Was Bill O'Reilly Divinely Inspired to Write Killing Jesus?

The Fox News Channel political commentator Bill O’Reilly was a high school history teacher before he embarked on his television career. He has written numerous books such as Killing Kennedy, Killing Lincoln, The Last Days of Hitler, and Killing Patton.   He is a Roman Catholic believer and has said that he thinks he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his excellent Killing Jesus. This set off a firestorm of criticism with some people saying that they think he is insane or blasphemous. I think he is probably correct that he was inspired.

I know the implications of what I am saying. I also think that this blog is inspired by God. Of course, it is not inspired on the same authoritative level as Scripture. That idea is the core heresy which led to modern Mormonism. The canon of scripture and doctrinal interpretation is closed. 

The Bible clearly states that each of the Saints (us, not a special class of extra-holy people) is divinely inspired. We  have the Mind of Christ. We have a direct link to the Holy Spirit who indwells, leads, instructs, and counsels individual believers.

Of course He leads us. Of course He inspires us. If He does not, then the problem is with us. We are not listening.

If you do not feel the Holy Spirit moving in your life, now is the time, today. If you are a Christian, ask Him, then listen.

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

The Chart Man

Gary B. Smith, on the Fox News Channel, is The Chart Man. The other financial commentators speak from their experience and intuitions; Smith does also, but he adds intense study of financial charts and graphs of seemingly every conceivable financial angle.

Some Christians are like Gary B. Smith, with charts and graphs and the ability to instantly recognize a Bible quotation and state its location in the BIble by book, chapter, and verse. Most of us aren't like that. We can talk intelligently about a certain passage in the Bible but don't ask us exactly where to find it. Ain't gonna happen.

Luckily for us, there are now thousands of commentaries, dictionaries, lexicons, concordances, devotionals, and sermon collections in printed form, and, available on the internet, are powerful search engines and translation programs. And the most important study aid of all, listening to the Holy Spirit as we read the Bible.