While New Year’s revelers caroused in the streets of Tokyo, a team of God’s special forces gathered to plan, prepare, and pray for release of Japan’s spiritual hostages. For years missionaries have been battling forces of darkness in a country where science, more specifically, materialistic naturalism, has successfully marketed the slogan, "religion stinks." Japan’s vast majority view Christianity (and other religions, for that matter) as scientific nonsense—a fantasy held by those too cowardly to accept reality. Typically, Christian outreach has either ignored this entrenched opinion or has confronted it with a declaration that science is all wrong. Neither approach has worked effectively to bring Japanese to Christ. Tim Boyles, an 18-year ministry veteran, believes the time has come for a new strategy, one that uses science as a springboard for presenting the Gospel. And God used Tim to make arrangements for Hugh’s first trip to Japan, to address the Hayama Conference.
As Hugh shared some of the latest discoveries from the frontiers of physics, astronomy, and other disciplines and made the connection between these discoveries and biblical revelation, a sense of hope and excitement swept through the group. It grew as Hugh reported the impact of science apologetics among Japanese students and scholars visiting the U.S. These are the men and women who have implored Hugh for years to take his message to Japan at the first opportunity. And now their desire is being answered. The response at the two churches where Hugh spoke after the conference can only be described as remarkable. The pastors expressed their thrill at seeing so many participate in question-and-answer sessions both during and after the services. An important foundation was laid for on-going ministry.
Other RTB speakers involved in teaching and outreach this past quarter include Marj Harmon, Mark Ritter, Robert Vandewater, George Lebo, and Kathy Ross, among others. Marj took the Sunday morning Paradoxes Class at Sierra Madre Congregational Church through a three-week series on quantum mechanics and its spiritual ramifications. Mark prepared articles for a newsletter to Christian high school students and others in the Temecula/Moreno Valley area of southern California. He also spoke on Genesis One to a gathering of about a hundred Walnut High School students and faculty. Robert, a Ph.D. candidate at U.C.L.A., led a campus discussion group on creation for several weeks. Astronomy professor George presented his own and Hugh’s material at the Veritas Forum outreach lectures at the University of Florida. And Kathy addressed the Family Foundations class at Grace Brethren Church, La Verne, Calif. John Morgan and Alan Graas have also been active in presenting RTB’s message, John on the east coast and Alan in California’s central valley.
Janet Kobobel Grant joyfully reports the completion of the Beyond the Cosmos manuscript, which is now in NavPress’s hands. The hardback book is scheduled for release at the 1996 Christian Booksellers’ Convention, July 14-18, in Anaheim, Calif. Look for ordering information in our next issue.
Executive Director Tadd Sutton is forming plans for celebration of RTB’s tenth anniversary. He is scheduling "Reasons Briefings" with our constituents across the nation in conjunction with outreach events. An anniversary reception will be held this fall at a location near our offices in Glendora, Calif. Tadd also apprises us that visits to our home page on the World Wide Web now number about 500 per week. For internet enthusiasts, our address is as follows: http://www.Reasons.org/Reasons (no punctuation after the second "Reasons").
Globel Net Productions, Seattle, Wash., producer of our Journey Toward Creation video, began filming at the fabulous Keck telescope array atop Mauna Kea and on Hawaii’s black sand beaches. Michael and Sherry (sp?) Lineau carefully directed and coached Hugh and the film crew through three days of shooting. Much more remains. We’ll keep you posted on the project’s progress and announce a completion date as it comes into sharper focus.
Here are more details on events described above and other ministry activities:
SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES—One of RTB’s constituents, James Sumpter, prepared and taught two sessions of a course entitled "Cosmology: the Origin and Development of the Universe," using The Fingerprint of God and The Creator and the Cosmos as texts, at San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas. Dr. George Lebo shared the podium at a recent University of Florida (Gainesville) "Veritas Forum." Hugh spoke to his son’s fifth-grade class about astronomy research and found the students intensely interested. He hopes several will join the astronomy club on campus, founded and led by the school’s principal, an amateur astronomer. Through Hugh’s participation in this club, God has opened many opportunities for discussions about the magnificence of the creation and the Creator.
CHURCHES—Marj Harman presented to the Paradoxes Class at Sierra Madre Congregational a three-week overview of quantum mechanics, the subject of her master’s thesis in Christian Apologetics for Simon Greenleaf University. Hugh addressed two congregations on his one Sunday in Tokyo, ___ and ___. After returning home he presented two lectures for the Master’s Series in Christian Thought at Hope Chapel in Hermosa Beach, Calif. Kathy spoke on "Giving Kids Reasons to Believe" in the Family Foundations class at Grace Brethren, La Verne.
CONFERENCES—Hugh was the keynote speaker for the four-day Hayama Conference near Izu-Amagisan National Park (southeast of Tokyo) Japan. Missionaries themselves, from diverse locations and agencies, inaugurated this annual gathering a few decades ago to integrate, coordinate, and mutually encourage each other’s efforts in this seemingly Gospel-resistent nation, from which several organizations have "pulled out." Plans are already being laid for a return trip either later this year or in 1997.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS—Open Forum for Skeptics continued its bi-monthly luncheon meetings at the University Club, Pasadena, Calif. A review of recent scientific discoveries brought an overflow crowd once again and generated a lively discussion session.
RADIO—interviews with Al Cresta for WMUZ in Detroit and with Dick Staub for WYLL in Chicago brought hundreds of phone inquiries to the radio stations and to our office. The lines were busy again during a KBRT, Los Angeles, broadcast hosted by Greg Koukl to stir interest in the Master’s Series lectures jointly sponsored by Greg’s newly-formed ministry, Stand to Reason, and Hope Chapel’s Ministry Institute.
TELEVISION— the "Reasons To Believe" series on Trinity Broadcasting Network and its affiliates. In these episodes, Hugh explores a wide range of apologetics tools available today and ways to use these tools.
from South Africa
David and Liz Block ask our prayer support as they continue to lead outreaches at churches, universities, and other venues across southern Africa and everywhere else they travel (including Europe, the U. S. and Canada) to do astronomy research and assist the work of Jews for Jesus. More than a dozen outreaches have already been scheduled for 1996. About the impact of one recent event Liz writes: "A young couple, visiting the church to see Dave’s slide show, were extremely uncomfortable during the boisterous ‘praise and worship’ time. They were sitting next to us, right in the front, when Dave saw that they were about to escape, having taken out their car keys. He turned to them and said, ‘I’m about to start, and I’d really like you to have a good view of the slides. Perhaps you should move to my seat or the row behind us so you won’t have to strain your necks to see the screen properly.’ Well, they couldn’t leave after that, and who should be the first to raise his hand when the call to commitment to Jesus was made but the young man now sitting next to me! Another God-appointed encounter!"
God has blessed Dave and Liz abundantly with fruitful ministry, professional success, and a precious son named Aaron. They praise God for all these gifts and for raising up a ministry assistant this past year, Pieter Bosch. We thank God for the Blocks’ efforts in making RTB materials available to "seekers" on the campuses where they teach and wherever they travel.
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