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The bottom line—it’s about people!

by Gary Bates, CMI Australia

28 June 2003

As you may be aware, CMI was recently the subject of legal threats from the high profile and ‘well heeled’ media outlets, Scientific American and The Discovery Channel (see 15 ways to refute materialistic bigotry). In both cases, the best legal advice we could get advised us that we had done nothing wrong. Their threats to ‘muzzle’ our efforts using their financial ‘clout,’ smacked of an attempt to censor CMI from making critical comments opposing evolution.

Of course, we view the real attack as coming from the ‘enemy,’ who knows how effective this ministry can be in the lives of individuals. The potential to be tied up with legal threats from ‘corporations’ seems meant to distract us from the real reason CMI exists—equipping Christians and seeing people saved!

And all over the world, in every local CMI office, this ministering to people—to individuals—goes on, in so many ways. Right here in Australia, our staff are daily answering questions received from around the globe—from folk desperately seeking answers to the ‘stumbling blocks’ in their lives (particularly those who have not yet been exposed to our resources or have accessed the thousands of pages of information available on our website).

Amy Z. told us in an email: ‘I am so pleased with your ministry. Thank you for taking time to answer my question in such a thorough way. I can see that your ministry cares about people and that you are willing to put time into what you do. I feel respected. God bless you!!’

When the Lord enables us to expose the fallacy of evolution/long-ages in articles like our Scientific American rebuttal, it builds the faith of everyday people, helping them withstand the fiery darts of the enemy. For instance, Ken M. wrote that he is an ‘administrator and faculty member’ of a secular university, where, he says, ‘my world view is challenged regularly.’ He says that the recent ‘offensive’ nature of the pro-evolution/long-age media onslaught drove him to seek answers. He says,

‘I can't tell you how valuable your ministry [and, he says, recent web responses to evolutionist campaigns] has been to me. It has greatly helped me to connect the dots of reason in defence of my faith … my reasoning and understanding of the foundational causes of world views and belief systems was lacking. Thank you for giving me “the big picture” of understanding from God’s word, starting with Genesis, that I never fully grasped before. …[CMI] has already strengthened my faith and equipped me more significantly than any ministry I have encountered. We will be supporting you in your efforts to intelligently share the truth of God's word and equip believers to reach out to a very confused world.’

Almost every week, somewhere in Australia, our speakers are ‘out there’ in the real world, ministering on a one-to-one basis to people seeking answers. The Brown family wrote:

‘Thanks … for equipping us with the needed artillery to stand fast against the onslaught of evolutionary forces. We will not give up this fight for the Creator is on our side! … We’ll be praying for you & the CMI staff … .’

And finally, over the years, we have seen how the Lord can use every opportunity, every book, video and tract, to minister to the individual.

In response to an email question/request, one of our offices sent out a copy of our Is There Really a God? booklet. The man then phoned the office to say that he had been brought up as an evolutionist and that the booklet and other material on our website had really helped him. He had started to read the Bible and had attended one or two churches. Unfortunately, he was confused because the churches told him that he could believe in evolution and the Bible. He knew that this could not be true because Genesis clearly taught creation in six literal days. Over the phone, he was encouraged to put his trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

A few days later he called again. This time he was in a flood of tears—but joyous ones, because he had just given his life to Christ.

Isn’t that the bottom line—ministering to people? As one staff member recently remarked during our daily devotions, ‘Praise God, that’s what it’s all about!’

Please continue to uphold the vital role of CMI ministry, in this secular age, with your practical support and prayers. Thank you for standing with us.

Published: 6 February 2006