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Book reviews for "Beale,_Paul_Christian" sorted by average review score:

What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity?
Published in Paperback by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (June, 1997)
Authors: N. T. Wright and Tom Wright
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Not his best
While I appreciate the polemic against Wilson's claim that Paul and not Jesus founded Christianity, I found Wright's redefinition of "righteousness" unconvincing. Perhaps he will more adequately explore this idea in one of his later volumes of Christian Origins.

Wright on, brother!
Ok, I admit my review title is silly but that is one thing this book is not. It is a compelling and brief introduction to the apostle Paul and his teaching from a modified new perspective.
One may not always agree with Wright but he always raises important questions, interacts with the most important literature, and engages in profound and deep biblical exegesis.
I eagerly look forward to Wright's tome on this topic in the "Christian origins" series.
The other reviews were pretty fair. As for the fellow who only gave him one star, come on cake-walker... I'm a conservative, reformed evangelical too but "you gots to give Wright his props".
Please don't dismiss Wright because he doesn't tow the party line! He's one of the handful of scholars that I believe people will still be paying apt attention to 50 years or more from now.

Precise, knowledgable, and scholarly
Excellent, no other author could write such a witty, intelligent, and apologetic piece on Paul. It thoroughly debunks the theories put forward by Hyram McCobby and others who put together sloppy scholarship, a grudge against Christianity, and the want for a 'sensational' work to their name so they can rake in money from incorrect and highly unstable views. A must read for any scholar; Jew, Christian, Muslim, or secularist.


Did the Apostle Paul Teach Tithing to the Church?
Published in Paperback by WinePress Publishing (October, 2000)
Authors: Jonathan Kithcart and Minister Jonathan Kithcart
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A Very Dangerous Subject Not Handled Well
I was really hoping this book would answer my questions regarding what the Apostle Paul taught about tithing. I was sorely disappointed. Minister Kithcart did not even discuss the one passage written by the Apostle Paul that does teach tithing. I was very disappointed, but not surprised. This is yet another book in which an author "proves" his own presuppositions. He does not go to the Biblical text and wrestle with authors who disagree with him. He states his own opinion and rarely goes beyond that.

As for the layout of the book - Minister Kithcart opens with a letter he sent to 10 ministers "questioning" them about the tithe. He received very few responses. No wonder - the letter begins on page 12 and concludes on page 22. It expounds his point of view, and sometimes arrogantly. Following that, he gives his perspective on financing ministry today. He does print four letters he received from different ministers in response to his views. And, they are pretty weak in thier defense of tithing. However, that does not prove Minister Kithcart's point.

This is a thin book full of thin arguments on a very important Biblical teaching.

Good overview of the subject
Kithcart has done the Body of Christ a service by providing this easily-read tome. Scholarly yet readable, Kithcart tackles the issue head on demonstrating what more and more Christians are discovering: tithing is not binding on today's believer.

Kithcart is strong on his assertions. And he should be. After all, he masterfully backs up what he states with scripture. Especially informative are the chapters where he shares the responses of several well-known ministries when asked about how to tithe and whether it was even for today.

As expected, most of the responses were based on Old Testament law instead of New Testament doctrine, proving once again the weak basis for teaching that tithing is applicable today.

The most powerful fact that Kithcart brings out pertains to Malachi 3. Most advocates of tithing teach that a Christian is under a curse for not tithing--that we are "God-robbers."

Again Kithcart responds to this by forcefully stating that a Blood-bought child of God under a better covenant is NOT under ANY curse! And I heartily agree.

Also, Christian, ask yourself: "Have I been blessed so much that there is no room to receive it?" I defy anyone to answer "yes" to this question. Most tithers who live on one side of the street can't be distinguished from the person on the other side who does not tithe. This alone should be a powerful reminder that something is very wrong with this teaching--especially the promise in Malachi 3 that most ministers are very quick to point out. And excuses that ministers give such as "Well, you did not give it in faith", or "You've gotta' claim the blessing" etc., are excuses not reasons.

Buy it for its simple presentation but reread it for strength when the judaizers start spouting the Law instead of New Testament Grace!

Highly recommended!

Great "starter" book on the subject discussion of tithing.
One of things I most appreciated about this book was the author's heart towards pastors. This book is written with love and grace, but is also not timid in proclaiming the author's conviction of truth concerning the subject of tithing and what constitutes true Christian giving.

Jonathan's thrust of investigation of the tithe here primarily concerns the Apostle Paul's approach to giving and how church ministry is to be financed. There are some excellent points made in this book and the examination of Scripture is honest and consistent.

Kithcart deals expressly with many of the chief questions people raise about tithing; such as, "Does Malachi apply to Christians and the Church?", "Are you really cursed if you do not tithe?", "Is tithing an Old Testament Law replaced by a new standard?", "Did Jesus receive a tithe from His followers?", "Did Jesus or His Apostles, namely Paul, teach tithing to the Church?", "What exactly does the New Testament teach about giving?", etc.

While Kithcart's book may not be the most thorough investigation of the subject of tithing, it is nonetheless very good and to the point. This book will challenge, convict, inspire, inform and get you thinking. It is very easy to read and there is nothing negatively critical in the writing. A great reading suggestion for someone who doesn't feel like they have the time or energy to devote to a lengthy book on the subject. Kithcart's book can be read in an evening and really open the reader's heart to some challenging truths. This book is also a motivator towards giving and not a retreat from it in any way.

Good stuff, great title, highly recommended. Also very highly recommended is "Should The Church Teach Tithing" by Theologian Russell Earl Kelly, PhD. and Michael and Mitchel Webb's book called, "Beyond Tithes and Offerings".


Paul, Women, and Wives: Marriage and Women's Ministry in the Letters of Paul
Published in Paperback by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. (01 November, 1992)
Author: Craig Keener
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Make sure you read the other side
Proverbs 18:17 says, "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." Surely American Christians indoctrinated by secular philosophy are predisposed to accept the ideas in this book. But is Keener right? The idea of "mutual submission," for example, is nothing more than a exegetical myth.

I suggest that one who reads this book afterward also reads the following:

"Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism"
edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem

"Women and the Word of God: A Response to Biblical Feminism"
by Susan T. Foh

"The Excellent Wife: A Biblical Perspective"
by Martha Peace

"Me? Obey Him?: The Obedient Wife and God's Way of Happiness and Blessing in the Home"
by Elizabeth Rice Handford

"The Surrendered Wife : A Practical Guide to Finding Intimacy, Passion, and Peace with Your Man"
by Laura Doyle

Worth reading
This book is probably the best evangelical treatment of all of the biblical passages that relate to this issue. Keener looks at issues involving the original language and the cultural setting without making the book inaccessable to average readers. If this is a new issue for you the book may not answer all of your questions, but it is a great starting place

excellent
I highly recommend this to laity and seminary students alike. Too many women have been hurt in Paul's name. Women rediscover the depth and brillance of Paul's writing and men gain a deeper understanding of the issues Paul was addressing. For a detailed and honest look at Paul's views on women and the culture he lived in this is the tour de force!


Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity?
Published in Paperback by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (March, 1995)
Author: David Wenham
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Compelling Technical Polemic
I found Wenham's argument more compelling than I had expected. The data he surveys on the connectin between Paul and the gospels is far more exaustive than the dozen+ other books I looked at on the general topic of Paul's Chritology combined and is generally well structured. Though his strategy of lumping evidence with a range of likelyhood and backing resulted in very thin allusions coinciding with strong cases. It is worth the pages and is a well put together volume.

Outstanding presentation of Jesus and Paul
This book is a comprehensive presentation of the teachings of Paul and Jesus from the New Testament. I liked the way the various concepts were presented and analyzed. For a scholarly book, it is written in an easy to read fashion that contains enough detailed information for the theological scholar and is easily followed by the layperson. The book basically blows the doors off the theological theory that Paul was unaware of Jesus and created his own version of Christianity.

The book is outlined in such a way that many concepts which are presented by both Jesus and Paul such as the Kingdom of God, the Christian Community, and the essentials elements of who Jesus was and claimed to be, are compared, contrasted and dissected against each other. The result is that the author demonstrates that the absurd theories about Paul being unaware of Jesus life and teachings are unfounded.

It is clear after examining the evidence that Paul was presenting the message of the Gospel, and was in fact a follower of Jesus Christ and not the founder of a new Gnostic religion. If you have heard these theories and are curious, please read this book.

A compelling case for Paul as a follower of Jesus
David Wenham answers the question posed in the title of his book by affirming that Paul was a follower of Jesus and not some sort of founder of a new religion. The opening chapter, entitled "Introducing the Question", was helpful in that the author was forthcoming about his methodologies and biases. No scholar is "completely un-biased", and Wenham deserves credit for sharing the path his argument will follow before blindly leading his reader down it.

A convincing argument is made that Paul was aware of far more details of Jesus' life than for which he is often credited. Wenham tries to avoid what he calls "parallelomania" which is the overzealousness of some scholars to find connections between Paul and Jesus in places where they don't actually exist. Some skeptics may find Wenham guilty of what he claims to avoid, but I believe the vast majority of his arguments are highly probable.

Wenham groups the connections between Paul and Jesus in degrees of probability. For example, the "highly probable" category includes Paul's knowledge of the Last Supper, resurrection appearances, Jesus' teaching on divorce and others. His next category is simply labelled "probable" and contains such things as Paul's awareness of the baptism of Jesus, the commissioning of Peter, and many more things. He then moves to connections which he considers to be merely "plausible", and believes Paul's awareness of the Sermon on the Mount, parables of the prodigal son and vineyard tenants, among several other items, fall into this category.

By using degrees of probability, I think Wenham safely avoids the charge of "parallelomania". He doesn't use statements such as "Paul must have known X". Instead, he uses terminology like "Paul probably knew X" or "It is very likely that Paul was aware of X". Taken as a cumulative argument, Wenham's case is highly persuasive. The one shortcoming I found with this book was that Wenham fails to adequately interact with those who would say that Paul was the founder of Christianity. Its apparent that Wenham is more than able to meet the task, so my assumption is that he wanted to focus on developing his case without constantly being sidetracked by the need to refute his opponents. If the book is ever revised, it would be great to see him address this issue. Doing so would make this an absolutely perfect book.


Secrets, Plots & Hidden Agendas: What You Don't Know About Conspiracy Theories
Published in Paperback by Intervarsity Press (March, 1999)
Author: Paul T. Coughlin
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Just what is it that we don't know?
If you're looking for ammunition to disprove popular conspiracy theories this is not the book you need. This book is primarily concerned with Christian conspiracy theories based on speculation concerning Biblical end-time prophecies. The author, apparently himself a devout Christian, comes out squarely against these theories, feeling they create much fear and hopelessness among believers and are therefore contrary to the teachings of Christ, if not his apostles. As for the more generally known conspiracy theories such as the JFK assassination cover-up, the McVeigh as fall guy for a larger plot, the massacre at Waco, he says very little to put the issue to rest except to list these theories along with a group of other theories which he thinks very little of and therefore dismisses. He does uncover a few facts I was unfamiliar with. For example, Janet Reno was moved to okay the Waco attack out of an extreme concern for the children allegedly abused by Koresh. Why it was better for them to be dead is not part of his treatise. Altogether, the book was disappointing to me because I expected a worthy rebuttal of theories which have been bothering us for so long. Instead, I learned a few interesting tidbits about how various Christian groups or sects have interpreted the apocalyptic messages of the Bible.

Shooting Jewish children in 1999!
This is not a book on conspiracy theories in general. Rather, it focuses almost exclusively on variations of a particular type of religiously-driven conspiracy theory, that type formed by a far right segment of Protestant fundamentalism, those Christians who are overconcerned with end-times apocalyptic tribulation predictions which they believe may occur within the decade. While certainly critical of people who believe and promote these conspiracy theories (e.g., Pat Robertson, Bill Gothard, and especially Hal Lindsey), author Coughlin is surprisingly fair to them. He persuades his readers that most of these people, excepting the hard-core militia-type disciples, are decent Christians who have been persuaded by charismatic conspiracy theorists into blaming specific groups (the CIA, United Nations, the democrats, the Masons, the "Jew-controlled" media, etc.) for the world's problems (inflation, Ruby Ridge, the Oklahoma City bombing, Waco, a New World Order, Y2K, etc.). Coughlin argues that we must acknowledge "that the Christian conspiracy community harbors legitimate concerns" (191). Not everything they say is stupid, or even wrong (199). Occasionally, their explanations have an element of truth. A weakness of this book is that its documentation consists mostly of secondary (even tertiary) sources, rather than primary sources. This author did not always do his own homework. He is a journalist/reporter type, not a scholar/academician. Still, I found the book helpful and worth reading. On August 11, the day after I finished the book, the national headline news was focused on Buford Furrow, the white supremacist who had allegedly just shot five people at a Jewish community center in Los Angeles. Furrow was clearly caught up in the very conspiracy theories described in this book. It underscored for me that Coughlin's thesis has something to teach us today. Conspiracy theories are serious business, indeed.

An Encouraging Volume From An Unlikely Source
It is good to see evangelical Christians who recognise that members of the fundamentalist community are implicated in political extremism,and take a stance against racist and anti-Semitic elements within that community. I would encourage non-evangelicals to read this book, and I hope that the author is not the target of reprisals from extremist members of his community. Here in New Zealand, most of our Christian Right has had links to the neofascist League of Rights over the last decade or so, and there has been little denunciation of right-wing extremism from this quarter. Deserves wider distribution.


Three Views on the Rapture
Published in Paperback by Zondervan (02 September, 1996)
Authors: Gleason L. Archer, Paul D. Feinberg, Richard R. Retter, and Richard R. Reiter
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Not convincing
It is interesting to read Three Views on the Rapture but I'm convinced that none of three views is biblical. I am a Postmil and I believe that the Bible gives enough evidence that the Great Tribulation already happened during the period 67-70 A.D. during which period the Lord unleashed His vengeance on apostate Israel. John himself, in writing Revelation, specifically mentioned that the Tribulation was SOON to take place and the TIME IS NEAR. Moreover, the message of Revelation was specifically addressed to the SEVEN CHURCHES WHICH ARE IN ASIA. These 7 churches existed during the 1st century and suffered greatly in the hands of Apostate Israel. Finally, John mentioned about the great temple which was in Jerusalem that was to be handed over to the Gentiles to be destroyed. History shows that this actually happened. No rapture took place during this tribulation period because it was the will of God for the true Church to endure the sufferings as He himself suffered in the hands of the Jews. Nowhere in the history of Christianity has the Church suffered so horribly than during this period prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

A Decent Treatment, Not Great But Adequate
The format, three predominant views of premillenialism set side by side intrigued me. I was a little bit disappointed because all three scholars are from the same school, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I was also slightly disappointed because the book is quite dated, going back to the an early 80's prophecy conference. A lot of prophetic viewpoints have changed since then, which affect interpretations and schools of thought in eschatology.

But, overall I was duly impressed. Feinerg, Archer and Moo are fine conservative scholars, and each make an impressive case for their stance as to the timing of the premillenial rapture. In my opinion, Archer stands out among them, and does an excellent job of setting forth the mid-tribulational rapture.

Not a great eschatology work, but an adequate synopsis of widely held views. I agree with the other reviewers that it is not for the novice, but for someone already familiar with premillenialism and end-times prophecy. It's a read and pass-on, no permanent place on my shelf kind of book.

This is how it should be done
The most exciting thing about this book is the way that the contributors can disagree about this topic and yet not let it hinder their fellowship or their love for one another. I have seen schools and churches that would not allow more than one view to be taught because it would "cause confusion and division." This book blows that idea out of the water. Regardless of where you end up in your own view, every believer should mirror the attitude of these gentlemen. It's not a watershed doctrine, so let's talk about it and then go have a cup of coffee and share our love of the Lord!


Reinventing Paul
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (November, 2000)
Author: John G. Gager
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Learned egregious nonsense!
Here a good scholar has really flipped. Certainly the exaggerated views of German Lutherans about Paul of Tarsus need revision. What views of German Lutherans do NOT need revision? But if Paul, as claimed by Prof. Gager, did not think that Jesus came for anyone but the Gentiles, what on earth did Paul think that James of Jerusalem and Simon Peter were up to? It is sad to see historical revisionism and benevolent ecumenism degenerate into near madness.

Gager - required reading for the student of Paul
Gager's text, "Reinventing Paul" is perhaps mislabeled, as he does less re-inventing than "recovering." With the sort of exasperation characteristic of E.P. Sanders' in "Paul and Palestinian Judaism" Gager dismantles, by way of a thorough review of recent Pauline scholarship, the age-old distortions of Paul and first century Judaism that have plagued Christianity from the outset.

His dismay is easily understood as he makes plain the way that Paul, the "Apostle to the Gentiles" was forced into the role of "Paul, critic of all that is Jewish." (my phrase) Indeed, the only regret that I had as I read his book was that he seemed unaware of the groundbreaking work of Mark Nanos' "The Mystery of Romans." Nanos' work would only have bolstered Gager's conclusions, but from a Jewish perspective.

It is no longer excusable for Christian students of the New Testament to set Paul up as an opponent of the "straw man" of Pharisaic Judaism created in the late 19th century and utterly discredited by Sanders, George Foote Moore, and Charlotte Klein. In concise form, Gager has catalogued the breaches in the dam of tradition that will, one hopes, lead to its imminent collapse. The hope, however, falters briefly when one reads critiques of Gager's book that seek to cite brief passages from Romans or Galatians once again as support for Paul's rejection of the meaningfulness of Torah for Jews of his day. Still the misrepresentations of the Judaism of that day raise their misshapen heads to perpetuate the abuses of the past.

His analysis of Romans and Galatians, while hardly exhaustive, give us an exciting taste of the benefits of real rhetorical analysis of Paul's letters, without weighing the reader down with excessive jargon. Perhaps the most wonderful bits of the whole book are the footnotes, which lead the reader from his tight digest to a variety of authors whose works explore the questions in much greater detail.

One hopes that Gager's text will become a staple in the teaching establishments of the Church. It would be a shame if any student graduated from a seminary in the next ten years without having read it.

Brilliant Insight, But Only Half the Story
John Gager's book "Reinventing Paul" is a long overdue summation of the latest insights into Paul's beliefs and his mission to the Gentiles. Gager and the others are helping to clear away 2,000 years of Christian perversion of Paul's thinking and activity. Here Gager shows that Paul was very much a Jew and remained anchored within the Jewish tradition. He did not repudiate the law of Moses, he did not argue that God had rejected Israel, his enemies were not Jews outside his movement, but opponents within, and he did not expect Jews to abandon the Law and find salvation through Jesus the Christ.

Gager goes to great lengths to show that the debate over circumcision, or whether Gentiles needed to "become" Jewish and themselves followers of the Law, was at the center of the great controversy. Ultimately, of course, Paul said, "No." Paul believed that a spiritual Christ had arrived and could be experienced through faith as the End Time was near. This has happened as a result of God's promise to Abraham that the Gentiles will also be saved. Faith in Christ is the Gentile's way to salvation, while the Jews retain their Law and covenant with God. Paul's doctrine, in other words, is one of inclusion, not exclusion.

Gager does a solid job of proving his points and his reinventing of Paul is long overdue, but the author leaves a few loose ends. He does not go into Paul's vision of the Son and what implications this has for Christianity. If Paul held that the saving experience is "faith" in God's righteousness and justice as manifest through a spiritual Christ, and that Jews can be saved even without the belief in Christ, what does this say of the Christian belief that a living Jesus walked the earth and performed a redemptive act to save mankind? Paul obviously never believed in it! Yet, Gager is silent on these issues. A sound book, in other words, as far as it goes, but it answers only half the questions concerning Paul and his vision. But, this is an important book that needs to be read.


The Archko Volume: Documents That Claim Proof to the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ
Published in Paperback by Book Tree (February, 2000)
Authors: McIntosh, Twyman, and Paul Tice
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Wise as serpents
Reviewer: Roger Pearse from Ipswich, Suffolk United Kingdom
In the 19th century there was a flood of genuine discoveries of ancient manuscripts containing hitherto unknown works from antiquity. This seems to have stimulated the production of numbers of bogus documents, targetted at various communities. The common motive was to get money: the intended victims of the hoaxes could be determined by the language used.
Most of these documents have vanished into history, with their target groups - 'Jesus in Tibet' enthusiasts and the like. The Archko volume is one that has not. It was first published in 1884 under the title "The Archaeological and the Historical Writings of the Sanhedrin and Talmuds of the Jews..." and repackaged, reedited and revised as "The Archko Volume" (2nd Edition) during the life of W.D.Mahan, its author (I have both a 1884 and a 1905 edition - Mahan died in 1906).

After some difficulty I procured a first edition. One document -'Eli and the Story of the Magi' has been omitted altogether from subsequent editions, without any mention of why. There is, of course, a good reason for this. Apparently the text is copied verbatim from the novel "Ben Hur" (publ. 1880). The rest of the material has been rearranged, although there is no mention of this in the preface. All copies with the title 'Archko volume' are versions of the second edition - the first does not have the preface in the same place.

I investigated the 'translators' McIntosh and Twyman, and found that they are not listed as the authors of any other volume in the US Library of Congress catalogue. There is no evidence that they ever existed.

The shelfmark given for the material by "Valleus Paterculus", as a Vatican Library shelfmark, is wrong, as this institution classifies its manuscripts by collection, not by author. Since I am interested in other Vatican MSS, I can vouch for this myself. In fact no manuscripts of any work by Velleius Paterculus exist anywhere in the world, as the sole MS of his real history was lost during the 17th century. Since he died in AD30, it naturally does not mention Christ.

A general discussion of some of these hoaxes is available:GOODSPEED, Edgar J., Strange New Gospels, Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1931), v+110pp. (There is a copy on the internet). It isn't very scholarly, and some of the judgements seem biased - New Testament Scholars enjoy a low reputation among Christians, and with good reason - but I have checked a number of the facts given and they seem to be correct. The rest must be left to the judgement of the reader.

The purpose of the hoax is plain - to make money from Christians living in rural areas of the US. As far as I know, it has not circulated elsewhere. It certainly was not targetted at unbelievers, or scholars, or even persons living outside the US, none of whom were at all likely to be taken in.

So what should Christians think? I was reminded of some wise words by the ancient Christian writer, Tertullian: "Manifold are the ways in which the devil has sought to undermine the truth. He is now trying to crush it, by pretending to defend it" (Adversus Praxean 1, 1). Spiritually this is a snare - inviting Christians to put their trust in something false, in the hope of convincing them, when the fraud is revealed, that the bible too is false. Commercially it is circulated for money, since its fraudulent nature has been known for over a century. If something seems too good to be true - it is. So is this.

Beware!
This work is considered a forgery. See APOCRYPHAL NEW TESTAMENT by M.R. James and STRANGE NEW GOSPELS by E.J. Goodpseed.

Archko Volume looks real to me
Some people claim the Archko Volume to be a forgery. My opinion is why would it be? Nothing in it either detracts or adds to christianity. In fact--it amplifies the humanity & godhead of Jesus at the same time. In the Archko Volume there is a written investigative report saying the night Jesus was born there was a loud ruckus of angels declaring the saviour accompanied by light shows and singing in the skies--so much so all Bethlehem was aware. So, why would anyone think the Sanhedrim would not send an investigator (Jonathan) to look into these. This awesome birth of Jesus thus documented, why would anyone think the same Sanhedrim wouldn't send an investigator to interview Mary & Joseph when Jesus was 26? I'd of been very suspect if they didn't. Perhaps those that think this is a forgery do not like the fact that the Senhedrim's agent Gamaliel reported Joseph is selfish, tall and ugly; or that Mary is fair to see and seems to be a naturally good woman. Perhaps some people think this is a forgery because Pilate appears in extreme awe of Jesus, almost a believer, in his reports to Rome. Or, that what Caiaphas wrote after and about the resurrection may have some wondering if he too resigned and later died a Christian. Can I or anyone say 100% that these are real? No - but only for the same reasons I cannot say that any copy of our Declaration of Independence in existence is real. Do I believe they are real? Yes!


The Letters of Paul (Riverhead Sacred Text Series)
Published in Paperback by Riverhead Books (August, 1998)
Authors: Bible. N.T. Epistles of Paul and John Shelby Spong
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Pathetic Revisionism
The Epsicopal Church's main proponent of blessing homosexual unions basically justifies his view by trying to discredit or at least minimize the interpretation of Paul's writings by painting him as a self-hating, repressed homosexual. Typical agenda driven liberalism - not theology.

Worth a Look
While this book is mainly a collection of the epistles, which can be found in any New Testament, it is worth purchasing for Spong's lengthy introduction in which he presents a radical but nevertheless fascinating theory concerning the first published theologian of the Christian church. Even though Spong's theory concerning the Apostle Paul cannot be proved or disproved based on New Testament evidence alone, it can also not be dismissed out of hand based on that very same evidence.

Makes Paul newly relevant!
A refreshing way to read the first Christian author! Bishop Spong in his introduction offers challenging consideration and surprising insight into the person of Paul of Tarsus. Putting the Epistles into their probable chronological order offers further enlightenment on them.


2000 A.D.: Are You Ready?: How New Technologies and Lightning-Fast Changes Are Opening the Door for Satan and His Plan for the End of the World
Published in Paperback by Thomas Nelson (July, 1997)
Authors: Peter Lalonde and Paul Lalonde
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For fun only, please don't take seriously.
I received this book as a gift because I am fascinated by the mentality behind conspiracy theory but I am not into them. I think the only people who would take this book seriously are those who are already mentally dysfunctional and really just looking for an excuse to plant a bomb. If they would'nt find the excuse in this book then they would surely find it somewhere else. Apart from that this really is just for pure entertainment. It just doesn't have the thoroughness about it which would set it up as one of the more convincing publications on conspiracy theory, not that they are ever very convincing. The only reason I don't give it more stars is because it presents itself as fact instead of comedy fiction. I particularly enjoyed the reveiw of Om Shiva at Bonkersville, Alabama. I laughed more at that than I did at this book and I think it summarises perfectly the mind set with which this book should be digested.

I will share my knowledge wýth u to teach u the truths
The Spirit of Dark Angel called "Deccal" will born in a human body with order of God after the last saint is dead. And Deccal will born in China and speak Chinese. He will bring the supreme destruction (I guess it is 3rd World WAR)and blood will be one till a powerful saint called "Mehti" reborn to destroy Dark Angel and bring peace to humanity. But as u can guess billions of organisms will die because of Deccal. "Mehti" The saver will reborn as a king of an Arabic Kingdom after Deccal. The point is the last saint in the world has born and alive for now. When he dies, Deccal will born and I guess only about 100 hundred years left to total destruction so start to pray for your souls and if you are interested in , to learn more about read the holy book of muslims called "Kur-an'i Kerim".

Superb treatment of a fascinating subject.
This book is excelent and it cunningly fits right into the crevise between my cheeks. I would recommend it to anyone and would also suggest some other reading - "Beelzebub - My true Story" - J R R Phartley, "That God guy, what a wuss" - B L Zeubb , "How to succeed in Life (by getting your head out of your nether parts)" - W R T Gubbins, ", "How to get rid of piles using execrable reading material" - Big Black God.

I honestly have never read anything quite like this book and I can honestly say that it opened my eyes! This Satan guy is one twisted s.o.b. though not half as wired as the doomsday twins from Wackedoutville. People believe this stuff, some of them might even be able to read. Oy-oy the world is truely coming to an end. Well, hopefully for some of these nutters.


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