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Lydia McGrew has revived an old apologetic for the veracity of God’s Word. In her book, Hidden in Plain View, she references forty-seven undesigned coincidences in the New Testament that form a powerful argument for the integrity and veracity of the Scriptures.  She defines an undesigned coincidence in the following way:  “An undesigned coincidence is a notable connection between two or more accounts or texts that doesn’t seem to have been planned by the person or people giving the accounts.  Despite their apparent independence, the items fit together like pieces of a puzzle” (12).  McGrew acknowledges that she is building on the shoulders of others who have made this argument in defense of the truthfulness of God’s Word.  She references: William Paley, Horae Paulinae; John Blunt, Undesigned Coincidences in the Writings Both of the Old and New Testament, an Argument for Their Veracity; J. S. Howson, Horae Petrinae and The Evidential Value of the Acts of the Apostles; and T. R. Birks, Horae Apostolicae. I have written a brief review of this book and posted it on my Book Reviews page.  A good Bible student needs to be aware of this powerful argument for the integrity and veracity of God’s Word.

In 1962, James D. Bales wrote a book titled, Communism Its Faith and Fallacies.  Bales relates the following aspects of communism.  “As a philosophy of life, communism endeavors to explain the universe, life, history, and the future.  Its embraces atheism, dialectical materialism and class struggle as integral parts of its explanation.  Its concern is not only with theory but also with action.  Thus Marx (Karl Marx-DS) emphasized that he was not interested simply in understanding the world, but in changing it.  As a philosophy of life communism endeavors to dominate and to control the outer and the inner life of its devotees who “accept its discipline in every part of their private and professional lives.” Thus it has been called a religion or a religion-substitute by some.  In fact, Bertrand Russell labels communism, as it has developed in Russia, as “a political religion analogous to Islam” (Lester E. Denonn, Editor, Bertrand Russells’ Dictionary of Mind, Matter and Morals, p. 30 quoted by Bales in Communism: Its Faith and Fallacies, p. 18).  Bales gives some of the details of a House Report made in 1939 (see page 19-20 of Bales’ book) which contains the following description of communism.  “Communism is a world-wide political organization advocating: (1) the abolition of all forms of religion; (2) the destruction of private property and the abolition of inheritance; (3) absolute social and racial equality; (4) revolution under the leadership of the Communist International; (5) engaging in activities in foreign countries in order to cause strikes, riots, sabotage, bloodshed, and civil war; (6) destruction of all forms of representative or democratic government, including civil liberties such as freedom of speech, of the press, and of assemblage; (7) the ultimate objective of world revolution to establish the dictatorship of the so-called proletariat into a universal union of soviet socialist republics with its capital at Moscow; (8) the achievement of the ends through extreme appeals to hatred” (Investigation of Un-American Activities and Propaganda, House Resolution 282, Union Calendar No. 2, House Report, No. 2, 1939, p. 12).  Bales then proceeds to give his own definition of communism:  “Communism today is a Marx inspired, Moscow directed, international criminal conspiracy against civilization, based on a God-denying philosophy of life, sustained by faith in the dialectic, backed by the devotion of its fanatical believers and to an uncertain extent by the armed might of the Red Armies” (Bales, p. 20).  The philosophy of communism is expressed in the writings of Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, V. I. Lenin, Joseph Stalin and some other writers.  These men continue to be influential through their writings as has been noted in the Black Lives Matter organization which is led by two women who are highly trained in Marxism (see previous blog: An Exposé of the Black Lives Matter Organization).  On September 20, 2020, I discovered that the statement of beliefs originally posted on the blacklivesmatter.com website has been removed.  This is significant because it appears that this organization is attempting to hide its true beliefs and purposes which involved anti-Christian values and concepts.
Is the Black Lives Matter organization using the race issue as a means of creating dissension within the country and spark a revolution?  Bales, under the heading of Inciting Racial Minorities (p. 98) wrote in 1962, “Open and hidden communists are endeavoring to use racial problems as a means of dividing our country and making and using for their own purposes those who are blind enough to form temporary alliances with them.  They are not interested in solving these problems but in weakening the country so that it will be easier for them to take over.  The communists search out “contradictions” between racial groups not in order to solve them but to intensify them so as to hasten the day of revolution” (Bales, p. 99).    The blacklivesmatter.com website did not hesitate to use the word revolution to describe their movement.  They openly asked people to join in the revolution currently under way in America (2020).
Christianity is opposed to communism.  Communism is atheistic and anti-religion.  It is a threat to freedom everywhere.  Since the Black Lives Matter organization is being led by highly trained Marxists, it is no surprise to see them using communist tactics to threaten, intimidate, and destroy for the purpose of bringing about social change.  They stoke racial tensions and use class struggle to bring about the first part of the dialectic between capitalism and socialism.  In Marx’s philosophy, the thesis is capitalism.  The anti-thesis is socialism.  The synthesis is communism. All Christians must be aware of the forces that are at work in our nation today.

On October 6, 1975, in a column by Ann Landers (really Eppie Lederer who wrote under the Ann Landers pseudonym in 1975) the importance of an education was emphasized.  Ann Landers replied to a questioner who was challenging having an education because of its expense, “If you think education is expensive–try ignorance.”  Truly, ignorance has its price. Ignorance of God’s will can cost you your soul.  Ignorance is simply not knowing some information content.  Ignorance of the truth (God’s Word, John 17:17) generally means an affirmation of some error.  Truth saves.  Error damns.  “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2:11-12).  Some believe that there is some protection in being ignorant (Ignorance is bliss).  However, when we put this concept to the test of truth, it fails.
Ignorance of the Law Excuses Not
Ignorance of the law excuses no one.  A person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability (culpability) for violating that law merely because he/she was ignorant of its content.  The IRS holds you responsible to pay your taxes even if you are unaware of all the taxes that you may owe.  Penalties are assessed even though you did not know.  God also holds us accountable to know His will and He does not accept ignorance as an excuse.  “And the times of this ignorance God winked at: but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).  Repentance is a universal command of God’s Word and it must be obeyed by every accountable person.  The reason is stated in the next verse, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
Ignorance Does Not Imply Innocence
In Luke 23:34, Jesus said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”  While Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for His enemies to be forgiven of the sin of ignorance.  The fact that Jesus prays for their forgiveness indicates that they have sinned by acting in ignorance.  Ignorance hides unbelief.  The unbelieving Jews rejected Jesus and disobeyed God’s Will. The fact that they acted in ignorance, betrays their unbelief.  Remember, the apostle Paul also acted in ignorance, but was not innocent.  Paul writes the following words descriptive of himself, “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (I Tim. 1:13-14).  Paul was ignorant.  Because of his ignorance of who Jesus truly was, he manifested unbelief and so sinned against Jesus and God.  On the day of Pentecost, Peter (along with the other apostles) proclaimed the gospel of Christ.  Peter’s sermon is recorded in Acts 2.  Peter convicts his audience of the sin of murdering Jesus (Acts 2:23).  As Jesus said, they did this in ignorance.  Yet, they are commanded to repent of this sin and be baptized into the name of Jesus for the remission of sin (Acts 2:37-38).  Peter also preached the gospel to the Jews gathered together in the vicinity of Solomon’s porch near the temple.  In Acts 3:17, he declares, “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.”  What did they do?  “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you.  And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14-15).  These unbelieving Jews were unaware of the consequences of their own acts leading to the detriment of their own souls.  Ignorance is not bliss!
Some Consequences Of Ignorance
Ignorance produces spiritual and moral darkness. Paul states, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). Ignorance brings destruction to God’s people. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).  Ignorance leads to sin which in turn leads to spiritual death.  In Acts 17:30, the ignorance referenced is idolatry.  God suffered all nations to walk in their own ways (Acts 14:16), but now, He commands them to repent of every type of sin.  If they do not repent, they will perish (Luke 13:3-5; Rom. 6:23).
The Cure For Ignorance
The gospel of Christ includes a universal call to repentance (Luke 24:47, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning in Jerusalem”).  The church’s mission is to proclaim the gospel to every person (Mark 16:15-16).  Truth frees (John 8:32).  Ignorance enslaves to sin (John 8:34).  The commands of God must be honored by every person.  The conscience of man must be enlightened with truth.  The heart of man must believe unto salvation and the tongue confess Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9-10).  The spiritual status of each person must be changed by undergoing the new birth (baptism into Christ) John 3:3-5; Rom. 6:4.  Every step of obedience must be accomplished out of love for God (John 14:15).  Ignorance is ultimately conquered by obedience to the truth (I Pet 1:22-23).