THE NEWSLETTER OF IBTM
with Douglas Jacoby
.

17 September 2025

Good morning!

First off, a huge thank you to all who donated towards teaching materials for East Africa. Your generosity more than met the need! We deeply appreciate your trust, as well as your continued support for this ministry.

In today’s bulletin, we feature another side of the zealous Jehu, son of Nimshi, one of the most colorful characters in the Old Testament; the doctrine of non-violence, as explained by theologian Preston Sprinkle; the third of four brief talks on the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea, convened by Constantine (325 AD); and a report on Saturday’s science program in London with David Hutchings.

We hope you’ll enjoy these offerings.

SCIENCE & FAITH
(London Event)

While anti-immigrant demonstrations raged in Central London, our Saturday pro-science and faith program was underway in North London. Our aim: to demonstrate not only the harmony between Christianity and science, but the great debt the latter owes to the former!

After two talks and a coffee break, physicist David Hutchings and I fielded questions on a wide range of issues.

To be helpful to the audience, and in the interest of time, we directed them to numerous resources. Below are links to many of the topics of interest to your audience.

And speaking of the rationality of our faith, here’s a website you might want to check out: www.is-there-a-god.info.

David’s message on the conflict model (the false “warfare” between science and religion) was stellar. I am so grateful too Roger Frimpong (Birmingham) for introducing us. David and I had lunch last October at the Christians in Science conference. Then in January Vicki and I drove to York to meet the Hutchings family. He’s an amazing, energetic, and evangelistic man—a science teacher and an author—and for me any future collaboration would be an honor.

PRESTON SPRINKLE ON NONVIOLENCE

Nonviolence should be the dominant rhythm of Christianity, but it's not. In this short talk at the Q Conference 2016, Preston Sprinkle makes a case for Christian nonviolence while living in a profoundly militarized society.

Watch HERE.

JEHU, SON OF NIMSHI
(from Tyndale House)

Following is a fascinating meeting point between Scripture and ancient history. The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, now housed in the British Museum, depicts Israel’s King Jehu bowing before the Assyrian ruler in 841 BC. Jehu was an army commander and overthrew Ahab’s dynasty, as we read in 2 Kings 9—known for his zeal for the Lord. This remarkable artifact provides a vivid glimpse into the world of the Bible, reminding us how God’s Word is truly rooted in history.  WATCH HERE

CONSTANTINE & THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA (PART III)

In June I spoke at the Nicaea Conference in Turkey. I share my thoughts with you in four short talks. While the conference was immensely enjoyable, I found myself more commemorating the Council of 325 more than celebrating it. Why?

In my opinion, no event changed the nature of Christianity more than the Council of Nicaea—not the rise of the clergy, nor the monastic movement, nor even the Reformation. There were numerous changes enacted or enabled by this council and subsequent councils—not necessarily immediate. My perspective may seem unnecessarily strong or unfair, despite my attempt be evenhanded.

But please hear me out. The subject matter also speaks to our present political (and church political) climate. To hear the first three talks, CLICK HERE.

After next week’s final installment, I’ll share my PowerPoint with you, too.

Thank you for receiving and reading our bulletin. Next week: At the Crossroads (Staten); dealing with narcissists (Peterson); and the conclusion of the Nicaea series. Farewell till then. — DJ

  • For all bulletins 2004-2025 (100s of pages of biblical material), click here.
  • To access the website, click here. There is new material every week—typically, every day!
  • To become a website member ($3/month, annually), click here. Your membership is a tremendous boost to this ministry.
  • To donate to the ministry, click here.