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ApologetiX in Kentucky/Indiana + CD Update
Mon., Sep. 24. 2001 1:04am EDT
J. Jackson, lead singer for ApologetiX (That Christian Parody Band), here.
1.Concerts This Weekend in Paducah KY and Evansville IN
2.New "Keep the Change" CD In Stores Within Next Two Weeks
3.Keep the Change Song List (Clue #19) 4.Upcoming Concerts
1. CONCERTS THIS SATURDAY IN PADUCAH KY AND EVANSVILLE IN
ApologetiX invades the hometown of Steven Curtis Chapman this weekend (Paducah KY ó the town where my wife worked when I first met her), and we make our first trip to the great state of Indiana.
Sat., Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
7th Annual Barbecue on the River Foot of Broadway
(Riverfront)
Paducah KY
Contact: Pam Ward 270-415-9095 bandp@paducah.com
Free Admission
Sun., Sept. 30, at 4:30 p.m.,
Garvin Park
(Pavilion shelter next to fountain) Heidelbach & Maxwell Ave.
(Next to Bosse Field Baseball Stadium)
Evansville IN
(812) 424-3318 tracylynnbarnett@hotmail.com
Free Admission
2. NEW "KEEP THE CHANGE" CD IN STORES WITHIN NEXT TWO WEEKS
As you may remember, "Keep the Change" was slated for a September 25 release, and that's what it says in our ads in CCM Magazine, HM Magazine, Christian Musician Magazine, etc. Unfortunately, certain circumstances beyond our control delayed us in the production process, and the CD didn't get to the manufacturer until Wednesday last week, so it's not going to be in stores tomorrow, Tuesday, September 25. Our main concern is that "Keep the Change" is featured in several catalogs which serve hundreds of stores, and those catalogs need to have the CDs in the store by Tuesday, October 2. The good news is that everybody who has heard "Keep the Change" thinks it's our best one yet! We are now trying to do everything in our power to get it to stores by next Tuesday, October 2. But even that is going to take a miracle. Please pray for us and that God would give us wisdom and a speedy turnaround at the manufacturer. We'll keep you posted as to when it will be in the stores! Thanks for your prayers! God hears them!
3. KEEP THE CHANGE SONG LIST (CLUE #19)
Here's the last of the clues for the 19 songs on our new CD, "Keep the Change." In the next week's e-mail newsletter, we'll send you the cheat sheet with everything on it.
#19 "The Ballad of Jesus and Yahweh"
One of the basic doctrines of the Christian faith is the Trinity and the deity of Jesus Christ. Some people don't like it when these doctrines are described as mysteries, but in 1 Timothy 3:16, the Bible says, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory." Actually, there are an incredible number of scriptures that point to the deity of Christ and to the Trinity. The early Christian church didn't come up with that doctrine first and then try to find scriptures to support it later. Rather, they found so many scriptures (in both the Old and New Testament) that pointed to Christ's deity and to the fact that there was one God in three persons, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, that they came up with the doctrine of the Trinity as a way of describing what the Bible plainly showed was true.
Unfortunately, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society has done its best to change as many of those verses as possible in its New World Translation, and consequently, millions of Jehovah's Witnesses and their potential converts are misled to believe that the Trinity is a pagan, unbiblical concept. They teach that Jesus is a mighty "god," a spirit creature who was formerly Michael the Archangel, but not almighty God. We wrote the song "The Ballad of Jesus and Yahweh" to point out a number of scripture verses (although there are plenty of others) that demonstrate the deity of Jesus Christ, so our listeners would have an easy reference tool the next time they talked to somebody about the deity of Christ. Of course, like I said, the Watchtower tries to twist those verses in their New World Translation, so learning the words to our little parody certainly isn't a "cure all."
I have always had a special spot in my heart for the Jehovah's Witnesses, because before I became a born again Christian, I used to work with a woman who was a Jehovah's Witness, and I admired her willingness to stand up for what she believed in, even when she was ridiculed and excluded because of it. Furthermore, during my senior year in college, I dated a girl who was studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses (her grandparents were members) and I even attended one of their services. She told me they were the only ones who had ever been able to give her answers for her questions about God and religion. Consequently, I started looking at their books and talking to her and others in that congregation about their beliefs. At the time, I thought they were just fundamentalist Christians, and I didn't realize that they reject most of the basic doctrines of traditional Christianity, and that they believe they are Jehovah's organization on Earth and His only people. But even back then, I thought some of the things they said seemed fishy. I remember one time that my girlfriend said, "J., I don't want them to be right. Please prove to me that they're not." Unfortunately, at that time, I realized that I would need to read the entire Bible and do a lot of research to prove them wrong, and I figured I would never ever read the entire Bible. Now, years later, I think that's pretty ironic! I confess, at that time, I was also afraid that I might discover they were right! While their belief that there was no Hell was attractive to me back then, I didn't like the part about only 144,000 getting into Heaven!
Well, I'm happy to report that I eventually did read the Bible the whole way through (and many times since) and that I have since read an enormous amount of books and publications on the Jehovah's Witnesses ... and it's pretty easy to prove that they're wrong, by using the Bible and by using their organization's publications. Unfortunately, the Watchtower has taught them to be very leery of anybody who wants to try to point out the errors of the Watchtower. Still, I have been able to have a number of conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses, and God has allowed me to make some in-roads, but it is a very, very hard task, as anyone who works in countercult ministries (and there's a few of those guys who receive this e-mail newsletter) can attest! But persistence, prayer, patience and politeness pay off. In fact, I eventually was able to share much of what I'd learned about the Watchtower with my ex-girlfriend, and more importantly, my friends and I were able to share Jesus Christ with her, and she became a born again Christian.
As God's delightful sense of provision would have it, I now live in a community which is part of the North Side of Pittsburgh (formerly Allegheny, Pa.), the birthplace of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society and Jehovah's Witnesses. I go to church just a few blocks from the place where their first headquarters was located, and I live not too far from the pyramid gravesite of the organization's founder, Charles Taze Russell. I wouldn't recommend that you engage in a debate with the Jehovah's Witness at your door unless you've brushed up on the history of their organization and on their beliefs and doctrines. There are many excellent books out there that can help you with this. Forewarned is forearmed. But once you know the truth, it is painfully obvious just how badly the Jehovah's Witnesses have been deceived by the leaders of their organization. You don't have to be a born again Christian to see that, either; any jury would reach the same conclusion if presented with the facts.
Sorry to get so long-winded! Anyway, the song we spoofed here is from the late '60's, but it appeared in its original form on an album that hit #1 in the past year. The original song hit #1 in the U.K., but it only made the Top 10 in the United States, because its lyrics didn't make it past some censors. It mentioned the name of Christ, but the original author obviously wasn't concerned with Christ's deity, and a few years later, he was asking his listeners to imagine there was no Heaven.
4. UPCOMING CONCERTS
Fri., Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.
Family Christian Stores Holiday Center 3747 William Penn Highway
Monroeville, PA
Contact: Chuck Ernst, Mgr. 412-372-1610 cpernst@sgi.net
Free Admission
Sat., Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Christian Publications/Cornerstone Chapel
620 Route 23
North Pompton Plains NJ 07444
Contact: Emily Strunk 973-616-7080
Sat., Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m.
(Doors open at 6:00 p.m.)
Cup O' Joy Benefit Concert
Green Bay West High School
966 Shawano Ave.
Green Bay WI
Contact: Jan Oettinger 920-435-3269 (Cup O' Joy)
920-437-6694 (home)
jano@cupojoy.com
www.cupojoy.com Tickets: $5 in advance plus freewill offering $6 or $7 at door
Fri., Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
201 W. Jefferson St.
Butler PA 16001
Contact: Pastor Rich Leseganich 724-287-6741
Sat., Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Baptist Convention of Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey Scarlet Cord Teen Center
150 Main St.
Brookville PA
Contact: Tommy Rowe (Convention) 717-652-5856
Contact: Erik Lane (Scarlet Cord) 814-849-7659
kcmpromo@yahoo.com
Sat., Oct. 20 at 8:00 p.m.
Scarlet Cord Teen Center
150 Main St.
Brookville PA
Contact: Erik Lane (Scarlet Cord) 814-849-7659
kcmpromo@yahoo.com
Fri., Oct. 26 at 9:00 p.m.
Common Ground Beautiful Savior Lutheran 5005 Northwest Blvd.
Plymouth MN 55442
Contact: Larry Deyoe 763-550-1000
ext. 106
Sat., Oct. 27 at 8:00 p.m.
Nebraska Church of God Retreat
Rock Haven Conv. & Retreat Center
76309 Road 415
Gothenburg NE 69138
Contact: Jason Johnson 402-486-3450
Sat., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.
Praise Tabernacle
2235 Ocean Heights Ave.
Egg Harbor Twsp, NJ 08234
Contact: Yvonne Parr 609-601-2460 les-yvonne@worldnet.att.net
Sat., Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
Restoration 2001
White Oak ISD Campus
200 S. White Oak Rd.
White Oak, TX 75693
Contact: Mark Dickson, Millennium Missions
903-297-7185
Fri., Nov. 16 at 7:00 p.m.
FCA Benefit
Poplar Bluff High School
1300 Victory Lane
Poplar Bluff MO 63901
Contact: Jim Hoyt, Cheerful Heart Ministries
573-778-0955
Sat., Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
First Baptist Church
801 US Hwy 50 East
Union, MO 63084
Contact: Rich Permenter 636-583-2386 oshkosh@usmo.com
Thanks! God bless you all!
Apologetically,
J.
-- J. Jackson Lead Singer/Lyricist ApologetiX (That Christian Parody Band) www.apologetix.com j@apologetix.com
John 8:24
"I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am (the one I claim to be) you will indeed die in your sins."
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