Book Review

The God Who Speaks

Book Review by Peter Basirico

The documentary Movie ‘The God Who Speaks’ is a production of the American Family Association and is a real gem! Everyone with a genuine, biblically based faith should view this excellent production. Many ‘heroes of the faith’, pastors, scholars, apologists, Christian professors are interviewed. Men like Alistair Begg, Doctor R. C. Sproul, Norman Geisler, Doctor D. A. Carson, Apologist Frank Turek, and more, contribute. Their expertise on biblical truths is displayed so effectively by those who created this work. Their collective purpose is to proclaim the historical, theological, and ethical magnificence of the Scriptures. We will propose to put forth the why and how of this surpassing truth.

Quoting one of the many contributors, ‘When the Scriptures speak, God speaks. ‘Mankind is set apart from all other creatures by His ability to use language. The bible is not just black and white print on paper. Christians believe that God spoke the entirety of the Scriptures and superintended men to write His words down. As a personal God, a speaking God, He wanted communication with the humans He had created in His image. The Bible tells us what the True God is like. Without this word from God, man could not reveal the deep truths this God wants us to know, especially how to enter into a personal relationship with the living God.

To be as clear and concise as possible, the bible’s main purpose for existing is to reveal Jesus the Savior to mankind. Another name for Jesus is The WORD, or in Greek, the Logos, or the “Logic’ of God. The entire Scriptures, Old and New Testaments alike, reveal the person and work of Jesus. To a confused pair of disciples returning from Jerusalem and all the events that had recently taken (Luke Chapter 24), ‘and beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself: In other words, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s total revelation! Because Jesus is the Word, the Logos, the logic of God, He is the final word of God’s intelligibility. God wants to be understood. Part of the work of the Protestant Reformation was to make the scriptures clear, therefore believers were encouraged to read the Bible in their own language.

One of the main themes of “The God who speaks’ is apologetics, defending the Christian faith, which True believers must eventually encounter. The Authors of the bible were in most cases eye-witnesses to the events which they wrote down, again superintended by the Spirit of God. The authors, mostly handpicked Apostles of Jesus, record what one of the speakers calls ‘impact events. Psychologically these are events which are deeply embedded in our psyche. Examples include where a person was when the planes hit the Twin Towers. These are unforgettable moments. Bible writers were led to record the events lest they be forgotten! It must be remembered that Legend tells us that all the Apostles were martyred. The greatest ‘Impact event’ in the lives of these apostles would have been the resurrection of their Lord Jesus. They all concur, the Gospel writers, that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead and were willing to die for that Truth.

Because the Authors of the Bible were led to produce documents certifying historical events, we have the most historically attested text in human history. If someone attempts to deny the historical reliability of the Scripture, they will have to discard all Greco-Roman history first, Medieval history as well. As one of the Scholars alleges in the documentary, if you are going to be skeptical about the New Testament, you will need to be one thousand times more skeptical about GrecoRoman history.

We will close our review of ‘The God Who Speaks’ with the desire that any who have dismissed the Bible, as ‘just another book out of the dusty past’ will be encouraged to view this book in a whole New Light. Some may argue, well the Bible is valuable as Literature, which it is, and may contain some valuable theology and perhaps some of it may contain Words from God, but…

The great Apostle Paul, the Author of portion of a large portion of the New Testament tells us in (2nd Timothy 3:16) that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This translates ‘All Scripture is God=breathed. God’s authority is inherent in all the text. When Jesus was temped in the desert by satan, He, the Son of God, answered, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

‘The God Who Speaks’ is a must viewing for anyone who loves their Bible and it’s Author and wants to share that Love with those in his/ hers sphere of influence.

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Bureau of Governmental Research Supports District Attorney Tax for St. Tammany

BGR Is For The Tax

Message From District Attorney Warren Montgomery

Upon taking office, I promised that I would provide the community with high-quality legal representation. I have done that. I came into office and made many policy changes, which have proven successful. I have been committed to providing swift justice and support for victims. I have been a leader in our State in providing treatment and 2nd chances for qualified defendants and in holding criminals accountable.

Moreover, these effective policy changes created efficiencies, which have translated into saving and returning to the Parish, over 3 million dollars.

By law, the Parish must fund your District Attorney ’s office. Washington Parish recognized this in 2013 and passed a .33% cent sales tax to fund the expenses of the District Attorney ’s Office in Washington Parish.

Unfortunately, most people are unaware that my 2022 budget was cut by over half by the Parish. The direct result of these budget cuts will be fewer timely criminal prosecutions and more criminals on the streets of St. Tammany Parish. In order to stop the defunding of my office because of the Parish’s financial crisis, I must ask for a tax on April 30th. The tax is less than 1/7 of a cent to be dedicated exclusively to continuing criminal prosecutions to reverse this defunding for 2022 and for the future. These monies will be paid directly to the District Attorney ’s Office and utilized solely for criminal prosecution and service.

I appreciate your continued confidence and support. Help me keep St. Tammany safe!

Visit DAMontgomery.org/DA-Tax for more detailed information. The Parish cannot legally use the dedicated taxes you have previously passed to pay its obligation for the office’s criminal prosecutions. This significant defunding is not acceptable and will undermine the quality of life we expect in St. Tammany Parish.

The Parish Council’s answer to its financial crisis is to defund the DA's office which means defunding law enforcement. In order to ensure continued services and the prosecutions of criminals in St. Tammany Parish, I am asking for a dedicated sales tax of less than 1/7 of a cent (14/100 of a cent).

For the Average Family 's yearly purchases, this tax of 14/100 of a penny will cost:

$5.00 a year or less for the family with annual income from $25-50,000.

$10.00 a year or less for the family with annual income from $50-297,000.

These monies will be paid directly to the District Attorney ’s Office and utilized solely (100%) for criminal prosecution and services. Based on this analysis, BGR takes the following position on the tax proposition:

FOR. The proposed sales tax would provide the District Attorney with a stable, recurring revenue source to fund criminal prosecutions in St. Tammany Parish. It would enable the District Attorney to retain and hire staff to handle the office’s full caseload of criminal work and support the judicial process and public safety. The 10-year term of the tax balances the office’s need for revenue stability with voter accountability.

To his credit, the District Attorney has committed to several practices to improve public oversight, such as posting quarterly financial statements of tax revenue and expenditures, submitting an annual budget to the Parish Administration and Council for review during a public meeting, and conducting an annual review to determine whether a reduction in the tax rate is warranted to avoid excessive surpluses.

90

YEARS

The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) released a report on April 30, 2222, On the Ballot: District Attorney Sales Tax, St. Tammany Parish, April 30, 2022. This 14 page report can be accessed on DAMontgomery.org/BGR.

The report is intended to help St. Tammany voters make an informed decision on whether to approve a new, parish-wide 0.14% (less than 1/7 of a cent) sales tax proposed by the District Attorney to fund criminal prosecutions in the parish. It also provides BGR’s position in support of the tax. In 2022, the Parish appropriated less than half of the District Attorney ’s funding request.

The proposed tax would prevent a fiscal crisis for the District Attorney.

If voters reject the proposition, the District Attorney ’s Office will remain underfunded, which could have adverse impacts on criminal judicial processes and public safety.

The report highlights several commitments made by the District Attorney to increase public transparency and accountability. The District Attorney has also committed to an annual review of the tax rate to ensure the tax does not generate excessive surpluses.

BGR is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization. Since its founding in 1932, it has been dedicated to informed public policy-making and the effective use of public resources in the Greater New Orleans area. For more information, call (504) 525-4152 or visit BGR’s website, www.bgr.org. Excerpts

BGR’s report finds that the District Attorney plans to use nearly all tax revenue, estimated to total $7.9 million annually, to retain and hire staff to handle the office’s full caseload of criminal work in St. Tammany Parish, which includes prosecuting all felony and misdemeanor cases, traffic citations and juvenile matters before the 22nd Judicial District Court.