by Ryan Wenger

During Michigan’s rough economic times, it can be hard for people to afford an attorney. Mel Trotter Ministries and a local group of Christian attorneys are working to help those who are in need of legal help but cannot pay for it.

The attorneys offer a clinic sponsored by the Christian Legal Society on Wednesdays at Mel Trotter Ministries. All 12 of the attorneys involved are volunteers.

One of the attorneys involved is Ronald Foster, a professor in Cornerstone University’s Professional & Graduate Studies (PGS) division. He has been a part of the ministry at Mel Trotter ever since its inception— almost 10 years ago. He works as a coordinator for the program, but is also involved directly in helping people.

“We help indigent people who can’t afford help,” Foster said. “We provide somewhere around $100,000 of service at no cost every year. It really impacts the community.”

The most common cases that they handle involve drug addictions and child custody cases, Foster said.

Mostly, the attorneys give legal advice to those who seek their help. Sometimes, they refer clients to other attorneys and sometimes an attorney will take a person’s case all the way through court, said Foster.

“We offer holistic help,” Foster said. “In one of my favorite cases, the person I was helping became a Christian.”

Since all of the attorneys involved are Christians, and the clinic is part of Mel Trotter, they are free to minister to their clients’ spiritual needs as well as their legal needs.

“I know it’s kind of an oxymoron— Christian attorneys—but it’s true,” Foster said.

Helping out at the clinic also provides Foster with experiences to share in the classroom, he said.

“The program falls under Mel Trotter’s community service division,” Foster said. “The relationship is a big bonus for both us and them. It’s just another aspect of Mel Trotter’s ministry that people don’t know about, and when donors find out, it can make a very good impression.”

The Rev. Michael Soto is the person that oversees the program.

“He’s in charge of community outreach,” Foster said.

The legal clinic is the product of the Grand Rapids chapter of the Christian Legal Society. According to Matt Zimmerman, another attorney involved in the program, the ministry was a result of an initiative by the Christian Legal Society to open legal clinics across the country. Nationally, several other cities have similar clinics sponsored by the society, Foster said.

“A few of the local people though it was a good idea,” Foster said. “Mel Trotter somehow got involved and offered their space.”

Mel Trotter also offers dental, medical, eye care and other types of clinics.

According to an article in the Grand Rapids Legal News, the local chapter of the Christian Legal Society would like to eventually move the clinic to another location and get its own staff through fundraising, as other clinics sponsored by Christian Legal Society around the country have done.

by Ryan Wenger

Scott Carroll, professor of history, is well known for his ancient studies classes at Cornerstone University. This March, he had the opportunity to take the same material to a national audience.

Because of his involvement with the National Bible Museum in downtown Dallas, Carroll was asked to film two episodes of Trinity Broadcasting Network’s (TBN) show, “Creation in the 21st Century,” about the archeology of the Bible. Carl Baugh of the Creation Evidence Museum in Glenn Rose, Texas, hosts the show.

The first episode, entitled “Pagan Proofs for Truth,” will discuss similarities and differences between pagan sources about creation myths, the confusion of languages and other events and the Bible’s record of history, as well as how Christians should interpret the similarities and differences, Carroll said.

“Cities of the Patriarchs,” the second episode, will detail recent archeological findings such as the possible discovery of Sodom and Gomorrah and how they support the Bible, he said.

Although an exact date for the episodes is not set, they hope to air them in May.

Two more episodes of the show featuring Carroll are planned for the fall.

History and social sciences division chair Brenda King said that she supported Carroll in the undertaking.

“I knew that he’d be presenting about the archaeological evidence for the authenticity of the Bible,” King said. “We prayed for him in our last division meeting when he shared that he’d be presenting and also filming the series.”

“I’m not doing this for money,” Carroll said. “It’s a way of impacting huge audiences with evidence for truth.”

He mentioned CU several times during the episodes.

“I believe [Baugh] said that the weekly viewing audience is in excess of 7.5 million people which will be wonderful exposure for Cornerstone University,” Carroll said. “I hope that it’s another good way to get the school’s name out there.”

“Anytime a professor shares scholarly insights, it reflects well on his/her institution,” King said. “I’m sure, however, that Dr. Carroll is more interested in glorifying God and being used by him to be a witness to the unsaved and an encouragement to believers.”

Carroll went to Dallas for the filming of the episodes, which took place on March 3 and 4.

TBN is a Christian broadcasting company. According to their Web site, TBN is the largest religious network in the world. Paul and Jan Crouch founded the network in 1973. It is now carried by over 5,000 television stations.

“Dr. Carroll is a gifted scholar, and an excellent mentor and professor,” King said. “I’ve especially appreciated the connections he has made between the subject matter and the Christian faith when observing him in the classroom.”