Apologetics for the Masses #249

Why we do what we do...

Hey folks,

I just got this email in a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to share it with you. It's a testament to how God can work in our lives, and it's a testament to what 10 cents a day can do:

“I just wanted to thank you for all that you do; as well as thanking you for answering a question my wife and I were just going through at the time Newsletter #247 was sent out. I have a Baptist friend who sends me daily, computer generated Bible verses on Facebook. The one I received a few days ago was Ephesians 2:8-9; which as you know appears to talk of salvation by faith alone. After reading this verse my wife and I read it in our New American Bible (as this quote was KJV) and were shocked to see it said the same exact verse. We then read Ephesians 2 in its entirety to see if the verse was pulled out of context, but couldn't find any reason to believe it was. This led my wife to fear that we as Catholics were believing "wrong". The next day I received Newsletter #247 and I was amazed at how quickly you cleared up our confusion. I never noticed Ephesians 2:10 in the way you explained, or noticed the verse in Matthew's Gospel. It was ironic how the string of events occurred and can not thank you enough for strengthening our faith as Catholics." Jordan D.

This is how easy it is for a seed of doubt to be planted in someone's mind. Here this Catholic couple receives a daily verse from a Baptist friend - very innocent, right? But, one day one of those verses causes the Catholics to think they were believing "wrong." That is the first step to becoming an ex-Catholic. The first step to leaving behind Jesus in the Eucharist. But, what happened? What happened was that a recent issue of this newsletter (Issue #247) arrives the very next day, and it just so happens that it addresses that very passage from Ephesians 2:8-9, and their confusion was cleared up. And, not only are they not starting down a path that might have eventually taken them out of the Church, but they are strengthened in their faith. That, again, folks, is a testament to how God works. And, it is also a testament to what 10 cents a day can do.

Yes, it's that time again. Twice a year I come to you and ask you to help me keep this apostolate up and running. Just twice. And I could really use your help right now. As regular readers know, all I ever ask for is just ten cents a day (we will, of course, gladly accept more!). That's why I said that quote from Jordan is a testament to what 10 cents a day can do. I would not be able to do this without the support I receive from very generous folks like you. Folks who have given 10 cents a day, and oftentimes more, to keep the Bible Christian Society up and running.

So, can you spare a dime a day ($3/month; $36/year) to help us reach out to even more folks like Jordan and his wife? Can you spare a dime a day to help us reach out to tens of thousands of people all over the world with the truths of the Catholic Faith? And, we literally do reach people all over the world. We've distributed somewhere in the neighborhood of a million copies of our talks (give or take a few thousand) via CD or mp3 download to people in more than 50 countries, and the "Apologetics for the Masses" e-newsletter reaches folks in at least 60 countries that I know of, including several predominantly Muslim countries.

We reach Catholics and non-Catholics alike; clergy and laity; young and old; rich and poor. All with one desire - the salvation of souls. We want to bring people closer to Jesus Christ through a deeper knowledge and understanding of the truths of the Catholic Faith. As Christ says in John 8:32, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." That's our desire. That's our goal. That's the reason for our existence. If that is a desire and a goal that you share, would you please consider making an investment - small or large - in this little enterprise we call the Bible Christian Society? To help you in your deliberation process, let me share with you a few more comments I've received from folks, so that you know what kind of effect our work is having:

“I am writing to thank you for all of the help you provided to me through your talks on various Bible topics...I hated the Catholic Church for many years because I thought they were preaching a false gospel and leading people into serious error. Your Bible presentations were a breath of fresh air for me because I had never heard a Catholic defend their beliefs using the Bible. As I discovered, the beliefs of the Catholic Church are fully supported by the Bible. It is unfortunate that more Catholics have not taken the time to learn how to defend the beliefs using the Bible...I spent a great deal of time searching for the truth and finally concluded that the fullness of the truth has been deposited in the Catholic Church. After 6 months of attending RCIA I became a member of the Catholic Church. I wanted to let you know that your Bible talks had a very positive impact on my thinking. Thank you for caring enough to tell me I was wrong. Jeff S.

“You have had a huge impact on my family! Three of us have now entered the Church. When my evangelical friends (who were very upset by my becoming Catholic) have questions, I simply send them one of your links! Thank you!!!!” Martha Z., Hawthorne, CA

“We met at St. John Berchmans Cathedral in Shreveport. My husband was the one (I'm sure among others) that was just there for their spouse and was anti-catholic. Long story short, your words have helped change his opinion and he has been enrolled in RCIA and can't wait to become a Catholic. He loves your CDs and just can't believe the way he was brought up and now to hear the truth. So thank you for all you do.” Shelly B., Shreveport, LA

One friend who did attend [your talk] brought along two non-Catholics to whom he has been evangelizing. The report is that, while not totally sold on the Catholic Church yet, they were surprised with how you backed up everything with scripture and how much sense it made. They went away very excited at what they learned. One comment they made was, ‘Why are all Catholics not taught how to defend the Church regarding these controversial issues?’” Evelyn J., Reno, NV

Through your support, the Bible Christian Society is helping non-Catholics move closer to, and often into, the faith.

"I have studied our faith but have often come up short on being able to answer the questions like, ‘What is the basis for your belief in Purgatory?’...I ordered and have listened to 20 of your CDs in my car. They are fantastic. Thank you! For the first time in my life, I feel that I have answers to some of the questions that my wife, family, and friends ask about our faith.” Jeff F., Maryland

"You have really helped me and my family grow in faith over the years and also helped me become somewhat of an apologist for the Catholic Faith. I don't even know how to put into words how profoundly you have impacted our lives...you have helped me and my family in sooooo many ways. My 19 yr old son converted to the Catholic faith in large part due to your weekly newsletters and the MP3's on your website...How can I possibly thank you for contributing to my son’s eternal salvation?????” Chuck T., California

“Thank you very much for the excellent presentations in the Cd's you provide for FREE on your website. I have found the information a great help and benefit in understanding many of the misconceptions of the Catholic faith, and of the evangelical/fundamentalist views on Catholicism and the Scriptures in many discussions with these folks. Bruce D., Ellington, CT

Through your support, the Bible Christian Society is helping Catholics better understand and deepen their faith, and giving them the tools they need to share and defend that faith.

“I love biblechristiansociety. It’s a very good place to learn. I’m from Mexico I can understand English I don’t ride to good. God bless the biblechristiansociety and John Martignoni CDs are very good. I love to defend my faith. I love my faith so much.” Alma R., Mexico

Again, as stated above, we are helping people all over the world to better learn and defend and share this beautiful treasure we have that we call the Catholic Faith. And, we do it for free. Which is why I really need your help. A lot of folks who order our materials make donations, but a lot of them, for whatever reason, do not. So, without your support, we would have to close the doors of the Bible Christian Society. Is what is happening in the lives of the folks whose testimonials you just read, and the many thousands of others with similar stories, worth 10 cents a day? I think so, and I hope you do, too. There is nowhere else where folks can get all of these kinds of materials - audio and written - and so much of it, for free. Nowhere.

So, if you feel like we're doing something worthwhile, please pray about making a donation to the Bible Christian Society today. Can you spare $0.10 a day…just $36 for the year? Maybe $18 today and $18 six months from now? Or, could you possibly spare a wee bit more? And, I'm going to really make a stretch here, but maybe there is someone out there who could put up $10,000 - $12,000 so that I could hire a part-time administrative assistant for a year which would free me up to produce a whole lot more apologetics materials? (I know, I know...that was a bit of stretch...but, the book does say, "All things are possible with God!") Whatever you can do, though, is greatly appreciated. And, please...please!...keep our efforts in your prayers. My family and I keep all of you constantly in our prayers.

If you would like to invest in our work, you can do so in one of three ways:

1) Donate online at: www.biblechristiansociety.com/donations, (it is a fully secure site),

2) Send a check to: Bible Christian Society, PO Box 424, Pleasant Grove, AL 35127, or,

3) Via our PayPal account: Email address is: admin@biblechristiansociety.com. (If you would like a receipt for a donation made through PayPal, make sure to include your address along with your donation.)

And please remember, that All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

Again, whatever you can do, is greatly appreciated. I know times are tough right now for a lot of people, but if you could make the Bible Christian Society one of the charities you support, you would be directly responsible for many more stories like those above.

In Christ,

John Martignoni