I would like to share with you some of the reasons why I believe Way of Life Literature is deserving of support. For some reason churches don't often see the value of a literature ministry, and I believe that is because they have not considered the matter carefully.

Literature's power is recognized widely and is used by cults, communists, the world, Charismatics, New Evangelicals, and Bible corrupters. It is something God has richly blessed through the centuries, and countless multitudes have been saved and edified through the printed page. We fundamental Baptists need to be more deeply involved in this.

I have heard countless independent Baptist preachers complain about the fact that fundamental Baptists have not produced much literature, about the fact that fundamental Baptists don't write. BUT WHEN A FUNDAMENTAL BAPTIST DOES WRITE AND DOES PRODUCE LITERATURE, THEY WON'T SUPPORT HIM BECAUSE HE "ONLY HAS A LITERATURE MINISTRY"! This is a strange thing.

I wrote to an older evangelist some time back and urged him to do some more writing. I had enjoyed the things I had read by him. His reply was enlightening. He said that he had published a paper and some books years ago but that financially he was not able to continue producing materials and he was forced to stop. People said they appreciated what he wrote but they wouldn't help financially. He said he enjoys writing, but he didn't see how he could print and distribute things.

In 1993 an independent Baptist missionary with 33 years of experience in church planting, left the mission field to dedicate himself full-time to writing. He said, "The Lord gave us clear, unmistakable leadership to move onward into a ministry for which He has greatly burdened us during the last 5 years: Christian writing (reference works)." The missionary's pastor wrote to his supporters and said, "It is time that we as independent, unaffiliated Baptists encourage and support the worthy ministry of writing sound, local church, Baptist books and materials. Books survive and thrive! Books can educate, indoctrinate and equip future generations." How did the churches respond to this opportunity? He lost between one-third and one-half of his support, about the same amount that we lost.

Several years ago I was visiting a supporting church and presenting my burden to print books in South Asia. The pastor took me aside and told me that he thought I was giving too much of my time to literature and that he was considering dropping our support. We were in his office, and I asked him if he used the books that lined his shelves. He replied that he used them every day. I asked him which book he used the most. He said Strong's Concordance. I asked him how much time and dedication to the task he thought it took Mr. Strong to produce such a volume. I asked if he felt that the devotion Strong gave to that literature project was worthwhile. I think he thought about that, because not only did that church not drop our support, but a few weeks later they sent us $500 for our literature projects.

When we were forced to leave Nepal in 1989 and I became full time with the literature ministry, one supporting pastor wrote and said, "We are cutting your support in half because it is a literature ministry and not a church-planting ministry." I don't believe that was the correct approach. Actually an effective literature ministry is much more expensive than a church-planting ministry. I know, because I've conducted both types of ministries. That pastor should have doubled our support rather than cut it in half! How can the churches established by church planters have good literature if literature ministries are not encouraged and supported? Who is going to support the sound literature ministries if the sound churches do not? I don't understand.

A church planter usually does not have time to produce the literature. He doesn't have time to research, write, print, and distribute the literature, then carry on the extensive correspondence ministry necessitated by such a ministry. There must be some men who are dedicated to this and who are granted the time and finances to do it.

I once heard a missionary say, "We don't need more books; we need more preaching." Bless his heart, he was as ignorant as he could be! What does he think a good book is if it is not preaching? It is possible to preach to more people through one little book than most men will preach to in a lifetime. We have printed at least one-half million copies of our books and booklets in seven languages on four continents. He should have said, "We need more books so we can have more preaching"!

It's not as if there were hundreds of literature ministries vying for the support of independent Baptists. I can count such ministries among fundamental Baptists with my ten fingers. Every church could support one literature ministry, and if they did the needs would be fully met and fundamental Baptist literature would be flooding across the world. As it is, the fundamental Baptists are practically alone in their lack of vision toward the value of literature and the world is full of every sort of literature EXCEPT fundamental Baptist literature. What type of literature is flooding into Eastern Europe, for example? Charismatic literature, cult literature, denominational literature, new age literature. We could be flooding East Europe with sound fundamental Baptist materials if just a couple of hundred churches would get behind us, but as it is we are able to do almost nothing.

A wise man who understood the marvel of the printed page said, "There is power in those twenty-six soldiers ... the letters of our alphabet upon the printed page."

God has demonstrated the power of the printed page in that He wrote a Book. Psalm 45:1 says, "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." God said that! The Apostles understood the power of the printed page. When they were away from the churches and co- workers, they wrote letters. They used literature. Not long before he died, Paul urged Timothy to "bring the books" (2 Tim. 4:13).

Through the centuries since then, men of God have understood the power of the printed page. It has been said, "A nation's literature is like the rudder of a ship: small and insignificant as it may seem, it determines the moral course of a nation. ... Christians should understand the power of the written word more than any other people: it is the foundation of their faith."

Peter Cartwright, a circuit-riding preacher, said, "Only Heaven will determine which was the most important in my earthly ministry--my preaching or the distributing of books. For more than fifty years I have firmly believed it is part and parcel of a Christian's sacred duty to circulate religious literature. The religious press is destined under the order of providence to minister salvation's grace to the perishing millions of the earth."

"Sell your shirt and buy books," was a motto that helped make Scotland a land of great preachers."

Kingsley said, "Except a living man, there is nothing more wonderful than a book! A message to us from the dead--from human souls whom we never saw, who lived, perhaps, thousands of miles away; and yet these, in those little sheets of paper, speak to us, amuse us, terrify us, teach us, comfort us, open their hearts to us as brothers ... I saw we ought to reverence books, to look at them as useful and mighty things."

C.H. Mackintosh said, "We observe, with deep concern, a growing distaste for solid reading, specially amongst young Christians. Our reading may be taken, as a rule, as the great indicator of our moral, intellectual and spiritual condition."

Finally we quote that venerable old Baptist warrior, C.H. Spurgeon, on the value of literature: "A little library, growing larger every year, is an honorable part of a young man's history. It is a man's duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life. ... The influence of books upon man is remarkable; they make the man." Please consider helping us put sound Bible literature into the hands of people. I believe God wants this ministry to prosper at this crucial hour when it is so needed, but we are crippled through lack of finances.

Though we do partially support this ministry through the sale of books, the narrowness of the "market" means it is impossible to carry on such a ministry without the help of churches and friends. If we were preaching charismatic healing, or a new-evangelical positive-only message, or psychological self-esteem, we could support ourselves through the sale of materials. But we preach the whole counsel of God; we rebuke sin and error; we stand against the ecumenical monster; we uphold the despised King James Bible. The market for this type of material is SMALL!

If you appreciate this literature ministry, we need your help month by month to start flooding the world with fundamental Baptist literature. God has given me a pen. Will you help me wield it?