S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 I S S U E

a f f i r m i n g t h e a u t h e n t ic i t y, a cc u r a c y, a n d a u t hor i t y of t h e b i b l e

Storm Approaching
STORM-PROOF
YOUR FAMILY

THE PROBLEM AND

THE SOLUTION

FOUNDATIONS

GOT BIBLE?

INTERVIEW WITH MARQUIS LAUGHLIN

CONTENTS Founder Robert D.Van Kampen (1938-1999)
SOLA SCRIPTURA MAGAZINE : summer 2003, ISSUE 4
Publisher Sola Scriptura
Executive Director Scott R. Pierre
4 Storm-Proof Your Family Editor-in-Chief Dr. Dan Hayden
Sincere… But Sincerely Wrong : We live in a culture Managing Editor Stu Kinniburgh
that says, “It really doesn’t matter what you believe Creative Director Scott Holmgren
as long as you are sincere.” Wrong. It matters Contributing Writers Dr. Herbert Samworth, Dr. Dan Hayden,
incredibly what you believe. If you are not building Charles Cooper
your life and your family life on the truth, then you Contributing Editor Dean Tisch
are headed for a big-time crash no matter how
sincere your intentions may be. Sola Scriptura magazine is a publication of Sola Scriptura, a non-profit min-
istry that is devoted to affirming the authenticity, accuracy, and authority of
BY JAMES MACDONALD
the Bible—the standard for truth.

9 A Tale of Two Castles The pages of Sola Scriptura are designed to be evangelistic and pastoral in
The Problem and The Solution : The ongoing war nature: evangelistic in that the magazine is dedicated to proclaiming and
defending the historic gospel of Jesus Christ; pastoral in that the magazine
between Humanism and Christianity is being fought
is committed to equipping and encouraging believers through sound biblical
according to very different strategies. teaching.
How can Christians adjust their
focus in order to combat the 9 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
foundation of Humanism? correction, for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16)
BY KEN HAM
“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of
Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound
16 Acts of the Word doctrine which you have been following.” (1 Timothy 4:6)
An Interview with Marquis Laughlin :
“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common
A conversation with an actor whose salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend
life’s work is enabling his audiences earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)
to hear, see, and feel the God of the
Bible, through the words of the Bible. Sola Scriptura magazine is published four times a year and is copyrighted
© 2003 by Sola Scriptura, P.O. Box 617677, Orlando, FL 32861-7677 USA,
(800) 844-9930. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted without publisher’s written permission. Unless
noted, Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible, ©1977,
1987, 1988,The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Periodicals

DEPARTMENTS postage paid at Orlando, FL and additional mailing offices.The annual US

subscription price is $12, a two-year subscription is $20. Printed in the USA.

Postmaster: Send changes of address to Sola Scriptura, P.O. Box 617677,

Orlando, FL 32861-7677 USA.
3 Opening Thoughts : From the Front Lines
Visit our website at www.solagroup.org or email magazine@solagroup.org.
14 A Word From the Word : Foundations

19 Letters & Feedback : Practicing to Walk Image credits: cover, Photodisc; 3, (bottom) NewsCom, (top) Tim Kelly; 4-8,
Photodisc; 9-13, Dover; 14, Photodisc; 16-17, Sola Scriptura; 19, Photodisc;
20 Truth for Today : Got Bible? 20, NewsCom; 21, Photodisc; 22, Stephen Allen; 23, Mel Curtis [Photodisc];
24, Photodisc.
22 The Van Kampen Collection : The Great Bible

23 Final Thoughts : James 1:23-25

 OPENING THOUGHTS
From the Front Lines
Scott Pierre, Executive Director

A
s of this writing, the war in is true reality TV, not the contrived stuff that although they have
Iraq has been going on for has become a popular mainstay of our prime- denied its power…
twenty days. If you are at all time culture. This reality exposes us to truth… always learning and
like I am, then you, too, have the truth of men and women who are placing never able to come
been fascinated by the tele- their lives on the line in an attempt to over- to the knowledge of
vised reporting of the war. Thanks to the throw a corrupt dictator and free an the truth.” (Kind
inclusion of embedded reporters, never has oppressed people. The embedded reporters of like the Iraqi
there been such intense exposure during are exposing it all just as it happens, without Minister of
wartime. Satellite videophones, computers the illusions of make-up artists, contrived Information broad-
and other technological advances have camera angles, or lengthy scene set-ups. casting live from
allowed the American public to receive ongo- As I considered this amazing phenomenon, Baghdad that the Americans are being pushed
ing up-to-date, even minute-by-minute I had a thought. Imagine for a moment that it back 100 miles away while the American tanks
reports. One has never been so close to the was possible to embed a reporter into our are rolling down the street behind him.) On the
action on the front lines nor has one seen, in inner being. I know, a little bit sci-fi, but hang other hand, might the reports say, as God did
such real-time and graphic effect, the activi- with me for a moment. I began to wonder of Job in Job chapter one, “Have you consid-
ties of our soldiers as they move on the about the content of the live reports that ered My servant Job? For there is no one like
battlefield. In many senses it is like watching would be broadcast to the national media him on earth, a blameless and upright man,
a movie at the theater, but with the under- from within our own hearts and minds. What fearing God and turning away from evil”?
standing that there is a major difference: This might those reports say? Whoa…did that Oh, that we might be a people who live
thought just grab you like it blameless and upright lives. Oh, that the
grabbed me? As the embedded embedded reporter within us would broad-
reporter observes the ongoing war cast, loud and clear, the personal purity and
between the flesh and the spirit humility that exemplifies our Savior.
within us, might these reports It is the desire of Sola Scriptura to encour-
reveal fleshly weapons of mass age you to become a people who are willing to
destruction? Lust? Greed? Pride? deny the calling of the flesh and to become
Such weapons destroy our ability arrested by the truth of God’s glorious Word.To
to live Christ-like lives and to do this, we are focusing this issue on the
bring glory to our God. Paul cau- proper foundations for godly living.
tions us in Romans 8, saying “the Specifically, you will read Ken Ham’s clear and
mind set on the flesh is hostile thought provoking perspective on the prob-
toward God; for it does not sub- lems within our culture and the solutions that
ject itself to the law of God, for it we need to counter them. James MacDonald
is not even able to do so, and provides an insightful piece on establishing a
those who are in the flesh cannot foundation of truth for our loved ones in his
please God.” Or might the stories article, “Storm-Proof Your Family.” And, an
reported reflect the half-hearted interview with Marquis Laughlin will provide
or hypocritical life of one who valuable information on ways to more effec-
talks the talk, but miserably fails tively read and memorize Scripture.
to walk the walk? In 2 Timothy 3, As you think of the embedded reporter in
Paul describes these as ones your own being, observing and reporting the lat-
“holding to a form of godliness, est breaking news, what will your top story be? ■

S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 | S O L A S C R I P T U R A [ 3 ]
By James MacDonald We live in a culture that says, “It really doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are
sincere.” Have you heard that before?
Nothing could be further from the truth. As we were painfully aware on September 11,
2001, Arab Islamic terrorists hijacked four U.S. planes and wickedly crashed them, taking
thousands of innocent people with them.
Difficult though it may be, I want you to try to picture for a moment in your mind’s eye
the final seconds before impact. What were those terrorists thinking? What was going
through their minds in the last few moments?
Well, if you think that their eyes were filled with terror, they weren’t. If you think that
their mouths were drawn in horror, you’d be wrong. Anyone who understands their deviant
brand of religion knows that they were probably grinning from ear-to-ear because they
S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 | S O L A S C R I P T U R A [ 5 ]
 believed that they were dying in service to Allah. They were “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and
expecting to wake up in paradise, to receive a harem of many acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his
women, to experience eternal bliss, and to see the very face of house upon the rock (“Truth”). And the rain descended, and the
Allah. floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house;
Instead, they woke up in hell, received God’s wrath and now and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.
are experiencing eternal torment. In fact, no doubt they saw the And every one who hears these words of Mine, and does not act
very face of Satan. Sincere, but sincerely wrong. So the next upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon
time somebody says to you, “It doesn’t matter what you believe the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
only that you believe something,” just say, “Wrong! It matters winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it fell, and
incredibly what you believe!” great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).
Now, bring it home. Many families with great sincerity are There are two kinds of families: those who are building on
flying out-of-control and grinning ear-to-ear, yet in only a few the truth—the rock; those who are not building on the truth—
weeks or months, they will suddenly crash and perhaps never the sand.
recover. They say, “We are sincere people. We love our kids and Now building on the sand can be pretty tempting. First of all,
are doing the best we can.” But sincerity alone can destroy you, it’s easy and it looks good on the outside. It frees up a lot of time
too. The issue is not how much you care or how hard you work for other stuff. Building your house on the rock—the truth—
for your family. The question is, on what are you basing your takes focus and hard work. It feels like a big hassle sometimes
judgments? What system of belief is informing the decisions you and it doesn’t look any better most of the time. That is, until the
make and the actions you take? If you are not building your life storms come.
and your family life on the truth, then you are headed for a big- Notice this—both families encounter storms. The one built
time crash no matter how sincere your intentions may be. on the sand fell and “great was its fall” (v. 27). Total, sudden
Do you want your family to survive? Do you want your mar- devastation. The house founded on the rock—on truth—stood.
riage to stand strong in the crazy storms of life? Strong families Do you want your family to weather the tough times? Like
are built on the truth of God’s Word. Jesus said so Himself: the ones you’re facing right now? Get your family anchored on
y
mil

What system o
Fa
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is informing th
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decisions you m
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[ 6 ] S O L A S C R I P T U R A | S U M M E R 2 0 0 3
 the truth. I love 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is inspired by
God and profitable” for these four things:
• Teaching (doctrinal truth about God, salvation, money,
work, family, etc.)
• Reproof (the Bible points out the error of our ways)
• Correction (the Bible also shows us the right stuff.)
• Training in righteousness (not just what to do, but how to
do it, the right course of action and how to get there).
Time to live it out. Build your home on the rock of God’s
truth by applying these ideas:
1. Start a regular time of family Bible reading and prayer.
Say, “From now on Monday nights at our house, we get the
Book open. Right before or after dinner, we spend some time
praying together.”
2. Memorize a portion of God’s Word as a family. Just say,
“We are a newly married couple and we are going to build our
home on the truth. Let’s just start memorizing God’s Word
together.” Psalm 127 and Ephesians 6 would be good places to
start. If your kids are small, have a contest to learn the books of
the Bible together. Give a prize at the end. Make them good
prizes, Dad. Don’t be cheap!
3. Read the Bible together in a year. Talk about it as you go
and encourage each other.

of belief
he
make and
take?
There are two kinds of families: those who are building
on the truth—the rock; those who are not building on
the truth—the sand.

4. Get an audio series for the family. Sit down on Tuesday • Work hard. “This is your home, too. Put in the extra
nights and open your Bibles, listen to a message, take notes, dis- effort.”
cuss and pray about it afterwards.
• Tell the truth. Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s
5. Make decisions about family matters from the Bible. If going to get you into more trouble. Just get the truth on
you’re facing a big decision, ask your pastor, “Where is a passage the table. God can do a lot with that.
we could read that would really help us make this decision?”
• Be kind. “We are not going to talk about them like
6. Turn off the television and read a Bible story out loud that. That is not kind.”
with enthusiasm! “Hey kids, you think that’s good? Listen to
Why should you do this? Second Timothy 3:17: so “that the
this!” Let them see that Mom and Dad are fired up about God’s
man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
truth. Same thing at bedtime. Don’t just pray with your kids, get
You could even say, thoroughly equipped for the storms. God’s
the Bible open. Read a little bit and talk about it.
Word contains all the truths we need to be thoroughly equipped
7. Choose family values and post them at home. When we for whatever life brings. Build your family on the rock. ■
moved into our home we had our family values painted on our
living room wall where our whole family can see them. These
are ours—you can write and post your own: Dr. James MacDonald is the founding pas-
tor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling
• Love God. How straight up is that? Right? Big sur-
Meadows, IL and radio Bible teacher on
prise. What is the greatest commandment? “Love the
Walk in the Word (walkintheword.com)
Lord your God with all your heart,” Matthew 22:37.
which emphasizes the precise exposition of
• Family first. “Don’t talk to your sister like that.” God’s Word and its practical life application.
“That’s your mother!” “We are together in this.” James and his wife Kathy have three chil-
Loyalty. dren—Luke, Landon, and Abigail—and
reside in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

[ 8 ] S O L A S C R I P T U R A | S U M M E R 2 0 0 3
A
Tale
of Two
Castles L ook around at today’s society and you’ll find an

By increase in homosexual behavior, support for

abortion, disobedience to authority, the lack of a work
ethic, divorce rates, nudity, and pornography, to name just
Ken Ham a few. You’ll also find that the Church, by and large, is not
as effective as it used to be: evangelists don’t get the same
response today that they used to get, people don’t auto-
matically send their children to Sunday School like they
used to, etc. What has happened in society to bring about
this change? Why is it that many people today just scoff
when you talk about Christ and don’t seem to be open to
the Gospel? What’s the problem facing the Church?…

S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 | S O L A S C R I P T U R A [ 9 ]
T his castle illustration sums up the problem in our Western culture from a Christian perspective. The left castle
has a foundation of evolution (and/or millions of years)—a foundation that really teaches that man by himself
determines truth. Out of this foundation comes a castle called ‘humanism’ and the consequences that can arise
from such a foundation, e.g., abortion, homosexual behavior, etc. Again, evolution or millions of years is not the
cause of these social ills, but provides a foundation for people to justify these behaviors.
On the right we see the castle of Christianity, built on the foundation of the absolute authority of the Word
of God. Out of this structure comes a Christian worldview (Christian morality/right and wrong, marriage, sanctity
of life, etc.).
The humanists are very clever—they know that to effectively attack Christianity, they shouldn’t aim their guns
directly at the doctrines of the Resurrection or the Virgin Birth. This would be too obvious. Besides, this is just
attacking the structure. To destroy Christianity, you have to try to destroy the foundation of God’s Word.
The best way to accomplish this is to bombard the history that is foundational to all Christian doctrine.
Because the history in Genesis 1–11 is foundational to every single Christian doctrine, the humanists have decid-
ed to direct their fire at this foundation.
Through the teaching of millions of years, evolution, and so on, humanists have been able to convince many
that the Bible’s history can’t be trusted—that the Bible is not credible, and therefore is not the absolute author-
ity. The more this kind of thinking permeates a culture, the more people’s actions will begin to become consistent
with the humanist foundation that man determines truth. Thus ultimately the Christian structure will begin to col-
lapse and the humanist structure will become entrenched in its place.
Sadly, many Christians are helping to destroy their own foundation by accepting millions of years and/or
evolutionary ideas that undermine the history in Genesis 1–11 and therefore undermine the absolute authority of
God’s Word. By teaching that you can accept millions of years, these Christians have ‘unlocked the door’ that tells
people that they can reinterpret the Word of God on the basis of outside ideas. This will eventually lead to a
destruction of biblical authority.
At the same time, these Christians are recognizing that there is something dreadfully wrong. They are trying to
fight the humanists and attempting to deal with the increasing problem of the social ills in the culture such as
abortion, homosexual behavior, pornography, lawlessness and so on. But what most Christians don’t seem to
understand is that these social ills are not the problems in the culture, but are in fact, the symptoms of the
problem: a change in foundation from the authoritative Word of God to man’s opinions determining truth.
This change occurring in society has resulted in a culture shift from a Christian worldview to a secular one. It
is important to understand that this change has been a foundational one—the change has been from the bottom
up, not from the top down. Thus, if you want to be successful in turning the culture around to return to a Christian
worldview, it has to be a change from the ground up, not the top down. In other words, even though Christians
need to take a stand against the evils of abortion, homosexual behavior and so on (and they need to make this
known in the culture), if they don’t deal with the foundational reason why these issues are such problems in the
culture, they will ultimately fail in their battle against the onslaughts of evolutionary humanism.
Note that when the foundation from God’s Word was the one that was primarily accepted in the culture and
you preached about sin, Jesus, and trusting in the Lord God of the Bible, most people would understand the mes-
sage. But now the culture has had a major shift to a different foundation—where man by himself determines truth,
and life is only a result of natural processes over millions of years. As a result, people who have built their think-
ing on this foundation no longer understand the message of sin and repentance and God’s law, etc.To reach these
people, you would have to get them to change their thinking foundationally. In other words, they need to destroy
the wrong foundation on which they have built their thinking, and establish the right foundation from God’s
Word, beginning with Genesis as real history. These people need to be shown the fallacies of the evolutionary
theory of origins; they need to be shown that scientists have not proven that the Earth is billions of years old, etc.
Instead, people need to be shown that the Bible’s history—beginning in Genesis—is credible and that it does fit
with real science and connects to the real world in every area.
T his diagram illustrates the solution to the problem portrayed in the first illustration. As previously mentioned, the
solution is not just to fight social ills, but to also deal with the foundational nature of societal change that has
resulted in such issues becoming prevalent in the culture.
The Christian’s primary aim shouldn’t be simply to go out and try to change the culture, but instead should be
to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and see people converted, committed to the Lord, and building their
thinking on biblical principles. These people will then develop a Christian worldview and be the salt and light in
the culture, which then results in cultural change.
But when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached to a culture that has a secular foundation, the general result
is scoffing because of the belief that science has proven that the Bible is not credible. They ask questions chal-
lenging the history of the Bible: Where did God come from? Where did the Bible come from? Where did Cain get
his wife? What about the billions of years? How did Noah get all the animals on the Ark? How could there be
enough water to cover the earth for a global flood?… And so on.
When Christians are trained to give answers (1 Peter 3:15) that show the Bible’s history is true, explains real
science, makes sense of the real world, and is therefore authoritative, then many have their hearts opened by the
Holy Spirit, and they listen to the rest of God’s Word and the Gospel.
Thus the solution to the collapse of the Christian worldview in our Western culture is to restore the founda-
tion that is the authority of the Word of God, which begins with the historical account of Genesis 1–11. This
counteracts the world’s teachings that undermine Scriptural authority and also reveals the bankruptcy of evolu-
tionary and ‘millions of years’ ideas. In doing this, we are dealing foundationally with the shift that has occurred
in our culture, while also standing firm on the Christian morality of the Bible by letting the world know about the
evils of abortion, homosexual behavior, etc.This observation also relates to evangelism. More and more, Christians
today cannot simply go out and tell non-Christians to “trust in Jesus and repent of your sin,” because they no
longer understand the meaning of sin or who Jesus is. In other words, there are increasing numbers of people in
our Western culture who have been taught a different, wrong history of the world and therefore don’t even under-
stand that they are lost, let alone that they need to be saved.

Where do you stand?

CONSIDER YOUR VIEWS ON THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS:
§ Abortion should be permitted when the life of the mother is threatened.
§ A person’s sexual orientation is determined genetically at birth.
§ The preciousness of human life makes the death penalty an unacceptable form of punishment.
§ Love and tolerance are the best responses to confrontation and problems.
§ Genetic cloning is okay if its primary purpose is to reduce birth defects and cure disease.
§ Civil disobedience is permitted when one feels their conscience has been violated.
§ The Bible should be the only guide for determining the rule of law in America.
§ Pornography should be protected by the government as long as it is limited to adults.
Your position on these issues indicates whether you have a biblical or a secular worldview.
For additional information and Scriptural perspective on these issues, visit our website:
www.solagroup.org

S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 | S O L A S C R I P T U R A [ 1 3 ]
A WORD FROM THE WORD
Foundations
Dr. Dan Hayden

M
aneuvering around a
mound of dirt, I
picked my way cau-
tiously down the
rough edges of the
excavated area. The mammoth plywood form
situated carefully over my shoulder was both
heavy and awkward as I fought to keep my
balance step after step down the treacherous
decline. Finally, I lowered the structured form
into place beside the other forms along the
concrete footing. Rods were inserted and
clamps were applied as the wall took shape.
We were laying the foundation for a house
that was being built in suburban Chicago, and
I was working for a concrete construction
company on the wall crew.
That experience of preparing foundations
gave me insight into the importance of laying pose of glorifying Christ. Paul wanted them to shunned as diversionary and counterproduc-
adequate foundations for structured buildings. refocus on the foundation that had been laid tive. Only that which glorifies Christ and is in
When you get right down to it, a building is only for the church and then to build a ministry accordance with His Word was to be accepted
as sturdy as the strength of its foundation. that was consistent with that foundation. and honored.
The apostle Paul uses this analogy in a fig- The word “foundation” in 1 Corinthians 3 There is a lesson here for us. We in the
urative sense when speaking of the spiritual is the Greek word themelios which refers to a contemporary church are still building upon
construction of the church at Corinth. In 1 substructure—something put down as an the foundation that was laid by the Apostles
Corinthians 3:10, 11 he says, “According to undergirding for what would be built. and Prophets of the 1st century church
the grace of God which was given to me, as a Themelios actually comes from a root word (Ephesians 2:20). Consequently, our method-
wise master builder I laid a foundation, and that means to put or place something down, ologies, programming and procedures need to
another is building upon it. But let each man to establish something and fix it firmly. So be continually reevaluated as to whether they
be careful how he builds upon it. For no man Paul was saying that there was a spiritual are consistent with that foundation. Does
can lay a foundation other than the one which substructure to the Corinthian church that what we do truly bring glory to Christ or does
is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” had been laid, upon which everything else was it simply cater to popular interest and fleshly
Now Paul was concerned that the to be built. And that undergirding foundation indulgence? Christ is the issue—not merely
Corinthian church should be consciously was Jesus Christ. pleasing ourselves.
aware of their foundational roots. It seems The point here is that a foundation should Paul said that there is only one foundation
that certain individuals were introducing determine the type of building to be erected. for the church and that is Jesus Christ. When
humanistic thinking saturated with fleshly If Jesus Christ is the foundation, then every- the Word of Christ is faithfully taught with a
motives as the basis upon which to build their thing should focus on Him and His Word. To central focus on glorifying Jesus Christ as
ministry. This was totally inconsistent, howev- build with mere human ideas and secular Savior and Lord, then the church will be
er, with the way Paul had begun the work at thinking was to ignore the foundation. Prideful strong and vibrant. How we build must be
Corinth. What the Corinthians were doing was leaders seeking to impose their own agenda consistent with the foundation that was laid.
simply leading the church astray from its pur- on the ministry of the church were to be So, how are you building? ■

[ 1 4 ] S O L A S C R I P T U R A | S U M M E R 2 0 0 3
Is what’s taking place in the
church today the same gift of
tongues as found in the Bible? That’s the question that
Dan Hayden answers in his
audio teaching series called
The Gift of Tongues.

Six powerful messages that explode the

myths and misunderstandings concerning this
confusing issue. Discover where it’s mentioned in Scripture,
what the word “tongues” means, how it is being used today,
the illegitimacy of a second gift, the purpose of tongues, the
modern tongues movement, and the biblical position explained.

The Gift of Tongues is available on 6 audio

tapes for $19 or on 6 CDs for $12, plus shipping.

1-800-844-9930 www.solagroup.org
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
“
came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being

ACTS
ACTS
of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
John. He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light,
that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came
that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light
which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the

of the WORD
WORD
world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did
not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own
did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in
His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God.An Interview
And the Word became with
flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only
begotten from the Father, Marquis Laughlin
Sola Scriptura: Tell us a little bit about your background.

Marquis Laughlin: I grew up in Washington state, in a little

Marquis Laughlin is an actor whose life’s work is enabling his town called Gig Harbor, which is about an hour outside of
audiences to hear, see, and feel the God of the Bible, through Seattle. I was raised in the church by a single mom. I had start-
the words of the Bible. His unique and compelling dramatic ed doing dramatic interpretation in high school and was
Scripture presentations include Genesis, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, successful in competing nationally. My big dream was to be able
John’s Gospel, and Revelation, and have been presented all to do one-man drama for a living. I remember sitting down with
over the world. Recent works include Mark’s Gospel performed my high school counselor, and she asked me what I wanted to
at the Forum of Trajan in Rome, Italy, and John’s Gospel per- do. I told her my dream, and we both laughed. She said, “Now
formed at the Hampton Court Mid-Summer Festival in pick a real career,” so I picked broadcasting. I went to school to
Herefordshire, England. be a broadcaster initially, and as soon as I got to school I started
Mr. Laughlin is a distinguished Staley Lecturer and main- getting back into drama. When I finished the dramatic arts pro-
tains an active touring schedule of theaters, conferences, gram at Washington State University, I moved down to Los
colleges, and houses of worship. His voice can be heard as the Angeles to find my fame in film as a movie actor. I had been in
narrator for Tyndale Publishing’s Illumina, the first interactive Los Angeles less than a year and had seen the end of the rain-
fully animated Bible, being introduced this fall on DVD. He is bow. I realized there was so much futility in chasing that dream.
the voice in Good News Publishers’ audio book of the English That really drove me to a relationship with the Lord. I felt that
Standard Version Bible. Marquis also provides the narration for He had a plan for my life that was immensely more profitable
The Scriptorium: Center for Biblical Antquities, a thematic than anything I was doing on my own. He gave me a roommate
museum that chronicles the history of the Bible, at The Holy who was a solid believer, who bought me a Bible and took me
Land Experience in Orlando, Florida. to church.

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d the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
g that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light
t comprehend it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was
Sola: How did your ministry develop from there? Marquis: I use a “T and E” technique, which is “Time and
Effort.” That’s about the easiest way to put it. It just takes time,
Marquis: I had a big interest in prophecy and the end times, so and I break everything down to a script like an actor would,
I started writing a one-man show that I could perform about the using scenes and assigning each character lines. Once I have
end times. I got so convicted about accuracy that I decided to done that, I try to memorize the storylines. I’ve found that once
memorize the book of Revelation because I thought I could fil- I can put the book into an outline, then I know what happens
ter my script through that knowledge. After learning the first from the beginning to the end. This provides me with a struc-
three or four verses, I realized that people could be blessed by ture for the information that I’m going to memorize.
reading and hearing the Word. I realized I couldn’t improve on Experts on memory say that a person should try to put the
the biblical script and so that drove me to memorizing and pre- information they are memorizing in a place where it can be
senting Scripture. accessed. Most of us have a lot more memorized than we can
even imagine, but we just don’t know where it is stored when
Sola: How much Scripture have you actually memorized at this we go to look for it. That’s why we look for a picture in our
point? mind that is the path that reminds us where that information is.
What I try to do with Scripture is to create a picture in my mind.
Marquis: Probably close to five hours worth. I have memorized When I break it down into scenes, I will picture the scenes as
Genesis from the creation to Chapter 22, which is up to the sac- vividly as I can. I will walk around it, see who’s there, how they
rifice of Isaac. I do about ninety percent of Ecclesiastes, slightly look, how they are dressed, who enters, where they come from,
edited, which takes about 45 to 50 minutes. I can do the book who is standing next to whom and on what side. Then I get a
of Daniel, but people kept requesting the first six chapters, so real feel for the scene and start to memorize. I try to walk the
now I do Chapters 1 through 6 which takes about an hour. I also scenes out before I start the memorization process. That really
do John’s Gospel, about 90 minutes worth. It takes a little over helps me because then I am hanging lines on movement. This is
two hours to do the whole book. Finally, I do all of Revelation the way most actors memorize their lines as well. It isn’t until
which takes 90 minutes. all the actors are present at rehearsal and they begin moving
around a scene that the lines are committed to memory. Most
Sola: How do you memorize that much Scripture? What sort of of us can memorize a lot more than we think. We’ve all
technique do you use? crammed for a test and have been amazed at how much we are

full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him, and cried out, say-
ing, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a
“The
higher rank best
than I,way
for Hetoexisted before me.’” For of His fulness we
have all received, my
explain and grace upon grace.
ministry is For the Law was given
through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
No man that
hasit’s
seenabout
God atenabling
any time; the only begotten God, who is in
people
the bosom of thetoFather,
get into theexplained Him. And this is the wit-
He has
ness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from
Word of God.”
Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed, and did
not deny, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they
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asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” They said then to
him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent
able to absorb to answer questions from a short period of time Marquis: Please pray that God will continue to open doors for
studying. The same thing is true with Scripture. I could start 100 me to proclaim His message: The Mystery of Christ.
verses of Scriptures and you could probably finish them, but tell
me where they are in the Bible… right now… that’s a whole dif- Sola: How would you describe your ministry to those who
ferent story. When I think of the Book of Revelation, sure I can would consider inviting you to perform?
see the page, but that’s not a very vivid picture. Seeing John on
the Island of Patmos, sitting there writing and seeing Jesus Marquis: The best way to explain my ministry is that it’s about
behind him… that is a vivid picture. It allows me to access that enabling people to get into the Word of God. There seems to be
information and when I move to the next verse, I can see the a real challenge on the part of most believers to access the Bible
picture in my head and move to that portion of Scripture. in a way that’s engaging and really life-changing. People are used
to seeing someone’s face relating information to them personal-
Sola: What’s next for you? ly, and they like watching and listening to stories. It’s really an
old medium, yet most people only experience the Bible in print,
Marquis: We are finishing “Stories from John’s Gospel” on so this is another way that opens up more of their senses. I
DVD. It’s going to be an excellent way to access the Word. We believe the spoken word offers some unique advantages over
are putting 20 stories on DVD so that a person will be able to reading Scripture silently because it communicates on so many
watch nearly all of John’s Gospel in about 80 minutes. There levels. That’s what my ministry is all about, trying to facilitate
will be great instructional material to go along with each of the access to Scripture. People need to hear God. They need to
stories, so it will be a nice Bible study tool. Another big project experience Him. ■
for me this year is to memorize the book of Exodus, and that’s
a challenge! To find out more about the ministry of Marquis Laughlin or to
schedule an event in your church or area, contact Karen
Sola: How can people pray for you? Stevens at 800-844-9930 or email: kstevens@solagroup.org.
 LETTERS & FEEDBACK
Practicing to Walk
■ Thank you for your excellent “Opening Thoughts” in the Spring 2003 issue
of Sola Scriptura… “A Way of Life.” Since my first reading of a little book
entitled Practicing the Presence of God way back in December, 1978, my
wife and I have been “practicing” to walk with God through Jesus in our
lives, teaching it to our three children (who are now grown and married).
Hopefully we have encouraged others along the way. Jesus, when He was on
the earth, was in constant contact with His Father… all day, every day…
and as you said “24/7/365.” The ultimate example for us!
—RICK HOOVER
via the Internet

Truly knowing the Word and layout. Its content is outstanding in that You assert that “There is no benefit in the
■ Thank you for sending both the magazine it is what we need now—back to the basics, Scriptures alone” and then assert that “those
and other information regarding your ministry. the real basics from an organization that who study the Bible without a living relation-
I must say that I was very delighted in read- researches well. Its impact is world-class. My ship with Christ are in the ditch.” This is
ing the materials and found them refreshing husband and I tell everyone about it. The nonsense. It is misleading to readers to sepa-
and educational. The article on Luther (“Sola style of writing reminds me of a few other rate Christ from His Word. The Scriptures
Scriptura” Autumn 2002) was great as were memorable works that I have read, just the assert that “We have the mind of Christ.” It is
the believer’s comments on the interfaith essentials presented in terms that an aver- a tactic of liberals, neo-orthodox, and other
gathering (“Why Another Magazine?” Autumn age lay person can readily grasp and enjoy! unbelievers to separate Christ from His Word.
2002). Your editorials hit home, and I will be —JOAN POLGREEN —MICHAEL THAYER
subscribing as soon as possible. Up until via the Internet via the Internet
three months ago I was an unpracticing
Roman Catholic, thirsty for the truth. Now, by The main point of the article was that the
finding your website and linking into others, I Just wondering Pharisees knew the words of Scripture but not
am now beginning to truly know the Word of ■ If you are Lutherans, I do not and will not the Word. Similarly, today many people are
God and have been reading the Scriptures listen to you any longer. Lutherans make convinced that the Bible is the Word of God,
daily. I am thankful to know that through Luther a god. yet the evidence of this conviction is absent
accepting the Bible, I have found the truth. I —KATHY THORNBURGH from how they live.
am now trying to find a ministry close to my via the Internet
home where I can participate in further study
of the Word of God and find some fellowship Sola Scriptura is not affiliated with the
to assist me. As for now, I am wandering the Lutheran church or any other denomination.
internet in that quest, but I am confident that We work to rightly divide the Word of God so Address correspondence to Sola Scriptura magazine:
God will lead me there. that all who seek to know Him might use us Sola Scriptura • Feedback
—LOUIS MACCHIA as a resource and help in their quest to live P.O. Box 617677
South Plainfield, New Jersey godly lives! Orlando, FL 32861-7677
or email:
feedback@solagroup.org
What we need now Disturbed? Include full name and address. Letters
■ Your article on “bibliolatry” (“Bible Study Is
may be edited to yield brevity and clarity.
■ Your magazine’s structure is superb. It is

neither over- nor underwhelming in its size Not Enough” Winter 2003) was disturbing.

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 Truth for today
Got Bible?
Stu Kinniburgh

Imagine that you are getting

ready to participate in one
of those reality TV shows set
in the jungle that allows a
person to take only one
‘comfort item’ with them for
the duration of the taping…

…Some bring cosmetics, others bring food, you attend. You have a general grasp of what sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy
and one brings a ball of string.What would you happened, who did what to whom and what commandments. Thy word I have treasured in
bring? For most Christians, the answer is sim- the end of the story will be for mankind. You my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.”
ple — their Bible. Was that your answer, or did believe that the world was created as From these and many other verses, it seems
you consider something more ‘practical’? Are described in Genesis that the sea really part- clear that we are encouraged to read and
you a Christian who doesn’t read the Bible reg- ed for Moses, that David really killed Goliath study the Scriptures, yet many still avoid read-
ularly? You hear people talk about reading and and became king, and that Solomon’s wisdom ing their Bible in favor of a host of other
studying the Bible all the time. Most agree that was not enough to keep him out of trouble.You activities.
it’s important, that God speaks through the believe that Jesus was born in a manger in In fact, it probably isn’t a matter of con-
words in Scripture, and that reading the Bible Bethlehem, grew up and was able to heal peo- sciously avoiding reading the Word as much as
allows one to understand God’s message to ple and perform miracles, and that He it is an inadvertent carelessness to the signifi-
mankind — yet there it sits on the cabinet, or accepted the penalty for your sin when He was cance of Scripture.We are busy.We tend to use
bedside table, or dresser, or wherever it is in crucified on a cross.You have no doubt that He up all the time in our day with work, play and
your home. It’s not that you don’t appreciate rose after three days and that His disciples rest. Adding a focus on the Bible requires that
the Bible.You may have fallen victim to the old spread the Good News across the land. Why, we ‘find the time’ to fit it into one of those cat-
saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” You then, is such a big deal made about continu- egories. Some try the work aspect, quickly
know all the stories but you gain little from ing to read the Bible over and over again? How reading a devotional at work during a lull in the
reading them again and again. In other words, often and under what circumstances do you day’s activities. Some seek to make it a part of
you might choose to bring your own pillow as a read the owner’s manual to your car or the play by having entertaining Bible studies com-
comfort item before your Bible. instructions for your VCR? When was the last plete with snacks or by enforcing a “quiet time”
You’ve read portions of Scripture before — time that someone asked you if you’ve re-read before heading out to the ball field. Many fit it
and even memorized some verses when you Moby Dick or Robinson Crusoe? into the rest category, and often wake up in the
were in Sunday school many years ago. Of course, there are verses that speak of middle of the night to close the pages of their
Somehow, those references are still fresh in keeping the Word in our hearts like Joshua 1:8 Bible and turn off their reading light. Some may
your mind, but the verses you tried to remem- “This book of the law shall not depart from find the time but are confused with another
ber four weeks ago are faded beyond all recall. your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day issue — what exactly is reading the Bible? Is it
You admire the Bible — like it, in fact… and and night…” and Ps 119:9-11 “How can a picking a passage and reading until we finish
enjoy talking about it with your friends, or per- young man keep his way pure? By keeping it our allotted time? Is it methodically going
haps at church or at that couples’ Bible study according to Thy word. With all my heart I have through the Bible from start to finish over and

[ 2 0 ] S O L A S C R I P T U R A | S U M M E R 2 0 0 3
over again? Is it a study of some sort… writing communicates with us through them.The Bible your money. God does not necessarily want
down our thoughts about passages we’ve is not just any book. It was written by God your money. He does not want anything that
read? Do we use a concordance to select some Himself, and is infinitely deeper and more you have to give, and yet He wants all that you
passage of Scripture significant to the “worry of important than Moby Dick and contains have to give. He wants you to honor Him by giv-
the day”? In light of this confusion, many will instructions far more significant than those in ing to Him that place of respect and authority
choose not to pick up and read their Bible until our car owner’s manual.You may know the sto- in your life. Above work. Above play. Above rest.
they can do it ‘correctly.’ ries of the Bible, but the Bible is much more Praying to Him is important, and allows us to
Okay, you know you should do it. You feel than a collection of short stories.Those stories pour out our hearts to Him. But reading His
guilty when you don’t do it. You want to enjoy were included to help you learn about God, Word is the way that He pours out His heart to
the blessing of the obedience of doing it. How and to communicate with you in a way that you us. However we do it… from start to finish, top-
can you get over the hump? Perhaps this. can understand. We are inundated every day ically, with or without a study… we honor Him
Honor. That’s it. Honor. Just like in “Honor thy by junk that we hear on the radio and televi- by creating the time, not finding the time, to
father and mother…” which means to do sion. Every advertisement has an ulterior read His revelation to us. Each time we do, He
things that please and revere your parents motive — you may think that the advertisers will reveal just a bit more to us about His char-
simply because they are your parents. We are want you to be thinner, more beautiful, more acter, about life, and about how we fit into the
to honor God for what He has done and for comfortable, richer, happier… but in fact, they puzzle. Honor Him. Read His Word. ■
who He is.We read His words to us because He want you to purchase their product. They want

Rock layers in hours—can it be?

Question: Most people have been indoctrinated by evolutionists to believe that it
takes millions of years to form rock layers, such as the ones we see at the Grand
Canyon. So can these layers actually form quickly?
Answer: Yes. The story that you hear at the Grand Canyon is that it took millions
of years of processes to lay down the material to form rock layers. But in some
research that’s been conducted at Mt. St. Helens in Washington state, it’s been
shown that layers of rocks can be laid down very quickly.
At Mt. St. Helens, there’s one rock layer that’s about 30 feet thick. It was
formed after a volcanic eruption in the early 1980s—but it took just one after-
noon! Normally this kind of rock layer would be interpreted—especially by
evolutionists—as taking a long time to form.
Now what’s the point? Well, creation scientists have been ridiculed by evolu-
tionists for saying that the catastrophic events of Noah’s Flood formed most of
the fossil layers over the Earth—and very quickly. What happened at Mt. St. Helens
was on a small scale, but it did show geologists that such layers can form quickly.
If the earth was created just a few thousand years ago, does that mean each day of Creation was 24 hours in length?
Ken Ham looks at this intriguing topic in his booklet on the six days of Creation. You can read it on his website at
AnswersRadio.com.

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THE VAN KAMPEN COLLECTION
The Great Bible
Dr. Herbert Samworth

“L
L ord, open the King of England’s tion, they were able to salvage
eyes,” were the last recorded a large percentage of what
words of William Tyndale before had been done.
his death on October 6, 1536. In England the work went
They were a prayer that King smoothly and the printing and
Henry VIII would permit the free circulation of binding of the first edition was
the Bible in English. completed in 1539. The work
Unknown to Tyndale, Miles Coverdale had then began to distribute it to
already printed a complete copy of the Bible in the churches. Frequently, it was chained to a riage between Henry and Anne of Cleves. Henry
English the previous year. Because the English lectern in the church where people could come was so angry with Cromwell that he had him
Bible was still illegal, it had to be smuggled into to hear the Bible read. For this reason, The executed.The title page to the fifth edition was
England. Great Bible was also was called the “Chained printed with his coat of arms omitted.
Within three years of his death, Tyndale’s Bible.” Many people went to church to hear the However, there is another fascinating fea-
prayer was gloriously answered. In 1537, Henry Bible read rather than attending the worship ture to the title page. Although sanctioned by
permitted a limited circulation of what was services of the church. This became so popular both the throne and the church, church offi-
known as the Matthew’s Bible. The following that Archbishop Thomas Cranmer ordered that cials had to read the text of The Great Bible
year, he ordered that every church in England no Bible readings were to take place during the carefully to assure its orthodoxy. Two persons
was to have a copy of the English Bible “in the stated services! were selected for this responsibility. The first
largest size.” This Bible became known as The Additional printings of the Great Bible were was Nicholas Heath, an ardent Roman Catholic
Great Bible. needed to meet Henry’s requirements. A sec- who later became the Archbishop of York and
Richard Grafton was chosen to be the ond edition was soon published containing an Lord Chancellor under Queen Mary. The other
printer of the The Great Bible and Miles introduction written by Thomas Cranmer. For individual was none other than Cuthbert
Coverdale was to be the editor. It was a revi- this reason, The Great Bible was also called Tunstall, the Bishop of Durham. This was the
sion of both the Coverdale and Matthew’s “Cranmer’s Bible” although his contribution same person, who, when serving as Bishop of
Bibles. However, rather than printing in was limited to writing the introduction. London, rejected Tyndale’s request to translate
London, Grafton began the work in Paris, When we come to the fifth edition, printed the Scriptures and later burned his Bibles at St.
France because the presses in England were in 1541, and the copy owned by the Van Paul’s Cross and Antwerp!
not sufficient to carry out the work. Why did Kampen Collection, we find a unique title The lesson we can learn from this title page
Francis I, the Catholic King of France, permit a page. This page portrayed King Henry distrib- is that, when God determined the English peo-
Protestant Bible to be printed in his country? uting the Bible to Thomas Cranmer, the ple to have the Bible in their own language, He
We can only surmise that Francis was not Archbishop of Canterbury and Thomas even used those who opposed it. It is one of the
unwilling to have something printed that he Cromwell, the Lord Chancellor. They, in turn, great ironies of history that Cuthbert Tunstall,
thought might help destabilize the government were pictured as giving the Bible to the peo- who rejected Tyndale and his work, would one
of his chief rival, King Henry VIII. ple. Identification of these individuals was day authorize what was, in essence, Tyndale’s
However, when the Inquisitor-General of possible by noting the reproduction of their translation to be placed in every church in
France heard about the work, he ordered the coats of arms under their figures. However, in England! ■
printing to stop immediately. He attempted to the fifth edition, the coat of arms belonging to
expropriate the presses and the copies that Thomas Cromwell has been left blank, The Great Bible is part of The Van Kampen Collection, one of
had already been printed. Grafton and although it had appeared in the previous edi- the world’s largest private collections of Bibles, artifacts, and
Coverdale moved quickly to preserve what they tion.The reason for this was that Cromwell had biblical manuscripts in the world.The Collection is the center-
could. They managed to move the presses, been executed for treason the previous year. piece of Sola Scriptura’s ministry, and is housed at The
Scriptorium, an interactive museum at The Holy Land
paper, and the workmen to England. In addi- Cromwell had arranged an ill-conceived mar- Experience in Orlando, Florida.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

“For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your

face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.

You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if

you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law – the law

that sets you free – and if you do what it says and don’t forget

what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

— James 1 : 2 3 - 2 5 (NLT)
 SOLA SCRIPTURA
P.O. Box 617677
Orlando, Florida 32861-7677

Facing the storms of life?

L ife is full of storms. You can’t avoid them in this
fallen world, whether you are in financial trou-
ble, have a troubled marriage, lose a loved one, or
battle a debilitating illness. Sometimes these storms
stretch you to the limit of your faith.
Thankfully God does not abandon us to weather
these storms alone. Nor did God abandon the apos-
tle Paul on his turbulent journey across the eastern
Mediterranean Sea. In When Life’s a Wreck, Dan
Hayden examines the account of that journey in Acts
27-28 and gleans practical wisdom with stories from
his own experience—stories that show how God’s
wisdom is relevant for our time.
Crossway Books, paperback, 128 pages, $10.99
When Life’s a Wreck
Acts 27 & 28

Dr. Dan Hayden

T
Bible Teacher
he contents of When Life’s a Wreck is also
available as a series of audio messages.
Contained on 6 CDs, Dan Hayden shares his insight
into the Word of God and tells personal stories that
illustrate God’s grace during the storms of life.
Sola Scriptura, 6 CDs, $12.00

Both of these resources are available from Sola Scriptura • 800-844-9930 • www.solagroup.org