July 2005
Dear Friends of Credenda,
I see that the time has come for me to write another support letter to those of you who help keep the ministry of Credenda afloat. And so let me put it to you this way.
Having grown up in evangelical ministry circles, I have been acquainted for many years with what I call “blood on the envelope” fund-raising appeals. These are the shrill missives that inform us all, breathlessly, that unless we send our (check one) $10, $20, $50, or $500 today, the ministry in question will soon have all four hooves pointing toward the heavens. Disgusted with that kind of thing, I have long been chary about looking as though we are trying to do anything similar (however subtle). At the same time, magazines don’t run on air and so we have worked out what we think is a reasonable and equitable system
That system is simple enough. We do not have a straight subscription fee, choosing rather to mail the magazine for a couple years to anyone who donates any amount. For all of you who have done this for us in the past, we heartily thank you.
But a simple system of giving is not the same thing as a good reason to give. The reason why we think you should consider giving to this literature ministry now is that (for whatever reason) quite a number of our adversaries have decided that what we are doing really does present a threat to them, and so they have taken to harassing our events locally, quoting us frothily, misrepresenting us nationally, and what all else we don’t yet know. And if I were trying to decide where to send a gift that would do some good in the battle, one of the first things I would do is send it to the front. We really are in the thick of it, and are extremely grateful for those who support the work.
Topics? The current publishing plan is as follows. The issue that is just arriving in your mailboxes is on the important subject of the blues. Following that, we hope to present a poetic catechism on the Trinity, and then homeschooling, and then to present a paean to the weather. After that, we hope to put out an issue on troublemakers and antagonists in the church, with particular attention paid to the future of their hairy scalps (Ps. 68:21). Such diverse topics are not an indication of our attention-span problems, but are rather our way of trying to encourage the saints to see that the triune nature of God relates to everything.
On a practical note, we have recently added a new feature to our web site for those of you who want to subscribe or donate on line. Just go to the Credenda site, click on subscriptions, and follow the directions.
Thanks again for all your faithful support.
Cordially in Christ,
Douglas Wilson