AUTHOR PROFILE & MISSION

THE AUTHOR

P. J. Stassen, born in 1947 in Randgate, South Africa, holds a B.A. degree in Industrial Psychology & Sociology (Industrial) from the University of South Africa. A former businessman who, after mandatory military conscription, spent the first 12 years of his life in 1966 in the field of retail (Textiles & General Dealer) in a family business begun by his father in 1964, thereafter worked at various other jobs eventually arriving in the fulfilling position of a corporate trainer with Kumba Resources (formerly Iscor Iron Ore Mine) in the Bushveldt region of South Africa during the years 1986 and 1997. At the time of his retirement in 2013 he was engaged in Occupational Health & Safety Training in the corporate environment on a contract basis for a Johannesburg company.

     P.J. Stassen and his wife are both retired and live in Centurion, South Africa after having also served in their capacities as gospel musicians (pianist & organist respectively) in churches in two of South Africa’s nine provinces, e.g., in places like Vanderbijlpark, Bloemfontein, Thabazimbi, Sinoville, Witpoortjie and Centurion.

P.S. This blog listing the eBooks (PDF) portfolio of P.J. Stassen is supplementary to the main blog, EvangelismRSA at link http://evangelismrsa.blogspot.com. 

MISSION

1. AUTHOR FOCUS. This author focuses on the themes of Biblical Creationism, Christian Apologetics and Evangelical Christianity, with special emphasis on the integrity of Jesus Christ as a credible historical witness and as the living Word of God, the Messiah of the Jews and the Saviour of the world; also, the historicity of the Bible as God's written Word and the authenticity of the Genesis Creation Account as a reliable and trustworthy account of the origins of the world, and of humankind. 

2. LOGICAL POINT OF IDEOLOGICAL DEPARTURE. The logical point of ideological departure is that it would be more rational for Christians to accept and trust the Bible as trustworthy and valuable (and, as compared to the holy scriptures of other movements, unmatched in the realm of spiritual truth) until the contrary can be proved, than to accept the Bible as an obsolete and defunct collection of Jewish fables and myths, as the postmodenist "Christians" (sic) of the day would wish us to believe, until the contrary can be proved.    

3. REJECTION OF SECULAR HUMANISM. It thus stands to reason that the author rejects such leftist, postmodernist and humanistic worldviews and ideologies (whether scientific, cultural, religious, economic or political) as Atheism, Agnosticism, Communism, Darwinism, Darwinian Creationism (Creative Evolutionism), Fascism, Socialism, Freemasonry, Astrology, Spiritualism, Fortune-telling, Necromancy, Ancestral Worship & Forefather Veneration, Wokeism, Critical Race Theory, Comprehensive Sex Education, Jihadism (Fascism), Neo-Nazism, Occultism, Numerology, Scientology, Dianetics, the World Transformation Movement and Human Condition movement,  Pro-Choice driven (expediency) abortions and the trading in aborted babies' body parts (gross and unethical medical sophistry),  Witchcraft etc.

4. ARMINIUS vs. CALVIN. As far as the debate between the proponents of Calvinism (Special Election/Predestination) and the proponents of Arminius (Free Moral Agency) is concerned, it makes no difference to me at all.

   To the staunch Calvinist I would say, "Yes, the YHWH and Commander of Heaven and Israel's Armies is Absolutely and Infinitely Sovereign!", while, to the indefatigable proponents of Arminius, I would say, "Yes, humankind was created in God's image with free moral agency ... it stands to reason that, if God had free will, those created in His image would have free will too!"    

   Those who will insist on an 'either-or' decision, choice or situation, clearly do not understand the omnipotence of God, with whom all things are possible. Free will, however, should never be confused with omnipotence. The (finite and relative) free will of humankind is subservient and subordinate to the (Absolute and Infinite) Free Will of the Creator. The free will of humankind, i.e., finite and relative, is borrowed or derived from the Free Will of God, the Author of Life. 

   'Free Moral Agency' thus does not mean man is free to do what he/she wants or likes ... it only means that he/she will be held responsible for his/her moral decisions and consequent actions.There is no 'either-or' conflict between these two (apparently divergent) theological points of departure; God is Absolutely & Infinitely omnipotent and with Him all things are possible, and the person who does not understand this probably does not yet understand transfinite mathematics.

5. CHRISTIAN HYPOCRISY. Christians, and especially some Christian leaders, can sometimes be very hypocritical about their faith. For instance, compare the weakling who blames Satan for his/her sins (and is rebuked by his/her pastor) with the righteous who credits God for his/her piety and is commended by his/her pastor: Do you see the duplicity here? 

   The righteous man is encouraged to and commended for giving God the credit for his piety and righteous deeds: yet, when the weakling dares to give Satan 'credit' (the blame) for his unrighteous deeds, he is rebuked by his leader? This is not consistent theological thinking. Of course the weakling is in error for giving Satan 'credit' for his sins; the Bible clearly teaches moral accountability and responsible stewardship as far as our moral decisions and behaviour are concerned, whether we are from the Calvinist or from the Arminius camp.    

   It thus stands stands to reason that those engaged in good works should be rightfully proud (not 'haughty'*) of their accomplishments as the fruit of responsible and industrious stewardship, always humbly bearing in mind, however, that it is God, as the Author of Life, who infuses us in the first place with the inspiration to accomplish such. The fact that God is the (undisputed) Absolute and Infinite Author of Life (and not us) does not mean that we will not be held accountable for our moral decisions and actions. 

* "Arrogant/Disdainful"  

6. LET THE HOUNDS BARK. So, let the hounds of Bashan bark; this great Gospel caravan will just keep merrily and faithfully rolling along while I will still steadfastly work, pray and function in terms of the promises of God that teach (i) that God is a rewarder of those who believe that He IS (exists) and who diligently seek Him, and (ii) that, should we ever choose to pray to God the Father in the secret of our closet, that God the Father would reward us openly in terms of His Holy and Immutable Will and Divine Discretion, while always (iii) staying mindful of the fact that the wrong prayer prayed in ignorance or in malice (i.e., in conflict with the Will of God and not answered by the Heavenly Father) has the same mathematical value as the right prayer prayed (i.e., in the Will of God the Father and answered in due time as the Bible teaches).

   Therefore, any theologian who wishes to discourage the evangelist or missionary from preaching the Gospel (whether by way of writing, publishing, speaking, broadcasting or in any which way imaginable) and well in terms of the argument that (his/her particular brand of) Calvinism has declared such efforts as a waste of time, labour and resources because God had already pre-emptively decided who would be saved and who not, should be rebuked in the strongest of possible terms, as only the Adversary, i.e., the Serpent and Dragon from Eden's days, could possibly behind any such a sinister and diabolical effort to undermine Jesus Christ's Great Command to preach the Gospel to all nations, irrespective of nation, culture, tongue, political affiliation, current religious persuasion, gender or socio-economic status ... in season and out of season. 

   Any effort to undermine, prevent or destroy efforts to preach and publish the Gospel of Jesus Christ or prevent the execution of the Great Command of Matthew 28:19-20 should always be viewed with a strong dose of suspicion.✅