I’ve been an avid student of death notices since my mother died in May of 2000 – a habit that’s one of just two reasons that we still get the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel twice a week (the other being the hilarious comic strip Get Fuzzy).

I read these notices for several reasons. Natch, I want to see if anyone I know has died. And I also want to see if there’s any hint about whether each departed soul will be spending a Christ-filled or Christ-free eternity.

There are no guarantees, of course, especially considering that few of the people featured here have written their own obituaries. In my mother’s case, for example, my oldest sister let me direct its writing by our funeral home rep. Being unsaved, I selected the ubiquitous phrase “born to eternal life” only as a nod to wishful thinking; and it never occurred to me to mention that she had considered herself a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I suspect that’s often the case these days, especially with the elderly who no longer have a church home to keep the connection fresh in the minds of unbelieving survivors.

Still, many obituaries provide some clues about the dead person’s current location. Certainly explicit language about the individual going home to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a good sign, as is active membership in a solid Christian church. But of course only the Lord knows an individual’s heart, and whether he or she is His child.

Which brings me to the other major reason I am such a faithful reader of our local death notices: The only real tragedy in this life is spending the next – which is to say all eternity – separated from the Lord, in what He described as “outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).

Reading the death notices reminds me of how many people are apparently headed towards this end, because they refused the Lord’s gift of eternal life – a gift requiring only that we repent of what He has said is sin, and trust in Him to have paid our sin debt on the cross. It reminds me to pray for the lost, to ask for the Lord to use today’s sorrow to produce tomorrow’s new believers, and to redouble my personal efforts to reach those who have yet to make Christ their own.

Sometimes I think that all it would take for worldwide conversion to Christianity is a true and widespread telling of the history of the Bible -- complete with accounts of its supernatural preservation, and of the men and women who, over the centuries, were martyred for their efforts to put it in our hands. (Pictured above: William Tyndale, strangled and burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English; his last words were reportedly "Lord, open the eyes of the King of England" -- a prayer that was answered, just 75 years later, with the publication of the King James Bible.)  

I'm happy to report that this true and widespread telling is freely and irresistibly available to anyone with the heart to hear it. The vehicle: the riveting documentary The Indestructible Book. Narrated by the late Dr. Ken Connolly, author of a five-star companion book by the same title, this video makes a persuasive case for the Bible's divine origins based simply on its phenomenal history. 

You can watch the entire documentary on youtube; here's the first of four parts. Make yourself comfortable and prepare to be amazed. 

Last week, I posted an essay in which I disparaged the idea that we can simply think our way to eternal truth. Just to set the record straight, I want to make it clear that I was one who believed this nonsense for nearly a half-century, as this excerpt from my memoir Heaven Without Her illustrates.

"The other odd thing was that, as the millennium drew to a close, my ambitions started slipping away. I cared less and less about making lots of money and having prestige companies on my client list. Writing the Great American novel no longer interested me. I still enjoyed digging in the loamy soil of my garden, but had apparently reached my limit on the number of books I cared to read about horticulture as well as the number of beds I cared to dig, fill and maintain; and that in turn meant shrugging off dreams of a garden grand enough to be featured in a slick gardening magazine.

"Just as strange, I found myself in more and more conversations about spiritual topics, for the first time with people who actually believed in a Higher Power.

"In the past, my discussions had been with any number of like-minded girlfriends who would agree with me wholeheartedly when I’d say, in a confidential tone, 'I don’t know what I believe.'

“'Me neither,' the girlfriend would say, sometimes adding something along the lines of, 'But Buddhism is really a beautiful philosophy, don’t you think?'

“'Yes, I do,' I would respond, knowing absolutely nothing about it. 'And I’ve always liked the Hindu people.'

"We would talk as if our conclusions had been the product of intense thought, and as if thought alone should be the only mental activity needed to arrive at the ultimate truth – the Hercule Poirot 'little gray cell' school of theology.

"But now I was starting to speak the 'G' word with people who actually acknowledged and embraced God Almighty.

"Some of our talks were pretty stressful – no doubt as much for my victim du jour as for me. I invariably brought the subject up, listened to my companion’s opinions a little, and then became irate.

"Such talks would usually play out something like this:

"Me: So you’re telling me that people who do all these nice things for other people and for charities are not going to heaven. 

"Her: I don’t know that – only God knows that.

"Me: Whereas you are going to heaven. Even though you never lift a finger for anyone. 

"Her: That has nothing to do with it. It has to do with our faith in — 

"Me: So in other words, it’s a something-for-nothing scheme. The less you do for others, the more ‘in’ you are with God.

"Her: No, that’s not –

"Me (feeling quite murderous by then): And that doesn’t offend you? 

"It did not occur to me that, if this faith-before-good-works idea did turn out to be true, my taking offense at it would not have had any impact on its accuracy.  I liked to think that the reason I rejected it was some innate ability to discern fact from fiction; more likely, it was just my generally contrary disposition combined with a sincere desire to keep this God of theirs at a safe distance."

(Heaven Without Her, pages 77-78) 

Okay, so not everything in Scripture is "see Dick run" straightforward. Some of the concepts the Lord is trying to teach us are a tad beyond our understanding. Other things, like Daniel 9's "weeks" timeline, require some math and ancient Hebrew skills. And many passages are best understood with the help of disciplines from history to languages -- one reason that good study Bibles rock!

Still, I don't think the Lord has been deliberately cryptic about anything, do you? I believe that He in fact inspired a book that tells us everything we need to know to live peaceful, fruitful and godly lives here on earth and to spend all eternity with Him in His heaven. 

As a writer myself, I consider this a very good thing. Doesn't excellent writing explain and clarify, rather than confuse? 

Apparently not.

I recently read an excellent book on writing for publication -- The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman (Fireside, 2000). Honestly, it's a great book, but it does contain one disturbing section -- a section in which the author praises literature that remains "endlessly fascinating" because "Twenty students can walk away from a seemingly straightforward text with twenty different conclusions." 

Lukeman explains: "What all this shows is that books are as much about what readers bring to them; no matter how factual the text, there is no absolute reality -- it is ultimately subjective. Great books, in order to remain exciting time and again, reflect an awareness of this and leave open this room for interpretation." (p. 120-121)

I beg to differ, at least when it comes to the Bible. What could possibly be more exciting than learning about our Creator, His will, His works, His plans for eternity? What could possibly be more endlessly fascinating than the story of a God who took the fall for our transgressions, suffering and dying to pay the just penalty for those transgressions so that our eternities can be spent in heaven with Him? 

In point of fact, the Bible doesn't remain exciting by inviting alternative interpretations. It remains exciting by inviting us to dig into every line and meditate upon every word; by expecting us to amass knowledge of the divine; by helping us develop the wisdom to apply its truths to our own lives, and the understanding of why God's direction is always, invariably, inevitably best for us. 

Certainly, it's to our advantage to consult experts in various disciplines to learn more about what its authors wanted us to know. Take, for example, the 23rd Psalm. Lately I've been thinking a lot about a wonderful book by the late Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. A former shepherd himself, Keller provides fantastic insights into shepherds and their sheep -- including what it means to have one's head anointed with oil, and why that's such a wonderful thing. My life is so much richer today for having incorporated these insights into my reading of this most beautiful of King David's psalms. 

I am convinced that one could spend a lifetime studying just one chapter of the Bible, and never reach the end of what its author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, intended to convey.

In contrast, it's when we treat the word of God as ambiguous, and insist on adding our own spin to it, that we get in trouble.

Consider the simple statement of fact provided in John 3:16, which tells us who can go to heaven, on what basis, and why: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." 

What's ambiguous about that verse? Nothing. What's subject to interpretation? Nada. And yet for centuries scholars have been building theological empires for themselves by presenting it as equivocal, by re-interpreting or spiritualizing it, by adding to or taking away from its plain words. 
 
And that's just one example of dozens I could cite -- many of them causing eternal harm to those who buy into such twists and turns.  

The bottom line: If it's ambiguity you seek, pick up a book by Falkner or Camus or Joyce, and leave the Bible alone. Because Scripture is truth. And truth is not open to interpretation. 

For most of my adult life, I thought that the ultimate truths of the universe could be found in my own little brain -- that what I thought was by definition Truth. (Of course, I couldn't be dogmatic; after all, your thoughts were probably different, and they were surely just as valid as mine. Ain't tolerance grand?)

I hear this kind of thing all the time these days from people who are smart enough to know better. "What I think," they might say, "is that everyone goes to heaven, and all our pets will be there too."

"That's interesting," I respond, not a big fan of the Wishful Thinking School of Theology. "What's your source of authority?"

"Well, I don't know -- it's just what I believe." 

"What is your source of authority?" is really a great question. So is "Who exactly are you trusting for the truth on this issue?" 

Now that I finally do know better than to trust my own thought processes -- which, after all, operate without comprehensive knowledge of the universe we occupy -- I find it fascinating that this is the ONE area we believe we can figure out ourselves, without even a shred of outside assistance.

We can’t organize our possessions these days without calling in an expert. We can't prune a lilac or tune up a lawn mower or even properly fertilize the grass without at some point consulting someone who knows more than we do.  We don’t even know what we like in terms of style without taking a look at what the authorities are pushing this year. 

And yet we take the most enormous questions of all and think we can figure it out just by spending a few minutes thinking things through. 

Sadly, I don't recall anyone ever challenging me on this premise. It might have forced me to question my reliance on my own brainpower. It's certainly worth a try with the skeptics in your sphere of influence. 

Another message from 2013, when this blog had about five regular visitors, re-posted because of relentless attacks on Genesis from people who claim to speak for God. It won't surprise you to know that I didn't receive a reply from the recipient of this letter.

I am so weary of professing-Christian Ph.D.s who side with atheists like Richard Dawkins in the battle against Genesis – especially when they preach their heresies from the pulpit, using their educational credentials to lead other professing Christians down the wide path to destruction. Here’s an adaptation of a letter I just sent off to one such scientist; I share it because you might find the resources I mention personally interesting or possibly useful for your own correspondence.   
 
Dear Dr. _______, 
I’m writing to call your attention to a grave error you made in your September 22, 2013, message on the subject of science and faith. Since I am sure you do not want to bear false witness against the fundamentalists whom you call your friends, I do hope you will take a closer look at the issues you have raised and refrain from disseminating false information about us.
 
You said, “… our fundamentalist friends who insist that so-called intelligent design be taught in the classrooms ... insist that science and faith cannot co-exist.” This is simply not true.  On the contrary, fundamentalists say, quite correctly, that science supports the Bible rather than godless evolutionary theory. 
 
Creation scientists have written hundreds of outstanding books on every imaginable aspect of this subject, and there are scores of web sites addressing these issues. If you don’t care to take the time to investigate this critical issue yourself – which of course speaks to the very authority of scripture –then I would ask you to simply stop making such false statements. 
 
If, however, you would like to be in a position to speak the truth on this issue, here is a solid starter list of books for you to read: http://www.everlastingplace.com/library.html.

You might want to spend some time on the web sites of Answers in Genesis, the Institute for Creation Research and the Creation Research Society.  All three of these  organizations (as well as many others) count among their ranks highly credentialed Ph.D. scientists. 
 
You might also want to take a look at resources such as these: 

 
• A list of more than 2000 highly qualified scientists who have, at the risk of their careers, taken a public stand against Darwinian evolution
• Another list of nearly 3000 equally qualified, Darwin-doubting scientists
• Dr. Jerry Bergman’s remarkable book Slaughter of the Dissidents: The Shocking Truth about Killing the Careers of Darwin Doubters.

In your message, you also apparently claim to know the hearts of “the writers” of Genesis (please note that there was only one -- Moses). You said, “The writers of Genesis did not view science and religion as being in conflict. They wrote their poems of creation as works of art and theological reflection without concern for their scientific accuracy.” 
 
But Genesis is not a poetic work or a theological reflection; compare it to the Psalms, and you will see the difference. Instead, Moses was faithfully recording history in a book inspired by the only One who was actually on the spot “in the beginning.” 
 
You may not believe any of this; that is your privilege. However, you should know that, in standing with Richard Dawkins and his ilk against your fundamentalist "friends," you are in essence advising listeners to reject the authority of scripture, which is in turn an invitation to pick and choose whatever you want to believe and obey. This is bad enough when you are speaking to adults; consider what Jesus Himself said about those who lead children into sin (Matthew 18:6). 
 
Finally, I would like to remind you that it is spiritually and perhaps eternally dangerous to shrug off Jesus’ own endorsement of the Pentateuch. As He said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” (John 5:46) 
 
It is my prayer that you will apply that fine mind of yours to seeking out the truth of scripture and of science, and to sharing that truth with others. But if that’s too much to ask, please at least refrain from misrepresenting what fundamentalists and creation scientists teach. 
Sincerely,