Rejoice”, “Shepherd of My Soul”, etc. One particular song of his that’s of concern to us here on TWFT, is the song “In Your Presence” from his 2003 Hosannah! album, “In Christ Alone”.

The chorus of this song has almost universally changed the way we quote Eph 3:20. The refrain goes:

Exceedingly, Abundantly// Far above all we, could ever ask or think.

Exceedingly, Abundantly// You gave us all things to enjoy...

Those first two words, subtly (but innocently, I must add) changes Paul’s wording.

While it’s definitely mind-blowing that God can do “exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ever ask or think”, Paul’s words were actually “Exceeding abundantly above...” (Did you spot the difference?).

“Exceedingly, abundantly” is a juxtaposition of two adverbs; it’s more or less two different ways of saying the SAME thing. But Paul’s words, “exceedingly, abundantly”, is an adjective describing an adverb.

It means, God’s able to do whatever we ask or think. No, scratch that.

It means, God’s able to do above whatever we ask or think. No, scratch that.

It means, God’s able to do abundantly above whatever we ask or think. No, scratch that.

It means, God’s able to do exceeding abundantly above whatever we ask or think.

Notice Paul’s progressive hypermetering with each line. It’s often said that when we get to heaven, we’ll realise with regret how much power we had available to us while we were alive that we never put to good use. Well, this shouldn’t be one of them. Take out your Bible now and read (not sing) Ephesians 3:20. Meditate on it, and then apply its awesome implication to your prayer today.

AMEN!

Greg Elkan