Facts & Faith

1992 Quarter 4
Volume 6, No. 4

Articles

Departments

* Due to copyrights, original graphics and tables may not appear in these articles

Theories on Life Origin Tale New Directions

With widening recognition that the traditional mechanistic models for the origin of life are fatally flawed,1,2 many researchers are straining for alternatives. Their new hope for self-assembled life comes mainly from findings reported this summer in Science magazine. Recent experiments have shown that RNA molecules may be more flexible than we once thought, better able to help "pull things together" to form life molecules. The suggestion is made in these articles that all biochemicals might evolve rather straightforwardly and naturally from primordial RNA molecules.

A different theory has been developed by Thomas Gold (co-inventor of a steady state model for the universe). The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA recently presented his revised version of a model, which depicts life as coming together on its own near underwater steam vents in the earth's crust.

These articles, especially the RNA findings, have received wide attention in the science community and some comment in the press.3 Christine Guthrie of the University of California at San Francisco exclaims, "People are viewing this as an absolutely stunning result. The implications are profound."4

Non-theists are expressing elation, as if the case were now closed-no need for God in the creation of life. RTB hotliners have encountered it, and so have RTB speakers at recent university outreaches.

Whether or not you have training in the sciences, we would like to help you understand the new models and prepare your response to questions and challenges that may come your way.

RNA, the Ancestor of Life Molecules?

Years ago, researchers hit a wall: the molecules responsible for life chemistry could not function by themselves. DNA (molecules which hold the master blueprints for the construction of all life molecules), proteins (molecules which follow portions of the blueprints in building and repairing life molecules), and RNA (molecules that carry portions of the blueprints from the DNA to specific proteins) are all interdependent.

Thus, for life to originate mechanistically, all three kinds of molecules would have to emerge spontaneously and simultaneously from inorganic compounds! Even the most optimistic of researchers agreed that the chance appearance of these incredibly complex molecules at exactly the same time was beyond the realm of natural possibility.

However, in 1987 an experiment demonstrated that one kind of RNA can act as an enzyme or catalyst (an agent to facilitate a chemical process); it can function like a protein, at least to a limited degree.5 This finding led to some excited leaps of faith. Since it was assumed already that RNA could be more easily constructed under prebiotic conditions than could DNA or proteins, the suggestion arose that a primitive RNA molecule, capable of functioning as a protein and as DNA, evolved by natural means out of a primordial soup. In time, this "primitive" RNA was said to specialize, evolving into the three kinds of molecules we now recognize as RNA, DNA, and proteins.

The discoveries reported this past summer showed yet more protein-like capabilities of certain RNA molecules. Researchers Noller, Hoffarth, and Zimniak presented evidence that a certain RNA molecule could stimulate two amino acids to join together with a peptide bond (the kind of chemical bond formed in proteins).6 The team of Piccirilli, McConnell, Zaug, Noller, and Cech observed another RNA molecule both making and breaking the bonds that join amino acids to RNA.7

Though these capabilities plus the ones observed earlier add up to only a tiny fraction of all the functions proteins perform, several origin-of-life theorists are proposing that no proteins at all were necessary for the first life forms.

These new findings may seem to make "easier" the origination of life by strictly natural processes, but that is not necessarily the case. Even if a single primordial molecule could perform all the functions of modern DNA, RNA, and proteins, such a molecule would have to be no less complex in its information content (i.e., its built-in "knowledge" of what to do) than the sum of modern DNA, RNA, and proteins. In other words, the task of assembling such an incredibly versatile molecule is no easier than that of assembling the three different kinds of molecules. The information content of the three is simply concentrated into one enormously complex molecule. Even Leslie Orgel, a leading proponent of an RNA origin of life, admits, "You have to get an awful lot of things right and nothing wrong."8

Another catch in these arguments is the false notion that RNA is easier to assemble than proteins or DNA. For twenty years researchers and texts taught that RNA had been synthesized in a lab under prebiotic conditions. This myth, however, was exploded by Robert Shapiro at a meeting of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life held at the University of California at Berkeley in 1986. Some 300 of the top origin-of-life researchers from around the world were present.

Shapiro traced all the references to RNA synthesis back to one paper-one ambiguous paper published in 1967. At the same meeting he went on to demonstrate that the synthesis of RNA under prebiotic conditions is essentially impossible. No one at the meeing challenged the soundness of his conclusion. Shapiro then published his case against RNA synthesis in the journal, Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere,9 a case that remains unchallenged to this day.8,10

Steam Vents, the Birth Place of Life?

Thomas Gold's steam vent theory attempts to get around yet another intractable obstacle in the mechanistic origin-of-life scenario. As mentioned in a "Science in the News" article last spring (Facts & Faith, vol. 6, no. 1), processes that produce the building blocks of life (amino acids and nucleotides) are severely hampered in an oxidizing atmosphere, the type of atmosphere the earth has enjoyed throughout the last 4 billion years-just the time in which life did appear.

The one location on the planet where we find a reducing chemistry rather than an oxidizing chemistry is under the oceans at places where steam comes up through cracks in the crust. What Gold suggests in his article11 is that reducing-chemistry life forms first arose at these oceanic steam vents, then later evolved (neither Gold nor anyone else explains how) into oxidizing-chemistry life that migrated to the rest of the globe.

Gold simply ignores the impossible odds against random assembly of all the right amino acids and nucleotides in the right sequence and right configurations.

Stanley Miller, whose spark chamber experiments on amino acid production in 1953 gave momentum to origin-of-life research, points out other absurdities in the steam vent hypothesis. He explains that though the heat from the vents might assist the production of amino acids and nucleotides, that same heat will eventually cause the breakdown of these building blocks. In his words, "If you keep a roast too long in an oven that's too hot, it's going to get charred." Miller adds, "The vent hypothesis is a real loser. I don't understand why we even have to discuss it."12

Ironically, Miller's own criticism can be leveled against his famous spark chamber experiments. Just as the steam vent heat must be turned off at just the right moment to preserve prebiotic building blocks, so too the sparking in his chambers must be stopped at just the right moment. Such precise timing is highly unlikely unless an intelligent being is controlling the sparks.

In these few paragraphs we've only skimmed over the top of a few salient arguments against two non-theistic models for life's origin. Much more discussion is needed and available through resources listed in the RTB catalog.

In some ways, the quest for a naturalistic theory for the origin of life reminds us of the 200-year effort to defend a crumbling non-theistic model for the origin of the universe. Eventually, the weight of accumulating evidence turned the tide in favor of God. What's amazing about the origin-of-life debate is that an overwhelming accumulation of evidence for God's involvement already exists, but the most vocal theorists persist in shutting God out of the picture.

--Hugh Ross and Walter Bradley

References

  1. Thaxton, Charles B., Bradley, Walter L., and Olsen, Roger L. The Mystery of Life's Origin: Reassessing Current Theories (New York: Philosophical Library, 1984).
  2. Shapiro, Robert, Origins: A Skeptic's Guide to the Creation of Life on Earth (New York: Summit Books, 1986).
  3. Waldrop. M. Mitchell, "Finding RNA Makes Proteins Gives 'RNA World' a Big Boost," Science, 256 (1992), p. 1396.
  4. Waldrop, M. Mitchell, p. 1397.
  5. Cech, Thomas R. "The Chemistry of Self-Splicing RNA and RNA enzymes," Science, 236 (1987), pp. 1532-39.
  6. Noller, Harry F., Hoffarth, Veronita, and Zimniak, Ludwika "Unusual Resistance of Peptidyl Transferase to Protein Extraction Procedures," Science 256 (1992), pp. 1416-19.
  7. Piccirilli, Joseph A., McConnell, Timothy S., Zaug, Arthur J., Noller, Harry F., and Cech, Thomas R. "Aminoacyl Esterase Activity of the Tetrahymena Ribozyme," Science, 256 (1992), pp. 1420-24.
  8. Horgan, John "In The Beginning," Scientific American. February 1991, p. 119.
  9. Shapiro, Robert "Prebiotic Ribose Synthesis: A Critical Analysis," Origin of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, 18 (1988), pp. 71-85.
  10. Shapiro, Robert "Protometabolism: A Scenario for the Origin of Life," The American Scientist, July-August, 1992, p. 387.
  11. Gold, Thomas "The Deep, Hot Biosphere," in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 89 (1002), pp. 6045-49.
  12. Radetsky, Peter, "How Did Life Start?" Discover (November 1992), p. 82.

Corrections

In my article, "Big Bang Breakthrough: Ripples Reach Headlines" (volume 6, number 2), I indicated that MACHOS are very high mass exotic matter particles. MACHOS is an acronym for massive compact halo objects. Such massive objects, existing in the halos of galaxies, could be comprised of either ordinary or exotic matter or both.

Also, I neglected to mention that in addition to cold dark matter, warm dark matter, and hot dark matter big bang models, there are viable big bang models proposing a mixture of cold, warm, and hot dark matter (see Schaefer, Robert K., and Qaiser, Shafi, "Evidence for Some Hot Dark Matter?: Nature. 359 (1992), pp. 199-200).

--H.R.

As I See It - One Teen's Challenge

In all the world, there are few things more dreadful than a teenager. I should know. I am one. We teens are conceited, rude and noisy, and as a rule, we think we know far more than we do. The sane, adult world wisely stays as far away from us as possible, shutting us up in school and trying to ignore us until we start becoming civilized.

The Christian world often does the same. Understandably. Face it. Teenagers can be pretty scary and difficult to witness to. You don't understand us, our world, or our motivations. You don't know how to talk to us, whether to address us as children or as adults. We start laughing when you are trying to be most serious, and you know we will start joking at your expense the moment you turn your back. Consequently, all but a few courageous (or weird) people give up, resolving to try again after the subjects are out of college.

Thus a gold mine goes to waste. Teenagers are the most energetic population on the face of the earth; no one else has the potential to embrace the gospel so wholeheartedly. If every teenager in America were a Christian (or every Christian a teenager), the world would be evangelized within a year--perhaps within a month!

The quiet, sensible Christian, however, views this energy with fear and mistrust. He says, "Let's wait until they're in their thirties, until they've cooled down a little. Then they'll be rational enough to comprehend the gospel." Meanwhile, searching kids are left to grope for meaning in life elsewhere--through experiments with drugs, violence, sex, etc. By the time they reach thirty, they've stopped searching.

People don't see our insides. They don't see that teenagers feel joy, pain, loneliness, and despair just as intensely as adults, sometimes even more so. Teenagers want desperately to have meaning and purpose in life, but who takes the time and trouble to give us any? Instead, parents and others focus on school life and tell us grades and college are the really important things. Most of us are smart enough to see right through that line. So what next? Many give up. They become epicurean brutes, with no other purpose in life but to stimulate their senses or numb their pain.

The adult world stands in astonished horror at the fall of test scores and the rise of crime, gangs, drug and alcohol abuse, pregnancy, and suicide among teens. I see nothing to be astonished about. I would be amazed if it were any other way. The problem is not a poor educational system, insufficient school funding, inadequate police forces, or even poverty. The problem is that we are placed in a seemingly meaningless world and expected to accept a life of running in circles like the rest of society. We are given rules to obey but no reason to follow them. Can anyone be surprised if we don't?

So what can you do, you may ask. Befriend a teenager! If you're brave, find the weirdest one you can and say hello. Start up a conversation even. Don't try to be funny; it won't work. Ask questions and listen. Use your imaginative powers and try pretending he or she is a respectable adult. You might surprise him or her into listening. Put aside your fear of being laughed at. Teenagers laugh at everything. Share the gospel with a prosperous adult and he may nod solemnly, commend you on having "found God," and then go to bed that night forgetting everything you said. Share it with a kid and he'll laugh, but he'll listen.

Kids around me are dying. They don't need free condoms. They need truth. Someone (including me) needs to tell them there is good news, something worth investing all their energy in. How about you?

Nathan Robison is sixteen years old and a junior at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, California. The eldest of nine brothers and sisters, he lives with his family in Sierra Madre. A few years ago Nathan became RTB's first teen volunteer, and he remains a regular financial partner.

Let us Reason - Widening the Approach to the Narrow Gate

Part Fifteen in a Series

The last question, but by no means the least important one, on our list of frequently encountered objections to the Christian faith is this: How can Christians be so narrow-minded and arrogant as to think that they have the truth (about God, salvation, etc.) and no one else does?

The question focuses on a vitally important issue-the "exclusiveness" (a better word is "uniqueness") of Christianity. Its doctrines about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, and salvation really do contradict the core teachings of all other faiths.

One reason for reaction is that exclusiveness goes against the popular grain. It is repugnant to "enlightened" people, for it is equated with the evil of discrimination. Inclusiveness is the spirit of our day. Rights of all kinds are being promoted and protected (with a few noticeable exceptions). Inclusiveness reflects the current view of truth as something subjective and transitional. And if truth is nebulous, people are free to do "whatever is right in their own eyes." (Scan the Book of Judges, and read the epitaph in 21:25.)

We must clarify that the exclusiveness of Christianity applies to teachings, not to people. Christianity, unlike other religions, is not elitist. The offer of personal, eternal fellowship with God is made to all people on the face of the earth, without discrimination.

"Narrow" is the word (at least the English translation of it) Jesus used to describe the way of salvation. It is Jesus who said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

The Bible establishes Jesus' basis for making such a claim--e.g., His supernatural birth, His sinless life, His power over the forces of nature, including life and death-and gives clear amplification of what "through me" means. So the question becomes, "Did Jesus really say these words? How can we be sure that the Bible is error free in its reporting of Jesus' words and of everything else, for that matter?"

Here's where some knowledge of evidences for the supernatural accuracy of the Bible becomes vital. Find out what type of evidence is most meaningful to the person raising the question. It's great to give him or her a brief menu from which to choose--science, history, philosophy, archeology-and perhaps a sample from each area.

A brief list of reasons to believe includes these:

  • The Bible's statements about the origin, structure, and development of the universe perfectly fit the established facts of cosmology. (No other holy book comes close.)
  • The Bible reveals-and physics affirms-dimensions of space and time existing beyond the four dimensions of the universe. (No other holy book does.)
  • Biblical doctrines, e.g., the Trinity, free choice vs. predestination, heaven and hell not only require extra dimensions of reality but also are perfectly consistent in the context of those dimensions.
  • The Bible presents a sequence of creation events that perfectly matches the scientific chronology.
  • The Bible predicts many scientific discoveries, in some cases centuries before they are made.
  • The Bible foretells hundreds of historical happenings in amazing detail, so far without error. (Some prophecies are yet to be fulfilled.)
  • The Bible encourages truth-seekers to "test everything" rather than to believe blindly.
  • The Bible offers the only complete and consistent answer to the problem of sin and evil.

Remember, these are but a few sample evidences. Space does not permit their exposition or documentation here, but such material is available. In fact, one indicator of a person's spiritual openness is his response to a gracious offer of supporting information (in a form appropriate to his learning style).

The words "arrogant" and "narrow--minded" carry an obvious emotional charge. The person who uses such words may simply need to tell the story of a hurtful encounter with a church, a pastor, a Christian relative or friend or stranger. A compassionate, non-defensive listening ear can go a long way toward removing obstacles to faith. It may also be helpful to point out that Christians do acknowledge important elements of truth in Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other belief systems. In Acts 17:16-36 we read that the Apostle Paul found kernels of truth even amid the idol worship of the Greeks and in the poems of their philosophers. He used these in his evangelistic appeal to the Areopagus in Athens. Notice that Paul was straightforward yet diplomatic in his approach to these pagan thinkers. Though the gospel did offend many members of the group, Paul's demeanor did not, and some men and women who heard him that day became followers of Christ.

May we learn from Paul's experience and enjoy similar fruitfulness among people who, like the Areopagus, are culturally distant from the church and the Christian community. Even in unlikely places, God is preparing hearts to receive Him.

--Hugh and Kathy Ross

If you'd like a copy of our newly updated catalog of apologetic resources, please use the order panel on p. 15. For some amazing, encouraging stories of how God prepared the hearts of remote cultural groups to understand and receive the gospel, we recommend Don Richardson's book, Eternity in Their Hearts, also available via the order panel.

Pray-ers' Closet

If you were to spend one day opening mail here at RTB, you would find your heart often warmed--and sometimes rent--by letters from people across the United States and around the world. Sometimes people ask us to pray, and we do. Whenever possible, we pass along prayer requests to our committed team of pray-ers. The following letter includes a request of such magnitude and a statement of faith so compelling that I want to share it with all our readers. I hope you will be touched and motivated by it as I have been.

"I am writing you first time. My name is Mikihiko Nissato from Tokyo, Japan I was baptized in Seattle, Washington, on April 28, 1991. During my time as a student, Christian friends introduced me to a wonderful world, God's kingdom. I came back to Japan last October. Now I go to the Free Evangelical Church in Tokyo. I just started doing evangelism in the street on May 24. 1 did with joyful heart to the Lord. But I had some questions about people's attitude. As you may know, it is very, very difficult to tell people about Christianity. I am sure they are too skeptical about God and Jesus because they are influenced too much by science. I don't deny science, and I hope someday science can become a friend with Christianity and prove creation by God.

"Then I met my American friend Joe Poulshock in Tokyo. He is a staff [member] of a church in Tacoma, Washington. He told me that Mr. Hugh Ross wrote a book about how science can prove the Bible. It was exciting news for me. I really want to read your great book as soon as possible and use your ideas for evangelism to nonchristians. I hope it will be so helpful. But I cannot buy your book in Japan. That is why I am writing you. I ask you a big favor. If you have time and don't mind, please send me your book and some tracts about UFOS, dinosaurs, and others....

"I pray for you, your family, and Reasons To Believe. Please pray for me, Japanese people, and revival movement in Japan. Prayer is the strongest weapon among anything else. So I am very looking forward to hearing good news from you. Thank you so much. God bless you all."

God bless Mikihiko. Let's join together in honoring Mikihiko's request. Perhaps you see in this young believer, as I do, a seed of faith that will move ancient mountains of spiritual darkness and oppression. In Japan, science is perceived as a big barrier to Christian faith. If only the people could be shown that it is not, and that it is, in fact, a support! Please pray.

--Kathy Ross

March 6 is the date of our next day of fasting and prayer. From 1 to 5 P.M. at the RTB office, 731 E. Arrow Hwy., Glendora, we will come together to express praise to God, to uphold personal and ministry needs, and to share the Lord's supper. If you wish to participate or would like further information, call us at (818)335-1480.

Letters

"...I happened upon The Fingerprint of God about 9 or 10 months ago by chance. I was looking for [a book] to give to a coworker. We had been discussing creation vs. evolution, and I said I didn't think I descended from a monkey even if I do have hairy arms. I didn't find the book I was looking for in the Christian bookstore, but there was a copy of Fingerprint, which I picked up and bought. I skimmed the book, thought "Wow!" and gave it to my coworker the next day. In hindsight, I think the book I had originally intended to give would have been disastrous. To God be the glory!

"...Since that first book, I have given away another 101 copies of Fingerprint. I have another 10 copies ordered, and if God is pleased to do so He will direct me to people I can give them to .... Please keep praying."

--Laura, Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania

"...I teach a Sunday school class of eleven- and twelve-year-olds, and your [TBN] show has allowed me to give them not only the confidence to stand up for their beliefs but also to feel comfortable with themselves ..."

--Michael, Lisbon, Ohio

"I was watching 'Praise the Lord' live last night on Channel 16 and was fascinated by the information you gave. I had never before heard how the Bible could be meaningfully interpreted from a scientific and mathematical point of view. Until last night I held the view that Biblical facts and the scientific data being accumulated were mutually exclusive, and I was surprised when you showed how the Bible and science agree. Hearing you speak last night, I felt I received a whole new outlook to reading the Bible. Scripture verses that I had read many times previously now took a new meaning, especially when you explained how seemingly paradoxical views could exist meaningfully when the frame of reference was changed. I realized that belief in the God of the Bible did not have to be in spite of reason but because of reason ..."

--H., Quincy, Illinois

"...All my life I have struggled with my attitude toward God. I suppose many of us who have not had the most positive experience with our earthly fathers tend to attribute to God some of the unpleasant characteristics we encountered in our fathers when we were children. Granted, through much prayer, I have achieved feelings of understanding and forgiveness where my earthly father is concerned, but the struggle with my attitude toward my Heavenly Father continued.

"It took listening to 'Reasons To Believe' and the insights and understandings you have given me to bring about the 'breakthrough' I have sincerely sought down through the years. And, yes, it has been 'down through the years,' for here I am at age 74 now experiencing the worshipful love of God I have longed to have ..."

--Connie, Prescott, Arizona

"...Are we to be occupied with the creation or the Creator? If we're to learn about God, it must be through our Lord Jesus Christ, not by our use of the things we find in nature, but by the Holy Spirit. Please just listen to how Scripture puts it:
'Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God.' We cannot learn of God in nature, we can only learn of God in His nature. We stand by faith. To try and prove the word of God with facts is to miss the mark. If a person's faith rests on facts and science, then they're probably convicted, and conviction is not faith ..."

--Ralph, Boone, North Carolina

"...Obviously, we missed the ['Reasons to Believe'] broadcast last Wednesday due to the extraordinary tempest, Arthur, which took direct aim at Bob Sheets at the National Hurricane Center down the street .... God said it would be like the days of Noah, didn't He?

"We are blessed here, though several coworkers and church members lost their homes. Power came on last night for us, so we are really enjoying A/C, refrigerated milk, lights to read, and TBN. The computer even works! Bless you all and please try to rerun that show--even so that Miami can see it. This storm has drawn many thousands to consider their spiritual condition. 'God' is on everyone's lips, even the most unlikely media, political, and 'intelligentsia' types. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ, who is doing great and awesome things to this region which has heavy demonic strongholds. Could I ask you to pray for the relief effort, the authorities, and of course all the souls now ready to see their Answer?... "

--Terry, Coral Gables, Florida

Field Report

One of RTB's biggest and most enthusiastic support teams has sprung up in Oklahoma, spearheaded by a young graphic artist and his wife, Chris and Raye Todaro. Initially, television, telephone, and the postal service provided our only contact with these friends. Through those months, however, they began to pray and plan for Hugh's coming to their state to conduct a series of outreach and training events. God clearly honored their faith and labor as several hundred faculty, students, and others flocked into the auditorium at Oklahoma State University this October for a forum on creation vs. evolution and as 200 church members and others filled the hall at Hillcrest Community Church in Stillwater. According to Chris and other observers, the university audience was electrified. Hugh's presentation took everyone by surprise, including the respondent, faculty advisor to "Darwin's Bulldogs." None had any idea that the evidence for God and for His hand in creation was so plentiful and potent. The Hillcrest people expressed their delight and appreciation at being equipped with exciting new tools for outreach.

The fall quarter was literally packed with "firsts." Hugh traveled to many parts of California and also to Washington, Ohio, and Colorado for outreaches to campus and business communities and for training sessions with pastors and lay people. But he was not the only one sharing the message about the perfect harmony of science and Scripture. Closer to home, RTB hotliner Mark Ritter taught a series on "Design and Creation" for high schooners at a church in La Mirada; Frank Britton gave an evangelistic training session (which lasted till 2 A.M.!) in Woodland Hills; Mark Clark addressed a gathering of international students and scholars in Pasadena; Dave Rogstad spoke to a student group at Caltech; and Alex Metherell addressed a gathering of neuroscientists in Anaheim.

Media opportunities, including several radio broadcasts and a return visit to "Praise the Lord" with Paul and Jan Crouch, brought another deluge of correspondence, from which we are still recovering. Nearly 4,000 pieces of mail arrived in one week, more than we usually get in several months.

On the publications front, we began distributing our newly revised catalog and the study guide to The Fingerprint of God. Hugh completed the first draft of a book on creation days and is working his way through revisions. He also has made progress on a book for lay people describing the recent burst of scientific discoveries about the origin of the universe, all of which point to the Biblical Creator.

Here are more details on events mentioned above and others:

Churches - An outreach dinner at Ventura Missionary Church (Ventura, Calif.); two Sunday evening services at Sierra Madre Congregational Church (Sierra Madre, Calif.), one featuring presentations by Lynn Carta and Eric Bergbauer, Caltech biologists; Sunday morning services and a training class at Hillcrest Community Church (Stillwater, Okla.); a meeting with the evangelism team at Glenkirk Presbyterian Church (Glendora, Calif.); Mark Ritter's series for high schoolers at Granada Heights Friends Church (La Mirada, Calif.).

Campuses - Outreaches for faculty and students at California State University in Fresno, Oklahoma State University, Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), and a luncheon at the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs). Dave Rogstad spoke with students and their guests at a meeting of the Caltech Christian Fellowship.

Business and Civic Groups - Breakfast and luncheon outreaches in Bakersfield, Fresno, Pasadena, and Irvine, Calif., and Denver and Boulder, Colo.; a mayor's prayer breakfast in Bremerton, Wash. Several of these events were sponsored by Christian Businessmen's Committees. The Open Forum for skeptics continued meeting at the noon hour on the first Monday of each month at the University Club in Pasadena, Calif.

Radio - "L. A. Live" with Mike Ryan on KKLA, Los Angeles; interviews on KSMA, Santa Maria, Calif.; KIRV, Fresno, Calif.; KVEC, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; KGNW, Seattle; WCVO Columbus, Ohio; WYLL, Chicago; and KITT, Denver.

Television - "Praise the Lord" (Trinity Broadcasting Network) once with Paul and Jan Crouch, and again with Jerry and Sandy Bernard plus the ongoing series entitled "Reasons To Believe" (also on TBN) shown Wednesday evenings and Monday mornings.

Special Seminars - An apologetics training session for pastors in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, sponsored by Shepherds Fellowship; Q and A sessions with faculty and with Campus Crusade for Christ staff at Ohio State and Miami University (Ohio); workshops on "The Greatest Discoveries of the Century" and "The Genesis Flood" at the annual convention of the Greater Los Angeles Association of Sunday Schools, held in Pasadena; Frank Britton's apologetics training session for lay evangelists of the Street Evangelists Fellowship, Woodland Hills, Calif.; Alex Metherell's talk on "Biological and Medical Evidences for the Existence of God" at a special gathering hosted by Dr. Ken Dormer during the Annual Meeting of the American Neurosciences Association held at the Anaheim Hilton, Anaheim, Calif.

Internationals - Mark Clark's presentation to a Friday evening Bible study for international students and scholars at a home in Altadena, Calif.

From Africa

David Block, RTB associate in South Africa, has recently produced a new video and book, both entitled, The Universe: Accident or Design. He continues a busy schedule of outreach events throughout the country in addition to fulfilling his responsibilities as a professor at the University of Witwatersrand. We hope to be able to offer his new materials here in the U. S. Meanwhile, our readers in Africa who would like to place orders or request other information may contact Dr. Block by writing him at P. 0. Box 60, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, Republic of South Africa. His FAX number is 11-0011-339-7956.

From Australia

For information on RTB activities in Australia or to request materials, please contact Bruce Ogden at P.O. Box I 10, Wahroonga, NSW 2076, Australia. The telephone number is (02)484-5610.

Meet Our Board

Steve Scheele describes himself as an encourager to Hugh Ross and to Reasons To Believe, helping to put together (and keep together) the nuts and bolts of the ministry. He is one of the founders of RTB and has served on the board of directors since the organization's inception six years ago. Steve's expertise in business, specifically marketing and management, has given direction to daily operations, in which his wife, Zana, is also vitally involved.

Steve grew up in New Jersey in a Christian home, and at age 11 he invited the Lord to be his Lord. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in Illinois and did graduate studies in sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After earning a master's degree (1975) and progressing toward the Ph.D., his entrepreneurial success drew him away from academia and into the business world.

By 1980 he owned a giftware business. In 1984 he took on a new challenge as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Aromatic Industries, a company whose growth "took off" during Steve's tenure. When Aromatics changed hands in 1989, Steve became the Vice President of Delta, a company specializing in paints and other products for the arts and crafts industry. He was named President and CEO of Delta in 1991.

Steve and Zana first met Hugh via Sierra Madre Congregational Church. The week before their wedding they began attending a home Bible study, one that Hugh taught.

"After a short time in the study," recalls Steve, "we became aware that this guy was unique. He presented a one-of-a-kind integration of theology and science, which we saw as having great potential for evangelistic outreach in our secularized society."

The Scheeles and the Rosses became friends, and the Scheeles began to talk to Hugh about launching a ministry.

"While I hate to use a business term," Steve says, "I believed that Hugh needed some 'marketing' so that many more people could hear his message."

When RTB formed in 1986, Hugh asked Steve to serve as its volunteer Vice President and as a board member. Steve has helped in developing the ministry's organizational plans and budgets, human resources policy, review processes, marketing strategy, and long-range goals.

When Steve and Zana were married in 1982, Zana was a Vice President in Corporate Cash Management for Security Pacific Bank. With the birth of their son, Joel, in 1985, Zana officially retired from the corporate executive scene. However, at the launching of RTB, she, too, offered her expertise on a part-time basis, overseeing the books, payroll, checking accounts, and corporate taxes and assisting with office management.

The Scheetes now have two children. Joel is in second-grade and Stephanie is in kindergarten at San Gabriel Christian School. Steve enjoys outdoor activities, including golf, skiing, and camping, while Zana reigns (according to friends) as a world-class shopper.

--Daphne Trager

From the President's Desk

Dear friends,

One of the blessings of my recent trip to Oklahoma was the opportunity to meet with pastors and evangelists who are part of a group called Shepherds Fellowship. Though I was invited to minister to them, in a very special way they ministered to me.

Like many of you, I am grieved over what seems an alarming increase in the moral stumbling of pastors and ministry leaders. The recent number of incidents is unprecedented in church history. It's time to ask why and what can be done about the problem. Wisdom and compassion are needed here.

Let me tell you about Shepherds Fellowship--pastors ministering to pastors. No one knows the struggles, stresses, and temptations in the life of a Christian leader more intimately than a fellow Christian leader. Instead of trudging through trouble in isolation, these individuals are now ministering spiritual healing to one another. When a problem arises for one, a small group of fellow shepherds immediately comes to his side, even at 2 A.M. If a pastor is for any reason asked to resign his or her position, Shepherds Fellowship provides emotional and financial support while seeking restoration or, if necessary, a new position.

The commitment and compassion these shepherds express toward one another is so strong that most problems are dealt with before they become disastrous. No longer does a pastor need to feel that there's no one to whom he can turn when he needs a shoulder to lean on. As for results, the Shepherds Fellowship of Oklahoma, which now numbers more than 500 pastors and ministry leaders from all denominations, has measured an 80 percent drop in the incidence of moral and emotional breakdown since the group began.

So far, Shepherds Fellowship exists in only two states, Oklahoma and Georgia. But plans are in the making for expansion to all fifty states and to countries beyond the U.S. as well. I will be praying for their success. I ask you to join me.

I ask also that you pray for your pastor and for leaders of ministries you support. If you support Reasons To Believe, please include my family, staff, volunteers, and me. I'm grateful for the revitalization God brings us through our quarterly days of prayer and fasting, through our churches, friends, and families. But, in light of the ever-increasing stress we find ourselves under, we need more help. The more short-handed we become, the greater the temptation to let go of spiritual maintenance. And, the more effective the ministry grows, the more noticeable a target we become for enemies, both human and demonic. We need protection. We need to keep up our guard. We need the strength and discipline to take the way of escape from temptation God always provides. (A fellowship of apologists and evangelists would be a great blessing, too!)

If you would like to join our team of pray-ers, we would be overjoyed to include you. If you would like to organize a day of prayer and fasting, we have a short paper with some how-to's. Several centuries ago, the Lord exhorted us through His servant Paul, "Pray without ceasing." That's a directive none of us can afford to take lightly.

Sincerely,

Hugh Ross

Puzzles & Paradoxes

The fall issue of Facts & Faith presented a puzzle submitted by our hotline volunteer Frank Britton. He told me (and I reported to our readers) it had been designed by his friend, Steven Roscoe, a teacher of gifted children. A letter from James Harvey of Prescott, Arizona, reminds me of the importance of checking original sources. I should have called Steven. Mr. Harvey tells me that he first encountered the puzzle nearly forty years ago, and that even then it was considered a relic from antiquity. I suppose there is a tiny chance that Mr. Roscoe could have developed the identical puzzle completely on his own, but ... Here it is.

Find the numeric value of each of these letters:

S E N D
+ M O R E
--- --- --- --- ---
M O N E Y

My favorite reply came from Brenda Schneider, a homemaker and mother in Orlando, Florida. She certainly brings excellent math skills to her profession. Her problem-solving technique begins with a list of assumptions and proceeds through a well-ordered set of conclusions, as follows:

Assumptions

  1. Each letter represents a different number.
  2. M does not equal 0, and S does not equal 0.
  3. All numbers are whole.
  4. All numbers are real.
  5. All numbers are positive.

Conclusions

  1. M is not greater than 1; therefore M = 1
  2. If M = 1, then S = 9.
  3. If M = I and S = 9, then O = 0.
  4. If O = 0 and E does not equal N, then E = N - 1.
  5. By substitution the remaining values can be derived: N = 6, D = 7, R = 8, and Y = 2.

Answer

9 5 6 7
+ 1 0 8 5
--- --- --- --- ---
1 0 6 5 2

Mr. and Mrs. John Freenor, Jr., of Torrance, California, used a similar line of reasoning and came up with the same answer, while Jack Stanford of Ontario, California, applied modern technology to the problem. Jack went as far as conclusions 1 and 3 (above) on his own, then used a computer spreadsheet program to help him derive the rest. He and his computer came up with a second answer by assigning a zero value to M.

Two more Californians, Marj Harmon, of Diamond Bar, and Dick Leubben, of Rancho Palos Verdes, observed that no restrictions were placed on the values that could be assigned to the letters, i.e., two or more letters could have the same value. Assuming that each letter had only one value, and that each letter represented only a single digit, Marj followed careful steps of reasoning to derive this valid answer:

9 9 0 0
+ 1 1 9 9
--- --- --- --- ---
1 1 0 9 9

By making the broader assumption that any letter could have any one-digit value, Dick Leubben generated seventeen pages of answers! As if the point needed illustration, assumptions make a huge difference in outcome--in math, in science, in Bible interpretation, in interpersonal communications, etc.

A Biblical Paradox

A Biblical paradox I present for your consideration focuses on the identity of the 0ld Testament character called in English Bibles "the Angel of the Lord." Who is he? Do we have enough information in the text to discover his identity? Please let me know what conclusions you draw and how you arrive at them.

--Kathy Ross

The Near Side - Denomination X

My wife, Sally, and I do chalk talks for kids. We've been doing them for 20 years, and we've actually made a modest name for ourselves at it. We were pleased to get a call from Larry Bruce, director of Camp Honey Bee, this past summer asking us to come up to Camp to do the story of Jonah and the Whale, which is one of our best.

On the appointed day I was loading the easel and chalks into the back of our car when George, our neighbor, came around. George goes to our church; so he knew exactly what the easel meant.

"Hey there, neighbor!" he said, "Where're ya headed with that easel today?"

"Hi, George," I replied. "We're on our way to Camp Honey Bee to do Jonah and the Whale for the kids."

George's face altered.

"Camp Honey Bee?" He seemed disturbed. "Doesn't that belong to Denomination X?"

"I think so," I said. "Why?"

"I've heard that Denomination X is really off base, may even be a cult."

"D'you mean it, George? A cult!?"

"Well, maybe not literally a cult, per se, but I've heard some bad things."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Well, I can't remember exactly what. But I'm pretty sure it was Denomination X I heard some things about."

"What kind of things, George? Do you think we shouldn't be going up there?"

"I wouldn't want to say. I know they're supposed to be pretty rigid and separatist, but maybe the rest is just hearsay."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, not absolutely. I guess you'll just have to see when you get there."

Sally and I discussed George's comments all the way up to camp. Neither of us had heard anything about Denomination X. We mustn't be influenced by rumor, we decided.

It was dusk when we turned off the highway and drove under the "Camp Honey Bee" sign. I proceeded slowly through the pine trees subconsciously looking for any sign of heresy or vice. We passed a broad clearing with a baseball diamond and a long row of tidy cabins. I don't know what I was expecting. Perhaps guards with dogs.

"It seems nice enough," Sally said. Another clearing opened before us with more cabins and some playground equipment. No evidence of doctrine so far except a little white sign (beside the trash bin) admonishing, "Keep Camp Honey Bee Clean." But the lengthening shadows gave a sense of something more sinister.

My imagination saw the play equipment as a mere facade for some evil program of propaganda and proselytizing. The tetherball pole seemed the very instrument of cult indoctrination. For a moment I envisioned mesmerized automatons playing woodenly, without joy or laughter, because Denomination X had snatched away their souls.

"What's got into me?" I asked myself, shaking off those images as best I could. We came at last to a large building which we took for the lodge, where we were supposed to do our chalk talk. Light diffused through the high windows telling us that the building was in use.

How did Jonah and the Whale fit into their scheme of indoctrination, I wondered.

"Wait here a minute, Sal, while I find out if this is the right place," I said, mentally adding, "and keep the motor running."

As I swung open the door, the spring whined a musical ping-ping-ping-ping up the scale. It was the only noise to be heard in that whole vast lodge as I stepped inside. I was near the front of the hall, with three hundred faces over white Camp Honey Bee T-shirts turned my way. Every eye fixed on the source of the noisy intrusion.

Something was wrong. They were totally silent, not a whisper or a twitter anywhere in the room. Yet, there was a palpable tension in the air. The eyes were intense with expectation. Each child seemed about to explode! The uncanny silence continued. In a flash I wondered, "What sort of group is this? These are not ordinary children."

The silence stretched on. I glanced up at the podium. There stood a barrel- chested counselor with a clipboard. He wore the same Camp Honey Bee T-shirt and stared at me with the same intensity.

Through what power, earthly or demonic, did this man hold these children enthralled to his will? I wanted to run, but I couldn't.

Suddenly, in perfect unison so sheer and forceful that it could only be explained as the response to some diabolical voice of telepathic command, each child drew a full breath and shrieked at full volume,

"Da-dah, da-dah, da-da-da!!"

In all my life I can recall few moments like it. That mortal war cry from three hundred crazed children sent an adrenaline jolt through my body like a shock wave. I think I meant to run for it, to try making it through the front gate before it was sealed off. Then I could notify proper authorities...

But half an instant later my world was tilted back upright with a thud. The fellow with the clipboard called out, "Once more, real loud this time!"

The piano struck up, and the kids, now ordinary rowdy kids, throwing sawdust in the air and beating out the rhythm on each other's backs, belted out with gusto,

"John Jacob Jinglehiemer Schmidt,
That's my name, too.
Whenever I go out,
The people always shout,
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt!"

I recognized the old favorite, sung in traditional camp style, each repetition softer than the last. I deduced that I had walked in on the totally silent verse.

I was so relieved my knees nearly buckled under me. And by the time the now familiar last line of that last loud refrain rolled around, I was almost recovered enough to yell along with them, "Da-dah, da-dah da-da-da!"

That night Sally and I did Jonah and the Whale like never before. God bless those kids. God bless Camp Honey Bee. God bless Denomination X. And the next time I'm foolish enough to listen to George's or anyone else's rumors, may I be hit over the head by John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.

--Rob Kroeger

Rob is a post-doctoral research assistant in particle pbysics for the University of Tennessee, currently working at the Stanford Linear Particle Center He writes fiction for fun.

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