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CMI DEFINED: A SUMMARY OF THE ORG'SGLOBAL MISSION, VISION, ETHOS & IMPACT
.PART 1: CMI'S MINUTE-BUT-MEANINGFUL IMPACT. Rev. Dr. David J. Carlson was called to serve Christ full-time in 1989 while a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy (see FOUNDER link for bio). Since 1989, Dr. Carlson has ministered for Christ in 82 nations/territories spanning all 7 continents. Through these ministry expeditions, he acquired a lifelong passion for (1) charitably helping society's most vulnerable in regions battling abject poverty, human trafficking, and disaster crises (natural or manmade) and for (2) promulgating the undeniable facts of Christian Apologetics, particularly since this academic subject carries the power to cogently substantiate & convince others, with solid evidence, that Christ was/is the Cosmos' true Creator--100% God/human. In authoring two books on Apologetics, Dr. Carlson has grown to embrace a "cruciform" theology re: Christ, which purports that the full revelation of Christ's eternal divine nature was best exemplified by His selfless acts of "Agape" love, especially Christ's sin-atoning death on Calvary's cross. Stemming from this theological motif, Dr. Carlson now champions that the #1 duty of all Christ-followers is Championing Christ & His Agape Love. Given that motto, in order to better equip global Christ-followers to always be "ready to make a defense [Apologia]" for Christ (1 Peter 3:15) and always love [Agape] others like Christ, "not with words, but actions" (1 John 3:18), Carlson founded Case Ministries Int'l (CMI) in 2005 to serve Christ/others as a global, itinerant, Agape-centric ministry. So far CMI has made a minute-but-meaningful impact within these 82 nations/territories: .
... PART 2: CMI'S TWO-FOLD MISSION STATEMENT . A mission statement defines an org's primary purpose, in contrast to a "vision" which extends an org's mission to an ideal future state. Aligning with CMI's motto of Championing Christ & His Agape Love,
and congruous with the aphorism that "God is Agape" (1 John 4:8), CMI's global mission is two-fold: (1) CMI champions a cogent and apologetics-forged CASE for Christ as humanity's "Agape-centric" Creator & risen Savior via global CMI products & enterprises; and (2) CMI assembles a copious & charity-focused CASE of CMI assets to activate utile, global & "Agape-centric" initiatives via CMI-led int'l mission excursions. These two aims govern all CMI ministries.
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PART 3: CMI'S HQ, PASSION & 2050 VISION . David (top-left) bases CMI's HQ at his Michigan home, an abode he enjoys with his wife, Kristen (top-right), and sons, Joshua & Caleb. As a family-run 501c3 ministry, CMI is not a huge org, but it is large in heart, passion, work ethic & vision. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." CMI's vision is to become a robust 501c3 ministry that by 2050 lovingly impacts 1M+ for Christ worldwide. .  . Dr. Carlson uses every opportunity he can in order to maximize CMI's global philanthropic & apologetics impact, primarily by traveling to destinations desiring to hear his dynamic APOLOGETICS 101 seminars. These seminars reveal why Christ provides the only cogent answer to life's primal questions of origin, purpose & destiny. Dr. Carlson plans on running CMI ful-time after retiring from the U.S. Navy, with his spouse, Kristen (right) helping to co-pilot CMI. Churches and/or and/or campuses can utilize the "Bookings" link for scheduling. .
Passions for Christ's Creation: Hiking in CA's Yosemite Nat'l Park | Scuba Diving at Australia's Great Barrier Reef | Climbing in Chile's Patagonia
 Purpose-Driven Passions: Believing that Jesus' "abundant life" adage in John 10:10 includes Hisdesire for humans to pursue & enjoy life passions & avocations, and that all life pursuits can be transmuted into acts of worship to honor Christ, Dr. Carlson is shown here displaying a fervid thumbs up while rappelling in Chile's Patagonia region & scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, two exquisite spots of creation. In his apologetics talks, Carlson often points to Rev.  Eric Liddell as a Christian leader who understood the significance of pursuing life gifts/passions.After winning 400-m-dash GOLD at 1924's Paris Olympics, Liddell went on to be a missionary to China, much-loved till his 1945 death in a WWII camp. His Olympic heroism was captured by the movie, Chariots of Fire, which won 1982's Best Picture Academy Award. In this biopic film, Liddell's most famous quote is reenacted. He says: "I believe God made me for a purpose but He also made me fast, and, when I run, I feel His pleasure." This quote underscores the incredible truism that Christ as the Creator feels great joy whenever people dignify their gifts for His glory.
PART 4: CMI'S VISION-DRIVEN ENTERPRISES . To fulfill CMI's noble & Christ-honoring 2050 vision, Dr. Carlson, whenever his annual schedule permits, conducts dynamic CMI Apologetics 101 seminars for int'l campus/church audiences, serves as a guest preacher for Sunday services & creates high-quality CMI products, incl. his Faith Fits the Facts book & a cappella album (see "Products" link). Shown (right) is David leading a "Faith Fits the Facts" seminar in a multiethnic church located in the Kingdom of Bahrain (see "Seminars" link for seminar content). But giving practical Apologetics training is not CMI's sole focus.
In order to fulfill CMI's core mission to effectuate impactful humanitarian ministry, Dr. Carlson also assembles CMI mission-trip teams 1-2x annually. Traveling to regions battling abject poverty, human trafficking & disaster crises (natural or manmade), CMI's cadres of mission volunteers are entrusted to help churches/NGOs distribute desiderata to people in destitution, to help rescue victims of trafficking, & based on pinpointed exigencies, to activate utile, sustainable, philanthropic projects co-funded by CMI & collaborating donors, all done in Christ's love. Pictured (right) are 20 Christian students rendering a "thumbs-up" with Dr. Carlson in the eucalyptus-laden hills of Mt. Entoto, Ethiopia, a region deemed sacred which lies a few miles above the capital Addis Ababa.
PART 5: CMI'S CORE THEOLOGY--AGAPE LOVE . Congruent with John 14:9, where Jesus claims "anyone who has seen [him] has seen the Father," CMI promulgates a "cruciform theology" (see reknew.org), a cogent credo which espouses that the enemy-embracing & sacrificial Agape love Christ that exhibited on the cross embodied the full revelation of God's true eternal character. In fact, CMI argues that AGAPE is the core motif behind all Christian truth-claims, explaining a giving God's motive for creation (Gen. 1:26) & redemption (Rom. 5:8), his love-based blueprint for human ethics (Matt. 22:37-40) & marriage (Eph. 5:25) & the eschatological M.O. of his forever family (Rev. 21:4). Put simply, Agape explains exactly why humans were created, how they're meant to live & what heaven is like. In contrast to the other three types of loves, viz., eros (sexual love), philia (friend love) & storge (family love), Agape isn't based on emotion, but means always doing what is best for someone else, to care for others' needs without any preconditions. Agape is the core of what CMI aims to actualize in all its global ministry activity. . . . PART 6: CMI'S MOST-USED SEMINAR QUOTE
During CMI apologetics seminars, Dr. Carlson often cites powerful quotations which succinctly explicate salient 21st-century apologetics facts, concepts & arguments. Re: Christ's Deity, Dr. Carlson's favorite apologetics quote comes from C.S. Lewis who, in his 1952 classic, Mere Christianity, crafted the Liar-Lunatic-Lord trilemma, delineating that whenever Jesus affirmed he was divine (as he did unequivocally in Mark 14:60-64 & John 4:25-27; 8:53-59; 10:24-33), he was either (a) a deliberate liar, (b) a delusional lunatic, or (c) the definitive Lord. These mark the only viable possibilities IF Jesus claimed Deity for himself and these claims were historical and NOT legends. As Lewis eruditely points out below, no "great teacher" option exists: PART 7: CMI'S BAILIWICK, CHALLENGE & ORG RATIONALE . CMI promulgates that, given all the facts disclosed by reliable, trustworthy Gospel accounts, as well as the facts surrounding the "Shroud of Turn," which is CMI's most researched bailiwick (or particular area of expertise), it is crystal clear that Jesus' resurrection is an undeniable historical event, one on which Christianity stands or falls. Because the resurrection is rooted in undeniable evidence, Carlson offers a global debate challenge below to all skeptics of this miracle. Also, because Jesus' resurrection was meant for all humanity, Carlson cites global mission-fueling facts below, facts which undergird the rationale as to why CMI as a 501(c)3 believes it is apropos to focus all of its ministry endeavors exclusively on apologetics & charity.
“Why are you looking among the dead for the one who is alive?" -- Luke 24:5
(A) CMI'S BAILIWICK (expertise): The "Shroud of Turin" .
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-- Rev. Dr. David J. Carlson in "Faith Fits the Facts"
(B) CMI'S CHALLENGE: As belief in Christ's resurrection is undeniably cogent, Dr. Carlson humbly challenges any person or institution on the planet to invite him to come & publicly debate the topic "Resurrection: Fact or Fiction" wherein he will present for attendees only credible facts.
.. ... (C) CMI'S MISSION-FUELING RATIONALE: MISSIOLOGISTS ESTIMATE THAT UP TO 7K ETHNIC GROUPS, COMPRISING 42% OF THE POPULATION, ARE CONSIDERED UNREACHED TO THE GOSPEL, MOST IN THE 10/40 WINDOW (SEE MAP). .
MOREOVER, MORE THAN 1/2 THE WORLD'S POPULATION MAKES <$2.50 INCOME PER DAY. GIVEN THESE SOBERING STATS, FOCUSING CMI'S GLOBAL ENTERPRISES ON BOTH APOLOGETICS & CHARITY IS SURELY AD REM & APROPOS. .
. . USING THE SECURE PAYPAL LINK BELOW, PLEASE DONATETO HELP EXPAND CMI'S GLOBAL EFFORTS TO CHAMPION CHRIST & HIS AGAPE LOVE. MAY THE LORD JESUS RICHLY BLESS ALL OF THE WARM GENEROSITY OF EVERY DONOR.
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. AGAPE LOVE = GOD Agape love refers to the pure, selfless, sacrificial love which intentionally desires another's highest good, the type of love the New Testament defines as being unconditional & marking the essence of Christ's eternal nature. John even purports in 1 John 4:8 that "God IS love" & that whosoever does not show Agape love does not know God. .
#1 ~ CMI Champions a Cogent & APOLOGETICS- Forged CASE for Christ as Humanity's Agape- Centric Creator & Risen Savior via Global CMI Products & Enterprises 1 Peter 3:15 (BSB): But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense [Apologia] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But respond w/ gentleness & respect. | TOP CMI PRODUCT: .  . . #2 ~ CMI Assembles a Copious and CHARITY- Focused CASE of CMI Assets to Activate Utile, Global & Agape-Centric Initiatives via CMI-led Int'l Mission Excursions 1 John 3:17-18 (GNT): If we are rich & see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God? Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love [Agape] which shows itself in action. | BAHRAIN TEAM 2010: 
. CMI VISION
To be a robust 501c3 ministry that by 2050 lovingly impacts 1M+ for Christ worldwide. . CMI ETHOS . .  . CMI will be a 501c3 known to always be ... . » Agape-Love-Centric » Apologetics-Forged » Charity-Focused » Cruciform in Credo » Irenic in Praxis » Global in Scope » Robust in Execution .
WHAT IS APOLOGETICS?The term "apologetics" derives from the classical Greek word Apologia, a legal term which meant "to speak in defense of" one accused. In time, this locution became more broadly applied to include defending ideas & beliefs and is used 9x in this way in the NT, with the defender of beliefs called an apologist. Given this distinct etymology, nowadays Christian Apologetics is befittingly defined as the branch of theology concerned with the rational defense of all truth-claims of the Christian worldview (e.g., a God exists, Jesus rose again, etc.) in order to bolster faith in the Christian & instill faith in the not-yet-Christian, or simply put to help the "believer think and thinker believe."  "The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin . . APOLOGIA & SCRIPTURE
The Bible is truly inimitable. Although CMI believes it harbors God's inspired Word, CMI never assumes this is truewhen employing apologetics. Instead, CMI assesses the veracity & reliability of Bible passages exactly as any other secular records of antiquity. Because CMI contends that the Deity of Christ can be proven to be cogent solely thru historical & scientific evidence, CMI doesn't need to adopt an assumption of biblical infallibility. Instead, CMI postulates the OT & NT can be deemed as God-breathed based on Jesus' prior divine status & his stance re these texts. . Fragment of Dead Sea Scrolls
. REASON VIS-À-VIS FAITH. C Contrary to the notion of fideism, where reason is superfluous, CFLI contends that, since God created the human heart & mind to work together in harmony, people who are solid believers should always also be sound thinkers. Reason & faith are BOTH indispensable. As such, it's no surprise why putting faith in Christ is wholly the most cogent & evidenced path one can traverse. Weighing all cogitable worldviews, faith fits all the facts. . | . "Faith is built on reason. We should have good reasons for thinking that Christianity is true before we dedicate ourselves completely to it." . - J.P. Moreland, Ph.D in Love God with All Your Mind ...
 . The Shroud of Turin: Does It Portray the Image of a Risen Christ? Undeniably. Consider Why this Enigmatic Artifact Was Indeed Jesus' Authentic Burial "Tachrichim" Covering ---------------------------------- . By Rev. Dr. David J. Carlson . The Shroud of Turin, a venerated relic housed in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy since 1578, is a 4.4 by 1.1-meter cloth which exhibits a naked-eye-viewable 2-D scorch imprint and, whenever photographed, a lucid, 3-D photonegative effigy of a 6-foot tall Semitic man in his early 30s in a state of rigor mortis, bearing all of the identical crucifixion wounds as Jesus as depicted in the NT Gospels. Astoundingly, the blood stains emerging from these wounds constitute real "type-AB" blood that was deposited in perfect position prior to the aligned effigy being made -- i.e., blood first, then the image -- a baffling synchronicity that to this day alludes replication. Put simply, some person bled on the Shroud in the exact manner as Jesus' NT-described wounds. Then, later on, the Shroud's 3-D image was somehow scorched into the cloth to line up precisely w/ the blood stains, a feat that is unduplicable in the 21st century. Ergo, a medieval forger bent on fashioning the greatest "hoax" of history simply could not have fabricated the Shroud's mind-blowing, stain-aligned 3-D portraiture. . Although, in 1988. radiocarbon dating guessed the Shroud origin at 1260-1390, this has been debunked by a myriad of scientists, since the Shroud's bio-plastic coating distorts dating. In fact, all factors show the Shroud originated solely w/in the first century AD. For example, these five Shroud characteristics point clearly and exclusively to a first-century, Jerusalem provenance: (a) its traditional Palestinian 3:1 herring-bone weave; (b) its embedded pollen & soil samples which are indigenous solely to the environs of Jerusalem; (c) its accurate showing of "leptons" (i.e., Roman coins placed over the eyes); (d) its accurate depiction of Jesus' nail marks appearing in the wrists in contrast to all specious medieval paintings; and (e) its identical alignment of the head blood stains with all the blood stains present on a second first-century AD relic called the Sudarium of Oviedo, a cloth said to have been placed on Jesus' face immediately following his crucifixion. Re: point (e), if the Sudarium of Oviedo is authentic, then the Shroud must be also as the two iconic artifacts are inextricably linked by their blood type & blood alignment, since the blood stains present on the Sudarium precisely match-up with the stains present on the Shroud face, a synchronicity categorically impossible to fake or artificially fabricate. . Inexplicably and most astonishingly, the 3-D imagery created by all Shroud photonegatives (e.g., see the above 3-D "body/face" images) means the 2-D scorch imprint (e.g, see left 2-D "face") was manifested by either super-intense light or electromagnetic radiation, as no paints or dyes exist anywhere on the Shroud. In fact, to the bewilderment of researchers, although the 2-D scorch is only a few microns deep, it reveals a clear X-ray of the subject's fingers & teeth. Even armed with 21st-century tech, no person to date has been able to reproduce this 3-D image or amply explain how the detailed 3-D data, encoded within the 2-D scorch, could have originated. The only cogent & scientific explanation to account for the data is that the Shroud was created by a one-time occurrence, a unique and inimitable event, the radiant and refulgent resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. . Luke 24:5-7 (ESV) records the event as follows: The men [angels] said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He [Jesus] is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." But is this event critical? Absolutely! Christianity stands or falls w/ the resurrection. As 1 Cor. 15:14 (NIV) asserts, "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." Romans 10:9 (NIV) also shows the essentiality of the resurrection event vis-á-vis humankind's eternal salvation, avouching that "if you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Have you yet asserted this declaration? Do not delay! Surrender to Jesus today! He is the risen Lord and wants you to be a part of His forever family.
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