Book Comment: The God You Thought You Knew

 

In his book, The God You Thought You Knew, Alex McFarland responds to ten common secular objections to Christianity.

Some of the objections discussed in this book include:

1.     Christianity is judgemental and intolerant.

2.     Evil and suffering exist and a real God would not allow that.

3.     Christianity is totally made up and not based on any facts.

4.     Modern science disproves Christianity.

5.     Religion is not for the educated.

6.     The whole thing is boring and a waste of my time.

7.     Since I do not like it, it cannot be true.

8.     The Bible is full of errors.

9.     Dead people cannot come back to life.

10.  A loving God would not send anyone to Hell.

As with most books such as this, what you get from the book depends on what you bring with you. You may not agree with everything the author says. Luke (see below) advises to think for yourself.

Information you will need to search for this book: McFarland, Alex, The God You Thought You Knew. Exposing the 10 Biggest Myths About Christianity (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2015)

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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.

Book Comment: 50 Things You Need to Know About Heaven

 

                In his book, 50 Things You Need to Know About Heaven. John Hart has one especially relevant comment: “Earth is the closest that a non-Christian will ever get to heaven. Earth is the closest a believing Christian will ever get to hell.”

                The book discusses 50 questions about heaven, such as:

                “Who goes to heaven?”

                “Do people in heaven know what is happening on Earth?”

                “Will animals go to heaven?”

                “How can I be sure I’m going to heaven?”

                “Will others in heaven know my secret sins on Earth?”

 

                As with all books such as this, the author is not trying to tell you what to think. He is trying to challenge you to read your Bible and to listen to what it says. Do not believe just anything because someone else told to believe it; let the Holy Spirit guide you to the truth.

                Information you will need to search for this book: Hart, John, 50 Things You Need to Know About Heaven (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2014)

             

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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 Voice of God

Today, I went to The Waffle House, a local restaurant, to get takeout breakfast for myself and my wife. When I got home, my wife was still in bed so I called her name and said "Get up!"

Out of a deep sleep, she suddenly shot straight up and looked around the room, breathing heavily. Then she laughed.

"I was dead asleep, " she explained. "I thought it was the Lord calling me home!"

One day we will all hear the Lord's voice, some to their great delight, others not so much.

Film Comment: This Is the End

Collect up at least one hundred film actors, singers, and entertainers at a wild drug and alcohol fueled party, then start the end of the world, complete with giant monsters and demons. The Earth cracks open and people fall into a burning Hell. Have the actors portray themselves, thrown into this situation.

This Is the End (2013) has a cast filled with big name celebrities: Jamez franco, Seth Rogan, Jay Baruchel, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Dany McBride, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Paul Rudd, The Backstreet Boys, and many others.

When the trouble starts everyone runs outside as the world begins to burn and explode around them.  Too dumb, selfish, cowardly, drug-addled, gluttonous, etc. to “escape” some do not even notice the disturbance.  But they soon will. The six main protagonists run back into the “safety” of the house.

The guys tell themselves they will survive because they are “good people,” but they realize that they are not.  The film does not show any of these people in a good light.  They all realize that they are damned.

The film, a comedy with some undeniably hilarious moments, features violence, gore, impalement, decapitation, penis jokes, nudity, profanity, cannibalism,  homosexuality, demons, intentional blasphemy, obscenities, betrayal, alcohol and drug abuse, self-righteousness, taking God’s name in vain, urination, vomit, obscene gestures, discussion of intent to rape in the presence of the intended victim, masturbation, demonic possession, prayer for the death of another person, sexual slavery, cowardice, self preservation at the expense of other’s lives.  Did I forget anything?

The supposedly ”happy” messages of the film are:

1.     Self-sacrifice confers instant entry into Heaven.

2.     In Heaven, we become angels.

3.     In Heaven, you can have anything you want, even a dooble.

4.     There is no need to be a “Christian” to enter into Heaven.

5.     Heaven is just another wild party.

6.     The Rapture looks like an alien abduction with a beam of light pulling the person up into the sky.

This highly offensive film intends to offend in every way imaginable, showing a contempt or disregard for any conventional understanding of propriety or morality.  It made me wonder.  The actors, portraying themselves, know that they are damned.

In the film, they are facing evidence which, at the very least, proves that God and the supernatural are real.

These are extremely talented, supposedly very intelligent comedians who have gone out of their way to intentionally offend nearly everything related to Christianity and the End Times.  Should not this film prod these actors into actually thinking about their real-life situations?

To some, or most of the actors, I am sure that this was all just a big joke.  Perhaps they are like many people and do not believe anything at all.  Post-modern moral and intellectual relativism at its logical conclusion.

…………………………………………

This is an end of the world film where the Earth is not merely damaged, but is actually destroyed.  Two other prominent films of this type are When Worlds Collide (1951), which depicts the chaos which erupts when a planet the size of Earth is on a collision course with our planet.  The other is Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), a surprisingly tender and bittersweet love story.  Either of these two films would be an infinitely better use of your two hours than This Is the End.

What They Think of Us: Curt Cobain and Nirvana

Shortly before he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) and his band Nirvana, performed this song, Lake of Fire.  Nirvana was an extremely popular band and sold over 75 million record albums worldwide.

Lake of Fire Lyrics:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nirvana/lakeoffire.html

Lake of Fire was originally released by a band called The Meat Puppets.  The most common definition for a meat puppet is someone who is controlled by someone else, having no will of their own.

There have been various attempts to explain the meaning of Lake of Fire.  Obviously, the possibility exists that the song has no meaning at all, but that is not likely. Some say that it is political (anti-military), or that Cobain was thinking about his own death, or that he was having stirrings of religious feelings, or that the song is a reference to drug use.  My personal opinion is that of drug use since one obscure meaning of “fry” is to be under the influence of drugs.  After his suicide, Cobain’s body was found to contain the following drugs: marijuana, LSD, heroin, alcolhol, rohypnol, and diazepam.

Cobain clearly expressed his feelings toward Christianity when he performed Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam, a song written by the Scottish rock band, The Vaselines.  The band has no connection to the Vaseline product. Vaseline is a petroleum jelly product used as a lubricant and a moisture insulator for skin conditions such as rashes, cuts, and burns.

Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam Lyrics:

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Jesus-Doesn't-want-Me-for-a-Sunbeam-lyrics-Nirvana/69C03466661F04E24825682D0003753F

Pain

This morning, walking into work from the employee parking deck, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my knee and heard a loud pop.  I had to lean on the building not to fall onto the ground.    I finally made my way slowly into the building and arrived at my place of work.  It was obvious as the morning progressed that the discomfort I felt was not transitory.

I asked for permission to leave work and went immediately to the office of my orthopedist.  After he examined my knee, the doctor said that he believed that I had torn my meniscus.  He gave me an injection into my knee and placed a mechanical brace on my knee.  I left on crutches.  Thinking about my pain I realized that it was nothing compared to the physical pain felt by Jesus upon the Cross.

Most depictions of the crucifixion show the nails being placed in the palms of Jesus' hands.  It is more likely that the nails were placed into the space between the ulna and radius bones in His wrists.  The bones in the palm of the hand would be less likely to be able to support the weight of an adult man.  The idea of crucifixion was for the one being punished to hang from the cross, not for the hand to tear apart and drop the person.  (Nailing was the most extreme form of crucifixion; many were subjected to the less extreme practice of being tied to the cross with ropes.)

Hanging by the hands or wrists caused the body to fall down with the shoulders being pulled upward.  This made it very difficult for the victim to breath.  A piece of wood was often placed below the victim's feet so that they could push themselves upward and catch their breath.  In the more extreme form. nails were placed through the tops of the feet.

The injuries of Jesus would all have been extremely physically painful.  The crown of thorns pushed onto His skull, the bruising from carrying His heavy wooden Cross, the scourging with a whip covered with sharp pieces of metal, and, of course, the crucifixion itself.  All of these injuries would have seemed almost like nothing compared to what was actually happening.

Think of this.  Jesus was the perfect man, who was utterly sinless and blameless.  The Bible says that He was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Think of the emotional shock to a sinless being suddenly being judged guilty of murder, depravity, millions of "little white lies,"jealousy, cheating on taxes, genocide, gluttony, rape, doubting the Goodness of God, selfishness, and millions of other sins.

Then came the ultimate pain; complete separation from God.  Jesus, who was present with the Father at the Creation and is one of the Persons of the Triune God, was utterly alone. He screamed out in Aramaic", Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?," "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46)

Utter separation from God, utter loneliness, utter helplessness.  This is the future of everyone who rejects the saving Blood of Jesus.

Just Another Thing to Argue About

For those who live in other countries and may not know, the United States is currently sharply divided along ideological and political lines.  Many people, on both sides of the divide, are primed to be offended at the drop of a hat, even by a television program about the Bible.

The History Channel is broadcasting a ten hour minseries entitled The Bible.  Some have criticized the miniseries for its sporadically episodic nature, for its omissions, for its sometimes less than state of the art special effects, for its uneven acting, etc.  The USA Today newspaper ignored all of these to report that the “History Channel opens the gates of Hell.”

What the newspaper was talking about was the appearance of Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni as Satan.  Twitter and the internet are buzzing about the fact that some people are convinced that Ouazanni as Satan looks like an evil dark version of United States President Barack Obama.

Mark Burnett and his actress wife, Roma Downey, are the executive producers of the series.  Burnett had this to say, “This is utter nonsense.  The actor who played Satan (is) a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor.  He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics – including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our President.”

Downey added, “Both Mark and I have nothing but respect, and love our President, who is a fellow Christian.”   She was expressing the biblical view of government, that it is ordained by and put into place by God.

Can You Respond to These Criticisms?

Christian Apologetics is the study of defending the faith against intellectual attacks and explaining biblical truths and concepts to non-believers in ways which they can understand.  It also attempts to give believers a rational footing on which to base their faith.  Some of the attacks are quite harsh.  See how you would respond to these ten criticisms … if you can.  If you cannot, don’t expect that our critics will be swayed by “because the Bible says so.”

The link has been pirated by someone and so, has been deleted from this post on 12 September 2026.

Messsianic Prophecies: His Body Will Not Decay

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10

David is speaking here in the Psalm and many then and now believed that the “holy one” of whom he speaks is David himself.  Holy as in the sense of holiness and being a saint, set apart from the world and dedicated to God.

Hell can be interpreted as separation from God.

Peter, in Acts 2:27, reinterprets the passage as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection.  Most conservative Christians now see this verse as a messianic prophecy.

“Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Acts 2:27

Paul also used the verse in the same way.

“Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”  Acts 13:35

Film Comment: The Road to Perdition

"My father's only fear was that his son would follow the same road ...," the road to perdition.  The word "perdition" is of Indo-European origin through Latin.  The main idea of the word is "loss."  In Christian theology, the word is used of loss of the soul, eternal damnation, utter ruin, and destruction.  It can be seen as a synonym for Hell.

The film, The Road to Perdition (1998), is set in Depression era 1931 and tells the story of Michael Sullivan,  a crime mob hit man, a paid assassin, whose son accidentally witnesses one of his murders.  The mob bosses are not pleased and want the boy killed so that he cannot tell anyone.  The killer dearly loves his son and takes steps to protect him.

Based on a black and white graphic novel (comic book), this excellent and suspenseful film stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the hit man and is loaded with other top level actors: Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, and Paul Newman.)  The story is concurrently loving, tender, violent, and depressing.

The film is based on the idea of "the sins of the fathers," a biblical concept.  We teach our children how to act by our example.  Even if we do not wish for our children to follow our example, our actions do not affect only us but can have effects on our families and friends for generations.  Often, once they are set in motion, the consequences of our actions cannot be avoided.

Crossed Messages

“A preacher died.  Shortly thereafter a man with the same name went on a business trip to a southern state.  He sent a telegram to his wife, but it was delivered to the preacher’s wife by mistake.  It said, “Arrived safely.  Sure is hot here!”

“From The Big Book of Church Jokes, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”

A Man Died And Went To Hell

I do not know the origin of this story.
.........................................................

A man died and went to Hell.  As the flames of Hell began to rise around the man, the Devil walked up and said in a menacing voice,"Hello!"  He was surprised that the man showed no fear.

"Why are you not afraid of me, the Prince of Evil?"

"Why would I be afraid of you?  I've been living with your sister for the last twenty-seven years."

The Devil's Future

"When the devil reminds you of your past ... remind him of his future." Teresa of Avila


As you grow closer to God, the Devil and his angels step up their attacks, usually in ways no one else but you would notice; self-doubts, opportunities to indulge in whatever is your strongest temptation, tests of your patience and acceptance of others,  obsessive thoughts, and many more.  It is not necessary for the Devil's purposes that he pull you away from Jesus.  He will be happy if he can make you ineffective.


The Devil and his angels are in all-out war against God.  They have to be if they are to have any chance (they don't) to escape the fire.


"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Revelation 12:12



"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" Matthew 25:41

Book Comment: The 10 Most Common Objections to Christianity

The 10 Most Common Objections to Christianity (2007), by Alex McFarland, is a book of Christian apologetics which addresses what McFarland says are the ten criticisms he most often hears as he speaks in all fifty states of the United States and internationally. He points out that these objections are repeated almost verbatim wherever he goes. In the book, McFarland addresses each criticism individually and gives a reasoned, rational biblically-based response to each, pointing out the weaknesses and intellectual inconsistencies of each attack.

The ten objections are:
1. God is not real.
2. Creation is a myth.
3. The Bible is not completely authentic.
4. The Bible is not completely accurate.
5. Jesus was just a man.
6. Jesus is not the only way to Heaven.
7. A loving God would not send people to Hell.
8. People are basically good.
9. Christians are all hypocrites.
10. A merciful God would not allow suffering.

I heartily recommend this book to you. You have probably heard or will hear most or all of these charges at one time or another. Don't allow yourself to be left standing flat-footed.


"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" 1 Peter 3:15

Himmel oda Hall

I added the link to Himmel oda Hall to the post for German Christian Rap music.  It is also here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQfiLYtNGKQ

The You Tube embed codes do not always work so I will now provide the links instead.

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian, Chapter 2, Part 2

If you are joining this book review series mid-stream , you can read the comment from the beginning by going to the LABELS section following the last post on this page and clicking on PHILIP GULLEY.

Gulley, Philip, If the Church were Christian.  Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010)

CHAPTER 2: Affirming Our Potential Would be More Important Than Condemning Our Brokenness

Pastor Gulley denies the doctrine of Original Sin.    He says that a God who would condemn billions of people to Hell because the first couple tasted a fruit is despotic.  A very strong charge.  To respond fully would take weeks.

Every question can be followed by one hundred new questions and this is no different.  Talking about Original Sin opens up a door to numerous doctrinal questions; original sin, the age of accountability, adult versus infant baptism, what baptism actually means, where the soul comes from and when and how it is connected to the body.  I will discuss each of these in separate posts later.

Pastor Philip Gulley says that the churches he is criticizing see humans as sinful, flawed, and broken.  Look at your history books, check the court dockets, watch Judge Judy.  The world is sinful, flawed, and broken.

In this second chapter of his book, Gulley is responding to a real attitude in some churches, a strict rules based understanding of the Christian life.  This is especially prevalent in Fundamentalist churches.  I think it misses a vital point (who we are) and robs many sincere committed Christians of the true fullness of their Christian life.  We really are different from those outside the Church

In his book, After You Believe, Anglican Bishop N, T. Wright points out that, in the Kingdom, believers are to be Kings and Priests (Isaiah 61:6, Revelation 1:6, 5:10, Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:5) and that Jesus clearly said that the Kingdom is here now (Luke 17:20-21) as well as in the future.

Our purpose is to learn to live now as Kings and Priests, members of the royal household (Ephesians 2:19, 1 Peter 2:9).   That means becoming like Jesus and assuming the Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16, http://www.pbc.org/files/messages/4807/3577.html ), instead of living by a bunch of rules and trying to be perfect. 

This is part of a continuing chapter-by- chapter response to this book.  More to come. 

Religion and Matrimony

"In matters of religion and matrimony, I never give any advice, because I will not have anyone's torments in this world or the next laid to my charge."  Lord Chesterfield (Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 1694-1773)

W. A. Criswell About His Church ... And Yours

"I would be shocked to find half of my church in Heaven." Wally Amos Criswell

He meant exactly what it sounds like he meant. He knew that people "join the church" for numerous reasons; some for social connections, some because someone they love wants them to, some to demonstrate what a good person they are, some because it will good for the kids, some for the opportunity to be part of something, some to meet girls, some because it's the right thing to do, and on and on and on. Oh, and a few really do love the Lord.

Stop, Drop, and Roll

Stop, Drop, and Roll does not work in Hell.
Deanna Miller, Birmingham, 2010

Two Minutes in Hell

"Take it from me, two minutes in Hell is a lifetime." John Constantine in Constantine (2006).

John Constantine is a DC Comics character.