". . . neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing" (II Samuel 24:24).
ICR recently received its largest single gift from an individual. His gracious comments need to be shared with all of our donors.
May God continue to bless the wonderful work that you are doing to encourage other believers and strengthen their faith.
I believe ICR is at the focal point of the spiritual battle in today's world; not only the battle raging between the church and the world, but the spiritual battle within the evangelical church today. Will the literal interpretation of the Bible as God's Word reign as the supreme revelation of Truth (with all human logic, emotions, and experiences as secondary evidence), or will it become just one more piece of pleasant but relativistic information subject to human re-interpretation and the whims of the current culture? The mainline protestant churches in America lost this battle at the beginning of the twentieth century (earlier in Europe). This same battle must not be lost by the evangelical churches during the twenty-first.
To me, this is not just an academic or theological point, it is also personal to every believer. Will I submit myself by faith to the teachings of scripture as written, or will my flesh use my thinking or feeling to entice my will into making choices contrary to God's will. For example: by faith, I know that it is God's will for me to give "as God has prospered" me. It may not make sense by modern business theory, but it is Truth. God promises joy in giving, and He is faithful. I am thrilled to be able to share in your ministry by that which God has done this year. It is indeed a miracle of His working that I will share the details with you another time. For now, I can only say, "to God be the glory."
Again, thank you for the opportunity you have given me to participate in your work for the Kingdom of God. I am truly blessed.
ICR is beginning a series of new research projects and is laying the foundation for an expansion of the ministry. We had all felt some timidity at the projected needs—they were and are great. This gracious gift came with such encouragement and keen insight, that we wanted to share it with you.
