Recently, Alistair Begg’s comments to a grandmother’s question about attending an LGBTQ wedding—the one involving her grandson—resurfaced on social media and caused quite an uproar.
American Family Radio dropped Begg’s Truth for Life, and Begg will also not attend John MacArthur’s Shepherds Conference, for which he was scheduled as a speaker.
According to Christianity Today, both MacArthur and Begg agreed that this controversy was “an unnecessary distraction” for the conference, and “both agreed that it was necessary for Begg to withdraw.”
Dear John,
Just as the grandmother came to Alistair Begg for biblical, moral advice, I want to ask you for biblical (and moral) advice.
Recently, I started a Bible fundraiser for the persecuted church, for those who live in the fifty-two countries where God’s word is banned. This fundraiser is based on classic Christian books, whereby 50% of each purchase goes to the distribution of God’s word.
In order to make this Bible fundraiser as appealing as possible, I’ve put “book deals” together. They consist of numerous books by a particular author or are about a specific subject. Each book deal is only $4.00.
To make it even more appealing, one can also buy all twenty book deals for only $6.00, which is a $74.00 savings, whereby every two purchases will provide one Bible.
Since the goal is to distribute 100,000 Bibles to our persecuted brothers and sisters, we only need 200,000 Christians who are willing to buy all twenty book deals for only $6.00.
In your case, though, I want to offer you the option to put any classic Christian book deal package together for only $4.00. And, if you desire certain classic books that I haven’t made available yet, please let me know and I will do my best to make them available for you and your desired package. Any book deal package of your choice for only $4.00.
Here’s my request for your biblical and moral advice: since you have an incredible influence (647,000 Facebook followers), including a host of pastors and elders at your conference, should you make use of this opportunity, which will allow you to provide (more) Bibles to those who don’t have a copy of God’s word?
Needless to say, this is an opportunity to “do good . . . especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).
For example, if only 1% of your 647,000 Facebook followers were to participate in this Bible fundraiser, which doesn’t require any cost or effort on your part, you’ll be able to distribute 2,156 Bibles to your persecuted brothers and sisters. Obviously, a 2% participation would double that number to 4,313 Bibles.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could bless 4,313 persecuted Christians with their first Bible, especially since it doesn’t require any cost or effort on your part? From a biblical and moral standpoint, what do you advice yourself to do?
In The MacArthur Bible Commentary, you commented on Galatians 6:10 as follows: “Paul’s point is that the believer’s entire life provides the unique privilege by which he can serve others in Christ’s name. especially … the household of faith. Our love for fellow Christians is the primary test of our love for God.”
Will you express your love to God by helping provide Bibles to your fellow Christians, to those who don’t have a Bible?
If you don’t want to make use of this opportunity, should you not also withdraw from your own conference?
If it was discovered that a firefighter had a free, simple, and easy opportunity to rescue a sixth child but willfully neglected to do so, he would be severely reprimanded, put on leave, or even fired, even though he had rescued the other five children.
He probably would also be banned from an upcoming conference on the importance of following all the directives of the firefighter’s manual.
What about spiritual leaders like you? You have a free, simple, and easy opportunity to help the persecuted church through this Bible fundraiser. Will you do so? It doesn’t cost you anything!
If not, do you agree that your counsel to yourself—to not help distribute Bibles to your persecuted brothers and sisters—is at least as bad or even worse than what Alistair Begg counseled the grandmother? From your perspective, I mean.
Would it not be “an unnecessary distraction” to the conference if it was found that you had a free, simple, and easy opportunity to bless over 2,000 of your persecuted brothers and sisters with their first Bible but refused to do so.
Hopefully, you’ll prove me wrong and will be eager to help distribute (more) Bibles to our persecuted brothers and sisters. Jesus said that you’ll be rewarded for doing so (see Mark 9:41). Do you believe Him? Your actions will tell, right?
Since you’ll be divinely rewarded for helping those who “belong to Christ,” will you please encourage John Piper, H.B. Charles, Steve Lawson, Phil Johnson, Abner Chou, Austin Duncan, Nathan Busenitz, Mike Riccardi, Josiah Grauman, and Bob Kauflin to also help with this Bible fundraiser?
Keep in mind, it doesn’t require any cost or effort on your (and their) part. Just using your (and their) God-given influence for the good of our persecuted brothers and sisters.
Needless to say, if you were a persecuted Christian without a Bible, you would want famous pastors make use of their influence in order to help distribute (more) Bibles to the persecuted church, right?
In addition to your comments on Galatians 6:10, I want to add: your love for God’s word will also be evident in your love for persecuted Christians to have a copy of His word, especially when you have a free, simple, and easy opportunity to do so.
For all the info, please go to www.TheChristianExperiment.com
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