ISI Mailbox

Here are some highlights from a letter written to Chris Arnzen, host of Iron Sharpens Iron:

Dear Mr. Arnzen:

I want to thank you for your gracious and generous gift of the NASB Bible for being a first-time caller to your program. I've been listening for about six weeks and always look forward either to listening live or downloading the program whenever I can. I came across your program when one of your former guests, Pastor Joe LoSardo, helped me out with a survey I was conducting among pastors and seminary professors on the effects of the New Atheism (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, et al.) on the evangelical Christian community. Pastor LoSardo recommended your show and sent me an MP3 of the program he had been on recently, so that was how I found you. Actually, though I study in Alabama, I'm from the Philadelphia area, so hearing New York accents occasionally almost feels like a taste of home. Of course, the content is the most important thing, and I appreciate the program for that reason most of all.

[Your recent show about the Emergent Church] was especially significant for me, because I am currently considering writing my doctoral dissertation on the Emergent Church phenomenon. That's why I've been reading Brian McLaren--not because I am attracted to any of this, but because I am simply researching this trend. Truth be told, I am appalled by most of what I've learned about the Emergent Church: it strikes me as a "cartoon Christianity," and it's hard for me to believe that sincere believers are falling for this stuff. So if you're inclined to do more programs on the Emergent/Emerging Church, please know that I will be listening appreciatively.

In Christ,
Ted