Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

A Celebration of the Bible
by Tom Goodman
March 4, 2009

By the age of 18, she had abandoned her belief in God. At 20, she married a fervent atheist. For the next 30 years she became one of the best-read authors in America, writing books about vampires and witches that "reflected my quest for meaning in a world without God."

And then Anne Rice came to Christ.

It began by studying the Bible during her frequent periods of depression. But even after placing her faith in Jesus, she wondered about the reliability of the Bible.

Maybe you can identify. Maybe you're stalled in your spiritual search or your spiritual growth because you doubt the Bible's dependability. This Sunday, I'm going give you five reasons you can trust the Bible for reliable information about the life and teaching of Jesus. And then I want to give you a chance to participate in a national event in celebration of the Bible.

As a new believer, Rice began to research the New Testament era through the writings of skeptical and liberal historians. She said she "expected to discover that their arguments would be frighteningly strong, and that Christianity was, at heart, a kind of fraud."

The opposite occurred. "What gradually came clear to me," she wrote, "was that many of the skeptical arguments -- arguments that insisted most of the Gospels were suspect, for instance, or written too late to be eyewitness accounts -- lacked coherence.... Absurd conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all."

In the end, she discovered firm evidence for the reliability of the biblical record. I want to show you some of that evidence. This Sunday, join us at 10am to learn five reasons you can trust the Bible.

And join us anytime between 11am and 5pm for a celebration called "Bible Across America."

On Sunday, you'll see a huge blue RV parked in front of our church. Hillcrest is one of 90 stops in 44 states for the RV, which has set up in places as diverse as New York's Times Square and NASCAR races.

Participants will be given one of the 31,173 verses from the NIV Bible to write out in their own handwriting. The original edition of the completed project will be submitted to the Smithsonian while copies will be sold nationwide by Christmas 2009. You'll be able to see your handwritten verse -- and your name in the index.

Join us for a special Sunday in celebration of the Bible!

--Tom

For more information about "Bible Across America" click here.

Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored." Some things to look for...

Song of the Week, posted every Sunday.
Links to Your World, interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday.

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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A Celebration of the Bible by Tom Goodman March 4, 2009 By the age of 18, she had abandoned her belief in God. At 20, she married a fervent atheist. For the next 30 years she became one of the best-read authors in America, writing books about vampires and witches that "reflected my quest for meaning in a world without God." And then Anne Rice came to Christ. It began by studying the Bible during her frequent periods of depression. But even after placing her faith in Jesus, she wondered about the reliability of the Bible. Maybe you can identify. Maybe you're stalled in your spiritual search or your spiritual growth because you doubt the Bible's dependability. This Sunday, I'm going give you five reasons you can trust the Bible for reliable information about the life and teaching of Jesus. And then I want to give you a chance to participate in a national event in celebration of the Bible. As a new believer, Rice began to research the New Testament era through the writings of skeptical and liberal historians. She said she "expected to discover that their arguments would be frighteningly strong, and that Christianity was, at heart, a kind of fraud." The opposite occurred. "What gradually came clear to me," she wrote, "was that many of the skeptical arguments -- arguments that insisted most of the Gospels were suspect, for instance, or written too late to be eyewitness accounts -- lacked coherence.... Absurd conclusions were reached on the basis of little or no data at all." In the end, she discovered firm evidence for the reliability of the biblical record. I want to show you some of that evidence. This Sunday, join us at 10am to learn five reasons you can trust the Bible. And join us anytime between 11am and 5pm for a celebration called "Bible Across America." On Sunday, you'll see a huge blue RV parked in front of our church. Hillcrest is one of 90 stops in 44 states for the RV, which has set up in places as diverse as New York's Times Square and NASCAR races. Participants will be given one of the 31,173 verses from the NIV Bible to write out in their own handwriting. The original edition of the completed project will be submitted to the Smithsonian while copies will be sold nationwide by Christmas 2009. You'll be able to see your handwritten verse -- and your name in the index. Join us for a special Sunday in celebration of the Bible! --Tom For more information about "Bible Across America" click here. Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored." Some things to look for... Song of the Week, posted every Sunday. Links to Your World, interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.