註：喬納在去年最後一週提到今年除了新型態的每週一話外，另會一月一次繼續刊登美國遺產概要。這篇是一月的內容。　

分辨—美國遺產概要53 

在前幾次的概要中，我們提到科學是如何反駁達爾文的進化論、佛洛伊德的心理學和馬克思主義。達爾文進化論是一個被多數物理基本定律所反駁的理論，反駁達爾文理論的都是定律（laws），而非理論（theories）。佛洛伊德和馬克思被反駁是因為他們的理論從來不管用，不但從沒帶來他們所宣稱的結果，反而帶來相反的結果─每一次都如此。因此，為何全世界仍擁抱這些已被證實的謬論，如同事實一樣呢？只有二個字來解釋─欺騙。

在我們深入探究這三個已在人類產生可怕結果的「魔鬼學說」前，我們必須先提出一個關鍵問題：我們如何從欺騙中分辨真理？

首先，我們要更多致力於認識真理勝過分辨欺騙，我們有「真理的聖靈」學習分辨真理。真理具有一定的尊貴，甚至崇高，這使它在所有試圖掩蓋真理的欺騙和迷惑的喧囂中脫穎而出。

真理在其立場上具有力量和信心，欣然接受辯論。欺騙則會企圖喝止、操控、威脅，或是做任何可以逃避評估的事，明顯理由就是欺騙無法在任何詳細觀察下站得住腳。當我們看見任何議題用上述這些恐嚇方法時，我們可以確定那一定是無法在詳細觀察下站得住腳的欺騙

重大欺騙或詭計的當代最明顯例子，或許是氣候變化所呈現方式。堅持這種謬論的人反應過度，以至於任何有思想的人，尤其是任何真正有科學頭腦的人，都必須對氣候變化所呈現的方式拉警報。不單是無法容忍辯論，更是對不擁護該理論的人構成威脅，在在表明該理論的核心就是欺騙的端倪。 

然而，我們要對付的要素是：多數人（估計有八成的人）會響應強大、專橫和支配性的權柄。正如使徒保羅在哥林多後書十一章20節寫著：「假若有人強你們作奴僕，或侵吞你們，或擄掠你們，或侮慢你們，或打你們的臉，你們都能忍耐他。」藉此我們推斷出，屬肉體的人會響應屬肉體的權柄，而多數人，甚至是多數基督徒在他們的思想與行為上仍是屬肉體的，或是「天然人」而非屬靈人。 

解藥是什麼？大使命不單是帶人信主，而是要帶出門徒。在耶穌所定義的大使命，祂說凡祂所吩咐的，都要教訓他們遵守。如果我們要想一下耶穌對門徒說的事情像什麼，我們可能會認為我們根本沒遇過這樣的人。 

如果我們閱讀我們開國父老的日記、其他著作或演講，我們不得不做出以下的結論，除少數人之外，這些人不僅是基督的門徒，更在追求主時所具備的虔誠與堅決，是從初代教會以來僅能找到的。這顯然是第一次大覺醒的成果，預估殖民地有八成的人聽過喬治.懷特腓（George Whitefield）的講道，去過復興特會，並不尋常致力於認識主，在歷史上很難找到其他國家像美國殖民地一樣虔誠。 

修正歷史學家想要反駁此事實，但事實卻堅不可摧，並且可以被那個時期的原始資料證明，至今仍可以找到大量這方面的資料。非常令人鼓舞的是，美國現在興起重新找到真實歷史的風潮。 

使徒保羅說庇哩亞的人「賢於」其他地方，為什麼呢？因為他們以敞開的心領受，卻沒有單是因為保羅傳講的而接受。庇哩亞的人會把保羅所傳講的考察聖經，這實際上是以原始資料來建立真理或事實的學術傳統根源。 

司布真曾說，為著每個願意讀聖經的人，他可以找到十個願意為聖經而死的人！我們可能對有這麼多人願意為聖經而死歡喜，但他們若是因為不明白聖經而受騙，這樣的犧牲對他們有什麼益處呢？想參與在一間毫不妥協傳揚真理的教會固然很好，但沒有人會因為他們認識某個認識主的人而享有永恆。我們必須親自認識主，我們也必須對祂真理真誠的投入，好讓我們可以回家考察教會所傳講的。這不單是挑戰信息，若信息是真實的，可以藉此在我們心中強化它。 

如果我們不捨棄觀看一些不動腦筋的情境喜劇，而去花時間搜索聖經以及歷史信息的原始來源，以強化我們被教導的內容，我們是否可以說我們擁有庇哩亞人的「崇高思想」呢？今日，我們只要鍵盤輸入便能得到所有知識和信息資源，我們每個人都可以比上一代最勤奮的神學家和歷史學家做得更好、更深入。這難道不是主說祂將最好的酒留到最後的一部分嗎？我們若沒有善加利用，將有多悲慘？ 

比這更慘的是，我們若沒有善加利用更多認識真理的主，那將有多麼悲慘？   

～摘錄美國總統─亞伯拉罕·林肯（Abraham Lincoln）～

聖經是神賜給人的最好禮物，一切救主賜給世界的美善都透過聖經傳達。沒有聖經，我們就無法分辨是非。 

～摘錄美國總統─伍德羅·威爾遜（Woodrow Wilson）～

美國的誕生就是為了展現出對正義元素的熱愛，而這些元素是源於聖經的啟示。

 (摘自喬納Heritage Briefs 53, 2021)
 

Discernment—Heritage Brief 53

    In the last few Briefs we addressed how science has refuted Darwinism, Freudian psychology, and Marxism. Darwinism, a “theory,” is refuted by the most basic laws of physics, which are laws, not theories. Freud and Marx are refuted by how they have never worked to bring about the results they claimed, but rather the opposite—every single time. So, why does much of the entire world still embrace these proven fallacies as if they are facts? One word explains it—deception. 

         Before we dig deeper into the terrible results that these three “doctrines of demons” have produced in mankind, we must address a crucial question: How do we discern the truth from deception? 

         First, we devote much more attention to knowing the truth than to discerning deception. There is a “Spirit of Truth” that we learn to discern that accompanies the truth. The truth has a certain dignity, even a nobility, that causes it to stand out from the clamor of all of the deceptions and delusions that try to shout down and veil the truth.

         The truth has the strength and confidence in its position to welcome debate. A deception will try to shout down, manipulate, threaten, or do almost anything to escape evaluation for obvious reasons—it will not stand up under scrutiny. When we see these methods of intimidation used by any agenda, we can be sure it is because it is a deception that cannot stand up under scrutiny. 

         Perhaps the most obvious contemporary example of a major deception or ruse is the way climate change has been presented. The overreactions of those who hold to this fallacy are so extreme that any thinking person, much more so any true scientific mind, has to be alarmed by the way climate change is presented. Not only is debate not tolerated, but the threats made to anyone who does not wholeheartedly and unquestionably embrace this theory are a telltale sign that there is deception at the core of this theory. 

         However, we have this factor to contend with: most people (estimates of as many as 80%) respond to strong, overbearing, and dominating authority. As the Apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians 11:20, “You tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, devours you, takes advantage of you, if anyone exalts himself, or hits you in the face.” We conclude by this that carnal people respond to carnal authority, and most people, even most Christians, are still carnal, or “natural,” not spiritual in their thinking and behavior.

         What is the remedy? The Great Commission was to make disciples, not just converts. In the Great Commission Jesus defined what this meant when He said to teach them to observe everything that He has commanded. If we were to consider the things that Jesus said His disciples would be like, we might think that we have never even met one. 

         If we read the personal journals, other writings, and speeches of the Founders of our Republic, we would have to conclude that all but a few of them were not just disciples of Christ, but were as devout and resolute in their pursuit of Him as could be found since the early church. This was the obvious result of the First Great Awakening in which it was estimated that 80% of the population of the colonies had personally heard George Whitefield preach, had been in the revival meetings, and had such an uncommon devotion to knowing The Lord that it would be hard to find any other nation in history so devout as the American colonies. 

         The revisionist historians have sought to refute this truth, but the truth remains unyielding and provable by the original source materials from that period. These materials can still be found in abundance. It is very encouraging that there is now a groundswell movement in America to recover its true history.

         The Apostle Paul wrote that the Bereans were more “noble-minded” than others he had preached to. Why? Because they received his message with an open heart, but did not accept it just because Paul had preached it. The Bereans took everything he said and checked it out by the Scriptures. This is actually the root of the academic tradition of going to original sources to establish truth or facts.

         Spurgeon once said that he could find ten men who would die for The Bible for every one that would read it. We may rejoice at such a devotion to The Bible that so many would be willing to die for it, but what good does this do them if they are deceived because they do not know what is in it? It is a good thing to want to attend a church where the truth is preached without compromise, but no one is going to enjoy eternity because they knew someone who knew The Lord. We must all know Him for ourselves. We must also have the sincere devotion to His truth so that we go home and check out what is preached. This is not just to challenge the message, but if it is true, to fortify it in our hearts. 

         Can we say that we have this “noble-mindedness” of the Bereans if we will not sacrifice watching a few mindless sitcoms to take that time to search the Scriptures, and maybe original sources of historical information, to verify what we are being taught? With all of the sources of knowledge and information available to us at a keystroke today, we can each do this better and deeper than even the most studious theologians and historians of just a generation ago. Is this not at least part of what The Lord meant when He said that He saved His best wine for last? How tragic will it be if we do not take advantage of this?

         Even more than this, how tragic will it be that we did not take advantage of getting to know better the One who is The Truth?

         The Bible is the best gift God has given to men. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it, we could not know right from wrong. ~Abraham Lincoln

         America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.~President Woodrow Wilson