July–Aug 1999
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Amid Trials and Conflicts • Job-like Suffering:What’s the Point? • More Scientists Are Finding God FrontLineB R I N G I N G T H E T R U T H H O M E JULY/AUGUST 1999 $3.95 OUR LIGHT AFFLICTION JULY/AUGUST 1999 ContentsFRONTLINE MAGAZINE VOLUME 9 • NUMBER 4 9 Job-like Suffering: 38 In God’s Hands Amid Trials and What’s the Point? 7 Vickie Johnson Earthly Conflicts Layton Talbert A young couple’s trial has Our light and momentary Kathleen Barbee enabled them to minister to pressures produce for us an Christians must be other parents who have lost incomparable and eternal especially careful dur- babies. weight of glory. ing times of trial not to let their guards 11 Reasons for down to the subtle Disabilities: A Biblical wiles of the Devil. Explanation Departments Amy Crane Simply being a Christian 4 Mail Bag does not guarantee a life of perfect health and freedom 5 Behind the Lines from disease. Rod Bell 12 God Uses the 19 On the Home Front Handicapped Bill Maher 22 Ladies’ Circle God often uses our physical Under the Apple Tree limitations to emphasize His Martha Mazzaferro own power. 27 Wit & Wisdom 14 Book Review When God Weeps: Why Our 29 The Evangelist’s Sufferings Matter to the 17 More Corner Almighty Scientists Are Finding God Seeking God’s Face 15 God Is My Promise Stephen Caesar Phil Shuler Keeper More and more scien- 30 At a Glance Hugh Pyle tists are realizing that Prophets, Priests, and Kings: God has granted to us the universe is the prod- the History of Israel’s “exceeding great and pre- uct of God’s design Monarchy (Part 3) cious promises” (2 Pet. 1:4) rather than the result of Layton Talbert which all of His children a grand accident. may claim. 33 Newsworthy 23 The Virtue of Balance 36 Biblical Viewpoint Timothy Jordan John C. Vaughn Greater balance in life and ministry is a quality to be 37 What’s on the Web cultivated. Bob Whitmore 32 As I See It: The Gospel Message Applied Visit us on the Web at Marion E. Fast www.f-b-f.org Mail Bag ast issue on “culture” L[January/February 1999] was excellent! Mr. & Mrs. George Detwiler Collingswood, NJ just read Dave Doran’s Iarticle on legalism [“Are Fundamentalists Legalists?” Part 1, March/April 1999]. I am in the campus ministry wanted to thank you Mail Bag. here in West Virginia and Ifor your excellent arti- . It appears to me that have been teaching cles in Frontline maga- Frontline’s exposés are through Galatians this zine. They are very rele- exactly what the Lord year. The article was the vant for culture and would want sincere best treatment of the sub- ministry, and covered saints to issue. ject I have read. I read very credibly. I particu- Mitch Sidles Swindoll and MacArthur larly enjoyed the articles Fort Collins, CO and was tending to fol- in the March/April edi- low their lead on the tion “Are appreciated the article issue of legalism. Dr. Fundamentalists Iby Anita Fordyce con- Doran destroyed Legalists?” by David cerning families who eat Swindoll’s whole point of Doran and “Pharisees together [“Ladies’ his book. He hit the sub- and Fundamentalists” Circle,” March/April ject right where it needed by Layton Talbert. Since 1999]. She is absolutely [to be] hit. Thank you for every fundamental, right. My own family having this article. Biblical separatist in our would have wonderful Pastor Bob Meredith day is likely included in times conversing around Morgantown, WV these “thieves of grace” the dinner table when my categories by non-funda- children were younger. re you sure about the mentalists, it is a bless- Dinner on the weekdays Aauthorship of the arti- ing to see an accurate was the only meal we cle “Pharisees and assessment of the issue. had together. Now Fundamentalists” in Pastor Rick Rogers my sons are graduating your March/April Milwaukee, WI from Maranatha Baptist Frontline? It sure sounds Bible College and are like something from hat a blessing both getting married Charles R. Swindoll. WFrontline is to me as this summer. We contin- Pastor Allen Harman well as to many commit- ue to have meals togeth- Pulaski, VA ted, balanced Bible er when we can, but [Ed. note: A typographical believers! Thanks for the now we include our error in the above article work and the fight. I am future daughters-in-law. may have contributed to often embarrassed for Thank you for your some misunderstanding. some of the people who great magazine. On page 10, the first sen- make erroneous and Ken Butler Sr. tence under the bold unstudied statements in Watertown, WI heading “Pharisees and Tradition” should have read “oral Law,” not “Moral Law.” The con- text explained the author’s intent, but we apologize to our readers for any misunderstand- ing caused by the error.] 4 Frontline • July/August 1999 Behind the Lines A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT The Sons of Liberty he American Revolution God to preach, license or no license. Madison actually defended some of secured freedom for the They preached without license. They these preachers in court. Colonies. But for as long as saw many saved and many baptized. Had it not been for the courage of 57 years afterwards, another They taught individual liberty of con- these men and their willingness to suf- battle was raging for the free- science in matters of doctrine, faith, fer, we might still be hopelessly entan- dom of our churches from and practice. Because of their stand, gled in the legislation of “option” Tgovernment entanglement. This strug- they were thrown in jail. They did not rather than enjoying the “free exer- gle involved some of the best-known believe they were wrong to resist the cise”—complete freedom of religion, figures in our country’s history, as well church-controlled state government. speech, and the press. Court records as many men known only to the few As they were brought before the mag- reveal where and when people were who have searched out their stories. It istrates, they often quoted from Acts imprisoned because of their religious involved the imprisonment of over 50 4:19–20, “But Peter and John answered convictions. According to county Baptist preachers and laymen who and said unto them, Whether it be records in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on refused to be licensed and thus con- right in the sight of God to hearken June 4, 1768, Lewis Craig, John Waller, trolled by the state. The struggle cost unto you more than unto God, judge James Chiles, James Reed, and many their health and others their ye. For we cannot but speak the things William Mash were arrested for freedom and their families. All who which we have seen and heard.” preaching and allegedly disturbing resisted suffered indignities and These early Baptist leaders are for- the peace. Reed and Mash were from harassment. But in the end, they gotten men in history, though they another area and complied with the obtained for us complete religious paved the way for religious liberty. magistrate’s offer for release by prom- freedom and much, much more. Such a man was Roger Williams ising not to preach in Spotsylvania The liberties gained were guaran- (1603–1683), whose writings apparent- County for a year and a day. Craig, teed. They became a part of our ly influenced men like Thomas Waller, and Chiles, however, refused nation’s law and our great heritage. A Jefferson. Williams established the to make such a promise and were kept memorial was erected to these Baptist first truly free colony in America at in jail for 43 days. preachers who were imprisoned, these Providence, Rhode Island. Another In Culpeper, Virginia, on Nov- “apostles of religious liberty.” trailblazer of religious freedom was ember 15, 1769, James Ireland, having History tells us that from 1607 to Isaac Backus (1724-1806), who been warned that he would be arrest- 1786, the church-state was firmly engaged in a campaign of educating ed if he kept another preaching entrenched in Virginia. Few “dis- churches and legislators regarding the engagement, recalled, “I sat down and senters” were permitted. The state need for freedom from state involve- counted the cost. Freedom or confine- offered licenses to non-Episcopalian ment in the churches. ment? Liberty or prison? Having ven- preachers who agreed to submit to a These were men who were willing tured all upon Christ, I ventured to mandatory code of special certifica- to forgo their freedom for a time so suffer all for Him.” He preached his tion procedures. Several groups, such that today we might enjoy schedule and was arrest- as the Quakers and the Congre- freedom as a matter of ed while preaching. He gationalists, and most notably the principle. They were will- was subjected to consid- Baptists, tried for years to have this ing to go to jail rather than erable harassment, in- system eliminated. But it was the submit their conscience to cluding attempted poi- Baptist preachers of Virginia who, in an unscriptural mandate. soning, breathing sulfur their quest for religious freedom (hav- They gained the attention fumes, and threats of ing already suffered for years in of such statesmen as explosions, in what has England), simply would not work Patrick Henry, James been described as the under a system which would in any Madison, Thomas worst case of persecution way subject them to an entanglement Jefferson, and George during this period of his- between church and state.