| Project PROBE Ministries, Registered Charity No. 491,
is a non-denominational Christian apologetics ministry. The acronym PROBE
defines our purpose, which is: Providing Research for Objectively Battling
Error. Towards this end we facilitate public lecture/discussions and conduct
research on important issues of controversy to the Christian faith and worldview.
Project PROBE Ministries was constituted and registered in 2001 as a Charity
under the Charities Act of Barbados.
The Background History
The roots of this ministry reaches back over 25 years when the
founder, Roger Marshall, who after giving his life to Christ, became beset
with doubts about the validity and historicity of the Christian faith.
Determined to know the truth, an earnest quest was begun seeking objective
validation for the Christian faith and worldview. This led to personal
research through the reading of several great apologetics works on subjects
ranging from origins (i.e. the creation vs. evolution debate), to occultism,
to textual criticism and end-time prophecy etc. Eventually he became involved
with an earlier Barbadian Christian apologetics ministry, now defunct,
called “Watch and Witness Ministries” which was founded back
in 1989 by Sylvan Lashley. Through the seven-year duration of that ministry
and further exposure to the works of other great Christian apologists
such as the late Dr. Walter Martin, founder of Christian Research Institute
(CRI), and other apologetics ministries such as Watchman Fellowship and
Personal Freedom Outreach, just to name a few, a greater desire developed
for biblical discernment in these days of increasing deception.
Between the years 1999 and 2001 a great burden and concern developed
over what was clearly seen as aberrant teachings that were being accepted
as biblical truth by a growing number of Christians on the Barbadian landscape.
This burden led to the establishment of this ministry to serve as yet
another clarion call to maintain sound biblical teaching among believers,
as well as to contend for the truth of the gospel against those outside
of the Church who seek to invalidate it.
Led by the Lord to share this burden with a few brothers and sisters
who were perceived to be of like mind, research and Bible study on various
doctrinal issues began in earnest, first among the core group but soon
the Lord led us to take our discussions into public forums and so Project
PROBE Ministries was born.
Ministry focus
As believers we are commanded by scripture to “Prove [i.e.
test] all things, hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess. 5: 21).
This verse is the motto of Project PROBE Ministries.
We are further commanded by scripture to “…believe not every
spirit but try [i.e. test] the spirits whether they are of God; because
many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4: 1).
These commands come in light of the many scriptural warnings of great
deception that would seek to engulf believers from without, and unfortunately,
even from within the Church circles. As the apostle Paul warned the Ephesian
elders in Acts 20: 29-30: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves
will come in among you and will not spare the flock [that’s the
danger from without the church] Even from your own number men will arise
and distort the truth [that’s the danger from within] in order to
draw away disciples after them.”
With these verses of scripture in mind we have not shied away from tackling
several controversial issues in our open public forums. We have addressed
subjects such as: Evolution vs. Creation, the anti-Christianity aspects
of Afrocentricism, the negative aspects of entertainment and the media,
the Harry Potter phenomenon, Free Masonry, the New Age Movement, Abortion,
Homosexuality, Contemporary Gospel Music, the Sabbath vs. Sunday issue,
Inter-Faith Worship, Divine Healing and The Word of Faith Movement, Dominion
Theology, and the modern Apostolic and Prophetic Movement, just to name
a few.
Cognisant of the fact that this kind of ministry is by no means a popular
one, especially when it involves addressing aberrations and heresies coming
from within Church circles, the following points should always be kept
in mind:
1. As Christians we are enjoined to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4: 14-15).
2. Endeavouring to speak the truth can make one seem like an enemy (Gal.
4: 16).
3. Divisiveness in the church is not caused by the apologists in the church,
as some claim, but rather is caused by those who stray away from sound
apostolic/biblical teaching (Rom. 16: 17).
4. While we must all promote unity in the body of Christ, and endeavour
to live peaceably with all men (both in and outside the Church) as the
apostle Paul encourages us to do in Rom. 12:18, in light of Gal. 4: 16
we must equally be prepared to take a stand for truth even when it means
loosing friends and favour.
By God’s grace that is our aim.
Statement of faith
The Holy Scriptures
We believe in accordance with 2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17 that
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We further believe that
God’s inspired word is preserved in the pages of the Holy Bible,
as such the Bible and the Bible alone is the sole authority for all matters
of Christian belief and practice.
God
There is only one God eternally revealed in three co-equal and distinct
persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three persons
are the one God
Mankind
All human beings regardless of ethnicity are the descendants of the first
man Adam who was created in the image of God. As the federal head of the
entire human race Adam’s rebellion against God in the Garden of
Eden plunged the whole human family into sin therefore all men are sinners
from birth and are naturally estranged from God.
Salvation
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of
the Trinity, who took upon Himself human flesh through the virgin birth.
He lived a sinless life and suffered vicariously for the sins of all mankind
by His death on the cross. On the third day He rose triumphantly from
the dead for our justification and salvation which is a free gift of God’s
grace to all who believe. Failure to accept the mercy offered by God at
the cross will result in eternal separation from God in a tormenting state
of existence the Bible calls Gehenna.
The Church
The Christian church is the bride of Christ and is composed
of all persons who have expressed saving faith in Jesus Christ and have
been regenerated by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. All believers
are enjoined by Christ to “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching
them to obey every thing [that Christ has] commanded…” (Matthew
28: 19 – 20). Consequently the Church is to impact the society by
serving as “salt” and “light” in an effort to
help restrain evil until Christ returns “…when he hands over
the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority
and power” (1 Corinthians 15: 24).
The Executive Committee Members
The current executive members of Project PROBE Ministries are:
1. Roger Marshall – Executive Director
2. Larry Belgrave – Assistant Executive Director
3. Nicole Hinds – Secretary.
4. Rev. Nigel Yarde
5. Andrew Sealy
6. Stewart Russell
7. Peter Boyce
Associate founding Members
1. Dale Sealy
2. Bandel Serrano
You can contact us at projectprobe@caribsurf.com
We solicit your prayers. Thank you.
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