Book Reviews

.

The following overview lists all book reviews elaborated by this ministry since the year 2020 and currently being carried on in the year 2024.

The previous groundwork for those reviews is found in the section 'Discernment', and problematic terms, teachings and teachers are directly linked to the respective discernment, while specific theology is linked to the respective study of this ministry.

    Alphabetical List

    1. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, by Gary Chapman (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/06/2024)
    2. 50 Ethical Questions: Biblical Wisdom for Confusing Times, by J. Alan Branch (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/09/2024)
    3. The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story, by David C. Cook, Sergio Cariello (not rated 〣 Reviewed 04/11/2023)
    4. Aging with Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture, by Sharon W. Betters, Susan Hunt (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 13/05/2024)
    5. AHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything, by Kyle Idleman (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 13/08/2024)
    6. Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices that Can Transform Your Life and Relationships, by Curt Thompson (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/02/2024)
    7. The Apostolic Bible Polyglot Greek English Interlinear, by Charles Van Der Pool (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 11/01/2023)
    8. The Apostolic Fathers, various authors and translators (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 14/06/2024)
    9. The Autobiography of George Müller, by George Müller (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/06/2024)
    10. Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation, by Christa Brown (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/05/2024)
    11. Basic Christianity, by John R.W. Stott, Rick Warren (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/01/2024)
    12. Behind The Preacher's Door, by Warren E. Berkley (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 23/10/2024)
    13. The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance, by John Trent, Gary Smalley (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 15/05/2024)
    14. The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, by Vishal Mangalwadi (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/08/2022)
    15. Building on Firm Foundations, by Trevor McIlwain (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 10/09/2024)
    16. The Call, by Os Guinness (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 02/01/2024)
    17. Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy, by Bob Kirkland (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/11/2024)
    18. The Canon of Scripture, F.F. Bruce (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/04/2023)
    19. Captive in Iran, by Maryam Rostampour, Marziyeh Amirizadeh (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/11/2023)
    20. The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God, by Lee Strobel (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/04/2024)
    21. The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, by Lee Strobel (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/06/2024)
    22. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, by Gary R. Habermas, Michael Licona (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/06/2024)
    23. Chasing the Dragon: One Woman's Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong's Drug Dens, by Jackie Pullinger, Andrew Quicke (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/05/2024)
    24. Christian. Muslim. Friend., by David W. Shenk (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 02/10/2024)
    25. A Christian Perspective on the Social Justice Movement, by Roger Oakland (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/12/2024)
    26. A Christian's Guide to Evidence for the Bible, by Daniel Hays (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 31/10/2024)
    27. A Christian's Guide to Planet Earth: Why It Matters and How to Care for It, by Betsy Painter (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/03/2023)
    28. Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Systematic, by Adam Harwood (not rated 〣 Reviewed 16/10/2024)
    29. Church History in Plain Language, by Bruce L. Shelley (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 29/08/2024)
    30. Cleansing the Temple: A Call to Radical Christianity, by Jesse Morrell (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/07/2024)
    31. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels, by J. Warner Wallace (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 30/05/2024)
    32. Convergence: Why Jesus needs to be more than our Lord and Savior for the church to thrive in a post-Christian world, by Jon Thompson (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/02/2023)
    33. Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny: Answering Darwin, Dawkins, and the New Atheists, by Dave Hunt (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 11/12/2024)
    34. Courageous, by Randy Alcorn, Alex & Stephen Kendrick (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/11/2022)
    35. The Cross and the Switchblade, by David Wilkerson, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/04/2024)
    36. David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who Believed, by Gary Wilkerson (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 12/02/2024)
    37. Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent, by N.D. Wilson (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/10/2023)
    38. Discovering the Septuagint, by David Bercot (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/12/2023)
    39. Enneagram Theology, by Rhenn Cherry (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/11/2024)
    40. An Evangelical Appeal for the Septuagint, by C.W. Henry (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 27/06/2024)
    41. Evangullible, by Warren B. Smith (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/11/2024)
    42. Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time, by Stephen Arterburn (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 12/09/2024)
    43. Evidence That Demands a Verdict Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World, by Josh McDowell (2017) (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/07/2024)
    44. Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, by Miroslav Volf (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 25/04/2024)
    45. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, by Henry T. Blackaby, Claude V. King (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/04/2024)
    46. Faith Undone, by Roger Oakland (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/12/2024)
    47. Fast Facts on False Teachings, by Ron Carlson (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/12/2024)
    48. Fighting for Peace: Your Role in a Culture Too Comfortable with Violence, by Carol Howard (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 12/09/2024)
    49. Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace, Heath Lambert (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/10/2022)
    50. Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes, by Nancy R. Pearcey (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 25/04/2023)
    51. For Many Shall Come in My Name, by Ray Yungen (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/12/2024)
    52. Foxe's Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, William Grinton Berry (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 06/07/2023)
    53. From Queer To Christ: My Journey Into the Light, by George Carneal (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/09/2024)
    54. Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know?, by Sharon James (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/07/2020)
    55. The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications, by John C. Whitcomb, Henry M. Morris III (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 27/11/2023)
    56. Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, by Gregg Lewis, Deborah Shaw Lewis (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/04/2024)
    57. Glad You Asked!: Answers to 28 Tough Questions Teens Are Asking About God and the Bible, by Reasons for Hope (not rated 〣 Reviewed 20/04/2024)
    58. God Calling: Devotionals for Restoring Faith and Serenity, by A.J. Russell (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/10/2022)
    59. God's Design for Women in an Age of Gender Confusion, by Sharon James (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 31/07/2020)
    60. God Doesn't Waste a Thing: Meeting Christ Behind Bars, Luke Chance (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 24/10/2024)
    61. God's Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian's Fight for Freedom, by Bob Fu, Nancy French (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/11/2022)
    62. God's Smuggler, by Brother Andrew, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 09/04/2024)
    63. God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies, by Costi W. Hinn (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/09/2022)
    64. The Good Shepherd Calls, by Roger Oakland (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/07/2024)
    65. Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ, by Matthew W. Bates (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/05/2023)
    66. The Gospel's Power & Message, by Paul David Washer (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/09/2022)
    67. Grasping God's Word, by  J. Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 06/08/2024)
    68. The Green Letters, by Miles J. Stanford (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 13/12/2022)
    69. Healing for Damaged Emotions, by David A. Seamands (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/07/2024)
    70. The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun, Paul Hathaway (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/07/2024)
    71. He Gets Us: Experiencing the confounding love, forgiveness, and relevance of Jesus, by Max Lucado (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/02/2023)
    72. Her Mother's Hope, by Francine Rivers (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/08/2024)
    73. A Hidden Path, by Sound Word, Mariah Kirkpatrick, Joy McCloud, Oscar Whatmore, Barbara Hansell (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 12/11/2024)
    74. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom (Written by John & Elizabeth Sherrill) (not rated)
    75. Holman Bible Atlas, by Thomas V. Brisco (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 29/11/2024)
    76. How Christianity Transformed the World, by Sharon James (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 06/11/2024)
    77. How to Keep the Sabbath Holy, by Doug Batchelor (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 13/08/2024)
    78. How To Know God Exists: Scientific Proof Of God, by Ray Comfort (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 15/07/2024)
    79. Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, by Howard & Geraldine Taylor (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 12/08/2024)
    80. I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encouter with God, by Bilquis Sheikh, Richard Schneider (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 24/07/2023)
    81. I Declare War: Four Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself, by Levi Lusko (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 22/02/2023)
    82. I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, by Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 15/04/2024)
    83. The Illustrated Origins Answer Book, by Paul S. Taylor (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 11/12/2024)
    84. The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus, by Zack Eswine (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/01/2023)
    85. In His Steps, by Charles M. Sheldon (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/12/2023)
    86. The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, by Nik Ripken, Gregg Lewis (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 24/01/2023, updated 21/06/2024)
    87. The Insanity of Obedience: Walking with Jesus in Tough Places, by Nik Ripken (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 22/05/2024)
    88. Introducing Christianity to Mormons: A Practical and Comparative Guide to What the Bible Teaches, by Eric Johnson (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/11/2024)
    89. Invitation to the Septuagint, by Karen Jobes, Moisés Silva (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/06/2024)
    90. Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/05/2024)
    91. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony, by Richard Bauckham (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/10/2024)
    92. Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, by David P. Murray (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/05/2024)
    93. Jesus, Continued...: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better than Jesus Beside You, by J.D. Greear (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 25/01/2024)
    94. Judgment Day! Islam, Israel and the Nations, by Dave Hunt (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/12/2024)
    95. Lectures to My Students, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/01/2023)
    96. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculée Ilibagiza (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 12/06/2023)
    97. Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity, by Gregory A. Boyd, Edward K. Boyd (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 13/01/2024)
    98. The Lie: Evolution, by Ken Ham (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 24/06/2024)
    99. The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction, by Adam S. McHugh (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/02/2022)
    100. Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs, by Emerson Eggerichs (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 02/04/2024)
    101. The Love Dare, by Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 22/10/2023)
    102. Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World, by Bob Goff (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/03/2024)
    103. Love Into Light: The Gospel, the Homosexual and the Church, by Peter Hubbard (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/09/2024)
    104. Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, by Nancy R. Pearcey (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/09/2022)
    105. Love Your Church: 8 Great Things About Being a Church Member, by Tony Merida (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/12/2022)
    106. Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies, by Hillary Morgan Ferrer (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/12/2023)
    107. The Master's Indwelling, by Andrew Murray (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 09/09/2024)
    108. Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/04/2020)
    109. The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission, by Christopher J.H. Wright (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/03/2024)
    110. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics, by Richard B. Hays (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/10/2024)
    111. More Than a Carpenter, by Josh McDowell (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/03/2024)
    112. More Than a Healer: Not the Jesus You Want, but the Jesus You Need, by Costi W. Hinn (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/09/2022)
    113. My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 29/05/2024)
    114. Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God, by Kaitlin B. Curtice (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/04/2024)
    115. The Natural Ability of Man, by Jesse Morrell (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 14/11/2024)
    116. A New English Translation of the Septuagint (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/06/2024)
    117. No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green, by Melody Green (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/07/2023)
    118. No One Ever Asked, by Katie Ganshert (not rated 〣 Reviewed 27/07/2024)
    119. Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/03/2024)
    120. Once Saved, Always Saved?: A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance, by David Pawson (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/11/2024)
    121. One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven, by Mark Cahill (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/12/2024)
    122. Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope, by Christopher Yuan (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 29/07/2024)
    123. Pleasing People: How not to be an approval junkie, by Lou Priolo (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/10/2023)
    124. Powerful Prayers in the War Room: Learning to Pray like a Powerful Prayer Warrior, by Daniel B. Lancaster (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/09/2024)
    125. The Power of a Praying Wife, by Stormie Omartian (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 07/02/2024)
    126. Practicing the Way, by John Mark Comer (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/08/2024)
    127. Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His, by Robin Jones Gunn, Tricia Goyer (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/07/2024)
    128. Praying the Bible, by Donald S. Whitney (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/01/2023)
    129. Pressing On Through It All, by Warren B. Smith (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/12/2024)
    130. The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine, by A.W. Tozer (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/02/2024)
    131. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 14/03/2024)
    132. Reclaimed: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity in a Dehumanized World, by Andy Steiger, Sheri Hiebert (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 10/11/2022)
    133. Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murray (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/10/2024)
    134. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/03/2024)
    135. Remarriage is Adultery Unless, by David Pawson (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 27/11/2024)
    136. The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, by Mark Buchanan (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/04/2023)
    137. Return from Tomorrow, by George G. Ritchie, Elizabeth Sherrill (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/04/2024)
    138. Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, by Don Veinot & Marcia Montenegro (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/09/2024)
    139. Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together, by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, Lynn Vincent (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 22/02/2024)
    140. Same Words, Different Worlds Do Roman Catholics and Evangelicals Believe the Same Gospel, by Leonardo De Chirico (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/10/2024)
    141. The School of Biblical Evangelism, by Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/11/2023)
    142. The Search For Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes, by Robert S. McGee (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 10/01/2024)
    143. The Secret Battle of Ideas about God: Overcoming the Outbreak of Five Fatal Worldviews, by Jeff Myers (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/05/2024)
    144. A Secular Age, by Charles Taylor  (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 14/08/2024)
    145. The Seduction of Christianity: Spiritual Discernment in the Last Days, by Dave Hunt (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 27/09/2024)
    146. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, by Nabeel Qureshi (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 25/01/2023)
    147. A Severe Mercy: A Story of Faith, Tragedy, and Triumph, by Sheldon Vanauken, C.S. Lewis (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/09/2023)
    148. Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life's Storms, by Tim Tebow (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 10/04/2024)
    149. Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, by Kevin Leman (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 30/04/2024)
    150. Simple Answers: Understanding the Catholic Faith, by Ray Yungen (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/11/2024)
    151. Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, by N.T. Wright (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 30/01/2024)
    152. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, by Ann Spangler, Lois Tverberg (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 13/10/2023)
    153. Song of Redemption (Chronicles of the Kings, #2), by Lynn Austin (not rated 〣 Reviewed 16/04/2024)
    154. Stay Salt, by Rebecca Manley Pippert (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 27/11/2022)
    155. The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home, by Russell D. Moore (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/04/2023)
    156. The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between, by Gregory Koukl (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/01/2023)
    157. Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, by Charles Marsh (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/04/2024)
    158. Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, by Carl R. Trueman (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 14/12/2022)
    159. Strongman's His Name...What's His Game?: An Authoritative Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare, by Jerry Robeson (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 21/10/2024)
    160. Surprised by Oxford, by Carolyn Weber (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/01/2024)
    161. A Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 29/07/2024)
    162. The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place, by Andy Crouch (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 08/09/2023)
    163. Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media, by Chris Martin (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/09/2024)
    164. This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years, by Jaquelle Crowe Ferris (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 01/03/2023)
    165. A Time of Departing, by Ray Yungen (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 25/11/2024)
    166. The Titanic and Today's Church, by Warren B. Smith (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/12/2024)
    167. To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, by James Davison Hunter (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 04/09/2024)
    168. The Torn Veil: The Best-Selling Story of Gulshan Esther (not rated 〣 Reviewed 23/09/2024)
    169. Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 11/03/2024)
    170. Total Truth, by Nancy Pearcy (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 22/08/2024)
    171. To the Golden Shore, by Courtney Anderson (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 30/10/2024)
    172. Tramp for the Lord, by Corrie Ten Boom (Written by Jamie Buckingham) (not rated)
    173. Translation and Survival: The Greek Bible of the Ancient Jewish Diaspora, by Tessa Rajak (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 28/09/2024)
    174. Trapped in Hitler's Hell, by Anita Dittman, Jan Markell (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/11/2024)
    175. Unashamed, by Lecrae Moore (5 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 02/03/2023)
    176. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 26/06/2024)
    177. Unquestioned Answers: Rethinking Ten Christian Clichés to Rediscover Biblical Truths, by Jeff Myers (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 02/05/2023)
    178. Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way out of the Mormon Church, by Lynn K. Wilder (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 15/09/2023)
    179. Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help for a Common Problem, by Robert D. Jones (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 18/03/2024)
    180. A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/10/2022)
    181. The Watchmen, by Mark Cahill (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/11/2024)
    182. The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/08/2024)
    183. What the Early Christians Believed About the Head Covering, by David W. Bercot (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 20/12/2024)
    184. What the Early Christians Believed About Salvation, by David W. Bercot (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/11/2024)
    185. What Love is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God, by Dave Hunt (4 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 10/10/2024)
    186. When Crickets Cry, by Charles Martin (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 06/03/2024)
    187. When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence, by Squire Rushnell (1 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 19/09/2024)
    188. When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances, by Carol J. Kent (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 03/10/2023)
    189. Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything, by Edgar Andrews (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 17/10/2024)
    190. Why I Trust the Bible: Answers to Real Questions and Doubts People Have about the Bible, by William D. Mounce (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 27/07/2023)
    191. Why Not Women : A Biblical Study of Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership, by Loren Cunningham (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 05/2020)
    192. Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity, by David Bercot (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 29/08/2024)
    193. A Woman After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 16/04/2024)
    194. Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, by Bob Kauflin (3 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 11/07/2024)
    195. You Carried Me, by Melissa Ohden (2 out of 5 stars 〣 Reviewed 14/01/2024)
    196. Find this list also @ Goodreads

    The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, by Gary Chapman (3*)

    Reviewed 18/09/2024 〣 2x read

    When I read this book for the first time as a Milk-Christian, I was delighted to find good practical advice in a Christian context. But having re-read it some years later as a more mature Christian, I was negatively surprised about how little it had to do with the Bible.

    The book could have indeed been written under the umbrella of any other religion, by simply changing 'Jesus' for another name, without noticing the least difference. This is sad news, because some more effort could have indeed converted this book into a biblical guideline and not simply let it be one more book of pop-psychology.

    PROS

    + Very valuable teachings which have probably helped to save thousands of marriages.

    + No questionable endorsements (except Mother Teresa who was a fraud) or questionable theology.

    CONS

    - When one of his clients was trapped in active adultery, the author "showed sympathy" instead of calling out the sin. While I understand limitations of a counselor, he can never neglect his biblical mandate and should much less use such a testimony in order to go public with it and make millions of readers believe that adultery is something we can show sympathy with.

    - The first half of the book includes not even one mention of the name of JESUS, but repeated references to sages.

    - His advices are great, but they are rather worldly.

    - While this book about love is written in a Christian context, there is no definition of biblical love found in it, and not even a single Bible verse describing biblical love. This is truly problematic. Throughout the book, he employs two Bible passages.

    - He does not even teach once in the entire book about sin, and much less about repentance. The only mention of the word 'sin' is found on p27: "A politician is involved in an adulterous relationship, and he calls it love. The preacher, on the other hand, calls it sin. The wife of an alcoholic picks up the pieces after her husband's latest episode. She calls it love, but the psychologist calls it codependency."

    - There is no teaching about the foundation of a marriage, such as headship and the role of both spouses serving each other. While his approach probably works, it would be soon nullified if the couple would not even follow the basic biblical principles.

    - The book has a strong materialistic touch when it comes to gifts, weekend getaways et al. But he teaches at least that also small and non-monetary gifts can be a great deal.

    - While the book suggests all kinds of activities for the married couple, there is not a single church-related activity included aside from visiting church on Sundays. How much more significant a marriage could become if a couple would serve together in meaningful ways?

    50 Ethical Questions: Biblical Wisdom for Confusing Times, by J. Alan Branch (3*)

    Reviewed 18/09/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + He follows a sound approach when interpreting biblical law.

    Quote "The biblical concept of love does not mean that we can disregard G-d's rules. Christians should not use vague and unbiblical notions of love as an excuse to circumvent G-d's moral boundaries. Love for G-d will motivate us to be obedient to G-d's moral precepts."

    + Great stance on 'Social Justice', I quote: "What biblical justice does demand is that poor people not be exploited and that all people, regardless of class or social standing, be treated equally in the eyes of law enforcement. These goals are far more limited than modern, expansive notions of social justice that want to guarantee that every member of society ends up at the same place economically. This means that while justice is clearly a biblical principle, social justice may or may not be."

    + Great stance on the moral status of preborn human life, against abortion; to suggest adoption as response to a child conceived after a rape; for the preservation of a precious human being with the down syndrome; against in vitro fertilization; against the use of surrogates; against the donation or reception of sperm or eggs; for signing an advance directive declining medical treatment if that treatment is hindering G-d's plan and the natural course of things; against physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia; for courtship over dating; for repentance and restoration after unchastity; against living together before marriage; against the 'morning-after pill'; for marriage and against divorce; against homos**ual activities; against gambling and against profanity.

    CONS

    - Correct stance against suicide, but highly problematic (probably evil) statement: "In cases where Christians commit suicide, they are still covered by G-d's grace, though G-d does not approve of suicide".

    Suicide is murder which means breaking the Moral Law. While transgressions of the Moral Law can be forgiven upon repentance, repentance can hardly take place after the act of suicide is initiated. We should therefore abstain from implying that THEOS' grace could still cover such an act. It could be (in rare exceptions according to THEOS' special judgment), but this is not up to us to define or to publically speculate about.

    - Correct stance on fornication, but he implies that the Bible does not properly define it which is wrong. The Bible provides at least 28 definitions of 'fornication' and 'unchastity', but we have sadly thrown out both terms from our Bible translations (the KJV trumps here).

    Strong's G4205, ΠΟΡΝΟϹ, pornos - clearly confirms the case against 'fornicators': 1Cor 5:9-11, 1Cor 6:9-10, Heb 12:14-16, Rev 21:8 

    Strong's G4203, ΠΟΡΝΕΥⲰ, porneuo - is the term correctly translated with 'to commit fornication': 1Cor 6:18, 1Cor 10:8

    Strong's G4202, ΠΟΡΝΕΙΑ, porneia - is often watered down with 'sexual immorality', but it clearly refers to fornication / unchastity / any type of sexual intercourse before the wedding night'. The watering down of this term has done immense damage to the church. The term 'fornication' is found in Mat 15:19, Joh 8:41, Act 15:20, Rom 1:29, Act 15:28-29, 1Cor 5:1, 1Cor 6:13, 1Cor 6:18, 1Cor 7:2, 2Cor 12:21, Gal 5:19, Eph 5:3, 1The 4:3-7, Rev 2:21 and Rev 9:21. The term 'unchastity' is found in Mat 5:3 and Mat 19:9.

    Strong's G1608, ΕΚΠΟΡΝΕΥⲰ, ekporneuo is 'fornication': Deu 22:21, Jud 1:7 (Greek OT)

    Strong's H2181, זָנָה, zânâh is 'unchastity' Lev 21:7, Isa 57:3, Hos 4:14, Deu 22:21 (see also the in-depth word study on 'Sexual Discipline')

    - He wrongly teaches that divorce is allowed in case of adultery. He uses an erroneous translation of the exception clause to include the oxymoron 'except on the basis of adultery, commits adultery'. The content of this exception clause cannot be identical with the result which is 'adultery' = marital unfaithfulness ... Correct translation: "But I say to you, that anyone who should abandon his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her commit adultery." (see also the in-depth study on 'Marriage vs. Divorce')

    - He wrongly infers that abuse justifies divorce, which is against the biblical teaching. Abuse can justify a separation if the presbyters of the church (= elders / overseers / pastors) declare the spouse to be an unbeliever, based on ongoing abuse and absence of repentance. No divorce and consequently no remarriage is allowed, and the vicious circle is therefore stopped. If we would follow his worldly advise of divorce & remarriage, then the vicious circle almost certainly continues.

    - Problematic stance on same-sex-weddings, leaving it as an option for believers to attend. Would JESUS have attended? No! He sat with sinners, but did not celebrate sin!

    - He refers to the Catholic Pontifical Academy for Life when searching for authoritative guidelines regarding vaccines. He refers to the Catechism of the Catholic Church when speaking about por**graphy. He refers to Pope Paul VI when looking for guidance on contraception. He consults the position of the Catholic Church on gambling.

    > This endorsement of the RCC as ultimate authority is highly problematic and the reason why I have to abstain from recommending this book which contains many valuable teachings but also serious transgressions.

    - Repeated endorsement (3x) of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    "When considering ethics", he goes as far as to consider Lewis' suggestions on how "we should think in 3 conceptual categories: 1. External Relationships, 2. Internal Faculties, 3. Serving Proper Goals ..."

    - He quotes (1x) Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Freemason, Black Fraternity 'Der Igel' (The Hedgehog) in Tübingen, strong affinity for Jesuits, claimed that "the biblical witness is uncertain with regard to the virgin birth")

    - He endorses the Westminster confession (Calvinist manifest).

    The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story, by David C. Cook, Sergio Cariello (not rated)

    Reviewed 04/11/2023

    Very valuable illustration for both children and adults, but naturally no alternative to the Bible.

    PROS

    + Excellent illustrations which facilitate the comprehensive understanding of the biblical narrative.

    CONS

    - Included are 5-6 pages which are based on non-Biblical historical documents (Brief summary of the Intertestamental Period and of Paul's death which is speculation).

    Aging with Grace: Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture, by Sharon W. Betters, Susan Hunt (2*)

    Reviewed 13/05/2024 〣 100% read

    A book with some good teachings, but with a heavy dose of Calvinism, Romanticizing and Spiritualizing.

    PROS

    + The book provides much value and estimation for aging people. It fills an important gap. But considering that there is no known book from a male perspective, it would have been beneficial if one of the authors would have represented the male perspective, which is vastly different when aging.

    + Lots of biblical quotations and stories.

    CONS

    - The book opens with a quote from Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, a very problematic teacher who has led multitudes straight to hell. This sadly sets a miserable tone for the book and overshadows the partly good teachings that follow.

    - The book does show a cult-like attitude, precisely the sign of exclusivity. It is certainly not the first book which heavily quotes from Calvinists, but this book seems to do it exclusively which is problematic. It endorses false teachers such as Timothy Keller (at whose church one of the authors worked!), Spurgeon, Sproul, Packer and of course Calvin himself. 

    - The Westminster Confession is quoted with a record rarely seen in any book before, and is of course complemented by the Westminster Seminary et al. (The Presbyterian theological professor Herrick Johnson acknowledged: "Across the Westminster Confession could justly be written: "The Gospel for the elect only." That Confession was written under the absolute dominion of one idea, the doctrine of predestination. It does not contain one of the three truths: God's love for a lost world; Christ's compassion for a lost world; and the Gospel universal for a lost world.")

    - The reader is directed to visit the bookstore of the 'Presbyterian Church in America', where we find of course the whole array of Calvinists authors and their books.

    - The authors do not agree with each other. While one author endorses the Weekly Sabbath, another treats it as something Jewish and encourages the reader to either celebrate on the first day or to alternately consider the passage of Hebrews in the light of Any-Day-Sabbatism (suggesting that we are now in some sort of eternal Sabbath). It is one thing what the author herself does. But to teach others to disobey the Moral Law, is wrong at best, and probably deserves the adjective 'heretical'.

    - The book has a feminist touch. The authors pronounce that they are acting within the limits of God-given authority, but the fact alone that they have to explain themselves, shows already that they are willingly embracing the limits. They speak countless times of 'matriarchs' as if being the most normal term in the world, which they brought up without any explanation.

    One of them clearly assumes the role of an overseer (=elder, shepherd) when stating that she oversaw or oversees the small groups of her church (a clear transgression of NT law) and another goes as far as to state that she disciples pastor's wives, which is in the light of the oneness of a pastoral couple highly problematic. The wife of an overseer being discipled under the authority of a woman from the church, is most certainly not a constellation we could imagine to find in the Bible.

    - Calvinist doctrine appears several times in the book (the elect, chosen from eternity past, Romans 8 ...).

    - The book often spiritualizes and romanticizes the whole Bible. Negatives aspects are rare, and even the horrific account of Babylon is told from the most beautiful perspective possible, going as far as to speak several times of the 'elect exiles', a ridiculous term never heard before elsewhere.

    While it might be true that a few of the exiles were true believers, it is very clear that the majority of Jews in that specific time were neither saved nor elect. The authors also abuse several times the passage from Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans which I am planning for you ..." [a promise given to the Hebrews exiled in Babylon] ...

    - The book decorates the Bible with questionable details such as how many rivers Ruth & Naomi had to pass on the way to Jerusalem, and states it as fact that they travelled alone, although this is highly questionable and not indicated as such. In the Bible we find accounts where it appears e.g. as if David travelled alone, only to read later that he was accompanied by dozens and then by hundreds of people. Two women would almost certainly have waited for the next travellers to join on that route.

    AHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything, by Kyle Idleman (3*)

    Reviewed 13/08/2024 〣 100% read

    This book surprised me negatively, after having watched his great video series with the same name. It contains many very valuable teachings, but it also contains numerous serious transgressions and endorsements.

    PROS

    + A great motivation to get out of the comfort zone and to address sin -especially to repent from the whole heart before the LORD and also before man. The book focuses on one story, the story of the prodigal son, to bring home a powerful message about a restoration which is always possible if we are willing (and still can see).

    CONS

    - He almost exclusively quotes from the highly problematic Message Bible. I have never read as much from the Message Bible as in this book. This is truly shocking and the intensity of the promotion clearly points to a specific contractual agreement with Eugene Peterson. The second Bible used is the NLT which is not much better.

    - Very specific endorsement of teachers close to Catholicism (the Catholic writer Blaise Pascal and the Catholic philosopher Michael John Novak Jr. as even pointed out by him!). He wrote in 2023 on Facebook: "So grateful for Catholic Faith Network for taking time today to talk about my new book".

    - He is sometimes liberal in his interpretation of Scripture and we find several small transgressions, e.g. he claimed that the LORD sounded an alarm to Job when Job underwent his sufferings. But there is no indication of any wrongdoings of Job prior to this testing by satan.

    - It is certainly not a sin when Christians watch television. But it is a problem if a teacher of the Word packs numerous TV programs and channels into his book and constantly employs comparisons of Scriptural principles with the world of television. He indeed is actively pushing Christians to watch television, which is problematic. We ought not to be part of this world. Many of the dangerous practices he teaches against in this book, are propelled by watching television.

    - He goes as far as to list his favorite Youtube pranks related to 'rude awakenings'. He might want to collect some bonus points with teens, but such a teaching is truly ridiculous and even sinful. It is unthinkable to even combine such a practice with the teachings found e.g. in Proverbs, but we are warned to not lie and to indeed treat others with honor.

    - Another clear crossing of the red line is found in his confession of secretly (from his wife) watching UFC fights. This is truly, truly shocking to be found in a Christian book.

    - Endorsement of Timothy Keller (Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...). Twitter quote from 2013: "Some of you have asked... One of my favorite authors is Tim Keller"

    - The book is officially endorsed by Mark Batterson, author of the highly problematic book 'The Circlemaker'.

    ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

    - He claimes that Cain gave to the LORD only leftovers. This is plainly wrong, because the Bible clearly states that he "brought it rightly", but did "not rightly divide it". Gen 4:7 in the Greek reads: 'Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? be still, to thee shall be his submission, and thou shalt rule over him.'

    Anatomy of the Soul: Surprising Connections Between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices that Can Transform Your Life and Relationships, by Curt Thompson (2*)

    Reviewed 01/02/2024 〣 100% read

    While the book offers some interesting insights, I do not recommend it because of its promotion of Spiritual Formation and other serious issues which are contrary to the Word.

    PROS

    - He is knowledgeable in his field.

    - He makes an honorable attempt to reflect Christianity in the light of psychology.

    CONS

    - He over and over recommends mindfulness meditation (of buddhist origin), specifically the 'body scan'. He further recommends to practise Tai chi and yoga, which are mind-body practices that involve movement, meditation, and breathwork.

    - He promotes Contemplative Prayer and Centering Prayer, an unbiblical and problematic practise. Quote: "How on earth do you 'center' when the centrifugal forces of the moment seem so overwhelming? It helps to begin by focusing on your body. Remember that even before inviting the Romans to transformation by the renewing of their minds, Paul encourages them to offer their bodies as holy, pleasing and living sacrifices." This is a twisting and misuse of Scripture in order to justify practises which are contrary to the Bible and very close to New Age practises.

    - It is to no surprise that he spoke at 'The Apprentice Gathering', a movement dedicated to Spiritual Formation and promoting a hall-of -fame of problematic teachers including Jesuits.

    - He endorses twice Henri Nouwen and his books (Jesuit; Taught Contemplative / Centering Prayer, Hesychasm and the Egyptian Desert Fathers and Mothers. Desert mysticism included cave-dwelling, starvation, and, at times, bodily mutilation; Universalist. Taught Kenosis meaning to empty one's mind, being very similar to New Age/ Eastern meditation, but with Christian words; Collaboration with Richard Rohr).

    - He endorses Walter Brueggemann and his books.

    - He endorses the Spiritual Formation books of Richard Foster and Dallas Willard as "excellent, in-depth discussions". Foster clearly teaches New Age and very often quotes its teachers, is part of the Emerging church / Contemplative Prayer / Mysticism movements and wrote the 'Spiritual Formation Study Bible' together with Eugene Peterson. Willard was his partner in crime for the creation of this Bible, was a founding mem­ber of Ren­o­varé, held to either 'Christian Universalism' or the Wider Mercy doctrine, and was also part of the Emerging church / Contemplative Prayer; he is also described as the 'spiritual twin' of Richard Foster)

    - He quotes Leo Tolstoy who was not a Christian and excommunicated due to his opposition against the church.

    - Recommendation of Rob Bell's material.

    - There is no sense of holiness in the book. "I never thought of G-d as singing to me. Is he a tenor, a bariton or a soprano?" He even compared THEOS with the band 'U2' and asked us to imagine being in a stadium where THEOS sings for us alone. He repeatedly reflected on the prefrontal context of JESUS and projected all kinds of thoughts and words on Him. The chapter with the fall of Adam and Eve is particularly marked by a creative license not seen before in any other books to such an extent. He claims that Eve felt shame before the fall, but shame is a product of a fallen world and could therefore not have existed before the fall.

    - He leaves his denomination in the dark, but uses words such as 'mass' instead of service, and 'parishioners'.

    - He is (or was) elder at a church, where 4 out of 8 elders are female.

    - He promotes the Enneagram outside this book. He got into it through Dan Siegel, who provided the main inspiration for this book.

    The Apostolic Bible Polyglot Greek English Interlinear, by Charles Van Der Pool (5*)

    Reviewed 11/01/2023

    A superb, probably the very best and most reliable English Interlinear Bible translation.

    The Apostolic Fathers, various authors and translators (2*)

    Reviewed 14/06/2024 〣 2x read

    I was for many years under the impression that the Apostolic Fathers are closer to the Bible than the Deuterocanonicals. That impression formed after reading some fragments of the Didache and listening to undiscerning scholars.

    But it is exactly the opposite. While the 15 Deuteroncanonicals include maybe a dozen problematic passages throughout all those books, the 12 Apostolic letters contain probably 4 dozen problematic passages.

    While there are many important insights and biblical teachings (> 90% as with most false teachers), it carries the signature of systematic heresy. More precisely it can be seen as the very foundation for the rise of the Roman Catholic church, because we have here the very first documents which specify many of the very specific transgressions which soon led to corrupted doctrines.

    1CLEMENT (1 out of 5 stars - avoid at all cost)

    • Spiritualizing.
    • Extrabiblical salvation.
    • Endorsement of a continuation of sacrifices. Introduction of liturgies.
    • Endorsement of capital punishment.
    • Endorsement of Deuterocanonicals.
    • Frequent language of 'the elect'.
    • Bishops (not as separate office), but rule of succession (institutional office).

    2CLEMENT (5* out of 5 stars - recommended reading)

    • No problematic passages found. Sound teaching.

    IGNATIUS TO EPHESIANS, MAGNESIANS, ROMANS, PHILADELPHIANS, SMYRNAEANS, POLYCARB (1*)

    • Most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (masterminds of the later Catholic Church). 
    • The writer(s) -coined- the term 'Catholic church'.
    • Creation of the Pope's office (Bishop + overseers + deacons).
    • Deeply ingrained antisemitism, which led him to
    • propose to abolish the Weekly Sabbath.
    • He converts martyrdom into a spiritual achievement.
    • Any sexual union ought to be sanctioned by a bishop.

    POLYCARB TO PHILADELPHIANS (5*)

    • Endorsement of (the true or the false?) Ignatius, he called him 'blessed Ignatius'.

    DIDACHE (4*)

    • First fruits to be paid to prophets in priority over the poor; the church itself is not even mentioned.

    BARNABAS (1*)

    • Deeply ingrained antisemitism.
    • False prophecy about a Third Temple in the second century AD.
    • False prophecy about Messianic age, not fulfilled in 500 AD.
    • Weekly Sabbath + Lord's Day in addition = 2 rest days.
    • Spiritualizing, abuse of numerologies, questionable use of typology.

    DETAILED ACCOUNTS:

    1CLEMENT (1*) 

    1Clement 4:10 [Spiritualizing:] "Envy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, because he heard his countryman say, Who made thee a judge or a decider over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?" [this is certainly not biblical envy]

    1Clement 7:6 [Extrabiblical salvation:] "Noah preached repentance, and as many as hearkened unto him were saved." [false teaching; only his family had been saved]

    1Clement 40:1-41:2 [Endorsement of a continuation of sacrifices:] "... we ought to do everything in order, whatsoever the Lord hath commanded us to do at the appointed seasons, and to perform the offerings and liturgies. [...] These he hath not commanded to be done at random or in disorder, but at fixed times and seasons. [...] They, therefore, who at the appointed seasons make their offerings are acceptable and blessed; for while following the laws of the Master they do not completely sin. For to the High Priest were assigned special services, and to the priests a special place hath been appointed; and on the Levites special duties are imposed. But he that is a layman is bound by the ordinances of laymen. [...] Not in every place, brethren, are sacrifices offered continually, either in answer to prayer, or concerning sin and neglect, but in Jerusalem only; and even there the offering is not made in every place, but before the temple in the court of the altar, after that which is offered has been diligently examined by the high priest and the appointed ministers."

    1Clement 41:3-4 [Endorsement of capital punishment:] "They, therefore, who do anything contrary to that which is according to his will have for their punishment death. Ye see, brethren, by as much as we have been thought worthy of greater knowledge, by so much the more are we exposed to danger."

    1Clement 44:1-2 "Our Apostles, too, by the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ, knew that strife would arise concerning the dignity of a bishop; and on this account, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed the above-mentioned as bishops and deacons: and then gave a rule of succession, in order that, when they had fallen asleep, other men, who had been approved, might succeed to their ministry." [not necessarily a problematic teaching as 'bishop' can simply be a legitimate translation for 'overseer / presbyter / elder'; but in combination with the term 'rule of succession' it rather points to the Roman Catholic Church which would birth soon after].

    1Clement 55:4 [Endorsement of Deuterocanonicals:] "The blessed Judith, when the city was besieged, asked of the elders that she should be permitted to go forth into the camp of the aliens." [the book of Judith is Deuterocanonical; the term 'blesses' implies inspiration]

    1Clement 2:4 [The term 'the elect' appears 11 times in this letter (1Cle 1:1, 2:4, 6:1, 29:1, 46:4, 46:8, 49:5, 50:7, 52:2, 58:2, 59:2) but nowhere in the other Apostolic letters. In itself the term is not problematic, but it could point to false religions such as Calvinism.] "Ye contended day and night for the whole brotherhood, that in his mercy and good pleasure the number of his elect might be saved."

    2CLEMENT (5*)

    No problematic passages found. Sound teaching.

    IGNATIUS TO EPHESIANS, MAGNESIANS, ROMANS, PHILADELPHIANS, SMYRNAEANS, POLYCARB (1*)

    Deeply heretical and evil writings. Probably a post-mortem impersonation of the true Ignatius, who was truly brought to Rome and executed there. In those letters, the writer(s) suggest(s) that he was brought to Rome not by sea, but by land, was allowed to stay during his captivity in churches great distances away from the direct route (Asia Minor) and write in at least 2 cities several letters, a scenario even unthinkable for Paul, who enjoyed a certain freedom in Rome, but certainly not on his trip to Rome. The writer also shows a deep desire to be martyred and to be eaten to the last bone by lions, which is a desire foreign to any biblical character. ~Ignatius~ is displayed as the super-spiritual, super-humble and super-martyr, and assumes a mental perspective writing from even above the bishops, while of course writing that he is not even worthy of the title 'Apostle'. He is only "beginning to be a disciple" and a "fellow learner". False humility and manipulation at its finest, while threatening from the position of a god.

    - The letters of Ignatius state that bishops are a higher category than the Apostles and that they are in the place of G-d (literally!). The title bishop / overseer / elder is correct, but it is biblically speaking all of one and the same office. There is also no difference between an elder and a modern pastor. There is only JESUS as the head of all the church, the elders leading a local church, their servants which are deacons and the respective congregations.

    "Be zealous to do all things in harmony with God, and the bishop presiding, in the place of God, and the presbyters in the place of the council of the Apostles. And the deacons who are most dear to me entrusted with the service of Jesus Christ, who was made manifest at the end of time."

    "I received therefore your Godly benevolence through him and gave G-d glory that I found you, as I had learned, imitators of God. For when you are in subjugation to the bishop, as to Jesus Christ, it is clear to me that you are living not after men, but after Jesus Christ, who died for our sake. That by believing on his death, you may escape death. Therefore it is necessary. As is your practice that you should do nothing without the bishop. But be also in subjection to the Presbyters as to the Apostles of Jesus Christ, Our Hope. For, if we live in him, we shall be found in him. And they also who are deacons of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, must be in every way pleasing to all men for they are not the ministers of food and drink, but servants of the Church of God."

    IGNATIUS SCHEME:

    1. Bishop = God

    2. Presbyters = Apostles

    3. Deacons = Servants

    BIBLICAL SCHEME:

    1. JESUS CHRIST as the only head of the church

    2. Overseers / Presbyters / Elders (all one and the same office)

    3. Deacons / Servants

    "... see that you all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the Presbyters as if it were the Apostles. And reverence the deacons as the command of God. Let no one do any of the things, appertaining to the church without the bishop."

    "Give heed to the bishop, and to the Presbytery and deacons."

    - In another letter, he disrespects JESUS and gives Him the role of a servant (instead of being the head of the church), compared to the FATHER and even compared to church overseers: "Likewise let all respect the deacons as Jesus Christ, even as the bishop is also a type of the father."

    - The presbyters ought to serve the bishop "... each of you and especially the presbyters should refresh the bishop to the honor of the father of Jesus Christ."

    - Even the sexual union ought to be sanctioned by a bishop "But it is right for men and women who married to be united with the consent of the bishop. At the marriage, they are according to the Lord and not according to lust ..."

    - First mention in history of the term 'Catholic church': "Things appertained to the church without the bishop, let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one who he appoints. Wherever the bishop appears, let the congregation be present, just as wherever Jesus Christ, is there is the Catholic church. It is not lawful either to baptize or to hold an agape without the bishop. [...] It is good to know G-d and the bishop. [...] He who does anything without the knowledge of the bishop, he's serving the devil." [the writer just created the new office of a bishop and coined the term 'Catholic church', and now tries to intimidate those who would not dare to accept this new office under total submission]

    - He promotes himself as the super-martyr and describes it as a spiritual discipline to be eaten by lions to the last bone: "Suffer me to be eaten by the beasts through whom I can attain to God. I am God's wheat and I am ground by the teeth of wild beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ. Rather entice, the wild beasts that they may become my tomb. And leave no trace of my body. But when I fall asleep, I be not burdensome to any. Then shall I be truly a disciple of Jesus Christ. When the world shall not even see my body. Beseech Christ, on my behalf that I may be found a sacrifice through these instruments."

    - Deeply ingrained antisemitism. Confusion about the Old Testament, by claiming that Judaism came only after Christianity: "It is monstrous to talk of Jesus Christ and to practice Judaism. For Christianity did not base its faith on Judaism, but Judaism on Christianity and every tongue believing on G-d was brought together in it."

    - Initiative to abolish the Weekly Sabbath "It's then they who walked in ancient customs came to a new hope. No longer living for the Sabbath, but for the Lord's day, on which also our life sprang up through him and his death."

    POLYCARB TO PHILADELPHIANS (5*) 

    Polycarp 9:1 [Endorsement of Ignatius (could be legitimate if he endorses an Ignatius different from the portrayal in the letters).] "I exhort you all therefore to be obedient unto the word of righteousness and to practice all endurance, which also ye saw with your own eyes in the blessed Ignatius and Zosimus and Rufus, yea and in others also who came from among yourselves, as well as in Paul himself and the rest of the Apostles"

    Polycarp 13:1 [Strange and clumsy endorsement of Ignatius' letters; unusual instructions through another letter on how to handle letters.] "Ye wrote to me, both ye yourselves and Ignatius, asking that if any one should go to Syria he might carry thither the letters from you. And this I will do, if I get a fit opportunity, either I myself, or he whom I shall send to be ambassador on your behalf also. The letters of Ignatius which were sent to us by him, and others as many as we had by us, we send unto you, according as ye gave charge; the which are subjoined to this letter; from which ye will be able to gain great advantage. For they comprise faith and endurance and every kind of edification, which pertaineth unto our Lord. Moreover concerning Ignatius himself and those that were with him, if ye have any sure tidings, certify us."

    DIDACHE (4*) 

    Didache 13:3-7 "Therefore thou shalt take the firstfruit of the produce of the winepress and of the threshing-floor and of oxen and sheep, and shalt give them as the firstfruits to the prophets, for they are your high priests. 4 But if you have not a prophet, give to the poor. 5 If thou makest bread, take the firstfruits, and give it according to the commandment. 6 Likewise when thou openest a jar of wine or oil, give the firstfruits to the prophets. 7 Of money also and clothes, and of all your possessions, take the firstfruits, as it seem best to you, and give according to the commandment." [nowhere in the NT are we commanded to give First Fruits to prophets. We are instructed to give by heart, both to the poor and to the church]

    BARNABAS (1*)

    Barnabas 9:3 "But moreover the circumcision, in which they have confidence, is abolished; for He hath said that a circumcision not of the flesh should be practiced. But they transgressed, for an evil angel taught them cleverness." [outmost heretical teaching that the 600 Old Covenant Laws were taught by an evil angel, although THEOS gave those laws to Moses; Barnabas teaches that those laws were always meant to be a symbolic foreshadow to JESUS and that the Jews erred since Sinai by applying it literally]

    Barnabas 9:7 [Questionable use of numerology:] "For the scripture saith; And Abraham circumcised of his household eighteen males and three hundred. What then was the knowledge given unto him? Understand ye that He saith the eighteen first, and then after an interval three hundred. In the eighteen 'I' stands for ten, 'H' for eight. Here thou hast JESUS (IHSOYS). And because the cross in the 'T' was to have grace, He saith also threehundred. So He revealeth Jesus in the two letters, and in the remaining one the cross."

    Barnabas 4:8 [He teaches here that the Old Covenant was broken when the tablets broke, which is an erroneous teaching as the tablets were soon later restored, and a whole book about the Second Law (Deuteronomy, the affirmation of the covenant) was written.]

    Barnabas 15:4 "That the Lord will make an end of everything in 6 000 years. For a day with him means a thousand years. And he himself is my witness when he says Lo the day of the Lord shall be as a thousand Years. So then children in six days, that is in six thousand years, everything will be completed." [Barnabas had the Greek Old Testament, meaning the 5500 BC creation date, meaning he believed the Second Coming of JESUS to be in ~ 500 AD (not 2000 AD as often believed today). This prophecy clearly failed (even if he would have had already the Masoretic text)]

    Barnabas 15:8 "Finally He saith to them; Your new moons and your Sabbaths I cannot away with. Ye see what is His meaning ; it is not your present Sabbaths that are acceptable (unto Me), but the Sabbath which I have made, in the which, when I have set all things at rest, I will make the beginning of the eighth day which is the beginning of another world." [blatant abuse and ignorance of Scripture; 'new moons and sabbaths' clearly refers to Ceremonial Sabbaths, not to the Weekly Sabbath; he uses this 'interpretation' then to justify a Lord's day on the day after the Sabbath]

    Barnabas 16:3-4 "They who destroyed this Temple shall themselves build it. That is happening now. For owing to the war, it was destroyed by the enemy. As present, even the servants of the enemy will build it up again." [clearly a false prophecy; there was no third temple built in his time as we clearly see today; he later also refers to a spiritual temple but this passage is clearly speaking of a physical temple].

    The Autobiography of George Müller, by George Müller (5*)

    Reviewed 18/06/2024 〣 100% read

    Superb testimony - highly recommended.

    It is hard to enjoy an autobiography in those days. Is it another story promoting any problematic religion or theology? Is it another ghostwriter embellishing a story to such a degree you don't know anymore what is truth and what not?

    All the more I was greatly surprised by this book. Nothing fabricated, nothing embellished, no questionable endorsements or theology. Instead a highly reliable account, a tremendous testimony of one who started ugly in his younger years, but by total grace became one of the most powerful servants of the LORD in recent history.

    PROS

    + Wonderful testimony of a true and very humble believer, who showed his struggles, but was mature enough as to (partly) rejoice when his son died, knowing that he is with the LORD.

    + Non-denominational !!!

    + He puts himself in the background and does not make a big show about himself as we see it in many other testimonies. He tells what is spiritually relevant, while we read very little about his family and private issues.

    + Good teachings for fellow believers (how to manage a company, why Christians should not have debt, sleeping habits ...)

    CONS

    - It is kind of weird that he was only baptized years after being already a preacher, but things were maybe different in those days.

    - The book is a bit too much about counting down his receipts, but it is his very detailed style which THEOS has used to show and prove to many readers what He can do in the daily and ordinary life of a faithful servant.

    - It would have been interesting why he and / or his wife did not work at least in their earlier years, minimizing therefore the financial suffering. But I am sure that everything just went after THEOS' perfect plan.

    - Use of the Lord's day language.

    Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation, by Christa Brown (2*)

    Reviewed 08/05/2024 〣 100% read

    This much-needed book would be great, if it was only to reveal the ugly reality of the SBC. But she sadly used it also as a weapon against the remaining members of her family and most tragically against JESUS Himself. How beautiful would it have been to see her come to salvation outside the evil triangle of Catholics, Baptists (and Freemasonry).

    PROS

    + Much needed report from a survivor of s**ual abuse. It has to be added that the SBC played a central role in racial segregation while opposing interracial marriage, has still a strong prevalence of Freemasons in their rows (membership in a Masonic Order is officially a matter of personal conscience!), has a very strong prevalence of Calvinists, predominately supported the abortion rights movement, and was the breeding ground for one of the biggest frauds in 'Christian' history, Billy Graham (who had a strong tendency towards universalism; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained female pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course). She sadly failed to give a more complete picture of the SBC.

    + This book does a great job in describing the s** abuse not only of her, but provides also a general picture, although being relatively vague considering the vast information she collected through her rather secular ministry. She adequately describes how the SBC maliciously and systematically covered up cases for now several decades.

    + She did well to give us a background of her upbringing, but went way too deep in the realm of gossip, when giving us dozens of ultra-detailed accounts of her ugly exchanges with her family members. A few accounts of each problematic aspect would have sufficed.

    CONS

    - She most certainly never experienced the real JESUS, which is bitter because she should have seen it at some point clearer than anyone else, that her environment of a fortune-telling grandmother killed by her own husband, of a Billy Graham- and Oral Roberts- addictive father, of a Franciscan mother, and of abusing Baptists is certainly not where the true JESUS is to be found.

    Did she really hope that while she was used as a caulbearer and proforma priest for the confessions of her mother, who wanted her also to continue with fortune-telling, that she would find in that setting the true JESUS?

    If she had found JESUS, there would certainly not have been additional suffering for decades, but forgiveness towards her family and restoration for herself. And she would have probably shed light on the SBC decades earlier.

    Quote: "So when I hear people say "Jesus never fails" and "put your trust in Him," sometimes I just want to scream."

    Quote: "Even G-d abandoned me. It wasn't a matter of unbelief, for unbelief would have been a mercy. Rather, it was as though G-d had become something monstrous at least toward me — an uncaring and rejecting G-d who was prone to sadistic whims."

    Quote: "[Her husband] I have faith in lots of things. I have faith in you. I have faith in us. I have faith in science. I have faith in the future. I have faith in humankind. I have faith the sun will come up. Christians don't have some monopoly on getting to define what faithDis and isn't. I'm a person of faith too. It's just different. I realized Jim was right. He was indeed a person of faith, and he had lived his faith day in and day out the whole time I'd known him. Meanwhile, I was the one still floundering in the paradox of being a person of faith who wished not to be. How many times had I prayed that G-d would please cease my belief? Too many. At least Jim had a faith that made some sense."

    Quote: "After all, G-d had turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt when all she did wrong was to glance backwards at her home."

    Quote from 2020 (X): "So... if Mary's consent wasn't possible, given her age & the authority figure of an omnipotent god, does this mean that Jesus was a child of rape?"

    - She believes in Visitations from the dead:

    "I dreamed of Mom and Dad. Their presence was so real that, when I first awoke, I could have sworn they were sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling at me. It felt more like a visitation than a dream, and even now, I half-believe they were really there. [...] How could I tell her that I talked with ghosts? Yet, there they were. Even in death, Mom and Dad had both returned to me. It was an extraordinary gift."

    "Mom's presence was palpable, as though her shoulder were brushing mine, and I felt such peace."

    - Despite her trauma regarding her mother, she clearly failed to distance herself from Catholicism, but rather seems to be close to it.

    "I loved her [her friend] for it, and I also envied her. When I learned that she prayed to Mary, I wished that I, too, could pray to a woman."

    "I stopped at the Joan of Arc statue on my way out and lit a candle for Mom."

    "... the Southern Baptist Convention was—and still is—the largest non-Catholic faith group in the country. [what a telling viewpoint]"

    "... she gave me her cross necklace, and another time, her blue rosary beads. Mom had been raised Catholic."

    She also quoted the Catholics Bruce Springsteen, Desmond Tutu (Anglican-Catholic) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and over and over compared the guilt of the RCC as small in comparison with the SBC (although possibly with good intentions).

    - She describes herself as a 'fanatic for Halloween'.

    - She endorsed the wearing of Amulets and her life centers around the practise of yoga.

    "... whether I could hack it in law school. But wearing a locust encased in plastic amber as a good luck amulet, I aced the first exams."

    "So, I dropped out of the PhD program and instead began training as a yoga teacher"

    - She repeatedly rejected the concept of Eternal Hell and of Original Sin.

    "She [her daughter] had grown up wholly unchurched, yet she was filled with empathy and kindness. She was and is goodness incarnate — original sin be damned."

    - Constant use of foul language (e.g. 9x ...sh*t, 2x pissed ...)

    - She stated that she changed several times her counsellor, but did not reveal if she was a Christian. This is strange for a book of 12 hours - to find literally no information on her counseling.

    - She actively supports and celebrates h**uality.

    "This was still two decades before Ellen DeGeneres would take the landmark step of coming out as g*y on a television sitcom. "

    "If we wind up building a movement that recognizes only "good survivors"—those who are white, cis, heteros**ual, faith-filled in the "right" way, and "nice"—then we will have built it on the same authoritarian theological and ideological foundation that brutalized us."

    - She is a serious Feminist and does not accept biblical authority regarding the prohibition of female elders (while the Bible indeed stipulates female deacons).

    "I took comfort in recalling that Charlotte Brontë, the author of one of my favorite books, Jane Eyre [the first major feminist novel], had also rejected a marriage proposal when she was twenty-two."

    "I felt called to be a pastor."

    "... they [the SBC] now use biblical proof texts to justify female submissiveness and male headship."

    She endorses in this book a very long list of feminists, e.g.:

    Barbara Kingsolver (Feminist novelist, essayist, and poet)

    Charlotte Brontë (s.a.)

    Cynthia Ozick (Feminist writer and novelist)

    Ellen DeGeneres (Feminist musician)

    Emily Dickinson (Feminist poet)

    Flannery O'Connor (Feminist novelist, writer and essayist)

    Gloria Jean Watkins (aka Bell Hooks, Feminist author and activist)

    Joan of Arc (RCC saint, Feminist)

    Judith Herman (Feminist psychiatrist, political activist, intellectual, and writer)

    Kristin Kobes Du Mez (Feminist author, historian)

    Linda Ronstadt (Feminist musician)

    Mary Oliver (Feminist poet)

    Sarah Stankor (Feminist writer)

    Zora Neale Hurston (Feminist author, anthropologist, filmmaker)

    - It seems as if she believes in INCARNATION and several souls.

    "With each new language, you acquire a new soul."

    "With each of my demises, seeds from the prior life were blown into the next one, where they took root and rebirthed me into a new life, nourished in the dirt and decay of the prior incarnation."

    - Although she warns the reader that not all details might be accurate, it is still questionable how she would have such a photographic memory to supposedly remember details from 5 decades ago, including childhood accounts of her sister shoveling spinach on her plate, specific prayers of her father et al.

    - Endorsement of MLK (regarded the virgin birth of Christ as 'mythological story'; repudiated the doctrine of the deity of JESUS; rejected that Christ was raised bodily from the dead ...).

    - The audiobook, although being brand new, is a patchwork of several recordings and snippets.

    Basic Christianity, by John R.W. Stott, Rick Warren (3*)

    Reviewed 17/01/2024 〣 100% read

    A book that knows only two extremes - some very good teachings, mixed here and there with bad teaching and a fundamental lack of discernment.

    He worked out a very good defense for Christianity and stimulates unbelievers, new believers and seasoned believers alike, to see that precious faith in Christ from different perspectives and to affirm it through those.

    CONS

    - The biggest problem of the book -which hits the reader like a hammer- is him saying that there are 'fantastic' apocryphal gospels. This immediately leads a reader to works such as the Gospel of Thomas or other outmost heretical works. It is one thing to consider some Old Testament apocrypha as profitable for private and discerned reading, but to consider New Testament apocrypha as 'fantastic', should instantly disqualify any minister from teaching the Word of God, no matter how very good 95% of his teaching might be like in his case.

    - He claimed that JESUS resurrected at 3am (after 36 hours or only 1.5 days in the grave, his starting point for the 36 hrs being the temple curtain torn at 3pm). I never heard something like that before. Although I have no problem with discussing several interpretations, I see this interpretation certainly as the most extreme ever heard and with an evil undertone - specifically the resurrection during the night hours which we usually associate with evil. Christ resurrected with the light of the new day, at daybreak.

    - He stated that CHRIST went down to hell in the time of the grave. This is well known to be a very questionable doctrine, with no scriptural basis.

    - He erroneously claims that the Weekly Sabbath changed to the Lord's Day without explaining it. But he at least underlined the requirement of being obedient to one rest day per week.

    - It is conspicuous that he changed the wording of some verses. e.g. to say that JESUS had not brothers, but 'brethren'. Rick Warren is well known to be very close to Catholicism.

    - He stated at one point that no matter what denomination we belong to, we are all brothers in Christ. This might to some degree be a good thought, but looking at it from Christ's perspective, it can simply not be true. There are some, if not many denominations which are definitely not among those who THEOS would call His own people. Having a quick look at his book 'Evangelical Truth', we can also find a passage where he calls on page 11 Catholicism one of the 3 'Christian schools of thought'. Roman Catholicism is the opposition to THEOS' thoughts.

    - He elaborated on the story of the woman caught in adultery (Joh 7:53 - 8:11), although well-studied ministers should know that this is maybe a true story, but -NOT- part of the Word of THEOS.

    - Foreword written by Rick Warren (Ecumenism, Spiritual Formation / Contemplative Spirituality, close collaboration with the New Age sympathizer Ken Blanchard ...).

    - Repeated endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - Endorsement of Billy Graham (strong tendency towards Universalism, ecumenical movement, close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope ...).

    - Endorsement of Augustine (key figure for introduction of Apocrypha, RCC doctor and provider of most doctrines, patriarch of Calvinism).

    - Endorsement of Spurgeon ("I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of ecumenism, follower of the Knights Templar Bernard of Clairvaux, Augustinian / Calvinist ...).

    Behind The Preacher's Door, by Warren E. Berkley (3*)

    Reviewed 23/10/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + The book contains a lot of good advice, both for "preventative maintenance as well as positive reinforcement".

    + Good exhortation to not see the office of an elder / pastor as a job, and busyness as positive:

    Quote: "Some preachers pride themselves on the busyness of their schedules, as if the pace of their lives is a badge of honor or an indication of how important they are among the Lord's people. But unrelenting busyness is as good a way to kill one's self spiritually as could be imagined - and it doesn't make any difference that the busyness is religious busyness."

    + Good call for discipline of the pastors, e.g.:

    "Even worse, some preachers are dangerously obese, a condition that announces to everyone they are not disciplined in their own eating habits. How effective can such a man be in teaching others about self-discipline when it is so obvious he does not practise what he preaches? Even worse, what of those who 'burn out' in preaching because their bodies were not in condition to keep up with the pace their work required?"

    + No questionable endorsements (except David Jeremiah and John Maxwell, and the NIV Bible).

    CONS

    - Although the book warns on the surface against abominations, there is a strong sublime sense that it could also trigger, at least in some persons, a sort of normalization of those transgressions. The language of the book is not warning enough and the terminology is problematic.

    Could anyone ever imagine that JESUS or Paul would have said that 'sometimes' people have an extramarital affair with women, while 'sometimes' with men? I seriously doubt those qualifiers and without even looking at statistics, I am certain that it is a very very small minority which does those sins. But the book also normalizes (aside from exhortation) those sins and provides exhorbitant numbers, solely based on the personal acquaintances of the author(s).

    Quote: "Sometimes it seems I hear a new story every month - another preacher (or elder) caught fornicating. Parts of the story are different. Sometimes the affair was with a woman; sometimes a man." [...] I had to report to these young men that I personally knew of 52 preachers who committed sexual immorality."

    - The authors commit a rookie mistake throughout the book, by badly confusing two concepts which probably even an atheist would understand better. They seriously confuse 'fornication' with 'adultery' and even make this a key theme of the book. I expect from an author who writes a book on sexual discipline, to sit down at least 1 full day and to make a word study on the different concepts of sexual discipline. This had obviously not been done and neither do we find any biblical definitions of those sins mentioned in the book. This would have been absolutely essential, because precisely here is a lot of confusion amongst pastors. What schools do not properly teach pastors, would be expected to be found in this book. Without scriptural specifications and warnings, the authors did not develop authority for this book.

    Quote: "They know fornication is wrong, but they don't know what sex is really about. A lot of fornicators think the problem is with their wives."

    - Throughout the book, the author(s) differentiate pastors from elders. While this might reflect the reality today, it is a teaching contrary to the Bible.

    Each church has to consist of a plurality of elders / overseers who shepherd the flock (the proof for this is found in Act 14:23 and Jam 5:14). Nowhere in Scripture do we find a single pastor for one local assembly. The words 'PRESBUTEROS' (Elder), 'EPISKOPOS' (Overseer), 'POIMAINO' (Shepherd / Pastor) all refer to the same office. Overlap of overseers & shepherds: Act 20:28; of overseers & elders: Tit 1:5-6, 7; of elders & shepherds: 1Pet 5:1-5

    If the author(s) would have understood the biblical concept, they could have suggested that churches better move in the direction of plurality and therefore many of the problems mentioned in this book would solve themselves ... (less stress, better accountability amongst a plurality of pastors, better emotional support amongst pastors ...). There is a reason why THEOS set the church up in this way and if we continue stubbornly in our traditions, we do not help those pastors, but rather create more damage.

    - The book also automatically assumes that a pastor ought to have a paid full-time position, which is also far from any biblical reality, that rather points in the direction of a plurality of elders who have their ordinary jobs and rotate their preaching and other responsibilities.

    - The book treats it as almost normal that pastors watch television and play 'mafia-games'. Such a book should be above reproach. This does not include a prohibition to watch television, but a strong warning to not be part of the world, and to rather stay away from television and to teach their congregations to do the same. Could we picture Paul writing casually about the 'mafia-games' he is playing and the struggles he has with television? He would have rather abstained from both, or at least warned through very, very vivid words. This book is sadly lukewarm.

    Quote: "It takes self-discipline to resist the urge to check email one more time, or play ANOTHER game of Mafia Wars on Facebook or sleep in while away the hours with Fox News and television. Yet constant and steady work on self bears tremendous rewards for the disciplined preacher."

    - The book teaches against head coverings (by erroneously implying cultural implications which Paul proactively overwrote), while strangely enough endorsing a few lines later communion (while not seeing cultural implications here although mentioned in the very same chapter and -after- head coverings). Both head coverings (prayer only) and communion are spiritual disciplines for us today, no matter the country!

    - Teaching of revenge (!!!)

    "I once was threatened by an elder with possibly losing my job for preaching the truth on the qualification of elders. I responded to this veiled threat: 'I'll just tell the next preacher that preaching the truth on a sensitive topic may cost him his job ..."

    - They seriously suggest the usage of Twitter for church communication ...

    Quote: "With Twitter, we can keep all of our elders, deacons, teachers, group leaders, study groups, or whoever informed with up to the minute information tweeted to their cell phones."

    - One, if not the most important topics when looking at Paul's exhortations to the churches, is spiritual discernment, which is totally absent from the book. This is truly tragic, because this also reflects one of the biggest problems in the American church. What about so many pastor's wives who bring through problematic books and other resources so much damage to the churches? How about the pastor who does invest little to nothing of his time in this important task? If discernment was one of Paul's key topics, why is this then not even mentioned in this book, in the midst of a colossal apostasy we are in?

    - While I do not question the authors as pastors, I question their spiritual gift of Apostleship (not the office!) which they use as a basis to exhort and teach other pastors. This gift is the sole basis why they would be entitled by THEOS to write to other pastors, but I do not see the working of the HOLY SPIRIT in a book which does even confuse the most basic concepts of sexual discipline, which does not understand the biblical structure of a church and does not lose one word on discernment (except one word against Calvinism at the beginning of the book).

    - The fact that the authors state in their prologue that they suffered 'brutal deadlines' confirms that the book is pieced together hastily. Could we imagine that Paul would have added such information to his letters to the elders and their churches? Instruction to thousands of elders / pastors should never be put together in such a manner.

    The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance, by John Trent, Gary Smalley (2*)

    Reviewed 15/05/2024 〣 100% read

    From a worldly perspective a wonderful book, from a biblical perspective a terrible abuse of Scripture.

    PROS

    + Great teachings concerning the importance of affirmation and physical touch.

    + Great ideas on how to leave small notes for the family during business trips, and how to brief and involve them.

    CONS

    - The book teaches plain Universalism. One story, where a drug-addict son was lost for several months or rather years, ended up breaking in and plundering the entire house of his parents, and probably died of an overdose (they leave that detail out but it is obvious), then concludes that the parents and the son will see again in Heaven ... THEOS can restore any sinner, but if there was no sign of repentance and death in the midst of severe sin, then it is false and highly misleading to teach that this man made it to Heaven.

    - Similar to the Circlemaker or the Prayer of Jabez, this book takes a vague idea from the Bible and blows it up.

    While it has good teachings, it terribly confuses simple affirmation with biblical blessing. There is certainly an element of affirmation in a blessing, but the biblical blessing is very specific, punctual and rather prophetic. Yes, we should bless our children at important waypoints of their lives. But this book does not stop here. It builds its 'foundation' on the Esau and Joseph blessing, recognizes that those were punctual, but then simply implies 'why not apply that to our every day' and to specifically consider it as a 'lifestyle'.

    Quote: "You may only see someone once—like when you're on the road and that barista in the drive-through hands you your Americano. In this book you'll absolutely learn how to bless people once. However, the Blessing is meant to be a lifestyle practiced with the people we live with, as a clear way to love like Jesus. For it is because of Jesus' love for us that the DNA of the Blessing can be woven into the very fabric of our everyday lives."

    The biblical blessing is rather the opposite to an every-day-act and has nothing to do with a lifestyle. The authors pretend to understand its concept, but either willingly or naively misapply it while tickling multitudes of obviously thirsty Christian souls out there and creating a huge business with courses, certificates, cross-referenced books, blessing-games, blessing-groups, speaking appointments et al.

    Yes, we have to become better communicators and in general better in fellowship. But not by twisting the Word of THEOS to our needs and 'yearning ears'.

    - In the whole book there is not found a chapter, not even a few sentences on how THEOS might receive a blessing and how THEOS might answer this in the life of the giver and receiver. Nothing. They speak exclusively about me, me, me, you, you, you. It becomes painfully obvious at this point that the Bible is just a toolbox for them and they don't really care about THEOS. They go as far in their gross misapplication of Scripture, as to repeatedly ask people to bless -THEMSELVES-, while basing this idea on the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Oh Lord have mercy.

    - They overwrite Scripture with their pop-psychology. While Scripture teaches that we ought not to have pending unforgiveness after having gone to bed, they teach the 24 hrs-rule, meaning to intentionally ignore the biblical teaching and to intentionally speak the next day. While with good intentions, it shows their little respect for Scripture.

    - They have not even respect for JESUS. He is at least 3 times in the book referenced to as a 'guy' (curiously enough only found in the audiobook). Statements such as 'here it was that guy named Jesus' are repeated.

    - Eugene Peterson's 'The Message' is endorsed as 'eminently readable', which is highly problematic and shows on which foundation the authors are standing. The book goes as far as to directly quote from the MSG.

    - Both father and daughter are active in marriage counselling, but the daughter is divorced and remarried. It is obvious that this should disqualify the daughter from coming in as author after the divorce (even by secular standards), but obviously not a problem in their view.

    - They overall treat divorce as just one status more out there besides singles and married people. They also speak of multiple relationships and treat it as something normal in younger years. While this is certainly the reality, it is wrong to make it even more the reality and to not clearly judge it. Meanwhile, the book repeatedly admonishes to never speak negative words and healthy criticism is only mentioned briefly once in order to have it 'addressed'.

    - The book is saturated with careerism, with titles, PHD's, in short the American dream, packaged in a false Gospel.

    - The author states that the decision to learn Greek was a bad advice. This is a truly shocking advice for Christians out there, knowing well that the Bible received for more than 6 centuries (250 BC - 5th c. AD) was Greek in both OT and NT. Every serious teacher of Scripture should challenge people to learn Greek in order to understand the biblical text without relying on a translator.

    - He somehow connects the watching of a Billy Graham movie to his salvation (Graham had a strong tendency towards universalism; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained female pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; taught theistic evolution; promoted the catholic-influenced Alpha Course).

    - They endorse the Narnia books as 'wonderful' (teaching of white witchcraft).

    - Repeated endorsement of his 'good friend' Chuck Swindoll.

    The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, by Vishal Mangalwadi (3*)

    Reviewed 16/08/2022 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + The book includes many great teachings and is especially strong on defending Christianity in its historical context.

    CONS

    - He endorses several times the ultra-conservative Roman Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien:

    Quote: "In the novel The Silmarillion, J. R. R. Tolkien gives us a beautiful, fictional exposition of the Augustinian perspective on the relationship of music, creation, the fall (evil), and redemption. Tolkien's Middle-earth experienced much more suffering than the Buddha's India. Tolkien's "earth" was to be captured, corrupted, and virtually controlled by evil. Suffering was real, brutal, and awful. Yet the Bible taught Tolkien that the Almighty Creator, who was also a compassionate Redeemer, was loving enough and powerful enough to redeem the earth from the greatest possible mess, sin, and suffering. This helped Tolkien to celebrate creation, both in its origin as well as in its ultimate destiny:

    [quote-in-quote] There was E*u, the One, who in Ar*a is called Ilu***ar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad ..."

    This quotation is at least heretical, but rather pure blasphemy.

    - While it is clear that a book on Christian history will include Martin Luther, he carried it too far with 117 (!) endorsements, while lacking discernment and not even mentioning the Waldensians who suffered much more for the Reformation which began already in their time. (Luther was an Augustinian, extraordinarily devoted to the 'Blessed Virgin Mary, Antisemitism, execution of Anabaptists, rejection of biblical inerrancy, rejection of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation, Non-Sabbatarianism, rejection of free will).

    - He endorses over and over Augustine (43x in the book !), without any discernment at all. Augustine was one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, .... He was also the father of the doctrine of persecution.

    - He endorsed twice Mother Teresa (who was a fraud, and direct enabler of sexual abuser and JESUIT priest Donald McGuire).

    - The foreword is written by J. Stanley Mattson from The C. S. Lewis Foundation (C.S. Lewis believed in Purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhist and Muslims as brothers in Christ)

    - The book is officially endorsed by the highly problematic teachers Dallas Willard (Catholic Mysticism), Mary Poplin (strongly connected to the Roman Catholic Church with Mother Teresa), Ravi Zacharias ...

    Building on Firm Foundations, by Trevor McIlwain (2*)

    Reviewed 10/09/2024 〣 100% read

    This is one of the books, where the author does not get tired of (re-)counting what he knows better than others, while actually misleading others in more than one point. The author goes as far in his overly Calvinist doctrine (while repeatedly endorsing Jesuits), as to openly question converted believers who want to get baptized, and to baptize them only after strongly objecting to this and infiltrating them the once again with his Lutheran religion of Faith-Only-Ism.

    This is not the Gospel, but it is the anti-Gospel. The true Gospel has it as a chief aim to baptize anyone ideally on the same day together with his family, and it is unthinkable to have encountered an Apostle who would have relied on a silent conversion as the author essentially suggests throughout the book.

    PROS

    + Many valuable teachings based on his experiences as a missionary.

    + He motivates us to see the Bible as one and not two books. He correctly suggests to start teaching first the Old Testament, where the true Gospel already starts with.

    "... we must begin with Genesis and lay a foundation upon which to build so that they can understand who G-d is, what sin is, how man fell through sin and can be saved only through faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ."

    + No questionable endorsements and quotations from other teachers, which is rare in a theological book.

    CONS

    - Highly problematic teaching methods which could cause serious alterations when teaching to a tribe:

    "When telling the story of the offering up of Isaac, take a knife and lift it up just as Abraham did in readiness to kill Isaac."

    - Some repetitive teachings, e.g. he repeats over and over to teach chronologically.

    - He shows serious theological errors when it comes to salvation, by not recognizing at all the important differentiation between Past Salvation (re-birth) and Future Salvation. This error is reflected in his take on baptism, on Works of Faith and other doctrines.

    - Heavy promotion of the Lutheran doctrine of 'Faith & Grace Alone':

    "My companion and I agreed not to raise the question of baptism but to teach on salvation by grace through faith alone."

    "All such Scriptures must be interpreted in the light of the unmistakable emphasis of the whole Bible – salvation in Christ is received through faith alone and is not dependent on any action of man." [only correct if speaking of Past Salvation; but heretical if speaking of Future Salvation he is probably referring to]

    - He considers baptism as 'works', which is an astounding and deeply troubling claim. He does not explain how he comes to such a particular conclusion and why he would not consider e.g. communion as works.

    He plainly teaches against the Bible and even retells in this book the story when he once rejected the request for baptism:

    "At the close of the final meeting, the men asked publicly if they could be baptized. Knowing the misunderstanding which most of the Palawanos had about baptism, I asked the men why they wished to be baptized. Regardless of all the teaching we had given on salvation apart from works, one of them answered, "So that I will really know God." I asked him to open his New Testament to John 14:6. "Ontoy," I asked, "Does your Bible say, 'The river is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by baptism?'" He answered, "No." I said, "Ontoy, if you die and you are trusting in baptism to get you to God, you will go to Hell. G-d will not accept you." After some more teaching, we returned home."

    The verse which he used to dissuade those men longing for the confirmation of their salvation, is John 14:6, which simply says: "6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

    - Endorsements of Jesuits, without any discernment:

    Quote 1: "[Colombia] As early as 1650, the Jesuits made missionary trips into this territory which covers almost the entire eastern plains of Colombia. [...] When the Jesuits entered the area, the Guajibos were still nomadic; but with the progress of time, they have now settled in small permanent villages ..."

    Quote 2: "[Paraguay] The Jesuit priests established colonies with many of these tribal people over 400 years ago. The Jesuits were banished by the political leaders, and the tribal colonies were abandoned. [...] Religiously, they are willing to accept G-d and Jesus Christ, as they did from the Catholics years ago. [...] Since there were those who were willing to accept their teaching and professed to be Christians, it seemed there was progress."

    - Endorsement of the antibiblical concept of 'Total Depravity':

    "In Romans 2, Paul proved the total depravity of all mankind by referring to the Law given to Israel at Mount Sinai and written in the hearts of the Gentiles."

    - Highly problematic promotion of the 'Eye of Providence', the all-seeing eye:

    "Will we be found faithful workmen at His coming? Will our work stand the test of the all-seeing eyes of the risen Christ, the Judge? John said that the eyes of the glorified Christ were as "a flame of fire" (Revelation 1:14). In demonstration of His knowledge of all things, the Lord Jesus said to each of the seven churches in ancient Asia, "I know your works" (Revelation 2:1)."

    - Very questionable approach to not speak for weeks about the Bible:

    "I suggest that it is better if you do not quote or show the Bible at all during pre-evangelism. [...] Showing them a Bible without teaching what the Bible is may result in the book itself being very mysterious. The Bible could become like a fetish. [...] If the people ask you questions relating to spiritual matters which cannot be known by simply observing nature, it is better not to answer during pre-evangelism. Should they, for example, ask where G-d is, it is best to say that this question will be answered at a later date, return the question back to them again by asking them what they think. Another way to deal with questions like this is to ask another question, such as "Why do you ask me where G-d is? I am a man just like you. Can you see G-d?"

    Instead he suggests using pictures of idols, buildings and objects of other religions.

    "During preevangelism sessions, show pictures of religious buildings and objects of worship held sacred by the Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. Use the pictures to initiate discussions about the beliefs that other people have concerning G-d and other spiritual matters. Include the beliefs of other tribes near and far, as well as the beliefs of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Tell them that people all over the world believe there is a G-d because of the created things which they see about them, but they have many conflicting views concerning Him. Show appropriate pictures as you explain about idol worship, about animals that are worshiped as God, about different types of sacrifices, and about the various ways that people have of appeasing and worshiping G-d and the spirits."

    This approach could maybe work if his pre-evangelism would mean a time lapse of minutes, hours or days. But he indeed suggests waiting several months (!!!) until the Bible is even mentioned or a verse is being read.

    "Throughout pre-evangelism, especially after you have gained language and culture fluency, you should use everyday casual visits with the people to prepare them to hear the message that you have come to tell them. In addition, two or three months before you plan to begin evangelism, I suggest that you start to have regular pre-evangelism meeting times with the people."

    When pondering if the Apostle Paul would follow a similar approach, we could impossibly picture this. Paul certainly exposed erroneous beliefs, but he did not go as far as to expose erroneous beliefs and religions which the respective locals had no dealing with, and he certainly did not hold back on scriptural teaching and exhortation from day 1. There is no way that Paul would have thought it wise in his own eyes to speak about the Word only after months of secularized meetings. What would he have spoken in all that time? THEOS' Word is an offense for many, a stumbling block and indeed a mystery, and this is part of His perfect plan.


    The Call, by Os Guinness (3*)

    Reviewed 02/01/2024 〣 100% read

    This book is a mixed bag.

    PROS

    + The audiobook is read by the author, very pleasant to listen to.

    + Overall good theology.

    + Contains a lot of very good perspectives and reflections on Christianity.

    + Very good writing skills.

    + Some good discernment.

    CONS

    - Lots of very bad discernment.

    - The Reformation is credited for having reduced antisemitism. This is highly misleading. The same Luther, who is endorsed over and over in the book, expressed in his works anti-Judaistic views, calling for the expulsion of Jews and burning of synagogues. Based upon his teachings, the prevailing view among historians is that his rhetoric contributed significantly to the development of antisemitism in Germany and of the N**i Party.

    - He endorses over and over Augustine, one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, .... He was also the father of the doctrine of persecution.

    - He endorses the highly problematic writer C.S. Lewis, and draws a lot of inspiration and actual content from him.

    - Scripture quotations are very rare and quotations of other authors and personalities by far overshadow the Bible.

    - He stated that 1/2 of the world's population follow the great abrahamic faith. This is a disastrous statement, especially since he repeats it twice in similar form. Many of those abrahamic religions are distortions of it and they are surely not great, but evil.

    Calvinism: None Dare Call It Heresy, by Bob Kirkland (5*)

    Reviewed 26/11/2024 〣 2x read

    PROS

    + Excellent discernment.

    + The author is very bold in words, without insulting or being condescending (only 2 times he touched the limit).

    + He did rather not focus on extra-biblical resources and intellectual discussions, but looked at the essentials of the Christian faith, at the Bible itself. It was with great joy to see him writing a compact book which rather focussed on Bible verses, than trying to win the most elaborate theological battle through hundreds of pages. This is our weapon, the Word of THEOS. If anyone is not convinced by Scripture, he will not be convinced by excessive eloquence.

    + Many Bible passages he systematically organized:

    ALL MEANS ALL (Jos 6:3, Psa 31:23, Psa 31:24, Psa 32:11, Psa 134:1, Luk 13:27, Rom 5:12, Gal 3:8, Rev 19:5)

    G-D COMMANDS MAN TO WALK IN HIS WAYS, BUT HE FORCES NO ONE (Isa 30:21, Psa 81:12)

    G-D FORCES NOBODY TO BELIEVE (Psa 106:24, Joh 6:64, Joh 10:25, Joh 2:37, Act 9:26, Act 17:5, Act 19:9, 2Thes 2:12, Heb 11:31, Jud 1:5, Act 28:24)

    G-D FORCES NOBODY TO SUBMIT (Exo 6:9, Exo 16:20, 1Sam 2:25, 2Kin 21:9, Jer 7:24, Jer 7:26, Jer 36:31)

    G-D FORCES NOBODY TO TRUST HIM (Psa 78:22, Isa 47:10, Jer 13:25, Jer 48:7, Jer 49:4)

    MAN IS COMMANDED TO 'REASON' ABOUT SALVATION (Mat 16:7, Mat 21:25, Mar 2:8, Mar 8:16, Mar 11:31, Luk 20:5, Luk 20:14, Act 18:4, Act 24:25, Act 28:29)

    MAN IS COMMANDED TO SUBMIT (1Cor 16:16, Eph 5:22, Col 3:18, Heb 13:17, Jam 4:7, 1Pet 2:13, 1Pet 5:5)

    CONS

    - He did (possibly intentionally) not include Augustine's background of Gnosticism (Manichaeism), which would have been fundamental in explaining his doctrines.

    From my discernment section: "Augustine a Manichaean, an outmost evil sect (2 Gods, one good, one evil), known back then as the pinnacle of Gnosticism. Later he became a Platonist. Augustine 'converted' after 9-10 years to Christianity, but only under enormous pressure, precisely after the Roman emperor Theodosius had issued a decree of death for all Manichaean monks and shortly before he declared Christianity to be the only legitimate religion for the Roman Empire. Augustine seemed for some years to have proper theology and taught 'Free Will', but later inched back into Gnosticism where he borrowed his ideas of the 'elect' from Manichaeism (where he had never made it to be an 'elect', but a 'hearer' only) ..."

    - He did not differentiate between Works of Faith and Works of the Law. A Present Salvation can hardly occur without Works of Faith, but a Past Salvation does involve neither. He also sounds between the lines as to rather support Once-Saved-Always-Saved than the possibility of shipwrecking someone's salvation. We have assurance of salvation only if we stay in the faith. Here the book would have benefitted of a better balance and not to be driven by the opposition to Calvinism. We have to persevere, but perseverance is not automatic as Calvinists claim. This is the important difference.

    QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

    "Actually, the fact that G-d gave man free will is greater proof of G-d's sovereignty than if G-d made only robot-like people. Though G-d knew that free will would enable man to choose to reject Him, it would also bring Him pleasure in having created beings who freely respond to His love with a love for Him that is not programmed or forced but is truly heart-felt in each individual."

    "Regarding salvation, Augustine said "... The Catholic Church alone is the body of Christ. … Outside this

    body, the Holy Spirit giveth life to no one". This is the man of whom John Calvin based his understanding of the Bible. According to Augustine, anyone outside the Catholic church is going to Hell. Did Calvin not realize that would have to include him?"

    "It puzzles me immensely why anyone would think that G-d would use such a man as Calvin to be a great leader of Christianity? In 1 Cor 11:1, Paul said, "Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ." Was John Calvin an imitator of Christ in his actions? I see no answer to that question but a resounding, "Not at all!""

    The Canon of Scripture, F.F. Bruce (4*)

    Reviewed 04/04/2023 〣 100% read

    Very valuable book, with a lot of research.

    CONS

    - The author endorses Origen without any discernment (Universalist; taught Purgatory; taught pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology). There is no mention in the book of him being a highly problematic teacher, instead the author praises him several times (e.g. "One feature of his work which makes it difficult for students today to appreciate him as he deserves is his proneness to allegorical interpretation").

    - It is also not made clear that Josephus was a traitor and three times divorced, but the author mentions at least that he had been associated with the Pharisees.

    - The canon mentioned for the three uncials is lacking some books.

    Captive in Iran, by Maryam Rostampour, Marziyeh Amirizadeh (4*)

    Reviewed 07/11/2023 〣 100% read

    Incredible story - incredible book. It is hard to imagine going through something like they experienced, and to be able to write it down in such a well-thought and elaborated form. Oh, how wonderful are the fruits of true Christian faith, in the midst of the worst - not only trouble, not only persecution, but imprisonment, gracefully without any torture. What an encouragement, to make the best out of the worst and to serve Christ powerfully in such an environment where others rightfully would have sunk into self-pity and resignation. They served others and stayed relatively strong, while doing this and distracting themselves from their own misery. Very powerful testimony.

    The book does not contain any errors, but one small but significant theological error, to consider the Vatican as part of Christianity, while in reality it is as evil as Islam, although the RCC believes more of the Bible than Islam.

    Quote: "Then why is the Vatican involved in your case? What's going on?"

    "I have no idea. We've been in prison and have had no news of what's going on in the outside world. However, it's only natural for the Vatican to get involved with our case because we have been imprisoned on charges of being Christians and believing in Jesus. (We never learned any more about the Vatican's reported involvement)"

    The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God, by Lee Strobel (2*)

    Reviewed 01/04/2024 〣 100% read

    A good defense of Monotheism, but his 'g'od takes the backseat in the creation of the planets.

    This book is a dangerous potpourri / blend of ideas. I go as far as to say that it is more dangerous than what Darwin has written or said, because it pretends to endorse the Bible while it does not even reference one single Bible verse in 95% of the book (only as afterthought in the final words) and plainly contradicts the creation account. His version of the creation implies billion-fold death before Adam.

    While Strobel generously allows THEOS to have come into action with creation day 1, he assumes in this book a passive role of a spectator who had to wait until the big bang had made Him the earth and other collisions formed the moon and so on.

    This is heretical. The Bible clearly states that JESUS laid the foundation of the Earth (he quotes the respective verse at the end of the book, but plainly contradicts it in all the book), and the act of 'laying' is contrary to watch an accident happening. And it says that He created bodies like the moon.

    While this author enlightens us with a good defense of special creation, he appears to have been intimated by his cuma laude friends. Why is he not asking how they can be certain about the materials the sun consists of, or why it should be billions of years old? Why did he not confront them with Bible verses that state that THEOS laid the foundation of the earth and created the sun?

    It is hypocritical to have an investigative character and boldness when it comes to opposing certain lies of the more obvious enemies of THEOS, but to leave this same character at the door when meeting with his friends of worldly prestige.

    Another fatal point is the blatant deception regarding the Cambrian explosion. When the topic comes up in the first half of the book, it pretty much sounds like 5500 BC (Adam) or 3300 BC (Noah's Flood), when all the animals suddenly appeared at the same time. It is then a huge surprise to read at the end of the book and after having been left with this totally false impression, that this explosion in his reality lasted 5 million years and took place 530 million years ago. He tries then in a silly way to compare this to 5 minutes of a 24hrs day (which would make 1440 million years!!!), in order to water down the obviously close similarity to the concept of evolution. Who cares if 5 millions or a couple of million years more. Both concepts are outmost heretical when compared with the Word implying 6 ordinary days.

    Don't get me wrong, Mr. Strobel certainly makes a very good overall case for Christianity and defends it well in many aspects.

    But this book should have been published as a scientific paper and rather not reached the audience of the average churchgoer. I am certain that it is not in the will of THEOS that someone spends 20-40 hours reading intellectual banter, no matter how sophisticated and meaningful it might be. That time could be much better used to serve the church in a practical way, than being drawn in a parallel world of intellectual prestige and academics while endlessly listening to their oh-so-impressive credentials.

    I use the word banter because it is a back-and-forth without any spiritual direction. Although the author has his heart possibly in the right place, it is a heartless and bone-dry book lacking for the holiness and passion for the true Creator.

    Humans cannot be convinced by truth and arguments alone, they are convinced by truth combined with example and passion. And most importantly and the author does not even see this, it is THEOS who needs to take away a veil in order to see those truths. No matter how smart and right and good many of his arguments might be, if he shows no heart to at least pray and call the reader to pray for those veils be taken away, then this book is useless.

    PROS

    + Well informed; partly a good defense. Lots of good arguments and insights.

    + He made a good choice to read the audiobook himself.

    CONS

    - He exclusively interviewed academics. No pastors or ministers consulted for this book.

    - Repetitive (e.g. the fine-tuning of the universe is repeated and could have been significantly compacted).

    - He clearly makes the case for a designed Big Bang as repeated over and over and affirmed at the end of the book, following the highly problematical teacher William Lane Craig, with whom he repeatedly worked together and who holds to this view (Theistic evolution; Adam&Eve = Homo heidelbergensis; one million years ago ...; claims that the genre of Genesis 1-11 is pure myth; rejects the Flood and the Tower of Babel; rejects inerrancy of Scripture ...).

    He simply assumes that the incredibly complicated 'inner life' of our planet was composed within 90 seconds of a gigantic battle of material. This is heretical. The LORD makes it very clear that not only the furnishing of the earth is a miracle, but that He delicately designed its inner life (as Strobel also pointed out at one point, but overall shows a fundamental contradiction). The theory of a big bang in a Christian context is a 'slap into the face' of the LORD.

    - Endorsement of Teresa de Avila, as being 'eloquent' (Key figure of Catholic and Christian Mysticism, First female Doctor of the Catholic church, levitated). To quote her, is to essentially quote the devil.

    - Endorsement of Augustine (creator of most Catholic & Calvinist doctrines; the patriarch of Calvinism; preeminent Doctor of the Catholic Church; amillennialism; rejected also the Genesis account being literal; key figure in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; father of the doctrine of persecution; Ransom-Theorist). To quote him, is highly problematic.

    - Endorsement of Francis Collins (Teaches that man comes from evolution; supports Genetic Enhancement; aborted fetal tissue research ...).

    - Endorsement of Alister Edgar McGrath, who is an Anglican priest, who has attended/taught at Oxford and Regent College, both outmost problematic institutions, no matter how much the world esteems them.

    The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, by Lee Strobel (1*)

    Reviewed 05/06/2024 〣 100% read

    This book is a gong-show for Roman Catholicism. It starts (and ends) with a lengthy endorsement of Billy Graham (heavily involved with Rome; one of the biggest frauds of modern Christianity) and contrasts him with Charles Templeton (Presbyterian = close to Catholicism), who lost his faith while walking on his side.

    One would assume that Strobel would have his alarm bells going off and employ discernment on Graham, but far from it. After Strobel interviewed Templeton, he even brings Templeton's doubts and questions to -of course a Catholic, a fact which he even admits in the book- and asks Kreeft for advice. Kreeft then compares the LORD to a bear hunter who first wants to kill us and then graciously releases us while we still believe to be in the trap (a comparison Strobel obviously did not sufficiently reflect on, although his intentions were good).

    He continues to endorse the evil Teresa de Avila (Catholic doctor & Mystic; levitated on a number of occasions; diabolical learnings) and Augustine (Catholic doctor & patriarch of Calvinism; the probably greatest antichrist of 'Christian' history; brought the Apocrypha and the majority of RCC doctrines into the church, including the doctrine of persecution ...). In some versions of the book the endorsement of Avila was removed (the same being the case for references to 'Jesuits').

    While the book becomes better after the introductory chapters, it becomes clear (and time) that Strobel comes officially out of his closet as Catholic, a fact substantiated through countless passages in this book. It has also become clear, after having read now several of his books, that he does not only role-play the doubter, but that he himself shows significant doubts (19 years after his salvation in 1981), and uses a terrible and highly disrespectful language when speaking about the LORD, often even dramatizing what a doubter would dare to say. It is one thing to accurately reflect the position of an imaginary doubter (if that task is even ordained by the LORD - nowhere in the Bible do we read of a similar method of 'evangelism' ...). But he goes far beyond the necessary and by his choice of words it becomes clear that he has a serious problem, and that his supposedly firm faith is anything else than firm.

    "That's still hard to accept, it sounds like a cop-out to me".

    "[speaking about the LORD from the perspective of Satan] I can't believe He is that stupid, love has dulled his brain"

    "If I sat there and did nothing while my child got run over by a truck, I wouldn't be good, but an evil father. And G-d does the equivalent to that [...] so why isn't He bad [asks Strobel]?"

    "[Strobel] I caught my head. Is that really reasonable, to give the Bible the benefit of a doubt?"

    I have now read several books from apologists, but never noticed such an accumulation of disrespectful, belittling and blasphemous words when speaking about the LORD, while lacking on the contrary any balance to the positive attributes of the LORD.

    PROS

    + It is only the second book I have read which mentions the age of accountability, thankfully to the knowledge of Norman Geisler (although discernment is required), a fact which Strobel apparently did not even know, and an incredibly important fact which the other popular apologists out there also do not speak about or do simply not know. But I missed more boldness and definition, specifically about the important age of 20 years. Many families who lost their children to tragic accidents, including of some popular pastors, would greatly benefit of such Bible knowledge.

    + Many good defenses of Christianity, but mainly from a Catholic viewpoint.

    CONS

    - Substantial and very specific endorsement of teachers close to Catholicism (the Catholic historian Anthony Grafton, the Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas, the Catholic writer Blaise Pascal, John D. Woodbridge (American Catholic Historical Association; senior editor of the Catholic-driven Christianity Today), the Anglican John Stott, the Catholic philosopher Francisco de Vitoria, the former Catholic / Dominican priest Francisco J. Ayala, the Jesuit priest Luis de Molina, Luis Palau, the Episcopal Madeleine L'Engle, the Catholic Mother Teresa, the Anglican Os Guinness, the Catholic actor Peter Boyle, the Anglican Robert Boyle; speaking always positively about Popes Alexander III / Innocence III / John Paul II / Paul III / Urban II ... ) and to Augustinianism / Calvinism (Augustine himself, D. James Kennedy, James Stewart, John Calvin himself, Joni Eareckson Tada, R.C. Sproul).

    "Romans Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, all have been deeply involved in helping the poor [notice the order]"

    - Substantial and very specific watering down of the Catholic crimes of the past (crusades and inquisition):

    "Certainly there is evidence that the RCC had lost its way in launching these inquisitions, but Protestants sometimes used inappropriate tactics as well ..."

    "IF critics believe that aspects of the crusades should be denounced as hypocritical and violent [what an evil point of view], well, they have an ally in Christ"

    "Pope John Paul II made his historic confession and asked God's forgiveness for sins committed or condoned by the RCC during the last 2 millennia"

    "I think the Pope's statement is courageous because he is acknowledging that the RCC has glossed over some things [the understatement of the year] ..."

    "During Spain's colonization of Latin America, there were Roman Catholics who were appalled at the way natives were being exploited for economic purposes in the name of Christ' ... These Christians were willing to speak out against abuses."

    "One key figure, Bartolomé de las Casas [Dominican friar], was driven to his reforming attitude, after reading a passage in Ecc in the Roman Catholic Bible, which says ... Having read this, he and other Roman Catholics opposed the malevolent things that were taking place in Latin America. [nearly identical endorsement for Francisco de Vitoria]"

    "The Catholic church has an impressive record of taking care of the poor during the middle ages."

    - Partial justification of antisemitism:

    "What kind of rumors? That they [the Jews] had been involved in the poisoning of wells at the time of the black death, that they desecrated Christian sacraments when they could, that they privately had sacrificial deaths and tempered with Christian scripture and so forth".

    "Luther, earlier in his life ... was a lover of Jews and because of his love he hoped there would be a mass conversion [a truly terrible distortion of reality; the prevailing view among historians is that his rhetoric contributed significantly to the development of antisemitism in Germany and of the N* Party]"

    - He downplays the killing of Servetus to a state-affair, although it was mainly instigated and driven by Calvin.

    - Clear endorsement of Purgatory. He employs a safeguard by calling it 'speculation', but his treatment of the topic is clearly leading the reader to suppose that purgatory is true. He employs a subtle manipulation by pretending to be critical to the assertions of the person he interviews, and adds between the lines the label 'speculative', but it is obvious to the most naive reader that both he and the interviewed are unabashedly propagating purgatory.

    Quote: "Some Christians believe that certain persons may have a chance after death to hear the Gospel clearly presented, and to decide about Jesus in a fully informed manner [pseudo-objection] notice that the verse doesn't say judgment is immediately the next thing a person faces after death ... not people who steadfastly resisted God during their lifetime, but perhaps other people who never heard the Gospel or were taught a twisted or distorted Gospel or couldn't understand the Gospel because they were mentally disabled or died as a child [manipulation based on emotionalism; contradicting the age of accountability] and for those who are given the postmortem opportunity it wouldn't be available indefinitely [analogous to Catholic & modern Jewish teaching] ... Even the reformer Martin Luther wrote in a 1522 letter "God forbid that I should limit the time of acquiring faith to the present life. In the depth of the Divine mercy there may be opportunity to win it in the future." ... If God commands each person without exception to repent, then it would make sense that He would give each person sufficient grace to fulfill that command, despite their earthly incapacities [manipulation based on emotionalism and/or moralism], ignorance or unwittingly inaccurate views of the Gospel ..."

    - He calls THEOS a Mother, going hand-in-hand with Mariology:

    "The Bible calls him a father, and even a mother sometimes." [the Bible compares Him to, but does not call him a mother!!!]

    - He clearly makes the case for a designed Big Bang, following and interviewing the problematical teacher William Lane Craig, with whom he repeatedly worked together and who holds to this view (Theistic evolution; Adam&Eve = Homo heidelbergensis; one million years ago ...; claims that the genre of Genesis 1-11 is pure myth; rejects the Flood and the Tower of Babel; rejects inerrancy of Scripture ...).

    Strobel dates the big bang to 14M years and the creation of animals (= humans) to 570M years (both numbers obviously even contradicting each other within the same book). It becomes obvious that he is juggling with figures when reading in the other book 'The Case For A Creator' that the Cambrian Explosion took place 530M years ago and lasted 5M years ...

    This is wild-west theology. The LORD makes it very clear that not only the furnishing of the earth is a miracle, but that He delicately designed its inner life. The theory of a big bang in a Christian context is a 'slap into the face' of the LORD.

    - Problematic quote on Buddhism:

    "[quoting John Stott] I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the Ghost of a smile playing around his mouth ... detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I had to turn away and in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross."

    - Endorsement of Catholic Mysticism. He even went as far as to invite Dallas Willard for a conversation which is reflected at the end of the book. His son Kyle has a ministry exclusively dedicated to Catholic Mysticism. Dallas Willard was the dissertation advisor of J. P. Moreland (Biola University, part of a fraternity of Freemasons), an important interview partner in this book.

    "It was a rare opportunity to talk with the author of two of the most celebrated Christian books of recent decades"

    "I don't think faith can develop without some contemplative time."

    - Mistranslation of Isa 64:6: "... all our righteous acts are like filthy rags ..." The word behind 'righteousness' does not include the term 'acts' which is interpolated; while ignoring that the Bible elsewhere teaches that there are many important Works of Faith that are surely not filthy!

    - He compares Aslan from a C.S. Lewis book on witchcraft to a Jesus-figure.

    - He credits Leo Tolstoy with Christian faith, which is a misleading assumption.

    - Endorsement of the problematic authors / teachers such as C.S. Lewis (Believed in Purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ), Hugh Ross (Big Bang Theory), Philip Yancey ...

    Occurrences of specific names: Billy Graham (30x), Catholic (15x), Pope (13x), C.S. Lewis (9x), Mother Teresa (5x) ...

    The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, by Gary R. Habermas, Michael Licona (3*)

    Reviewed 03/06/2024 〣 100% read

    It is a good book, but I am sadly not able to recommend it based on its endorsement of Theistic Evolution, Hugh Ross, the Big Bang and 4.5 billion years.

    PROS

    + A very good point appears right at the beginning of the book, a point which many of the apologetic books out there miss entirely: No matter how convincing your arguments and the time invested in someone, we are only tools and servants, but THEOS alone draws the people (and takes away the veil!).

    + Focus on a proper attitude at the end of the book. We ought not to be sparring partners, but to transfer the truth with humility, wisdom and precision. We ought to avoid smoke screens coming from atheists and instead focus on the relevant questions and topics.

    + Some good examples for conversations, which are sadly rare in apologetic books.

    + Probably the first apologetics book which does not provide a platform for Bart Ehrman ...

    NEUTRAL

    o They offer some good discernment on a few religions, but the 2 or 3 findings on each one are the bare minimum what one would expect. A good discernment must include some basic facts on the respective religion and then point out the flaws when compared to Christianity. Not with many words, but a list with at least 10 points of each should be included in a book, which over and over repeats other topics without hesitation and takes a lot of time to elaborate on its principal ideas.

    o The book quotes the Talmud without speaking out a clear warning. But it later used 1 or 2 negative examples in regards to content, which hopefully creates a sufficient warning for readers.

    CONS

    - Total focus on the NT. They entirely miss the OT prophecies and how intertwined the NT and OT are. Instead they focus with a supposing minimal approach on the creeds, but the only 'proof' for Paul supposedly having quoted a creed in 1 Corinthians, is that someone in the ancient past thought that it could be a creed. A skeptic is not interested in foundations of denominations, he is interested in Christ and how He had been announced in the OT and realized in the NT.

    - They used the Big Bang even as an argument against Atheists. It is indeed biblical that the ~naked~ planet earth (biblically described as the foundation) predated the young creation account by an unknown time, but it is highly problematic to transfer THEOS on the seat of a spectator when it comes the precise creation of the world, and to essentially say that He watched a big explosion happening from the sideline.

    At least this book brings some light why the Big Bang even came up, but it is a rather spurious story, one of a scientist in the 1960s extrapolating some very particular conclusions after finding a simple magnetic field, which could have been caused by, or be the result, or the byproduct of a number of factors. It is a sad reality that university students nowadays feel obliged to have a naturalistic explanation instead of simply believing that JESUS CHRIST masterfully created the world in a way we will never be able to fully grasp in this age.

    - The book offers absolutely nothing new when compared with all the other apologetics books and was very dry for the first 3/4.

    - The book endorses the highly problematic teacher Origen, without any word of discernment (Universalist; taught Purgatory; taught pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology) . Furthermore, Josephus is endorsed, again without any discernment.

    - Another problematic endorsement involves Hugh Ross (claims that the creation days of Gen 1 do not represent literal 24-hour periods; there are about 12 species of bipedal primates that predated Adam and Eve but they're in the same category the chimpanzees orangutangs and the gorillas; science and the Bible should be equated in authority; close collaboration with Francis Collins from BioLogos; Guest at the infamous 700 Club).

    - They almost treat the OT Apocrypha as Scripture and went as far as to mention how often a word was found in the NT, and in the same breath in the OT Apocrypha, or another term used in the book, Intertestamental books (which is highly misleading because the 15 books had not even been finished when the NT was written).

    - Endorsement of the dean John Rodgers of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry.

    Chasing the Dragon: One Woman's Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong's Drug Dens, by Jackie Pullinger, Andrew Quicke (2*)

    Reviewed 01/05/2024 〣 100% read

    Amazing story, but clearly instrumentalized for the Jesuit & Episcopal church, which is not only obvious by the choice of the name of Jackie's organization, SOCIETY of St. Stephen (Jesuits = Society of Jesus), but through countless other sublime details in the book.

    I was glad that the true Spirit orchestrated it that I had read just weeks earlier the highly problematic book 'The Cross and The Switchblade'. While reading now this book, I recognized instantly almost the same pattern - one of miraculous provision, miraculous healings, mixed with the promotion of the Jesuit church and in this case their Buddhist friends, and was not at all surprised to later read in the book that she even handed out copies of 'CATS' and 'Run Baby Run' to new converts.

    PROS

    + Great example on how to go out into the world and serve others.

    + Wonderful examples of transformation of drug addicts.

    CONS

    - I never read any book with as many prophecies and 'visions of Jesus' (it must be at least 6 visions). While we can still expect visions in our age, this accumulation is highly suspicious.

    - The book includes -the resurrection- of a boy who was dead, to resurrect after his mother had taken the dead body to two hospitals and then to her home, to resurrect there later. Oh what wonderful imagination Satan has.

    - Some of the healing stories are problematic. One story describes one of the guys with a hole in the throat, being overnight miraculously healed and speaking 2 days later to the church. The author does not provide any details, we just have to assume that the hole somehow disappeared overnight. JESUS can certainly do this, but this account is dubious.

    - The ghostwriter compares her repeatedly with other missionaries and points out how much better she did things. Bragging is not a Christian thing.

    - Endorsement of the freemason Winston Churchill. The book CATS is also closely linked to Masonry (the ghostwriter being an employee of Norman Vincent Peale, a 33 degree freemason).

    - Very Catholic language (Vicars, bishops, priests, Saint Mark, Saint Peter, nuns et al). Pullinger's mentor was Jean Stone Willans, whose home church is St. Mark's Episcopal church.

    - Profoundly shaped by (and sadly also shaping) the beginning of the Charismatic movement orchestrated through the Episcopal (Catholic) Church. Pullinger's mentor wrote for the magazine 'Trinity' which pushed Harald Bredesen, who together with his friends Norman Vincent Peale and Pat Robertson (700 Club) had been key for the taking off of the 'charismatic renewal'.

    - Foul play in the use of tongues. The couple who introduced her, was at first disappointed that she did not receive the gift. This is not biblical, to expect a specific gift and to be disappointed if not received. We can ask for the gift, but not demand it. Another bad example is a character having spoken in tongues before having been born again. It can happen at the same time, but not previously. We also read several times in the book that not only a few, but all her believing boys spoke in tongues. This is clearly heretical. Tongues are the main topic in that book - a strange and extremely unbalanced focus. She over and over mentions that she prays all day long -usually in tongues- and mentions at one point even that they only stopped praying during the whole day, when they ate and drank. This is a clear example of self-sanctification and of a primitive impression upon those believers naive enough to be impressed with an account which would not even fit into the Bible.

    - Foul play regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In one story she prays in a coffee store with a guy the sinner's prayer and tells us that he received the Baptism of the HS "in the midst of coffee cups", with no immersion involved.

    - It is not credible that she as an active musician and active teacher could after more than 9 months speak only 2 or 3 sentences. Chinese is complicated. But this is made up.

    - Repeated endorsement of Buddhists. The maid of her landlords was one, and her landlord was such a good (and strange) Buddhist that she specifically waited for a Christian to occupy her place ...

    - Endorsement of the false teacher Billy Graham (strong tendency towards universalism, key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained women pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; trained Rick Warren; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    - At the end of the book she ironically criticizes those who put gifts over serving, precisely when she realized after many years of ministry and the previously described focus on gifts, that she was literally alone and begging for people to help her. It is very sad to still see her having this unbalanced focus while fighting alone for making converts to the Charismatic revival.

    Christian. Muslim. Friend., by David W. Shenk (1*)

    Reviewed 02/10/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + He gives us some valuable insights on how to better approach Muslims (in general).

    + Good stand against the Gospel of Barnabas, but probably the only time the author was decisive in this book.

    CONS

    - He assumes throughout the book and not only by 'harmonizing' the distinctive names, that THEOS is identical with 'Al**h' which is deeply heretical. While those of us, who use the man-made term 'God' in the English language, have less arguments against the use of the man-made term 'Al**h' in the Arabic language, Shenk connects THEOS' identity on a deeper level than only the name, which is outright blasphemy:

    Quote: "In the gospel we learn Jesus is the Savior from sin. He is also called Emmanuel, which means "God with us." He is called Messiah, which means he is the one anointed by God to bring about God's righteous kingdom on earth. He is Eloha or Al**h, the almighty creator God. All these names are glimpses into the person and mission of Jesus."

    - David W. Shenk overwrites Scripture with plagiarized and manipulated Islamic teachings:

    "Peacemaking Muslims are inspired by the reference to Cain and Abel in the Quran. Cain is coming to kill Abel, who cries out to God that he would rather die than use his sword to protect himself against the weapon wielded by Cain. So Abel dies rather than kill his brother. God commends Abel for his refusal to use the sword. There are many such insights that form the commitments of peacemaking Muslims."

    Note especially that he intentionally exchanged the name of 'Al**h' for 'God', which is highly deceptive.

    - The author does not tell us about a single convert the 'wisdom' displayed in this book would have produced. Not one. He gives us several examples of converted people he met, but not one example, if anything what he tells us in this book ever worked in bringing one soul to CHRIST. And to be frank, - I do not think that I exaggerate in saying this- the book much rather leads many in the other direction, to embrace Islam and to eventually convert to it!

    - He mixes the holy with the unholy:

    "In traditional Muslim societies around the world, covenants of peace involve the sacrifice of a lamb or a ram. This is especially true within the mystical stream of theology known as Sufism. These Muslims seek to find a way to experience God. In this context, Paul's letter to the Ephesians makes a lot of sense. Paul writes, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

    - The book encourages the reader dozens of times to read the Quran. The term 'Surah' alone (meaning specific references to their verses) is found 54 times in the book. Even worse, the references to the Quran usually -precede- in order those of the Bible.

    - The author is obviously an avid reader of the Quran and habitually uses it (not only for a one-term discernment which would be excusable):

    "I avoid taking my Arabic-English Quran with me in a briefcase when I am planning to meet with Muslims. I will take my English version of the Quran"

    "I lean on Muslim writers and imams for my understanding of Islam and interpretation of the Quran"

    - The author shows no understanding that the Quran is a counterfeit of the Bible: "We seek these signs in the Quran in full recognition of the human inclination to distort and turn away from the gospel. As I read the Quran, I grieve over the ways it has not comprehended, or even denies, the gospel. [...] At the same time my heart is filled with praises to God for the many ways the Quran includes preparatory signs of the gospel. I pray my eyes will be open to ways God has been preparing Muslims for the gospel. In missiology we call such signs redemptive analogies. If we disrespect the Quran, I fear we shall miss noticing those signs. The signs are not the gospel, but they are an invitation to Muslims to come and explore this man who is the mystery figure of the Quran."

    - The author tries to intimidate those Christians who want to discern the Quran and indirectly endorses the very same religious oppression and exclusivity of scriptural knowledge we know all too well from Catholic and Pharisaic history:

    "The other serious distortion comes to us from Christians who claim to have understood the meaning and message of the Quran even though they know no Arabic. We need to remember that the Quran is revealed in Arabic. To understand the true meaning of the Quran, one needs to know Arabic! Muslim communities have ulama (theologians), who are recognized as wise men with insight based on a thorough knowledge of the Quran. These wise men also study the hadith ("the Traditions") that describe the way Muhammad applied Quranic principles in his personal conduct. [...]

    I grieve, as do Muslims, when Christians take an English interpretation of the Quran and determine that they have come to understand the meaning of this scripture. To understand the meaning, there is only one acceptable and wise way; that is to ask the Muslim ulama to explain the Quran to those of us who are not Muslim. This is urgent. It is not wise or appropriate to claim we have come to understand the Quran unless we have submitted to the rugged disciplines of study and consensus that Muslims believe are necessary to understand the Qurans message."

    - He strongly suggests the reader to identify not as Christian, but as 'People of the Book':

    "The Taliban recognized their scriptures' command to be respectful of these "People of the Book." I have found that saying to Muslims, "I am a person of the Book" opens doors. Building upon Quranic calls for respect for the People of the Book is a wise approach we should practice in all our relations, and especially so in regions of conflict."

    What seems smart at first glance, is highly problematic. The Quran identifies Jews, Christians, Sabians, (some say Zoroastrians) as 'People of the Book', and Muslims even began early in their history to include Samaritans, Buddhists, Hindus and Jains as 'People of the Book'. It should be obvious that we cannot disguise our identity in CHRIST through such a term, which throws us into a group with any religion opposing THEOS.

    - He endorses that Muslims wear signs of pride, although the Bible clearly speaks against pride: "A kufi-wearing imam told me that traveling overland from Canada to the United States can be an adventure. Crossing borders where his kufi (skullcap) distinguishes him is a sign of pride in his Muslim identity. These Muslims want to boldly reveal they are distinctive."

    - The author went as far as to criticize Christians who did not challenge a US school administration, after a Muslim teenager ran for student council president, but did not previously read their rules about the mandatory appearance at a dance. This is truly ridiculous, to challenge Christians for a type of Social Justice which has nothing to do with the Bible.

    - It gets worse when the author appreciates Christian churches which support Muslims in building mosques:

    "On one occasion, an immigrant Muslim congregation confided to me that in their community outside Philadelphia, the churches are their most trusted allies. If they need land to build a mosque and zoning challenges arise, the churches will stand by the Muslims to defend their right to build a mosque. It is not always that way. But I was delighted to hear that this mosque experienced the churches as genuine welcoming communities."

    While we do not live anymore in Old Testament times where THEOS would have been very consequent with the handling of places of idol worship, it is inconceivable that a Christian leader today animates Christian churches to support the construction of similar places. We have therefore to utterly condemn the teachings of David Shenk as heretical and anti-Christian.

    It is more than enough to silently tolerate existing places and to acquiesce to the intentional destruction of Christian churches in many Muslim and recently even Christian countries such as Canada, but it is against THEOS to support the construction of new places of the worship of others gods.

    - Not one single discernment is found in the book about Muh***ad. He exclusively uses positive attributes, such as:

    "I spoke about ways Mennonite Christians and Muslims have worked together for the uplift of children, a commitment that Jesus models and that the orphan Muhammad was deeply concerned about."

    or

    "The account of Muhammad going from Mecca to the town of Taif is an encouragement to Muslims seeking peaceful ways to deal with those who abuse them. At a time of great discouragement after his wife's death, Muhammad visited Taif and was stoned and severely treated. He was forced to leave the town and return to Mecca, where he was also frequently maltreated. His response was to find solace in God and to have the confidence that retribution belongs to God [notice again the deceptive change of His name]. In the Taif experience, Muhammad demonstrated the qualities that are essential in the person of peace. Jesus commanded his disciples to look for the person of peace. The person of peace in a community can influence the community in peacemaking ways."

    - Endorsement of the Roman Catholic Church as part of Christianity - specifically of the Vatican and the Pope:

    "One example of what I am writing about happened in the midst of the June calamities I have just described. On Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 2014, Pope Francis invited the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, to meet with him in the Vatican Gardens for sunset prayers for peace. The prayers focused on three themes common in the prayers of Muslims, Jews, and Christians: thanking God for creation, seeking forgiveness from God, and petitioning God for peace. The pope's spokesperson commented that within the seemingly insurmountable obstacles for peace in the Middle East, "prayer has the ability to transform hearts and thus to transform history." All three of these leaders profess faith in the God of Abraham, who commissions believers to be a blessing to all nations. They believe peace is the will of God."

    "Appearances of the resurrected Messiah are often significant in opening doors for Muslims to consider Jesus. I asked a Catholic priest living in Khartoum what had been especially encouraging for him during his many years in Sudan ..."

    "I usually experience Muslim questions to be sincere efforts to resolve perplexities. For example, some years ago I was part of a dialogue at The Interchurch Center in Manhattan." [this building can be described as "the closest thing to a Vatican for America's mainline Protestant denominations." The mainline churches include the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed Church in America, Methodist and United Church of Christ denominations]

    - Endorsement of the Anglican church and of a '3 journeys' theology:

    "I asked Mark Oxbrow, a director of the Church Missionary Society [Anglican] in the United Kingdom, "What do you preach about in England in times like these?" His immediate response was, "Three journeys: Jesus to Jerusalem [Christianity], Muhammad to Medina [birth of Islam], Constantine to Rome [birth of Catholicism]. We must each decide which of these three journeys we will follow."

    Needless to say - stay far away from this book and other books of the author.

    A Christian Perspective on the Social Justice Movement, by Roger Oakland (4*)

    Reviewed 02/11/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Many good explanations and insights.

    + Good to have a variety of authors.

    + Good insight that -analogous to the Enneagram and many other heresies- the Jesuits once again were at the 'evil forefront'.

    Quote: "Social justice appears to have been first employed in the early 1840s by an Italian Catholic theologian and Jesuit, Luigi Taparelli d'Azeglio."

    CONS

    - The book includes very few Bible verses throughout the book, and only some more right before the addendum, as kind of afterthought. I expected a real Christian perspective, meaning the biblical perspective laid out at the beginning and not the end of the book, meaning a proper 'white teaching' of what justice means in the biblical context. But much more than the story of the Good Samaritan was not to be found in the book, which almost exclusively focussed on the vast excesses of social justice.

    Yes, the Bible is vague, but if one of the authors would have invested one day for a proper word study of relevant terms, he would have surely found many passages in Psalms, Proverbs and many other books which reveal how we ought to do justice in a biblical context, and from which practises we should abstain. This includes principles such as the question if Christians should sue each other, a topic not even mentioned in the book.

    - Chapter 6 nearly ruined the book. It is silly to warn people about Social Justice throughout the book, but to divide them into political parties, clearly boycott in the book one party and favor a specific party. I use the term 'silly', because it is unwise to include in such a Christian book theories about 1/6 and an involvement of the FBI, in order to distract from the evil done in the name of the party favored in this book.

    In another chapter, an undisclosed author criticizes a rapper who rightfully criticized Christians for their political divisiveness:

    Song: "What if I told you getting you to vote Rep***, really wasn't his [Jesus'] mission? Because Rep*** doesn't automatically mean Christian."

    - I did not appreciate the viewpoint that we should -not- opt out from television. There is probably nothing more polluting and worldly than television, and I recommend any Christian to entirely disconnect from television.

    A Christian's Guide to Evidence for the Bible, by Daniel Hays (3*)

    Reviewed 31/10/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Perfect format and length of book. Very systematic analysis.

    + From what I can tell through my limited knowledge in biblical geography, I would say that the teachings are sound.

    CONS

    - Lack of maps. It should not be complicated to create those - with many free resources available today.

    - The book degrades itself in parts to a third-hand source, by heavily relying on Wikipedia articles. While I generally appreciate the inclusion of Wikipedia references (many scholars consider themselves as too fine to use it), the frequency this source is used is rather problematic.

    - The Madaba Map, one of the most important Christian pieces of evidence, is not included, which is a serious omission. If it would be written in Hebrew instead of the biblical Greek, scholars would probably not stop to mention it. But the fact that it quotes from the Greek Old Testament which is the Bible handed over to us through JESUS CHRIST, is a thorn in the eyes of most Catholic & Protestant scholars.

    - The book is spiritually empty and we cannot even find between the lines any sentiments of Christian faith. There is also no guidance for unbelievers who would eventually be convinced through the arguments of this book, how to come to CHRIST.

    - The book lacks spiritual discernment.

    Josephus is referenced throughout the book, but not one word of discernment on his problematic person is included, to warn readers to be cautious when reading his works.

    He lists the heretical letter from Pope Clement as evidence, and recommends the Epistles of Ignatius, being most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (masterminds of the later Catholic Church). Those letters were actually decisive in itself for the creation of the office of the pope and are one of the most evil works ever written and so to say the foundational document of the RCC.

    - The author writes 8 times about Christianity as a movement founded by CHRIST, which shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the Christian faith. The Bible nowhere uses such a terminology, the term is derogatory, and the Christian faith certainly did not start in the first century AD, but with the days of creation and the obedience of laws thousands of years before Mt. Sinai.

    - Derogatory description of Luke: "Luke, the narrator of the book of Acts, then adds an explanatory comment..."

    - The author habitually uses the names of other gods, while the Bible clearly states that no one should use those names outside the Bible. It should not be complicated to at least asterisk some letters of each name.

    A Christian's Guide to Planet Earth: Why It Matters and How to Care for It, by Betsy Painter (4*)

    Reviewed 07/03/2023 〣 100% read

    Great and much needed book. Beautiful that it follows along Scripture.

    Even though it would be beautiful to have it written not primarily for the US (there is no indication for this specific target group before purchasing the book), but for the whole world. It is also heavily overloaded with information and practical tips - if someone would follow only a fraction of those suggestions one would not have time anymore for THEOS.

    Entirely missing is the stimulation of intrinsic motivation, e.g. through field reports of people being involved in any of those practices to save the environment. A listing of possibilities is not enough if the motivation to pursue those is not really provided.

    Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Systematic, by Adam Harwood (not rated)

    Reviewed 16/10/2024 〣 1% read

    I abstain from reading and reviewing this book in detail, after the prologue stipulates the Roman Catholic Church as a Christian tradition and names it first (!) amongst all traditions, highly endorses Thomas Aquinas who is widely promoted in the Augustinian (both Catholic and Reformed) Church (he was a Catholic doctor and taught Calvinistic doctrine), and further endorses the highly problematic teachers Augustine, Calvin and Origen.

    An introduction can probably not be worse. Now we know what to expect from this book and it is most probably a book we should stay away from.

    Quotes: "When addressing controversies surrounding the doctrines of the Trinity and the person of Christ, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants all refer to the early confessions of the church, especially the Apostles' Creed, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (381), and the Chalcedonian Creed (451). In this manner, all the major branches of Christianity appeal to the authority of tradition."

    "Most Christians—whether Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox—would affirm this general sketch of history."

    "II. Views on the Ordinances of the Church

    A. Roman Catholic

    B. Lutheran

    C. Reformed

    D. Symbolic

    E. Other Christian Views

    F. Conclusion"

    Church History in Plain Language, by Bruce L. Shelley (1*)

    Reviewed 29/08/2024 〣 22% read 〣 Reading not finished based on very serious issues with the book.

    The author(s) of this book have certainly invested a lot of work into investigating biblical history, and we can learn some valuable lessons from it. But the strong blend with either poorly investigated and / or obviously heretical content in strong favor of the Roman Catholic Church makes this book sadly a book which should be avoided at all cost.

    CONS

    - The book is opened with endorsements from the editor-in-chief of the Christianity Today magazine (outmost problematic; de-facto Catholic), Mark Galli (Roman Catholic and former Presbyterian) and Rev. Dr. Jennifer Woodruff Tait (female Episcopalian priest).

    - I quote: "Diocletian has not enjoyed what is called good press in Christian circles, because he was the most savage of the persecutors of the church. Given the anarchy he inherited, however, and the revived empire he passed on to his successors, Diocletian deserves to be ranked among the truly great emperors." [followed by a more detailed endorsement]

    No true Christian can make such a statement, to call an anti-Christ who destroyed Christian churches and their people 'truly great'. Such a statement is pure evil.

    - The author has a negative perception of Jews and of the Old Testament history in general: "The Jews, with their fanatical loyalty to their one true God, and their readiness to turn their homeland into a blood-soaked wilderness before they acknowledged any other deity ..."

    - Serious lack of discernment. When describing in detail the Jesuits, not one word is lost of their infamous past and of their evil nature, but instead we read the following passage: "Perhaps the most fascinating feature of the Jesuits was their perilous attempt to live energetically in the world without being of it."

    The same applies for Teresa de Avila. He does not include any discernment in her profile, although she was pure evil (Catholic doctor & Mystic; levitated on a number of occasions; diabolical learnings).

    - He claims that 'Catholic' simply means universal, but later it becomes clear that he is speaking about the Roman Catholic church. I quote: "Christians realized that they were a part of a rapidly expanding movement. They called it catholic. This suggested that it was universal, in spite of pagan ridicule and Roman persecution, and it was the true faith, in opposition to all perversions of Jesus' teachings."

    Very deceptive - especially to call it 'the true faith'. At least he admits that the term 'Catholic' was coined through the letters of Ignatius.

    - Even though he mentioned the letters of Ignatius when speaking about the creation of the extrabiblical office of bishops, he entirely ignores the well-known fact that those letters had been most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (masterminds of the later Roman Catholic Church) and were actually decisive in itself for the creation of that office.

    But it comes worse, when reflecting on several objections to this office, he comes to the heretical conclusion that it was indeed by the will of the Holy Spirit, and then clumsily argues through appeals to emotionalism that although the Holy Spirit guided the creation of this new office, He was not involved in the Reformation (which is anyway true, because the reformers circled only back to Augustine instead of circling back to Early Christianity before Constantine).

    He compares those who oppose the office of a bishop to those who insist that women should be silent in churches (he employs here a sublime manipulation through intimidation) and belittles them as 'back-to-the-Bible movements' which aim to restore -primitive- Christianity. To call biblical truth primitive, is heresy.

    I am deeply shocked how a supposed Christian can legitimize the errors of the Catholic Church in such a way.

    - He also justifies the Catholic practice and their graded system of Penance (third sacrament). Because many 'Christians' had previously bowed to the imperial pressure of Emperor Decius 249-51, who had ordered them to sacrifice to traditional Roman gods and to declare that Caesar is lord, and had therefore denied their Lord and been excluded from their churches, now the Catholic Church was practically forced to find a solution for their reintegration. Even if true, this would be no justification for the introduction and much less for the continuation of that practice. But the author leaves it with the defense and does not reject in the least the practice.

    - The author continues to twist history terribly. He argues that the Catholic Church only came up with the rule of succession in answer to the Gnostics, which claimed that JESUS gave before His ascension secret knowledge to certain (gnostic) teachers, and those to other people and so on.

    But the First Epistle of Clement (a highly problematic letter; strong discernment required), composed some time before 70 AD, formulated the rule of succession long before the 2nd century: "Our Apostles, too, by the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ, knew that strife would arise concerning the dignity of a bishop; and on this account, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed the above-mentioned as bishops and deacons: and then gave a rule of succession, in order that, when they had fallen asleep, other men, who had been approved, might succeed to their ministry."

    - He lied when he stated that the Reformers rejected the Apocrypha. This is a very common assertion, but nothing could be further from the truth. Until the Reformation never more than 7 apocryphal books had been used (by the Catholics) in a Bible. -ALL- reformers strongly increased the books printed in the Bibles to 11-15 books and the books remained for more than 400 years in our Bibles (and would there be today if it would not have proven to be cheaper in print without it)! THEOS does most probably not care if disguised as a separate section. He will judge all those who included, promoted and even those who did not speak against the inclusion of those books between the 2 covers of His Word.

    - He almost treats the OT Apocrypha as Scripture and even retells stories where a character committed sui**de by falling into her sword.

    - He erroneously states that the Septuagint includes the Apocrypha. I quote: "The Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint, which was known in Jesus' time, included the books of the Hebrew canon and some additional books as well".

    The Septuagint (=5 Pentateuch books) was written in 250 BC, when not even one book of the Apocrypha had been written (their 4c BC statement is clearly wrong, it was written 2-1c. BC and finalized latest in 4c. AD!). Even if we very generously apply the term 'Septuagint' to the remaining 17 OT books written until 140 BC by others than the 70 translators, we still do not have the Apocrypha finished. This is desperately looking for a scapegoat. Might he never get such an accusation 600 years after his death, after someone thought it good to add some material to his books.

    - Serious lack of understanding of biblical laws. I quote: "The contrast between the piety of the Pharisees and the attitude of the Jesus movement could hardly be greater. One was based on the observance of the hundreds of religious laws of the Jews; the other rested upon a rejection of self-righteousness and a trust in the mercy of God."

    When speaking about hundreds of laws of Jews, he is obviously referring to the 600+ Old Covenant Laws. He does so in a condescending way which is disrespectful to THEOS. THEOS instituted those laws and they were perfect and holy for a season. The laws which JESUS actually despised were the 1500+ Oral Laws, and those actually were 'religious' laws the Pharisees built their self-righteousness upon.

    - Erroneous claim that JESUS "openly violated the Sabbath laws and questioned the validity of other laws, seemed to be undermining the authority of the Jewish religion." The debate JESUS had with the Pharisees was how to keep the Weekly Sabbath holy, not if to keep it holy. He rejected the Oral Laws the Pharisees added to the Weekly Sabbath (60 legalistic 'do's and don'ts' - how far exactly a person could walk, which kind of knots could be tied, how much weight could be carried, even disallowing healing and sex on a Sabbath ...).

    - The author endorses Origen without any discernment and calls him a 'genius' (Universalist; taught Purgatory; taught pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology). There is no mention in the book of him being a highly problematic teacher, instead the author praises his wisdom.

    - Endorsement of the problematic authors / teachers such as C.S. Lewis (Believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ) ...


    Cleansing the Temple: A Call to Radical Christianity, by Jesse Morrell (4*)

    Reviewed 03/07/2024 〣 100% read

    Overall a tremendous book, but with many problematic endorsements. Reading it is like a rollercoaster ride, pulsating with excellent teachings and deep valleys, with delighting and cringing.

    PROS

    + Excellent theology. He seems to have started with Calvinism and then having found his way out of it.

    + A book which breaks with many unhealthy church customs and careerism, and which challenges readers to be more active for CHRIST.

    + Great motivation for street preaching. But although being a remarkable story, it is not wise to teach others to occasionally go out alone. The biblical instruction to go out two by two makes sense, a fact I know from my own experience with Gospel tracts. His boldness and energy are remarkable, just once his language of 'bloody people' was a bit too much.

    + Many Scripture quotations (probably the book with most quotations ever read, which is excellent!).

    + Very good defense of Works of Faith.

    + Great and much needed teaching on righteous anger. Quote "Jesus Christ not only preached against sin but our Master preached against sinners. Jesus did not say 'Woe to hypocrisy' but He said 'Woe to you… hypocrites' (Matt 23:13)."

    CONS

    - Some spiritualizing and some minor inaccuracies. Quote "The mystery within this event is why did God accept Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's? There is no clear answer [yes there is], however scripture says that "Abel also brought of the first born of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering" (Gen 4:4), yet there is no mention of the quality of Cain's sacrifice at all." We (Early) Christians have not received the Hebrew OT, but clearly the Greek OT, which was the predominant Bible from the 3/2c. BC until the 5/6c. AD (600-800 years). Gen 4:7 in the Greek reads: 'Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? be still, to thee shall be his submission, and thou shalt rule over him.' The manipulated text as quoted by him reads: 'If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.'.

    - Problematic example, by using divorce as a positive illustration: "We are to put off the old life, acting as if it were no longer ourselves, and separating it from our sinful self as a wife is divorced from her husband, and as the soul is separated from the body by death."

    - Quote: "There can be no partial consecration! No half-conversion! No progressive sanctification!" Although his intention is right, there is indeed progressive sanctification. Yes, we should stop instantly from committing sin. But sanctification does not only imply sin. To become holier, is much more than the putting away of sin, it is a progressive growth which lasts decades, sometimes even involves a shrinking back in certain areas when the LORD assigns us new tasks, and growing in new areas while dealing with personal issues not having been aware of before or simply coming up in new settings.

    - Heavy endorsement of Spurgeon (quoted at least 15x; "more people are in heaven than in hell", ecumenism, Augustinian / Calvinist, "infants cannot but be odious and abominable to God", preached against baptismal regeneration).

    On the one hand, he recognizes his error of endorsing him:

    "Why I normally would not recommend anything from any Calvinist to anybody, I would recommend the diary of David Brainerd to everyone. There are some men who live better than their Calvinist theology. Men like Spurgeon, Whitefield and Brainerd were such men. I despise their theology but I admire their lives." [Spurgeon was an addict to several vices]

    But this looks more like a retroactively added footnote which avoids to change all the quotes, and is not a biblical behavior. We cannot recommend wolves, just because the author feels emotionally connected to them for the one fact that they also started their ministry early. There are plenty of other options to quote from, but it is most of the time best to not quote at all and to refer to the Bible only. Morrell is a 'heavy quoter' and his books would be more powerful without those crutches which many authors use to increase their credibility and reputation.

    Spurgeon's theology contradicts also fundamentally Morrell's very good theology, e.g. Spurgeon calls Free Will ridiculous in 'Lectures to my Students' (a book cited twice by him), while Morrell defends the concept at length.

    - Endorsement of A. W. Tozer (quoted 9x; see review of his book The Pursuit of God), C. S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ), of Michael Brown, of George Whitfield (Anglican), of Ruth Graham (wife of the great false teacher Billy Graham) and of the Puritans (although he teaches against Calvinism).

    GREAT / PRACTICAL QUOTES:

    "If Jesus were alive today I wonder how many churches there are that wouldn't even let Him preach there because He doesn't have any degrees. We put such an emphasis on our ministers to have degrees, why? God doesn't."

    "To preach the gospel it doesn't take degrees, it takes devotion. We don't need more doctorates but more dedication. Don't care about praise and start caring about people. Preach the gospel as if Judgment Day were today or "as a dying man unto dying people."

    "For roughly four hours I preached "sin, righteousness, and judgment to come" and "Christ and Him crucified." Taking drinks of warm water helped sustain my throat the entire time. Warm water is the best. Cold water will only close your throat more."

    "Instead of a bumper sticker 'God loves you', [we need stickers saying] 'God is angry with the wicked everyday' (Psa 7:11) or 'The wicked shall be turned into hell. (Psa 9:17)"

    "A preacher once asked a successful actor how it was that he was able to attract multitudes of people to watch him perform, while he was struggling to get crowds to hear him preach. The actor responded with something to the effect of, 'I present artificial stories as though they were real, while you present real stories as though they were artificial.'"

    "Here is a revelation for some of you preachers: when the Bible says what a man sows he shall surely reap, it is not talking about money! In context that scripture is referring to the wrath of God! Although God may bless your giving, I have never heard that scripture used in context. We have twisted, corrupted, and manipulated the Bible to make it as "seeker sensitive" and as sinner friendly as possible."

    Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels, by J. Warner Wallace (3*)

    Reviewed 30/05/2024 〣 100% read

    A great and overall recommendable book, but under the almost entire absence of spiritual discernment.

    PROS

    + Good defense of Christianity, although on a theoretical and rather dry level.

    + Good reflection on the early church fathers.

    + Some good insights into his profession. Especially helpful was the realization that witnesses have a greater value, when their testimony has obviously not been harmonized.

    CONS

    - He wrongly claimed that JESUS had in Mat 8:16 to wait until the evening, in order to cast out demons, because it was the Weekly Sabbath. But reading the previous two verses, it is very clear that JESUS healed earlier that day. The author has also a faulty understanding of the Weekly Sabbath itself. Only 2 out of 7 High Sabbaths began in the evening (Passover & Atonement), while a Weekly Sabbath is biblically stipulated to begin with sunrise. Modern Mainstream Judaism is no reference for us, if not we would have to start the biblical year in autumn et al.

    - No spiritual guidance for unbelievers on how to come to Christ. No reflection on the role of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of people and what role his book can play. No reflection on how the veil of people can be lifted.

    - Incorrect statement that JESUS died the day before Passover, clearly contradicting the Bible in numerous accounts.

    - Incorrect statement that Jewish scribes protected the OT. This might be the case for the Masoretes in the 8c. AD, but it ignores the well-known fact that the Masoretes themselves admitted to have received a corrupted text, meaning the Proto-Masoretic text had been manipulated by Jewish scribes (2c. AD). It is also remarkable that the Greek OT is not even mentioned in this book, although having been the predominant Bible for at least half a millennia, also predominantly used for translations of nearly all codices and early translations.

    - He provides a platform to Bart Ehrman. It is sad that so many writers are copying each other in their references. Without people like Strobel, Turek, Wallace and Winger, Mr. Ehrman would not constantly increase his visibility and attention.

    - He repeatedly referenced Josephus and went as far as to compare his works to biblical writings. If he would have done his homework, he should have known that he was not even one of the Jews anymore, and was most certainly far away from being a Christian and to be fully relied upon. Yes, he was and is an important witness, but it does not suffice to mention in the addendum that readers of the previous edition of the book did exhort and urge this author for spiritual discernment, which he now proudly brushes off with the argument that 'differing views are not disqualifiers'.

    Yes, 'secondary beliefs can be relevant for historicity', but to say e.g. that Origen was an 'important CHRISTIAN leader' (which is a ridiculous claim and shows a significant spiritual blindspot; Origen was one of the greatest anti-Christs of history) is to actively mislead people. A spiritually mature author can mention such characters, but he gives between the lines a quick warning to readers. At least he does intentionally not mention Augustine ...

    - The mention of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ) in a Christian book is shocking (no matter how many others do the same). He uses him to open and close the book, meaning he gives him special importance.

    - Mother Teresa was a fraud, and direct enabler of sexual abuser and JESUIT priest Donald McGuire. Nevertheless, Wallace describes her in this book as 'noble' and the opposite of H**ler.

    - Endorsement of Billy Graham (great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale, strong tendency towards Universalism, Key figure in the ecumenical movement, used Roman Catholic lay people as supervisors and altar workers, close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope).

    - The (de-facto Catholic) Lee Strobel wrote the foreword, which is problematic.

    Convergence: Why Jesus needs to be more than our Lord and Savior for the church to thrive in a post-Christian world, by Jon Thompson (1*)

    Reviewed 03/02/2023 〣 100% read

    A book full with references / quotes to Eugene Peterson (Universalism, heretical Message Bible, promotion of Richard Rohr and The Shack), Dallas Willard (Universalism, Contemplative Prayer / Mysticism, heretical Spiritual Formation Study Bible), Richard Foster (Contemplative Prayer / Mysticism, Catholic, Spiritual Formation Study Bible), C. Peter Wagner (NAR), Wayne Grudem (Theistic Evolution) ...

    Courageous, by Randy Alcorn, Alex & Stephen Kendrick (5*)

    Reviewed 01/11/2022 〣 100% read

    Excellent book. It starts very secular, but then wonderfully connects many lessons from the lives of those characters to our lives and teaches us more than a couple of theological books could ever do. Very recommendable.

    Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny: Answering Darwin, Dawkins, and the New Atheists, by Dave Hunt (4*)

    Reviewed 11/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + A great investigation, combined with a good portion of humor (although his sarcasm is sometimes a bit too much).

    + He employs a great discernment on Francis Collins, who has sadly influenced a great number of problematic teachers such as Billy Graham , Frank Turek, Gary R. Habermas, Lee Strobel, Michael Licona, Norman Geisler, Ray Comfort, Timothy Keller, Wayne Grudem, William Lane Craig, et al.:

    Quote: "Purpose on G-d's part is also denied by Francis Collins even more firmly than by other theistic evolutionists. Collins's 'G-d' only foreknows what will happen but keeps hands off and lets natural processes take their course. Incredibly, though claiming to be Christian, Collins rejects the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Therein the Bible clearly declares that G-d created man in a specific act, not over billions of years, as Collins claims. Elevating evolution above G-d, Collins, instead of crediting G-d with a specific act of creation, attributes to Him merely the foreknowledge that this would all happen through natural selection! [...]

    This is an astonishing statement from a man who professes to be a Christian. The "G-d" Collins believes in knows what is going to happen, but he neither causes nor controls the actual creation of man and lower creatures. Collins's theory contradicts the Genesis account of creation of all species, including mankind. It downgrades G-d from Creator to passive observer watching the alleged marvel of natural selection taking its cruel, inefficient, laborious, time-consuming, deadly, and wasteful course over "millions of years" that should have left billions of carcasses of "missing links." Such inefficiency and waste of life could all have been avoided had Collins's "G-d" followed the Genesis creation account!"

    + Great chapter with the background of Israel and specifically the origin of the name 'Palestine'.

    CONS

    - Although this book is superior to other books of this genre, it is also slightly repetitive (the human eye is repeated over and over) and could have been condensed especially in the middle portion of the book.

    - The book misses the most important foundation, the fact that CHRIST created this world (a fact that should appear in the first chapter of any treatise)!

    Heb 1:1-3 "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, G-d spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world."

    If we acknowledge this most important fact, then many other observations and endless discussions 'evaporate'. Our distorted picture of a CHRIST who came on the scene after 5500 (4000) years and was neither involved in the creation, nor appeared multiple times as the Angel of KYRIOS, has created an immense damage. We usually pronounce His eternity, but treat Him as if He had absolutely no function until His First Coming. This is a tragic distortion of the Good Message, which starts with Genesis and not with Matthew.

    - The author states that creation is ~6000 years old, which is at odds with the Greek Old Testament. We know today that our Masoretic texts had been manipulated in less than 1% of the text, and we should reflect this knowledge of the ~5554 BC creation date (which is also less a stumbling block for unbelievers).

    - Repeated (9x) and very specific endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    Most dramatically, C.S. Lewis clearly endorsed Theistic Evolution, a concept rebuked throughout this book ...

    - Endorsement of the Catholic writer Blaise Pascal as "brilliant theist thinker".

    - Endorsement of the problematic teacher Nancy Pearcey.

    QUOTES

    "These atheists claim to be on the side of nature. Then why do they reject what seems to have been the intuition of almost the entire human race from the beginning of time right up to the present?"

    "If a Christian bets his life on G-d's existence and eternity in bliss with Him and is wrong, he has only lost this life, which atheists claim is a meaningless delusion anyway. But if an atheist bets that there is no G-d and thus no eternal judgment after death and is wrong, he will suffer for it forever."

    "Atheists are still hoping for the "missing link" that will rescue them from the embarrassment of admitting they've been wrong all these years. How much longer must we wait?"

    "The scientist has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

    "The Apostle Paul said that the physical world is temporary, but the unseen world is eternal. This is the world that the materialist cannot deny exists but refuses to acknowledge and is impoverished by that refusal."

    "A biblical theist would never imagine that life existed anywhere outside our own planet and would therefore waste no time in bothering to pursue it. Only an atheist/evolutionist could entertain the notion that life began by chance on Earth and therefore could have begun by the same chance and might exist elsewhere in the cosmos."

    The Cross and the Switchblade, by David Wilkerson, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill (2*)

    Reviewed 04/04/2024 〣 100% read

    Tremendous story, but theologically highly problematic. Avoid this book.

    The ghostwriter, Elizabeth Sherrill, has worked for 7 decades directly under one of the most prolific Freemasons, Norman Vincent Peale, at Guideposts. She also endorsed Masonry in her book 'Return from Tomorrow'.

    PROS

    + Great writing skills.

    + Impressive story, but unclear how much of it is actually true. One example includes a female character of the book, who after specifically 1 liter of Whiskey and 3 heroin shots (!!!) supposedly made a phone call to a Team Challenge member to please come and to prevent her from killing a specific person.

    CONS

    - The book teaches the doctrine that everyone who is born again should automatically speak in tongues.

    - Very intense promotion of the Assemblies of God (which gave ministry credentials to Benny Hinn; expectation of speaking in tongues as an evidence of the Holy Spirit's baptism; divine healing as an expected part of salvation; sometimes members are slain in the Spirit and "holy laughter".)

    Quote: "We started mostly as an Assemblies of God program, and before we knew it, we had an Episcopalian and a Presbyterian and a Baptist and a Dutch Reformed committee member."

    - Endorsement of the Lutheran and Dutch Reformed minister Harald Bredesen, who created a 'Prince of Peace Prize' he later also gave to Mother Teresa and Billy Graham (both outmost problematic). Bredesen was often called the father of the charismatic movement. He was friends with Pat Robertson and founded with him the Christian Broadcasting Network, after having introduced him to the Pentecostal experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

    - Comprehensive promotion of the Episcopal Church (Anglican Puritans; interface between Roman Catholic Church and Reformed / Calvinist Church)

    - Endorsement of Jesuits. Quote: "... we had a visit at the center from a Jesuit priest. He, too, wanted to know more about ... "The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a denominational experience," I said. "We have Episcopalians and Lutherans and Baptists and Methodists working with us, all of whom have been filled with the Holy Spirit."

    - Endorsement of Fordham University, a top-ranked Catholic university in NYC, offering 'exceptional education in the Jesuit tradition'.

    - Specific endorsement of the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible.

    - Endorsement of female pastors. Quote: "The next day I went down to Glad Tidings and had a long talk with Mrs. Marie Brown, co-pastor with Stanley Berg of the fine old church."

    See also my review on 'Chasing The Dragon' (Jackie Pullinger), which follows a nearly identical pattern and religious background, the author even mentioning in her book that she handed out copies of 'The Cross And The Switchblade' to new believers in Hong Kong.

    Avoid also 'Run Baby Run'.

    David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who Believed, by Gary Wilkerson (2*)

    Reviewed 12/02/2024 〣 30% read

    This book shows in a painful way the backsliding from a generation of our grandparents that maybe was sometimes a bit legalistic but much closer to THEOS, to a generation which has lost most discernment.

    It is shocking how he sees the backsliding of his aunt - first into Catholicism and then into Eastern Mysticism - only as a sin issue and not a salvation issue. His grandparents were right (maybe not with cutting the contact but in their discernment), but he criticizes them in his book sweepingly as legalistic.

    I stopped reading the book, because a Christian should not participate in gossip which is in this case close to slander. His grandparents have no means to defend themselves and surely did not accuse him in public, which would be the only justifiable reason for such gossip (if both were public figures). We can point out generic differences between generations, but to specifically call them out as 'legalistic' while being adored by the high cheeks of his attractive aunt, is highly problematic. Honor your father and mother surely includes grandparents. He grossly violates this command.

    I would be curious to read the rest of the book and to figure out, if he instead of his grandparents might not even be saved (his defense of Catholicism and endorsement of Billy Graham in the book suggest that), but again, the Bible forbids us even to listen to gossip / slander. As soon as somebody starts with such an attitude, we have to walk away for the time being.

    I also disliked the obviously selfish motifs in endorsing his father practically as an idol. It is good to point out the great strength and biblical success a person had in his life, but his sense of entitlement clearly shines through, with little humility and seeing himself and his family as very, very special because of his father.

    And last but not least, the title is highly confusing and willingly misleads the reader to believe that this book is the original book, with both the name and title of its author in the title. It is very sad that the appearance of this book has also eliminated the original audiobook from Everand.

    Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent, by N.D. Wilson (3*)

    Reviewed 08/10/2023 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Superb writing style.

    + Christian messages in ordinary life stories.

    NEUTRAL

    o He is trying hard to copy the problematic teacher C. S. Lewis, and he has indeed a more creative and less intellectual writing style.

    CONS

    - He clearly watered down Adam's sin.

    - Hardly any key message transmitted through the book, it is rather a showcase of his writing abilities mixed with some Christian elements here and there.

    - Repeated endorsement of J. R. R. Tolkien - very concerning. He goes as far -and here it gets heretical- to mention Gollum (The Hobbit), C.S. Lewis and the biblical Adam in one breath, giving great credibility to those extrabiblical figures.

    - His background is Lutheran and he tells how he visited the church where the creator of Heidelberg Catechism (both Lutheran, with strong Calvinist leanings) taught.

    - He claimed that Mary has been a teenage mother, what is highly unlikely:

    1. A look at the biblical genealogies clearly contradicts this. Zerubbabel was born 20 generations before Christ (Luk 3:23, 27) in between 587 and 539 BC in Babylon, what provides us an average begetting age (although not always firstborn) of 28 years (562 BC - 2 BC / 20 = 28 years) between Zerubbabel and Christ. We have to remember that the vital records in the bloodline of JESUS have rarely been typical.

    2. In addition, Mat 1:19 speaks of a 'just' (man) who had mature thoughts of not making a public example of Mary. Children under the biblical Age of Accountability of 20 years can hardly be labeled as 'just' - according to THEOS' Word they do not even 'know good or bad' (Deut 1:39).

    3. Any person under the age of 20 was not included in a census, but Luk 2:3-4 makes it clear that Joseph and Mary travelled to a census. With the census being Roman in nature, the minimum age could have changed, but the fact that an unmarried couple travelled without their parents to a census and intended to 'book' an inn, indicates already the age of an adult of at least Joseph.

    Discovering the Septuagint, by David Bercot (5*)

    Reviewed 07/12/2023 〣 100% read

    Truly excellent analysis of the history of the Greek Old Testament.

    Highly recommended for every Christian!

    Enneagram Theology, by Rhenn Cherry (2*)

    Reviewed 04/11/2024 〣 100% read

    A discernment book which requires more discernment than that being discerned.

    While this book delivers some valued discernment on Richard Rohr and the Enneagram, it fails to first take the sliver out of the author's eye. The sliver turns out to be enormous and we are left with the unfortunate choice of either embracing a religion which does accept all people from any religion, or with a religion that is not even available to most of those who could seek CHRIST. It is a fight of evil against evil, with no winner.

    PROS

    + Good discernment on Richard Rohr, his disciples and the Jesuit origin of the Enneagram movement.

    CONS

    - Teaching of the heretical doctrine of Total Depravity, while heavily quoting Owen Strachan:

    "We cannot come to God;

    we cannot of ourselves know the Lord.

    We cannot please the Lord.

    We neither want nor follow God's will.

    In our fallenness, we can't even understand the things of God.

    We are totally depraved and thus totally unable to come to God."

    This quote summarizes the absurdity of this doctrine and every clause is plainly contradicted by Scripture, as it should be obvious to the most naive reader of the Bible. While it is maybe true that the further we get into sin, the blinder we become to come to THEOS, this is not so from scratch. CHRIST died for the sins of any human being, and no matter if born into a Calvinist family / church or not (...), we all have the exact same chances to come to CHRIST.

    - The book is rather a sales show for (the products of) selected Calvinist authors. It also focuses too much on names on both sides than going into the spiritual matter of the issues involved.

    - The author contradicts his own writing when endorsing Calvinism repeatedly as orthodox antithesis to Universalism:

    "Jay Adams maintains [...] that within the church and before God, no one person or group should have an advantage over another. But Adams adds that although some distinct advantages are clearly visible even among born-again believers in this earthly life, those distinctions will one day be non-existent in the presence of God. [...] Lightfoot summarizes the concept of Christ being in all: "Christ has dispossessed and obliterated all distinctions of religious prerogative and intellectual preeminence and social caste. Christ has submitted himself for all these." [...] There is consensus among these orthodox evangelical commentators that in Colossians 3:11 Paul makes clear that there is no place for barriers in the church ..."

    - The author employs a double-tongue. While chapters 1, 2, 3, and 5 criticize the Enneagram, chapter 4 seems to have been written by another author who actually favors the Enneagram. It is a devastating chapter, which except for one brief discernment in the middle and the end of it does actually endorse the Enneagram (!!!).

    At this point of time I have reviewed 170 books and never seen anything like this. I am not sure if the author was afraid that he could be sued for the otherwise critical content, but this chapter destroys much of the discernment and leads the reader straight to purchase one or rather several of the countless works recommended here from all available authors on the Enneagram.

    - Heavy endorsement of the highly problematic teacher John MacArthur (Figurehead of Augustinian-Calvinism; Cessationist ...).

    - Endorsement of Wayne Grudem (Calvinist, Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement; Theistic Evolution; he rejects Noah's flood).

    - Repeated endorsement of Jay Adams (Calvinist / Presbyterian).

    - Repeated endorsement of J.I. Packer (Calvinist and author of Evangelicals and Catholics Together; Ecumenism)

    - He endorses the Westminster confession (Calvinist manifest), the Gospel Coalition (figurehead of the New Calvinist movement), and Christianity Today (Catholic-driven magazine).

    An Evangelical Appeal for the Septuagint, by C.W. Henry (2*)

    Reviewed 27/06/2024 〣 100% read

    This book (and author) is the perfect example of great head knowledge under the absence of the HOLY SPIRIT and faith in the Word. It is one more example of Academics / Catholics / Calvinists talking with a smooth tongue about the Greek Old Testament (GOT), only to reject it in the end for the sake of tradition and personal biases.

    PROS

    + Partly very good investigation with many convincing proofs for the Greek Old Testament.

    + He delivered a good defense for the non-inclusion of the Apocrypha.

    CONS

    - The author is strongly biased. When the book starts, he proclaims to look into 3 options, but he does intentionally not even mention to look into the case of the GOT being divinely inspired. This is a poor scholarship. While he does make many good arguments for the GOT, he does not even believe in it. It is like writing a book about the art of making gelato, only to tell the reader in the end that he does not eat gelato but recommends us to try it based on his wonderful recipes. Hypocrisy at its finest.

    - He lied when he stated that the Reformers rejected the Apocrypha. This is a very common assertion, but nothing could be further from the truth. Until the reformation never more than 7 apocryphal books had been used (by the Catholics) in a Bible. -ALL- reformers strongly increased the books printed in the Bibles to 11-15 books and the books remained for more than 400 years in our Bibles (and would there be today if it would not have proven to be cheaper in print without it)! THEOS does most probably not care if disguised as a separate section. He will judge all those who included, promoted and even those who did not speak against the inclusion of those books between the 2 covers of His Word.

    - He also lied about the role of Augustine when it comes to the Apocrypha. While Origen and his person were the two absolute key figures in bringing the Apocrypha into our Bibles, he makes us believe that Augustine considered it as not having canonical authority.

    - He shows a total obsession with Calvin and Augustine. Both were great anti-Christs, the latter being the patriarch of the RCC and of the Calvinists. He does not even tell us why he chose Calvin as standard reference for many aspects of the GOT, but probably simply assumes that we are impressed by this name. He also repeatedly quotes the Westminster Confession, which is kind of expected in a Calvinist book.

    - Highly problematic endorsement of Origen, once again without the least of any discernment. To quote Origen and to praise his works, is to praise Satan (Universalist; taught Purgatory; taught pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology).

    - The author states twice that he rejects the letter of Aristeas, but he does not tell us the reason. He suspects it to be a retroactive defense of Christians, but does not say why he comes to that conclusion and why he rejects the account while giving credit in the book to Justin Martyr, who confirmed the account as a direct eye-witness of the actual setting.

    He does not mention Rabbi Akiva / Akiba once in the entire book (!!!) and does not reflect at all on his role in the most dramatic change of the Bible in all over history. To leave him out while virtually every other Septuagint study is forced to speak of his role, shows anti-biblical intentions of the authors.

    The book is lacking some absolutely essential topics:

    - A comparison of the Genealogies (Gen 5 & 11) would have turned the final findings of the book upside down. It is obvious that he avoided it intentionally and only made a confusing remark in the footnotes.

    - A comparison of the age of humanity.

    - The Madaba Map quoting extensively from the GOT.

    - Abraham's 'Golden Age' of 175 years is not discussed.

    - The differing flood dates are not mentioned.

    - The 'Angel of the Lord' / 'Messenger of Great Counsel' is missing, while he misinterprets Isa 9:6 as error of the GOT, not recognizing that the Akiva intentionally added 4 anthropomorphisms to this verse in order to disguise the identity of the pre-incarnate CHRIST as the Angel of the Lord.

    Evangullible, by Warren B. Smith (5*)

    Reviewed 21/11/2024 〣 100% read

    Truly excellent book, investigation and especially spiritual discernment.

    The only room for improvement is related to the role of Martin Luther King, and his war cry of 'I have a dream'. Smith perfectly elaborates how this had been abused by the New Age Civil Rights Movement, but he does not see the spiritual dimension of MLK, who was not a Christian and carried rather the spirit of an anti-Christ. The New Age Civil Rights Movement would have never found spiritual inspiration from a sound Christian, and it would have been good and necessary to discern more in detail on MLK.

    A book which should be read by every Christian. Truly superb, without any questionable endorsements or own theologies which many other authors display in their books. Smith 'had one task', to convert his experience of spiritual fallenness into discernment and spiritual victory, and he did this with perfection without deviating to the left or right.

    NEUTRAL 

    o Regarding Maitr*** - I quote GotQuestions: "Speculating on whether or not the antichrist will claim to be Maitr*** seems rather fruitless; Maitr*** is not a real person, but part of mythical beliefs. It is possible that the 'beast' of Revelation 13:11-15 (the word 'antichrist' is not in the book of Revelation) could be someone who claims to be Maitr***, or whom others perceive as Maitr***. However, since God's Word does not give us information on who the beast is, it is best to be assured of one's salvation so that, whoever the antichrist / beast turns out to be, one can find peace and safety in eternal life through faith in Christ."


    Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time, by Stephen Arterburn (2*)

    Reviewed 12/09/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Very practical and helpful approaches on how to overcome several addictions related to lust.

    + Direct language.

    CONS

    - A biblical definition of sexual discipline is absent. Little white teaching.

    - In many parts of the book it is rather a worldly, secular approach and has often little to nothing to do with the Bible. Prayer to overcome temptation is totally absent, which is shocking in such a book. Reliance on the Holy Spirit is absent.

    There is also no mention to deny oneself in general, which is a basic attitude that will affect further smaller temptations.

    But the probably most dramatic failure of the book is the lack of call for repentance. Behind temptations and unholiness, there are often one or several significant unforgiven sins. In order to overcome temptations, one needs to constantly clean up his house and repent of any new sin he or she is aware of. If this is not being done, it obviously results in heaps of unforgiven sins which in turn lead down the deadly spiral.

    Confession of sin towards the spouse is also absent, which is key for building or re-gaining trust.

    - He described his wife several times as a 'goddess', which is a heretical and blasphemous term not fitting for a Christian book.

    - Very heavy endorsement of the highly problematic teacher James Dobson and his Focus on the Family.

    - Problematic endorsement of the Promise Keepers.

    - Problematic endorsement of Rick Joyner.

    Evidence That Demands a Verdict Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World, by Josh McDowell (2017) (2*)

    Reviewed 17/07/2024 〣 100% read

    Some great teachings and a good defense of the Bible - but with an unusual amount of significant errors and a lot of very bad discernment. While the first edition(s) might have been great, it has now become a terrible patchwork and is with 42.5 hrs way too long. This 3rd edition mentioned Bart Ehrman with a record time of 209x and made him famous after 1999- leading many astray although their intentions might have been different.

    PROS

    + Often a great and very detailed defense of the Bible, e.g. with the list of names and places having been identified long after the writing of THEOS' Word, the prophecies leading to CHRIST et al.

    + Incredible testimony which I also saw a few weeks earlier as a movie.

    + While most apologetics today heavily promote themselves in their books and put themselves in the center, this is very different in this book. The authors show humility and only mention the necessary regarding themselves. 

    + Quote: "If you are reading this book to acquire some big words such as evidential, ontological, or bibliographical to impress your friends, then you probably need to get a different book. Precision and clarity, while important, especially for apologists and philosophers, are not meant to make you sound smart — but for you genuinely to help people."

    + Good explanation of the dual fulfillment of prophecies. Nice to find JESUS described in His identity as the Angel of the Lord.

    CONS

    - The book violates dozens of times the biblical command to not even speak out the names of other gods. It would have been easy enough to obscure those names (e.g. z**s).

    - The foreword is written by Andy Stanley, a teacher widely known to be highly problematic.

    - Although it is well known that Augustine didn't understand much Greek, the authors state the exact opposite: "Augustine (354–430), who was deeply trained in the Greek and Roman scholarship of his day, asked (rhetorically) in On Christian Doctrine how to proceed in scriptural interpretation." They also endorse him as one of the highest authorities and most reliable sources, although it is well known that he was a great anti-Christ (key figure for introduction of Apocrypha, RCC doctor and provider of most doctrines, patriarch of Calvinism).

    - Endorsement of Teresa of Avila. Quote: "St. Teresa of Avila for example, understood most acutely how distant she was from the full possibility of life in Christ, but it was not because she was living distantly from that life but so near to it."

    The McDowell's are spiritually deceived. Avila was a key figure of Catholic and Christian Mysticism, and the first female Doctor of the Catholic church. She levitated on a number of occasions at a height of about a foot and a half. She called the experience a 'spiritual visitation'. It was a source of embarrassment to her and she bade her sisters hold her down when this occurred. Her fellow nuns suggested that her newfound knowledge could be of diabolical origin. She had begun to inflict mortifications of the flesh upon herself. But her confessor, the Jesuit Francis Borgia, reassured her of the divine inspiration of her thoughts. Her spiritual adviser was the Franciscan priest Peter of Alcantara, who is known to have undertaken cruel mortifications and who slept 1.5-2 hrs a night. For more than 20 years he wore an iron belt studded with sharp points which pierced his flesh, and for 40 years he daily scourged himself till he bled.

    To quote her, is to essentially quote the devil.

    - While the Apostolic Fathers contain some good teachings (such as 2Clement, Polycarb and the Didache), there are 1Clement and Ignatius, which are highly problematic works, the latter being precisely one of the most evil works ever written and so to say the foundational document of the RCC. Now guess what the McDowell's endorse out of all the Apostolic Fathers?

    Yes, exactly those two works - I quote: "Conclusion Regarding the Apostolic Fathers' Testimony - Clement and Ignatius not only assume a historical Jesus, but go to great lengths to affirm key facts about his life on earth. While not as important as writings from direct witnesses to the life of Jesus, they are still early, independent, and trustworthy."

    1CLEMENT includes: Spiritualizing. Extrabiblical salvation. Endorsement of a continuation of sacrifices in the New Covenant. Introduction of liturgies. Endorsement of capital punishment. Endorsement of Deuterocanonicals. Frequent language of 'the elect'. Bishops (not as separate office), but rule of succession (institutional office).

    IGNATIUS is the exact opposite of trustworthy: As widely acknowledged, it is most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (so as to speak of the masterminds of the later Catholic Church). The writer(s) -coined- the term 'Catholic church'. Creation of the Pope's office (Bishop + overseers + deacons). Deeply ingrained antisemitism, which led him to propose to abolish the Weekly Sabbath. The writer of 'his' letters' converts martyrdom into a spiritual achievement. Any sexual union ought to be sanctioned by a bishop.

    - They commit a serious faux pas when commending W.S. Bach who is well know to be a Freemason: "Influential theologian, philosopher, and author Francis Schaeffer provides even greater insight into how the Bible influenced the work of a genius like Bach: His music was a direct result of the Reformation culture and the biblical Christianity of the time, which was so much a part of Bach himself. There would have been no Bach had there been no Luther ..."

    - They explain the Targums twice, once at the beginning, and again halfway through the book. After speaking about almost a dozen of steeles, they suddenly explain what a steele is. The specific times of writing of the NT are discussed twice in the book. Bart Ehrman is introduced several times in the book. Many other topics are highly repetitive. The book has now become a terrible patchwork and could probably shrunk down by 30-40%.

    - They freely quote from works which JESUS despised, without any reservation nor discernment. Such works include the Talmud (28x mentioned) and the Mishna (17x). Both works are deeply heretical and should only be quoted together with an urgent warning, which is absent.

    - Misleading quote: "From the first translation of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek Septuagint in the mid-third century BC ..." This is a misleading claim, because we have two centuries earlier already Ezra's translation (459-445 BC, from Paleo-Hebrew into Aramaic-Hebrew) and we have eight centuries earlier Samuel's text (1050 BC, from Hieroglyphic Hebrew into Paleo-Hebrew).

    - The authors describe all codices, but do only briefly mention and not say anything about Alexandrinus, which is precisely one of the most important codices of all (while ignoring the retroactively added Apocrypha). This is very, very strange. It is also strange that they speak very little about the codices in general, while speaking a lot about Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha and how exactly other gods are worshiped.

    - They erroneously state that the Septuagint includes the Apocrypha. The Septuagint (=5 Pentateuch books) was written in 250 BC, when not even one book of the Apocrypha had been written (their 4c BC statement is clearly wrong, it was written 2-1c. BC and finalized latest in 4c. AD!). Even if we very generously apply the term 'Septuagint' to the remaining 17 OT books written until 140 BC by others than the 70 translators, we still do not have the Apocrypha finished. But they even go one step further, to say, just because some codices that were compiled 600 years (!) after the writing of the Septuagint included the Apocrypha, now the Septuagint written 600 years earlier consequently included the Apocrypha. This is desperately looking for a scapegoat. Might they never get such an accusation 600 years after their death, after someone thought it good to add some material to their books.

    - They erroneously state that Origen rejected the OT Apocrypha, which is clearly wrong. Origen considered at least 7 (!) books as Scripture (probably all) and was absolutely decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles - long before Augustine and Pope Damasus made it official (which is also ignored in this book). Origen used those apocryphal books indiscriminately with those of Scripture as sources for dogmatic proof texts, and cited as inspired / Scripture: Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah, Judith, Maccabees (plural), Tobith, Wisdom (of Solomon). He also defended Bel and the Dragon, Sirach and Susanna. He only discriminated against the Pseudepigrapha, which he called in fact 'Apocrypha' in the sense of being hidden / secret.

    Having read before this book most of the more modern Apologetic books, it is tragic to see how the inaccurate information in this book has spread far and wide and has not even been corrected in the now 3rd edition. I would go as far as to call it a serious transgression, given the fact that they intensely quote from F.F. Bruce and therefore have read his works, but ignore his findings regarding Origen and more dramatically regarding the manipulation of the Proto-Masoretic text through Aquila, who was a disciple of Akiva / Akiba / Aquiba.

    Quote: "Aquila Recension. Dated to c. AD 130, this alleged pupil of Rabbi Aquiba produced a highly literal recension toward the Masoretic Text." It is an outrageous lie to state that his Proto-Masoretic text was 'highly literal', although knowing from Bruce and many other sources that the contrary was the truth and that even the Masoretes complained about botched source material. Did the McDowell's not read 'The Canon of Scripture' although quoting extensively from it, or did they intentionally suppress that information?

    The book also idolizes Jerome ("the great scholar and translator of the Latin Vulgate"), while not even mentioning that he was the secretary to Pope Damasus and responsible for picking up the manipulated Proto-Masoretic text from Aquila, and confusing us until today with a Bible in 2 languages instead of 1 Greek language as received for more than 6 centuries (250 BC - 5th c. AD).

    - Luther rejected the Apocrypha? Quote: "Luther and the Reformers rejected the canonicity of the Apocrypha." This is also a lie, because precisely the Reformation was responsible for having included -for the first time in history- up to 15 apocryphal books in many standard Bibles, while not even the RCC had previously included more than 7 books (1455 AD Gutenberg Bible: 10 apocryphal books, fully merged; 1524 AD Zwingli's Zürich Bible: 10 books, fully merged in between OT books; 1534-1592 AD Luther Bible, Matthew's Bible, Myles Coverdale Bible, Geneva Bible, Clementine Vulgate: 11-15 books included, separate section). Luther even equated the Apocrypha with Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation, and most probably even esteemed it more than those 4 biblical books.

    - They do a good job on educating about the Pseudepigrapha, but it is not expedient. They e.g. fill several pages with the gospel of Thomas, but there is not more than a lot of blabla with elaborated academic thought processes. The entire discussion could be done in less than 1 minute by just quoting 1 or 2 sayings (e.g. saying # 71 "Destroy this house and no one shall be able to rebuild it"). While the authors utterly condemn the gospel of Peter, they entirely fail to do so with the gospel of Thomas. A lot of arguments, but in the end they fail to judge and condemn it and rather motivate the reader to read it. Tragic.

    - They claim that the Gospels include an incomplete genealogy of CHRIST, without being able to refute this attack to the Bible. They can only refer to Matthew, but it is no secret that this is the Dynastic & Selective Bloodline of CHRIST. Only Luke 3 is complete with its 77 generations from THEOS to CHRIST.

    - They play around with the divine inspiration of the Bible: "Many scholars today believe that the gospel writers exercised some measure of creativity in their narratives, particularly in the infancy narratives [...] Matthew's account derived from Joseph and Luke's derived from Mary. This explanation doesn't require that Matthew and Luke spoke with Joseph and Mary directly. Joseph is generally thought to have died before Jesus began his public ministry. Presumably his story was passed on to his sons, including James, the Lord's half-brother, whom Matthew would have known personally when both of them were apostles and leaders in the early Jerusalem church ..."

    They are academics who do not understand that an inspired writer can write about events neither they nor anyone else ever heard of, which happened thousands of years earlier in the remotest part of the world. The role of the HOLY SPIRIT is almost absent in the entire book and it is all very much man-centered talk.

    - They go to great lengths in debating every detail about JESUS' resurrection, but do not even know that He died during Passover, although the Bible is crystal clear on this. Quote: "he was executed by the Roman prefect Pilate, on or around Passover". Around Passover? Seriously?

    - They claimed several times that JESUS violated the Weekly Sabbath, which is clearly wrong. He violated the Oral Law the Pharisees had built around the Sabbath and what JESUS utterly despised. Never did the Bible forbid healing on a Sabbath.

    - They clearly belittle and rather reject a literal reading of the days in the Genesis account.

    - They also leave open the possibility that the flood account could have been inspired by other extrabiblical accounts, which is plain heresy.

    - They claim that the gap view involves previous life and death, and a casting down of Satan. This is ridiculous. The Bible only speaks about the foundation and the HOLY SPIRIT hovering over the waters, and nothing else before the creation week starts an undefined time after Gen 1:1. To imply previous death and in most of their accepted models millions of years, is to disguise the creation account and to open the door for all kinds of false teachings. In their conclusion they claim to be neutral, but only after having done an immense damage. "Such diversity as covered in this report is acceptable as long as the full historicity of the creation account is accepted."

    - They teach the wrong location of Babylon in Lower Mesopotamia instead of Upper Mesopotamia. The location must be NORTH of Tyre. Eze 26:7 "For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I am bringing to -TYRE- Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon from the NORTH ..."

    - The chapters 27-30 (Nature & Knowability of Truth, Postmodernism) are the modern example of a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. It is an overly eloquent inhouse discussion amongst academics and outmost boring, while containing close to zero Bible passages which would have much better underlined the relevance and need for truth. Those almost 3 hours of listening time for those passages are lost time and the authors would have done well to publish this in an academic paper and to exclude this from a book which supposedly should attract unbelievers.

    - They give way too much attention to Ehrman and a great share of his influence is probably due to this book alone. Countless other authors (Strobel, Turek, Wallace and Winger) have since picked up the same, but what is the result of all those books? He has not come back to Christianity, has most probably benefited through all those authors writing about him, while leading thousands to hell. The authors should have reflected in the last years if their approach of Ehrman is the correct one or if the HOLY SPIRIT would rather lead them to exclude his name at all. We need to focus on the truth, not to bring up antagonists.

    - When comparing textual traditions, they suggest methods such as to determine a plausible reading or maybe even conjectural emendation. They do not state with which spiritual authority they endeavor such an undertaking, nor is at any point mentioned a possible role of the HOLY SPIRIT in determining original Scripture.

    - It is very strange that -while speaking of many steeles- they do not even mention the most important Bible map of history, the Madaba Map, one of the single most remarkable testimonies for the accuracy of the Bible.

    - The book makes intensive use of the works of William Lane Craig and praises him repeatedly (29x mentioned; proponent of Theistic Evolution Adam&Eve = Homo heidelbergensis; one million years ago ... contradicting the 77 generations in Luke 3:23-28; he claims that the genre of Genesis 1-11 is pure myth; rejects the Flood and the Tower of Babel; serious errors related to the Trinity and Incarnation; he does not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture).

    - Endorsement through Jay Richards from the Catholic University of America.

    - Endorsement of J.R.R. Tolkien (ultra-conservative Roman Catholic) and C. S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ), Dallas Willard (9x mentioned; Universalism; Contemplative Prayer / Mysticism; heretical Spiritual Formation Study Bible; founding member of Renovaré; Emerging church), Felix-Marie Abel ("the famous Dominican father"), Hugh Ross (claims that the creation days of Gen 1 do not represent literal 24-hour periods; there are about 12 species of bipedal primates that predated Adam and Eve but they're in the same category the chimpanzees orangutangs and the gorillas; science and the Bible should be equated in authority; close collaboration with Francis Collins from BioLogos; Guest at the infamous 700 Club), John P. Meier (Catholic scholar; several times mentioned), Lee Strobel (4x; a de facto Catholic; a highly problematic teacher), Ravi Zacharias (8x; no comment needed), Robert Maynard Hutchins (Presbyterian), Timothy Keller (2x; Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...), the Westminster Confession (Calvinist) and countless other problematic references.

    Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, by Miroslav Volf (2*)

    Reviewed 25/04/2024 〣 35% read

    This book is probably the perfect expression for the biblical meaning of "a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal". It stands for an endless rambling of words, with some very brief references to Christ injected here and there, but those appearing totally foreign to the book.

    I read 3 chapters without learning anything, nor did I draw any closer to Christ through any remarks. While it could be true that the book might turn out more practical after the author has sufficiently shown his intellectual bright side (as many other similar books start out and turn later more practical), I felt in the Spirit to stop listening to this book, although time would not have been an issue to do so.

    - He initially states that he wrote the book for himself, but we find in the book several statements such as 'this book seeks to ...'. A Christian should never lie. He wants to protect himself from criticism (which is also shown by his removal of the 'gender'-section in the second edition), but his need should not have led to this grotesque lie.

    -His 'Christian' world consists essentially of the Catholic and Orthodox. He heretically describes 'Catholicism as a variation of Christianity.

    - He speaks about 'jealous goddesses' as if those were real beings. Quote: "But the new Croatia, like some jealous goddess, wanted all my love and loyalty."

    - He endorses / quotes 4 times from or through Augustine (one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, .... He was also the father of the doctrine of persecution).

    - Quotations from Nietzsche and Nicholas Wolterstorff (Calvinist).

    - The official praises for the book include an Episcopalian bishop, Gregory V. Palmer, and the Presbyterian Timothy Keller (Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...).

    Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, by Henry T. Blackaby, Claude V. King (2*)

    Reviewed 17/04/2024 〣 40% read

    I read the first 10 chapters and although the book contains some good teachings and encouraging anecdotes, it also contains teachings on hearing the voice of THEOS which are rather to be viewed with a critical eye.

    It appears that he spiritualizes in the way that, although 'burning bush experiences' are certainly not the norm, we can have similar experiences. He speaks a lot about how THEOS speaks to us, but there are no details on what he means with this. We don't know if he means a small voice in your head or if he means a literal voice, but it has rather the appearance of a literal voice which indeed is problematic.

    He also quotes Charles Spurgeon, who was a highly problematic teacher even though endorsed by many Calvinists and even non-Calvinists.

    Henry Blackaby is also endorsed by Guideposts, owned by the 33' Freemason Norman Vincent Peale, which is a very concerning sign.

    Faith Undone, by Roger Oakland (5*)

    Reviewed 03/12/2024 〣 100% read

    A landmark book.

    Before reading this book my concept of the 'Emerging church' was vague. I was able to recognize it, but not to fully understand the scope and evil consequences this form of church has. I am grateful for this landmark book which is a tremendous work when it comes to the discernment of the Emerging church.

    PROS

    + Clear and precise message, with a great investigation and discernment.

    NEUTRAL

    o On the one hand he endorses the Reformation, which had certainly its good effects, but just a brief discernment on the highly problematic teachers Luther and Calvin should rather have us abstain from endorsing this false dichotomy the Catholic church has indirectly created. We do not need a New Reformation as warned about in this book, nor do we need to indulge in a past Reformation, we need to go back to the Early Church before the 3-4c. AD, while even ignoring Apostolic Fathers such as Ignatius, Clement and Barnabas. And here Roger made a very important point and balanced his endorsement of the Reformation, by saying:

    "Going back to the past to find experiences that will attract the postmodern generation is one goal of the emerging church movement. However, a serious question needs to be asked at this point. Why only go back to the Middle Ages, the turn of the first millennium, or the third century? Wouldn't this open the door for some devious doctrines that may have crept into the church? Why not just stay with Scripture in order to remain in the truth? All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (II Timothy 3:16). Those convinced that great spiritual insight can be gleaned from church fathers and mystics often overlook such definitive, God-inspired instruction. The Bible is stable and eternal; thus the truths penned in it centuries ago are still relevant today."

    ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

    - He could have shown where the concept of the Emerging church overlaps with Progressive Christianity.

    - It would have been informative if he could have added some brief sub-discernments when touching other problematic teachers / teachings:

    "Artress says she walked her first labyrinth at a seminar in 1991 with psychologist and mystic/channeler Jean Houston, who several years ago famously assisted First Lady Hillary Clinton in trying to contact the departed spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt [here a brief remark would have helped the reader, saying that Eleanor was a Freemason which makes it clear why Jean wanted to contact precisely her].

    QUOTES

    "I have been to the country of Myanmar (formerly called Burma) twice. On both occasions, I observed and videotaped both Catholics and Buddhists practicing repetitive prayer. By the way, in both cases they were chanting these prayers over and over again while counting beads. Yes, Catholics and Buddhists both have a rosary technique to keep track of how many times they have chanted a prayer."

    "Foster's implication that some contemplative prayer is safe is terribly mistaken. No contemplative prayer is biblical or safe—even the most mature of the Christian mystical leaders proved susceptible to its demonic pull. Thomas Merton at the end of his life said he wanted to be the best Buddhist he could be. Henri Nouwen at the end of his life said all paths lead to God. This was the spiritual fruit of their lives after years of practicing mystical prayer."

    Fast Facts on False Teachings, by Ron Carlson (3*)

    Reviewed 19/12/2024 〣 100% read

    Overall good and much needed book. But sadly the book itself requires strong discernment.

    PROS

    + It summarizes very well in short chapters what a certain religion or cult is about, without going into the last detail and consuming too much time of the reader. On point, and precise enough without filling unnecessary pages as so often done today.

    + Beautiful analogy of the lamb:

    "... sheep ranchers told him what often happens in a large flock of sheep. When the mother ewes are giving birth to lambs there will often be a mother that dies while giving birth to a live lamb. But somewhere else in the flock a mother ewe gives birth to a dead lamb. The sheep ranchers bring the orphan lamb to the mother who lost her baby, in order for the orphan to nurse and feed. But the mother ewe can smell that it is not her baby, and she will always kick it away and not allow it to suckle. But the sheep ranchers have discovered that they can take the blood of the stillborn lamb and smear it as a covering over the fleece of the orphan lamb. Then when they bring that lamb to the mother who lost her baby, she will smell the blood, sense that it is her lamb, and allow it to nurse and feed. It's the same way with G-d. G-d is holy and will not look upon our sin. But when the blood of Jesus Christ covers us and cleanses us and forgives us, the holy G-d looks down upon us and does not see our sinful nature. Instead, He sees the blood of Jesus Christ that covers us. So He accepts us as His own. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that covers us and cleanses us and reconciles us to a relationship with G-d."

    CONS

    - While the authors rightfully criticize Roman Catholics for purgatory, they do not elaborate on the fact that the same practice was held by Jews already centuries earlier (until today)!

    - Inclusion of questionable numbers and claims: "The nearest star is Alpha Centauri, 41/2 light-years away, which means that the nearest star that you can see at night is something like 27 trillion miles away! And that is just the nearest star in our galaxy. There are over 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy!"

    - Quote at the beginning of the book: "Today, apologetics has broadened to encompass many different fields in the defense of historic biblical Christianity. Some of the leading apologists for the defense of the faith include C.S. Lewis [see below], who was a great literary apologist; Francis A. Schaeffer [see below], who was a philosophical apologist [...] and Charles Colson [signed the heretical 'Evangelicals & Catholics Together'], who articulates cultural apologetics in defense of the timeless absolutes given by G-d."

    - While the book correctly judges black and white magic in a separate section, it employs a double-tongue, because it endorses one proponent of the latter, C.S. Lewis (Anglican; believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    Not only is the double-tongue visible through the topic of white witchcraft, but also through Theistic Evolution otherwise judged in the book! The book rightfully teaches against Purgatory - Lewis plainly endorsed it: "Purgatory is a real place." "Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me ..."

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher Francis A. Schaeffer (Presbyterian) who is one of the 3 founders of the Seven Mountain Mandate (an idea which also developed in the Swiss Alps at L'Abri and which was further developed by Lance Wallnau and Bill Johnson) and who has brought us the New Age teacher Sarah Young (book 'Jesus Calling', she converted at Schaeffer's L'Abri and is also Presbyterian).

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher Billy Graham. This is shocking in a book dedicated to discernment.

    "Billy Graham spoke to a large conference on evangelism in Amsterdam several years ago. In that message he pointed out the well-known fact that inside the heart of every man and woman in the world is a large, empty hole that can only be filled with the holiness of G-d. G-d designed us [...] The Apostle Paul said ..."

    How can we endorse in one breath with the Apostle Paul such a false teacher in a book dedicated to lead the reader on a higher level of discernment?

    - Martin Luther is mentioned 8 times throughout the book, but the authors looked only at what he fought, but did not reflect on him. Luther is the key figure in bringing the (Faith / Grace ...-) ALONE doctrines into our vocabulary. He interpolated the word 'alone' in his Bible translation of Rom 3:28. When he was opposed for this, he insulted his enemies. The 2017 version of the Luther Bible has added footnotes on Rom 1:17, 2:13, 3:21, and Rom 3:28 that warn about the deliberate mistranslations Luther committed.

    He was furthermore Augustinian; extraordinarily devoted to the 'Blessed Virgin Mary'; Antisemitism which led to the Holoc****; execution of Anabaptists; rejection of biblical inerrancy; most tragically and heretically the rejection of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation; Non-Sabbatarianism; rejection of free will.

    - Not only Luther is called a 'great man' in the book, but even one of the greatest anti-Christs of history, namely Augustine (Doctor RCC, responsible for -most- of Catholicism's doctrines and practices, patriarch of Calvinism, key figure for Apocrypha canonization, doctrine of persecution, infant baptism).

    I quote: "In addition to these, a host of great men from every age (such as Augustine and Martin Luther) have spoken out against heresies, excesses, and misuse of power inside and outside the church."

    - Mistranslation of Isa 64:6: "... all our righteous acts are like filthy rags ..." The word behind 'righteousness' does not include the term 'acts' which is interpolated; while ignoring that the Bible elsewhere teaches that there are many important Works of Faith that are surely not filthy!

    - Mislocalization of Mt. Sinai.

    Fighting for Peace: Your Role in a Culture Too Comfortable with Violence, by Carol Howard (3*)

    Reviewed 12/09/2024 〣 100% read

    This book shows many noble intentions of peacemaking, when looked at through the lens of a rather secularized morality.

    But the book does not only shed a very bad light-, it actually befouls Christianity. It claims that

    ... more 'Practicing Christians' opt for "the option to execute the worst criminals" than unbelievers!

    ... more 'Practicing Christians' opt for the necessity of nuclear weapons than unbelievers!

    ... more 'Practicing Christians' consider acts of violence as sometimes necessary to defend freedom, than unbelievers!

    ... 'Practicing Christians' are less likely to oppose restrictions on gun ownership than any other group of unbelievers!

    ... 'Practicing Christians' see a bigger problem in profanity than violence (which actually ridicules Christians)!

    Those findings are implausible and show a botched work behind those numbers. Even though we know that ~Christianity~ in the US can rather be compared to a type of Babylon than to CHRIST's church, it can certainly not be as bad as described by the Barna Group. Nowhere in the book do we find a list of included denominations and we can assume that their group of 'Professing Christians' probably even includes Catholics and many of their associated denominations (Anglicans, Augustianians, Episcopalians, Presbyterians et al), which makes the results utterly useless. One cannot do statistics on Christianity under the total lack of biblical discernment.

    Their endorsement of Jesuits and the explicit mention of 'Catholic congregations and denominations' clearly points to that inclusion of the anti-Christians amongst the Christians:

    Quote: "Barna group has worked with thousands of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and churches across the country; including many Protestant and Catholic congregations and denominations ..."

    - The main author is a female senior pastor, is part of the denomination of Presbyterians and has written the foreword for a Freemason, Eleanor Roosevelt (book 'Moral Basis of Democracy'), the latter being a scandal in itself (except in the US where this is possibly just a side note).

    - Highly problematic endorsement of the Jesuit theologian Jon Sobrino by positively quoting him regarding the value of CHRIST's incarnation.

    - The author describes John Calvin "as an example of someone who fought for personal peace". It is hardly possible to find a worse example for peace than John Calvin, no matter if considered from a personal or interpersonal viewpoint.

    Calvin is directly responsible for the first 'heretic' sentenced to death by Protestants, the burning of his theological opponent, Servetus. He had him arrested while visiting his church and single-handedly provided the points of the indictment. Calvin justified this killing with Old Covenant Law, Lev 24:16: "The one who blasphemes the name of the Lord should be put to death". Instead of repenting, "he boasted of the deed before a silent congregation" when he entered the pulpit the next Sunday.

    He also spelled out his theologically reinforced vengeance towards his opponents in a personal letter: "I am persuaded that it is not without the special will of God that, apart from any verdict of the judges, the criminals have endured protracted torment at the hands of the executioner." - Calvin's letter to Farel. [The Right to Heresy - How John Calvin Killed a Conscience: Castellio against Calvin, Chapter 5, Pages 70-84]

    He became known as 'The Protestant Pope' and was a tyrant, with a reputation spanning continental Europe, though his treatment of humanity was brutal. He was directly or indirectly involved in more than 36 executions, all listed in the book 'Calvin: A Biography'.

    - Endorsement of Contemplative Prayer and New Age practices:

    "Place yourself in an expectant posture. [...] Place your hands on your lap, palms up. Listen to your breathing. Concentrate on how your breath feels on your lips. [...] I shorten it so my prayer matches my breathing. I inhale "God is love" and imagine the love of God filling my lungs. Then I exhale "I am born of God" breathing God's love into the air around me."

    - Endorsement of the clearly false Christian Martin Luther King Jr.

    - Endorsement of Augustine (key figure for introduction of Apocrypha, RCC doctor and provider of most doctrines, patriarch of Calvinism).

    Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace, Heath Lambert (4*)

    Reviewed 19/10/2022 〣 100% read

    A good book for every man and woman struck in p***graphy. It only misses entirely the fact that women have a great share in the consumption of pornography and need to be equally addressed.

    But beware of the author's background, being a Calvinist.

    Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes, by Nancy R. Pearcey (4*)

    Reviewed 25/04/2023 〣 100% read

    While 'Love Thy Body' was great, this book is only average.

    It provides a good basis on why Christianity is superior to all other ... ISM's, but it dives in at a level which is too high for the average Christian reader and does not really explain the individual concepts. I do not expect a detailed explanation, but some basic information (when did the movement / religion start, where, how ...]. Especially when people today predominantly listen to such audiobooks, they cannot be expected to stop the book every few minutes and go to Wikipedia in order to get the info there.

    Here is e.g. her full explanation of Gnosticism:

    "Gnosticism taught that the world was so evil that it could not be the creation of the highest, supreme deity but must be the handiwork of an evil sub-deity. The supreme God would not demean himself by mucking about with matter. Gnosticism denigrated the physical body as the "prison house of the soul." The goal of salvation was to escape from the physical realm and leave it behind."

    4 sentences are definitely not enough to provide at least a basic understanding of the concept.

    She also quotes a lot of highly problematic teachers and should seriously consider taking some lessons on discernment. This is sadly a widespread problem in modern Christianity, that authors who have little knowledge in discernment are shaping our theology. 

    Her endorsements include highly problematic teachers, such as C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, Ravi Zacharias, Timothy Keller, William Lane Craig ...

    Overall a book that can be recommended, but to be read with discernment. Be cautious with the author in general, her book 'Total Truth' is highly problematic (Neo-Calvinist, plain Dominionism, gong-show for Roman Catholicism).

    For Many Shall Come in My Name, by Ray Yungen (4*)

    Reviewed 05/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Excellent investigation and discernment. Highly recommended book.

    CONS

    - He is somewhat too familiar with the subject and the book -although intended as warning and mostly working perfectly to that purpose- has also a slight potential in leading a fraction of the readers into the arms of New Age et al.

    I am aware that every book on discernment struggles with that balance, on the one hand to educate and warn, but on the other hand to include education about the evil practices. The reason why I now see this potential in this book, is the existence of a number of ultra-detailed passages that could almost read like an instructional, together with a language of exhortation which is often not vivid enough or found only at the end of one passage / chapter.

    In such a book we should avoid going into too much detail. It is enough to describe a certain prayer technique with some general terms in order to get the bigger picture, but we should not go as far as to reflect on every detail and in the worst case awaken a curiosity. I am certain that this is not Yungen's intention, but his familiarity with the subject, although it is very helpful, has also this downside.

    - There is not one word of C.S. Lewis, who is one of, if not the greatest trojan horse(s) when it comes to introducing witchcraft to Christianity. I honestly cannot think of any single figure -even including those mentioned in the book- who had a worse influence on Christianity than C.S. Lewis. It is therefore a great mystery why Yungen left him -obviously intentionally, because he could have hardly missed him in the last decades- out of this book.

    Foxe's Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, William Grinton Berry (4*)

    Reviewed 06/07/2023 〣 100% read (version with additions)

    A book hard to find words for. A true must-read for every Christian, in order to recognize the spirit of Antichrist in the Roman Catholic 'Church'.

    It fortunately does not endorse Calvin, but some caution is required when it comes to his, Luther's or very often Augustine's name (the latter usually used by the enemy, but surprisingly also by the martyrs).

    A beautiful aspect of the book is that the author showed who were the true reformers, the Waldensians.

    Caution is required when the author endorses quiet contemplation as done by the monks.

    From Queer To Christ: My Journey Into the Light, by George Carneal (2*)

    Reviewed 18/09/2024 〣 100% read

    An interesting story, but all over the place and with ongoing bitterness.

    PROS

    + Good insights into his former world, thankfully with no intimate details and specific practises.

    + Good end of the book - leading others to salvation.

    + Good case for the existence of hell.

    NEUTRAL

    o Good call for specific support-groups in churches. But he is only complaining and not leading by example, e.g. to create such a group, and to offer all churches in his vicinity to send people with similar problems to him. It is obvious that not every church can have separate support groups for drug addiction, another one for relationship issues, another one for same-sex attraction et al. This is also not the model the book of Acts shows us. People repent, are baptized (which he rather rejects in the book while ignoring 1 Peter 3:21) and then are discipled by existing members who are led by the SPIRIT.

    CONS

    - The narrative is sadly all over the place and very hard to follow. The lacking narrative sadly causes a lot of confusion.

    - His out-of-body experience at the age of 5 inside a Baptist church is confusing and hard to believe.

    - His out-of-body experience, his father having been a SBC pastor who was was once fired by his own congregation, the author rejecting baptism, his 'Christian' friends being practicing homs**uals et al ... are indicators that he was never in a healthy spiritual setting when growing up.

    Knowing well the SBC's explicit connection to Calvinism and Freemasonry, we can assume that this possibly contributed to his fall. But nowhere in the book do we find spiritual discernment on the SBC and it is hard to believe that 'only' his bullying and feelings are responsible for all that sin. But even worse, it seems from chapter 18 that he eventually got back into that very same denomination, which would indeed be tragic ... True salvation cannot be found in a variety of denominations and man-made divisions, but only in CHRIST Himself.

    - He does not show disgust about what he did in the past. True repentance usually shows itself in horror of previous sins, especially when those had been as terrible as his sins, and the things he experienced and suffered. CHRIST washes white the worst of the sinners, but true repentance is essential.

    - He was throughout the book not able to offer forgiveness to those 'bad Christians' who wronged him, and he seems to have deep ongoing bitterness in his heart against the bride of CHRIST. At the same time he does not really describe what exactly hurt him so much, so that we could really understand if that criticism was something legitimate or rather legalistic.

    The aim of such a book should not be ranting, but education for everyone in order to make a better 'job' in the future.

    It especially gets problematic when he endorses gay-churches, but does not refute this at the end of the book. There can never be such a thing as gay-churches, but only churches where everyone is welcome and has a few months for arranging his or her life, until that person is either fully converted or is excluded from the church if true conversion is absent as discerned by the presbyters.

    - He corrects at the end of the book a lot of his rather questionable claims and teachings in the book, but it feels more like a forced addendum (he needs to say it in order to satisfy the reader) and it does not flow out of his story. He definitely seems to have made a transformation, but his true thought life is probably somewhere between the ideals expressed at the end of the book and the questionable claims.


    Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know?, by Sharon James (5*)

    Reviewed 01/07/2020 〣 100% read

    Excellent introduction, without a glimpse of hate.

    Extremely well documented book.

    The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications, by John C. Whitcomb, Henry M. Morris III (4*)

    Reviewed 27/11/2023 〣 100% read

    Very good, and overall biblical defense of the flood. It is rather an inhouse discussion among academics and many details won't interest the average reader, but every average reader is still edified by this book.

    The following errors have to be noted:

    - They claim that the main source of the flood was the rain, instead of the abyss. The hydrological cycle is -as its name already implies- a cycle which cannot suddenly multiply its volume of total water contained. It is abstruse to assume that the majority of flood waters was hanging for ~2200 years somewhere between the clouds or above. They offer the option that humid air is surprisingly 40% lighter than dry air and justify their theory of a canopy above the heaven with the firmament in Gen 1:6. But they commit a fundamental mistake by ignoring Gen 1:8, where the firmament is called 'heaven' (singular). The problem is that our current 'heaven', which is not a canopy, was called throughout scripture by the same word. They offer nowhere an explanation how the same heaven should now accommodate two vastly different systems without any change of the designation.

    - The flood duration is calculated based on the corrupted Masoretic text, the result of 371 days is wrong and the correct result would be 360 days according to a biblical year. The mistake lies in the 17th instead of the 27th day, and in the first day of the 10th month instead of the first day of the 11th month. Those errors are repeated in the book.

    - The genealogies are also taken from the Masoretic text and the correct begetting ages of the Greek Old Testament would even strengthen their arguments (e.g. more population before Noah because of greater time elapsed between Adam and Noah). At least the authors quickly mention the LXX time span at the beginning and also in the appendix of the book. But it is weird, to see them coming so close to an acceptance of the Septuagint, but something unexplainable holding them back from lifting that veil of Satan. Instead, they argue in the appendix why Genesis 5 and 11 should not be strictly interpreted, contradicting now the essence of the book and destroying it in parts. What had been sound doctrine and exegesis, sounds like coming out of the mouth of a worldly scholar when one reads the appendix. If they would only have had the same courage as previously seen in the book, to take away the biases and accept the Greek Old Testament in its superior authority to the Modern Hebrew text. A big chance missed, but maybe it was the guidance of the LORD, knowing that the book would not have found acceptance if they would have broken with Jerome's new tradition, who on the other hand broke with all the Greek traditions of the previous centuries since and before Christ's First Coming.

    - No, Noah did not take 2 of each animal with him as they interpreted it through the plain reading of the text. He took 2 pairs = 4 of each kind of animal. In the same way the Bible does usually not count female humans, so the Bible consequently does not count female animals. This pattern becomes apparent when it comes to the second command to take 7 of each animal (Gen 7:2-3). If we would assume it to be 7 individual animals and not 7 pairs, then this would result in 3.5 males and 3.5 females. The absolute proof for this is found in the Greek Testament in Gen 7:2-3. The transliteration reads 'hepta hepta arsen kai thely', meaning 'seven seven male and female'. And further it states 'duo duo arsen kai thely', meaning 'two two male and female'. Nowhere it speaks of pairs and it is a serious mistake of translators to add 'by' in between the numbers. It simply says 2 males and 2 females, or 7 males and 7 females.

    - The book surprisingly does not even speak about the change of a calendar year and the astronomical reasons behind. The Bible clearly states a calendar year to be 360 days long, and it is surprising that this book does not reflect at all on this very important fact and its vast consequences.

    - Especially chapter 5 overwhelms the average reader. It should not be too difficult to explain terms such as 'Jurrassic Period' or explain other principles briefly. The average reader will still be able to read between the lines, but why has the book the need to impress the academic-, while neglecting the Christian reader who has in all probability not a degree in geography?

    Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, by Gregg Lewis, Deborah Shaw Lewis (2*)

    Reviewed 18/04/2024 〣 100% read

    This book pretends to be Christian, but is in many regards the antithesis to the Good Message.

    If I had read this book as a 'Milk Christian', it would have left me in awe and wonder. But reading this book with spiritual eyes and a proper discernment, it becomes obvious that it is the work of the one disguised in a masterly manner as the angel of light, just as JESUS warned us.

    PROS

    + Great (ghost)-writer and reader of the audiobook.

    + Great story we can greatly empathize with.

    + Great contribution to justice.

    CONS

    - The book abuses a noble cause (defeating social injustice), in order to manipulate the reader into accepting a false religion and many erroneous or strictly anti biblical doctrines.

    - Ben had just a few pages earlier been baptized in a Seventh Day Adventist church, and then becomes very irritated, with bursts of anger which result in stabbing a friend at home. We read about his pleas to THEOS to stop his anger, but we do not read a single word of repentance regarding the intended murder, neither towards THEOS nor towards his friend. Nor of a surrender to the police.

    Nor do we read of any reflection of him, how he could become such a worse person after receiving his baptism (!). To the contrary, we read at the end of the book how proud he is to be an elder at an SDA. What a tragic spiritual journey - with no happy end.

    - It is one of the countless American books, where the author puts himself intentionally down at the beginning of the book ("I constantly received zero points, I was so dumb"), only to soon brag himself in the most outlandish way. I actually never read from an author who bragged himself more than he (even Bob Goff, who employs in 'Love Does' an identical strategy of false humility followed by shameless bragging, appears to be an amateur in this discipline when compared to him). One could argue that not he, but the ghostwriter endorsed his character. But this falls instantly flat given the I-perspective employed throughout the book. I was the best, I outsmarted them all (with a small break at Yale University, only to continue his 'flight' throughout the rest of the book). I, I, I. The Antithesis of any biblical teaching.

    - If others are smart, you ought to be smarter. If others criticize your clothing, you have to read a lot and criticize through even smarter words ...

    - A very sad example of worldliness, of Christian careerism. He calls himself to be the over-achiever. You ought to be connected to the powerful. You ought to study at a university. Quote at the end of the book: "Success in life revolves around recognizing and using your raw material". Could anyone picture such a quote from the mouth of JESUS or Paul? An advise to the youth includes "show them the car you drive". The exact opposite to the Gospel.

    - Strong manipulation through signs and wonders, an approach found in books e.g. of Elizabeth Sherrill. Yes, the LORD works through signs and wonders. But it is sad that we see such an abuse of this, especially by cults. JESUS warned us also of this. Luk 11:29 "This generation is an evil generation. It is seeking for a sign, yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of a prophet."

    NOT IN THE BOOK, BUT IMPORTANT TO KNOW

    In an interview with The Des Moines Register in August, Carson called Seventh-day Adventism "a typical Protestant denomination with traditional values."

    Glad You Asked!: Answers to 28 Tough Questions Teens Are Asking About God and the Bible, by Reasons for Hope (not rated)

    Reviewed 20/04/2024

    This review includes a brief scan and not a full reading of the book (no audiobook available at the time of the review).

    PROS

    + Great defense of the Gospel and of the most urgent questions of young people (How did the world and everything on it come into being; Why does our LORD allow suffering; Does He always heal and why not; Why can't evil be stopped? ...).

    + Great defense of the 6x 24 hour-creation week and their case against Theistic Evolution. Quote: "First, is there any evidence that suggests that dinosaurs and man inhabited the Earth at the same time? YES."

    + A great format with precise questions, short but very informative and well-investigated answers, and good summaries ending short chapters.

    + Good to see interracial marriages being promoted; shocking to hear about churches actually having their own bylaws forbidding this and enforcing it through 'deacons who scan' their congregation ...

    + As far as I could see a very biblical defense, especially when it comes to the hot topics of abortion and se*uality.

    + No endorsement of a particular denomination noted.

    + Use of NKJV, ESV and NASB Bible.

    CONS

    - No mention in the book of the Greek Old Testament / Septuagint, although it deals with the transmission of Scripture. It is very important to point out that the -entire- Bible was for 5-6 centuries predominantly read in Greek, both the OT and NT. Many of the contradictions / supposed errors / contradictions mentioned in this book exist only because the RCC fed us in 405 AD with a new 'original' Bible.

    - The authors state that creation is 6000 years old, which is at odds with the Greek Old Testament. We know today that our Masoretic texts had been manipulated in less than 1% of the text, and we should reflect this knowledge of the ~5554 BC creation date (which is also less a stumbling block for unbelievers).

    - They argue for a young earth, which does not accurately reflect Gen 1:1-2. We can have an older earth (the foundation of the core and water covering it) without implying any evolution or created beings / nature. The earth is older than 8000 years. It could be 8001 years, or 8000 million years old. We don't know. Important is the fact that the earth was there and that it was flooded, that there was no human nor animal life before Adam, and that creation as we know it came to be ~7600 years ago. Old earth, young creation.

    - Several endorsements of the highly problematic teacher Norman Geisler, who teaches Big Bang and Theistic Evolution, which is fundamentally contradicting this book (he is also a Calvinist / soft Catholic; defense of Jesuits as Christians; friends with Andy Stanley ...).

    Geisler goes as far as to actively oppose what this book teaches - quote from his book: "Intelligent Design is not Creation Science either, ID scientists don't make claims that so-called Creation scientists make. They don't say that the data unambiguously supports the 6x 24-hour day view of Genesis or a worldwide flood; instead they acknowledge that the data for ID is not based on a specific age or geologic history of the earth."

    - 2 Quotations from C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - Endorsement of the MacArthur Study Bible, John Piper and Joni Eareckson Tada (all Calvinists).

    God Calling: Devotionals for Restoring Faith and Serenity, by A.J. Russell (1*)

    Reviewed 17/10/2022 〣 20% read

    New Age garbage.

    Quote: "Think Love, and Love surrounds you, and all about whom you think.

    Think thoughts of ill-will, and ill surrounds you, and those about whom you think.

    Think health—health comes. The physical reflects the mental and spiritual."

    God's Design for Women in an Age of Gender Confusion, Sharon James (5*)

    Reviewed 31/07/2020 〣 100% read

    Definitely the best book I have read so far on womanhood and the role of women in the church. Out of 4 books.

    Biblically absolutely faithful, but still reflecting perfectly our age. 

    Extraordinarily valuable.

    God Doesn't Waste a Thing: Meeting Christ Behind Bars, Luke Chance (2*)

    Reviewed 24/10/2024 〣 100% read

    This book would easily deserve 4 stars if for whatever reason it would not include heretical references to personal angels and other questionable elements. It is incomprehensible why the author (or publisher?) ruined this book with such unnecessary decorations, supposedly to impress the undiscerning reader.

    PROS

    + Great and very encouraging story of total redemption and salvation.

    + While the beginning is somewhat bumpy, the story and writing style then soon gain momentum.

    + No questionable references or denominational divisions.

    CONS

    - Nevertheless the story contains confusing elements. There is e.g. an attempted suicide mentioned twice in the book, but it is unclear how that fits into the story. We only know that he is afraid of the police finding him after he survived the attempt. The cause for his imprisonment is also questionable - 20 years for fornication with a student seem hardly feasible, and it also does not make sense that the police would search for him for such a type of offense.

    Quote: "I informed Mark I was a teacher and a coach, and I got involved in a se*ual relationship with a student that led me getting sentenced to twenty years in DOC. I told him I had to register as a se* of*ender ..."

    We can only assume that the author, despite the security through his pseudonym, is hiding essential facts from us. This is not understandable, because the deeper his sin, the greater his testimony would have been.

    - Several references to personal angels.

    Quotes: "Mark told me that while he was in coma, he met his angel, and he said, 'Luke, angels are huge, and they fill up the entire corner of the room. Mark followed that up with his next statement: 'Luke, I met your angel too, and he is ginormous. He told me to tell you that he is always with you, and he is always ready. All you need to do is call on him. He's waiting, he just needs you to invite him into your situations."

    - Mention of a miraculous healing of a 3 inch-wide hole in the stomach of an inmate, which in combination with the angels has to be considered with outmost precaution.

    - Story not verifiable because of pseudonym. This is strange given the fact that the story tells us that his life was very public (several headlines of newspapers), and to go public with this book would have rather helped him than bring him in danger.


    God's Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian's Fight for Freedom, by Bob Fu, Nancy French (5*)

    Reviewed 08/11/2022 〣 100% read

    Very, very recommendable book. 

    One of those books that deeply enrich you and you will never forget. 

    God's Smuggler, by Brother Andrew, John Sherrill, Elizabeth Sherrill (2*)

    Reviewed 09/04/2024 〣 100% read

    Brother Andrew's story as a whole is probably not untrue, but I question the truthfulness of the written narrative, based on the following reasons:

    - The ghostwriter, Elizabeth Sherrill, has worked for several decades directly under one of the most prolific Freemasons, Norman Vincent Peale, at Guideposts. She also endorsed Masonry in her book 'Return from Tomorrow', although it is unclear if she and her husband John had been Freemasons themselves.

    - Chapter 22 (audiobook only) includes a direct endorsement of Norman Vincent Peale (& Guideposts), and the Sherrills bragged themselves to have converted Brother Andrew after the writing of the book from a Protestant to a de-facto Catholic. Quote: "...attending our Episcopal church [when Andrew visited the Sherrill's several times and lived at their home], Andrew found the service too formal: there is no spontaneity. Going to his evangelical prayer meetings, we [the Sherrill's] missed the sense of the past. There is no history. We preened over our powers of persuasion when in the early 1990s Andrew was ordained a priest in the Anglican church of Pakistan [...] We delighted in calling him father Andrew".

    - When you search for 'Working with Corrie', you will find an interview with Sherrill about the book 'The Hiding Place', where Sherrill compared Corrie Tem Bom's communication skills with a blind man trying to describe colors. This is not only a strongly anti-Christian attitude. It is condescending towards the blind and towards Tem Bom, and carries probably the underlying justification of her enormous creative license when having written the book for her. A silent cry with the sublime message, saying "yes, I invented many of the details, but look, it was her fault because I could not even communicate with her". Even if I might be wrong on this, it is nevertheless a disgusting attitude of hers.

    - In this book, there is now the story when the engine of Andrew's car would fail, and he would arrive 10min before the closure at a shop in Western Germany:

    "How long would it take to put in a new one?" He stopped to consider. "My crew leaves in ten minutes. They could have a new engine in for you in an hour, but you'd have to pay them a good tip for staying overtime. How much would the whole thing cost, including the tip? Five hundred marks."

    The author makes us believe that the entire shop worked overtime for him (what might be true but highly unusual in Germany), and that they changed an entire car engine in 1 hour while he changed money and a miracle brought more money from a complete stranger. This whole story is undoubtedly a plain lie. In that time an engine cannot even be taken out. Usually a change of an engine takes 2-4 working days (a simple engine back in those days maybe 1.5 days). Could it be that they only worked on parts of the engine, but did not change it? No, because she later reiterates how he was proactively looking for a second car, although his car had a new engine.

    - At the beginning of the book, he escapes a tourist group in order to visit churches. It turns out that the leaders were phoning hospitals and police stations and that the group was stuck for half a day. It might be true that unconventional evangelism sometimes requires unconventional methods and involves suffering of others. But Sherrill writes it in such a manner which is condescending to the group leader and rather paints an irrational picture of the leader. According to her story, Brother Andrew did neither at least give a hint to someone from the group, nor did he apologize after the fact or in the book, stating something like ~he was not proud of the story and that it is a very bad example~. But zero repentance.

    - The book is deeply ecumenical. It heavily endorses the Catholic and (to a slightly smaller degree the) Calvinist church throughout the book, both fundamentally indoctrinated by Augustine. It gives us the impression that Andrew was on the one hand Protestant/Baptist, but this is at stark contrast to him having preached dozens of times inside a Roman Catholic church as implied in the book. Could it be that he was so confused about his faith and had practically zero discernment on good and evil? Could it be that Sherrill decorated the whole story with a Catholic frame? Or had he indeed already Catholic tendencies in the time before the writing of the book?

    - His partner in crime / missions partner turns out to be Hans Gruber. When you look up that name, the first thing that comes up is the fictional character of Hans Gruber in the 'Die Hard' series. Is this a coincidence or has she borrowed a name? While Hans was a very common name in Germany at that time, this combination is very rare. It could be a coincidence, but a negative connotation remains.

    - Either the author is the most fortunate woman to attract all those people with miracle stories, or? After having now read 3 of her books (The Cross and the Switchblade, Return from Tomorrow and this book), there is a strong common theme in each book : all are plastered from beginning to end with dozens of small miracle stories of signs and wonders, where the LORD always provided in the last second through the most incredible means, matching the exact sum of money or other need the main character of her book needed in that moment.

    This could be true, and our LORD truly wrote and writes many such stories, but I have never seen from any author such an accumulation of miracle stories. Not even close.

    Given her background and the overall perception, there is a good chance that she made up many of those miracles in order to impress and manipulate the readers, and to boost the sales of her books. Once again, I have no proof for this, but a strong negative connotation remains.

    - A common theme in her books (specifically in The Cross and the Switchblade) is also the heavy endorsement of the Pentecostal movement, which was strongly shaped by the Dutch Reformed minister Harald Bredesen, who was often called the father of the charismatic movement. He was friends with Pat Robertson and founded with him the Christian Broadcasting Network (700 Club), after having introduced him to the Pentecostal experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

    - In this book the author describes now Brother Andrew's income having mainly been generated by his articles he wrote (as did Corrie Tem Bom by the way) for 'Kracht van Omhoog', which means 'Power from Up', the name of a Dutch Pentecostal movement. It has drawn much criticism even within the Pentecostal church and has led to a deep split, e.g. because one of its founders (Van den Brink) taught replacement theology by denying that Israel will be restored at the end of our times. He also rejected original sin, and formulated that human first sinned because he gave in to demons which have to be expelled by the people pertaining to his cult ...

    Questionable quotes:

    "I met with Pope Shenouda of the Coptic Church; our ministry helped to support their printing and publication programs."

    "While I was in the middle of the Gospel According to St. John, a letter was delivered" (Which denomination adds the prefix saint?)

    "I found myself holding on to a core of resentment, which was just opposite the joy Thile and my Franciscan nuns were talking about"

    "... we had really met, she the Catholic from Eastern Europe, I the Protestant from the West. There on the crowded tramway we met as Christians."

    "On three Sundays I had visited Presbyterian, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed, and Methodist churches. Five times I had been asked to speak at their service"

    "The Roman Catholics, however, had not yet yielded, and for this they had the admiration of the most ardent Protestants."

    "However, all churches, Catholic as well as Protestant, have suffered alike under the new regime, and the group that suffered most is the clergy. Priests and ministers are classed as ..." [note the order]

    "There is a Roman Catholic priest in Rumania whom we have been helping to buy Bibles and other supplies for years."

    "... Andrew went to the palace of Aleksey, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox church, to deliver the one millionth New Testament in person [...] It would please me if we could pray in my little chapel. He led the way to a gorgeous little sanctuary with a wall of glowing icons, the Iconostasis [...] I knew in my deepest heart since we have the same father, Aleksey was my true brother."

    God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies, by Costi W. Hinn (4*)

    Reviewed 26/09/2022 〣 2x read

    This book impacted me heavily - living in the very same city (Vancouver) the Hinn's previously abused.

    A wonderful testimony that helps you understand where the evil of Prosperity Gospel -which poses as blessing but is truly a curse- came from, how to recognize it and how to approach & recover people currently involved in it. I read it already twice and highly recommend it - it should be sold in every church in Vancouver, in order that history does not repeat itself (or continue).

    The author is Calvinist, so discernment is required regarding other works.

    The Good Shepherd Calls, by Roger Oakland (5*)

    Reviewed 26/07/2024 〣 100% read

    Excellent and much needed book. I thought I have seen it all in the past years of doing active discernment, but this book still shocked me in parts, especially the investigation on Rick Warren, revealing that his favorite TV channel is EWTN (Catholic TV) and favorite program the 'Chaplet of Divine Mercy'.

    PROS

    + Very valuable discernment on the Catholic Church, on Calvinism and the Alpha Course.

    + Well balanced analysis - without hate but with a healthy determination.

    + Great opposition against Theistic Evolution, the new way which tries to harmonize the Bible with Historical Science and which is probably more dangerous than Darwinism itself, because it is lukewarm.

    CONS

    - Roger considered some of the weaknesses of Luther, but still left out some very important things, such as his disregard of 4 NT books and his condemnation of Anabaptists. Also missing and absolutely essential when speaking about Reformation, are the Waldensians we should rather focus on. But at the end of the day we should disassociate from any denomination, a point where Roger still has a small weakness as we see by his defense of Luther wherever possible, while only discerning the essential. We are not defined by protesting against the Catholic Church (that is what 'Protestant' means), but we are defined by following CHRIST while standing strong against evil. We are not protesting, we are following.

    Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ, by Matthew W. Bates (2*)

    Reviewed 19/05/2023 〣 35% read

    The author makes some interesting points, but the SPIRIT stopped me to my surprise after the first chapters from further reading the book.

    But it should not have come as a surprise if I would have done my homework and would not have been intimidated by his harsh criticism of those who are not ecumenical. Having read 'Foxe's Book of Martyrs' a few weeks later by divine providence, I knew why THEOS prevented me from reading this author who should be avoided.

    - He attended the ecumencial and highly problematic Regent College in Vancouver, Canada (they photoshopped once the Pope in front of their building).

    - He attended a Catholic university for his doctorate (Notre Dame).

    - He teaches at a Catholic-Franciscan university.

    - Open endorsement of the false teacher C.S. Lewis.

    " I as a Protestant would be happy to receive communion with the pope".

    "I pray the Catholic morning office and attend Mass on occasion".

    "I do not think that my Catholic or Orthodox brothers and sisters have rejected or compromised the content of the Gospel. This is why I consider them my full brothers and sisters in Christ."

    The Gospel's Power & Message, by Paul David Washer (4*)

    Reviewed 20/09/2022 〣 100% read

    Good book, although coming from a Calvinist. One of the very few teachers (apart from John Piper) who does not teach a Single-Tense-Salvation leading to the Once-Saved-Always-Saved dogma, but Salvation as Past-, Present- and Future reality.

    Terms such as

    • Past Salvation (from the condemnation of past sin; being born again)
    • Present (or Progressive) Salvation (from the power of ongoing sin over us; progressive sanctification) and
    • Future (Eternal) Salvation (from the presence of sin in the world; glorification after Judgment)

    are not specifically mentioned in the Bible (same principle as Trinity), but plainly described as regards content through the respective use of past, present and future tense.

    But he commits some serious errors, e.g. to use Isa 64:6 in order to teach against works. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags ..." A faithful translation is: "We all have become unclean ['unclean' = Old Covenant Law], all righteousnesses are a filthy rag ..."

    >> The word 'acts / works' is erroneously added; while ignoring that the Bible elsewhere teaches that there are many valuable Works of Faith that are surely not filthy. This verse essentially teaches that it is His righteousness what counts, not our own righteousness. To use this verse against works, is blatant heresy as it requires an active manipulation of the verse as now seen. Even if the word 'works' was allowed to be included (what is clearly not!), it would clearly refer to 'Works of the Law', an entirely different concept than 'Works of Faith'.

    Grasping God's Word, by J. Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays (2* )

    Reviewed 06/08/2024 〣 100% read

    This book is tragic. On the one hand it teaches many great truths, while it on the other hand includes serious erroneous teachings and highly problematic endorsements, while violating a number of times their very own rules they teach. The book plainly rejects the 10 commandments, endorses the Message Bible and books from Rick Warren, and teaches in great detail Lectio Divina, a practice straight from Catholic Mysticism. It could be a great book, but with those transgressions it cannot even be recommended and has to be considered rather highly problematic.

    PROS

    + Great that they explained the methodology at the beginning of the book and give a preview.

    + Many great teachings.

    + Great to find some critique on Augustine (his erroneous interpretation of parables), which is rare in those days.

    + Most of the Old Testament's Interpretative Journey (chapters 18-22, except the chapter on Law) is great, especially the chapter on Job.

    CONS

    - The authors endorse several times the Message Bible as one of the translations 'to choose from'. This is very concerning, firstly for the total absence of any discernment or warning, and secondly for including it in the group of 'Bibles to choose from'.

    - We all know of the Moral Law (10 Commandments) and of the 600+ Old Covenant Laws (2 main sets of laws). Now they apply a false dichotomy, by stating, just because some people add some sub-groups to those 600+ laws (Civil / Ceremonial / Sacrificial) and this is rightly said to be a human approach, now all subsets and suddenly even the main sets are invalid. This is a terrible abuse of the Bible and a violation of various of their own principles.

    - They essentially state that the 10 commandments are not valid anymore, because everything needs to be read in the narrative, here specifically in the narrative of the Exodus story. What they ignore is their own rule to read the Bible in the overall context. If they would have followed their own rule, they would have noticed that the 10 commandments have originated with creation, as visible through countless passages starting with Genesis (why did Joseph not commit adultery?) and following Bible history for more than 4000 years, until solidified at Sinai.

    - When they teach about the Interpretational Reflex, they once again commit the very mistake themselves when using the narrative of Christ's birth (as generally a good example), by erroneously calling it the 'Christmas Pageant story'. It is crazy that no one saw this rookie mistake in the now 4th edition. To add an extrabiblical Catholic feast ('Christmas' comes from 'Christ's mass') as title for Christ's birth, is the very definition of the error they try to teach against, of not adding our own cultural or religious interpretations.

    - They plainly lied when stating that the Reformers rejected the Apocrypha. This is a very common assertion, but nothing could be further from the truth. Until the reformation never more than 7 apocryphal books had been used (by the Catholics) in a Bible. -ALL- reformers strongly increased the books printed in the Bibles to 11-15 books and the books remained for more than 400 years in our Bibles (and would there be today if it would not have proven to be cheaper in print without it)! THEOS does most probably not care if disguised as a separate section. He will judge all those who included, promoted and even those who did not speak against the inclusion of those books between the 2 covers of His Word.

    - They claim that Ruth and Naomi traveled alone, which is nowhere said in the Bible and highly unlikely. They violate their own rules to not add own interpretations to the Bible if not specifically provided as such.

    - They badly confuse adultery with fornication. They read into the verse "Mat 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." an application for singles and specifically mention premarital sex in their conclusion, which is a gross abuse of biblical exegesis. This verse speaks of adultery, meaning that it relates to married people, while there are many other much more suitable passages to teach against fornication. I have always wondered why so many authors stated the very same error in the past years, but now it has become clear where it (also) comes from.

    - While they speak a lot about Word Studies, they just brush off Topical Studies with the reasoning of being in conflict with not taking Bible passages out of context. But the very same problem appears in every single Word study. This is a highly problematic counsel.

    There is sadly not a single paragraph in the Bible sufficiently describing abortion, alcohol, baptism, clothing, fasting, food, free will, giving, marriage and divorce or especially sexual sin. We urgently need responsibly conducted studies on all those topics, but the advice of the authors just says no to it. This is a very tragic advice and explains in parts why pastors today struggle to teach those concepts properly, when being discouraged by academics like them.

    - While it might be ok to use Sherlock Holmes as an example for explaining methods of Bible study, they definitely cross the red line when using the Wizard of Oz for such a purpose. You cannot mix evil with the holy.

    - They state that a woman abandoned by an unbelieving husband can remarry. This is a false teaching. They can separate physically, but the Bible nowhere equates this with divorce, and they can therefore not remarry.

    - The authors are at least favorable to Catholics. They consider Catholicism as a part of Christianity. They mention the Catholic Bible as just one more version, without any discernment on the evil nature of its religion. They go in one example even as far as to prioritize 'a Catholic blue collar worker' over 'a Protestant blue collar worker'.

    - Introduced through the name of Eugene Peterson, they teach in detail all the steps of the heretical practice of Lectio Divina. This is plain Catholic Mysticism and they even specifically include Contemplation. Once again they violate their own rules they teach in the book, by endorsing a practice which teaches us to approach a Bible passage rather subjectively than objectively.

    - They recommend Rick Warren's 'Personal Bible Study Methods'.

    ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

    - They over and over endorse the Proto-Masoretic text (Hebrew OT), while widely ignoring the Greek OT which was the Scripture received by Early Christians, and hundreds of years before and after them. It gets comical when they state that Psalm 145 has 22 acrostic verses, although the Hebrew text clearly has only 21 of those, while only the Greek OT shows the 22 verses.

    - The only time they even mention the Septuagint, is of course, to use it as a scape goat for the inclusion of the Apocrypha. This is very strange, because they correctly mentioned the writing dates of the Apocrypha and would have had only to look up the writing date of the Septuagint. Then they would have very quickly realized that it was written centuries earlier and could have therefore impossibly included the Apocrypha. It is tragic that this very same error is reflected in many subsequent books such as 'Evidence That Demands a Verdict' or 'Why I Trust the Bible' and the authors have to seriously repent for misleading others.

    - They state that the ESV is a Word-for-Word translation, which is a highly misleading claim. I would rather call it the English simplified version, as it is one of the worst versions in regards of the immense amount of biblical text being cut out - whenever they think that it does not add to the sense (e.g. "and answering, He said" > He said). The version also ignores habitually grammar forms (Participle almost always, Subjunctive often, sometimes even the Passive) which are elsewhere deemed relevant in this book. Word-for-Word is definitely a gross exaggeration for this translation.

    - They recommend the NIV 2011 for serious Bible study, which is ridiculous: "But for serious Bible study, we suggest the NASB, NRSV, the ESV, the HCSB, the NET and the New International Version (2011), depending on the audience and situation."

    - When teaching from Revelation they speak of 3 waves, while ignoring the secret scroll which results clearly in 4 waves including the Thunder Judgments (Rev 10:1-4). Once again they violated their own principles, by following the common tradition of man rather than a straightforward reading of the text.

    The Green Letters, by Miles J. Stanford (3*)

    Reviewed 13/12/2022 〣 100% read

    A good book with good teachings, just too much eloquence and little that sticks to the mind or stands out.

    The bigger work 'The Complete Green Letters' includes some erroneous Calvinistic doctrine such as 'Unconditional Election', therefore the author cannot be recommended.

    Healing for Damaged Emotions, by David A. Seamands (4*) 

    Reviewed 04/07/2024 〣 100% read

    When it comes to psychology in Christian context, we find very few good books out there. This book is very good.

    PROS

    + The author speaks little about himself and his stories of success. He does not give importance to himself, but to the context of the book.

    + His teachings are liberating in many aspects. Especially great teachings on biblical depression, righteous anger and unhealthy perfectionism.

    + Great theology and looks into the Greek origin of certain words / concepts.

    CONS

    - He correctly teaches that we also ought to esteem / love ourselves, and although he mentioned pride in this context, it would have been important at this point to speak out a clear warning against pride, and to establish therefore a healthy balance between healthy love of self vs. unhealthy love of self and pride.

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ), and of A.W. Tozer (Anglican).

    The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun, Paul Hathaway (1*)

    Reviewed 08/07/2024 〣 100% read

    I knew from the experience of reading many 'Christian' biographies, to be careful with every new biography. But on the other hand I thought I had seen it all. False miracle stories, wonder healers, super-saints, abuse of tongues and you call it. But this book went to whole another level - it is possibly without precedent in the dimension of its spiritual fraud and once again a promotional tool for the Roman Catholic Church and Billy Graham. 

    It is the good old recipe the RCC loves to use in biographies, 1. Written from a protestant perspective, 2. Shameless abuse of spiritual gifts and signs (Charismatic Renewal) in order to impress the reader, and 3. Halfway through the book to heavily promote the Catholic Church once the trust is gained through the subject of the autobiography. 

    This is sadly a highly successful scheme which impressed tens of millions of Christians and explains why today so many think the Catholic Church to be part of Christ's church, or even change sides. What had been in the past the saints & canonizations, has slightly shifted today to biographies of modern 'saints'. They know all too well that a book can be more powerful than a canonization, because it is absorbed by the unsuspecting reader.

    PROS

    + Wonderful example of the strength and boldness of brother Yun.

    + Good example for not always delivering oneself into the hands of authorities as seen in many other biographies, but to sometimes also flee from one village to the next, as long as the Spirit leads so.

    + Some good and valid exhortations to the Christian church, probably written by brother Yun, not by Hathaway.

    CONS

    - Website exposing the book (www.jesusreturn.net) and the person of Liu Zhenying, the original name of brother Yun. The review is not influenced by this website, which has been found upon the completion of the review.

    - The book starts with a promotion of tombstone tourism, specifically of the Lutheran Marie Monsen. Brother Yun travels to Norway, visits her grave and is then so indignant that he sets an ultimatum to the local brethren to "construct a new grave and headstone" in her memory.

    - When brother Yun expects a visitor at his home as announced to him earlier by a vision, he first runs home, but then -while running- experienced a teleportation of his actual body, an experience which he directly compares to the one of Philip. While JESUS certainly can do such miracles, this is a clear spiritual fraud. Once we read more of the book and come across serious anti-biblical teachings, we know the fraud to be certain.

    At the end of the book it really becomes abstruse when the author(s) state: "We don't keep our eyes on signs and wonders, we keep our eyes on Jesus."

    - His wife is miraculously healed from a serious skin condition and grows vegetables multiple times bigger than her neighbors. Her food is also miraculously protected during a hailstorm while all their neighbor's food is lost. All this can be perfectly true, but in combination with the rest of the book it is rather suspicious.

    - Brother Yun is called Samuel by his mother and 'Heavenly Man' by others (as a reaction to his faith), and he called his son Isaac ...

    - The book includes several times female teaching to a mixed assembly, and the author once even asked a sister to teach.

    - When he was arrested, his body was made invisible, he walked out of the police station past a crowd of people, and escaped over a very high fence by an actual Angel having lifted him up and even thrown him over a tank behind the fence ...

    Later he escapes from prison, while doors miraculously stand open and prison guards don't see him walking by, but other inmates supposedly saw him flee.

    - While Yun is in prison, his believing wife tells us that a real demonic figure was actually standing beside her bed (not a vision!).

    - The writer of the book wants us to believe that brother Yun fasted for 74 days without food and water. This is spiritual humbug !!!

    Quote: "On the evening of the thirty-eighth day of my fast, the devil tempted me, "Yun, Jesus fasted forty days. How can you as a servant do more than the Master? Are you going to fast longer than Jesus? Will you try to outdo your Master? [...] I was so weak in my body and mind that I even contemplated su**ide."

    - Brother Yun supposedly memorized 55 Bible chapters in 10 days and entire books such as Matthew. Quote: "In the first ten days [of solitary confinement] I read through the entire Bible. I used this time to memorize a total of fifty-five chapters of the Bible, from Hebrews to Revelation." 

    The Bible could in theory be read in 72-100 hours. Meaning he would have had to spend in 10 days at least 7,5 hours per day reading the Bible. Plus 2 hours per day assuming that he read Hebrew to Revelation at least 6 times in order to memorize it (4hrs x 6-1 /10 = 2). Considering the fact that he was a farmer with little education and that the Bible was possibly one of his first books ever read, this seems a stretch. Even a habitual reader would struggle to read 10 hours a day while memorizing. Nevertheless this might be true with the help of the HOLY SPIRIT, but again, in combination with the rest of the book it is rather a questionable assertion. The obvious mission of Hathaway is to paint a JESUS-like figure through brother Yun, and he uses literally every means to accomplish this mission.

    - Catholic priest father Yu is being described as a good Christian. Quote: "Later he realized that even though I wasn't a Catholic, I was a true believer in Jesus [what an evil perspective ...]. He had heard about my suffering and how I'd fasted for seventy-four days. [...] After Yu left the prison camp he visited my home. Our coworkers lovingly gave many Bibles to the Catholic believers, and later they enjoyed good fellowship. After his release, Father Yu was promoted and became a bishop of the underground Catholic Church. He really loves the Lord."

    The very next paragraph includes brother Yun's encounter with a Buddhist monk, where he instantly felt the need for conversion. But there is no mention that he intended a conversion of the Catholic priest, to the contrary, he even introduced him to his church and to intimate fellowship.

    - Soon later we know why he brought up the Catholic priest, this having been the introduction to Billy Graham, with whom brother Su organized a meeting in order to intervene for Yun.

    - Quote: "When I told him my vision for unity, Zhang laughed, 'That's impossible! The different groups you want to bring together are typical cults. We'll have nothing to do with them!' I was so upset I wanted to punch him, but I knew Zhang had been deeply hurt by the other leaders."

    - When Yun escaped from China, it was recognized both in China and in Germany by several agents at each airport that he had a false passport. While it might be true that the Lord can blind eyes, it is certainly not credible to believe that all agents would have dropped their finding, while the book does not even give a reason for doing so.

    - After Yun escaped to Germany, he returned several times to (Central) China, but the book does not state how he could suddenly travel freely without being instantly arrested. Quote: "In the autumn of 1995 I was speaking at a house church gathering in central China."

    - When reading through the numerous testimonies included in the book with the main purpose to authenticate the claims made in the book, a very bitter taste remains. 1. Never in any other book have I seen such an urge from an author to self-authenticate himself. 2. Those testimonies seem to be fabricated (at least some of them) and the wording is not as natural as someone would talk about another person. 3. Even his wife (if this is really the voice of his wife and not just the wife or imagination of the ghostwriter) has to repeatedly affirm his own claims. 

    - The author Paul Hathaway is certainly not a Christian. Just one year after writing this book, he wrote according to Goodreads (if not mismatched) 'Murder by Machine Gun: A Derick Loghan Mystery', which is being promoted as following:

    "Machine gun fire erupts at a rural Montana convenience store, leaving a young mother riddled with bullets. A ranch hand is discovered nearby, killed by six machine-gun bullets in the back. A county sheriff in nearby Idaho is mowed down by the same machine gun. Nobody knows where or when the machine gun maniac will strike again, but there's a dead certainty that he will. It's up to Sheriff's Investigator Derick Loghan to stop the machine gun psycho before he kills again. His quest for the will-o-the-wisp serial killer is hampered by incessant telephone calls telling him he's over the hill as an investigator and demanding his resignation. His home is targeted by a fire-bomber. Reminders of his painful past force him to face up to his on-again, off-again relationship with red-headed Maggie Jackson."

    He Gets Us: Experiencing the confounding love, forgiveness, and relevance of Jesus, by Max Lucado (3*)

    Reviewed 26/02/2023 〣 3x read

    An encouraging book, with many beautiful facets of the Good Message. A book that rightfully challenges believers. But after having read it 3 times, the central question remains. To whom is it written?

    To believers, who are surprisingly more often addressed than unbelievers?

    Or is it written to unbelievers as the campaign rather suggests? It certainly uses a well elaborated concept with a (sometimes too) liberal language to address those.

    But apart from many beautiful truths, there is no direction. Is an unbeliever already in the right place or are there steps he or she needs to take? What about repentance? What about belief that could turn into faith? What about leaving the old life behind? Are they already one of those children of THEOS the book is speaking about? Why does the book focus on the death and not the resurrection?

    It is sad to see so much money being invested and at the end to receive a message that could have 1:1 been preached by someone who propagates universalism. Several passages indeed make the reader feel that JESUS' atonement is automatically applied to everyone, no matter where he or she stands.

    If the Gospel is not a challenge to the unbeliever and a guidance into a specific destination, then this partial Gospel does not help. The campaign may explain this truth at a later stage, but many people will read this book only. Why do we then miss the chance to give a firm hand to the unbeliever and to guide them into salvation?

    SPECIFIC ERRORS

    Chapter 4:

    Assumption that Mary was a 'teen mom', although both travelled without parents to a census (minimum age of 20 to be registered), booked an inn on their own and Joseph is described as 'just' (which implies knowing good or bad = Age of Majority).

    Chapter 6:

    False doctrine of not judging insiders: "Stop pinpointing the shortcomings of others [...] If you judge others, you judge yourself guilty [...] It's one thing to have a conviction, it's another (in his eyes a bad) thing to convict a person."

    Chapter 7:

    Erroneous teaching that JESUS literally slept in the Tabernacle: "The word for 'dwelled' traces its origin to the Tabernacle. Jesus did not separate Himself from creation, He pitched His tent in the neighborhood."

    Chapter 11:

    "Jesus was not exclusive, He was radically inclusive" [correct in the particular context of inviting sinners, but not as general interpretation of the Gospel].

    Her Mother's Hope, by Francine Rivers (3*) 

    Reviewed 08/08/2024 〣 100% read

    Overall a beautiful book, but sadly with 4 plain references to purgatory, of Marta and her friend praying at least 4 times for the soul of Marta's sister who committed suicide, and with Father John (either Lutheran or Methodist as elsewhere referenced in the book) even assuring them that she is saved.

    p44 "She went to the Musée du Louvre and wandered through the Jardin des Tuileries. She sat in Notre Dame cathedral [a Catholic church] and prayed for her sister's soul [plain purgatory]."

    p52 "Grief welled up as she thought of Elise sleeping beneath a blanket of spring green and flowers and Rosie sitting on the fallen tree, praying for her soul."

    p51 "Marta received a letter from Rosie. Elise is buried in our favorite meadow. Spring flowers are in bloom. I have not gone to church since Elise died, but I sit on our log and pray for her soul every day. Father John came up yesterday afternoon. He told me he would rather lie beneath a blanket of flowers with a view of Thunersee and the mountains than be under six feet of dirt in the confines of stone walls inside town. When I cried, he held me. He said the church must have rules, but God is Elise's Maker and God is just and merciful. He said the Lord promised not to lose any of His children. His words helped me, Marta. I hope they will help you, too."

    p 55 "Every Sunday when Marta went to church, she imagined Mama sitting beside her. She prayed God would have mercy on Elise's soul."

    The author also endorses Charles Darwin's 'The Origin of Species' which is highly problematic.

    p 55 "After Tennyson, Lady Daisy told Marta to select something. After one afternoon of listening to Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, Lady Daisy brought A Tale of Two Cities with her. Sometimes Marta would read to her in the evening. Lady Daisy selected Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe next and followed that with Maria Edgeworth's Castle Rackrent."

    But much more shocking than purgatory or Charles Darwin is the verbal violence the author injected into the main actor, who was in the moment of the following quote already for several decades a Christian:

    "Mama spoke her mind as usual. "I went after him with a butcher knife, Sheriff Brunner, with the full intent of killing him. I saw him driving off in his fancy black automobile. I may wish the man dead and in hell, but I wouldn't have any reason to burn down a perfectly good house or barn. Unless he was in it. Was he?" "No." "Now, there's a real pity."

    We have to consider that this dialogue occurred after the intended rape of her daughter, but not even this justifies such thoughts. It gets worse when she articulate the same violent thoughts in a letter to her friend:

    "Dear Rosie, One of our neighbors attempted to ravish Hildemara. If I'd been able to get my hands on him, he would be dead now. Niclas stopped me. We called the sheriff. Of course, by the time he made it out our way, Kimball had fled. If I could have torched his house with him inside, I would have watched him die and been satisfied. Instead he is loose like a mad dog and will harm some other child."

    I highly esteemed Francine Rivers after having read 'A Voice in the Wind', and I was all the more shocked about this book. 99% of it is wonderful. But the 1% is disgusting and heretical.

    A Hidden Path, by Sound Word, Mariah Kirkpatrick, Joy McCloud, Oscar Whatmore, Barbara Hansell (5*)

    Reviewed 12/11/2024 〣 100% read

    A great book - highly recommended.

    PROS

    + Great investigation. The book shows a much more dramatic picture than assumed.

    + Very important discernment on Jesus Culture & Bethel Music:

    "We have heard it said that Jesus Culture is the 'gateway drug to the supernatural'. Another has described Jesus Culture music as 'Hansel and Gretel's crumbs' that is used by Bethel as a way to lure and indoctrinate unsuspecting people, especially youth, into the New Apostolic Reformation's cesspool of deception."

    CONS

    - Endorsement of Todd Friel, who is a Calvinist.

    - Some outdated links, even in the Kindle book.

    QUOTES

    "Even the children at Bethel are trained to 'go to heaven' and are reported to 'hang out there'. They are being taught to pray for arms to grow out, and they practice raising people from the dead. Bethel's Children Leader, Deborah Reed confirms this practise: 'Yes, we take our kids to heaven, who doesn't? People who know how to do heaven things take our kids to heaven. We also have 'tour guides' who take our Middle Schoolers to heaven.' Some followers of the NAR take these trips on a daily basis."

    "... people lining up for their next zap, seeking after thrills and being biblically illiterate, because it feels good and seems right. God wants us to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit means being humble and submissive to the authority of the Lord Jesu Christ - not drunk.

    "WARNING: We, as disciples of Christ, need to recognize some sobering truths with regard to Satan and his undertakings. [...] We would be remiss in not simultaneously pointing out that his assaults come embedded with thousands of years of experience at deceiving the souls of men. As followers of Christ, we must recognize that his most piercing and cutting assaults will come under a chameleon-like cover—in the form of a pseudo-Christian masquerade. He will not appear draped in a conspicuous red leotard-like outfit exhibiting pointed horns and a pointed tail while sporting a pitch fork—but rather as a prominent evangelical figure! This especially includes the host of NAR leaders we see flooding the spiritual landscape of present day American Evangelical Christianity. They appear postured as some of the most popular so-called Christian leaders while operating undercover as agents of hell."

    Holman Bible Atlas, by Thomas V. Brisco (2*)

    Reviewed 29/11/2024 〣 100% read

    This atlas could have resulted in a very great work, if the authors would have shown some spiritual discernment and at least a basic holy fear. But both are entirely absent as seen by the wild mixing of the unholy and evil with the holy. There is no problem in recounting the evil part of history, but if this is not at least moderated, then it is simply a great work which at the same time is misleading in many parts. I had this book listed for a long time, but after having read it in its entirety and after having conducted this review, I even destroyed the physical copy I own. No matter the great inspiration this work provides, when mixed with such unmoderated evil, then this rather pollutes us.

    PROS

    + Overall great investigation, well organized and illustrated.

    + Great display of the missionary trips of Paul and other Apostles.

    CONS

    - The content of this book, although generally well investigated, is vague and possibly only 80% of its content is true. Much is speculation, which is only sporadically identified as such. The book e.g. mentions initially the location of Kadesh Barnea as a fact and only adds later in the book, that its location could be speculative.

    The Open Bible project is much more advanced and reliable in this regard, because it constantly provides a percentage of confidence of a specific localization. What this book states often as fact, it sometimes plainly wrong.

    - One such example is the localization of Babylon in Lower Mesopotamia, which the Bible itself clearly refutes. Neither the birth town of Abram, nor the former Babylon / Tower of Babel are located in Southern / Lower Mesopotamia as claimed in this book, but clearly in Northern / Upper Mesopotamia. This is proven by the Bible, which clearly states that the location must be NORTH of Tyre. Eze 26:7 "For thus says KYRIOS: "Look! I am bringing to -TYRE- Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon from the north, the king of kings, with horse and with chariot and with horsemen and his assembly and many people." The traditional location has nearly the same latitude as Tyre (= not North, but actually 82.2 kms south), and is therefore clearly wrong.

    - The book describes many areas of-, and surrounding the Holy Land as barren. This is short-sighted, given the fact the scenario was very different for thousands of years. Just a simple look at Google Earth shows us hundreds of dried-up riverbeds. Sadly this book does not include any visualization of an antique map of rivers which would have been easily reconstructed using river source data for ancient rivers e.g. provided by 'MERIT Hydro Visualization and Interactive Map'. Rivers are the groundwork of any antique map because without those we can hardly define borders and travel routes.

    This missing investigation results also in the mislocalization of the Red Sea to the Suez Gulf (and consequently the Exodus route and Mt. Sinai erroneously localized in this book with what Constantine's mother sold us as St. Catherine ...).

    - Open blasphemy - they directly equate THEOS with the head of the Canaanite pantheon:

    Quote: "El, a name that means "god," was the head of the Canaanite pantheon [pan-THEON = many gods]. His home was on Mount Zaphon. As the creator god, El fathered seventy deities by his wife Ash**ah, who bore the title "mother of the gods." The plural of El is Elohim, one of the two names used in the Old Testament for the God of Israel."

    - Another blasphemy occurs when Ba** is described as the 'most important god', and equated with the biblical title of 'Lord' and 'Master'.

    Quote: "The most important god worshiped in Canaan, however, was Ba**, a title originally meaning "Lord" or "Master." Ba** was the lord of the earth whose powers gave life to the earth. Frequently identified with the West Semitic storm god Ha***, Ba** brought the rains that revitalized the land ..."

    - They teach a fast-track-crucifixion within 12 hours, which is nowhere found in the Bible.

    - The Madaba Map, the earliest and possibly most important Christian map, is not even mentioned, which is a serious omission. If it would be written in Hebrew instead of the biblical Greek, scholars would probably not stop to mention it. But the fact that it quotes from the Greek Old Testament which is the Bible handed over to us through JESUS CHRIST, is a thorn in the eyes of most Catholic & Protestant scholars.

    - The heretical Mishna and Talmud are mentioned 6 times throughout the book, but not a single word of discernment is found, and even worse, this work is rather endorsed than being despised as JESUS did:

    Quote: "Eventually, the rabbis codified their interpretations and wisdom, producing the Mishnah and ultimately the Talmud, the guiding document of postbiblical Judaism."

    - The book, although it extensively references Bible passages, shows a strong fascination with extra-biblical, sometimes highly problematic works, while not providing any discernment about the nature of those works:

    Quote: "The Gilgamesh Epic, or "Babylonian Flood Story," has been especially intriguing to biblical scholars because of its literary parallels with the flood recorded in Genesis 7–8. The Enuma Elish recounts the exploits of the great Babylonian god Ma**** who prevailed over the primordial monster Ti*** and created the world. Although in its present form the Enuma Elish probably dates to the later second millennium, elements of the epic may go back to the old Babylonian period. The Epic of Atrahasis recounts the creation of human beings to carry out the tiresome toil upon earth assigned to the lesser gods by the greater gods. Noting the rapid increase of the human population whose noise disturbed the sleep of the gods ..."

    Quote: "Our earliest version of the story of a great flood comes from Sumer."

    - Outmost problematic language when it comes to other gods. According to the Bible, those names should not even be written in full, but this book does not only write those names, but we actually find idol images inside the book, which are not blurred.

    Quote: "Paul surely visited the Acropolis, where he walked among some of the most beautiful monuments of antiquity. People approached the Acropolis from the west through the Propylaea, a monumental gateway. Crowning the Acropolis was the Pa*******, the magnificent Doric temple built to honor Athens' patron goddess, At****." Can you picture Paul writing such heretical words?

    Image description: "The beautiful Ionic temple of Athena N*** is visible on the right side."

    Quote: "Nippur, the center of worship for the greatest of the Sumerian gods, En***"

    Quote: "In 614 B.C. Ashur, the ancient Assyrian capital and namesake of the great god of Assyria, fell to Median forces commanded by Cyaxares."

    Quote: "Thousands of pilgrims came to Ephesus yearly to honor the great goddess Ar*****, whose temple stood in Ephesus."

    Quote: "As the son of R* and the incarnation of the falcon god Ho***, the pharaoh exercised complete authority over all aspects of life. His power established the right order of all things (the Egyptian term is Ma***), brought fertility to the land, and gave victory over the enemies of Egypt. He functioned as the mediator between the gods and men."

    > Especially when looking at the last quote, we see a highly problematic language. It is not wrong and indeed necessary to mention those cults and idolatries from the past. But to write that another god indeed brought fertility to the land while not even making the effort to add a few qualifiers such as 'the people erroneously thought that those gods would bring them fertility', is spiritually insufficient scholarship. It is misleading the flock of JESUS to the utmost. We cannot simply assume that the reader reads between the lines when it comes to spiritual matters.

    - This double-speak is also shown here:

    Quote: "In addition, Assyrian kings fought for the glory and prestige of Ashur, the national Assyrian god, whose rightful domain was all the earth."

    Quote: "Peter and John emerged as the leaders of the Jerusalem church, which met for worship in the temple precincts and, likely, in private homes. Temple authorities became alarmed at the new movement and expressed their concerns in the Sanhedrin. Hardliners of the Sanhedrin moved to suppress the dangerous heresy, despite the objections of the Pharisee Gamaliel who counseled moderation (Acts 4–5)."

    A moderation would have included three simple words which every Christian would very quickly add:

    ... to suppress the dangerous heresy

    ... to suppress what they called the 'dangerous heresy' ...

    - The total lack of any 'spiritual etiquette' shows also when they speak about the Colosseum. Not a single word is found, which would condemn its brutal history from a Christian perspective, but once again some flowery words are chosen describing it:

    "The Flavian Amphitheater —the famous Colosseum of Rome— stands as testimony to the monumental scale of Flavian patronage."

    - The book described the highly problematic teacher Origen as "the greatest of the Greek theologians", which once again shows the total lack of any spiritual discernment.

    Origen was a Universalist; he taught Purgatory; taught the pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology; he included Aquila's text in his Hexapla and contributed therefore directly to the manipulation of the Proto- Masoretic text.

    - Endorsement of the Roman Catholic church through the heretical letters bearing the names of Clement of Rome and the post-mortem personification of Ignatius of Antioch: "Clement of Rome wrote a series of letters in which he exercised pastoral concern for other churches. Bishop Ignatius of Antioch suffered martyrdom in Rome shortly after A.D. 100 during the reign of Trajan ..."

    How Christianity Transformed the World, by Sharon James (2*)

    Reviewed 05/11/2024 〣 100% read

    This book might be a shorter summary of Vishal's book, but has very similar strengths and weaknesses. The absence of biblical discernment is much more obvious in this book, as it blatantly endorses Roman Catholic works and confuses those with the fruits of the work in CHRIST.

    The obvious truth is that pagans and anti-Christs alike can do the same morally good works and still not be in the SPIRIT of CHRIST. The Catholic church has blinded billions through their good works (e.g. Mother Teresa who was very evil while blinding the world through good works), but this does not legitimize them as part of the Christian Church as plainly assumed by the author.

    It is a negative surprise after having read her other 2 outstanding books, to notice here a strong Augustinian spirit of anti-Christ, both in the form of the Roman Catholic church and the Presbyterian church, both being heavily promoted in this book.

    PROS

    + As usual, the author does a good investigation on a purely historical level.

    CONS

    - The book is spiritually empty and there is no Gospel found in it. It is much rather a social gospel and goes as far as to lean onto Neo-Calvinism and Dominionism.

    - The author repeatedly endorses the missionary Ann Judson and her husband Adoniram. It is evil to make such an endorsement, and Sharon James has no excuse because she wrote the book 'Ann Judson: A Missionary Life for Burma'. 

    It should be well-known that Adoniram practiced the outmost heretical Guionism (extreme form of Roman Catholic Mysticism) since even before the Death Prison days, meaning when Ann still had some years to live. They were not only attracted to Catholic (Augustinian) mystics, but set out as Calvinists (Congregationalist) and then brought Calvinism into the Baptist denomination. He and his son(Elnathan) were Freemasons from before they left America until his death, precisely a member of the fraternity 'Philermenian Society'.

    It is therefore also no surprise, that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which would probably not even exist without the Judson's, is deeply penetrated with both Calvinists (~30% in 2007, growing) and Freemasons (~14-18% amongst pastors and deacons in the 1990s).

    - Quote: "But from the inception of the Christian Church at Pentecost, the followers of Jesus have sought to love their neighbor and to reflect God's moral character."

    While her intentions might be noble (and mainstream), such a statement shows rather an insufficient understanding of Christianity. Christianity started when CHRIST created the earth and created the first human beings, and equipped them with laws Joseph and others followed long before Mt. Sinai. Christianity was in the ears of the people when they read the countless prophecies pointing to the First Coming of CHRIST. Christianity is not a religion that came suddenly into being at Pentecost, it existed from minute 1 of humanity. The term Judaism is neither found in the Greek OT nor in the Hebrew OT and it has done more harm than good to divide the true faith into two separate religions. Every Christian is a spiritual Jew, and every Jew is a Christian if he does not deny the fulfillment of all those prophecies in JESUS CHRIST.

    - The author is very close to Catholicism:

    Some quotes: "[speaking about the US & GB] While Catholics had a clear understanding of the humanity and dignity of unborn life, many Protestants, including evangelicals, believed the 'experts' and assumed that support of abortion (in certain circumstances) was the 'compassionate' thing to do. Only when the appalling scale of the destruction of unborn life became apparent, did an evangelical pro-life movement gain momentum."

    "... by the end of the nineteenth century Roman Catholic missionaries had had a major social impact: ..."

    "Generations of school children were told, wrongly, that the Catholic Church thought the earth was flat, and so opposed Christopher Columbus's voyage of exploration in 1492."

    - Endorsement of many (highly) problematic teachers such as Aquinas, Augustine, Calvin, Grudem, Luther, Martin Luther King, Spurgeon, and of religions / denominations such as Catholicism, Calvinists, Dominicans, Presbyterians, Puritans ...

    How to Keep the Sabbath Holy, by Doug Batchelor (3*)

    Reviewed 13/08/2024 〣 100% read

    Great affirmation of the Weekly Sabbath, but sadly coming from Seventh-Day Adventists.

    PROS

    + A very good reminder and motivation to keep the Weekly Sabbath holy. The book employs a very good defense and many valuable arguments.

    + Nice find with the handkerchiefs which the Jews are 'not allowed' to carry as a burden ...

    CONS

    - The author suggests repeatedly that the Weekly Sabbath ought to be celebrated from sunset to sunset. A biblical day does not start at sunset (Mainstream Judaism), nor at midnight (Pagan World), but with the light at sunrise (Gen 1:5; Proof texts are 1Sam 19:11, Exo 29:39, Lev 22:29-30, Num 11:32, Mat 28:1, Mar 27:45, Joh 19:20 et al.). Luk 24:29 reveals the erroneous interpretation: "... Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them."

    2 out of 7 Sabbath of Sabbaths (Annual Feasts / High Sabbaths / Extraordinary Sabbaths / Ceremonial Sabbaths) are biblically stated to begin at sunset (Passover according to the timing of the Exodus as specified in Deut 16:6 and Num 9:5 , and the Day of Atonement specified in Lev 23:32). We do not know if this rather implied only those 2 -, or if all the 7 Sabbath of Sabbaths, but it is absolutely certain that this particular timing did not affect the Weekly Sabbath or any weekday. Similar to other exceptions in the Bible, we should be careful to not blindly follow and idolize customs of Jewish Mainstream which are often based on the Word, but sometimes applied incorrectly (see e.g. their erroneous new year in the seventh month).

    - He puts Tithing in the same category as the Moral Law and wrongly claims that it is applicable today. We -who are not farmers and herdsmen- were never supposed to financially tithe 10% of our income, but we are instructed to give by heart, to people in need, to our local church and to ministers of the Gospel. Not even one Christian church practiced tithing in the Americas before 1873 AD - it was initially conceptualized to support the poor and soon later abused by a rapidly increasing number of greedy churches we still see today. And no, the book of Malachi (Mal 3:8-10) is not part of the New Covenant, was written approx. 460 years before CHRIST died and is specifically directed to priests as indicated at the beginning of the chapter of Mal 2:1. We cannot mix the descriptive (Abram having given once 10% to a king) with the prescriptive. Teachers like him, who use the example of Abram as prescriptive, would consequently be required to give the other 90% to the government, in the same way Abram gave the other 90% to the kings of kings of Sodom & Gomorrah.

    - It would be nice to have a biblical reference between Genesis 1 and Exodus 16, but Exodus 5:5-7 is certainly not speaking of the Weekly Sabbath. He repeats twice the spurious claim that Pharaoh wanted to rob the Israelites of the Weekly Sabbath, by reading way too much into the word 'rest' in this passage. Harsher work certainly meant an effective repeal of the Sabbath if they would have kept it up to that point. But the overall context rather suggests that the Israelites did not keep the Sabbath in their last years of staying in Egypt, that they had 'forgotten' about it while serving there and had to be reminded on the Exodus.

    - He endorses 3 times the Seventh-Day Adventist cult, with 2 specific mentions of Ellen G. White while even citing specific doctrines of hers. He also tells the story of Desmond Doss, a Seventh-Day Adventist. That sadly does preclude the book from being commendable although it certainly is in most parts. It is very sad that the author uses such a much-needed book to bring in division and doctrines which are against the Bible.

    How To Know God Exists: Scientific Proof Of God, by Ray Comfort (2*)

    Reviewed 15/07/2024 〣 100% read

    This book defends the Kingdom of our Lord, while shattering part of its foundation. As it delights in many parts, it disappoints immensely in some others.

    I had given Ray Comfort until today the benefit of a doubt, and recommended his books despite the knowledge that he is surrounded by Calvinists, while not (openly) confessing to its doctrine. But his explicit endorsement of the Roman Catholic Church as part of Christianity is truly shocking. There is no other denomination mentioned in the book, therefore its endorsement is clearly intentional. What helps us great overall teaching if this teacher does not even recognize one of the most basic expressions of Satan?

    PROS

    + Very good defense of the Bible.

    + Great example with the light switch. Some would turn it on, while others read the manual and discuss side notes and ultimately explain the need for light away.

    CONS

    - Quote: "Despite the fact that A. Hi**ler had a Roman Catholic background, he became adamantly anti-Christian and believed in evolution." A truly shocking quote in so many regards. The very same quote is also printed in his book 'The Evidence Study Bible', which is saturated with false teachers, mostly Catholics and Calvinists.

    - Endorsement of Theistic Evolution, a third new way which reaches the hand to unbelieving scientists, while placing the creation account some 530 million years ago. At least he seems to reject the Big Bang, but he plainly endorses a 'Cambrian Explosion' commonly placed 530 million years ago.

    - Although he reminds the reader how important it is to follow the 10 commandments, he rejects the Weekly Sabbath, which is hypocritical. He justifies the transgression with Col 2:14-16: 'Scripture makes it clear that no one can be justified (made right with God) by keeping the Sabbath holy ... The way we are made right with God is by grace, through faith in Jesus ..."

    Let us have a quick look at the respective verses [comments inserted]:

    Col 2:14-16 "... He made you alive together with Him [...] Having blotted out the handwriting [= Books, not Stone Tablets] against us [the Moral Law was for us (Psa 19:7; Act 7:38) - the Ceremonial Law against us (Deu 31:24-26; Col 2:13-15)] by the decrees ... ['degrees' = clearly Ceremonial law] ... by nailing it to the cross [the 10 Commandments were NOT nailed to the cross, but affirmed by Christ]. [...] Therefore do not let anyone judge you [judging would not even equal an abolition!!] with reference to eating or drinking or participation in a feast ['feast' = clearly Ceremonial Law; no feast included in the 10 commandments] or a New Moon or [Ceremonial] Sabbaths, which are a shadow of what is to come, but the reality is Christ."

    As we see, it is a clear abuse of Scripture and a misleading of the flock of CHRIST to disobey the Moral Law.

    - He confused the Law of Sin and Death with the Moral Law. While the Moral Law could provoke the death penalty in the Old Covenant, the designation 'Sin and Death' clearly refers to the abolished 600+ Old Covenant Laws and specifically to the abolition of the respective condemnation.

    - When interviewing an agnostic, this man confessed the sin of active fornication. Todd Friel (Calvinist) then goes on to explain that he therefore committed adultery for having looked at this woman with lust, which is a gross misapplication of Scripture. Adultery can naturally only be committed by coveting / looking at a married woman, but the man explained that he is in a relationship. Fornication, although being a serious sin, is a very different category and has absolutely nothing to do with the Moral Law. And there are many other much more suitable verses refering to the sin of lust.

    - His endorsements are highly problematic: Charles Spurgeon (Augustinian / Calvinist; "I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of ecumenism, follower of the Knights Templar Bernard of Clairvaux ...), C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ) ...

    Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, by Howard & Geraldine Taylor (2 *)

    Reviewed 12/08/2024 〣 100% read

    Seemingly a great testimony, but in the end simply an account on how Calvinists planted their 'seeds' in China.

    It should be obvious to the most naive reader that this story cannot be of our Lord. 3 of his children died at birth, 2 others died in childhood, and last his wife died after 12 years of marriage (after her sister had also died in China), but everything is played cool - as if part of suffering. A few lines about the sudden death, then each time within less than a minute of reading pretended joy. Even the audiobook reader reads it down like just a side note, and shortly after is of the best humor in his voice. Not mentioned in the book is that their last surviving daughter also died later, leaving a husband with 4 children behind ... and that his second wife died of breast cancer.

    We are indeed to suffer in this Christian life and we sometimes have to overcome the death of a loved one (more often in those times), but 8 out of 11 direct family members taken away clearly points to a very serious spiritual problem of the main figure of that story.

    But sadly there is zero reflection from Mr. Taylor's side, not even when he is struck down (probably) by the Lord and ends up as a cripple for many months, is bound to his bed and cannot even write. Those who read their Bibles, know what such a state means - usually a consequence of serious sin and plain evil, no matter all the good deeds put on in the book.

    Taylor's supposed reaction to his condition: "So it was day by day. One of the happiest periods of my life was that period of forced inactivity, when one could do nothing but rejoice in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, and see Him meeting all one's need. [...] Had I been well and able to move about, some might have thought that my urgent appeals, rather than God's working, had sent the eighteen men to China. But utterly laid aside, able only to dictate a request for prayer, the answer to our prayers was the more apparent. > It is apparent that he desperately tried to make sense of his suffering and clutched at straws when thinking that the possible thoughts of others would allow for him to be a cripple.

    Stay away from this book. It certainly does not motivate anyone to serve overseas, no matter how hard the book pretends. It would be a great wonder if anyone would be motivated to go to China after such a devastating testimony. There are thousands of much better stories out there.

    PROS

    + His story is a good example of how to decide between the love of his life and a calling through the Lord.

    + Great that he adopted wearing native Chinese clothing even though this was very rare among missionaries of that time.

    CONS

    - The main figure is Calvinist as made clear several times in the book (he worked for the American Presbyterian Mission; the book speaks about Baptists / Presbyterians). Repeated mention and highest praise of the ultra-Calvinist Spurgeon "I have heard many men pray in public since then, but the prayers of Mr. Taylor and the prayers of Mr. Spurgeon stand all by themselves." The author also mentioned casually that Taylor was received in Melbourne by an Episcopalian (= de-facto Catholic) minister.

    - Taylor's evangelism / discipleship method included habitually the reading of the Old Testament, followed by Pilgrims Progress (Calvinist lecture), followed by the New Testament. This is highly problematic, to put worldly lecture before the Good Message, and to include this into a serious Bible study.

    - The same pattern is found as in many Catholic / Episcopalian / Pentecostal books of the same genre, no to little money is available - waiting until the very last moment - miraculous provision of often the exact amount needed in the precise moment. Quote: "The monthly remittance to be cabled to China on one occasion was very small, nearly two hundred and thirty-five pounds less than the average expenditure to be covered. The matter was brought before the Lord in definite prayer, and in His goodness the answer was not long delayed. That very evening the postman brought a letter which was found to contain a check to be entered, "From the sale of plate"—and the sum was £235.7.9."

    Except that this story - coming from Cessationists which Calvinists traditionally are - does at least not include a fabricated speaking in tongues and miraculous healings.

    - Super-spirituality: He read the Bible 40x in 40 years, and he prayed every day from 2-4am ...

    - Highly spiritualized and in parts overly eloquent language of the book. The authors' writing style is hard to follow and the narrative jumps back and forth. You would have probably to read the book 3 to 4 times to grasp the correct narrative.

    - The book does not really include details about his medical help in China which is strange, given the fact that it was one of his main motivations (aside from the service for the Lord] to go there.

    - The book endorses F. W. H. Meyers who reportedly had lost his Christian faith. Furthers endorsements of Frances Ridley Havergal (Anglican), of the Church Missionary Society (Anglican).

    I Dared to Call Him Father: The Miraculous Story of a Muslim Woman's Encouter with God, by Bilquis Sheikh, Richard Schneider (3*)

    Reviewed 12/08/2024 〣 100% read

    Good story, but distinctively Catholic & Anglican.

    PROS

    + Good testimony about a highly unusual conversion away from Islam and its connected consequences.

    + Great example about forgiveness towards her (former) husband.

    CONS

    - Full recitation of Islamic prayers.

    - The book does not get tired of including the word 'Catholic'. Her 'sons' school is Catholic, and the hospital she visited has Catholic nuns as the Ghostwriter felt obligated to point out. Also several references to 'Anglicans' are included.

    - It is very odd that they specifically point out 3 times that she used the 'Phillips Translation', which refers to the 'Philips New Testament in Modern English', an English translation of the New Testament translated by Anglican clergyman J. B. Phillips. Now we know why.

    - Specific endorsement of the Anglican Rudyard Kipling.

    - Specific endorsement of "Ken Taylor's Letters to Young Churches (which was later expanded into The Living Bible)". This Living Bible is a problematic translation. The introduction to the 'Letters to Young Churches' is written by C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - The book is very heavy on dreams and visions. We know that THEOS often uses those means to communicate to Muslims, but in this book there is a heavy emphasis on this, which is probably only surpassed through Jackie Pullinger's 'Chasing the Dragon'.

    - The first Bible story employed is the woman caught in adultery (Joh 7:53 - 8:11), although well-studied ministers should know that this is maybe a true story, but -NOT- part of the Word of THEOS.

    - A Christian should be more humble than her. A great portion of the book goes into her superiority and entitlement, and repeating over and over how others serve her and how she is struggling to not get caught into second-class affairs. There is a bit of a transformation, but honestly not too much.

    - It is odd that she had no one to talk to when she found her faith, although she had supposedly had several Christian servants.

    - The addendum is supposed to come from SYNNØVE MITCHELL, but it is painfully obvious, that the same ghostwriter has written it, especially by the specific mention of the 'Philips Translation'.

    - Endorsement of Billy Graham (strong tendency towards Universalism, ecumenical movement, close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope ...).

    I Declare War: Four Keys to Winning the Battle with Yourself, by Levi Lusko (2*)

    Reviewed 22/02/2023 〣 25% read

    It rarely happens that I stop reading a book, especially given the case that time is not an issue in times of audiobooks & ear pods.

    But I could not continue listening to it after he mentioned the fifth or sixth time Eugene Peterson and his Message translation, and afterwards several other significant errors. I can forgive the nowadays common endorsement of false teachers such as C.S. Lewis, whom he of course also quoted (6 times including specific mention of witchcraft books). But to quote 17 times in a book a specific heretical translation and its author, makes it very clear that Lusko is not a sound evangelical.

    Another significant issue is the obvious copy & paste from Caroline Leaf's books, another false teacher. Some passages feel almost like having directly been copied from her book which appeared 3 years before his book. In the end it is all about pop psychology decorated with a little bit of biblical references.

    Levi also uses in this book wolves as an affirmative illustration for spiritual warfare, despite the fact that wolves in Scripture signify false teachers. He goes great lengths in order to describe their positive features while leaving out entirely their negative features.

    I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, by Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek (2*)

    Reviewed 15/04/2024 〣 100% read

    This book is a dangerous middle-ground between Darwinism and the Bible. Their Theistic Evolution, what they inconspicuously call 'Intelligent Design' states in this book that it is irrelevant or at best secondary when the first human was created, or how long a biblical creation day actually is.

    This is to a certain degree more dangerous than Darwinism itself, because it pretends to be biblical, but results in a new 'Third Way'.

    Following their own analysis of the truth claim, they should know very well that there cannot be two truths or a half -truth; either the Bible is true or it is not. It is not half-true or up to scientific adaption while reaching one hand out to Darwinists.

    PROS

    + In many areas a very good defense of the Bible.

    + Great analysis of the Gospels & Acts, and the related proofs.

    + Bold discernment on Harvard University.

    + Great reader of the audiobook.

    CONS

    - The book is a nice summary, but essentially a repetition of countless similar books written on this topic. It might be more complete than other books, but it essentially repeats the same errors found in those.

    - They are literally paying homage to C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ). One mention could be bearable, but dozens of quotes in a Christian book are shocking in the absence of any discernment.

    - They endorse the Big Bang, which has long ago proven to be wrong, because many of the planets rotate in different directions, contrary to physics that would demand that all objects should rotate in the same direction if they share a common point they expanded from (52 out of 67 moons of Jupiter orbit backwards, Venus rotates backwards, et al).

    - They erroneously teach that the Apostles stopped obeying the Weekly Sabbath, but elsewhere go great lengths in defending the Moral Law, by even recognizing it to be written by the finger of THEOS and not by Moses (e.g. High Sabbaths). To the contrary, there are many passages in Acts alone that underline their obedience of the WS both in Israel and other countries, both with Jews and with other Nations (Gentiles).

    - They teach that divorce is allowed in case of adultery. They use a false translation of the exception clause to include the oxymoron 'except on the basis of unfaithfulness, commits adultery'. The content of this exception clause cannot be identical with the result which is 'adultery' = marital unfaithfulness ... Correct translation: "But I say to you, that anyone who should abandon his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her commit adultery."

    - They teach a fast-track-crucifixion within 12 hours, which is nowhere found in the Bible.

    - They fully endorse the theology of William Lane Craig (proponent of Theistic Evolution Adam&Eve = Homo heidelbergensis; one million years ago ... contradicting the 77 generations in Luke 3:23-28; he claims that the genre of Genesis 1-11 is pure myth; rejects the Flood and the Tower of Babel; serious errors related to the Trinity and Incarnation; he does not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture).

    - Inclusion of the sinner's prayer as a means to achieve salvation.

    - They endorse Hugh Ross (he supports the Big Bang Theory and claims that the creation days of Gen 1 do not represent literal 24-hour periods; "there are about 12 species of bipedal primates that predated Adam and Eve but they're in the same category the chimpanzees orangutangs and the gorillas ... and they're roughly similar to us ..."; Ross subtly equates science for nature - science and the Bible should be equated in authority; close collaboration with Francis Collins from BioLogos; guest at the infamous 700 Club).

    - They repeatedly endorse Bruce Metzger as great (professor of Bart Ehrman; general editor of the highly problematic Reader's Digest Bible; he denied biblical inerrancy and the infallible inspiration of the Bible; he advocated that Matthew incorporated errors in his genealogy of Christ; claims in his 'New Oxford Annotated Bible RSV' that the O.T. contains "a matrix of myth, legend, and history", denies the worldwide flood ("heightened version of local inundations"), calls Job an "ancient folktale", claims there are two authors of Isaiah, calls Jonah a "popular legend"; sat on the ecumenical committee of the NRSV translators amongst Catholics; private audience with Pope Paul VI)

    - They seriously and repeatedly consider Mother Teresa to be the antithesis of evil. Their discernment is below grade - she was actually a monumental fraud in history, a direct enabler of se**al abuser and JESUIT priest Donald McGuire.

    - They endorse Berry Leventhal, and specifically UCLA and his Jewish Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. This leaves the reader with a big question mark so as to why they make this specific mention twice, and if there is a background of Freemasonry.

    ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

    - When referring to the differing angels after the resurrection, they missed the differentiation between 1 sitting (Mat 28:2-4), 1 sitting (Mar 16:5-7), 2 standing (Luk 24:2-10) and 2 sitting (Joh 20:11-18) angels.

    QUOTES

    "Our friend Andy Stanley put it well: My high school science teacher once told me that much of Genesis is false."

    "Intelligent Design is not Creation Science either, ID scientists don't make claims that so-called Creation scientists make. They don't say that the data unambiguously supports the 6x 24-hour day view of Genesis or a worldwide flood; instead they acknowledge that the data for ID is not based on a specific age or geologic history of the earth. ID scientists study the same objects in nature than the Darwinists study; life and the universe itself, but they come to a more reasonable conclusion of the cause of those objects. In short, regardless of what the Bible may say on the topic."

    The Illustrated Origins Answer Book, by Paul S. Taylor (4*)

    Reviewed 11/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Although obviously not being comprehensive and not up to date, this book(let) is a very good summary of some key findings, and sufficient in itself to debunk the theory of evolution. What I learned through many lengthy books I had to bear in the past, is beautifully packaged here.

    NEUTRAL

    o No errors noted (from the viewpoint of my limited technical knowledge). But I generally distrust probability calculations found in every book related to this topic. Those are a nice signpost and are probably more precise than carbon dating methods, but should not be taken too literal.

    CONS

    - The name of JESUS CHRIST is not mentioned once in the entire body of the book, and only in the reference section.

    Heb 1:1-3 "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world."

    CHRIST has created this world, and this fact should appear in the first chapter of any treatise!

    If we acknowledge this most important fact, then many other observations evaporate, observations such as one made in the addendum: "The question of the veracity of Genesis and the veracity of Jesus Christ seem to be linked, since Christ quoted from Genesis on various occasions. There is also good indication that he accepted Genesis as historical truth."

    While this is certainly true, it is a secondary information when compared to the fact that He actually created the world.

    Our distorted picture of a CHRIST who came on the scene after 5500 (4000) years and was neither involved in the creation, nor appeared multiple times as the Angel of KYRIOS, has created an immense damage. We usually pronounce His eternity, but treat Him as if He had absolutely no function until His First Coming. This is a tragic distortion of the Good Message, which starts with Genesis and not with Matthew.

    - Complete lack of any presentation of the Good Message of JESUS CHRIST. What does it help if the reader could be convinced by the facts presented in the book, but is not being led to CHRIST?

    The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus, by Zack Eswine (2*)

    Reviewed 17/01/2023 〣 100% read

    It would be a recommendable book if it would be for the content of the first half of the book.

    But it sadly turns nearly into a manual of Contemplative Prayer (key words "desert", "solitude", "emptying yourself", silence"; a concept closely connected to Catholic Mysticism).

    Eugene Peterson seems to be his favorite author and is repeatedly endorsed throughout the book (universalist; author of heretical Message Bible with deletion of same-sex-passages, promoter of same-sex lifestyle; editor of the heretical Spiritual Formation Study Bible; front cover endorsement of The Shack; promoter of Richard Rohr).

    Further characters quoted are Henri Nouwen and Teresa de Avila, who is known to have levitated on occasions, meaning that she was living on the very dark side of this spiritual world.

    Richard Foster and his book 'Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth' is also quoted (Catholic Mystic; co-author with Eugene Peterson; claims that the book of Genesis was merged from other religions; JESUS is a translated in Isaiah as "human agent"; worked with Richard Rohr; part of Emerging Church/Contemplative Prayer/Mystic movement).

    The author has also a strange idea of the Weekly Sabbath:

    "When I've lost track of sabbath Fridays or Mondays ..."

    Unfortunately no recommendation despite the first good half of the book, but overall rather a warning.

    In His Steps, by Charles M. Sheldon (5*)

    Reviewed 04/12/2023 〣 100% read

    A truly wonderful book which I enjoyed very much. It is highly encouraging what consequences good obedience can have.

    No errors found in the book, no dubious quotations, absolutely nothing to object, what is very rare to find.

    Highly recommended.

    The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, by Nik Ripken, Gregg Lewis (3*)

    Reviewed 24/01/2023, updated 21/06/2024 〣 100% read

    A powerful story, but where does it lead us?

    PROS

    + Extraordinary testimony.

    + Although it appears that he had reaped little spiritual fruit in regards to the salvation of lost souls, he showed a lot of virtue in helping the poor to survive.

    CONS

    - The title should have been called 'The Insanity of Evil', in order to avoid using His name in a degrading manner. The author uses the term 'Insanity of Evil' several times in the book and it is a mystery why he chose the other title.

    - Although I appreciate his honesty, he does rather not paint a positive picture of the LORD. For weak believers, this book could be rather deconstructive than constructive, by walking away from a 'God' who is unjust according to the image painted in this book. But the book could still motivate some to go out into the world and to serve the LORD in spiritually significant ways.

    The Insanity of Obedience: Walking with Jesus in Tough Places, by Nik Ripken (2*)

    Reviewed 22/05/2024 〣 100% read

    A book of extraordinary value, but also a book which has the potential of being destructive over being constructive.

    PROS

    + Many very valuable insights and teachings.

    + Overall sound theology.

    + Very valuable chapter regarding the Egyptian eunuch.

    + Much needed clarification regarding dreams & visions being a fundamental element of THEOS' powerful work to draw people to Him.

    CONS

    - The book contains a lot of very important exhortations. But the balance between exhortation and encouragement is highly problematic. While their critical mindset is appreciated to a certain degree, the book is made up of maybe 70% exhortation and 30% encouragement. Most of the book is about DONT'S and almost nothing is about DO's. They have vast experience as missionaries, but they lack to give tips, strategies and best practices from them and from other missionaries they know. While strong believers might benefit from their insights, I suspect that the majority of believers is rather discouraged and unsettled through this book.

    - One particular problematic passage in chapter 4 reads as following:

    "Believers were killed because of who they worked for, or because of the outsiders with whom they worshiped. Persecution soared when local people were found in possession of literate, religious materials, even though they were typically unable to read it. It is heart-breaking to recall the Somali believers who were killed because Westerners employed them to evangelize their own people and taught them to use western modes of evangelism."

    - They state at the beginning of the book that they spent several years of their time, 1 million dollars and had only a handful of converts. Although I appreciate their honesty and the exhortation to not look at numbers, it becomes clear that this extreme imbalance cannot be from THEOS. It is unthinkable that THEOS had people donating 33 000 man hours (assuming a salary of 30USD per hour = 1M total) and in addition the Ripkens sacrificed thousands of hours of their own time, and then have 1 convert or so per year. Something is very wrong here, and the book sometimes reads as to question THEOS. Their first book was also critical of THEOS and their faith never seems settled, but always with significant doubts which nowhere disappear in those two books.

    - They state that they are part of a denomination, but neither in this nor in the previous book reveal it (such a behavior usually points to either Jesuits or in this case probably Calvinists). At least we know that their world consists of Lutherans, Presbyterians and the Assembly of God, the first two being problematic and close to Catholicism and Calvinism. But where the book really becomes problematic -and this being the reason why I cannot recommend it- is the point that they endorse the Roman Catholic church as positive, writing about it as the opposite to a vacuum. This is not just a false tolerance or lack of discernment. This is misleading their readers.

    - The beginning and end of the book includes some repetitions from the previous book, but more annoying is the repetition inside the book. It is ok to explain a concept from 2 or 3 different perspectives, but not to speak about the same issue for 6 or more times, and to choose over and over other words. Yes to sharpening, no to a hammer and filling a certain amount of pages predefined by the publisher.

    - They consider non-tithers as highly problematic, which in itself is problematic. Tithing is pre-Pentecost in their terminology, but giving is post-Pentecost. We ought to give by heart whatever the Spirit directs us to, not to tithe a fixed amount under compulsion and potential condemnation.

    - The foreword is written by Brother Andrew (Ordained priest in the Anglican church; high endorsement of RCC; part of the Dutch Pentecostal movement with replacement theology and rejection of original sin). BA in turn recommends in his foreword to read a Calvinist book.

    Introducing Christianity to Mormons: A Practical and Comparative Guide to What the Bible Teaches, by Eric Johnson (2*)

    Reviewed 07/11/2024 〣 100% read

    A book which requires almost as much discernment as the religion which is being discerned.

    Although the title of the book rather suggests speaking to Mormons, the acknowledgments mention that 'I pray that this book will encourage Christians to share their faith with the Latter-day Saints.' In light of the book being directed to Christians, it is too heavy on theology we already know, and way too light in educating us about the Mormon religion. A basic historical timeline is entirely missing and the discernment is fragmentary. The following important topics are missing in this book:

    + The vast influence of Freemasonry.

    + The claim that the US is 'the Biblically Promised Land'.

    + Melchizedek priesthood.

    + The translation of a 'Book of Abraham'.

    + Doctrines of eternal marriage ('Temple Marriage Sealing').

    + The 'fire insurance' (mandatory tithes and offerings).

    + They lower the biblical age of accountability from 20 to 8 years and baptize children at that age.

    + They use water for communion.

    + Systematic racism, claim that black skin is a curse. Justification of slavery.

    + Their churches ('temples') can only be visited with a 'Temple Recommend'.

    + They teach murder and a second adultery to be unforgivable sins, which clearly contradicts Scripture.

    + Mormon missionaries are only allowed twice a year to phone relatives. Once a week they are allowed to write handwritten letters.

    + In Utah, the land of the Latter-day 'saints', there are more people on welfare than in any other state according to the population, and the divorce rate is among the highest.

    All those previous points can be taught while balancing the word and not creating hate. While those are included at the website https://www.mrm.org/ the book is redirecting to, it should have been included at least in a brief form in this book.

    PROS

    + The structure of the book is good, with each chapter starting with a chapter preview and concluding with questions.

    + The table of the differences between Evangelical Christianity and Mormonism is very useful.

    + There is much very useful discernment and the author employs a wise approach to Mormons.

    + Mention of JESUS as the Angel of KYRIOS in the OT.

    NEUTRAL

    o Good reflections on the Trinity, stating that its concept is extensively described in the Bible. But he is ignorant of the fact that it is indeed scripturally based on 2 Greek terms (THEIOTES in Rom 1:20 and THEOTETOS in Col 2:9).

    CONS

    - Quote: "I dedicated my life to Chirts in Jan 1972 at the age of nine while watching a Billy Graham crusade on television with my parents." (Graham had a strong tendency towards universalism; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained female pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; taught theistic evolution; promoted the catholic-influenced Alpha Course). Billy Graham is mentioned 3 times in this book.

    - The author calls himself in this book a 'Master of Divinity', which is a deeply blasphemous title.

    - He teaches the erroneous concept of Single-Tense-Salvation leading to the Once-Saved-Always-Saved dogma which he also endorses. Although he teaches about sanctification, he ignores that salvation is a Past-, Present- and Future reality as plainly laid out in the Bible through the respective use of tenses.

    - This becomes obvious when he discusses baptism and relates it exclusively to Past Salvation, while being ignorant that the requirement for salvation does not need to be explained away as he does, but that it simply refers to Future Salvation.

    In his quest to explain the need away, he goes as far as to consider baptism as 'works', which is an astounding and deeply troubling claim. He does not explain how he comes to such a particular conclusion and why he would not consider e.g. communion as works.

    - Quote: "We didn't earn our salvation by our behavior, and we can't 'un-earn' it by our behavior". This is a false teaching and contradict dozens of Paul's warnings to not shipwreck one's salvation precisely through sinful behavior.

    - Heavy promotion of the Lutheran doctrine of 'Faith & Grace Alone'. He literally twists history when stating in this book that Luther "made a careful study of the books of Romans and Galatians".

    Luther is indeed the key figure in bringing the (Faith / Grace ...-) ALONE doctrines into our vocabulary. He interpolated the word 'alone' in his Bible translation of Rom 3:28. When he was opposed for this, he insulted his enemies. The 2017 version of the Luther Bible has added footnotes on Rom 1:17, 2:13, 3:21, and Rom 3:28 that warn about the deliberate mistranslations Luther committed.

    - He describes both the NIV (which is ridiculous) and the ESV as "highly accurate renderings of the original texts". I would rather call it the English simplified version, as it is one of the worst versions in regards of the immense amount of biblical text being cut out - whenever they think that it does not add to the sense (e.g. "and answering, He said" > He said). The version also ignores habitually grammar forms (Participle almost always, Subjunctive often, sometimes even the Passive).

    - Dietrich Bonhoeffer is endorsed throughout the book (7x), which is deeply troubling in a book that supposedly should lead people away from Satan and not towards him (Freemason, Black Fraternity 'Der Igel' (The Hedgehog) in Tübingen, strong affinity for Jesuits, claimed that "the biblical witness is uncertain with regard to the virgin birth")

    - 20x endorsement of Wayne Grudem (Calvinist, Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement; Theistic Evolution; rejects Noah's flood).

    - 8x endorsement of R.C. Sproul (Calvinist).

    - 6x endorsement of John MacArthur (Figurehead of Augustinian-Calvinism; Cessationist ...).

    - 5x endorsement of Timothy Keller (Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...).

    - 4x endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - 4x endorsement of William Lane Craig (Proponent of Theistic Evolution Adam & Eve = Homo heidelbergensis; one million years ago ... contradicting the 77 generations in Luke 3:23-28; he claims that the genre of Genesis 1-11 is pure myth; rejects the Flood and the Tower of Babel; serious errors related to the Trinity and Incarnation; he does not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture).

    - One of his main source materials comes from Lee Strobel (a de facto Catholic; a highly problematic teacher; see separate reviews above).


    Invitation to the Septuagint, by Karen Jobes, Moisés Silva (1*)

    Reviewed 21/06/2024 〣 100% read

    I never found a more misleading title of a book - it should rather be called 'Killing The Septuagint' or 'Invitation to Kill the Septuagint'. This is no polemic claim, but a sober preview of what is being taught in this book.

    While the principle author initially states to have been "hooked on Septuagint studies" as a student, the book soon turns into a systematic and strongly biased deconstruction of the Word of THEOS, while blatantly endorsing extra-biblical writings such as the Deuterocanonicals and many spurious works. While it is a good summary of many valuable findings, it is also a good summary of the widespread inability of the academic world to correct the fundamental error of having endorsed the Proto-Masoretic text as divinely inspired, although having been adulterated decisively in a small portion.

    PROS

    + In parts an important summary of research done, and being done on the Greek Old Testament (GOT).

    + They clearly state that the Greek Old Testament (GOT) was the Bible used by most early Christians and Jews and defend it in some basic aspects.

    + Good overview of the Christian and Jewish recensions (except the endorsement of Aquila).

    + Great chapters 'The Current State of Septuagint Studies' and 'Our Predecessors: Septuagint Scholars of a Previous Generation'.

    NEUTRAL

    O The chapter 6 'Textual Criticism' contains some great principles, but it is not even mentioned to seek the guidance of the LORD Himself in defining the text.

    CONS

    - The book contains a huge number of internal quotations, leading the reader to yet another book of Moises Silva (25x) or Karen Jobes (14x). Instead of promoting their own books, this book would have greatly benefitted from a more open approach.

    - The writers repeatedly show a substantial lack of discernment (e.g. the claim that one of the greatest anti-Christs of history, namely Origen, was a Christian and their intensive use of his materials; repeated use of the Mishnah and Talmud without the least hint of those works being strongly anti-Christian). Furthermore, many problematic endorsements are found throughout the book. One particular endorsement includes another popular anti-Christ (quote p121 "See the brilliant application of these concerns by Bart D. Ehrman").

    - The writers are both Augustinians (Calvinists). They are ecumenical at best, while the entire book could have indeed been written by Catholics - disguising what they disguise, and endorsing what they endorse.

    p79 [notice the order] "If one compares the modern English Bibles of Judaism to the Old Testaments of Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church, differences will quickly be found." The RCC is mentioned 14 times throughout the book, and not a single word of discernment is found. The 'Katholieke Universiteit Leuven' is endorsed several times.

    - The book mentions briefly UNCIALS, but does not provide any justification for a change from those significantly more readable letters to the cursives with its 18 commonly used diacritics (221 combinations), which are de facto an intellectual disguise of the Bible.

    - The book repeatedly puts the GOT into the role of an extra by stating that it is the first major translation into another language (p19, 67). This is an insufficient investigation, because we have Ezra's translation (459-445 BC, from Paleo-Hebrew into Aramic-Hebrew) and we have Samuel's text (1050 BC, from Hieroglyphic Hebrew into Paleo-Hebrew). Both previous translations are not even mentioned in this book!

    p21 Unsubstantiated claims deconstructing the inspiration of the GOT: "The translators who produced the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible were also interpreters who came to the text with the theological and political prejudices of their time and thus had to deal with hermeneutical issues similar to those we face today. Their translations were no doubt influenced, whether deliberately or subconsciously, by what they believed the Hebrew meant in light of their contemporary situation [...] Clearly, this is bad news to the textual critic ..." p89 repeats the same claim of an uninspired translation "The people who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek faced all of these linguistic decisions. [...] They worked not only within the linguistic context of Hellenistic Greek, but also within a social, political, and religious context that shaped their translation, probably both deliberately and unconsciously." 

    Those remarks are not even substantiated within the book and a hearsay-argument would have more value than such a broad assumption. Nowhere does the author even deal with the possibility that the GOT is actually divinely inspired and THEOS' very WORD, and that the translators brought zero extra-theological baggage into their translations. Justin Martyr made it very clear that their translations had been absolutely identical which excludes any possibility for prejudices and own views.

    p146 reiterates their bias against the GOT, and they lower here the value from inspired, to translated, to interpretation: "the LXX may be regarded as the earliest surviving INTERPRETATION of the Bible, and the exegesis of the translators, EVEN WHEN WRONG, can be very valuable in our own exegetical process."

    p152 then goes as far as to destroy even the possibility to see MT and GOT on a par: "The viewpoint that claims to assign equal value to the MT and the LXX gives the impression of impartiality and objectivity, but it could just as easily reflect a failure to make a much-needed judgment on the available evidence." Who are the authors to put themselves into the seat of KYRIOS and judge His Word!

    p22 The Bible is clear that we should not speak out names of idol gods, but the book does not only mention those names but goes as far as to criticize the translation of the GOT for using the more neutral word 'demon', and as far as to attribute a 'religious spin' to the translators. What if the HOLY SPIRIT considered it wise to not bother Gentiles with all the names of idols?

    The Good Message had been repeated for 4 different people groups - should we therefore not rather expect that the Old Testament for Gentiles should have slight adaptations? Why do we naively assume that KYRIOS had to write exactly the same Bible for a totally different people group, while seeing even in the NT for one and the same account such clear adaptations towards individual target groups?

    p23 The authors speculate if the term 'Sabbaton' came from outside the Bible, but this question is ignorant because the term originated from the earliest Bible texts, thousands of years before the term Jew or the Greek / Hebrew language even existed.

    p23 They deny the inspiration, in their eyes it is simply one more version: "The Septuagint certainly left its mark in Greek, just as the King James Version has in English."

    p26 They erroneously claim that not the RCC THROUGH Jerome, but that "the Reformation [~1100 years later!] shifted attention away from the early translations of the Hebrew Bible".

    p32 Heretical assumption that the GOT included the Apocrypha at the time of its writing "The scope of modern Septuagint studies extends beyond the canon of the Hebrew Bible. It includes texts from the Hellenistic period that are not translations from the Hebrew at all, but rather Jewish writings composed in Greek, such as 3 Mac, 4 Mac, and the Wisdom of Solomon." p76 "The apocryphal books were not included in Thomson's translation." p80 includes in the chapter 'Order of Books in the Hebrew Bible, the Greek Septuagint, and the English (Protestant) Bible' a long list of Apocrypha in the GOT, but not in the Protestant Bible.

    This is highly misleading, because precisely the Reformation was responsible for having included for the first time in history up to 15 apocryphal books in many standard Bibles, while not even the RCC had previously included more than 7 books. p84 repeats the error by stating that "At the time of the Reformation [...] the books of the Protestant Old Testament were translated afresh from the Hebrew canon, which does not include the additional Greek books". p85 reveals a clear lack of discernment "the apocryphal books ... most Protestant Christians have, UNFORTUNATELY, never heard of them, much less read them."

    The first 5 apocryphal books had been initiated during the translation of the Greek Pentateuch (LXX, ~250 BC), but the first 11 apocryphal books had only been completed by the time of Christ and therefore 140 years after the completion of the Greek Old Testament (~140 BC), while the full number of 15 apocryphal books had only been completed by 100 AD, approx. 240 years after the Greek OT.

    But the writers even go one step further, to say, just because some codices that were compiled 600 years (!) after the writing of the Septuagint included the Apocrypha, now the Septuagint written 600 years earlier consequently included the Apocrypha. This is desperately looking for a scapegoat.

    p33, 35 Strong bias against the GOT and the letter of Aristeas "the number of (70) people sent would have been merely a symbolic gesture." [...] "As for the claim that the translation was based on Hebrew scrolls brought from Jerusalem, we have no clear evidence to refute it."

    p71 Here it becomes obvious that the author's preference is the (Catholic) Latin Vulgate "The Old Testament was presented in three columns: the Latin Vulgate with pride [!!!] of place in the middle, the Hebrew text on its right, and the Greek text (with a Latin interlinear translation) on its left."

    p83 They erroneously state that "Aquila made a new Greek translation ~FAITHFUL~ to the standardized Hebrew text". This is a blatant and outrageous lie, knowing very well that one of his main goals was to disseminate manipulations in the genealogies, to water down the significance and prophecies leading to the Messiah, and to manipulate many passages of the Bible in their favor. They do mention Rabbi Akiva / Akiba only once in the entire book, when reflecting on Aquila's translation methods (p286), but do not reflect at all on his role in the most dramatic change of the Bible in all over history. To leave him out while virtually every other Septuagint study is forced to speak of his role, shows the anti-biblical intentions of the authors.

    In a similar way, they claim on p147 that "These manuscripts, the earliest of which dates only to the ninth century, were produced by the Masoretes, extraordinarily disciplined copyists whose scribal practices can be traced back to about the year 500 of our era. It is generally agreed that even earlier, by the second century, the whole text of the Hebrew Bible had reached a high level of standardization." It is well known that the Masoretes admitted that they received corrupted texts. They were not working with the original Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible and significant corruptions had already crept into the versions they copied. The described 'standardization' should be better described as "by the end of the 2nd century, no more manipulations were conducted and the text remained constant".

    p305 affirms their erroneous 'findings': "The pre-MT emerged as the standard text soon after 70 AD [this is the time of the fall of Jerusalem when surely no scribe was writing a Bible], to excise Christian interpolations from the Greek text; and to reflect the most recent Jewish scholarship and exegesis."

    p84 False information that Jerome "personally believed that the Christian Old Testament canon should correspond to that of the Hebrew Bible", although it is well-known that he started his translation from the Greek text, but bowed to the pressure of his employer, the RCC (he being the secretary of the Pope which is not even mentioned!!) and only then used the Hebrew text.

    p95 Strong bias for the Hebrew text and unscientific approach, by ignoring the possibility that Aquila could have added anthropomorphisms, a fact clearly proven through the manipulation of Isaiah 9:6, where 4 (!) anthropomorphisms in one single verse were added in order to disconnect JESUS from the Angel of KYRIOS. "the LXX reveals no consistent method of avoiding the anthropomorphisms of the Hebrew ... the tendency to avoid them is strong enough to give the LXX a unique character and a somewhat different conception of God from that which is found in the Hebrew Old Testament".

    p99 At this point of the book it becomes clear that the authors use every possibility to attack the foundation of the GOT. Countless attacks are being made, constantly with a very strong bias for the Hebrew and against the Greek text. We find many discussions of secondary aspects which could either point to the Hebrew or Greek, but in all cases the Hebrew is declared innocent while the Greek is considered at least suspicious.

    Now on p99, we find the criticism about the GOT using the word 'Arabia' in Isa 11:11: "In other words, it would be invalid to argue that because Septuagint Isaiah mentions Arabia, that name was current at the time of the historical prophet Isaiah." This is once again far-fetched and ignorant of both the GOT (Gen 46:34 Goshen of Arabia) and the GNT (Gal 4:25 Mt. Sinai in Arabia), where Paul uses the term Arabia while describing a place which existed long before Isaiah (we all know that Sinai was not in Arabia when the Israelites had been there, but was so at the time of Paul). This knowledge alone would dispense with many discussions in the book, knowing that KYRIOS unquestionably 'updated' places and anthropomorphisms in the moment He universally broadened the audience of the Bible.

    Even the aspects where the authors are forced to accept the superiority of the GOT, precisely when referring to NT quotations -predominantly- coming from the GOT, they use every possible loophole to downplay that aspect and use it e.g. against the GOT that the book of Philippians does not include quotations (p201), while this is naturally also true for the MT ...

    p109 Here we find once again the fact that "Greek belongs to a different family (Indo-European)". It is again a very negative perspective and sadly misses the positive viewpoint, what the languages have in common. Just a simple layover of the Phoenician Alphabet (~1050/1000-135 BC; used by the prophet Samuel), the Aramaic Alphabet (800-600BC; used by the high priest Ezra) and the Koine Greek Alphabet (800 BC - present; Uncials used by the GOT) shows striking similarities, while the Modern Hebrew Alphabet (2-1st c. BC - present) shows significant deviations from all those alphabets. This means that the Greek is closer to the original Hebrew in its most fundamental aspect, the letters, than Modern Hebrew is to its own root. Why does the book not reflect on this and treats the Greek language as a foreign matter?

    p190 Inaccurate work when comparing the NT quotations with the GOT. They e.g. compare Isa 28:16 with Rom 9:33 and 10:11, but do neglect that the verse is also quoted by Peter in 1Pet 2:6, while discussing Paul's possible motives.

    p193 Quote: "Richard N. Longenecker observes that in the Gospels, when Jesus quotes Scripture, the quotation most often follows the LXX reading, although it is not certain that Jesus himself taught in Greek. Even if he did teach in Greek at times, he probably more often spoke in his native tongue, Aramaic." This conclusion reveals a fundamental lack of Bible knowledge, as it is rather deemed exceptional and specifically pointed out in the Bible when Jesus spoke Aramaic / Hebrew instead of Greek:

    Mar 5:41-42 "Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," [probably Aramaic] which means [in Greek], "Little girl, I say to you, arise." [Jesus constantly spoke Greek, which is obvious by the fact that the meaning of His words is usually not explained as in this example. Unfortunately, many scholars extrapolate those few exceptions of explicit Aramaic speech to be the general rule]

    Mar 7:34 "And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," [probably Aramaic] that is [in Greek], "Be opened." [same principle as in previous verse; an occasion where Jesus spoke specific Aramaic words or short phrases, explicitly translated into Greek].

    p212/237 The sin of sacrilege of Cain and Abel is mentioned, but the author lacks an interpretation, especially to conclude why the sin is specified in the GOT but not in the MT.

    p297 While a honest investigation would have revealed that many messianic prophecies had been manipulated by the Jews, the authors of this book turn it actually upside down, showing their evil intentions: "When the LXX is examined for evidence of what, if any, messianic expectation the [GOT] translators and revisers INTRODUCED OR AMPLIFIED, one must keep a further distinction in mind. [...] Any LXX renderings that, in contrast to the Hebrew text, can be understood as messianic must therefore be scrutinized to determine if that understanding was intended by the original translator or was INTRODUCED by a pre-Christian reviser or by later Christian scribes." We have heard it from those who oppose Christianity, but to hear from a 'Christian' that messianic prophecies had been interpolated by unknown revisers, is a shocking testimony of the enemy within. 

    p307 They conclude the book with a devastating statement, thus thrusting the mortal dagger "As we examine the text of the LXX for evidence of theological thought, we must be sensitive both to the ambiguity of much of that evidence and to the significance of the Greek version as a monument of Jewish Hellenistic culture. Only when we have learned to appreciate the LXX on its own terms can we hope to make use of it in a responsible way."

    I had great expectations for this book, but it turned out to be one of the most heretical and cunning books ever read.

    ---------------

    Not included topics, which are a must for a primer on the Septuagint:

    - The Madaba Map quoting extensively from the GOT.

    - A comparison of the Genealogies (Gen 5 & 11) would have turned the findings of the book upside down. The ignorance of this topic most fundamental to any Septuagint study shows the biased, or rather malevolent intentions of the authors.

    - A comparison of the age of humanity.

    - The Alphabetic Acrostic Psalms are missing, where the MT lacks Psa 145:13a (letter nun).

    - Justin Martyr is ignored, who "charged his dialogue partners with falsifying Scripture" and F.F. Bruce, although quoted otherwise, is neglected in his affirmation of Aquila having been behind the manipulations.

    - Cainan is not even mentioned in the book.

    - Abraham's 'Golden Age' of 175 years is not discussed.

    - The differing flood dates are not mentioned, and why the GOT has a flood of exactly one biblical 360-day year.

    - The 'Angel of KYRIOS' / 'Messenger of Great Counsel' is missing.

    - We read nothing about the significance of the predominantly Greek book titles we still use today.

    - The important term 'Sabbath of Sabbaths' is not found in the book.

    Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman (2*)

    Reviewed 07/05/2024 〣 100% read

    This was a book difficult to read and to evaluate. Listening in parts a second time to it, helped clarify some things and to better adapt to his convoluted and overly eloquent writing style. It is a book which left me with the question, why did he write about JESUS? Was it to honor the faith of his grandmother or because JESUS was simply the most suitable character he could find, who defended the cause of the poor and the disinherited at perfection?

    We do not know, but it is painfully obvious that he was not a Christian and would have probably written about any other religious figure if he or she had been a more powerful example for his cause. And we do not even know for sure if his grandmother was a Christian, a woman who would even refuse to hear the majority of the New Testament, simply because her oppressors read a lot about Paul, probably decades earlier. This is the sad essence of this book. His grandmother, although claiming to be Christian, could not even forgive and blocked herself from reading the Holy Book. He, Howard, teaches a lot of good things in the book, but little to nothing about sin and forgiveness. He teaches a Social Gospel, but does not offer the real Good Message to the people. Both oppressed and oppressors will not significantly change through this book.

    PROS

    + Some much-needed teachings and reflections on a very important issue.

    CONS

    - The book is based on the teachings of Vladimir Simkovitch, a professor of economics at Columbia University and a Marxist! But Thurman clarifies that the book only contains his own conclusions, not those of Simkovitch.

    - He treats Christianity almost as an outsider, although with a very sympathetic language and some good Bible knowledge. He repeats several times the phrase 'the religion of Jesus' and described Judaism as 'a worldview' ...

    Quote: "The basic fact is that Christianity as it was born in the mind of this Jewishing teacher and thinker [referring to JESUS which is condescending because He is not just another guru], appears as a technique of survival for the oppressed [this is heretical; we cannot reduce the Christian faith to a technique]. Then it became, through the intervening years, a religion of the powerful and dominant used sometimes as an instrument of oppression. [this might be true, but in the context of the previous phrases shows his real conflict with Christianity]".

    - He called JESUS a 'spiritual genius', and although showing appreciation for Him, he repeatedly uses questionable language: "If a Roman soldier pushed Jesus in the ditch, he could not appeal to Caesar. He would be just another Jew in the ditch." Another highly problematic quote: "But if it would be true, as I think it is, that Jesus felt He was serving merely as a creative vehicle for the authentic genius of Israel, completely devoted to the will of God, then in order to love those of the household, he must conquer His own pride." [this is deeply heretical; pride is a sin and JESUS was sinless].

    - In the same way his grandmother had her significant problems with the teachings of Paul, he even portrayed Paul and his teachings as (partly) responsible for the abuse in America. ~Paul was oh-so privileged in his role pertaining to 3 people-groups (he calls it Paul's 'magic formula'), and then he comes along and tells us in his letters to obey our masters.~ This is deeply troubling, and those who hoped that he would add some clarification towards the end of the book, remain disappointed. The only somehow balancing comment he made, was that Paul only once used this privilege. But our image of Paul suffers significantly, if we do not protect ourselves from this spiritual attack.

    Quote: "But this other side [of Paul] is there, always available to those who wish to use the weight of the Christian message to oppress and humiliate their fellows. The point is that this aspect of Paul's teaching is understandable against the background of his Roman citizenship, it influenced his philosophy [the NT is not a philosophy] and resulted in a major frustration that has born bare fruit in the history of the movement [nor is or had Christianity ever been a movement] which he, Paul, did so much to project on the conscience of the human race."

    - As if not being enough, he put the victory of David over Goliath in the context of violence, and it has the strong connotation as if he wanted to condemn this as an illegitimate outburst of anger by David.

    - He erroneously stated that to speak against JESUS is the unforgivable sin. This is not true, but to speak against the Holy Spirit.

    - He retold the story of the woman caught in adultery as if belonging to the Bible. But the worst part of his retelling is his addition that the woman received a crown from JESUS. This is deeply heretical. Even if meant metaphorically, it means the exact opposite of JESUS' teaching. Yes, He forgave in that story (if true). But He warned her (or would have warned her if that story be true) to not repeat the same sin, and the very last thing would have been a rewardfor her.

    - It is very telling that this book was a significant inspiration for the false Christian M.L. King (regarded the virgin birth of Christ as 'mythological story'; repudiated the doctrine of the deity of JESUS; rejected that Christ was raised bodily from the dead; serious allegations of systematic adultery). He is twice endorsed in the book, although originally written much earlier.

    Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony, by Richard Bauckham (1*)

    Reviewed 07/10/2024 〣 40% read

    This is one of the books which perfectly shows the fallen estate of Christian schools. People who love to hear their own eloquent words, which are mostly words in vain.

    There is hardly anything I could imagine one of the disciples of Bauckham could apply for his own flock in order to edify them spiritually.

    Should his students now preach before their congregations that we should doubt that the apostle John wrote the book of John? Should those upcoming pastors teach that their congregations better doubt that the 3 synoptic Gospels were written in Greek as commonly agreed by the vast majority of scholars?

    Forgive me my hard words, but I cannot find anything that would be beneficial in this book, no matter all the intelligent thought and investigative work put into it. I see an endless rambling of words while walking in a misty forest, with too many references in general and too many cross references where the author jumps hastily from one section of the book to a 'later chapter in the book where we discuss this', while having problems to keep a red line he follows.

    There are too many words which are foreign to 99% of the readers, and especially in times of audiobooks we cannot assume anymore that the mainstream reader will look up all those special words. We can also not expect from the mainstream reader that he or she informs him- or herself about dubious characters such as Papias.

    This book is essentially a regurgitation of the works of Papias (which are mainly lost), as this questionable character is mentioned more than 435 times in this book. I have seen extreme cases where books mention historical characters 50 or so times, but I never came across a book which mentions a person more than 400 (!!!) times.

    And sadly the author does little discernment on this character. There are some pseudo-reservations, such as the following quote, but other than that we see by the sheer amount of references alone that the author considers him his hero he now wants to reintroduce 2000 years later to the Christian church.

    Quote: "The best-known and, from the point of view of Gospels studies most interesting, of the fragments are those preserved by Eusebius of Caesarea. Eusebius thought Papias stupid ("a man of very little intelligence," Hist. Eccl. 3.39.134) because he was a millenarian who expected a paradise on earth at the second coming of Christ [which is a gentle critique compared to his heretical concepts of different heavens in the afterlife and his 'fantastic' parables of CHRIST] and probably also because Eusebius did not agree with some of what Papias wrote about the origins of New Testament writings."

    Would Bauckham have done his homework on the characters he associated in his book with Papias, in order to supposedly give him credibility, then he would not have even endorsed once this dubious character and much less written a whole book based on his teachings:

    Quote from the book: "Eusebius, on the other hand, by the point at which he introduces Papias in his chronologically sequential narrative and his association of Papias with Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch, implies that Papias was active during the reign of Trajan (98-117 CE) and presumably before Ignatius suffered martyrdom (c. 107 CE)."

    His homework on the first reference, Clement of Rome, would have revealed that his famous letter 1Clement is heretical (part of the Apostolic Fathers, which is a basic reading of any Christian academic):

    • Spiritualizing, a practise also seen in this book
    • Extrabiblical salvation
    • Endorsement of a continuation of sacrifices
    • Introduction of liturgies
    • Endorsement of capital punishment
    • Endorsement of Deuterocanonicals
    • Frequent language of 'the elects
    • Bishops (at least not yet as separate office), but rule of succession (institutional office) which is also an underlying theme of this book).

    His homework on the second reference, Ignatius of Antioch, would have revealed an even greater evil, namely leading directly to the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church the author Bauckham is obviously part of (Anglican):

    • Most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (masterminds of the later Catholic Church).
    • The writer(s) -coined- the term 'Catholic church' (!!!)
    • Creation of the Pope's office (!!! - Bishop + overseers + deacons).
    • Deeply ingrained antisemitism, which led him to propose to abolish the Weekly Sabbath.
    • He converts martyrdom into a spiritual achievement.
    • Any sexual union ought to be sanctioned by a bishop.

    So, we have the main figure of this book being despised by Eusebius, and with direct association to Rome, roughly 200 years before Constantine would push that Romish church to its influence we know today?

    Stay away from this book and better serve the hungry in those dozens of hours of otherwise wasted time of your life. You do not need to enter into endless speculations about the identity of the naked man at JESUS' arrest and countless other useless thought experiments. Thankfully my time was not wasted in times of audiobooks, and I hope that this time invested in the review will open the eyes of others.

    Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, by David P. Murray (3*)

    Reviewed 16/05/2024 〣 100% read

    A book with many great teachings, but with a few rookie mistakes and a serious lack of spiritual discernment.

    PROS

    + He was upfront and made it clear from the beginning, where his theological background is. This is highly unusual for a Presbyterian / Calvinist.

    + In general some very good teachings, taking away some of the imbalances our modern theology is suffering when it comes to the treatment of the OT. But while his conclusions are mostly correct, the path to those is sometimes not convincing, and sometimes not even sound.

    + Especially the part with the Angel of the Lord is great. He only missed the Messenger of the Great Counsel passage (Isa 9:6 LXX, "For a Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and His name is called the MESSENGER OF GREAT COUNSEL, for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to Him."), which is a key passage for the proving that JESUS is the Angel of the Lord.

    + Great motivation to study on your own.

    NEUTRAL

    o He randomly states that not Malachi, but Nehemiah was the last book of the OT. What is absent, is a brief explanation how he gets to that conclusion.

    CONS

    - The rookie mistake (although a very common one amongst Protestants) was his assumption that the Moral Law initiated with Moses. This is especially strange when considering that he correctly associated the Weekly Sabbath with Genesis 1 and 2. We know very well that the WS is essentially a part of the Moral Law and that only some superimposed regulations thereof were part of the 600+ OC Laws.

    Adam and Eve coveted and stole (Gen 3:6, 17), Cain was greedy, committed sacrilege, killed and lied (Gen 4:8-9, 13), Ham dishonored his father (Gen 9:25), Abraham lied (Gen 20:2), Jacob's household committed idolatry (Gen 35:1-4), murdered and stole (Gen 34:27), the prohibition of murder was already specified within the Noahic Covenant (Gen 9:6; some 1850 years before Sinai), Pharaoh (time of Moses) and his people had other theos (Exo 10:16), and adultery was already described more than 600 years before Mt. Sinai as a great sin condemned through severe plagues (Pharaoh vs. Abram & Sarai in Gen 12:17), condemned through barrenness (Abimelech vs. Abraham & Sarah in Gen 20:9, 18), feared by kings (Abimelech vs. Isaac & Rebekah in Gen 26:10) and leading to false accusations (Joseph in Gen 39:9).

    - Not a rookie mistake, but an (apparently intentional) misleading is found in his ~interpretation~ of Jer 31:31-34 ("Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a NEW covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda"), where he makes the case that the covenant was not really NEW, but only RENEWED, based on the Greek Old Testament not using 'neon' (meaning new from the viewpoint of looking into the future), but 'kainos' (meaning also 'new' from the viewpoint of looking back, but according to him 'renewed').

    Firstly, Strong's dictionary (G2537 'kainos' = fresh, new, unused, novel) does not support his case. Secondly and clearly affirming his misleading, is the fact that JESUS was laid in Mat 27:60 in a new ('kainos', G2537), and certainly not in a renewed tomb. I have seen many cases of bad exegesis, but rarely such an impertinence. But to his defense, he seems to have copied this from O. Palmer Robertson's (Calvinist) book 'Christ of the Covenants' without verifying it.

    Quote: "... and then suggested I read O. Palmer Robertson's Christ of the Covenants. [...] He [JESUS] was deliberately and consciously fulfilling God's promises of a new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31–34. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, uses kainos, the word for "renewed," rather than neos, something "brand-new," as do Luke 22:20 and Hebrews 8:13, the New Testament quotations of this passage."

    - He erroneously stated that creation occurred in ~4000 BC, which contradicts the Scripture predominantly received until Jerome & Pope Damasus (the Greek OT & NT > creation in ~5500 BC).

    - Repeated endorsement of Anglican authors and the confession of the Church of England.

    - Endorsement of the great anti-Christ Augustine (doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, ... he was also the father of doctrine of persecution).

    - Endorsement of Calvin (copied his religion from Augustine; 'The Protestant Pope' and a brutal tyrant; promotion of Apocrypha, questioned the truthfulness of parts of Genesis; accused Matthew of mistakes; Christ died only for the elect and intercedes only for the elect ...) and repeatedly of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

    - Endorsement of John MacArthur (Figurehead of Augustinian-Calvinism; Cessationist ...).

    - Endorsement of Wayne Grudem (Calvinist, Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement; Theistic Evolution; rejects Noah's flood).

    - The audiobook is a patchwork with dozens of inserted snippets. +Great speaker.

    Jesus, Continued...: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better than Jesus Beside You, by J.D. Greear (3*)

    Reviewed 25/01/2024 〣 100% read

    A very mixed bag. A book with great overall theology, but overwhelmingly bad references and endorsements.

    PROS

    + Excellent theology (except see below).

    + He is very honest when he says what he does not know.

    + Possibly the first Calvinist to come along, not being a Cessationist.

    CONS

    - He equates biblical 'faith' with the term 'Narnia' from C.S. Lewis books. He further speaks of witchcraft as the most normal thing, and compares Aslan with JESUS, which is blasphemy.

    - Specific endorsement of Rick Warren and his 'Purpose Driven Life'.

    - Endorsement of Augustine (Doctor RCC, responsible for -most- of Catholicism's doctrines and practices, patriarch of Calvinism, key figure for Apocrypha canonization, doctrine of persecution, infant baptism).

    - He stated that his church invited the Calvinist John Piper to speak at his church.

    - Repeated endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - Repeated endorsement of Billy Graham (Strong tendency towards Universalism; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; he used Roman Catholic lay people as supervisors and altar workers; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; advised Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; he trained female pastors; he mentored Rick Warren; Theistic Evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    - Repeated endorsement of Spurgeon ("more people are in heaven than in hell", ecumenism, Augustinian / Calvinist, "infants cannot but be odious and abominable to God", preached against baptismal regeneration).

    - Endorsement of Timothy Keller (Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...).

    - He is essentially in love with Martin Luther (Augustinian, extraordinarily devoted to the 'Blessed Virgin Mary, Antisemitism, execution of Anabaptists, rejection of biblical inerrancy, rejection of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation, Non-Sabbatarianism, rejection of free will).

    Judgment Day! Islam, Israel and the Nations, by Dave Hunt (2*)

    Reviewed 16/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + In many regards a very powerful book.

    + It is historically well investigated and documented.

    + Very important discernment on Islam and its consequences.

    + Very few problematic endorsements.

    CONS

    - The book rather includes man-made findings and only some Bible verses in between. Most Bible verses are a reference in a reference at the end of the respective chapter, and we rarely find the actual Bible text in the book.

    - While I share his position on Islam, he rather presents a socio-political Gospel and not the true Gospel.

    Quote: "Is it not time for the West to bring serious pressure to bear upon Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries for their violations of human rights professed by UN members, just as it did with the Soviet Union and continues to do with China?"

    Could anyone picture JESUS CHRIST uttering such words? Most certainly not, because it has very little to do with the biblical teachings.

    - He is good in discernment, but very taciturn when it comes to evangelism towards those people. He does teach that there is the need for them to come to CHRIST, but in all the book I do not remember one strategy on how to best approach Muslims and to lead them to Christ in practical ways.

    There is not one word of leading them to repentance from their sin and to baptize them. Not one word. Let that sink in. What helps us all this eloquent information if the author does not even express a real hope to convert those people?

    - He teaches plainly against multiculturalism, which is a sad testimony for any Christian. We can have beautiful multiculturalism if we take the Great Commission seriously. Our barriers are not between cultures, our only barrier is between the body of CHRIST and everyone outside of it.

    - He teaches the highly problematic 'Left Behind' doctrine and specifically that JESUS comes twice, once to secretly snatch His people away, while the rest of the world supposedly is confused where they all had gone (those are his words!), and later a second time for all to see.

    Quote: "We don't know how many true Christians there are on earth. There may be more than 100 million. For even half that many individuals to suddenly vanish would terrify those left behind far beyond anything we could imagine. The fearsome questions on everyone's mind would be, "Where did they go? Who took them? Why didn't they take me? Are they coming back to get me, too?" The United Nations and governments of every nation would be meeting in emergency session. No one will believe that this event was the Rapture."

    In reality, end-times-believers will experience the first half of the tribulation, as found in passages such as Rev 6:6, Rev 9:4-11, Rev 13:10, Rev 14:12 and related passages such as Gen 18:25, Exo 9:22-23, Exo 10:23, Psa 9:9, Isa 26:20, Luk 17:31-33. This is especially made clear through the secret scroll in Rev 10 including the Thunder Judgments (and obviously the Second Coming of Christ, while not revealing the details). This secret scroll is organized between the 7 Trumpets and the 7 Bowls, meaning mid-tribulation.

    - He employs a popular wild-west theology, when he splits the 70 weeks in Dan 9:27 into 69 weeks + 2000 years + 1 week and then transfers this last week into our future.

    - He teaches the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple and the re-institution of animal sacrifices. This is highly problematic, because JESUS CHRIST abolished as the perfect atonement all animal sacrifices.

    - Although he over and over criticizes the US for their repeated betrayal of Israel, he suddenly praises at the end of the book his country as 'strategic ally' and the 'greatest nation':

    Quote: "The fifth reason Israel ought to have their land is that she is a strategic ally of the United States. Whether we realize it or not, Israel is a detriment, an impediment, to certain groups hostile to democracies and hostile to what we believe in, hostile to that which makes us the greatest nation in the history of the world. They have kept them from taking complete control of the Middle East. If it were not for Israel, they would overrun the region. They are our strategic ally. It is good to know we have a friend in the Middle East on whom we can count."

    If Dave Hunt would have had a look at an 'organic' world map where the US is not located west, but connected through Bering clearly in the east, and would have pondered if the US would not eventually be included in the group attacking Israel from the East, then he would have probably come to fundamentally different conclusions. I do not want to be a pessimist, but we have to seriously consider this as an outcome, especially given all the facts presented in this book, which should make us seriously doubt that the US would be alongside Israel during Armageddon.

    - Wrong claim that King David would have spoken the same Hebrew:

    "The very fact that the Jews are back in their own land after twenty-five hundred years of being scattered worldwide and that they speak their original Hebrew just as King David did three thousand years ago is a remarkable fulfillment of another Bible prophecy for the last days."

    Neither Moses nor David would be able to read any Hebrew word of the Bible we erroneously consider to be the original. Only the Samaritan Pentateuch is written in the original language (unvocalized; Paleo-Hebrew Alphabet), while the Jews, who came from the region of Aram, used consequently Aramaic, which was then developed into the Modern Hebrew Alphabet.

    - Highly problematic endorsement of the Catholic Blaise Pascal:

    "In his Pensées, Blaise Pascal made a comparison: "Moh**** established a religion by putting his enemies to death; Jesus Christ by commanding his followers to lay down their lives." As another author put it, "Jih** was ... accepted [from] the Koran as the direct word of G-d [Al***]."

    - The book is not well organized and highly repetitive.

    - K -

    Lectures to My Students, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (3*)

    Reviewed 05/01/2023 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Many very good teachings.

    + Excellent collection of anecdotes.

    + Wonderful excursion into astronomy.

    + The 450 pages are almost never repetitive; at no point does the book get flat or boring.

    CONS

    - He constantly tries to impress through his in all cases totally unnecessary and excessive use of latin language (rather pointing to the Catholic spirit of anti-Christ).

    - He makes it several times very clear that in order to become a preacher who is respected by him, you ought to go to Havard or another university, which is not biblical at all.

    - Bible verses are -with exception of very few- cases never cited, but only referenced. Why was Spurgeon not able to speak out the Word of THEOS, but gave strong preference to his own words? This is not acceptable - especially for an audiobook where references need always to be replaced by the reading of the full verse.

    - Partially loose handling of Scripture, injecting assumptions that Noah preached in the shipyard.

    - Sometimes very condescending and hateful preaching with words such as 'fools', 'idiots' or 'ridiculous'. Quote: "a conspicuous absence of brains; brethren who would talk for ever and ever upon nothing ... not capable of conceiving or uttering five consecutive thoughts, whose capacity is most narrow and their conceit most broad ... these brethren will do quite as well without education as with it, and therefore I have usually declined their applications."

    Mat 5:22 "... whoever says to his brother, 'Stupid fool!' will be subject to the council, and whoever says, 'Obstinate fool!' will be subject to fiery hell."

    - He goes as far as to call Arminianism a heresy. "I was afraid the people might veer towards Antinomianism, an extreme as dangerous as Arminianism". "Calvinism is the true Gospel, not just a nickname". "Calvinism, then, is the spiritual meat which enables a man to labour on in the ways of Christian service". "We must connect her with the glorious steam-tug of gospel truth, and drag her back. I should be glad if I could take her round by Cape Calvin, right up into the Bay of Calvary, and anchor her in the fair haven which is close over by Vera Cruz, or the cross."

    - Entire rejection of free will, he calls it 'ridiculous'. This means that he is not teaching the Good Message of JESUS CHRIST, but a Gospel which overlaps in many aspects, but is still fundamentally different. There is no Gospel without THEOS' love, and there is no love without free will. 

    Stay therefore away from his teachings.

    Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, by Immaculée Ilibagiza (2*)

    Reviewed 12/06/2023 〣 100% read

    Incredible and very sad story, but deeply penetrated with Catholic doctrine and rituals.

    - The book was published by Hay House, a publisher specialized on New Age, who publishes e.g. the books of Doreen Virtue.

    - Catholic upbringing of Immaculée (her father was a chief administrator of Catholic schools):

    "My parents were devout Roman Catholics and passed on their beliefs to us. Mass was mandatory on Sundays [...] I especially love the Virgin Mary. Believing that she was my second mom watching out for me from heaven."

    - Regular mass attendance throughout her life. Idol worship of the Virgin Mary. The first half of the book does not even mention JESUS, only God and the Virgin Mary. She also mentioned the Rosary much more often than the Bible.

    "It was past noon and I've been praying the rosary since dawn."

    "My bedroom was like my own little chapel. With my Bible, and statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary on my night table. It was a place where I connected with God and my own spiritual energies. I knelt by my bed and looked at the statues, saying a prayer to God to protect my family from danger."

    "And once I even got to portray my favorite Saint, the Virgin Mary."

    "After the attack I went to my bedroom to get my scapular. A kind of cloth necklace that Catholics wear. The scapular is very precious to me because it's blessed with the Virgin Mary's promise that whosoever dies wearing it shall not suffer eternal fire. It shall be a sign of salvation. A protection in danger, and a pledge of peace. I bought it when I moved away to University, believing that if anything happened to me, my scapula would speed my journey to Heaven."

    - Spiritualizing, implausible praying times:

    "Sometimes I felt as if I was floating above my body ... In my mind I heard myself speaking in exotic languages I've never heard before. I instinctively knew that I was praising God's greatness and love. During my waking hours, I was in constant communication with God praying and meditating for 15 to 20 hours every day. I even dreamed of Jesus and the Virgin Mary during the few hours I slept. In the midst of the genocide I found my salvation."

    - Even though she was trapped for months with 8 women, there is not one account of a spiritual conversation with any of them, nor any conversion. It is all about her silent prayers and meditation. Not even ordinary conversations or names are mentioned, nor does the book tell us anything about the fate of those women and if Immaculée is still in contact with them.

    - She uses Norman Vincent Peale's (Freemason) technique of 'Positive Thinking':

    "Once I knew where I wanted to work, I visualized that I already have a job there. Using the same technique of positive thinking I always use, believe and receive. I went to the UN website, printed out the directory that listed the employee's names and titles and then added my name to the list. I even gave myself a telephone extension. I tacked the directory onto my wall and looked at it every day. Of course, I also filled out an application."

    "I asked God to bring me the man of my dreams. I began to visualize it believing in my heart that it had already come to pass. I put it all in God's hands and knew that it was only a matter of time before he would bless me with my wish. But to hurry things along, I took out my father's red and white rosary and began praying for my husband to show up. Three months later, he did."

    - The book is written by the ghost writer Steve Erwin. While the overall story is probably true, the narrative is probably instrumentalized for the RCC and significantly altered. There are several small, and some major inconsistencies found in the book:

    - Immaculée was trapped for several months in a bathroom. When there were 6 people, it is described as a situation where they took turns for standing up, such narrow it supposedly was. Weeks later they even received 2 additional women. But later we read a passage where the author states that the bathroom was "much more crowded" than usual, although no one went out nor in.

    - While being trapped in the bathroom, the ghostwriter tells us that 40-50 killers were in the bedroom of the pastor. 1. She could not have seen it. 2. This amount of people would require a gigantic bedroom and is inconsistent to assume that they all gathered simultaneously in one room.

    - In one account, 10 000 people gathered in front of their house looking for her father.

    - In one account Immaculée can look through a window curtain to the outside, while in another account the enemy could not even look inside after climbing up the window, and supposedly found for hours no way to climb a few centimeters higher.

    "I stood on my tiptoes and peeked out the window through a little hole in the curtain. The other ladies grabbed at me trying to pull me down. They're looking for us, get down before they see you."

    "... the boy began tormenting us. We could hear him moving around outside the bathroom window all afternoon. We knew that he was listening for voices or any movement trying to confirm his suspicions before going to the killers. We didn't move a muscle for hours. At one point, he dragged a stool or table beneath the window and climbed up. [...] The window was just beyond his reach, but he still stood there for the rest of the day. Waiting and listening. Eventually, someone called him away."

    The boy was clearly positioned lower, but somehow produced a shadow against the curtain. This is impossible in the afternoon time in Rwanda, which lies just 120 kms south of the equator, meaning the sun stands vertical and produces therefore vertical, not horizontal shadows.

    Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianity, by Gregory A. Boyd, Edward K. Boyd (3*)

    Reviewed 13/01/2024 〣 100% read

    The interaction with his father is certainly encouraging for many, although it can also create doubts in believers who are not very firm in their faith.

    CONS

    - He is good in arguments, but poor in discernment. The repeated endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ) shows this clearly, no matter how many other authors quote him. It becomes absurd when he mentions Mother Teresa as the contrast of evil, although it should be well known that she is the direct enabler of the Jesuit priest Donald McGuire who was convicted of horrific crimes to 25 years of prison. The repeated endorsement of Martin Luther underlines his fundamental lack of discernment.

    - He has a high, but not a holy view of Scripture and treats it repeatedly as an object. He claims that Matthew 28:1 "and early on the first day" is an unnecessary detail and quotes other 'unnecessary' passages. He might have some limited and good intentions, but it remains heretical to be the judge over THEOS' Word and to weigh certain passages for their relevance. Who are we to judge THEOS' holy Word?

    - Although it is well known that Luther was about to take the book of James out of the Bible and badly disparaged it' the book, he stated the opposite, that Luther affirmed it.

    - He treats the Catholic church as part of the body of Christ, which is highly concerning. Transubstantiation, a cause wherefore many martyrs died, is treated by him as a secondary issue. It is certainly not relevant for salvation, but it would have been wise to choose other examples for secondary issues and not to water repeatedly down the vast differences to the Catholic church.

    - His view of THEOS not knowing the future is problematic and rather unbiblical. THEOS can grant us free will and foreknow those decisions we make.

    - His endorsement of Annihilationism is attractive for many, but remains unbiblical.

    - Use of the 'sinner's prayer'.

    The Lie: Evolution, by Ken Ham (4*) 

    Reviewed 24/06/2024 〣 100% read

    Great book - highly recommended.

    PROS

    + Wonderful teachings, especially when it comes to properly differentiating between observational science (present = good) and historical science (problematic, rather an religion); people groups vs. races; and speaking about the enormous problem of an opinion-driven church.

    + Apologetics employed with a spiritual focus is a thing rarely found today. He discusses those stumbling blocks / veils which are more important to be removed, than any scholarly discussion in itself could contribute.

    + The book does not employ any questionable discernment or endorsements. Instead he correctly calls out Hugh Ross, which was about time.

    + A great combination of humbleness paired with boldness and definition.

    + No excessive use of technical terms, academic titles or cuma laude friends as found in most other apologetic books.

    CONS

    - While his rebuttal of 'Historic Creationism' is valid as this concept assumes the Heaven to be already equipped with the sun, moon and stars which are created only during the creation week, his generic rebuttal of the gap between Gen 1:1 and 1:2 is very shallow.

    He makes exactly one argument against and uses the Masoretic text for it, which was -NOT- the text the early Christians received. If he would have studied the term 'beginning' in the GOT and had compared it with the GNT in the same language, he would have noticed that the term clearly has 2, not only 1 reference point(s) - if not Christ Himself would have been created on creation day 1 which is obviously impossible. It is also misleading that he chose Mark Discroll in order to discredit the gap (even a problematic teacher does get some things right).

    The fact that in the plain reading (Old Earth - Young Creation, OEYC) the spiritual heavens and the naked foundation of the flooded earth existed before day 1, while no organism lived on those waters except the Holy Spirit hovering over it, does not take away anything, and the conclusions of this reading are absolutely identical to those described through his view (YEYC).

    The only difference is the unbiblical stumbling block which his simplification / merging of the creation account creates, while conflicting in the sense that the LORD would not flood a recently created earth.

    - He confused adultery with fornication. Lust and his example of an unmarried couple have nothing to do with adultery, which is a concept exclusively related to marriage (a very common error today).

    - Promotion of the (Catholic) Christmas, which is not a High Sabbath, but an extrabiblical feast despised by Christ.

    - Erroneous use of the ~4000 BC (MT), instead of the correct ~5500 BC (GOT) creation date.

    - The addendum states that he received a doctor of divinity, which is a title to be considered almost blasphemous. He received it on an honorary basis, but he could (and should) have rejected it, and much less should list it prominently in his curriculum.

    The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction, by Adam S. McHugh (1*)

    Reviewed 05/02/2022 〣 5% read

    A book praised by many, but very suspicious. Before reading it, I came across the notes with names such as Richard Rohr, Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson, Henri Nouwen, John Ortberg, Richard Foster and Ruth Haley Barton. This knowledge alone would have been enough to not even order a book being related to, and praising so many problematic teachers.

    It is sadly too late now to return it, but not too late to briefly go over some of the references without reading the entire book:

    Page 55 "Ruth Haley Barton proposes that the turmoil happening outside the cave echoes the stirrings tormenting Elijah's inner world"

    --> this is heresy! 'Torment' is associated with evil, but 1Kin 11-13 clearly describes a breathtaking theophany involving KYRIOS showing Himself through the elements and His voice, undoubtedly not Satan tormenting Elijah. Outmost heresy!!! It is one thing if one author gets it totally wrong, but another thing to copy a false teaching and to declare it "magnificent" (footnote page 216). If the author would have opened a good study Bible, he would have quickly noticed that Elijah's experience at Mt. Horeb contained literary allusions to Moses, who also covered his face when THEOS appeared, but neither Moses was tormented in his inner world as those two authors want to make us believe.

    Page 83 "the mystic Teresa of Avila said the "God walks among the pots and pans"

    --> Teresa of Avila taught Jewish Kabbalistic mysticism. It is plainly wrong to even mention such a person in a Christian book!

    Page 95 "Eugene Peterson calls the written word the "dehydrated" form of the spoken word - two dimensional and drained of its interpersonal fullness. When we open the Bible we must do so in faith that God has the power to resurrect DEAD LETTERS".

    --> this passage leaves me almost speechless. I rarely read such a fundamentally false teaching. The Bible is described as our bread, as the "living Word". Heb 4:12, "the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow ...".

    Page 216

    "See Ruth Haley Barton's magnificent book 'Invitation to Solitude' --> this book teaches Catholic Mysticism based on the teaching of monk Brother Lawrence, who received his mentorship from Teresa of Avila.

    Those are just a few fragments I noticed going over some passages ...

    Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs, by Emerson Eggerichs (4*)

    Reviewed 02/04/2024 〣 100% read

    I was positively surprised to find a bestseller which has actually a lot of quality and does not contain heresy. Very rare in those days, where the adjective 'NYT Bestseller' very often means to find highly questionable books.

    PROS

    + Great choice to have the author speak the audiobook. He did it with the gran quality of emotions and a lot of humor. What a loss for those who read the book and miss essence.

    + Mostly excellent teaching on a much-needed topic, RESPECT. It would have just been nice to find some groundwork, precisely why he chose in Eph 5:33 the translation 'respect' over others (Strong's G5399, phobeō = frighten, that is, (passively) to be alarmed; by analogy to be in awe of, that is, revere: - be (+ sore) afraid, fear (exceedingly), reverence).

    + The part on 'rewards' is very encouraging and motivational for the reader. The following conclusion, that we suffer and do everything for Christ, would have and will change the lives of many readers, who are frustrated to not see results. Wonderful section.

    + His transfer of the reader to a viewpoint towards the son/daughter-in-law, is a very good method to have a spouse see their husband with other eyes and take the huge bias away.

    CONS

    - The audiobook is a potpourri of 3 or 4 recordings and it urgently needs to be re-recorded by the author. This is the most unprofessional recording quality ever experienced.

    - A serious flaw of the book is his legitimation of divorce and remarriage in the case of adultery and other non-specified issues. This is clearly heretical, because the Bible stipulates 'Unchastity' as the sole reason for divorce. He quotes Mat 19:9 as justification, but his implied reading is an oxymoron / duplication of 'except on the basis of adultery' and again 'commits adultery'; the content of this exception clause cannot be identical with the result which is 'adultery' = marital unfaithfulness.

    Matthew 19:9 "And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery."

    - Two other errors include the John 8:7 reference to the women caught in adultery (a story definitely not found in the Bible) and to 490 times of forgiveness (this is 77 times, but rather an error of translators than by him).

    - His teaching is - although to a minor degree - marked by his own personal experience. THEOS uses our suffering for good, but he is sometimes a bit too sarcastic and traumatized by his wife ...

    - He transgressed twice through the remarks 'give that wit** a broom' and 'I would have kicked the children'. Lots of good humor, but this went too far.

    - His definition of the weaker vessel was a bit shorthanded and more driven by evil (feminism) than the Bible.

    - He visited the highly problematic Wheaton College, where only 2 out of the 200 professors on campus believe the Genesis creation account to be literal, where Catholicism is deeply ingrained in their college and specifically taught, where each year students are sent to visit the Vatican, and where there is a long list of highly problematic alumni. Certainly not something he should be as proud about as he is.

    - Elitist touch of the book. He points out several times the important titles of friends and collaborators. This is not a Christian attitude. JESUS would have never bragged to know the CEO of company x. This seems to be an American problem, seen in countless other books where the authors want to elevate their personal profiles.

    The Love Dare, by Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick (4*)

    Reviewed 22/10/2023 〣 100% read

    The title of this book sounds cheap and 'fishy', but the content is all the better.

    I was very positively surprised about the book.

    PROS

    + A very useful guide for those who are lost, or could get lost in their relationship.

    + No questionable quotations or endorsements as in most of today's Christian books.

    CONS

    - He (they) mentioned at some point that THEOS always shows the same love to us, no matter what. This is not biblical, because the Bible makes it clear that His love is rather benevolent and rudimentary towards unbelievers - and rather unconditional, grateful and complacent towards believers who do His will.

    - The book has rather an egalitarian touch, although the headship of a man is mentioned in passing. But a book dedicated to the biblical purpose of a marriage has not done its duty if the headship is not explained in much detail. If we do not teach the biblical principle, we can teach hundreds of other good things and still fail greatly in a marriage.

    - Although the book has a biblical background, it has rather a touch of counseling. It is somewhat surprising that specific biblical instructions and prayers had obviously been entirely missing from the original book and are only found in the addendum.

    - Endorsement of the 'Sinner's Prayer', combined with the suggestion that repeating this prayer now saved the reader.

    - Generally a good selection of Bible verses, just two of them taken out of context ("where 2 or 3 come together" as so often applied to any context, although found in the Bible in a very specific context).

    Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World, by Bob Goff (1*)

    Reviewed 19/03/2024 〣 100% read

    Out of nearly 100 books reviewed through this ministry, this comes in amongst the worst 5. Bob Goff is clearly disqualified to be a -Christian author.

    PROS

    + He has a great writing talent and his voice was a good choice for the audiobook.

    + His practical focus is laudable, but his practical standards are highly problematic.

    + Beautiful example of his itl. trips with his 10-year old children (although of course also a display of his elite status).

    CONS

    - He preaches a Gospel light. Just "remain inside the circle" and everything will be fine. JESUS does not ask for anything else ...

    - Goff has all the marks of being a member of the Emerging Church (Liberal doctrine / Relativism over sound theology · Personal interpretation (eisegesis) over exegetical or expository Bible study · Experience over reason · Subjectivity over objectivity · Spirituality over religion · Christianity as a Relationship only, not a Religion · Outward over inward · Feelings over truth · Seeker Sensitive · Non-confrontational · It's not my place to judge). He also shows many marks of Progressive Christianity. He calls all statements of faith religious, his mission statement is "be awesome".

    - The entire book follows the scheme of first / alternately recounting some embarrassing stories (clearly false humility) in order to then generate the mental allowance to shamelessly brag how extraordinary his life is (his friend is a bestseller, another friend the inventor of a popular drink, even his children are friends of high ranking politicians ...). I have seen this scheme now repeatedly in American books. When you see someone putting him- or herself down, you know that he will very soon brag about himself. The book is replete with self-centered parables, while injecting JESUS as an afterthought and often making very strange and clumsy connections from his self-centered stories to JESUS, or to biblical love. In one clumsy example, he compared a botched valentines card to THEOS' love. Or a destroyed wedding cake with stones and dirt inside to THEOS' love ...

    - His depiction of biblical love is faulty at best. He does not even biblically define what love is. He actually opposes at the end of the book those who demand the Greek meanings of love or other words. He has little interest in the Bible, but in himself - decorated with the Bible. Christianity is a means for him. Of the very few Bible verses, I do not remember one actual quote, but only paraphrases.

    - He is very elitist and several times in the book degrades professions such as key makers e.g. versus lawyers. Strong anti-Christian attitude.

    - He speaks about THEOS as a 'guy', and a few chapters later of the apostles as 'guys'. Absolutely zero holiness in the book.

    - He promotes the act of lying through the book. He even lied at a hearing test. No repentance, no warning to readers to not repeat such foolishness. He remembers to have had 17 bruises in high school sports. Very difficult to believe all the details of the book. It is also hard to believe that he went on a roadtrip with a friend the day after his wedding and did not know nor was told by him that he had married, until they returned days later to the wife. Sounds rather like a (partly) invented story.

    - He promotes stealing without any signs of repentance. He and his wife stole services worth more than $400 from his friend, and he sells it to his readers as a prank. Years after the theft, he still feared his retaliation. Crazy to find something like this in a Christian book.

    - After he and his entire family stole themselves into a movie set and he bragged to have been with Nicolas Cage, he compared the security guards to religious people and compared them to pharisees. Speechless.

    - He promotes the 'bigger and better' game, where intentionally something of low value is offered to gain something better. This is highly anti biblical. At least they (his friend) donated the product of that game.

    - He promotes guns (4 or 5 stories involving guns; the word 'gun' or 'rifle' is used 67 !!! times in the book). He recounted with a lot of pride his wounds from a pellet gun and earlier from his dad's gun shooting inside their house.

    Quote: "He [his dad] would also go off on tangents about how guns were mentioned in the Constitution, and the way I remember it, it was OUR RESPONSIBILITY [this is sick!] as Americans to own them, and Americans are supposed to train their children to use guns so they can SHOOT THE BRITISH IF THEY TRY THE INVASION THING again [this is very sick, this author has a serious problem!]."

    I have never ever seen such a blatant promotion of guns in a Christian book. JESUS CHRIST despises even the readiness for violence. He looks at our heart.

    - He indeed endorses violence, again without any corrective comment or sign of repentance.

    Quote, his childhood: "We started our fight with a lot of pushing and shoving and tough talk. Then we slugged each other for a while and traded headlocks. By the time a teacher came over to break it up, Dale was covered in blood. Nobody realized all of it was mine, so I declared myself the winner and we both got suspended for a couple of days. Here's an important thing to note. If you're going to schedule a fight with a bully and risk getting suspended from school, always pick a fight on a Friday. That way, you get a long weekend out of the deal."

    Quote: "So when my clients are being deposed, I tell them all the same thing each time: sit in the chair and answer the questions, but do it with your hands palms up the whole time. I tell them to literally have the backs of their hands on their knees and their palms toward the bottom of the table. I'm very serious about this. In fact, I threaten to kick them in the shins if I look down and they don't have their palms up."

    While pursuing his work as a lawyer, he actually sent two arguing Christian clients into a literal boxing ring. No words of the help through an elder or biblical counseling. A boxing ring ...

    - He physically waited and stalked for ~8 days the responsible for admission at the law school, and then praised this as a model we ought to pursue. If things do not work out, then we maybe have to force them, and THEOS still might be behind it ... >> a shameless self-glorification of his rather unhealthy persistence.

    - He first writes against materialism and endorses himself for not having a car, then later in the book brags himself for having purchased a painting "worth four times a car".

    - When he recounts the story of having been rejected by a girl in his youth, he speaks about visiting the house of Freemasons as the most normal thing in the world.

    - He endorsed C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - Promotion of Taylor Swift.

    Love Into Light: The Gospel, the Homosexual and the Church, by Peter Hubbard (3*)

    Reviewed 03/09/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Overall good theology and a very balanced approach on this sensitive topic.

    + He makes a great case for celibacy.

    + Great differentiation between the need for wise judgment and against condemnation. I quote: "But how can someone be restored if sin cannot be judged? Maybe by "judged," people mean "condemned." True. We are not to condemn. But the Apostle Paul commanded us to judge members of the church who are persisting in unrepentant sin. This includes homos**uality."

    + I quote from the book: "Before God, we are not "greedy Christians," "bitter Christians," "dirty Christians," "addicted Christians," or "gay Christians." Such "were some of you." Instead, we are now wrapped up, restored, and renamed in the righteousness of Jesus. [...] We, the image-bearers of the King of the universe, mislabel ourselves "alcoholic," "loser," "workaholic," or "homos**ual." But God refuses to leave us to worthless labels. "For our sake He made Him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. [...] When we turn from our sin to trust in Jesus, our old self no longer defines who we are and what we do. [...] We have enrolled in the ultimate witness protection program and have been issued a new name, "beloved," a new address, "in Christ Jesus," and a new reason to live, "a holy calling." The gospel penetrates to the root of the heterosexual and homosexual dilemma: Who am I? Whose am I?"

    CONS

    - The book focuses too much on men and very little on women.

    - He erroneously claims that the Bible doesn't discriminate between sins, which is clearly wrong. The sole fact that certain sins were condemned in the Old Covenant through the death penalty, already destroys this notion.

    - I quote: "Our specific battles and sins may vary, but our hearts are the same. And our daily need for the grace of Jesus is the same."

    The author's intentions are noble when he intends to build the bridge at the beginning of the book, but the Bible clearly states that our hearts are not the same. It is not by accident that David was a man after THEOS' own heart.

    Pro 27:19 "As faces are not like other faces, so neither are the thoughts [some translations use 'hearts'] of men."

    Psa 32(33):15 "He looks from his prepared habitation on all the dwellers on the earth; 15 who fashioned their hearts alone; who understands all their works."

    - Quote "The gospel of Jesus is not an invitation to do better or try harder; it is a death certificate that unfolds into a new birth certificate, providing us with a renewed identity!"

    This quote sounds good and tickles to our ears, but the Gospel (capital letter!) of JESUS is indeed an invitation to do much better, a concept also called sanctification.

    - Quote: "The means of experiencing forgiveness did not come through normal religious channels (law-keeping, penance, etc.), but by faith in Jesus ...' [later in the book:] "Temptation leads to failure, which leads to guilt, shame, and self-loathing. Penance follows with resolve to do better."

    'Penance' is a term not found in any traditional translation (except the ultra-liberal NLT and the Catholic NAB) and is usually associated with the Roman Catholic (State) Church. It comes as a negative surprise to find this in a Christian book (he is a Calvinist which means Augustinian, which in turn are closely related Catholics).

    - He endorses the Catholics G.K. Chesterton and Ronald Rolheiser (Catholic priest and theologian!).

    - He endorses (6x) Augustine (RCC doctor and provider of most doctrines, patriarch of Calvinism, key figure for introduction of Apocrypha).

    - He endorses (2x) the false teacher C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ), and another Anglican, Robert Burton.

    Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality, by Nancy R. Pearcey (4*)

    Reviewed 05/09/2022 〣 100% read

    Love Thy Body is a challenging & great read.

    Much needed wake-up call for our society, no matter where you come from and where you stand.

    Love Your Church: 8 Great Things About Being a Church Member, by Tony Merida (3*)

    Reviewed 01/12/2022 〣 100% read

    A book which is in most parts very valuable, and which gives good guidance and motivation for church membership, fellowship, discipleship and the great commission.

    The only downside of the book is found in chapter 3, precisely the teaching on what the author calls the Lord's day.

    The term 'Lord's Day' occurs only once in the entire Bible (Rev 1:10) and is simply an unfortunate translation of (ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ kuriake), literally meaning 'pertaining to the LORD'. It simply describes the Weekly Sabbath (modern Saturday) through an adjective.

    John, who wrote the Book of Revelation and the Gospel of John, never called the First Day a Sabbath, but used the term 'First Day of The Week' (Joh 20:1 and Joh 20:19) exclusively for referring to a Sunday, while using the term Sabbath on 9 occasions exclusively related to the Weekly Sabbath referring to a Saturday.

    The term 'Lord's Day' applied to Sundays is a human tradition that had initially nothing to do with the Weekly Sabbath, but had been celebrated as a separate memorial day dedicated to Christ, who rose the day after the Weekly Sabbath.

    The author also claims by quoting F.F. Bruce, that Acts 20:7 must be interpreted as the norm for believers coming together on that first day of the week. But the Bible clearly states that Paul "was going to leave the next day", which simply indicates an extraordinary teaching / fellowship in addition to the Sabbath teaching the day before. To convert a farewell meeting into a norm for believers today, is to twist the Bible in order to justify a human tradition which THEOS detectably never sanctioned.

    Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies, by Hillary Morgan Ferrer (3*)

    Reviewed 21/12/2023 〣 100% read

    A great book I recommend also for fathers.

    It is a book which is needed, but also not much needed, as it essentially rewrites the ideas from books such as 'The Book that Made Your World' (Vishal Mangalwadi) and other similar books.

    PROS

    + Encouraging and refreshing writing style.

    + The audio version read by the author is wonderful, and she shows that professionalism in writing can go along with a good portion of humor.

    + Well investigated.

    + The purpose of the book is almost understated to be limited to mothers only.

    + They show how essential it is to train mothers and therefore the next generation.

    CONS

    - The majority of quotations are problematic to highly problematic. Very often Calvinist characters and contributors, but this does thankfully not reflect at all in the theology, which is contrary to the endorsements, speaking explicitly of free will and the individual responsibility to accept and provoke others to accept the Gospel.

    - They quote Timothy Keller, one of the worst false teachers of our generation and being Marxist, contradicting the great teaching and warnings about Marxism found later in the book.

    - They positively quote C.S. Lewis and Tolkien ("her favorite author") and lead their readers into reading highly problematic books apostles such as Paul would have rather burned. Quoting Lewis seems to be the good tone today and many authors are guilty of endorsing such a highly problematic teacher, but in a book dedicated to discernment, such a slip should never occur.

    Lewis teaches another Gospel (Lilith from 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is a character based on a demon who was married to Adam before he married Eve; theistic evolutionist; "Man is physically descended from animals"; he considers Hindus/Buddhists/Muslims as brothers in Christ; belief in purgatory ...). The endorsement of Lewis could be excused through the author having been misled by Gregory Koukl, whose mission is to a certain extent to imitate as good as possible Lewis and to quote him as often as possible, but his unbelief in the biblical creation account and the blatant endorsement of the Big Bang Theory should have been enough warning signs to not blindly trust him.

    - Another incredible slip is the endorsement of Francis of Assisi, known as an Italian mystic and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans.

    - Although the theology is overall great, the chapter 'Emotionalism' is weak. It describes the problem well, but it redirects from one error into the same pop-psychology warned about earlier in the book. I noticed several phrases that I have heard from the problematic teacher Caroline Leaf, or which could come straight from her mouth.

    - Although I agree with basic aspects of their proposed theology of jewing & spitting which is repeated throughout the book, this theology is not found in the Bible anywhere close to the extent as described in the book. It is indeed good to train children to spit out what is not good and to train them suitable patterns of recognition of error, but the biblical focus is always on avoidance and determined opposition to evil instead of going along with evil and walking constantly through a minefield.

    It is the same mindset prevalent in those Christians who have the naive assumption that one can read or watch anything, even including spurious or false teachings from Lewis or Tolkien involving the same witchcraft the Bible over and over warns us about, and not being affected by it. We tend to see ourselves spiritually stronger than we are, and do very often underestimate the effect of heretical content, especially if consumed in small doses.

    Again, overall a very good book, sadly with very bad elements. It would be very easy to clean it up in the next edition.

    The Master's Indwelling, by Andrew Murray (3*) 

    Reviewed 09/09/2024 〣 100% read

    Good short book, but the author's Calvinism sadly came through.

    PROS

    + Great teaching on continual self-denial.

    CONS

    - Once-Saved-Always-Saved doctrine: "God does not disinherit any of His children." THEOS does indeed not disinherit any of His true children, but surely many who were once children, but shipwrecked their faith.

    - Typical Calvinist teaching that a believer is impotent to do anything and that THEOS must do everything: "Dearly beloved Christians, say in your heart: "I never, by any effort, can take hold of God, or seize this for myself ; it is God must give it." Cherish this blessed impotence. It is He who brought us out, who Himself must bring us in. It is your greatest happiness to be impotent. Pray God by the Holy Spirit to reveal to you this true impotence, and that will open the way for your faith to say, "Lord, Thou must do it, or it will never be done." God will do it." This teaching is not biblical, because it denies Works of Faith and downplays Sanctification.

    - Scriptural interpolations: "What was it that led Peter to deny Jesus? Christ had warned him; why did he not take warning? Self-confidence. He was so sure: "Lord, I love Thee, For three years I have followed Thee. Lord, I deny that it ever can be. I am ready to go to prison and to death."

    - Problematic exegesis: "Remember that the whole world, with perhaps the exception of Mary and the women, was turned against Christ that day." This is obviously wrong, because we have a lot of examples in Scripture who held to CHRIST at any given point (e.g. the two travellers He met on the road; Joseph of Arimathea; most of His disciples ...)

    - Questionable speech: "I deserve nothing but the cursed cross; I give myself over to it." Humility is one of the great marks of a crucified man."

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic Martin Luther (Augustinian, extraordinarily devoted to the 'Blessed Virgin Mary, Antisemitism, execution of Anabaptists, rejection of biblical inerrancy, rejection of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation, Non-Sabbatarianism, rejection of free will).

    - Endorsement of the problematic Keswick Convention.

    Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis (2*)

    Reviewed 01/04/2020 〣 100% read

    Not a review of a book , which I have read in its entirety, but a general warning. Stay away from C.S. Lewis and from 'Celebrity Christianity'!

    1 Strongly influenced by George MacDonald (a universalist): "Adam was married to a demon named Lilith before he married Eve ... the devil will eventually be redeemed." The character of Lilith shows up in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', as the mother of the white witch.

    2 'Christianized' white witchcraft. Wrote the heretical book series (Chronicles; Narnian; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) long after his 'conversion' in 1931 and 8 years -after- 'Mere Christianity'.

    3 Lewis dedicated his autobiography to Bede Griffiths, who founded a 'Christian ashram' in India. Lewis: "Hindu temples are a sacrament." ... "No one can say in the proper sense that the Hindu, the Buddhist or the Muslim is an unbeliever. I would rather say that we have to recognize him as our brother in Christ."

    4 "Pagan religions have truths." ... "Christianity fulfilled paganism".

    5 He presented 2 Roman gods as visible angelic deities on Planet Venus in his book, Perelandra.

    6 He denied the literal Adam and Eve; theistic evolutionist. "Events found in the first three chapters of Genesis are true myths". "Man is physically descended from animals". "God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself."

    7 "Tao contains the highest morality of all religions".

    8 He rejected biblical inerrancy and believed in neither sola fide nor sola scriptura.

    9 "Purgatory (Catholic doctrine) is a real place." "Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me ..."

    10 Very close friends with the ultra-conservative Roman Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien.

    11 J.K. Rowling (author of demonic Harry Potter series): "C.S. Lewis is one of my two favorite authors"!

    The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission, by Christopher J.H. Wright (2*)

    Reviewed 04/03/2024 〣 100% read

    Some very good theology, mixed with terrible discernment and some erroneous teachings.

    PROS

    + The book includes many wonderful teachings and I would give 5 stars for the first third of the book. Truly wonderful, but then it goes down rapidly, see below.

    + Very good balance between the Old and New Testament.

    + Well stated that people were saved by grace already before Exodus 19.

    + Beautiful teaching, that we ought to pray for the welfare of hostile environments we are in, in the same way the Israelites were even asked to pray for the welfare of Babylon.

    + Very wise decision to have the book narrated by its author.

    CONS

    - He wrongly stated that obedience is no condition to salvation. While this is possibly not stated as such in the Bible, it is unquestionably implied throughout the Bible. No obedience, certainly no salvation.

    - He made the very dubious claim that the biblical authors borrowed a term from the Romans, when they used the word 'Gospel', being better translated with 'Good Message' and in its original the word 'ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ' (evangelium). This claim is false, because the Greek Old Testament, which is the text the 1st c. church received as authoritative, includes the very same word already in 2Sam 4:10, when David received the 'Good News' of Saul's death (although not being such in David's eyes).

    - The author equated in the book circumcision with the keeping of the Weekly Sabbath. I had to re-listen to the passage, in the hope that he mentioned Sabbaths in plural form, which would have correctly pointed to the Laws of Moses and not to the Law of THEOS given with creation. It is a mystery why he had 612 other options to chose from and chose the Weekly Sabbath, which he implied is mentioned in Acts 15 (which is clearly not) and which he (in)directly implied to be abolished. 

    This is heretical and truly surprising for someone with a PHD. Every student of the Bible knows very well that the Weekly Sabbath was essentially part of the 10 commandments intensified by JESUS, and only certain aspects of the WS were part of the Law of Moses (those aspects being abolished but obviously not the main law itself). While we can be glad that he did not teach the Catholic 6/10 theology, a 9/10 theology is not much better. Either we keep the Moral Law or we fail it. There is no middle ground.

    - He taught several times in the book the polytheistic term 'Lord of lords'. But nowhere in the Greek text is found the noun 'lords' (or sometimes even translated with capital 'Lords'), but the participle 'ΚΥΡΙΟϹ ΤⲰΝ ΚΥΡΙΕΥΟΝΤⲰΝ'. The only correct translations are 'Lord of the ones dominating' (ABP), 'Lord of those that exercise lordship' (DBY), 'Lord of them that wield lordship' (EBR). There is a significant difference between a temporal action and a permanent title. Polytheism does not (only) begin in the minds of the readers, it begins with the words of translators and studied ministers like him who propagate those erroneous translations.

    - He taught about the Jerusalem assembly as a council, which is not biblical. In the Bible there is a specific word for 'council', and it is not being used in Acts 15. It was an assembly - the text using the very same word as for every church gathering. It was certainly a special assembly, but we have to be cautious when using the word 'council', as this 'Jerusalem council' had been abused as a basis to legitimize a lot of not-so-biblical councils, mainly driven by his (Catholic) church.

    - The book is essentially a pamphlet for the Lausanne Movement, which is over and over being referenced in the book.

    - He endorsed Billy Graham as 'great evangelist', which is a serious transgression (strong tendency towards universalism, key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained women pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; trained Rick Warren; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    - The author comes from a Calvinist (Presbyterian) background / family, but (or rather and) attends a Catholic (Anglican) Church, All Souls in London.

    - He quoted twice the Calvinist John Piper, and also a certain Don Carson, who probably refers to D.A. Carson, also a Calvinist. Another Calvinist he quoted is Lesslie Newbigin.

    - He endorsed at the end of the book Winston Churchill, who is very well known to have been a Freemason. This is truly shocking. Why do so many PHDs not even know such essential basics? Is there no discernment being taught at universities?

    - He criticized two of the elders / ministers of his church (one being a former minister) in public, but did not state if he had conversations with those two people before bringing the matter into a book. The context implied a good and valid example, but why had he to mention those specifics (although not the names)?

    Overall a book that saddens me. It started out as a wonderful book, but turned out to be problematic.

    The Moral Vision of the New Testament: A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics, by Richard B. Hays (1*)

    Reviewed 08/10/2024 〣 30% read

    Stay away from this book and false teacher, who is canceling here several books from the New Testament and calls those Pseudepigrapha, meaning per definition explicitly false and heretical!!! Note that he does not only doubt the authorship, he calls a significant portion of THEOS' Word false. This is also apparent by his choosing of the term 'Pseudepigrapha' over 'Deuterocanonicals'.

    Quote: "The other six letters in the Pauline corpus (2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus) are considered by the majority of New Testament scholars to be pseudepigraphical compositions written under Paul's name by followers after his death. This judgment is, however, by no means unanimous. The question of authorship must be considered for each letter independently. My own view is that the arguments against Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians and Colossians are not compelling; I am inclined to regard these as authentic Pauline letters. Ephesians and the pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus), on the other hand, differ so markedly from the other letters in the corpus, both theologically and stylistically, that they should probably be understood as later compositions written by someone else in Paul's name. Even within this latter group of letters, different degrees of certainty obtain: 2 Timothy bears fewer marks of non-Pauline authorship than do the other pastorals. For the purposes of this book, I will adopt the working hypothesis that Ephesians and the pastorals [1 and 2 Timothy, Titus] are products of second-generation Pauline Christianity."

    If the author would have only read F.F. Bruce's 'The Canon of Scripture', he would have quickly realized that there is no majority of New Testament scholars refuting those books as he claims, but that the New Testament in its current form had been widely accepted, except the book of Hebrews which is often erroneously being challenged while curiously enough being accepted by Hays ... Problematic teachers such as Luther put 4 books into a secondary section, but it is unheard of that now suddenly 6 entire books are up for debate.

    It is hard to believe that such a heresy made it into the Top-100 of Christianity Today, but once again affirms the evil agenda of this magazine which is most obviously being steered by the Roman Catholic Church.

    SOME GOOD TEACHINGS FOUND IN THE BOOK

    + Correct interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 (women ought to be silent), by assuming interpolation as the most probable conclusion.

    + Good stance regarding the value and enjoyment of marital sex.

    SPECIFIC ISSUES WITH THE BOOK

    - In the book, the author takes a firm stance against homose**lity, while taking the contrary position in his 2024 book 'The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story'.

    It is interesting how many followers of Hays had been surprised. If academics would not widely ignore the biblical imperative of discernment, such surprises would not even occur and this book would not have advanced to a bestseller. Hays did not suddenly become a false teacher 30 years after the writing of this book!

    - The book shows in parts a very low and rather uninspired view of Scripture. Critical voices are often quoted without a proper discernment / weighting by the author.

    "Subsequent history shows that Matthew was spectacularly successful in formulating a foundational narrative for the Gentile mission and almost completely unsuccessful in keeping that mission grounded in Judaism."

    "Although Luke used Mark as a source for his Gospel, his style and sensibility differ dramatically from Mark's. To move from reading Mark to reading Luke is like moving from Beowulf to Milton. In both cases, the former presents a shadowy world whose bleak passion we can comprehend only in part, through a glass darkly; the latter portrays a well-lit civilized world informed by the social and literary conventions of classical antiquity. Part of Luke's literary achievement is to make the foreboding story of Jesus seem reasonable and inviting to a more cultured readership in the Hellenistic world."

    "While appreciating Tolbert's candor in offering her frank corrective to Mark, one must wonder whether a gospel that places its fundamental trust in human effort rather than divine intervention can any longer be called a gospel."

    "The artificiality of Luke's placement of the scene is indicated by the unexplained reference in Luke 4:23 to "the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum." This is simply an editing glitch on Luke's part; according to Luke's story, Jesus has not yet done anything in Capernaum."

    "Matthew's adaptation of the Markan story of Jesus walking on the sea (Mark 6:45–52, Matt. 14:22–33) exemplifies his reading of the miracle traditions as allegories of Jesus' presence. Matthew introduces two major changes in his retelling of the story. First, he adds the tale of Peter's getting out of the boat to walk on the water along with Jesus (14:28–31). The story cries out to be read allegorically."

    - He justifies his exclusion of the books of Timothy from the biblical canon with a supposed contradiction of Tim 2:11–15 with the popular 'saved by faith alone' war cry, while ignoring that the OT clearly teaches that women are -also- saved by childbearing. This is obviously a pseudo-objection and his motifs for the exclusion of 4 NT books must be found elsewhere.

    "This [Tim 2:11–1] is one of the passages in the letter that could hardly have come from the pen of Paul. The assertion that women will be saved through bearing children clashes flagrantly with Paul's profound conviction that all human beings are saved only by virtue of the death of Christ."

    - Close association of the author with the United Methodist Church and specifically the Roman Catholic Church:

    "I would also like to thank the following groups and institutions for providing opportunities to lecture on aspects of New Testament ethics: the Pastors' School of the Oklahoma Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (1988), the Catholic Biblical Association in New York City (1989), the Ottawa Summer School of Biblical and Theological Studies (1989) [United Anglican / Presbyterian / Roman Catholic deans], the Graduate Institute on Contemporary Christian Thought at St. Joseph College in Hartford, Connecticut (1992) [Roman Catholic university], and the School of Ministry of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (1992)."

    "Thus, normative Christian ethics is fundamentally a hermeneutical enterprise: it must begin and end in the interpretation and application of Scripture for the life of the community of faith. Such a pronouncement will prove controversial in some circles, but it represents the classic confessional position of catholic Christianity, particularly as sharpened in its Reformation traditions."

    "To put the problem another way, the logic of Hauerwas's hermeneutical position should require him to become a Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholic Church, however, historically teaches positions on major ethical issues (such as just war and the role of women in the church) that Hauerwas cannot accept. Thus, he refuses to have his mind and character formed by that tradition and chooses instead to live, anomalously, as a Protestant with no clear theological rationale for his ecclesial practice and no empirical community to exemplify his vision of ecclesial politics."

    - Endorsement of the Catholic Magnificat (Canticle of Mary).

    - Plain endorsement of Feminism:

    "Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, a German Roman Catholic New Testament scholar who has held major teaching positions in the United States at Notre Dame and Harvard, has become the leading voice of feminist biblical criticism in the English-speaking world. [...] The impact of Schüssler Fiorenza's contribution may be assessed by noting the roles she has come to occupy within the academy. She was the first woman elected to the office of president of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL, 1987), and she is the cofounder and coeditor of The Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. She now occupies a chair at Harvard Divinity School as the Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity. Amidst the lively current discussion of feminist biblical hermeneutics, her pioneering studies remain the major systematic works that have defined the terms of the conversation."

    - Strong antinomian tendencies. Specific opposition against the Weekly Sabbath. He wrongly implied that JESUS argued with the Pharisees based on a cessation of biblical law, while most scholars agree that JESUS challenged the Pharisees based on their Oral Traditions they added to the Weekly Sabbath. If a scholar does not know the difference between the 600+ Old Covenant Laws and the 1500+ Oral Laws, then he should not teach Christianity.

    - He opposes the biblical command for head coverings by wrongly relating it to Hellenistic culture:

    "Paul's norms could be derived from Hellenistic philosophy or from what was "in the air" in Hellenistic popular culture. For example, near the end of a labored argument about head coverings, he asks the Corinthians, "Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is a disgrace for him?" (1 Cor. 11:14, AA). Alternatively, some of his norms could be retained from his pharisaic Jewish heritage, despite his formal rejection of the Torah as a directly binding set of regulations for his churches."

    - Endorsement of Billy Graham as Christian (strong tendency towards universalism, key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained women pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; trained Rick Warren; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    More Than a Carpenter, by Josh McDowell (4*)

    Reviewed 04/03/2024 〣 100% read

    Great book. It is short and precise, without overwhelming the average reader with elaborated theology, a trap many other apologetic books fall into. Highly recommended, but with a little discernment.

    Two issues:

    - They endorse C.S. Lewis, who was a false teacher (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - They state at the beginning of the book that the command to not work at the Weekly Sabbath is obsolete, which is clearly heretical. This would imply that 3500 years before 'Israel' was even heard of (5500 - 2000 BC Jacob), people would have worked 30 days a month and 360 days a year. This does obviously not make any sense.

    More Than a Healer: Not the Jesus You Want, but the Jesus You Need, by Costi W. Hinn (4*)

    Reviewed 21/09/2022 〣 100% read

    Very good book. Much needed exhortation on Spiritual Gifts, although the book just touches the surface.

    The content of the book does thankfully not reflect his Calvinism and is rather contrary to the doctrines taught within that religion (prevalent and erroneous doctrine of Cessationism).

    My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers (3*)

    Reviewed 29/05/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Overall good theology (with the exceptions mentioned below).

    + Excellent teachings on how to be a servant (in his terms a doormat).

    + He refutes the 'Once-Saved-Always-Saved' theology.

    + He does not water down the Good Message and is not shy of the difficult points (except to challenge people for healthy judgment of each other's sin where he clearly fails).

    + No questionable endorsements or quotations of problematic teachers, except the singular endorsement of Augustine.

    NEUTRAL

    + Lots of good exhortation, although his guilt trip goes too far. He would find guilt in every person, no matter what.

    CONS

    - He is spiritualizing throughout the book and his use of symbolism and typology reaches problematic levels. Many of his comparisons are very stretched. He goes to the very limits of biblical interpretation and sometimes transgresses those in terrible ways.

    "... your body is the Bethlehem of God's Son"

    "... I cannot continue without my Elijah. Yet God says you must continue alone at your Jordan [His interpretation of 2Kin 2:14 "14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over. "]

    " You must be willing to go through God's winepress where the grapes are crushed [if he only knew what this means in the end times ...]. You must struggle, experiment and rehearse your words to express God's truth clearly."

    - Erroneous teaching on 'do not judge'. Probably the worst exegesis I ever heard on the underlying verses, with a total absence of righteous judgment of sin:

    "If I see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of timber in my own"

    "Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me"

    "Every time I judge, I condemn myself."

    - Many problematic statements, such as:

    "It takes God all of time and eternity to conform a man to his purpose."

    "It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet. Give me a drink."

    "We are not commissioned to preach salvation or sanctification. We are commissioned to lift up Jesus Christ."

    "If God were human, how sick and tired He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation and for our sanctification."

    "... Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor. Never be diplomatic and careful with the treasure God gives you and yet possessing all things. This is poverty triumphant." [His interpretation of 2Cor 6:10 "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything."]

    - Self-contradictory statements:

    (Jun6) "And our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, but I don't know if my will is in agreement with God. Look to Jesus and you will find that your will and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to say, I will not obey, is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin. The will is the essential element in God's creation of human beings. Sin is a perverse nature which entered into people. In someone who has been born again the source of the will is almighty God."

    - He teaches that "self-pity is satanic" (his very words). He is often exaggerating and dramatizing.

    - He is probably the champion in 'IS NOT' statements. I am tired of author number XX trying to say what a certain principle or idea of the Bible is not, while trying to find an exclusive definition above all other definitions. This is a sad reality in literary Christianity, that the more books you read the more confused you become (if you would not filter), because you will find so many authors trying to find a definition no one else came up with before. Chambers could not even reconcile all his 'IS NOT' statements in his own book, because they conflict sometimes. While he is saying in one chapter 'do this', he says the exact opposite in another part of the book.

    - He endorses in the book Augustine, the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, .... He was also the father of the doctrine of persecution. One could impossibly have chosen a worse endorsement for this prominent and singular position in his book.

    Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God, by Kaitlin B. Curtice (1*)

    Reviewed 16/04/2024 〣 15% read

    I had beautiful expectations after this book had been recommended to me. A beautiful expectation to learn more about important cultures. But the book turned out to be heretical.

    I first winced when I read her recommendation of Richard Rohr and his 'beautiful' book, knowing well that Rohr is one of the figureheads of New Age teachings and teaches Universalism.

    Then I winced again when she endorsed spirits of their forefathers.

    Next she spoke about the creation account by giving priority to extrabiblical accounts and questioning the validity of the biblical account.

    Then she goes over to question the requirement of accountability (meetings) in church.

    Then she tells us that she is only a loose Christian and might lose her faith at some point in the coming years.

    I continued to listen until she described God as a mother, as Mama G***n.

    Quote: "That means God is the Father and/or Mother [notice the capital letter!] who will always take us in. That means, of course, we are never alone."

    Quote: "We believe that God is one of a kind, but beyond that we can't name what or who God is exactly. Mystery. Other. Sometimes Father, sometimes Mother, and sometimes Neither. Sometimes Friend, sometimes Challenger. When we begin to name God, we find that God has suddenly become an image of us, our own cultural understandings."

    Blasphemy. One of the very few books I stopped reading after less than an hour into it.

    The Natural Ability of Man, by Jesse Morrell (3*)

    Reviewed 14/11/2024 〣 70% read

    Many very valuable teachings mixed with some unbalanced teachings, and a gross lack of biblical discernment. The book bears the strong signature of the problematic teacher Charles Finney (89x) and the false teacher Catherine Booth (17x).

    This book does often stand on the right side of biblical truth, but it does rather strive for academic truth than biblical truth. At the moment the author has rattled down a long list of those who defended the biblical doctrine of free will, he has not employed one single Bible verse defining this truth. This changes later in the book, but the emphasis remains on academic references which are always quoted in full, while the Bible is often merely referenced.

    This is sad news and essentially a continuation of the same primitive battle with academic weapons instead of a scriptural sword. It gets worse when seeing that many of those extrabiblical resources are highly questionable.

    The Letters of Ignatius are most probably a post-mortem impersonation and can be right;y seen as the foundational document of the Roman Catholic Church and specifically of the office of the pope; the referenced letter of Clement of Rome is also heretical and teaches the rule of succession and a number of heresies such as capital punishment, a continuation of sacrifices and the Apocrypha; and the further referenced Origen was much rather an anti-Christ than someone to be consulted as positive reference for the doctrine of Free Will.

    I see his honest striving for truth, but I also see a certain deception and the insufficient filtering of the teachings of Charles Finney.


    PROS

    + Quote "There are those today who make the doctrine of total inability an essential doctrine of the Christian faith and are quick to condemn anyone who would dare question or challenge it. But in the times of early Christianity, the doctrine of free will was considered orthodox and the doctrine of total inability was heretical. Being considered orthodox or heretical is merely a matter of dates. The Early Church said that only Gnostic's deny the freedom of the will; yet many denominations of our day say that only heretics affirm it."

    + Quote "Calvinism says that God caused the damnation of all, so that He could predestine the salvation of the few. They say that many are on the broad road, and few are on the narrow road, because God wants it that way. This would be like a doctor, who infected a community with a bad disease, resulting in the death of masses, so that he could give the cure to those few whom he wanted to. Nobody would ever call such a man benevolent or good."

    + Quote "God's problem with sinners is not that they can't obey His law but that they don't obey His law. A sinner's problem is not inability but unwillingness. God's problem with sinners is rebellion. The nature of rebellion is not inability but unwillingness. [...] A sinner is a rebel because while he could obey God, he refuses to do so."

    + He often relies on the good Bible commentary of Albert Barnes.


    CONS

    - He seriously claims that we lose our salvation every time we sin. While he has the right intention to correct liberal Christians, he swings the pendulum in the opposite direction while missing the truth in between:

    Quote: "While I was on the University of West Florida in Pensacola open air preaching, a student in the crowd said that God's grace and forgiveness in Christ was literally a license to sin and that we can sin every day without fear of hell. I responded by saying, "You lose your salvation every time that you sin." This is why you must repent every time that you sin. But there are those, like this man named Bray, who falsely teaches that "A Christian who commits sin certainly does not lose his salvation…" You cannot trust your wives or daughters around men who believe like that!"

    - He downplays the concept of original sin. While he might be closer to the truth than Calvinists who totally overemphasize and badly abuse this concept, he fails analogously to Finney's teachings to acknowledge that we are literally born into Adam's sin and that even newborn lie. He correctly acknowledges that children do not know the difference between good and evil and do therefore not yet suffer the consequences related to salvation (before the age of maturity of 20 years which he does not mention), but he does not sufficiently balance the degree we inherited Adam's sin in a very practical and tangible way.

    Psa 51:5 "... I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

    Psa 58:3 "Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies."

    Isa 48:8 "Neither have you heard, nor have you known, nor from of old has your ear been opened. For I knew you would deal treacherously, very treacherously, and you are called a rebel from the womb."

    - He speaks a lot about the 'law' while only defining towards the end of the book what he means with 'law'. This lack of organization in his book causes unnecessary confusion.

    - The book is dramatically inflated and disorganized. 700 pages for one biblical concept are definitely too much and the book should have been shrunk down to max. 400 pages. The same stories (e.g. Jonah which is 7 times found in the book) are repeated over and over, the same conclusions are repeated ad nauseam with slightly different words. The book feels like an infinite loop, where every now and then is thrown in a new nugget (which is often great), only to be stirred together with the previous content into a conglomeration of new words.

    - The book is essentially a summary of the works of Charles Finney (38 direct quotations and 51 footnotes) and Catherine Booth (7 direct quotations and 10 footnotes).

    Charles Finney was the father of modern revivalism, and developed concepts and ideas later used by false teachers such as Billy Graham. Although he had certainly many good teachings, he also crossed sometimes the line (He turned the churches from CHRIST's Great Commission to social reform; he rather denied original sin; unbalanced teaching on Christ's substitutionary atonement)

    Catherine Booth was clearly a false teacher (co-founder Salvation Army; Feminist leader; concept of 'Aggressive Christianity' which inspired Deborah Green to commit horrendous crimes).

    - Some highly problematic teachings, such as:

    "It is also possible that the free will of John the Baptist was temporarily suspended for the sake of the nation of Israel and the ministry of the Messiah, until John was in jail and God gave Him the liberty to make the free choice of salvation for himself. This could explain why Jesus said no man born among women was greater, since John was full of the Holy Spirit from His mother's womb, but also while the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than He, because he is not going to be rewarded for doing what God made him do. There can be no punishment nor reward where there is no free will."

    - He endorses Jerome and Ambrose, both Catholic doctors.

    - Endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).


    FURTHER QUOTES

    + Quote "Calvinists also will appeal to the book of life for unconditional eternal security. They think that the elect, or the saved, have their names safely and securely written in the book of life even before they are saved, even before the creation of the world! But the names that have been "written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8; 17:8), does not mean that the book of life was completed and finalized before creation as they have mistakenly assumed. The Greek word 'from' actually means 'since', as it refers to a 'distance of time'. It means that the book of life has been in the process of being written over a 'distance of time', or specifically 'since' the foundation of the world. It was started in Genesis and is [or rather 'will be'] completed in Revelation. Those persons whose names are not in the book of life by the end will be cast into hell and will not inherit the kingdom of God (Rev 20:15). [...] This explains how being blotted out of the book of life is a real possibility (Exo 32:32-33; Deut 29:20; Psa 62:20; Rev 3:5). The book of life is not complete or finalized right now if names are being removed from it or if names can still be erased. The book of life is in the process of being written and edited as the future is in the process of unfolding, developing, and changing. Therefore, the book of life is no grounds to affirm unconditional eternal security."

    + Quote "It is amazing to think that God even granted the angels the freedom of will to be loyal to Him or to rebel. It is not only to man that He has given this choice. This shows us that God never wanted heaven to be full of beings that have to love, worship, and serve Him. God wanted heaven to be full of beings that want to love, worship, and serve Him. Love, worship, and service are only true and genuine if they are voluntary. If the law of necessity instead of the law of liberty were the law of heaven, then heaven would be empty, void, and barren of all true and genuine love, worship, and service. [...] Vice is when a being could do right but chooses to do wrong instead. Virtue is when a being could do wrong but chooses to do right instead. For this reason, God took the risk of giving men and angels free will. He wanted them to be capable of being truly virtuous beings."

    + Quote "The affirmation of grace does not necessitate the denial of free will when grace is properly and biblically defined and understood. Grace is defined by Thayer as God's "holy influence upon souls." Strong's defines grace as "the divine influence upon the heart." The Bible says, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world…" (Tit 2:11-12). God's grace is the influence of illumination to change our moral character in this present world. Grace is God's divine teaching, which influences our will to choose rightly. [...] To put grace and free will at an antithesis is to create a false dilemma. Free will is the ability of choice; grace is unmerited favor in influence and remission. The power of decision and the power of influence are completely compatible.

    A New English Translation of the Septuagint (3*)

    A very good translation of the divinely inspired Greek Old Testament, but sadly including the Apocrypha which had not even been written in the time of the writing of the GOT.

    The first 5 apocryphal books had been initiated during the translation of the Greek Pentateuch (LXX, ~250 BC), but the first 11 apocryphal books had only been completed by the time of Christ and therefore 140 years after the completion of the Greek Old Testament (~140 BC), while the full number of 15 apocryphal books had only been completed by ~100 AD, approx. 240 years after the Greek OT.

    To now include the full collection of apocryphal books in the year 2007 into the Bible, just because some 5th century codices added those to the earlier scrolls, is not worthy of a biblical, nor an academic approach.

    No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green, by Melody Green (4*)

    Reviewed 20/07/2023 〣 100% read

    Highly encouraging book, with a tremendous story. Generally with a balanced doctrine.

    But outmost discernment is required when it comes to the repeated mention of the highly problematic teacher Kathryn Kuhlman and some other characters. It would read like an endorsement, if there would not be the hint that the Green's renounced at a certain point to focus on healings, also after they had not been healed by her.

    No One Ever Asked, by Katie Ganshert (not rated)

    Reviewed 16/10/2024 〣 15% read

    If you are a women, happen to live in the US and are the type of person who calls and writes to every available decision maker because you are worried that the wrong students come to your kid's school, then this book might be for you (by worldly standards).

    I made it 2.5 hours into it, prayed to receive more mercy to cope with this book, but then sensed to stop reading it. 2.5 hours where I learned absolutely nothing but rather anti biblical behavior and social justice, where one brief reference of a 'Proverbs 31 woman' was the only reference to any faith and where the narrative is hard to follow and simply boring, no matter how good her writing skills are.

    Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1*)

    Reviewed 20/03/2024 〣 100% read

    Entirely useless book by a confused author.

    It comes as a big surprise that this author is being recommended by at least 2 major Christian ministries, one of them the (Catholic) Christianity Today.

    Now that I had the chance to listen to this book I was shocked. There is absolutely no Christian theme and the handful of times THEOS is mentioned, it is either in vain or while swearing, with only one real reference. The book is painful to listen to, but I finished it.

    PROS

    + Good defense of free will.

    CONS

    - He makes clear that he despises Germans and French people as a whole >> strong anti-Christian attitude.

    - Especially the beginning of the book is full of rambling; and he is aware of that and tells us that he does not care ...

    - He writes that he is not writing for readers, just for himself.

    - He elevates himself by calling himself several times 'very intelligent'.

    Stay away from this book, it is a waste of time and money.

    Once Saved, Always Saved?: A Study in Perseverance and Inheritance, by David Pawson (3*)

    Reviewed 19/11/2024 〣 100% read

    This book has some errors, but overall it is a great delight. Pawson is sovereign in teaching biblical truth, especially when it comes to masterfully defending (the doctrine of) Free Will.

    PROS

    + Quote: "Works of the Flesh or Works of the Law are enemies of the Gospel and detract from the grace that alone can save us. Both smack of do-it-yourself religion, which retains human pride. God wants to see righteousness in us, not our but His. He is not demanding it from us but offering it to us, in Christ. All this is true, but not the whole truth. If we are not careful we can develop an allergy to 'works' in any shape or form and this could blind us to the positive NT statements about 'works'. For a start, we may not be saved by works, but we are certainly saved for 'good works'."

    + He is one of the very few teachers who correctly interprets what many call the Double Predestination of Pharaoh. But it would have been interesting to go deeper, and to have seen exactly how Pharaoh provoked the hardening of his heart.

    The hardening of his heart was not a product of random selection. It was a product of the pre-existence of professional witchcraft already at the time of Joseph (Gen 41:8). Only after Pharaoh responded to the first miracle with witchcraft (he directly commanded it!), his heart was instantly hardened (Exo 7:13, foreseen in Exo 4:21, 7:3). He then successfully repeated the first 3 miracles through witchcraft (Exo 7:11-12, 7:22, 8:7). While the magicians had already surrendered ('It is the finger of THEOS', Exo 8:18-19), Pharaoh's heart became harder and harder while clinging to witchcraft. Though Pharaoh was raised for the role of the oppressor, he did not come into condemnation without deserving it. He had the choice before his heart initially hardened. THEOS foresaw this from the beginning of the world. He did not predestine him to witchcraft, but foresaw his condemnation after he would actively commit witchcraft. Foreknowledge is THEOS knowing beforehand what we can only know after we will make the respective free-will decisions. It is perfectly just (Eze 33:17-20).

    + Quote: "Atonement is provided for accidental falls but none for wilful and deliberate disobedience. [...] Deliberate persistence on a sinful course after enlightenment cannot be atoned for, even by the cross of Christ."

    CONS

    - He understands Justification as a one-time process, although there are several passages that clearly imply a future aspect of it, and even Calvinists such as John Piper have come to see this.

    - He references the woman caught in adultery, although it is well-known that this passage from John 7:53-8:11 does not belong in the Bible.

    - Paul is the author of 14 (2 x 7 also agrees with biblical numbers), not of 13 books of the Bible, as explicitly confirmed by many early historians and scholars. Only Tertullian, Gaius of Rome, Hippolytus and the great heretic Origen ob- and rejected the authorship of Paul.

    - He seems to teach that we ought not to obey the Moral Law concerning the Weekly Sabbath, which would be a highly problematic teaching: "Canaan was a type, a shadow, as was the Weekly Sabbath, of the real 'rest' which God wants to give to overburdened people (Christ's own invitation to 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' is its fulfillment)".

    While the Weekly Sabbath is certainly also a shadow, this does not mean that its primary function has vanished.

    Paul not only observed the seventh-day Sabbath himself, he taught Jews and Gentiles / Greeks / 'Worshiping Proselytes' on the Weekly Sabbath day at least on 11 occasions (Act 13:14, 27, 42-45, Act 16:12-13, Act 17:2, Act 18:4-11). Decisive is the fact that this most often happened outside of Israel. This is especially remarkable when considering that he left the new converts in Ephesus behind, when he had to hurry back to Israel for celebrating Ceremonial Sabbaths such as Pentecost (as a local Jew only and only until the fall of the Temple).

    One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven, by Mark Cahill (1*)

    Reviewed 18/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + He offers some good motivation for evangelism, but compared to his book 'The Watchmen', this book is very rudimentary.

    + Good teaching against evolution.

    CONS

    - Overall respectful-, but in parts problematic language: "If we got to Heaven by what we did and not by what Jesus did for us, we would brag about ourselves instead of bragging about that Guy with the nail-pierced hands and feet."

    - He is telling made-up stories such as the following:

    "One day I was flying back on a trip from Colorado to Atlanta. I always pray the day before for the person that is going to sit next to me. So I already know it's a divine appointment. Then all I have to do is ask a few questions to see why G-d put them there! I have had people tell me that they have even changed flights just to sit in that seat!"

    "You have probably heard about near-death experiences, where some people who briefly died reportedly saw a tunnel and a white light. But many people see other things, and Darryl did not have the typical experience. He told me that when his heart stopped, his spirit rose up out of his body, and he could look down and see his body on the operating table. He explained that his spirit took off on a journey. Suddenly he saw trees burning, the ground smoldering around the trees, and a lake of fire in front of him. I asked, "What did you see?" "I saw Hell." "You saw Hell? Darryl, if you would have died, where would you have gone?" He said confidently, "I would have gone to Hell." "Do you want to go to Hell?" He responded, "Absolutely not." "Do you want to go to Heaven?" "Yes, I do." "Darryl," I prompted, "do you know what it takes to get to Heaven?" "Yes, I do." "What does it take?" He stated, "Committing my heart and my life to Jesus Christ." "Darryl, now that you know that you are going to die and go to Hell, are you ready to commit your heart and your life to Jesus Christ?" What do you think he said? He answered, "No." I asked, "Why not?" He gave the same answer most people give: "I like the things of the world more than I like the things of G-d." He would rather live in sin than live for the G-d of this universe."

    It should be obvious to every reader of the Bible that everyone who would have seen Gehenna (The Rich Man and Lazarus; see Luk 16:14-31), would do everything in his power to get out of it and to warn others. This story is therefore clearly fabricated.

    - He tells a story where he paid a woman money for reading his Gospel tract, which is an utterly unbiblical practise. JESUS - to the contrary- instructed His disciples to not even take money with them! But Cahill goes even further, he claims that that money will be reimbursed by THEOS:

    "At the end of the conversation, I told the young ladies that they got a gift for helping us out. I handed the first two a tract, but the third girl declined. I asked, "After the great conversation we just had, you don't want this?" She replied, "No, I don't." "Okay," I said. "I'll give you a dollar to read it." "Nope." "Two dollars." She shook her head. "I'll give you five dollars to read it." She still refused. "I'll give you ten dollars to read it!" I persisted. She finally agreed. So I put a ten-dollar bill with the tract and extended it toward her [...]. At the time I did that, a few years ago, I had just recently started public speaking and made about $4,000 that year. With an annual income of $4,000, $10 is very important. But do you think that, if you spend $10 for someone to read about Jesus, G-d will get $10 back into your pocket? You had better believe it! G-d is more faithful than we can ever dream."

    - Analogous to his book 'The Watchmen' (which does repeat many of the stories found in this book), he also praises himself and his generousity. I have rarely found such a shameless bragging of self.

    "Mark Cahill is one of the most zealous and passionate Christians I know."

    p187 "Many times as I witness, people say that they've had a conversation about Jesus before, but that this is the most interesting and intellectual conversation they have ever had on the subject."

    p191 "This has been the most interesting and informative conversation I've ever had on this subject."

    "That is the best example I've ever heard."

    "Then the youth pastor asked him, "What did you think of that Mark Cahill guy?" The young man's face lit up as he said, "If I remember anything about this retreat, it will be the talk that man gave. It was the best talk I've ever heard."

    - He sued a mall for not allowing him to evangelize in their business, which is an utterly unbiblical behavior. Paul would have shaken off the dust and moved on to a place where they received him.

    "One time I was ordered to leave a mall for talking with people about Jesus. That doesn't sound American, does it? So I located a Christian law firm to help me stand up for my rights, and the case wound up going to court. The other side spent over $100,000 to keep Christians out of the mall. Isn't it amazing that the malls want our money, but they don't want our Jesus! Some of my students who went witnessing with me had to provide depositions for the case. A week later, I went in to give my deposition."

    He then goes on and even recommends the law firm in this book.

    - Erroneous claim that Paleo-Hebrew is the same as modern Hebrew: "I have a friend whose native tongue is Hebrew. He says that ancient and modern Hebrew are the same except for words that have been created for modern inventions like the telephone, the computer, and so on."

    - He teaches the Old Covenant tithing, while explicitly referring to the passage speaking to the priests in Malachi. There are other more suitable passages for the concept of giving / free will offering, which is a fundamentally different concept than giving under compulsion.

    - He badly confuses adultery with fornication, by copying the 10-commandment-evangelism of Ray Comfort (he goes as far as to recommend his books) and Todd Friel. He explains that a "eighteen-year old high-school senior" committed adultery for having looked at this woman with lust, which is a gross misapplication of Scripture. Adultery can naturally only be committed by coveting / looking at a married woman. Fornication, although being a serious sin, is a very different category and has absolutely nothing to do with the Moral Law. And there are many other much more suitable verses refering to the sin of lust.

    "I am forever indebted to Ray Comfort of Living Waters Publications for opening my eyes to the proper use of the Ten Commandments. It was a missing piece to my witnessing that I really needed ..."

    - Avoidance of a clear stance on the Weekly Sabbath. Highly confusing statement:

    "4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (verse 8). No matter what you consider as keeping the Sabbath, you have broken it—and so has everyone else."

    - He references several times Fraternities (Freemasonry), sometimes without a clear motivation and rather presented as insider information!

    - Extreme endorsement of the highly problematic teacher Spurgeon (endorsed at least 17x; "more people are in heaven than in hell", ecumenism, Augustinian / Calvinist, "infants cannot but be odious and abominable to G-d", preached against baptismal regeneration).

    - Praise of the Navigators as "a very strong Christian group", although they have been promoting contemplative spirituality since the mid 1980s and published 'The Message Bible'.

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher Billy Graham (who had a strong tendency towards universalism; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained female pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    "I am in no way saying that someone can become a Christian and then the very next day be perfect and preaching like Billy Graham."

    "By that standard, Adolph Hitler, Jack the Ripper, Osama bin Laden, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, you, and I would all be equally guilty."

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher John MacArthur (Calvinist; Cessationist) and of J. Gresham Machen (Presbyterian).

    - He endorses Hudson Taylor, a Presbyterian who was (one of) the key figure(s) in introducing Calvinism to China. 8 out of 11 direct family members died and he was made a cripple for many months, things which are rather indicators that something was fundamentally wrong with Taylor no matter all the great things we read about him.

    - He is directing the reader to read the highly problematic book 'The Case for Christ' from the false teacher Lee Strobel (a de facto Catholic; see above the review of the book).

    Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God. A Broken Mother's Search for Hope, by Christopher Yuan (1*) 

    Reviewed 29/07/2024 〣 25% read

    The more Catholic books I come across, the more I wonder why this religion constantly tries so hard to get a foot into Christianity. It is staggering with which casualty the term 'Christian' is being used to describe themselves.

    I hoped to read a story of true conversion, but instead read a story which started with a father who taught at a Jesuit college but did not believe in God, parents who visited a Scientology self-help course but nowhere in the book warn us about the dangers, and about a mother who finds salvation by reading unnamed booklets from a Jesuit priest and ended up in a Catholic mass. And to mention that the father grew up Catholic and the son attended fraternities (Freemasonry) but did not want to know about God.

    I have seen a lot and my tolerance for problematic content is quite high. But more than 2 hours of this book I could not handle, of a book which already builds on such a problematic theological foundation.

    CONS

    - The foreword comes from Kay Warren, the wife of the highly problematic teacher Rick Warren (Ecumenism, Catholicism, Mentee of Billy Graham, Female Pastors, ...)

    - Her conversion story is strange. She received some booklets from the Jesuit Father Foley and also read the Bible (though the book emphasizes the booklets over the Bible), but no word of baptism or church attendance. Quote: "Even though I'd been a Christian for a couple of months, I hadn't set foot in a church."

    - Repeated endorsement of the Catholic church "Knowing that Leon had been baptized Catholic in college, Ben volunteered to take Leon to an early mass at a Catholic church." His father grew up Catholic. The first quotation of the book comes from a Catholic, Louis Pasteur.

    - The author studied later at Wheaton College, a highly problematic institution (Catholicism is deeply engrained in their college and specifically taught there; they also teach Catholic Mysticism; only 2 out of the 200 professors on campus believe the Genesis creation account to be literal).

    - The authors downplay the evil nature of Freemasonry and do not offer any warning regarding it. Quote: "While his rebellion might be considered typical for an American fraternity boy, he was certainly not raised that way."

    - The book also uses the Message Bible, a highly problematic translation.

    Pleasing People: How not to be an approval junkie, by Lou Priolo (3*)

    Reviewed 01/10/2023 〣 100% read

    Overall good book.

    It is refreshing that he puts the Works of Faith in their right perspective and encourages us to do those, without endorsing Works of the Law.

    Some minor criticism:

    - He says in one passage that it is all about our happiness, which is not biblical. THEOS wants to bless us and to have joy, but happiness is certainly not a biblical purpose.

    - His background of being a Calvinist / Presbyterian shines through when he mentions the Westminster Confession, elaborates on Total Depravity, endorses J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, Richard Baxter et al. It is concerning that he pronounces over and over in the book that his sources are of the Puritan denomination. Why does he have the need to do so?

    If he would not have constantly sown in his problematic background, then this book would be great. But with some discernment, it is still good to be read.

    Powerful Prayers in the War Room: Learning to Pray like a Powerful Prayer Warrior, by Daniel B. Lancaster (2*) 

    Reviewed 05/09/2024 〣 100% read

    A short book with great teachings and recommendations on prayer, but sadly impossible to recommend due to its almost exclusively highly problematic endorsements, including Freemasonry.

    Included endorsements:

    - Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Freemason, Black Fraternity 'Der Igel' (The Hedgehog) in Tübingen, strong affinity for Jesuits, claimed that "the biblical witness is uncertain with regard to the virgin birth")

    - Billy Graham (great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale, strong tendency towards Universalism, key figure in the ecumenical movement, used Roman Catholic lay people as supervisors and altar workers, close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope, endorsement of female pastors)

    - Alexander Whyte (Ecumenical movement, wrote about the outmost evil Teresa de Avila the book 'Santa Teresa: An Appreciation')

    - E. M. Bounds (Episcopalian bishop)

    - Charles Spurgeon ("I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of ecumenism, endorsed Catholic mystics / Knights Templar, Augustinian / Calvinist, called free will ridiculous, Once-Saved-Always-Saved).

    - Robert Murray M'Cheyne (Presbyterian)

    - Brother Lawrence (figurehead of the Contemplative Prayer movement and of Catholic Mysticism; mentored by Teresa of Avila on Jewish Kabbalistic / Esoteric Mysticism, he wrote the popular and highly influential book 'Practicing the Presence of God')

    Without those endorsements I would give 5 stars. But an endorsement of Freemasons cannot be excused. Even if the author would not be aware of the previous facts, it cannot be grasped that he would not at least have been warned by the Holy Spirit to not include those people, either during the writing or at any point in the last 9 years since its first publication.

    The Power of a Praying Wife, by Stormie Omartian (5*)

    Reviewed 07/02/2024 〣 100% read

    This will be one of my shorter reviews, which usually implies excellence.

    It simply includes a warm recommendation for a wonderful book which should not only be read by women, but also by those men who know that they will react in a defensive way if they are being directly addressed.

    The book only contains one error, it endorses Old Covenant tithing through Mal 3:10 which is addressed to the former priests only, but later in that paragraph uses the correct word 'giving', which is the thing we ought to do, to give by heart and not under the compulsion of Old Covenant Law.

    The book is one of the very few books which do not include any questionable endorsements. And it contains many Bible passages and wonderful prayers, along with an encouraging testimony of her and her husband.

    What a delight of a book.

    Practicing the Way, by John Mark Comer (1 *)

    Reviewed 26/08/2024 〣 100% read

    I would never have thought to read intentionally a book from someone I knew beforehand to be a Jesuit. But the popularity amongst Protestants left me no other choice. All the more I was now surprised that John Mark Comer openly proclaimed in the book to be a Jesuit, having been mentored under Father Rick and Dallas Willard. 

    Although the book contains some good theology and exhortations (this is why JESUS described Satan as an angel of light), it misleads the reader into the rather unscriptural practices of Contemplative Prayer / Lectio Divina / Spiritual Formation / Catholic Mysticism - essentially to become a spiritual monk. The book contains a whitewashed version of those and seems rather unsuspicious in many passages, but once the readers would take the course they offer at the end of the book and / or digg independently deeper, they will soon be drawn away from CHRIST and into the arms of the Catholic church. 

    The book is also a hall-of-fame of false teachers and a gong-show for the Catholic church and its minions. I did not find any sound teacher referenced in all the book - I repeat not any - among a record number of quotations and endorsements found in this book. Those endorsements should make it obvious to the most naive Christian where JMK stands, but we find apparently and to our great surprise a great acceptance amongst Protestants, which shows us the status quo of the American church in general.

    PROS

    + He balances well between the overemphasis of Works (Catholics) and the widespread rejection / belittling of Works of Faith (Reformed). But in the end both evils are a false dilemma, both caused by Augustinians (which represent both Catholics and Calvinists). Satan has made us believe this false dichotomy for centuries and now he pretends to save us through JMK from that dilemma ... (for clarification: NO to Works of the Law, YES to Works of Faith, NO to the grace/faith-only antinomianism).

    + A good motivation to open the doors of our homes, and to invite our neighbors for a meal and tell them the (true) Good Message.

    + Good insight that the word 'Christian' appears only 3x, but the word 'disciple' 269x in the New Testament. Good usage of Greek terms in order to better explain words and their meaning.

    NEUTRAL

    o While it is laudable that JMK encourages us to keep the Weekly Sabbath, he erroneously suggests that it ought to be celebrated from sunset to sunset. A biblical day does not start at sunset (Mainstream Judaism), nor at midnight (Pagan World), but with the light at sunrise (Gen 1:5; Proof texts are 1Sam 19:11, Exo 29:39, Lev 22:29-30, Num 11:32, Mat 28:1, Mar 27:45, Joh 19:20 et al.). Luk 24:29 reveals the erroneous interpretation: "... Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them."

    CONS

    - He is suggesting that we become spiritual monks: "The Japanese Canadian pastor Ken Shigematsu [Mystic; dissertation on Teresa de Avila who levitated and was most probably demon-possessed] wrote, 'Every one of us has a monk or nun embryo inside of us. The scholar Greg Peters called it the monkhood of all believers. Another scholar called it the monastic impulse"

    - So we also ought to become desert fathers and mothers: "One early Christian ascetic gave this advice to regular people like you and me, people not living in the distraction-free zone of a monastery: Find in the busy city the desert of the monks. I believe the invitation of Jesus in our day is to live as desert fathers and mothers in the middle of the city."

    - Problematic quote: "But what if Jesus was more intelligent than any other teacher in history? More than Stephen Hawking or Karl Marx or EVEN the Buddha". Reflect on the word 'EVEN'.

    - Heavy endorsement of Dallas Willard (Universalism, Contemplative Prayer / Mysticism, heretical Spiritual Formation Study Bible), I quote JMK: "I haven't quoted from Dallas Willard in a few pages, so let me make up for the lost time ..." [...] "The many teachers and writers on Spiritual Formation who gave shape to this book, but especially Dallas Willard (my "intellectual father"), Robert Mulholland, John Ortberg and James Bryan Smith. This book is full of echoes of your work".

    - Undiscerned mention of Rabbi Akiva (a famous teacher a few decades after Jesus, who is responsible for the manipulation of the Hebrew Old Testament in the 2c. AD, who was well known for hating Christ and who endorsed another messiah by name. Akiba and his disciples were the masterminds behind the Talmud including the Mishna). JMK gets it wrong when saying that Akiva had only 5 disciples - he actually had thousands of disciples.

    - Wrong claim that "the best and brightest [in JESUS' time] would go to a second level of education, called bet midrash ('the house of learning')". The beth midrash did not even exist in Jesus' time, but only in the early rabbinic period, following the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

    - Repeated endorsement of John Ortberg (Word of Faith 'Weather Warrior'; The Apprentice Gathering / Spiritual Formation; scandal involving his pedo**le son in his church; Emergent Church movement...).

    - Quote: "My Catholic FRIENDS distinguish between Catholics and practicing Catholics ..."

    - Quote: "...only 10% qualify as what the Barna Group has labeled 'resilient disciples' - which sadly does not mean they are the next Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King Jr." >> This shows the total spiritual deception of JMK. Mt. Teresa was a one of the biggest frauds in history (it should be well known that she is the direct enabler of the Jesuit priest Donald McGuire who was convicted of horrific crimes to 25 years of prison) and MLK was a false Christian as is also publicly known.

    - His "undisputed favorite is a monk named Brother Lawrence" (figurehead of Contemplative Prayer and Catholic Mysticism; mentored by Teresa of Avila on Jewish Kabbalistic / Esoteric Mysticism, he wrote the popular and highly influential book 'Practicing the Presence of God', which is obviously a main inspiration for this book).

    - Quote: "The 'Blessed Sacrament', what Protestants call the Lord's Supper, was the holiest moment in the spiritual life."

    Reflect on his telling perspective. He later in the book claims to be a Protestant, but this claim is truly ridiculous. I have seen it now repeatedly that Jesuits call themselves either non-denominationals or Protestants, because they consider themselves as a higher class of- and set apart from Catholics, and most obviously disguise themselves.

    - JMK tries to justify Contemplative Prayer by using 2Cor 3:18. But although the meaning is certainly close, neither Strong's (G2734) nor any Bible translation except the NIV (I have not found any other) are using the translation 'contemplate' for katoptrizomai. He is rather clutching at straws for trying to defend his concept of CP.

    His definition of CP also reveals the antibiblical nature of it: "Yet CP isn't looking to get anything from God, it's just looking at God. I look at Him, He looks at me, and we are happy." Aha.

    - Quote: "I'm with the theologian Karl Rahner (Jesuit priest), who said, 'The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all. You know why I think he is right? Because the Christian of the past was a mystic (but not of Early Christianity). And if we don't recapture contemplation, we will not exist at all in the corrosive soil of the secular west [...] I'm aware that the label mystic is a turnoff for some [...] I usually slip them a mischievous smile ..."

    - Although he does not mention extrabiblical disobedience when he proposes to create and follow 'Rules of Life' (regulas) in a church- and personal level, he takes us rather into extrabiblical waters when considering that the Catholics used their 'Rule of Faith' to justify extrabiblical / papal traditions and liturgy, and that the term originates with the monk St. Benedict.

    - He endorses the problematic teacher Gary Thomas, who teaches his own wisdom of '9 spiritual temperaments', which includes "loving God with the senses - candles, incense, materials ... [does this sound Catholic?] ... through rituals, symbolism and liturgy [it can hardly become more Catholic] ... in solitude, fighting injustice [activism]".

    - Endorsement of Darrell Johnson (leading the Canadian Church Leaders Network CCLN which heavily endorses Spiritual Formation, The WAY Church Vancouver, Enneagram, friends with Eugene Peterson - both had been at Regent College).

    - He repeats the questionable claim that the same power of CHRIST is available to us (greater works).

    - He ridicules street evangelism, which is an evil behavior. There are some excesses, but it is a very important field.

    From a biblical point of view, we rather require a defense for services within buildings than for worship outside of them. Open-air churches were throughout Bible history the most prevalent places of teaching and worship. "A preacher who has never preached beyond the walls of his meeting house, would need very potent arguments to prove that he has done his full duty" (Quote from a teacher I do not endorse).

    CHRIST was a street preacher, as were Amos, Ezra, Isaiah, Jeremiah, JESUS' disciples, John the Baptist, Jonah, Paul, et al.

    - Endorsement of John Wimber from the highly problematic Vineyard Movement.

    - He repeats the suspicious story of how his wife faced for 15 years a rare neurological disorder, resulting in the last 5 years in shaking / facial spasms / loss of vision et al. She then took the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course by Peter Scazzero and created a Genogram, pointing her to generational curses she then broke through a prayer by a third person >> I quote from the book: "My own wife was dramatically delivered, under the care of an older, mature disciple of Jesus, from a four-generation-old demonic curse. It's a long, incredible story straight out of the New Testament."

    - Nonsensical statements to close with: "Over a millennia and a half ago, Evagrius Ponticus said, 'The beginning of salvation is to condemn oneself" [...] "But it must be said: Anything can become a spiritual discipline if we offer it to God as a channel of grace." [...] "Speech is the organ of the present world, Silence is the mystery of the world to come. In silence, we enter into the mystery of the world to come - and into God himself" Aha. I might add that no, there is no silence in the world to come, not even in Gehenna.

    ENDORSEMENT BY ASSOCIATION:

    - Jesuits: Ignatius of Loyola (founder of Jesuit order), Jean Pierre de Caussade (Jesuit priest as he explicitly pointed out!), Karl Rahner (German Jesuit priest and theologian)

    - Catholics: Annie Dillard (Catholic author), Augustine (a great Antichrist, patriarch of Calvinism, third doctor of RCC and and provider of most their doctrines, key figure for introduction of Apocrypha), G.K. Chesterton, Henri Nouwen (Catholic priest and big name in Mysticism / Contemplative Prayer), Jim Caviezel (devout Catholic, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Passion of Christ), St. John of the Cross (Carmelite), Michael Burkhimer (declared himself in the endorsed book a 'liberal Catholic'), Robert N. Bellah (Episcopalian sociologist), Ronald Rolheiser (Catholic priest, member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate) Rosaria Butterfield, Teresa de Avila (Catholic doctor, levitated !!!, spiritual visitations)

    - Augustinians: Craig Dystra, Eugene Peterson (Message Bible, ecumenical Regent College, deleted 'homos**uality' from his bible translation, Editor of the heretical 'The Spiritual Formation Study Bible', Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism), Marjorie J. Thompson (Presbyterian, author of 'Family, The Forming Center and Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life')

    - Anglicans: The Alpha Course, A.W. Tozer, C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ), Margaret Guenther (Anglican Priest), Nicky Gumbel (Holy Laughter movement, Ecumenicalism, personal meeting with the Pope), Pete Hughes (King's Cross Church), Tish Harrison Warren (Anglican Priest), T.S. Eliot

    - Orthodox Church: Gregory of Nyssa (Universalist, follower of the false teacher Origen), Kallistos Katafygiotis (14th c. monk), Kallistos Ware (Orthodox bishop), Maximus the Confessor (Christian monk, theologian, and scholar), Tito Colliander

    - Mystics: David G. Benner (one of the major heavy weights in contemplative spirituality), Frank Laubach (Union Theological Seminary > Calvinism), Gerald May (Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation), St. Isaac the Syrian (Monk from Niniveh), Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer; besides Christianity, Islam and Sufism, Gibran's mysticism was also influenced by Theosophy, Jungian psychology and the Baháʼí Faith), Madame Guyon (French Catholic mystic), Rich Villodas, Robert Mulholland, Ruth Haley Barton, Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Simone Weil (French philosopher), Thomas Keating (Trappist Monk, one of the principal developers of centering prayer), Thomas Raymond Kelly (Quaker mystic)

    - Freemasons: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Black Fraternity 'Der Igel' (The Hedgehog) in Tübingen, strong affinity for Jesuits, claimed that "the biblical witness is uncertain with regard to the virgin birth")

    - Mormons: B. J. Fogg and Stephen Covey.

    Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His, by Robin Jones Gunn, Tricia Goyer (2*) 

    Reviewed 04/07/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Some valuable prayers.

    + Commendable that the authors motivate their readers to stay pure in the time of singleness.

    CONS

    - Although they speak of purity, they speak at the same time a very liberal language. Instead of calling fornication sin, they call it to be "physically enmeshed".

    They make it appear as almost normal that a teenager commits sexual sin, while celebrating one boy who actually made it to stay pure. Numerous very serious sins are mentioned, but we do not read of biblical repentance, not even after one of the authors killed her own child. It is more about self-pity, the thankfully great support through a church group and her conversion, but no word that she went on her knees and repented. When David killed a human, he seriously repented, but here we read that the authors next looked for a guy who would accept her as a single mother.

    It is also highly problematic that a Christian mother left the choice to the daughter, if to take the life of her grandchild or not.

    - Repeated use of the highly problematic Message Bible and the problematic NLT.

    - Partly nonsensical language: "The place to start praying for your future husband is in the garden of his heart".

    - They spiritualize a lot.

    - Very poor theology. Many Bible passages such as Jer 29:11 are totally taken out of context. Everything in their theology is positive and they tickle to the ears of the reader.

    - The whole concept of the book is not anti-biblical, but also not biblical. It rather reminds us of 'The Circlemaker' book, where objects and techniques are used to achieve a desired outcome. They e.g. suggest to pray with your mother for your future husband, and this not once in a while, but 6 days a week for 1 hour. This is not healthy, but a primitive manipulation of the Lord.

    If we would take all those similar pieces of advice from other books seriously, we would spend 24 hours a day for prayers about every kind of issue and would still lack time.

    - A lot of problematic and entirely undiscerned endorsements, including Charles Spurgeon (Calvinist), Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (French JESUIT priest, Darwinian, father of transhumanism), Ruth Graham (wife of the great false teacher Billy Graham) ...

    QUOTES

    "Think of your prayers as the garage door opener that lifts heaven's gates and sends reinforcement and strength to your future husband. You may not know him. You may have never seen him, but your prayers will make a difference in his life."

    Praying the Bible, by Donald S. Whitney (4*)

    Reviewed 16/01/2023 〣 100% read

    The probably best approach. So much better than other books on prayer.

    But sadly coming from a Calvinist background, although thankfully not written from that perspective.

    Pressing On Through It All, by Warren B. Smith (5*)

    Reviewed 17/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Great encouragement. I literally sang in the Spirit while listening to this book. What a joy of a book.

    + The book can be read as devotional, and includes many small word studies (e.g. on giving thanks) and overall many Bible verses.

    + Very good that it includes (encouragement for) discernment between the lines.

    + No questionable endorsements or references (except the Gettys > Calvinists).

    CONS

    - While the author endorses Thanksgiving, it would have been wise to add a remark that this is not a biblical festival.

    - He erroneously associates Daniel 12:11-12 with our end times. This is sadly a very common error. When we go back to verse 9, we notice that the wording 'sealed up until the end of times' cannot refer to our future, because we can already read the words of Daniel 12, meaning the seal had already been broken when the letter of Daniel became public (see also Isa 29:11-12 "Read this, he says, I cannot, for it is sealed."). While we instinctively associate 'end of times' with our future, it can also and in this case must refer to the end of an earlier period in history.

    Dan 12:8-13: "And I heard, but I understood not: and I said, O Lord, what will be the end of these things? 9 And He said, Go, Daniel: for the words are closed and sealed up to the time of the end. 10 Many must be tested, and thoroughly whitened, and tried with fire, and sanctified; but the transgressors shall transgress: and none of the transgressors shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time of the removal of the perpetual sacrifice, when the abomination of desolation shall be set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 But go thou, and rest; for there are yet days and seasons to the fulfillment of the end; and thou shalt stand in thy lot at the end of the days."

    The only Bible passages which are still sealed are those in the book of Revelation, e.g. of Rev 10:1-11 (the Little Scroll of the Seven Thunders which most probably includes JESUS' Second Coming, but we cannot yet read it and therefore we cannot solve the book of Revelation)

    QUOTES OF THE BOOK

    "However in today's compromised church, spiritual experience seems to be the name of the game. Consequently, there seems to be more interest in a word from G-d rather than in the Word of G-d."

    "Let us not be deceived. Jesus warned that worldwide deception — not worldwide rejoicing and worldwide revival — would be the chief sign at the end of time (Mat 24:3-5). While New Age teachers proclaim the coming of a great 'Global Spiritual Awakening' and a 'Planetary Pentecost', deceived Christian leaders similarly proclaim the coming of a great 'Global Spiritual Awakening' and a 'Second Pentecost'. However, the Bible warns of global deception, the coming of Antichrist, and a planetary holoc***."

    The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine, by A.W. Tozer (2*)

    Reviewed 05/02/2024 〣 100% read

    This book is hard to review.

    PROS

    - Overall good theology.

    - Important exhortations, although it is not clear at all to which church he is speaking (to Europe, to America, or even including Asia?).

    NEUTRAL

    o He correctly criticizes the Roman Catholic Church at the end of the book, but throughout the whole book he over and over endorses specifically Roman Catholics. This is hypocrisy at its finest. We could argue that he often endorsed Catholics who lived before the Reformation, but even those had not been ordinary Catholics of a still 'unified' church, but those with very particular connections to the Pope.

    CONS

    - He positively quoted the Chinese sage Laotze (Laozi, a supreme deity in Daoism, wrote the foundational text of Taoism and is generally considered its founder).

    - Repeated endorsement of Augustine, one of the greatest anti-Christs in history ( responsible for -most- of Catholicism's doctrines and practices, doctor of the RCC, patriarch of Calvinism, Apocrypha, doctrine of persecution, amillennialism, infant baptism, tithing, marital sex is sinful, ransom-theory, JESUS had no brothers et al).

    - Repeated endorsement of Francis of Assisi (Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans).

    - Endorsement of saint Bernard of Clairvaux (Abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, a Catholic order).

    - Endorsement of Nicholas of Cusa (appointed cardinal for his merits by Pope Nicholas V in 1448, in 1459, he became vicar general in the Papal States).

    - Endorsement of Frederick William Faber (a noted English hymn writer and theologian, who converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1845, ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1847).

    - He promoted the book 'The Cloud of Unknowing', which is Mysticism. He also made several allusions to Catholic Mysticism throughout the book.

    The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs (1*)

    Reviewed 14/03/2024 〣 100% read

    Little gods theology - stay away from the book. He states that we are individually married ('spouses') to Christ long before our glorification, that we are lords of heaven and earth, and lords over life and death (blatant heresies; there is only one LORD over life and death, and over heaven and earth). Joel Osteen looks like an amateur compared to such a teaching, which cannot be described anymore as little gods theology, but rather ought to be titled 'big gods theology with a small g' ...

    Quote 1 (p. 126):

    "The relation that thou standest in to Jesus Christ, thou art the SPOUSE of Christ: what! one married to Jesus Christ & yet troubled and discontented. Hast thou not enough in him? doth not Christ say to his spouse, as Elkanah said to Hannah, (1. Sam. 1:8. Am not I better to thee than ten Sons? So doth not Christ THY HUSBAND say to thee, Am not I better to thee than thousands of riches & comforts? such comforts as thou murmurest for want of; hath not God given thee his Son? and will he not with him give thee all things? hath the love of God been to thee to give thee his Son in way of MARRIAGE? ..."

    Quote 2 (p. 128):

    "Do but consider the high dignitie that God hath put upon thee; the meanest Christian in the World is a LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH; he hath made us KINGS unto himself, KINGS unto God, not Kings unto men to rule over them, and yet, I say, every Christian is LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, yea, of LIFE AND DEATH. That is, as Christ he is Lord of all, so he hath made those that are his Members to be LORDS OF ALL: All are yours saith the Apostle, even life and death, every thing is yours. It is a very strange expression that death should be theirs, Death is yours, that is, you are as it were LORDS OVER IT, you have that that shall make death to be your servant, your slave, even death its self, your greatest enemies are turned to be your slaves. Faith makes a Christian to be as LORD OVER ALL, to be lifted up in excellencie above all creatures that ever God made, except the Angels, yea, and in some respect above them, I say, the poorest Christian that lives, is raised to an estate above all the Creatures in the World, except Angels, yea, and ...

    ABOVE THEM in divers respects too, and yet discontented, that thou, who wert as a fire-brand of Hell, and might have been scorching and yelling and roaring there to all eternity, yet that God should raise thee to have a higher excellency in thee than there is in all the works of Creation that ever he made, except Angels, and other Christians that are in thy condition, yea, and THOU ART NEERER THE DIVINE NATURE THAN THE ANGELS, because thy nature is joyned in an hypostatical Union to the Divine nature, and in that respect thy nature is more honoured than the nature of the Angels. And the death of Christ is thine, he died for thee, and not for the Angels, and therefore THOU ART LIKE TO BE RAISED ABOVE THE ANGELS in divers respects: yea, thou that art in such an estate as this is, thou that art set apart to the end, that God ..."

    - Although the book contains some very valuable and partly very good teachings (especially sermon 5 and 6), it is marked by intellectual babbling which might sounds impressive, but which does often make not any sense, even after re-reading it. At times it is just ridiculous. He also repeats a lot, a fact which becomes already obvious when we look at the number of 11 sermons he requires to explain Christian contentment to his church.

    - The book follows a similar deceptive / trojan principle like many other heretical books. The author gains the trust of the reader in the first half of the book, and then reveals his evil agenda in this case in sermon 7 out of 11. Satan is very crafty, to wrap such heresies as seen above into a desirable teaching about Christian contentment. This is precisely what the Bible speaks about when it says that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

    - He mentions several times the Catholic term 'Paternosta'.

    - He endorses Jerome and Ambrose, both Catholic doctors.

    - He endorses 11 times Luther (Augustinian; removed Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation from his biblical canon; had Anabaptists executed because they rejected infant baptism; rejected inerrancy; blatant antisemitism which enabled the N**is; extraordinarily devoted to the 'Blessed Virgin Mary').

    Reclaimed: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity in a Dehumanized World, Andy Steiger, Sheri Hiebert (5*)

    Reviewed 10/11/2022 〣 100% read

    Very good book. How to restore our view on humanity through our faith in Christ and how to restore true fellowship and healthy relationships while being perfected in our purpose, before perfect relationships will frame our life on the new earth. 

    Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murray (2*)

    Reviewed 03/10/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + The book contains much valuable doctrine and thoughts about the process of salvation.

    + Good discernment on the Roman Catholic church.

    CONS

    - The foreword is inadequate. It was written 40 years after the death of Murray and it is questionable if Murray would have approved it. Carl Trueman belittles the book as too short and corrects in his foreword the teachings of Murray:

    Quote: "Others within the Reformed camp itself have taken issue with Murray, or at least with certain traditions of reading Murray, for what they see as a failure to distinguish clearly between justification and sanctification."

    Such a practice -no matter the amount of errors a book contains- is inadequate. Publishers should abstain from adding to, and manipulating a book, but should instead encourage authors to update their works in due time.

    - A book which focuses on biblical salvation, but does not contain the clear call to baptism, is insufficient. He mentions baptism, but rather to downplay it, a typical behavior within Reformed circles.

    - He generally lacks an understanding between the important differentiation between PRESENT and FUTURE tense in regards of 'Salvation', and also in regards of 'Justification'. He understands Justification as a one-time process, although there are several passages that clearly imply a future aspect of it, and even Calvinists such as John Piper have come to see this.

    He mentions once the term 'Eschatological salvation' when it is unavoidable in Php 2:12-13, but generally lacks to differentiate between the tenses.

    - The author teaches the anti-biblical doctrine of 'Limited Atonement', while sadly not understanding the important difference between the OFFER and the ACCEPTANCE of the same:

    Quote: "The doctrine of "limited atonement" which we maintain is the doctrine which limits the atonement to those who are heirs of eternal life, to the elect. That limitation insures its efficacy and conserves its essential character as efficient and effective redemption."

    Biblical: JESUS came to save the world. He died for all men (Universal Atonement).

    Calvinism: JESUS came to save the elect. He died only for the elect (Limited Atonement).

    > The offer of CHRIST is universal and unlimited, while only the acceptance is limited, based on our free will. Calvinism teaches that both are limited, because everything is preordained.

    Quote: "Did he come to put all men in a salvable state? OR did he come to secure the salvation of all those who are ordained to eternal life?"

    But at least he later in the book balances this doctrine, in a step unusual for Calvinists (although he rather employs a double tongue):

    "The gospel offer is not restricted to the elect or even to those for whom Christ died."

    - Propagation of the unbiblical 'Once-Saved-Always- Saved' theology ('Unconditional Salvation').

    Quote: "Is not the biblical record as well as the history of the church strewn with examples of those who have made shipwreck of the faith? And do we not read that it is "impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they fall away, to renew them again unto repentance" (Heb. 6:4-6)?

    [...] But while it is true that only those who persevere are saints, the question remains: will the saints persevere? Is it so ordained and provided by God that those who do truly believe in Christ will persevere to the end? The answer to this question is, emphatically, yes. Here it is just as important to deny the Arminian tenet that the saints may "fall from grace" as it is to counteract antinomian presumption and license.

    [...] We need to appreciate what is at stake in this controversy. If saints may fall away and be finally lost, then the called and the justified may fall away and be lost. But that is what the inspired apostle says [misinterpretation of Rom 8:28-30, see below] will not happen and cannot happen - whom God calls and justifies he also glorifies."

    - He commits a rookie mistake in regards of biblical exegesis when he assumes Rom 8:28-30 (the Golden Chain) to be prescriptive although it is written mainly in past tense.

    He also does not differentiate between the 2 different Greek words commonly translated identically as 'called', while he actually speaks a lot about this word and would have looked up the Greek meanings.

    [G2822, ΚΛΗΤΟΙϹ, kletois: invited]

    [G2564, ΕΚΑΛΕϹΕΝ, ekalesen: call aloud]

    We are called in the sense of being invited, to go through a very similar process the Old Testament saints such as Abraham or Moses previously went in their successful sanctification, before the image of His Son appeared on the earth. Although the principle of this golden chain might be applied to us, we are not guaranteed to go automatically all the way, just because people in the past did so. But Calvinism constantly misinterprets this passage as being as prescriptive (instead of rather being descriptive!).

    - The chapter where he discusses the order of the elements of salvation, is highly confusing and contains a number of errors, but it does not fit here to elaborate on this and would rather result in more confusion.

    - The book was written at the request of 'The Presbyterian Guardian' (Calvinism). The foreword contains also clear references to that denomination:

    "As a minister in my own denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and as a key faculty member in the early days of Westminster Theological Seminary, Murray loved the Westminster Standards and the theology which they teach."

    - Murray endorses the Westminster confession (Calvinist manifest).

    - He endorses Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (who is heavily endorsed in both the Catholic and Reformed church; he was a Catholic doctor and taught Calvinistic doctrine):

    Quote: "They are, first, the view known as that of hypothetical necessity and, second, the view which we may call that of consequent absolute necessity. The former was held by such notable men as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The latter may be regarded as the more classic protestant position."

    Augustine was one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, ... He was also the father of the doctrine of persecution.

    The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant (1*)

    Reviewed 21/03/2024 〣 10% read

    1. We might apply an 'artistic license', when we read the author's claim that Laban's wife had died before Jacob arrived. Movies do add certain decorative details, so she might.

    ---

    2. But we already have a serious transgression when the author claims that Laban was upset to meet Jacob, while the Bible tells us the exact opposite.

    Genesis 29:13 "And it happened that when Laban heard the message about Jacob, the son of his sister, he ran to meet him. And he embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house."

    Book: "Laban was anything but pleased by the appearance of his Nephew. Not much caused the old man pleasure, and hungry strangers were unwanted surprises. Still, there was nothing to be done, he had to honor the claim of a kinsman, and there was no denying the connection between them. [...] "You are welcome," Laban said, without smiling or returning his nephew's salute."

    ---

    3. And then, only half an hour into the book, and after the author had already assigned a whole array of specific gods to each of the daughters of Laban, Diamant utters heresy of the worst kind.

    "Jacob grew ill, that's what happened. He vomited every morsel. He threw up until he was weak and whimpering. He cried out to E* and to Is**ar and Ma**uk and his blessed mo**er, to save him from his agonies and let him die."

    It could be true that not only Laban worshiped gods, but also Rachel. But Jacob? He had just received a significant promise from THEOS on his way, and he swore his loyalty to Him. There is not the least of a hint that Jacob could have worshiped four (!) other gods.

    Heresy is insufficient to describe this passage, it is blasphemy. Why? Because we speak of Jacob and we know THEOS as the THEOS OF ISRAEL. Jacob is Israel. The author essentially calls THEOS 'the god of an idol-worshiper'.

    Avoid and mark this author. Anita Diamant is clearly disqualified to be a Christian or a Jewish author.

    Remarriage is Adultery Unless, by David Pawson (3*)

    Reviewed 27/11/2024 〣 2x read

    PROS

    + Excellent theology concerning divorce and remarriage (5 stars).

    CONS

    - While he masterfully defends commandment #7, he rather misleads the reader regarding commandment #4. This is tragic. (-2 stars)

    Quote #1: "For example, neither Adam nor Abraham observed the Sabbath."

    > This is a speculation, which is probably not true. With the same logic, most other pre-Sinai violations of the 10 commandments would have had no grounds for counting as transgression.

    Quote #2: "The exception seems to be the fourth [commandment], concerning [Weekly] Sabbath observance (e.g. Romans 14:5-8; Colossians 2:16-17). However, the seventh is clearly carried through."

    > Colossians 2:16-17 is one of the most often misunderstood verses of the Bible and a classic example of not reading a Bible verse in context. When we read the 3 previous verses (13-15), the traditional interpretation of verses 16-17 'evaporates'. The paragraph speaks of 'handwriting' (pointing to Moses' books); 'laws against us' (the Moral Law was for us see Psa 19:7 and Act 7:38); and of 'nailing it to the cross' (600+ Mosaic Laws) and therefore clearly refers to Sabbaths of Sabbaths (Feasts) and not to Weekly Sabbaths as often wrongly assumed.

    > Romans 14:5 is another verse that suffered a lot of misinterpretation. In order to believe that this verse is speaking about the Weekly Sabbath, we would have to inject it into the text, based on a preconceived belief, rather than getting it from the text itself. The entire chapter 14 of Romans is exclusively related to food (17 references to food!) and the verse most probably relates to either pagan festivals (the Romans observed 40 days per year and the Roman Catholic Church even increased this number to ~ 72 unbiblical days per year !) and/or the Sabbaths of Sabbaths (Feasts) that were usually related to the consumption of specific food (lamb, unleavened bread, no yeast, et al ...). A Weekly Sabbath has no instructions on personal food, therefore it is grossly negligent to insert this Sabbath into this verse.

    The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, by Mark Buchanan (2*)

    Reviewed 21/04/2023 〣 100% read

    If you listen to the 2021 interview with Canadian Church Leaders Network, where Jason Ballard (Alpha Canada) wanted to declare Mark to be a guide in Christian mysticism, and to be in one catalog with Ruth Haley Barton and Richard Foster, you could have been affirmed that Jason Ballard made the correct conclusion of those books written 14 years earlier. But Mark clearly distanced himself in this interview from being put into this box and explained how his mother had initially led him into 'Eastern Religions and Mysticism' and how his wife had been his guru and Spiritual Director before a gradual transformation happened in the last decades.

    The book started very well and its writing style and intrinsic motivation of the first chapters to hold the Weekly Sabbath are very convincing. But the quality of the book soon takes a sharp u-turn, almost as if two different authors would have written the book. As soon as The Message Bible (Eugene Peterson, same college where he got his Master from), witchcraft and an obvious tendency to mysticism sneaked in, the book lost its value, from a book to be highly praised for the first chapters, to a book to be warned against.

    - He mentions in his book the 'Prayer of Examen', a prayer developed by Jesuits.

    - Hints to the book 'The Attentive Life' by Leighton Ford and Richard Foster (Renovare, Catholic Mystic, Contemplative Prayer).

    - Positive quotes and stories from books by C.S. Lewis, J.R. Tolkien and Brother Lawrence, all highly problematic teachers.

    - Quotes from Henri Nouwen, a Catholic priest and big name in Mysticism / Contemplative Prayer.

    - The author mentions several times the act of emptying yourself (Kenosis), without explaining what he means by it. Kenosis is a misapplication of JESUS having temporarily emptied Himself from His divine power. We do not have divine power to be emptied from. To the contrary, we want the Spirit to fill us to prevent demons from filling an unoccupied house (Mat 12:44).

    - He also mentions over and over 'silence and solitude', terms commonly used by Avila, Comer, Eldredge, Nouwen, Foster, Peterson, Rohr, Yancey and Willard, all supporters of Catholic Mysticism and Contemplative Prayer.

    - The author first discourages people from making others work on the Sabbath, only to later list several examples how he did and would again violate the law by purchasing e.g. after an excursion. This results in a double moral which clearly violates THEOS' command. He would have done well to show only a little of the courage he showed when going into the waters with his son and to better define the Sabbath without drifting into legalism. He also wrongly stated that the Bible does not provide any specification and e.g. totally missed the New Covenant indication in Acts to not travel extensively on the Sabbath. The book generally misses exegesis, what would be fine if other authors would plow that field. If only. The book does great in encouraging, but this does not last for long if the parameters and reasoning for the obedience are not provided.

    - The book suffers a lot of misinterpretations of Bible verses, exaggerations, invented conversations and acts. After 3/4 of the book, it became painful to see the Word of THEOS being twisted over and over again. At this point in life the author was immature in his faith (at least what is visible through his writings) and would have been disqualified for writing Christian books, while being a writer with great skills for secular books. But listening to the initially mentioned interview, I suspect that this definitely changed for good.

    - The author encourages other Christians to trespass warning signs and to risk their lives in dangerous waters.

    + The speaker of the audiobook is simply excellent.

    More regarding the Weekly Sabbath:

    - He totally misses explaining the Extraordinary / Ceremonial Sabbaths. Without this differentiation we cannot grasp the differences between Old Covenant and Moral Law, between what is gone and what is still valid. A missed opportunity to motivate people by showing the much more burdensome parts of obedience that are gone, and making the Weekly Sabbath appear easy in light of what is gone.

    - Romans 14 is misinterpreted. In order to believe that this verse is talking about the Weekly Sabbath, we would have to inject it into the text, based on a preconceived belief, rather than getting it from the text itself. The entire chapter 14 of Romans is exclusively related to food and the verse most probably relates to either pagan festivals (the Romans observed 40 days per year !) and / or the Extraordinary Sabbaths (Feasts) that were usually related to the consumption of specific food (lamb, unleavened bread, no yeast, et al.). A Weekly Sabbath has no indications at all on personal food, therefore it is grossly negligent to insert this Sabbath into this verse.

    - He leaves the timing of the Weekly Sabbath open to personal interpretation, but does not state why he thinks that THEOS leaves this choice to us. It would have been beautiful to see some boldness here and to show why a Sabbath can only mean from Sunrise Saturday to Sunrise Sunday, and not any man-made tradition.

    - The interpretation of 'Lord's Day' in Rev 1:10 is wrong. It simply means in a better translation a 'day pertaining to the LORD', ultimately describing the Sabbath in other words, while John used constantly a different term for 'the first day of the week'.

    + The interpretation of Hebrews is countercultural and indeed great. One of the few people who understand the 3 dimensions (past-, present-, and future) of those verses.

    Return from Tomorrow, by George G. Ritchie, Elizabeth Sherrill (1*)

    Reviewed 01/04/2024 〣 20% read

    Though being very cautious about heavenly tourism books, I thought to give this book a chance. But I only made it to page 26, where it became clear that the author is a Freemason.

    Quote from the time of his early hospital stay: "I looked down at the ring on my left hand: an oval of black onyx was the golden owl of the PHI GAMMA DELTA FRATERNITY, with the words 'University of Richmond 1945" running around the base."

    This repeats at page 60: "I thought I had seen heavy drinking at FRATERNITY parties in Richmond, but the way civilians and servicemen at this bar were going at it bea everything ..."

    Page 83: "Only in scouting and in the PHI GAMS had I been at ease with other people, and that was because I had been with the same group day after day."

    Page 92: "I had known Marguerite Shell for a couple of years, ever since her brother Bob joined the PHI GAMS at the University of Richmond. Bob Shell quickly became my best friend ... She was extremely popular; in fact soon after we met she was pinned to another fraternity brother of mine."

    Stay far away from this book. The ghostwriter, Elizabeth Sherrill, has worked for 7 decades directly under one of the most prolific Freemasons, Norman Vincent Peale, at Guideposts.

    While she promotes in this book Freemasonry, she promoted in 'The Cross and the Switchblade' the Pentecostal Church, Episcopal Church, Jesuits and Presbyterians and in the book 'God's Smuggler' the Roman Catholic Church and Calvinist Church.

    Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret, by Don Veinot & Marcia Montenegro (3*)

    Reviewed 16/09/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Generally speaking a well investigated book, with much needed discernment on the Enneagram.

    + Great discernment on the highly problematic teacher Richard Rohr.

    CONS

    - The authors are obviously Augustinians (Calvinists), which in itself is problematic for delivering proper spiritual discernment on a topic almost exclusively caused by Augustinians (aka the Catholic Church - Rohr is Catholic; Jesuits heavily contributed to the early Enneagram history; Episcopalians involved - see Ian Cron and Cynthia Bourgeault). The authors do not get tired to imply that only a few Catholics of so many good Catholics had been involved in the Enneagram ...

    They are also such bothered by the fact that a problematic book on the Enneagram uses a quote of Calvin, that they spend 3 pages in order to proactively refute a connection between Calvin and the Enneagram which had not even been implied by the authors of the problematic book.

    The original quote (p. 15) reads: "After learning his afternoon appointment had been canceled, Br. Dave spent extra time with me to talk about the importance of selfknowledge on the spiritual path. How, as Calvin put it, "without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God." For centuries great Christian teachers have said knowing yourself is just as important as knowing God ..."

    They do well by opposing the problematic book, but Calvin is no person to be defended - he was an anti-Christ (he copied his religion from Augustine; 'The Protestant Pope' and a brutal tyrant with dozens of victims; promotion of the Apocrypha; questioned the truthfulness of parts of Genesis; accused Matthew of mistakes; Christ died only for the elect and intercedes only for the elect ...).

    - They endorse several times and speak in great detail about the book 'Catholics and the New Age: How Good People are Being Drawn into Jungian Psychology, the Enneagram, and the Age of Aquarius' by the Jesuit Mitch Pacwa. If we have to rely on false religions to support our discernment, then something is wrong. I would not trust a single word of discernment from a Jesuit. How should Satan discern Satan?

    - Endorsement of Wayne Grudem (Calvinist, Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement; Theistic Evolution; rejects Noah's flood).

    - They seriously consider Billy Graham to be the contrast to Rob Bell:

    Quote-in-quote: "Two-thirds of evangelicals—more than Americans in general—said heaven is a place where all people will ultimately be reunited with their loved ones. That such a high percentage of Billy Graham's camp is now talking like Rob Bell isn't even the real story. The most striking thing is how many of these folks evidently see no contradiction between their casual universalism and the evangelical creed that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone."

    Billy Graham was an anti-Christ (Strong tendency towards Universalism they warn about in this book; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; he used Roman Catholic lay people as supervisors and altar workers; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; advised Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; he trained female pastors; mentored Rick Warren; Theistic Evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    - Foreword by H. Wayne House (his favorite intellectuals are Augustine, Luther, Calvin ...)


    Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together, by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, Lynn Vincent (3*)

    Reviewed 22/02/2024 〣 100% read

    If true, then this is a very powerful and very beautiful story. I was about to recommend it after the first reading, but the second reading opened my eyes to a lot of disturbing details that changed my perception of the book dramatically.

    I question the full truthfulness of the book based on the following findings:

    - The ghostwriter is Lynn Vincent, the same who wrote the fake 'Heaven is for Real'. It is apparent that the author hates most Christians, or at least the church and its traditions. She does literally not miss any opportunity to lash out against Christians and their stupid fish stickers, the 'manipulative teaching' of the pastor at Union Gospel Mission those hungry mouths had to suffer before getting fed, how for years nobody from a church would have cared for a homeless man next to it, and so on ... She has an amazing writing talent, especially the art to capture the attention of the reader through details which provoke imagination, but it is hard to grasp what percentage of the story is really true. 60%, 50% or even less? She describes details and specific sentences of conversations made decades ago and we have to question what limits artistic freedom has in a Christian book.

    This becomes especially clear when she is caught in a lie, when stating from Ron's perspective that every time he approached with his car the tunnel where the homeless were sitting, they would hide the liquor bags behind their back. There is no information how Ron could have known this and it is most certainly simply a 'decorative' lie.

    - It is clearly stated that both Ron and his wife were (or still are) Masons, specifically of the Sigma Chi and Delta Tau Delta fraternities. The book has in fact been one of the most effective publicities for Freemasonry of the last decades.

    p51 "In the meantime, Scoot and I landed our first blind dates with TCU girls, a pair of TRI DELTA pledges."

    P53 "Inside the stadium, the whole student body seemed to ogle me as if I were the victim of a fraternity prank."

    P71 "The first time I saw Deborah, I began plotting to steal her. Not for myself at first, but for SIGMA CHI, the fraternity I pledged after transferring from EAST TEXAS STATE to TCU as a sophomore. It was the spring of 1965, and I was on academic probation. Deborah, meanwhile, was a sophomore on an academic scholarship, and by the time I met her was also a TRI DELT sorority girl and a "sweetheart" of DELTA TAU DELTA, our rival fraternity. I planned to make her a SIGMA CHI sweetheart, a little inter-frat coup that carried with it the novel perk of adding an intellectual girl to our table at the Student Union. [...] One warm fall night in 1966, SIGMA CHI was gearing up for a "woodsy," an informal event in which the fraternity trooped into the woods, hauled in coolers full of iced-down beer, and made out with their dates. Only I didn't have a date, a fact I had been sharing with my friend Glenn Whittington (TEXAS CHRISTIAN / EPSILON MU, White Cross Trust Associate) when Deborah walked into the Student Union."

    p73 "I learned that she had just broken up with her boyfriend, a DELTA TAU DELTA hunk named Frank."

    - The very concept of a secret society is extra-biblical at best, and anti-biblical at worst. The Bible sets no precedent that encourages joining an organization marked by secrecy and 'hidden truth'. THEOS never commands it, and there are no examples of godly men in Scripture who joined one.

    - There is no indication in the book that Ron and his wife distanced themselves from being Masons. There is a sinner's prayer in a Methodist church, but this does not say much, especially given the fact that both did the prayer with reluctance and that there is no mention of repentance. She later shows real - and indeed extraordinary fruits, but Ron does not come across like born again, although being a better person. He still called sick while travelling on an airplane (no lament for this in the book) and they played a triple-dating-game while being believers. His adultery caused one conversation with a pastor, but not a word of sincere repentance before the Lord.

    - It is questionable that Denver's aunt indeed made it rain. Satan can fake a lot of miracles and signs, but to make it rain at the command of an individual? It is also not helpful that essential info regarding her witchcraft was hidden in the appendix of the book and only a second reading of the book enabled to connect the dots and what caused much of what Denver suffered, including the white lady friend of his aunt who indirectly provoked his near death.

    - It is strange that some cabins related to Denver burned down (mentioned in the context of searching a movie location) and that the evidence for his history is gone.

    - As this wasn't strange enough, the ghostwriter is telling us that Denver went for 20 years to prison without the authorities knowing his name. Could this be a clever strategy to make it impossible to track the truthfulness of the whole story, or could it be true that a man without name goes to prison?

    - It is odd that Ron would have driven past the presidential limousine of JFK right before JFK was killed, on his way to a date. It could have happened, but rather seems fabricated, like many other extravagant details.

    - Repeated endorsement of the false teacher C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ)

    - Endorsement of Billy Graham (great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale > accident in a book inspired by Masons?, strong tendency towards Universalism, Key figure in the ecumenical movement, used Roman Catholic lay people as supervisors and altar workers, Close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope, endorsement of female pastors)

    To conclude, we do not know the book's truthfulness. If true, it is a wonderful story. If.

    Same Words, Different Worlds Do Roman Catholics and Evangelicals Believe the Same Gospel, by Leonardo De Chirico (3*)

    Reviewed 01/10/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Much needed and well-structured discernment on the Roman Catholic Church.

    + It is with great appreciation that the author focused on terminology, and expounded the differences of the most important terms in the light of each religion.

    + Good case for biblical separation: "For the time being, Rome will not have an 'oppositional' posture in relating to non-Catholics but will always try to find commonalities, to underline unity, to stress fellowship and to embrace evangelicals as much as possible. Evangelicals need to be aware that if they want to be faithful to the Gospel they need to be 'countercultural' and talk about gospel distinctives, biblical separation, and a covenantal allegiance to the triune God that rejects idols and idolatry. Biblical truth always needs to confront and to refute error even if it comes from a traditional institution like the Roman Catholic Church."

    CONS

    - The author is a Calvinist (Reformed Baptist Church) and endorses a number of Calvinists (Peter Martyr Vermigli, R. C. Sproul, Tim Challies, et al ...).

    - The book includes extracts from works by C.S. Lewis which is inconceivable in the light of the book's teachings:

    The book rightfully teaches against Purgatory - Lewis plainly endorsed it: "Purgatory is a real place." "Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me ..."

    The book rightfully teaches against fellowship with other religions - while Lewis was even worse than the Pope in this regard: "Tao contains the highest morality of all religions" "Hindu temples are a sacrament." ... "No one can say in the proper sense that the Hindu, the Buddhist or the Muslim is an unbeliever. I would rather say that we have to recognize him as our brother in Christ." "Pagan religions have truths." ... "Christianity fulfilled paganism"

    The book rightfully teaches against evolution - Lewis was a Theistic Evolutionist: "Events found in the first three chapters of Genesis are true myths". "Man is physically descended from animals". "God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself."

    This is hypocrisy at its finest, because Lewis is very well known.

    - The book essentially teaches a false dilemma between Catholicism and Protestantism. If the author would have acknowledged that Catholics did not essentially misunderstand Augustine as implied in the book, but that the Catholic Church and Calvinism are helplessly intertwined (Augustine was responsible for -most- of Catholicism's and Calvinism's doctrines and practices; he believed in all seven Catholic sacraments), then the author would have realized that we have no need to speak about the potential end of the Reformation.

    Both were evil in its nature, even though the Reformation had certainly some good elements. But anyone who employs an unbiased discernment on Calvin and Luther (both endorsed in the book!), will quickly see that they were much rather anti-Christs than bringing us any closer to CHRIST. Satan has made us believe that we are in need of a reformation, but in reality we simply need to go back to the time before Constantine and Augustine, which means in practical terms to not accept any involvement of the church with the state, and not a head different than CHRIST, as rightly pointed out in the book.

    - The author equates baptism with 'works', which is a ridiculous claim nowhere found nor implied in the Bible. This is a typical byproduct of the Reformation, when the pendulum swung in the opposite direction, missed the truth in between and is frozen in time since half a millennium. Christianity is not defined by the accident of Catholicism or in any counterreaction to it. Baptism is indeed not a sacrament, but it is a command and it is sinful to play down its importance.

    - Heavy promotion of the Pelagian & Lutheran doctrine of 'Faith & Grace Alone', which even led Luther to interpolate those words into his Bible translation. It is tempting to use such a war cry in order to supposedly make Christianity more attractive and palatable, but no Apostle ever used this false reductionism in order to fulfill the Great Commission or respectively to bring up disciples.

    What actually saves a person (Past Salvation) is THEOS' grace, love, mercy and resurrection, together with our hearing of the Word, believing in JESUS and His resurrection, having faith, repenting from being a sinner and confessing with your mouth, usually expressed in an immediate baptism on the very same day (how far have we deviated from the ideal ...). Present Salvation further includes the regular taking of communion, denying of yourself, putting everything else second to THEOS, obedience & discipline, growing of faith, making disciples and becoming holy.

    - The endorsements include curiously enough a Catholic evangelist: "De Chirico's book is a powerful tool to help us talk about the Jesus whom we love with the people in our lives whom we love who live in a world influenced by Roman Catholicism.' The Revd Dr Mark Gilbert, Catholic evangelist, Sydney."

    - Two minor 'technical' errors: We ought not to forgive 490 times, but 77 times (The exact wording in both Gen 4:24 (Greek OT) and Mat 18:22 (Greek NT) is 'ΕΒΔΟΜΗΚΟΝΤΑΚΙϹ ΕΠΤΑ' (hebdomekontakis epta) = seventy seven = 77). And a Jubilee Year occurs every 49 years (Celebrated in the 50th year after the Sabbath Year preceding the previous Jubilee Year), not every 50 years.

    The School of Biblical Evangelism, by Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron (3*)

    Reviewed 08/11/2023 〣 100% read

    Some good and much needed teaching on the 10 commandments, but with serious flaws which practically destroy the book and make it useless for recommending it.

    PROS

    + Detailed and overall good analysis of the Moral Law.

    + Emphasis on the holiness of the LORD.

    + Condemnation of abortion and homos**uality.

    CONS

    - It is stunning that in a book dedicated to evangelism, no indication of baptism is being found. The Ethiopian Eunuch is mentioned once, and the sinner's prayer as a means to conversion is discussed, but the most important biblical display of conversion - baptism- is not even touched. What a failure.

    - Very ambiguous teaching. They teach in the book repeatedly against idolatry, but commit gross idolatry through Spurgeon, quoted at least 30 times throughout the book (it almost feels as if more often than Christ). They undoubtedly put him on the high pedestal which only belongs to Christ, and bow down to him calling him the 'Prince of Preachers'. There is only one prince of teachers, which is Christ.

    - Calvinist gong-show. Nearly all quotes (and the book is over saturated with quotes) are from Augustinians / Calvinists / Reformers / Puritans: Matthew Henry, Martin Luther, R.C. Sproul, Spurgeon, Melanchton, M.L. Jones, Wesley, Westminster Confession ...

    - An almost entire chapter is designated to the explanation of 'Total Depravity', a core tenet of Calvinism.

    - They suggest that a preacher ought to preach 90% Law and 10% Grace. What a terrible balance. We need to teach more law in North America, but not to such an extreme.

    - They plainly equate hate with murder. It is correct that JESUS now looks already at the intent, but it is spurious to claim that He equates the effective acting upon hate with hate itself. To a degree yes, but He definitely does not condemn someone who murders, with the exact same weight as someone who hates. 'Overzealous teachers' would be the designation of JESUS for those authors.

    - They repeatedly state that one lie makes you a liar, one adultery an adulterer et al. The Bible surely uses those nouns, but does certainly not mean that those sins are automatically character traits. If we study the Word carefully, we see that Christ would rather use those nouns for habitual, and unrepented sin. Yes, we are all guilty of breaking the law, but their guilt trip seems a bit over the top. This becomes also clear by Comfort's very common misinterpretation, to equate lust -ALWAYS- with adultery, ignoring that the famous verse in reference speaks to a married person and not to a single.

    Lust is sinful, but to call out on practically every evangelism someone who has once looked after a woman, an adulterer, is legalism in its worst form. Comfort uses the exactly same approach for consumers of sex videos, he calls them all adulterers. Lust is a severe sin, but the fact that adultery was condemned in the OT by death and fornication not, should have us ponder. It is deeply concerning that 3 well-educated authors do not know those differences, but in the end it is just an instrument they use in order to subdue and prepare the reader to the concept of total depravity introduced at the end of the book, which main purpose is to transform us into extras when it comes to salvation, repeating the false mantra 'you cannot do anything for your salvation, Christ is doing 100%.' The Word says 'work out your salvation with fear and trembling' (Php 2:12).

    - Repeated endorsement of the false teacher C.S. Lewis, of Karl Marx and some philosophers.

    - Righteous criticism of the Roman Catholic Church, but endorsement of a Franciscan in the book. This is hypocrisy. Once again we see the spirit of Augustine through Calvinists who cry loudest against the Catholic Church (in order to distract from their true spirit), but secretly endorse it wherever they can. No wonder, considering the fact that Augustine was the third doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and Luther as Augustinian, having continued to practice many of the core tenets of that version of Catholicism after his excommunication and for the rest of his life. The list of Calvinists who are under fire for Catholicism (e.g. Augustine, Tim Keller, Rick Warren et al) is getting longer ...

    - Watering down of the Weekly Sabbath through spurious arguments and by interpolating words into Bible verses that are simply not there (they lied by explicitly stating that the word 'Sabbath' is included in both Rom 14:5 and Col 2:16). Very bad theology. One should expect much better from teachers who supposedly have studied theology.

    They claim that if you follow the Weekly Sabbath, you are guilty of following the 613 Ceremonial Laws. What a ridiculous claim, one has little to do with the other, apart from the Weekly Sabbath being specified in more detail in the 600+ laws, but essentially being a part of the 10 Moral Laws. No matter if their professors have taught them wrongly in the past, they as teachers have the responsibility to study the Bible continuously. If they teach an entire book on the law, they have to be experts on the law (at least Moral Law) ! But the differentiation between Moral, Ceremonial and Oral Law is not even made in the book, and they have probably never studied it properly.

    It is correct that the Bible does not state that we ought to worship on the Sabbath, but I do not know any Sabbath keeper who has a problem with holding the Sabbath on Saturday and going to church on Sunday. There is simply no other option if you do not want to join an SDA. To create now the false dichotomy that Sabbath keepers insist on worshiping on Saturday and that their obedience is based on the opposition to the RCC only, is simply an evil intent of discrediting faithful believers as conspiracy theorists.

    It is also a lie that Paul preached on the Sabbath only to Jews. There are several explicit examples where he preaches either only to Gentiles or to both groups on a Sabbath. The Bible even uses the PRESENT PARTICIPLE (continuous / ongoing action) when stating in Act 13:27 and Act 15:21 that the prophets / Moses are -BEING READ- on every Sabbath to both Jews and Gentiles in the synagogues.

    Act 20:7 involved an extraordinary teaching in a addition to preceding Sabbath teaching, because Paul was leaving the next day, and 1Cor 16:2 involved an extraordinary collection for the poor in Jerusalem, but both verses are being sold as icebreakers for the 'Lord's Day', properly translated in Rev 1:10 with a 'day pertaining to the LORD' and most probably meaning the Weekly Sabbath, while John constantly used 'First Day' for Sundays.

    Col 2:13-17 is of course also abused as justification, while it reads: "Therefore do not let anyone judge you [judging does not even equal an abolition!] with reference to eating or drinking or participation in a feast ['feast' = clearly Ceremonial Law; no feast included in the 10 commandments of which the Weekly Sabbath is essentially part of] or a New Moon or a [Ceremonial] Sabbath, which are a shadow of what is to come, but the reality is CHRIST."

    The same abuse occurs in the book with Rom 14:5, which reads: "One person prefers one day over another day, and another person regards every day alike. [...] The one who is intent on the day ['the' = very specific days, no regular Sabbath] is intent on it for the LORD, and the one who eats, eats for the LORD, because he is thankful to THEOS."

    The entire chapter of Romans 14 speaks of food (14x 'eat' or 'abstain'), while the Weekly Sabbath has very little-, but the Ceremonial Sabbaths have a lot- to do with food. Another hint is the term 'unclean' (mentioned 3x), constantly relating to Ceremonial Laws in the Old Testament.

    We should not only read in context if we are positively biased on a topic, but especially when we are negatively biased, or when we are simply not certain. And we should urgently abstain from cherry-picking individual verses, and from injecting a reading into the text, which is exclusively based on a preconceived belief, rather than getting it from the text itself.

    The Search For Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God's Eyes, by Robert S. McGee (3*)

    Reviewed 10/01/2024 〣 100% read

    He teaches much valuable wisdom and I am grateful for him sharing his professional experiences with the world.

    Especially the chapter 'guilt vs conviction' is great.

    He also teaches many important elements of the Gospel, but not the Gospel. It is rather a feel-good gospel which tickles our ears.

    Could you ever imagine that Paul would utter sentences such as: "Nothing can come between what you do and God's love for you as one of His children"? Certainly not. Paul or James would rather warn us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Yes, there is an essential aspect of THEOS' love that does never stop. But there is no such thing as 'unconditional' love, only 'benevolent' love which is a huge difference. God clearly expresses His appreciation in nuances, and unrepented sin does certainly not imply the exact same degree of His love as the author implies.

    Or could you ever imagine Paul saying "God wants us to live our life to the fullest"? Certainly not. Paul would rather tell us of his hardships.

    It is also not correct to claim that we can add nothing to our salvation. How about repentance, belief, faith, self-denial, communion, following JESUS et al.? That's quite a lot we ought to contribute, especially in the time of Present Salvation (sanctification).

    The mention of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ) in a Christian book is shocking (no matter who many others do the same), but at least only once. I would also not quote Sigmund Freud (considered God as a phantasy) in a Christian book. 

    Overall he teaches much valuable wisdom and I am grateful for him sharing his professional experiences with the world.

    The Secret Battle of Ideas about God: Overcoming the Outbreak of Five Fatal Worldviews, by Jeff Myers (3*)

    Reviewed 21/05/2024 〣 100% read

    Good apologetics, but with a serious lack of discernment, rarely seen of such a dimension in a Christian book.

    PROS

    + Some good discernment on problematic -isms, movements and religions. But very shallow. He speaks e.g. a lot about Islam, but does not even give some key facts specifying the problems in comparison with Christianity. When did it start, what writings do they base their belief on, why is there a moon in their flags, how to deal with a Muslim ...?

    + Good defense of Christianity.

    + Great choice to read his book.

    CONS

    - He speaks at least 3 times of his membership in an undefined fraternity, without warning the reader in any way about the enormous danger and evil of Freemasonry. This is unacceptable in an apologetic book, and especially problematic seeing later in the book his specific endorsement of the freemason Ronald Reagan.

    - He speaks of Paul through the term 'Saint Paul', of people like 'Father Smith', highly endorses the Catholic church (the hospitals they built et al.) and specific Catholics such as Bruce D. Marshall, G.K Chesterton and J.R.R. Tolkien in this book.

    - He furthermore endorses Anglicans such as the highly problematic teacher John Stott and multiple times C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - He endorses William Lane Craig (Proponent of Theistic Evolution Adam & Eve = Homo heidelbergensis; one million years ago ... contradicting the 77 generations in Luke 3:23-28; he claims that the genre of Genesis 1-11 is pure myth; rejects the Flood and the Tower of Babel; serious errors related to the Trinity and Incarnation; he does not believe in the inerrancy of Scripture).

    - He twice recommends a book from J.R.R. Tolkien (One of The Jerusalem Bible translators, a Catholic Bible with 73 books, with the translators claiming that Moses did not write the Pentateuch; Tolkien resisted the liturgical changes implemented after the Second Vatican Council, especially the use of English for the liturgy, he continued to make the responses in Latin, loudly, ignoring the rest of the congregation; he invented new languages, clearly showing his unbiblical intentions by propelling the consequences of the Tower of Babel even further; his books are consistent with Roman doctrine and ideology, and none of the characters are redeemed or changed - NONE - good characters remain good; evil characters remain evil).

    - Endorsement of Timothy Keller in a book opposing Marxism ... (Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...).

    - Endorsement of the problematic teacher A.W. Tozer.

    - While the reader can usually discern if he refers to a certain person in a positive or negative way, we do not always find this to be the case. In the case of Eckhart Tolle, we see on the one hand his discernment, but also clearly sense a certain admiration of the author towards him.

    -He quotes several times from the myth of pandora from the ze** god, without discerning the writing. He definitely generates a sublime motivation to read that writing, which is to eventually mislead people.

    Sadly not a recommendation. We do not need more books on the -isms he and dozens of other authors have discerned before him - all concepts easy to grasp. We need discernment in the areas he (and many other authors and teachers out there) are struggling with.

    A Secular Age, by Charles Taylor (1*)

    Reviewed 14/08/2024 〣 20% read / 8 out of 42 hours listened / reading stopped after noticing the author being a Catholic and probably even Jesuit.

    This book must be what JESUS warned us all about, a clanging cymbal. Endless speech containing some interesting content in between the lines, but a going back and forth with close to zero spiritual guidance.

    One of a kind of authors who love the sound of their overly eloquent and intellectual words, but who does not have a stand for neither good nor evil and who shies away from definite discernment in a biblical light, and throws everything in a big pot while leaving the decision to the reader what to chose or to stumble about. He criticizes a lot, but does not know what he wants and offers no white teaching.

    - He speaks a lot about the temporal need of certain past generations for anti-structure and does present it as almost necessary relief in times of perceived oppression, but he does not teach us what the Bible has to say about temporal disobedience and its consequences.

    - He repeatedly described it as essentially ridiculous that only a minority of humanity would be saved. This is the antithesis of the Good Message of Christ and it is unclear at this point why this book is being endorsed as Christian.

    - He endorses several times Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits. When speaking about Catholic Mysticism, having been practised also by Ignatius and Teresa (either Mother or de Avila), he defends its value.

    - He correctly criticizes Calvinism and Catholicism with some of its practices (e.g. purgatory and prayers to Mary), but later we read numerous times about accounts where he is either undecided or even uses both for constructive examples. Nowhere does he warn us precisely about the evil nature of both religions, and to stay away from false teachers such as Augustine, Jerome and Origen he speaks about with casualty and with little to no precise discernment.

    UPDATE AFTER THE REVIEW: He is found to have been brought up by a Catholic mother and ascribes to Catholicism. This is astonishing given the fact that he distracts in this book by criticizing his own faith. But in the light of him being a Jesuit this makes sense - a Catholic order which considers itself 'elite' in the Catholic world and looks down at the ordinary Catholics (see separate discernment).

    - We can perceive a certain fascination of the author for Buddhism.

    - The author makes the astounding claim that a young creation is an idea developed in modernity (and as stupid as evolution). This is a blatant lie.

    Quote: "The battles only arose because and where biblical religion was held prisoner to the cosmos' idea, placing the creation of the world on a certain day. In 4004 BC is a prime example of this kind of thinking paradoxically using the modes of exact calculation developed in modernity to entrench oneself in the cosmos bastion. As is the refusal of the very idea of an evolution of species. As against the more implausible aspects of neodarwinianism. There was no bar as such to rethinking biblical religion within the universe. And some earlier thinkers, Origin [false teacher] and Nicholas of Cusa [Catholic] already had done something of this kind, not to speak of Pascal [Catholic], whose invocation of the Eternal Silence of infinite spaces places him firmly beyond the range of the cosmos and the music of its fears."

    The following sources affirm the Greek OT in regards of the age of humanity - approx. 5500 BC:

    • (1c. AD) Flavius Josephus
    • (158 BC) Eupolemus
    • (2c. AD) Hippolytus of Rome
    • (2c. AD) Theophilus of Antioch
    • (198 AD) Clement of Alexandria
    • (221 AD) Julius Africanus
    • (4c. AD) John Chrysostom
    • (5c. AD; strong discernment required) Augustine of Hippo
    • (~5-6c. AD) Alexandrian World Chronicle
    • (7c. AD) Isaac the Syrian
    • (691 AD) Quinisext Council
    • (~1460 AD) Doukas ...

    - He speaks in one chapter about the reaction to nakedness in different times and places, but there is zero biblical orientation if this is now a sin or not. He treats it as totally normal that e.g. servants had to support the nakedness of their masters, although this is a severe sin according to the Bible, which no servant would have to tolerate.

    The Seduction of Christianity: Spiritual Discernment in the Last Days, by Dave Hunt (4*)

    Reviewed 27/09/2024 〣 100% read

    Excellent and much needed book.

    Old in writing time and including some names we are not familar with anymore, but more relevant than ever.

    Only the positive quotations of Calvin (1x) and C.S. Lewis (2x, specific reference to one of his witchcraft books) are problematic.

    Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, by Nabeel Qureshi (4*)

    Reviewed 25/01/2023 〣 100% read

    Good theology, especially regarding the Trinity. A true eye-opener when it comes to how best understand and approach Muslims.

    He only missed the chance to admit that the Masoretic Bible was indeed manipulated. He later quotes the Septuagint, but never admits that our very own Bible was also manipulated, although in a very small dimension when compared to the Quran. He also made some arguments which could be held against the Bible and misses the opportunity to explain that to a Muslim instead of giving him a point of attack.

    I warmly recommend the book, especially the audio version which is spoken in a very refreshing way by the author himself.

    Important note: The author had a strong connection to the highly problematic teacher Ravi Zacharias and frequently traveled with him. While this book can be recommended, I have not formed a comprehensive discernment on Nabeel.

    A Severe Mercy: A Story of Faith, Tragedy, and Triumph, by Sheldon Vanauken, C.S. Lewis (2*)

    Reviewed 21/09/2023 〣 100% read

    Definitely not a book for Christians:

    - He was a Roman Catholic, his wife an Anglican.

    Quote "An important insight struck us—Davy and me—one day when we realized that our friends, though Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran, were united by far more—mere Christianity, as Lewis would put it —than divided them. 'And they're all so—so happy in their Christianity,' said Davy."

    Quote: "What moved her was Anglo-Catholic worship with its emphasis on the altar and the sacraments, as well as its deep aesthetic appeal. "

    Quote: "Davy and I had been moving about a bit among the Oxford churches, and we came to accept, essentially, the high-church position that the Anglican church was part of the Church Catholic. And we found the Anglo-Catholic mass very beautiful. As a result of the high-church veneration of Mary, the Blessed Virgin, I wrote a sonnet on her:" ...

    Quote: "One night Julian and Davy-and I had a deep and gentle talk about poetry and Mary Virgin - what she means to man and her role in the Kingdom. Out of that long night's talk there came another of my Oxford sonnets, dedicated lovingly to Julian: [...] Looks down to earth where, reassured, we bless the sun in her, our lady of the night. O lady, eyes can neither bear the pain. Of utter light, nor see without it how. To walk, so blindly stumbling we are drawn. To seek that light in you who see it plain. Be with us, lady, through the darkness, now. And at the awful hour of the dawn."

    - Strong endorsement and several letters printed from C.S. Lewis, who was strongly influenced by George MacDonald (a universalist): "Adam was married to a demon named Lilith before he married Eve ... the devil will eventually be redeemed." The character of Lilith shows up in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', as the mother of the white witch. Lewis 'Christianized' white witchcraft. He wrote the heretical book series (Chronicles; Narnian; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) long after his 'conversion' in 1931 and 8 years -after- 'Mere Christianity'. Lewis dedicated his autobiography to Bede Griffiths, who founded a 'Christian ashram' in India. Lewis: "Hindu temples are a sacrament." ... "No one can say in the proper sense that the Hindu, the Buddhist or the Muslim is an unbeliever. I would say rather that we have to recognize him as our brother in Christ." Quote Lewis: "Pagan religions have truths." ... "Christianity fulfilled paganism". Lewis presented 2 Roman gods as visible angelic deities on Planet Venus in his book, Perelandra. Lewis denied the literal Adam and Eve; theistic evolutionist. "Events found in the first three chapters of Genesis are true myths". "Man is physically descended from animals". "God perfected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself." Quote Lewis: "Tao contains the highest morality of all religions". Lewis rejected biblical inerrancy and believed in neither sola fide nor sola scriptura. Quote Lewis: "Purgatory (Catholic doctrine) is a real place." "Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me ..." Very close friends with J.R.R. Tolkien. J.K. Rowling (author of demonic Harry Potter series): "C.S. Lewis is one of my two favorite authors"!

    Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life's Storms, by Tim Tebow (3*)

    Reviewed 10/04/2024 〣 100% read

    A good book, if read with a good portion of discernment.

    PROS

    + Beautiful testimony to the world.

    + Great example regarding the prison ministry.

    CONS

    - He did not say anything regarding his motivation to write the book.

    - He states that he has consultants for his football career, but it would have been infinitely more important to consult a seasoned Christian to have a look at the book before having published it. The book could be easily an excellent book if someone had looked over it. The lack of mentorship becomes apparent when it comes to his fundamental lack of discernment. Approx. 70-80% of the quotations are from problematic teachers (Martin Luther King was clearly a false believer, Ravi Zacharias, Taylor Swift is closer to the dark world than to the light, Mother Teresa was very dark although highly esteemed, Rick Warren does not require explanation, Charles R. Swindoll ...).

    - His theology comes very close to Joel Osteen. Although we can appreciate his positive attitude of encouragement, his attitude is also of tickling, of saying what others want to hear. You can read throughout the book phrases such as 'God has a wonderful plan for your life', 'God has a purpose for your life', 'God is all about love', et al. He preaches the Good Message, but it is a Gospel light and definitely far away from the real deal.

    - Although I agree that a prayer similar to the sinner's prayer can be useful, he commits the serious mistake to lead an unbeliever to believe that this prayer equates to a conversion. It is especially problematic given the fact that he does neither in the book nor in this prayer include anything proactive regarding repentance, which is absolutely essential for a conversion. His prayer includes a 'thank you for your forgiveness', but it should be apparent that this is far from an active act of repentance.

    - The book feels a lot like a self-promotion of him and his ministries.

    - He employs a significant creative license when retelling the stories of the Bible. The stories of David and Job are decorated with details nowhere found in the Bible. He goes as far as to say that Paul was probably in a prison, where he had to stand in hip-high sewage. This is highly problematic and sheds a negative light on the Bible and on the LORD. It is also apparent from his repeated mentions of Paul (lacking respect in his language, making him appear just as a random guy) and by the exclusive use of the NLT and NIV, that he has not a high view of Paul and probably of Scripture as a whole. He has his heart on the right spot, but there is little holiness.

    - He endorses Hellen Keller who advocates the teaching that the Second Coming of JESUS CHRIST had already taken place. Quote of her: "His Providence needs to be universal ... He has provided religion of some kind everywhere, and it does not matter to what race or creed anyone belongs if he is faithful to his ideals of right living."

    Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage, by Kevin Leman (2*)

    Reviewed 30/04/2024 〣 100% read

    It is a rare occurrence when the Holy Spirit gives me suddenly a heavy and troubled heart. Such a thing happened while listening less than 2 hours into the book. I could not continue it and had to lay it aside. Oh what a grace to be prevented from harm. There is close to zero holiness in the book, and it contains not only dangerous, but actually harmful teachings.

    PROS

    + Direct language.

    + Some good and much needed teachings (e.g. the importance of variation).

    + Rejection of a**l s*x and p***graphy, even when consumed as a couple.

    CONS

    - It would perfectly go as a secular book, if it would not be decorated with some Bible verses here and there and e.g. the warning to not have sex before marriage. The lust reflected and projected by the author is not a biblical, but a rather worldly lust.

    - He propagates to masturbate in the shower, as long as you do not think of someone else. He teaches what is not stipulated in the Bible, but does it in its name, which is heretical.

    - He propagates self-stimulation for the coming husband, with the primitive reason to later be trained to delay the O. This is also heretical and a very dangerous teaching. Self-masturbation has no place in the life of a believer. 

    - He propagates for the coming wife a full medical examination 3 months before the wedding, and "preparatory exercises to help prepare your body". Imagine reading that in the Bible. ~Wives, go to a doctor who uncovers your intimate parts and verifies that you are ready to have intercourse with your husband~ Obviously, we would not imagine anything alike in the Word (although not everything is stipulated, but in everything we ought to ask if it would fit) ...

    The medical profession is a great help in need, but we should not become perfectionists ... Our LORD designed us in such a way that we will have surprises in life, and our dealing with those surprises is part of our sanctification.

    - He mentions casually the use of contraception, without providing any framework for it. As soon as a Christian author touches this subject (which is not necessarily bad), he has to speak out a warning about the birth control pills which could kill in the womb without knowing it. And a book dedicated to marital sex has to have at least one chapter on contraception and not just a few lines spread over the book.

    - There is no introduction about biblical sex. No definition, no short word study about how this important topic is reflected in the Bible. What is the purpose of sex? What is the definition of unhealthy and unhealthy lust? What does the Bible say about conception, contraception, the time of pregnancy, child-birth, miscarriage, barrenness and its influence on sex, and sex during menstruation?

    Nothing. Nada. Instead, we encounter his obsession with the O, how to get the most out of sex (under the very shallow pretense of doing it for the partner), language such as 'd-st**e and swallowing' spoken about as almost normal things for a Christian. This is scandalous and a teaching of self-gratification.

    We are not strictly confined by what is written in the Bible. We might indeed be allowed to do more than many Christians think. But he clearly wanders in the area of serious transgression.

    Mast***tion. Swallowing. D-st**e. Quickies. Gourmet s*x. When we reflect on his teachings, and meditate on what could actually come straight out of the mouth of JESUS, we notice that Kevin is a dangerous false teacher.

    - When asked how to react to the usage of pornography of the partner, he advises against counselling, AND ONLY for technically restricting the computer, but offers neither spiritual guidance nor any word about repentance (!!!) ... Leman should not be a Christian minister. A true teacher cannot give such an advise.

    -Scripture quotations are taken from the NLT, a rather problematic translation.

    Simple Answers: Understanding the Catholic Faith, by Ray Yungen (2*)

    Reviewed 20/11/2024 〣 100% read

    Much valuable discernment, but it is also a book which requires strong discernment itself (100% Grace & Faith Alone, Once-Saved-Always-Saved, strong tendency towards Antinomianism, endorsement of Spurgeon as luminary).

    PROS

    + Many very important exhortations.

    + Good discernment when it comes to Catholicism, and individual teachers and organizations promoting it.

    CONS

    - The book only contains a partial discernment. He did not reflect how the office of the pope had been created, the role of Constantine in the creation of that church, celibacy of priesthood and mass-divorce, abolition of Weekly Sabbath, removal of the 2nd commandment, antisemitism, long list of ~72 extra-biblical holidays including Christmas and Halloween ...

    - He teaches the anti-biblical doctrine of 'Once-Saved-Always-Saved'. I quote: "All those who acknowledge their sinfulness and need for a Savior and accept and believe in Jesus (that is, who Jesus is and what He has done) can enter into a relationship with Him. This relationship will then last for eternity. This is the simple Gospel."

    - He erroneously claims that Catholics keep the 10 commandments and uses this as an argument that Protestants should not do so (!!!).

    Firstly, Christian do not base truth on what Satan does, or what he does not do. We also resist false dichotomies, which Satan masterfully employed throughout history (Arminianism vs. Calvinism, Pelagius vs. Augustine, Catholics vs. Protestants, Good&bad Works vs. no Works at all ...).

    We ought to keep the 10 commandments today and it is plain heresy and antinomianism to teach otherwise. 

    Secondly, the Catholics do not keep the 10 Commandments. It should be very well-known that they removed the 2nd Commandment (no graven images) and it is also not a big secret that Constantine removed the Weekly Sabbath for the Roman Church, which has never been challenged by the resulting Roman Catholic Church, meaning that they effectively removed also the 4th Commandment. Now why does Satan attack so hard something we should not even obey??

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher Charles Spurgeon ("I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of Ecumenism this book tries to defeat, "infants cannot but be odious and abominable to God", preached against baptismal regeneration, follower of the Knights Templar Bernard of Clairvaux, Augustinian / Calvinist ...)

    Quote: "Protestant luminaries such as Charles Spurgeon would refer to the Pope as the Antichrist."

    - He teaches a very strong Reformed position in general, specifically of 'Faith Alone' and 'Grace Alone'.

    Quote: "What Scripture is saying throughout is that salvation is one hundred percent by grace."

    Pelagius (4c AD) was the first to coin the phrase 'justification by faith alone, which is best summed up in his own words: "Sinful man, depraved and dead in sin, contributes nothing by his own will or interests or best efforts or works towards his justification."

    Luther is then more than 1000 years later the key figure in bringing the (Faith / Grace ...-) ALONE doctrines into our vocabulary. He interpolated the word 'alone' in his Bible translation of Rom 3:28. When he was opposed for this, he insulted his enemies. The 2017 version of the Luther Bible has added footnotes on Rom 1:17, 2:13, 3:21, and Rom 3:28 that warn about the deliberate mistranslations Luther committed.

    - He e.g. implies throughout the book a Single-Tense-Salvation, although the Bible clearly differentiates by its use of Past-, Present- and Future Tense different times and phases of Salvation.

    - Another problem is that he rather speaks critically of Works, without properly differentiating 'Works of Faith' and 'Works of the Law' (Atonement, the 7 Ceremonial Sabbaths, Clean Food, Sacrifices, Tithing, et al = Works to get right with THEOS). We should never condemn 'Works of the Law' without at the same time endorsing 'Works of Faith' and motivating the reader to do those. Works of Faith are rather irrelevant for Present Salvation (being born again), but are absolutely essential for Future Salvation, because a Faith without Works is dead and leads to nowhere ...

    Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, by N.T. Wright (2*)

    Reviewed 30/01/2024 〣 100% read

    I never used the word 'boring' in a critique of a book. But it is the best adjective to describe the first chapters of the book. A rambling of eloquent words. It gets more interesting when it comes to the chapter discussing the name of God, but he only looks at the topic from some different angels, with zero results. Should I now avoid His name as the Jews did? We are left in the dark, with the only hint that Jehova is a hybrid better not to use. Zero reflection on when and how the name 'God' was created by humans and has no biblical inspiration. He mentions the Septuagint, but does not even mention the name 'THEOS'. The most important name, used by the overwhelming majority of Early Christians, not even included in the discussion. This is deeply troubling, especially given the fact that he looks at all other topics from the most bizarre angles, being as diplomatically and academically open as his trade demands.

    PROS

    - He knows how to write with eloquence and how to impress people through it.

    - Some interesting and true reflections.

    - Good reflections, specifically on prayer and worship.

    CONS

    - He stated that the Quran is a 'majestic document'. No context, no clarification. Let that sink.

    - He stated that the Bible is not inspired, specifically not infallible nor inerrant. This is heretical. He goes as far as to make fun of those Protestants who think otherwise, declaring them as people who believe in 'long-range linguistic thunderbolts' having come down to the authors of the Bible. His conclusion is that THEOS provided the 'energy' for the writing, but that every writer wrote essentially what was on his heart. The Bible was assembled through a process of editing back and forth ...

    - He rejected the 7-day-creation account in Genesis, with the primitive argument that one should not consider it to be literal. He employed his whole array of eloquence in order to manipulate the reader with many words and by making ridiculous comparisons to other obviously not literal accounts, but below the line this primitive argument remains all what he says. He does not provide any alternative, nor explains why he now picks precisely this account as not being literal. Very poor scholarship at this point, with the consequence of sowing more division than taking away from it.

    - Lack of holiness throughout the book. It could have been written by an atheist being paid for making a case for Christianity, and you would not note the difference in the least. What does he mean with statements such as 'Israel's God blessed people'? Is this not his God? Why does he state that Christ called Peter 'Rocky'? What does he mean with statements such as 'The Gospel need not be rejected'?

    - Lots of bad exegesis. He stated that Abraham went down to Canaan as part of his nomadic life, as if it was simply an extended journey with his flock. He stated that the Pentecost happened on the same day Moses received the 10 commandments. He mentions this, as if it would be a commonly accepted truth, without stating how he came to that very particular conclusion, nor stating if he meant the first or second set of tablets.

    - He stated that the 10 commandments are binding, except the Weekly Sabbath ... His whole reasoning is that the Early Christians "were clear on this". This is misinformed and a twisting of truth. It is well known that Antisemitism was the key factor in adding the Sunday worship to the Sabbath worship. The letter in the name of Ignatius of Antioch admitted that they added the Sunday worship based on their unbiblical hate of the Jews, which was only partly comprehensible because the Jews had added a lot of extra-biblical rules to the Sabbath: "Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness ... But let every one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and plaudits which have no sense in them. And after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days."

    - He promoted the highly problematic practice of 'Lectio Divina'. A key contribution to this monastic practice came from Origen in the 3rd c., after whom Ambrose taught them to Augustine. Lectio Divina was first established in the 6th c. by Benedict of Nursia and was then formalized as a four-step process by the Carthusian monk Guigo II during the 12th c.. In the 20th c., the constitution Dei verbum of the Second Vatican Council recommended Lectio Divina to the general public and its importance was affirmed by Pope Benedict XVI at the start of the 21st century ...

    - He repeatedly emphasized that the church was responsible for bringing an end to Apartheid, with no real reason why he picked that topic. It becomes more weird knowing that he is not only an Anglican, but also a Calvinist, and that Apartheid was founded on, empowered and blessed by Calvinism. It would have been a great chance to apologize in the name of his religion, but no single word of lament.

    - He wrongly associated the Greek Old Testament with the OT Apocrypha. For a person who has studied religion, this is embarrassing. The Greek OT had been translated (Pentateuch in 282-250 BC), when only 1 apocryphal book was written. After the remaining Greek OT had been translated by 140 BC by other translators, only 5 apocryphal books were written. 11 apocryphal books were completed until the time of Christ, while it took at least until 100 AD (2 Esdras possibly until 300 AD) until the Apocrypha / Ecclesiastical Books were completed. This is all information readily available for the average reader on Wikipedia.

    - He stated that it does not matter if you call the Communion now 'Mass' or with any other name. Would he have only read once 'Foxe's Books of Martyrs'. What an ignorance.

    - He endorsed Calvin through the questionable quote '~if God is the Father, then the church is the mother'. Nowhere in the Bible is such an equation made, to the contrary, it is described as the bride of Christ and certainly not as his mother (possibly connected to Mariology).

    - He further endorsed the highly problematic teacher C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ) and it is obvious that he seeks his fame and eloquence.

    Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, by Ann Spangler, Lois Tverberg, by Lynn Austin (1*)

    Reviewed 13/10/2023 〣 100% read

    The book gives us some good insights, e.g. on the relationship of a disciple and his rabbi. It is also edifying in many aspects of the faith.

    But it is a very mixed bag. It is outmost heretical in numerous aspects, and should be strictly avoided by professing Christians.

    - JESUS is declared to have been closest to being a Pharisee, compared to other groups. Quote: "his teaching comes closest to that of the Pharisees ... Sometimes the Gospels seem to imply that everything Jesus said directly contradicted the teaching of the Pharisees. But it's important to realize that debate was a central aspect of study" (> this is strictly heretical; the Bible makes it very clear that Christ's words to the Pharisees were mostly not part of a debate)

    - JESUS is declared to have learned the Oral Laws. Quote: "After age ten, he would have begun to learn the Oral Torah". He is also several times explicitly associated with the Fence Laws, referring to the same ~1500 man-made laws He decidedly despised, years before he abolished the 613 Ceremonial Laws.

    - JESUS is declared to have probably worn a Tefillin, although 'only' a small one. The author tries to manipulate us by saying that he only complained in the Bible about the big Tefillin, but himself wore a small one ...

    - Plain invitation to repeat prayers from the anti-biblical Mishnah and several other non-biblical practices. Quote: "Try to pray these words of the Kaddish every day this week". We must not, but are invited to put a Mezuzah to the doorframe of our homes (box with the shema on a tiny scroll). We are invited to pitch a tent in our garden in order to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And the list goes on. She does not want to speak us Jewish-lingo and the probably retroactively added addendum includes some warnings on what she previously encouraged, but she is manipulating us to practically become a Jew.

    Quote: "To the extent that Jewish customs and traditions draw us closer to our Rabbi, changing us into more faithful and wiser Talmidim, we should do them".

    - On the one hand she correctly endorses the keeping of the Weekly Sabbath (although through the erroneous sunset -sunset rhythm), she later plainly contradicts herself when she encourages us to hold the Sabbath on a Sunday. What is worse is that she endorses and even justifies the 60 heretical additions the Jews added to a Sabbath (not explicitly mentioned in detail, but practically including how far exactly a person could walk, which kind of knots could be tied, how much weight could be carried, even disallowing healing and sex on a Sabbath, et al).

    Throughout the book she endorses what Christ clearly boycotted. What grieves me most are the overwhelmingly positive comments on this book - seeing so many people not knowing the basics of the Word of THEOS and being manipulated by eloquence and admittedly a very good writing style of the author.

    - Although Greek was the predominantly spoken language and most Bibles were Greek in Christ's time, there is close to zero reflection on this in the book. The Septuagint was predominant for around 600 years and is not even mentioned once in the entire book. CHRIST most often quoted from the Greek OT and it is not mentioned once. We cannot fully understand the Rabbi JESUS, if this important backdrop is simply ignored and everything viewed through strongly biased, namely Hebrew glasses.

    - Uncritical and repeated endorsement of the anti-Christ ~Rabbi~ Akiva, who is responsible for the manipulation of the Hebrew Old Testament in the 2c. AD, who was well known for hating Christ and who endorsed another messiah by name. Akiba and his disciples were the brains behind the Talmud including the Mishna, both frequently endorsed throughout the book.

    - Endorsement of the false teacher Eugene Peterson (Message Bible, ecumenical Regent College) as 'noted Christian author'.

    - Endorsement of the Roman Catholic JRR Tolkien in a Christian book!

    - Repeated endorsement of the problematic teacher Philip Yancey, calling his books 'excellent'.

    - Endorsement of further false teachers: "Perhaps it is time to reacquaint ourselves with the great stories of men and women of faith throughout the ages, people like Perpetua, one of the early Christian martyrs, or Monica and her famous son, Augustine [the great Antichrist, patriarch of Calvinism, third doctor of RCC], or Francis of Assisi [Catholic friar who founded the Franciscans], or William and Catherine Booth [feminist leader, Aggressive Christianity], or Dietrich Bonhoeffer [Freemason]. The stories of God's faithfulness are as varied as the lives of those in our Christian family who have lived them."

    The book has some very good passages, but the overall damage it has done, and is still doing to Christianity, is huge. If we would read our Bible well, we would recognize such heresies.

    Song of Redemption (Chronicles of the Kings, #2), by Lynn Austin (not rated)

    Reviewed 16/04/2024 〣 15% read

    I made it not more than 90 minutes into the book, when I was troubled in the Spirit.

    Not that I noticed any errors found e.g. from writers such as Anita Diamant (Red Tent).

    But I struggle with her concept of retelling and fleshing out Bible narratives. Would this have been written 2000 years earlier, we would call it at least Apocrypha or maybe even Pseudepigrapha, although she obviously does not claim inspiration, but neither did most of the writers of the Apocrypha.

    It would be unavoidable when reading this book, to later struggle to differentiate that which is written in the Bible from that which is written in the book. Although this book (and probably her other books) might draw us closer to the Bible by knowing those histories by heart, it will blur THEOS' truth with human wisdom. We should not allow this.

    Stay Salt, by Rebecca Manley Pippert (4*)

    Reviewed 27/11/2022 〣 100% read

    Very good book, very valuable for learning in a rather non-systematic, but personal way how to do evangelism.

    The only downside is that Ravi Zacharias and his ministry is still recommended over and over in the book - surprising that there is no update of the book. Also one mention of Eugene Peterson. But apart from those faux pas, it is a very good book.

    I will include the book in my recommendations once those references should be deleted.

    The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home, by Russell D. Moorel (3*)

    Reviewed 17/04/2023 〣 100% read

    It is hard to grasp how such a well written book with lots of wisdom and good teachings can be destroyed by its very own author.

    It starts with a big promotion of Halloween and the determination that he loves it because families won't argue and fight on Halloween, but on important 'Christian' holidays. Correct, but why do we not ponder on why the enemy is not attacking Halloween?

    He states on page 19 that JESUS was ripped apart by nails "As she watched her son ripped apart by nails". This is contrary to Scripture which clearly states that not one bone was broken. I have nothing against dramatizations in books, but JESUS' death should not be touched.

    Head covering debate: It is wrong to apply a cultural application because Paul gave 3 specific reasons for wearing head covering during times of prayer. His interpretation is quite unique and obviously wrong "As scholars of this era have argued, these coverings at that time culturally signified marriage, that a woman was not available for pursuit by some other man. The neglect of this symbol was forbidden by the apostle.".

    The most dramatic misstep of this book are the countless quotes of highly problematic teachers such as Thomas Merton (Buddhist- Catholic Monk), C.S. Lewis (Witchcraft, purgatory, theistic evolutionist), Eugene Peterson (The Message, Mysticism) and Fleming Rutledge (a Tolkien scholar who tries to find Christian perspectives in the lord of the Rings). I did not count, but certainly more than half of textual quotes were dedicated to problematic teachers.

    Divorce: His interpretation of the exceptional clause in Mat 5:32 and 19:9 is wrong, as it correctly refers to unchastity before marriage, a topic which he mentioned as fornication in other parts of the book, but he did not make the effort to mention unchastity anywhere in the book, although this had been one of the biggest topics in Jewish culture and is plainly described in numerous Bible passages. The result is exactly what he warns of in other passages of the book, to water down sexual sin and to allow divorce and remarriage solely based on the reason of an (unrepented) sexual misstep. We should never be driven by how our current generation interprets the Bible.

    The book starts with Halloween and ends with a witchcraft story:

    "In the first of the Narnia stories, the brother Edmund commits mutiny against Aslan the King and against his siblings, allying himself with the evil White Witch, drawn along by her hypnotizing Turkish Delight. [...] That is all of our story. We are all Edmund. We should then show the same grace to those who have disappointed or sinned against us, maybe especially - if they are our own children."

    Without those issues, the book would be great. But instead, it is a book that requires an extraordinary portion of discernment and which therefore cannot be recommended.

    The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between, by Gregory Koukl (2*)

    Reviewed 26/01/2023 〣 100% read

    This book left me grieved. I have no problem with authors quoting once or twice C.S. Lewis, because little discernment is done and authors simply want to gain authority by mentioning his name. But if an author leans in virtually every reference on his name, directly promotes 2 of his witchcraft books and apparently aims to imitate his overly eloquent writing style, then it becomes obvious that this author is not spiritually balanced. Do not get me wrong, it is per se a good book. But it is hypocritical to teach salvation in one breath and in the next breath to promote two books which each in itself have the potential to lead the reader straight to hell.

    Furthermore, to teach the Big Bang Theory to unbelievers, shows a deep unbelief in THEOS' abilities.

    Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, by Charles Marsh (1*)

    Reviewed 26/04/2024 〣 100% read

    A highly problematic book which should be avoided at all cost.

    - It was a shock to read that his visit at the Colosseum "conveyed incredible power and beauty to him". We have to utterly condemn such a horrible statement. It is like saying to find beauty in a concentration camp.

    Considering now that he claims to have visited this horrible place as a Christian, it is even a more problematic statement, knowing that a high percentage of the people killed there were specifically targeted Christians. To those not knowing or grasping this horrible part of history, read 'A Voice in the Wind' by Francine Rivers.

    - He, his father and his uncle were all Freemasons, specifically members of the black fraternity 'Der Igel' in Tuebingen. There is no indication in the book that he left this evil cult for good.

    - He believed through his Lutheran viewpoint that "the Catholic church is greater than their popes and minions". The RCC is the spirit of Antichrist.

    - He specifically criticized evangelicals for not pursuing the same liturgies on Palm Sunday.

    - He visited in Rome the Chiesa del Gesù with the crypt of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. He "marvelled (when partaking at the mass) at the multitude of white-robed Jesuits, swaying like a sea of flowers, who read passages from Lamentations, while large families waited their turn at the confessionals, illuminated by slowly darkening altar candles."

    Later in the book it is admitted that he was even led to study 'The Spiritual Exercises' of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Jesuits are of the clearest expressions of Antichrist.

    - Endorsement of Karl Barth (Calvinist; mark of Universalism), of Kant, Hegel, Schelling, Melanchton ...

    Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, by Carl R. Trueman (4*)

    Reviewed 14/12/2022 〣 100% read

    A very good and timely book which can be recommended (no endorsement of the author who is a Calvinist). The author makes a very good job in intertwining / analyzing the overlaps of the historical figures who way back in time influenced what we see today.

    Constructive feedback:

    • The book could include a more biblical approach (only towards the very end it becomes less secular; 'Christ' is only mentioned 5 times in the book, although the G-dhead more often).
    • It could include a more practical approach (common confrontations and how to deal with the topic in the day-to-day).
    • Less preach-it-safe (understandable to a certain degree).
    • Definitely less intellectualism. It is a brief version of the longer book and is still way too intellectual. We will not solve today's problems by 'chewing' over and over on historic figures and how they related to each other / to the cause.
    • It also lacked a brief overview of the 4 waves of feminism, which surely ~contributed~ significantly to the world we live in today (I am not aware if this is included in the longer version of this book, but no respective remark is included when it speaks about the reaction of feminism).

    Strongman's His Name...What's His Game?: An Authoritative Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare, by Jerry Robeson (2*)

    Reviewed 21/10/2024 〣 100% read.

    Satan is very good in finding a neglected field of theology such as healing, and to badly abuse it.

    The book definitely touches some urgent topics, but sometimes terribly abuses Scripture.


    PROS

    + The book contains some good advice, e.g.: "Hosea the prophet warned the Hebrews: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6). This is basic. Buy yourself a set of cassette tapes of the New Testament and listen to them instead of some of the other things you listen to. Find a church that preaches the Word of God and feeds your spirit."

    + The book includes certainly some good discernment.


    CONS

    - He teaches a false Health & Wealth Gospel:

    "He wants you to be free to enjoy all the good things He has prepared for His children. He promises us salvation, peace, joy, health, protection, provision, wisdom, and eternal life to name just a few. Take what you need from the Word of God so that you will never again be robbed of God's very best in your life."

    "As believers, we receive by faith what our Father has promised us in His Word, which certainly includes divine healing. This is God's way of providing healing to the members of the body of Christ."

    - Some good exegesis, but more often (bad) eisegesis and false teachings, e.g.:

    "But according to Job's own words, the problem that initiated the whole episode was fear. "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Job 3:25). He opened up the door to satanic oppression by fearing the loss of his children, wealth, and health. When Satan asked for the opportunity to come against Job, he had a legal entry into Job's life, the open door of fear, and he took advantage of it with a vengeance. Up until that time, Satan hadn't been able to touch him because of God's hedge around him. Note that God still restricted Satan in his actions, even though He didn't stop him, until Job got his thinking straightened out."

    "... everyone I had prayed for to have a peaceful death was getting up, restored to health. He let me know that He was just allowing them to enjoy a few more months or years of life, free from bondage and fear, so they would have a taste of what His peace is like before going on to heaven. Isn't the Lord good? You see, Satan had the power of death, but he doesn't anymore where Christians are concerned. When Jesus died, He descended into the place of the unrighteous dead and took the keys of hell and death (Revelation 1:18)."

    "Fear not," is mentioned in one form or another 365 times in the Bible—one time for every day of the year. We do not have to put up with fear for even one day." [a biblical year is 360 days long as clearly indicated in the Bible ... even atheists know better that our calendar was not always 365 days long!]

    - He is intentionally twisting the Bible while denying the wrath of THEOS: 

    Quote "Now let us go back to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Many Christians believe that God killed the first-born children whose parents had not placed the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their home." 

    But the Bible plainly contradicts him: Psa 134(135):8 "All that KYRIOS pleased He hath done, In the heavens and in earth, In the seas and all deep places, Causing vapours to ascend from the end of the earth, Lightnings for the rain He hath made, Bringing forth wind from His treasures. Who smote the first-born of Egypt, From man unto beast. He sent tokens and wonders into thy midst, O Egypt, On Pharaoh and on all his servants." See also Psa 135(136):10.

    - Highly questionable doctrine of 'binding & loosing':

    "When I pray for someone with cancer, for example, I rebuke and bind the spirit of infirmity that is trying to destroy the cells of his body. Then, I loose the spirit of life into his body and command every cell to become a healthy, vibrant, living cell to the glory of God." [the only one who commands cells is THEOS and we can only appeal to Him for healing those cells; but to teach that we can directly command cells is ridiculous]

    "Now that you are a child of God, according to Matthew 18:18, we are going to bind the strongman, the spirit of divination, and loose the power of the Holy Spirit in your life."

    "Thank You, Jesus, for giving me freedom from all the forces of the enemy. I loose Your Holy Spirit in my life according to Matthew 18:18 ..."

    "... be assured that all of heaven is honoring your prayers of binding and loosing. Bind the enemy in his life each time the Holy Spirit nudges you to do it until you see results. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and is waiting for you to come into agreement with God's will in the individual's life before He starts His work. Out of ignorance, he is continually throwing the doors open. Each time you bind the strongmen in his life, they will be bound for a season and hindered in their influence. Don't forget to loose or release the spirit of adoption to continue His work of drawing him to Christ. The impossible person may have other strongmen operating in his life that you recognize, such as the spirit of error, etc., so bind them also and loose the positive side the Lord wants to work in him such as the spirit of truth, etc."

    "We can also aggressively attack this spirit through our own private intercession. We can daily [!!!] bind this strongman of error and loose truth into their minds and lives. Jesus is Truth; therefore we are really loosing Jesus to have a greater influence on them. Because they are constantly opening themselves up to error, we must be consistent in our binding and loosing until they commit their lives to Christ and renew their minds in the Word of God."

    "Speak to death as you would any other spirit from the devil, but also remember to loose the spirit of life into the one you are praying for."

    - He prays in the very same prayer to JESUS and to Satan which is outmost heretical and unheard of !!!

    "Thank You, Father, that Your Word is the truth. We can count on the confirmation of Your Word at all times as we believe and act upon it. "Satan, in the name of Jesus I bind your dumb and deaf spirit according to Matthew 18:18, which tells me, 'Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.' I demand that you stop harassing me this instant. Leave me and never return, you foul spirit. "Thank You, Jesus, for giving me freedom from all the forces of the enemy. I loose Your Holy Spirit in my life according to Matthew 18:18, which states, 'Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' I loose resurrection life and the gifts of healings to do a complete work in my body and soul. And I appropriate Your victory over Satan in every area of my life. Amen."

    - Clear abuse of the gift of tongues. He implies it to be the normal for a believer, that essentially everyone who is baptized in the Spirit receives that specific gift, which is clearly contrary to biblical doctrine.

    "Use your prayer language. If you haven't received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, make it a priority in your life." [even someone who has received the gift cannot use it whenever he or she desires as 'your prayer language' indicates; the HOLY SPIRIT always needs to lead and not to think, oh let's bring up that gift right now ...]

    "I remember the case of a doctor friend of mine. She received the baptism of the Holy Spirit but had never experienced freedom of expression in her prayer language. [...] At this, she acknowledged that I was correct and prayed with me, renouncing the practice. Immediately, she had a fluency in her prayer language that she had never enjoyed previously." [it is crystal clear at this point that the author is a highly problematic teacher - if we receive that specific gift there is no nuance in fluency; it is either there and perfect because it comes from the HOLY SPIRIT, or it is not there!]

    - He speaks all over the book of all kinds of Spirits, but does nowhere define what this word means and where exactly does he get the names and the structure for his categories from. Sometimes he goes along some Bible verses, but often it seems as if he just imagines a fitting category, or worse, that he confuses a simple 'vice' with a spirit person.

    - Repeated promotion of the 'Sinner's Prayer'. Early in the book he equates one 'Sinner's Prayer' with salvation - while admitting later in the book that some prayed it for a entire month:

    "If you haven't accepted Christ as your Savior, simply say, "Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me of my sins and accept me as Your child. I accept You as my personal Savior and promise to follow the instruction of Your Word from this day on. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me from all my sins. Amen. Now that you are a child of God ..."

    "In our crusades in Latin America, the people will many times repeat the sinner's prayer for a month or more before they begin to understand what has taken place in their lives. Their hearts have been so darkened by centuries of witchcraft and false religion that the light seeps very slowly into their inner beings."

    [This is far off from any biblical reality. In Early Christianity, people were told the Good Message, set eventually free from demonic possessions and then baptized ideally the same day. But repeating a prayer which is foreign to the Bible for one month is as heretical as it can get.]

    - He teaches plain legalism when forbidding Christians to drink any alcohol:

    "Note the statistic that one-third of those who call themselves evangelicals drink alcohol as do one-half of all ministers. Just reading the above statistics should convince any Christian that alcohol must be shunned as if it were a coiled rattlesnake."

    - He has some good thoughts behind his prohibition of listening to country and western, rock and roll, but we should not go as far as to condemn those genres entirely. We have to create specific discernment, and a blank prohibition does not help much if discernment is absent, because every genre, especially Christian music in itself contains sometimes highly problematic lyrics.

    "Much of the music on the Top 40 charts has been written by witches and people actively involved in the occult. Some of the biggest hit records were not released until they were "blessed" in a witch's coven. They entreat demonic spirits to go with each record and be a direct influence on the minds and lives of the listeners. The seducing beat of the music is the same as that used in the jungles to conjure up evil spirits and cast voodoo spells. The latest trick is the use of backmasking to implant subliminal suggestions in the listeners' minds without them being aware of it."

    - Some highly questionable stories are also included:

    "I heard recently of an elderly Christian man who announced to his children at a family gathering, "I'm going to die at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. I want you all to be there because I have something special to tell you before I go." [...] He laid down on the bed and spoke, telling how he wanted them to live after he left them, and at 3:00 p.m. he entered the presence of the Lord as gently as if he had taken a heavenly elevator."


    Surprised by Oxford, by Carolyn Weber (1*)

    Reviewed 04/01/2024 〣 100% read

    She worships Mary, not JESUS. A masterpiece of literature. At the same time a masterpiece of Heresy.

    "This virgin who gave me my "mojo", who gave me my God grove for which I had been built".

    " I looked at the statue of Mary, and she looked back. As I sat there, just the two of us, it occurred to me: all for which she had labored ...".

    "For some reason, I felt more comfortable talking to Mary about this".

    "... until I bared all that had happened to my soul with Mary that night".

    "... Mary's chimed midnight [...] I stayed up all night in prayer, in awe, and in reverence."

    There is one guarantee for those who finish this book, you will never forget it. It is certainly not as captivating as Francine River's Voice in the Wind, but it stands out for its high art of writing. She is definitely a master in this area and her writing style is superb. It is more, in combination with an excellent reader of the audiobook, the first third of the book is excellent in many areas.

    But here it ends.

    I do not know why most problematic books which I have read follow a similar pattern, initially tame and outmost diplomatic, rarely any questionable quotations or theology. Is it the publishers who assume that many people read only half of a book and therefore push the authors to tidy up the front end? Or is it Satan disguised as the Angel of Light, intriguing us and once we are on the hook, to drop all the unholy bombs? In this case the latter is probably true. The author is a false teacher and many elements of the book indicate that she is fully aware of her misleading.

    She felt at one point in the book the need to state that her searching is for a non-denominational church, but this is certainly a distraction, as the book is deeply saturated with Anglican and Catholic doctrine, authors and rituals. The claim that she converted at Oxford to Christianity, is spurious at best, probably false to be frank. She is much rather a Jesuit, based on her specific endorsement of Jesuit personalities and books (see below).

    "... my friend Angie, a fellow scholarship student and a devout Catholic with Puerto Rican roots, likes to remind me ... we live in intimate relationship with each other and with the saints, we understand the community of intercession".

    "Grace means you get to light your candle on the top rung. So that is what I did for the first time ever, this night. And that is where I have lit it ever since ..."

    - Several interviews with Catholic outlets after the book was written.

    - Previous teaching function at St Peter's College (Anglican).

    - Twitter comment Aug 10, 2022: "Thank you Jessica! Sorry for delay - I've been away! But I do find Pope always a good place to return to ;)"

    - Her '10 Of My All Time Favorites' on Goodreads includes: 'Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits'.

    - Her conversion story on St. Valentines day seems too mechanical, and many details of this and countless other passages are obviously made up, as she at least indicates at the beginning of the book.

    - Very strange comments after having visited the memorial of the Christian martyrs Cranmer, Ridley and Latimer: "What a strange place for a memorial. [...] I turned to Dr. Restell and asked, "Why does religion have to get so ugly, even among sects of practically the same creed?"

    - She described here Catholicism and Protestantism as 'sects of the same kind'.

    - She says that the latin mass is simply beautiful and that it is just 'a different service style': "... the Mass in Latin. It's so beautiful, I agree, but no one can understand it. Different generations flock to different service styles."

    - She prefers to talk to Mary, which appears to imply that she prefers Mary to JESUS, especially given the fact that she had problems praying to THEOS, even after her conversion.

    - Her feminism is obviously not cured through her 'conversion', as her teaching as a female pastor and several other passages of the book show. She also endorses Kathleen Norris, who is also a strong feminist and of a similar spiritual walk.

    - She claimed out of the blue and without necessity, that JESUS went down to hell while He was in the grave.

    - Several profanities ('bs' in long form appears at least 3 times in the book), even after her conversion.

    - One of her best friends was attracted to the same s*x, she hung out with him after her conversion and did nothing to convert him. She makes it appear that it is just the most normal thing in the world to hang out and to make primitive jokes about how she was out of his reach while being a woman.

    - Between her conversion and her baptism, she had her fortune told and did not warn of this practise at all: "Later, somewhere between watching a snake charmer and getting my fortune told, I began to succumb to the sensory overload. I'm ready to call it a night ..."

    ENDORSEMENTS

    - She builds her entire book and inspiration upon, and heavily endorses the highly problematic teachers John Milton (Paradise Lost) and C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ). She even attended CS Lewis Society meetings, endorsed several of his books by name and uses terms such as 'Wordsworth' and his 'Law of Undulation', as if everyone would know what she is talking about ...

    - She endorsed St. Ignatius and specifically the fact that he does belong to the Jesuits.

    - She endorsed Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ (French Jesuit priest, Darwinian, father of transhumanism) and Anthony de Mello (Jesuit priest)

    - She quotes Brennan Manning (Catholic priest), Francis Thompson (English poet and Catholic mystic), Teresa de Avila (Key figure of Catholic and Christian Mysticism, First female Doctor of the Catholic church, levitated), John of the Cross (Jesuit, mentored by Teresa de Avila), Thomas Merton (Universalism, 'spark of the divine', student of Zen master and Buddhist, used the terms God/Krishna/Tao interchangeably), Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Anglican), Sheldon Vanauken (Anglican, co-author CS Lewis), Mother Teresa (a fraud, direct enabler of sexual abuser and Jesuit priest Donald McGuire) and endorses even Jerome with the title 'saint', although it is well known that he is responsible as Catholic doctor and secretary to the Pope for the perversion of our Old Testament (+ Mary's perpetual virginity, invoking the saints, befriended with the great antichrist Augustine, who is of course also mentioned in the book).

    - She repeatedly endorses Tolkien (very strict RC) and treats his teachings just as an ordinary part of Christianity.

    A Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards (3*)

    Reviewed 29/07/2024 〣 100% read

    A good and inspirational book, but not a recommendation.

    PROS

    + Good lessons from the life of David.

    + Very thought-provoking.

    + Well written.

    CONS

    - It is one thing to associate extrabiblical conversations to characters of the Bible. This is already problematic, as the reader can later hardly differentiate between biblical truth and traditions of man. But it is another level to invent imaginary conversations of the Angel Gabriel, which is a clear transgression.

    - The author mentions twice that Spiritual Gifts cannot be revoked, when talking about Saul. Firstly, he probably referred to his anointing which indeed could not be revoked. But an anointing has very little to do with a Spiritual Gift we receive today. Secondly, Saul lost very soon his Spiritual Gift of prophecy. Thirdly, the following verses make it very clear that a Spiritual Gift can be lost at any given time: Num 11:25 "And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it." 1Cor 9:27 "... lest somehow after preaching to others [preaching is a gift], I myself should become disqualified"

    The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place, by Andy Crouch (2*)

    Reviewed 08/09/2023 〣 100% read

    A good book, but with some significant flaws.

    PROS

    + No quotations of problematic teachers, which is rare in those days (with the exception of J. R. R. Tolkien and his The lord of the Rings, which still surprises me to find in a Christian book, even though dozens of Christians books insert this heretical reference).

    + Concise, not filling additional pages in order to achieve some publisher's guidelines and bore the reader.

    + With the correct focus, not to focus on the problem (too much Internet, porn etc.) but to rather build a healthy life in general, and receive results from there.

    + Beautiful focus on singing and worship.

    + Focus on the Weekly Sabbath and reminder to hold all the 10 commandments, although he fails to acknowledge the Saturday Sabbath and leaves me with the impression that he thinks of people following it on Saturday morning-Sunday morning, as being legalists (legalism only includes the pursuit of extra-biblical conditions for achieving righteousness and the pursuit of the Sabbath is surely not extra-biblical but at the very heart of the Bible). Good that he sees it as problematic and indeed legalistic that the Jews added dozens of man-made laws to the Sabbath.

    CONS

    - He teaches to follow a certain pattern and then constantly relativizes it through his 'reality checks' on his family. "~I preach that, but we only do it from time to time." I do not know if that is the American way of exhortation plus a cool relativization, in order to not even risk offending someone or to appear legalistic. But it is surely not the biblical way. Let your yes be a yes and your no a no. Preach what you practice. JESUS would have never taught something and then said a few chapters later, but yeah, I only do it so often and quite usually fail.

    - A similar double standard is seen throughout the book, when he correctly condemns television, but repeatedly endorses Netflix (as if the medium would be defined through the device). Netflix is the worst option when it comes to Christian movies (only 2% of a typical list of Christian movies are found here). It is by far the most anti-Christian mainstream media that could be propagated by an author. In comparison and connecting to the research otherwise having been done in a much better way in the book, we see every other media doing much better than Netflix (81% of typical Christian movies found on Amazon Prime, 57% on YouTube Movies, 36% on iTunes, 32% on Christian Cinema, 22% on TubiTV, 19% on Pureflix). Those figures speak for themselves and are based on my personal research of 300 selected Christian movies. Netflix destroys an entire generation of Christians and it grieves me deeply to see it promoted 4 times in a Christian book.

    - Although I appreciate his honesty to admit that he was involved in pornography, it shows a very bad example of how to resolve such an adultery. He stated that he confessed it to his wife after a dinner party 'I had to tell Catherine the truth about my enmeshment in pornography.' Nine lines for this, without a single word of repentance in front of his Creator, him showing true repentance. He would have better left that confession out of the book. In this form, it will rather motivate people to see it as a slip that happens to the best and at least once in a lifetime. I am sure that he repented before THEOS, but the communication of that episode of his life through the book is poor at best, but most probably misleading others.

    - A quote I probably do not have to comment on: "Is there any half hour more stressful in more homes than the one right before dinner? Friends of mine with three young children used to call it "the witching hour," which is probably unfair to actual witches."

    - The Bible is very clear that gluttony and obesity are one of the worst sins. Nevertheless, the book repeatedly endorses sugar, muffins, donuts etc. A true shepherd of THEOS is wise enough to warn of those things. We cannot preach abstinence from the Internet and rather legalistic rules of 1 hour per day without the Internet, but at the same time (in)directly teach the same people to consume sugar at that time.

    Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media, by Chris Martin (3*)

    Reviewed 17/09/2024 〣 100% read

    A great book from a secular perspective, but a rather poor book from a spiritual perspective.

    PROS

    + Excellent analysis of the beginnings of the Internet and the Social Internet.

    + Great reflections on what it has become and what we need to be aware of.

    + One core finding is that the Social Internet is designed to be divisive and to polarize in content, in order to attract more interactions.

    + Good commentary on consp**acies.

    CONS

    - In all the book there is not even the mention of television. I now constantly see books on Social Media, but little to no reflection on television, which is still a predominant time killer and factor for social manipulation. The book should have reflected on the overlap between both and shed light on the different dynamics.

    - The book is poor in regards to the faith. A few times the term 'Christian' is mentioned, and I remember only one Bible verse in all the book. There is close to zero reflection on the biblical view of things. It was sad to see the author being bold on most things, except on Christianity where he was very timid.

    - Endorsement of the highly problematic teacher Rick Warren (Strong proponent of ecumenism; creator of the Purpose Driven Life Catholics program; his favorite TV channel is EWTN (Catholic TV) and the 'Chaplet of Divine Mercy'; his mentor was Billy Graham; Contemplative Spirituality; P.E.A.C.E. plan with Ken Blanchard (book 'The Secret'); liberal mantra of 'Juge Not'; promotion of Message bible; Enneagram teachings ...)


    This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years, by Jaquelle Crowe Ferris (3*)

    Reviewed 01/03/2023 〣 100% read

    Do not get me wrong. It is a book with mostly very good content, from a talented writer, with a surprisingly good theology. It is a refreshing book and gives us a very important perspective from those we often belittle as not mature enough to be fed with spiritual meat.

    The reason for removing the book from my recommendations is not only the author's public embrace of the Enneagram which she actually "loves".

    It is also not only the fact that the author works for The Gospel Coalition, which is the figurehead of the New Calvinist movement, and which has fallen deep and should be avoided at all cost.

    The main reason is that the book is heavily promoting Calvinism, a religion which is not a cult, but cult-like and excludes many people from possibly being saved. It is definitely not the Good Message of Jesus Christ, what should say enough. The overwhelming majority of books and sources she quotes come from Calvinist organizations and authors. The quoting of the problematic teacher Eric Metaxas shows also a fundamental lack of discernment.

    The book teaches about discernment, but tragically the author herself fails in her discernment and potentially misleads many of her readers. We see this so often in Calvinism, much discernment is being done (which is often on point and needed), but little reflection is done on their own heresy to exclude many people from the Gospel and to make it their own 'elite-club'.

    The discernment section is also very superficial. The only real practical advise is to clean up your media library and to watch out. But no substance. She as a young adult could have given us a unique perspective on how to spot people such as Brandan Robertson and how to keep her age group safe from many evil distractions. What a huge chance missed. A lot of words, some of those being wise, but no specific guidance.

    And last but not least (like so many other books) it embraces the non-evangelical and witchcraft-promoting C.S. Lewis (found in the audiobook but removed from the ebook).

    P.s. The reader of the book is terrible (a term I do not remember to have used once in a review). I have now listened to dozens of audiobooks, but this voice is highly annoying. When the reader quotes Bible verses, it is with such contempt that it becomes obvious that she has little appreciation for the Word of THEOS and simply reads a book. I never ever heard a person quoting Bible verses with such a condescending tone. I literally prayed while reading, that this voice may not distract me from the positive aspects of the book.

    A Time of Departing, by Ray Yungen (3*)

    Reviewed 25/11/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Excellent investigation and discernment when it comes to New Age and Catholic Mysticism.

    + Well-structured book.

    CONS

    - While he employs a great discernment regarding the core topics mentioned in this book, he tragically sends the reader into another deception, namely Calvinism. Although he is in this book more decent about it than in his book 'Simple Answers', he still includes problematic endorsements:

    - In detail, he endorses the problematic Francis Schaeffer (Presbyterian) who is one of the 3 founders of the Seven Mountain Mandate (an idea which also developed in the Swiss Alps at L'Abri and which was further developed by Lance Wallnau and Bill Johnson) and who has brought us the New Age teacher Sarah Young (book 'Jesus Calling', she converted at Schaeffer's L'Abri and is also Presbyterian).

    - Endorsement of the problematic teacher John MacArthur (Figurehead of Augustinian-Calvinism; Cessationist ...):

    "Pastor and author John MacArthur summed up this profound and imminent danger brilliantly in his book, Reckless Faith ..."

    - Endorsement of the problematic teacher Spurgeon ("I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of ecumenism, follower of the Knights Templar Bernard of Clairvaux, Augustinian / Calvinist ...).

    - Promotion of the Pelagian & Lutheran doctrine of 'Faith & Grace Alone':

    "Salvation is entirely a gift of grace bestowed on whoever believes in Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross as both God and man. Consequently, we must receive Him as Lord and Savior, understanding that it is by grace and grace alone that we are made acceptable in Christ before a holy God. [...] Nothing else can be added to this."

    What actually saves a person (Past Salvation) is THEOS' grace, love, mercy and resurrection, together with our hearing of the Word, believing in JESUS and His resurrection, having faith, repenting from being a sinner and confessing with your mouth, usually expressed in an immediate baptism on the very same day (how far have we deviated from the ideal ...). Present Salvation further includes the regular taking of communion, denying of yourself, putting everything else second to THEOS, obedience & discipline, growing of faith, making disciples and becoming holy.

    SECONDARY ISSUES

    - He erroneously claims that Cain brought a wrong offering:

    "The account of Cain and Abel is a classic biblical example of spiritual infidelity. Both of Adam's sons wanted to please God, but Cain decided he would experiment with his own method of being devout. Cain must have reasoned to himself: "Perhaps God would like fruit or grain better than a dead animal. It's not as gross. It's less smelly. Hey, I think I will try it!" As you know, God was not the least bit impressed by Cain's attempt to create his own approach to pleasing God. The Lord made it clear to Cain that God's favor would be upon him if he did what is right, not just what was intended for God or God-focused."

    This is plainly wrong, because the Bible clearly states that he "brought it rightly", but did "not rightly divide it". Gen 4:7 in the Greek OT reads: "Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? Be still, to thee shall be his submission, and thou shalt rule over him."

    The Titanic and Today's Church, by Warren B. Smith (5*)

    Reviewed 04/12/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + The author chose a very great, easily remembered and parallelized theme, although it can naturally not be applied 1:1 to the situation of the Apostate Church, which does rather not sit in the same boat as the pagans, but still in the same boat (the visible church) with believers. The ship of CHRIST's glorious church will obviously not sink and we will all have to go through the very same storm together.

    Some believers will even die in the great tribulation together with false believers, but will be saved after their death while the apostates have no more hope when CHRIST will have appeared during the tribulation.

    + No questionable endorsements, but to the contrary excellent discernment.

    NEUTRAL

    o Regarding Maitr*** - I quote GotQuestions: "Speculating on whether or not the antichrist will claim to be Maitr*** seems rather fruitless; Maitr*** is not a real person, but part of mythical beliefs. It is possible that the "beast" of Revelation 13:11-15 (the word "antichrist" is not in the book of Revelation) could be someone who claims to be Maitr***, or whom others perceive as Maitr***. However, since God's Word does not give us information on who the beast is, it is best to be assured of one's salvation so that, whoever the antichrist / beast turns out to be, one can find peace and safety in eternal life through faith in Christ."

    CONS

    - The book is sometimes (slightly) repetitive, especially when it comes to the details of the journey of the Titanic. At a certain point I had to stop the audiobook and verify that it did not by chance wind back to earlier chapters.

    To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, by James Davison Hunter (1*)

    Reviewed 04/09/2024 〣 100% read

    It was by divine providence that I read just days earlier a book about Constantinianism and the birth hour of the Roman Catholic State Church, and just weeks earlier the highly problematic book 'Total Truth' by Nancy Pearcy.

    The proclamation of Neo-Calvinism and sublime endorsement of Dominionism in Pearcey's book is brought to whole another level in this book, which does not only endorse Pearcey's book, but essentially copies entire passages from it. This book goes now as far as to specifically endorse the 7-Mountain Mandate with all its theological details, while it elsewhere speaks about a Cultural Mandate.

    The book's chief aim is to move the US to the very same Constantinianism which catapulted the Roman Catholic (State) Church into power (accompanied by Roman Paideia whereof the author of course would be part of), no matter how hard the author later tries to distract from that notion, by specifically and hypocritically criticizing Constantinianism and the merging of state and religion. But the fact that the author sees the need to criticize Constantinianism (probably as proactive defense because his philosophy demands that precise conclusion), shows already that he has gone way too far, into preaching a Gospel that is the very antithesis to the biblical teachings of JESUS CHRIST.

    This book is one of the most mischievous and evil books I have read so far. This is noticeable e.g. when speaking about the 'Foxe's Book of Martyrs' book or the Waldensians as if being good, but knowing very well from everything else in the book (especially the unabashed preaching of Catholicism) that both are totally contrary to all the evil the book teaches. The author is double-tongued and highly divisive. The book can best be compared to a molotov-cocktail thrown into the American church. There are no better words. I have always wondered what happened to the US in the past decade. Now having read this book, published in 2010, I have a much better understanding how this and probably other similar evil works heavily contributed to the deception of the American church.


    WHAT THE BOOK ESSENTIALLY ENDORSES

    - Roman Catholicism, Second Vatican Council, John Paul II, Eucharist, Calvinism, Egaliatarianism, Gnosticism, Humanism, Marxism, Republican party (USA), Social Gospel, Cultural Mandate, 7-Mountain-Mandate, Focus on the Family, Kevin Dobson, Charles Colson, Nancy Pearcy, Allister McWrath, Timothy Keller, Promise Keepers, The Pope, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, J.I. Packer, J.R.R. Tolkien, Rick Warren, Christianity Today, New Westminster Confession, Ekklesia (12) Movement (Dominionism) ...


    HIS RELIGIOUS VIEWS

    "This Paradigm is most obviously embraced by the Neo-Anabaptist theologians and clergy, but they also share an affinity with separatist factions and the traditionalist Catholic Community. In some conservative evangelical denominations, such as the Truly Reformed in the Presbyterian Church in America, or the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and among most Pentecostals.

    While these Christians would not share much in common with Neo-Anabaptist politically, or in terms of social class, they tend to operate with a two kingdoms view of church in the world. That also moves them to increasingly withdraw into their own communities with less and less interest in any engagement with the larger world. It is also in the purity from paradigm, where one would locate those Ecumenical gestures in Christianity toward a New Monasticism. This is an ... movement that identifies itself by a number of commitments, among them a commitment to relocation to the abandoned places of Empire."


    SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

    - Endorsement of Roman Catholicism (the author's painfully obvious religion), (Neo-)Calvinism and Neo-Anabaptists. Quote: "One person can stand at the crossroads and change things for good. Such as Martin Luther John Calvin, Charles Wesley, Jonathan Edwards or William Booth. Bishop Tutu. John Paul II. Dorothy Day. Or for ill, such as Frederick Nietzsche, Adolf H., Stalin, and so on ..."

    - He commits clear blasphemy when putting Buddha, Muhammad, Plato, Augustine, Charles Darwin in the very same category as THEOS:

    "When the world's need is most acute, great leaders rise to the occasion and provide the courage and vision to address that need. In all epics of the world's history, we shall find the great man to have been the indispensable savior of his epic. In the realm of the spirit it was Moses, the Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad among others. In the case of war, it was Julius Caesar, Alexander, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Washington, Bismarck, and others. In the case of the intellect, it was Plato and Aristotle. St Paul, St Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. Jonathan Edwards, Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and the like ..." (This passage is nearly identical to Pearcey's book).

    - Plain endorsement of Gnosticism and the great anti-Christ Marcion as 'astute', 'brilliant' and 'outstanding'. I never read a Christian book which did not criticize those when touching the topic. But an endorsement is unheard of. Unbelievable.

    "The urban centers of the Mediterranean also became the setting for various voices in different parts of the Empire to be heard and to engage each other. It's the home of the Jewish philosopher Philo as well as Bishop Dimitrios, Clement and Origen [false teacher]. Alexandria was especially important as a center of theological imagination. Needless to say, Rome's importance grew by the generation. As Robert Wilkins observed: Almost all of the outstanding Christian thinkers of the second century spent some time in Rome: Valentinous, the brilliant Gnostic teacher and author of the Gospel of Truth. Marcion a radical Christian leader and biblical scholar and fanatical follower of Paul. ~Agasapus~, an early historian of the Christian movement and Justin Martyr and Athenagoras among the earliest and most astute apologists of the Christian faith."

    The author also speaks elsewhere in the book about Aeons, an idea connected with Valentinianism. Valentinianism rejected the incarnation, crucifixion, and bodily resurrection of Jesus.

    - Plain endorsement of Egalitarianism (yet another evil):

    "With first stories of popular violence coming from France, many were also deeply suspicious of the excesses of popular Democratic reform. Still, they promoted an Egalitarianism that was unusual within their social class and among other things. They did much to make Great Britain more Democratic ..."

    - Plain endorsement of Humanism (yet another evil):

    "Also foundational to the intellectual success of the Reformation was its strategic alliance with the humanist movement. Already well established by the time Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the doors of the church in Wittenberg. The humanists, represented most prominently by the person and work of Desiderius Erasmus, had a vast and international network in German Swiss and Austrian universities. They provided texts, knowledge of languages and new standards of scholarship, all of which inform the academic formation of the reformers. They also had softened the ground, culturally and intellectually through their satirical attacks on clerics and Scholastics. At least they had a disproportionate influence over publishing. Your support was both indispensable. As Alister McGrath puts it, without Humanism there would have been no Reformation."

    - Plain endorsement of Marxism (yet another evil):

    "The Enlightenment's own quest for certainty resulted not in the discovery of new certainties but rather in a pervasive and astringent skepticism that questions all, suspects all, distrusts and disbelieves all. Even in the early decades of the 17th century, the great poet John Donne (Roman Catholic) wrote presciently of this new age. New philosophy calls all in doubt. Marx and Freud made titanic contributions to the project of modern skepticism. Marx, of course challenges the givenness of the social order and its structure of inequality. Freud challenged the relationship of morality, consciousness and personality, and the very nature of and borders between psychopathology and mental health. These were only starting points."


    SOCIAL GOSPEL / 7-MOUNTAIN MANDATE / CULTURAL MANDATE / NEO-CALVINISM

    - The most obvious endorsement of the 7-Mountain-Mandate I have ever seen in a book outside the New Apostolic Reformation (which is usually criticized by Calvinists ...)

    "A number of new groups emerged with this broader agenda. Groups such as 'Legacy', the '~Clapham Group' [usually called the 'Clapham Sect', or 'Clapham Saints'] and 'Reclaiming the Seven Mountains of Culture'. These groups vary considerably in mission and sophistication. But there are clear continuities among their leaders and in the logic between some of these groups and the more established Christian Right. Consider the founding rationale of 'Reclaiming the Seven Mountains of Culture'. It is worth quoting at length.

    In every city of the world, an unseen battle rages for Dominion over God's creation and the souls of people. This battle is fought on 7 strategic fronts. Looming like mountains over the culture to shape and influence its destiny. Over the years, the church slowly retreated from its place of influence on these mountains [entirely wrong, up to Constantine there was zero involvement], leaving a void now filled with darkness. When we lose our influence, we lose the culture. When we lose the culture, we fail to advance the kingdom of God [heretical teaching].

    Now, a generation stands in desperate need. It's time to fight for them and take back the mountains of influence:

    • 1. The mountain of Government where evil is either restrained or endorsed.
    • 2. The mountain of Education where truths or lies about God and his creation are taught.
    • 3. The mountain of Media where information is interpreted through the lens of good and evil.
    • 4. The mountain of Arts and entertainment where values and virtues are celebrated or distorted.
    • 5. The mountain of Religion where people worship God in spirit and truth, were settled for a religious ritual.
    • 6. The mountain of Family where either the blessing or a curse is passed on to successive generations.
    • 7. And the one mountain they depend on. The mountain which fuels and funds all the other mountains. The mountain of Business where people build for the glory of God or the glory of man. Where resources are consecrated for the kingdom of God or captured for the powers of Darkness. Those who lead this mountain control what influences our culture ..."

    > Nothing described here has anything to do with our Great Commission, and little to do with any biblical mandate. It is a man-made religion which terribly abuses Scripture for its own benefit, power and influence. We are not commanded to build a Christian kingdom in this age, but to bring believers and hopefully unbelievers into the Kingdom to come.

    - Terrible abuse of Scriptures for the justification of their Social Gospel.

    "At the same time, there was a call to action. An action means changing government policies and laws [...] We are as responsible for how we vote as we are for how we use our money. Political apathy is a sin [seriously ???] Never before has God given American Evangelicals such an awesome opportunity to shape public policy in ways that could contribute to the well-being of the entire world [does this not sound exactly like that being spoken by Satan to JESUS, when he offered him the whole world?]. Disengagement is not an option. [...] As believers, we have a duty to be involved in the democratic process. [...] We admonish to pray that Christians in America will register to vote. Matthew 22:21 [absolutely no relation to this; terrible twisting of Scripture]. Pray that God's people would feel the need to engage the culture and be involved in government. Just as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:13-16 [we are to be the salt; but extreme stretch to apply this verse to voting]"

    The quote gets worse: "But the argument that trumps all others is the argument grounded in the example of Christ himself. Would Jesus register to vote? Would He go to the polls or would he stay home? Assuming He did vote, which candidates would He support? We know that Jesus expects His followers to be salt and light in our culture, that He expects us to participate in government. See Matthew 5:13-16 and 22:21 [the author already ran out of verses and repeats the same two verses]. Based on his teachings, it would be safe to say that Jesus would register and vote and support the candidates that closely represent His values."

    > I have rarely seen such a blatant abuse of Scripture. If we do not know what JESUS would do and if the Bible does not state it, we should rather remain silent instead of preaching a Social Gospel of very, very strange fire. Up to Constantine, Christians would have registered themselves for a census, but never get involved in government affairs. They stayed decidedly away from the world, while not speaking evil of their leaders and praying for their wisdom and salvation. This is indeed the example JESUS and the Apostles gave us, to lead rulers into salvation and physical healing. But the book does not even mention to pray for our leaders and to follow the biblical example.

    - Unabashed promotion of the Republican party (when the Catholics support it, we know ...):

    "Christian political organizations claim to be non-partisan. However, they are non-partisan only in a technical sense. No, not without some qualification. The reality is that they are decidedly partisan on behalf of the Republican party. Collectively, of course, the movement represents the strongest popular base of the Republican party. Said one activist: It's not like a secret that religious conservatives favor the Republican Party."


    SPECIFIC ENDORSEMENTS

    - Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterian Churches

    - Timothy Keller (described him as 'his friend'; Ecumenism and explicit promotion of the Catholic Church, Gospel Coalition, Theistic evolutionist, Contemplative Prayer / Catholic Mysticism, Lectio Divina, Emerging Church, Calvinist, Marxism ...)

    - Charles Colson (heavily quoted and endorsed)

    - Focus on the Family, Kevin Dobson (heavily quoted and endorsed)

    - He seriously considers Mother Teresa to be the antithesis of evil. His discernment is below grade - she was actually a monumental fraud in history, a direct enabler of se**al abuser and JESUIT priest Donald McGuire.

    The Torn Veil The Best-Selling Story of Gulshan Esther (not rated)

    Reviewed 23/09/2024 〣 100% read

    A book with an impressive story of transformation, but it is not certain if it is reliable.

    POSSIBLE ISSUES

    - The book is written by a ghostwriter, but this fact is not mentioned anywhere in the prologue or the book, and it is presented as she would have written it from her perspective. While I do not classify this as a lie, I would say that we as Christians we should be honest and abstain from such practices.

    - Some family members threatened her severely, but suddenly changed their mind, one even at the moment of pointing the gun at her. While this can be possible with divine intervention, it is still somehow odd.

    - She sort of resurrects her dead sister. While I would not exclude such a thing to happen today as displayed in the Bible, and considering that she said that she only slept while everyone else was convinced for a day that she is dead, it is still to be considered with suspicion.

    - Gulshan attended Methodist Churches, which is in many parts of the world a rather problematic denomination. We do not know the spiritual health of that denomination in Pakistan at the time of her story, but it is rather a warning sign. It would be strange that THEOS saved her from the enemy, only to have her land in a denomination.

    - There is a report of discrepancies between her book and the interview she gave with black glasses, which is also a strange fact, that she would not even show her face long after she left Pakistan for good.

    - There is also a report that people from the Methodist church in Pakistan do not know her, which would be highly unusual considering the depth of her displayed story.

    CONCLUSION

    In conclusion, there is nothing heretical in the book. Its story can be perfectly true, and if so it would be a great testimony of THEOS. But I would rather abstain from it, or read it with a healthy portion of discernment.


    Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand (4*)

    Reviewed 11/03/2024 〣 100% read

    A book difficult to read or listen to. Difficult in the sense of hard to swallow amid the cruelties. But truly inspirational, not in the sense to repeat such a tragic story, but to be steadfast in the ordinary life of a Christian and the small things of life.

    It is also refreshing to read a story which is not saturated with half-lies or made-up anecdotes.

    It would be an excellent book if the publisher would not have partly ruined it, by inserting out of the blue and totally out of context C.H. Spurgeon, an arrogant teacher who was the opposite of Wurmbrand ("I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of ecumenism, endorsed Catholic mystics/Knights Templar, Augustinian/Calvinist, called free will ridiculous, Once-Saved-Always-Saved). 

    Both are so contrary that it becomes obvious that the British publisher felt the need to pep at least the quotations up, and to insert their great idol of Celebrity Christianity. There are few endorsements in the book, but those are almost all very problematic, such as the endorsement of Anthony de Mello, who was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist ... There is no way that a Christian like Wurmbrand would have endorsed a Jesuit and a Calvinist. It simply does not fit.

    Recommended, but to be read with discernment regarding the names quoted and endorsed.

    General warning regarding Voice of the Martyrs (VOM): Abstain from donations to this organization which has sadly after the death of Richard and the expulsion of his son converted itself into a monster.

    Total Truth, by Nancy Pearcy (1*) 

    Reviewed 22/08/2024 〣 100% read

    While I enjoyed some years ago her book 'Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality', I do not feel comfortable with her more general books on apologetics.

    Firstly, she is a Neo-Calvinist as made clear in this book, and her theology is filtered through that lens; although usually not clearly visible, and although she rightly criticizes their heroes such as Augustine and Aquinas (while heavily endorsing Augustine in the remainder of the book ...).

    The book is also a gong-show for Roman Catholicism. Can a member of two -isms be in authority to warn us about other -isms? Hardly so.

    Secondly and here some might disagree - I don't see it adequate for a woman be the ultimate instance in core theology. The Bible specifies elders / overseers / presbyters as male only, while women are assigned for the important role of deacons, supporting the overseers. I think it also makes sense to draw a similar line when it comes to teaching on paper, although not explicitly defined by THEOS in His Word.

    While I appreciate her perspective on a special topic such as sexuality in contemporary context, I think she transgresses her biblical mandate by clearly elevating herself in this and other books over hundreds of biblical scholars (mostly male), when it comes to the definition of the very core doctrines and essentials of the 'Christian' faith. If any of us would be challenged to make a biblical case for such a distribution of roles, we would have a very hard time, and rather would not find a single Bible passage that could support the image of a women in a room with hundreds of teachers, correcting their doctrines and exegesis. It simply does not harmonize with the Bible.

    And it gets more problematic knowing that she ~was~ a feminist as she herself admitted in the book. But a whole chapter on role distribution with a heavy touch of feminism should make us doubt that she indeed left this chapter behind. And her much more recent 2023 book 'The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes' has a strong egalitarian bent, where she distorts the meaning of 'head' to mean 'source' and twists Scripture numerous times. She is an Egalitarian disguised as Complementarian.

    PROS

    + She includes one good example of discernment - how to recognize Pantheism in a book. But overall she has a highly deficient discernment herself.

    + Great refutation of Darwinism, which she describes as 'cocktail party speculations' and a 'soap opera'. Adequate words.

    + Correct critique of modern church fundraising and marketing practices.

    + Correct critique of bad practises in literary authorship (ghostwriters, staff writers ...). She could have added spouses (mainly wives) who write for famous pastors, which is a serious problem which cannot be proven, but which I have strongly perceived in numerous books. Biblical oneness should not be abused, and the names of every writer have to be clearly stated.

    CONS

    - While she correctly challenges privatized faith, she goes too far in her application. She belittles people who follow traditional approaches for evangelism and has a strong leaning towards Dominion Theology / the 7-Mountain Mandate. This is surprising, because traditional Calvinists are usually the first to call out the New Apostolic Reformation for such problematic doctrines. But Neo-Calvinists sometimes hold that the Cultural Mandate is as important as the Great Commission, while she even holds that it is more important!

    Add SEP3: The book 'To Change the World' by James Davison Hunter clearly proves her leaning, by unabashedly promoting the 7-Mountain Mandate while endorsing this book and essentially copying entire passages from it.

    - The overall concept of the book is also flawed. The essence of her teaching is to avoid 'losing the battle' against Darwinists. This is a false dichotomy, because it elevates us to the role of THEOS. It is primarily His battle and not our battle (which is the Great Commission she belittles in the book, and individual exhortation in the manner of Paul).

    And even from our perspective it is mainly an issue of the academic world she heavily endorsed in the book. If she would be consequent in her application, she would warn Christians of specific universities that teach Darwinism. But she does the exact opposite and even specifically endorsed in the book one of the most fallen universities, Wheaton College with the specific mention of their Billy Graham Center, which Catholic bloggers already consider a Catholic pilgrimage destination. At Wheaton, only 2 out of the 200 professors on campus believe the Genesis creation account to be literal, similar to her claim in the book that it is secondary if creation happened a few thousand or million years ago, meaning that she is open to the possibility of billionfold death before Adam. See also the discernment on Wheaton College.

    We are not commanded to try to extinguish all the -isms. Dozens of books have now been written on the very same topic and not once have I read of any university which has changed their official stance after their staff would have read one of those books, but only very sporadically of individual testimonies. Most of the books on apologetics are written by highly problematic teachers themselves (almost exclusively by those favorable to Catholicism / Calvinism) and rarely by a sound teacher.

    - The book can almost be read like a manifesto of Neo-Calvinism. Nearly all key theological points listed in the respective Wikipedia article are manifested in the book: Cultural Mandate, (correct) rejection of dualism, world views ...

    Quote: "This revival of Common Sense Philosophy is shared by other reformed thinkers such as William Alston and Nicholas Wolterstorff, and their approach has been labeled Reformed Epistemology. The work of Schaeffer, Plantinga and many others testifies to the fact that both Scottish Common Sense, realism and Dutch Neo-Calvinism remain viable philosophical traditions among Evangelical thinkers. [...] A few years ago, Common Weal ran an article titled, the Evangelical Mind Awakens', remarking that the majority of Evangelical Scholars, who have achieved academic recognition in mainstream Academia have ties to Neo Calvinism."

    - She makes the case for Christian lawyers, without pointing to the Bible which rather criticizes this combination. I do not say that such a combination could not eventually be in the will of THEOS, but it is not biblical and an insufficient exegesis to throw away any biblical objections.

    - Her teachings are not straightforward and sometimes generate more confusion than she is trying to eliminate. When she is e.g. criticizing Augustine and Aquinas, it sounds as if she is done with Total Depravity, which would be very surprising about a Calvinist. But some minutes later, she suddenly defends Total Depravity specifically in Calvinist context ...

    - Endorsement of the Old Covenant tithing, which is an heretical teaching.

    - She endorses the highly problematic book 'The Cross and the Switchblade' (propaganda for Jesuits and Episcopalians; automatic speaking in tongues of every believer which is at odds with her Calvinism and the Bible; heavy endorsement of Harald Bredesen the father of the charismatic movement; intense promotion of the Assemblies of God > Benny Hinn).

    - She apparently aims to imitate the overly eloquent writing style of C.S. Lewis whom she endorses several times in the book (also specific books related to white witchcraft, which she classifies as 'well loved writings'). While her writings include a lot of truth, they also sometimes include the mark of a clanging cymbal. The book is so focussed on herself, that it does not even contain 5 Bible verses ...

    - Endorsement of the Catholic scholar Peter Kreeft and the Anglican priest Alister Edgar McGrath. She further endorsed several Catholics as Christians, as 'men of God' ... The book is loaded with endorsement of specifically pointed out Catholics. She is one more example of the Catholic-Calvinist Movement, or in other words of Augustinianism she is definitely part of in both the Catholic and the Calvinist expression of it.

    - She called Descartes (Roman Catholic) 'a sincere Christian' which is a contradiction in itself.

    - She endorses over and over Augustine, one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil as she pointed out, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, and father of the doctrine of persecution.

    - Endorsement of the false teacher Charles Spurgeon ("I believe there will be more in heaven than in hell", strong embrace of ecumenism, endorsed Catholic mystics/Knights Templar, Augustinian/Calvinist, called free will ridiculous, Once-Saved-Always-Saved).

    - Endorsement of Francis Collins (Teaches that man comes from evolution; supports Genetic Enhancement; aborted fetal tissue research ...).

    - She endorses Hudson Taylor as a great missionary (he played a crucial role when Calvinists planted their 'seeds' in China).

    To the Golden Shore, by Courtney Anderson (2*)

    Reviewed 30/10/2024 〣 100% read

    A very mixed bag. I have read autobiographies where probably 50-70% are made up, but this book includes possibly 80-95% of content which comes straight from the 'creative license' of the author. I have no problems if a few gaps are being filled, but there is a real problem if the book is a big lie, especially when it comes to a Christian book where there should not be one single lie.

    PROS

    + Incredible testimony of resilience.

    + Adoniram Judson did an incredible service to translate the Bible into Burmese (but we have no information about the quality of the translation).

    + Judson was thankfully cured from his longing for fame, and from the ugly display of 'Celebrity Christianity' at the beginning of the book.

    + His father was also baptized through his inspiration.


    NEUTRAL

    o Excellent writing skills of the author. But it is unheard of that an author has such writing skills and has only written one other book in the time from 1956 to 2012.

    1956 1st book: To the Golden Shore

    1966 Heroic Colonial Christians (only contributor)

    1997 2nd book (41 years later): Seagulls in My Belfry

    There are a number of books appearing under her name after 2011 and a sudden wave of books from 2020 to 2023, but this can hardly be the same author ~65 years later.

    I would not be surprised at all, if we learn one day that many of those highly embellished and often heretical autobiographies had been penned in the Vatican or in New York while using pseudonyms, or by assigning pre-written works to an unknown author who is paid for using his or her name. I have noticed now in several autobiographies that they are written by a practically unknown ghostwriter who has written at most 1 or 2 other books, and literally no information on the author is available. 

    The acceptance of ghostwriters by Christian publishers has to cease. Ghostwriters and NDA's have caused an immeasurable harm to the Body of CHRIST.


    SERIOUS ISSUES

    - Adoniram Judson heavily practiced the outmost heretical Guionism (teachings based on the French Catholic mystic Madame Guyon) as repeated many times throughout the book:

    "Now, as he restudied the 'quietism' of Madame Guyon, long a favorite of his since even before the Death Prison days, he came further under her influence and the mysticism of Thomas a Kempis, Fenelon and other writers, mostly of a distinctly un-Baptist sort, who expounded almost abject humility, solitary asceticism, and variously forms of self-mortification." [this also means that he having opened himself to satan through Guionism, has possibly contributed to his imprisonment, because THEOS did certainly no longer hold His hand over him]

    "What elements of mysticism he still preserved in his thinking had transmuted themselves into reflections on the peace and sweetness a Christian could feel after giving his heart to the Savior. During their first days in Rangoon, Emily [his 3rd wife] had been 'a little annoyed by what seemed to me a taint of Guionism, Oberlinism, or something of that sort'. [...] They agreed on everything, even, she believed, on her opinion of Madame Guyon, whom she considered 'disgusting' and a 'monomaniac', though she admitted that 'notwithstanding her very apparent unamiability, she had grace'."

    - Judson sets out as Calvinist (Congregationalist) and then converts to a Baptist. Nowhere in the book do we find a passage that he repented from Calvinism, meaning that he probably continued in a flux between both religions, which also explains his attraction to Catholic (Augustinian) mystics.

    - While this book does only briefly mention that he was proposed for a membership in the fraternity 'Philermenian Society', the truth is that he was not only proposed, but that he was actually a member of that fraternity (since the year 1804; see the book 'Eastward! The Story of Adoniram Judson', by Stacy R. Warburton). This means that Judson was factually a Freemason (!!!) and we have no information if he ever renounced this membership before his death.

    This goes also hand-in-hand with him becoming a Baptist, because Baptists have (especially in the SBC which is also endorsed in the book) a strong prevalence of Freemasons in their ranks (in the 1990s, 14 percent of SBC pastors and 18 percent of deacons were Masons).

    - This book is a very good cure against Denominationalism. The first chapters are a splendid display of all the horrible quarrels the people suffered back in that time (and still suffer today). Until the Judson's set out on the ocean, the book is painful to read, loaded with formalities, creeds, committees, hierarchies, authorizations, quarrels, legalism et al.

    The worst display of Denominationalism occurs when Judson opens himself to baptism and one assumes for a brief moment that he is done with Denominationalism, only to declare himself as Baptist in consequence. How beautiful, if he would have simply become a follower of CHRIST and would have worked for his own salary. He had all the liberty to do so.

    But it does not stop here, Judson even led people -not into the Christian faith- but "received them into the Baptist faith" as the book explicitly states. I have probably never read a book which was more divisive than this exemplar.

    - The book shows also all the ugly consequences of a solo pastorate, of one pastor leading a church alone while not providing his own salary through ordinary work and sharing the pastorate with other teaching elders as clearly indicated in the Bible (elders and pastors are the exact same office; always a plurality!!!). The consequences are seen by his expulsions, searches for a new pastorate, quarrels and threats to lose a pastorate et al. Another splendid display of what happens when the guidance through THEOS' Word is ignored.

    - Judson erroneously prophesied that he would survive his terminal illness. It is also not feasible that he died the most gruesome and painful death after having served supposedly with a pure heart for decades.

    This book rather paints a very bad picture of THEOS, an unjust THEOS who has Judson suffer multiple times what Job suffered in the Bible. He is painted as the super-martyr while THEOS is painted in the worst light. THEOS certainly allows temporal suffering, but there is no way that a supposedly faithful servant of THEOS loses all 3 wives, most of his children and other brethren, and his house.

    - The Judson's committed dozens of times bribery which is a scandal itself in a 'Christian' book. Nowhere is this balanced in the book, or a discerning remark would have been added.

    - The book is being promoted as being inspired through the letters of Judson. But in the book itself (addendum) it is clearly stated that (most of) the letters had been destroyed and that it essentially relies on some magazine articles. Considering the very limited extent of magazine articles, we can better grasp the enormous 'creative license' the author employed, and there is the sensation that one autobiography borrowed from another and that the creativity 'exponentiated' ...

    Although the book lists indeed many sources and it is clear that there had been some serious investigation behind (general history, sea navigation et al ...), but through the plain reading in itself it is clear that the majority of the content is simply invented.

    This becomes e.g. obvious when the author recounts ultra-detailed insider conversations between the king/emperor and his officials, how many times the Judsons were supposed to be killed by officials, et al. The author does not even make the effort to use adjectives and qualifiers, to say that it was probably so. Everything is stated as fact.


    OTHER ISSUES

    - The book teaches legalism in its worst form and badly confuses the Weekly Sabbath with the Lord's Day: "The passengers even profaned the Sabbath by playing cards and chess on deck and amusing themselves with 'trifling conversation'- behavior the missionaries found very trying, but New England Sunday laws did not obtain aboard ..."

    - Erroneous teachings: "Neither God nor Jesus indulged in debates ...". Jesus debated countless times with the Pharisees.

    - Judson taught the spiritual practices of 'The Threefold Cord'.

    - Soon after his baptism, the Judsons visited a Catholic (Episcopalian church).

    - Endorsement of the Oxford Book of Common Prayer (Anglican) and Pilgrim's Progress (Calvinist).

    - The book speaks several times about 'divines' when referring to persons. This might have been a custom in those days, but it remains blasphemy, because there is only One who is divine.

    - The book is rather a business-like account and a storytelling than carrying spiritual content. We find practically no Bible verses or content of his sermons, and little to nothing about their time of devotion and prayer, aside from the shady practises of Guionism.

    - The book mentions countless times the names of gods, although strictly forbidden through the Bible.

    - Endorsement of Smith Wigglesworth.


    Tramp for the Lord, by Corrie Ten Boom (Written by Jamie Buckingham); The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom (Written by John & Elizabeth Sherrill) (not rated)

    This is the first review I have to retract from. Pending final investigation.

    Original review in 2019 (5*)

    "No words are adequate to describe her story, everything she went through. Her story is so tangible that I had even to ask for forgiveness when I developed, while reading the book, feelings of hate against the country I was born in. I have visited as a child one of the concentration camps, I have watched movies and received education, but nothing penetrated my mind in such a way as the book did. Tremendous work, tremendous courage to write those things down."

    I have read both 'her' books (Tramp for the Lord & Hiding Place) and have been deeply touched. But since then I have come across the following inconsistencies and do currently not recommend anymore the reading of those books:

    1 The book 'The Hiding Place' is marketed as written by "Corrie Ten Boom, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill".

    But very little (to nothing) of the book had probably been written by the proclaimed main author. Elizabeth went as far as to compare in an interview Corrie Tem Bom's communication skills with "a blind man trying to describe colors", in order to justify their enormous (or exclusive) creative license. [1]

    2 The ghostwriters, John & Elizabeth Sherrill are highly problematic teachers (plain display of idol images and other gods on their still active website; they worked for decades for Norman Vincent Peale and Guideposts, the figurehead of Freemasonry; Elizabeth directly endorsed Freemasonry in a book; both baptized by the Lutheran & Dutch Reformed minister Harald Bredesen, the father of the Charismatic Movement; both were part of an Episcopal church almost entirely led by female priests; repeated endorsement of the Dutch Pentecostal movement 'Kracht van Omhoog'; they bragged themselves to have converted Brother Andrew from a Protestant to a defacto Catholic). [1]

    3 The movie with the same name 'The Hiding Place' was produced in 1975 by James F. Collier, who was sort of Billy Graham's right hand in the movie industry (Collier was Presbyterian; he produced from the late 1950s - 1988 for Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures; Caught, Cry from the Mountain, For Pete's Sake!, Time to Run, Joni, The Hiding Place, The Prodigal). The writers credited for the movie are John& Elizabeth Sherrill.

    ----------

    4 'Tramp for the Lord' and 'The Hiding Place' were published in the same year. 

    Jamie Buckingham, the ghostwriter of 'Tramp for the Lord' was close friends with John & Elizabeth Sherrill (he also wrote together with Billy Graham 'Run Baby Run' which was a continuation of the highly problematic 'The Cross and the Switchblade' written by the Sherrill's; he also endorsed Norman Vincent Peale). 

    Buckingham was a leader in the charismatic movement and propelled the career of the evil Kathryn Kulman by writing 10 books for her (including her biography and 2 post-mortem books). He also wrote for Pat Robertson. Buckingham was a radical Ecumenist who called for unity between Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, and Pentecostals. [1] [2] [3] [4]

    ----------

    5 Corrie Tem Bom was part of the Dutch Pentecostal movement 'Kracht van Omhoog' ('Power from Up') which taught replacement theology, rejected original sin, and formulated that human first sinned because he gave in to demons which have to be expelled by the people pertaining to his cult ... [1]

    6 Marti Ensign, one of the figureheads of Renovaré (portal dedicated exclusively to Catholic Mysticism), was a close friend of Corrie Ten Boom. [1] [2]

    7 Corrie Ten Boom and her family were Calvinists in the Dutch Reformed Church. [1]

    8 Corrie Ten Boom and her books are prominently featured in The Alpha Course.

    I do not question her overall story, but I call into question the books written about her and her affiliations which could not be more problematic.

    Translation and Survival: The Greek Bible of the Ancient Jewish Diaspora, by Tessa Rajak (1*)

    25% read 〣 Reviewed 28/09/2024

    Sadly another book which pretends interest in the Septuagint, but dismantles it with great relish and badly disparages the Word of THEOS.

    CONS

    - The book displays a heavy portion of Judaizing. It systematically plays down the Masoretic deficiencies and intensifies every 'problem' it can find with the Greek text.

    - The book wrongly associates the Deuterocanonicals / Apocrypha with the Greek OT. This demonstrates a very poor research:

    The first 5 apocryphal books had been initiated during the translation of the Greek Pentateuch (LXX, ~250 BC), but the first 11 apocryphal books had only been completed by the time of Christ and therefore 140 years after the completion of the entire Greek Old Testament (~140 BC), while the full number of 15 apocryphal books had only been completed by 100 AD, approx. 240 years after the Greek OT.

    Quote: "For Protestant readers a few well-known narratives, which did not become canonical but which, in Greek, are part of the Christian Septuagint corpus, such as the stories of Tobit, Judith, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon, are familiar as part of the Apocrypha."

    This statement is especially problematic as it associates the 'Septuagint' (note it does not use the more generic term 'Greek OT' although she explicitely differentiated elsewhere in the book), a term which specifically relates to the Pentateuch and rather not to the other OT books translated by others than the 70/72 (> Septuagint). It therefore injects the Apocrypha into the Pentateuch written 350 years before the fact ...

    - The great anti-Christ Bar Kochba is endorsed in the book as 'Prince of Israel', which is a deeply heretical and outrageous claim. Even if this ought to be what he was called, it is inadequate to choose this as his main characteristic while making no mention of his evil plot in history.

    "These uprisings were followed, very soon after Trajan's death, by a dramatic uprising in Palestine against his successor, Hadrian, under the leadership of Bar Kochba, 'prince of Israel', apparently supported by some rabbinic leaders."

    A similar dynamic can be seen when speaking about many other problematic historical figures (Augustine, Origen et al) which are mentioned, but without any discernment.

    - The book belittles the Greek Old Testament and puts it in significance even lower than the KJV, while ignoring that it had been the Bible predominantly used in the Jewish and non-Jewish world for 5-6 centuries, until the Roman Catholics (Jerome as secretary to Pope Damasus, a fact not even mentioned in this book !).

    Quote "But the Septuagint translation could never have the seminal literary role that the King James version has had in England or Martin Luther's Bible in Protestant Germany or the translations of Moses Mendelssohn or Martin Buber for German Jewry in the modern age. The language of the Septuagint translation is a brilliant creation which served its purposes wonderfully well—social, religious, and ideological. To the reader of today it has its appeal, but it is characterized by a somewhat ungainly deployment of the common Greek, the koine, of the post-classical era. The density and reverberation of the original Hebrew is echoed, but in fainter form, by the essentially word-for-word translation technique."

    "I have continued on the same path as before, with an ever-increasing sense that the Greek Bible is an important enough part of our cultural past to deserve a presentation to an audience somewhat broader than its usual one."

    - The analysis of the Letter of Aristeas includes many 'smoke candles', but does not even speak of Justin Martyr and mentions his visit to the translation site in a footnote (just enough to avoid being accused of having ignored it, but showing the obvious and very clear bias to sweep under the carpet what could affirm the Greek OT.

    Footnote page 43: "47 For the date of the Apologeticum and biographical evidence on Tertullian, see Barnes 1971. It is worth remembering, by contrast, that the unknown author of the Cohortatio ad Graecos ascribed by some to Justin Martyr (Chap. 13) claimed to have seen the seventy-two cubicles of the translators when he visited Alexandria: see Veltri 2006: 43–6."

    This is especially remarkable when one considers Martyr as one of the, if not the most reliable scholar of his time. His opinion on the letter is possibly the weightiest of all evidence but is treated as a footnote in the midst of pages of 'smoke candles'. It is more, the author even badly disparages Justin Martyr later in the book as a 'highly confused interpreter':

    "In Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho, whose dramatic dating is the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt, we read how Christian interpreters claimed to have the authentic version, uncorrupted by Jewish distortions, thus, in this as in other ways, laying claim to the heritage of Israel. 2 In his First Apology, Justin implies, in a highly confused pronouncement, that the Jews failed to understand the real meaning of the Septuagint, a translation arranged by Ptolemy from texts sent him by King Herod; they had forfeited their right to possession of it through Bar Kokhba's mistreatment of Christians and through their blasphemous denial of Christ."

    - Pope Damasus, one of the most important figures in every study which touches the Greek Old Testament, is not even mentioned in the entire book, which clearly shows the strong pro-Catholic bias the author employs while sweeping under the carpet anything that could favor the Greek Old Testament.

    To make it clear - without Pope Damasus we would still have predominantly the Greek Old Testament and Greek New Testament today, with a Proto-Masoretic text which would be little known. The roles would be fundamentally reversed.

    Trapped in Hitler's Hell, by Anita Dittman, Jan Markell (2*)

    Reviewed 18/11/2024 〣 100% read

    There is probably only one way to nearly destroy an excellent account of a powerful testimony. It would be to endorse almost exclusively the ones who caused that suffering in the first instance.

    This book had many choices, and when it comes to denomination, thousands, or better said tens of thousands of choices. The easiest choice would have been to simply leave any division or denomination out, and simply tell the story of a Christian church of an amazing Christian pastor who helped the Jews. Then indeed it would have been a truly excellent book with outstanding investigation of historical details.

    But the book did not only start with a second salvation of the main actor through one of the 'greatest' of all false teachers, Billy Graham who also happened to be one of the 'greatest' mouthpieces for Catholicism in history - it went to another extreme which even leaves Graham in the shadows.

    Among tens of thousands of denominations to choose from, it chose the 2 which were directly responsible for the rise of antisemitism, Lutheranism and Catholicism. I do not know which of those played a more evil role, but probably when it comes to religion, Catholicism, and when it comes to a person, Luther himself, also an Augustinian 'by trade'.

    The only reason I see to have included Luther (and his religion) into this book, -and it would have been a perfect opportunity- would have been to apologize in the name of the Reformed / Lutheran Church for the Holo*aust which would probably not have existed without Luther (very hard words but we cannot ignore this well-known truth). Luther's anti-Judaistic views contributed significantly to the development of antis**itism in Germany. But to present now precisely a Lutheran as savior of those who suffered the ugly consequences of Luther's antis**itism, is ridiculous at best, it is audacious. It is the exact same scheme found in the books and movies of other popular accounts of the Holo*aust.

    Now coming to Catholicism, we can say with absolute certainty, that the Holo*aust would not have existed without it. A quick look at Wikipedia reveals the following summary: "During the Middle Ages [Roman Empire 5c. AD - Renaissance 13-15c. AD], the Catholic Church institutionalized antis**itism through the creation of discriminatory laws and the establishment of the Inquisition. This led to widespread persecution of Jews, including forced conversions, expulsions, and pogroms. Jews were expelled from Catholic kingdoms, including England and Spain and many of the principalities and cities of the Holy Roman Empire and Italy."

    Catholics only (and very suddenly) changed their way of walking, when the Holocaust made persecuting Jews no longer socially acceptable and suddenly dozens of heroic stories came up from Catholics, who helped Jews. What a farce, especially when considering that Catholics only half-heartedly apologized after decades, and it took the Vatican 46 years after Israel's independence to recognize them as a state (see also the podcast 'What is the real cause of Antisemitism?' by the Berean Call Podcast).

    PROS

    + Superb writing style.

    + Very great display of faith.

    + Beautiful display of some Germans, who at least showed their sympathy to the Jews.

    NEUTRAL

    o Some of the stories seem a bit far-fetched. Everything could be perfectly true, because THEOS truly works miracles. But it is questionable that it really happened that a daughter could walk in and out of a Synagogue converted into a prison, in order to visit her mother. It is questionable that after this, she entered with friends through a tunnel into another prison, was caught there / on the way back (vague details) and only put on a black list instead of being imprisoned. It is questionable how they could flee in a train by the direct hands of Nazis, although they probably had all the same clothing and were obviously war prisoners.

    CONS

    - The original edition 'Angels in the Camp: A Remarkable Story of Peace in the Midst of the Holo*aust' (published by Tyndale House, 1979) is being marketed as 'A FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT of a young Jewish girl's life in war-torn Germany where she discovers the differences Jesus Christ makes, even in the midst of the holo*aust.'

    This third edition 'Trapped in Hitler's hell' (published by Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2013) is being marketed as 'Trapped in Hitler's Hell is the TRUE ACCOUNT of holo*aust horror but also of God's miraculous mercy on a young girl who spent her teen-age years desperately fighting for survival ...'

    How can a FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT suddenly turn into a TRUE ACCOUNT?

    - Strong promotion of Augustinian (Catholic) denominations.

    "Living above us in our apartment complex was a Catholic family who invited me to attend church with them one Sunday. Mother, who recognized the same spiritual hunger within me as she had felt as a child, allowed me to go. I, too, was being exposed to Jesus in public school religion classes, which, ironically, the God-hating Hitler had not stopped. As I sat through the cathedral service that Sunday morning, God's Spirit began to move in my young life. I gasped in awe at the breathtaking stained-glass windows depicting the life of Jesus. How graphically I saw His birth, life, death, and resurrection. Jesus had to be more than a carpenter masquerading as a king. With all the religious options I had as a six-year-old, it is incredible that I could discern that Jesus truly was God. I did not believe in the rituals of Judaism or Catholicism, or Father's ardent atheism, or Mother's wavering practice of theosophy." [notice that she only criticizes the rituals, but highly endorses the religion]

    "We were given a hot meal at a nearby Catholic day-care center that still dared show an ounce of kindness to a Jew, but I could hardly eat."

    "The Christmas carols from the church steeple are telling Jesus' story, Mother!" I exclaimed with delight. "I know the words to the carol. I learned them at the Catholic day-care center. Could I sing them?"

    "However, in the Lord's timing, the book did not take shape until sometime in the winter of 1977, after I had reaffirmed my faith in Jesus Christ and renewed my total commitment to Him during one of Billy Graham's Crusades on TV."

    "My sincere appreciation also goes to my dear friend Dr. H. Allan Talley of Hope Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis whose care and concern for me have been a constant source of comfort and encouragement. He in turn introduced me to the talented young writer of this book Jan Markell."

    Unashamed, by Lecrae Moore (5*)

    Reviewed 02/03/2023 〣 100% read

    A superb book. A truly remarkable testimony of the grace and power of THEOS. May this story be with a happy end.

    Recommendation: Listen to this book - read by the author himself and enriched with some of his music. A wonderful decision of the author to also give his voice to the book.

    Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (1*)

    Reviewed 26/06/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Incredible testimony.

    + Wonderful example of forgiveness towards the end of the book.

    NEUTRAL

    - Superb writing skills and narrator, but ...

    CONS

    ... it becomes clear that the author took an enormous creative license (for other such infamous examples, see Andrew Quicke, Anita Diamant, Carolyn Weber, Lynn Vincent, Elizabeth Sherrill ...). While the big frame is probably true, I doubt that we can even trust 50 % of the narrative and specifically in the details. It is a sad testimony of society that we silently accept to be lied to, as long as the writing skills and the quality of the story justify the means ...

    Most of the story details would have required in-depth interviews with dozens of the people involved, both in the US and more significantly in Japan. The author was born in 1967 and published the book in 2010, but 'The Bird' died in 2003 and most events took place around 1944. Even if Zamperini would have written down a lot of the events and would have had an excellent memory in his final years, it is hard to believe that he would remember the sumtotal of coal they handled on a specific day decades ago, or many other similar details.

    - It is questionable that Louis met Hi**tler twice within days and rather a decorative detail (at least in her eyes).

    - Louis could after his imprisonment barely read street signs, but could apparently speak with the prison guards years earlier, answering detailed questions.

    - The author dramatizes a lot, which becomes obvious by her strong focus on sharks and an unusually high frequency of encounters. If we believe the story, it appears as if he had almost daily encounters with multiple sharks which seems odd compared to other similar stories. The violence of the prison guards is also probably exaggerated.

    - Her focus and apparent fascination with 'The Bird' is very interesting - at best. The imagination she expresses through that character, can hardly come from a spiritually sound author and possibly even reflects her own dark side. She indulges herself in this character of outmost brutality and sadism. The scandalous introduction to the character reads as following:

    "In front of them, standing beside the building, was a Japanese corporal. He was leering at them. He was a beautifully crafted man, a few years short of thirty. His face was handsome, with full lips that turned up slightly at the edges, giving his mouth a faintly cruel expression. Beneath his smartly tailored uniform, his body was perfectly balanced, his torso radiating power, his form trim. A sword angled elegantly off his hip, and circling his waist was a broad webbed belt embellished with an enormous metal buckle. The only incongruities on this striking corporal were his hands - huge, burtish, animal things that one man would liken to paws."

    This is her introduction to the #7 of Japan's most wanted and gruesome war criminals!!! For no other character in the book does she employ such an introduction and she recounts even details of his growing up and his later flight while supposedly being searched by 4100 policemen, conversations with his mother and employer - many of those details she could impossibly know, had she not spoken directly to him, his family and the Japanese authorities. The author is spiritually fallen.

    - The book contains 4 references to fortune-telling, while any discernment or exhortation for the reader is absent. While the first reference is the ~prophecy~ that Louis would still be alive, the second reference celebrates her prophecy to have come true in the ~prophesied~ time before Christmas, on December 9th. To celebrate fortune-telling in a 'Christian' book, is pure evil.

    - The author describes Catholicism as part of Christianity, which is highly problematic. She is most certainly a Catholic (her co-founder of Operation Intl. Children, Gary Sinise also being a Catholic), and I suspect her to be a Jesuit (which goes hand-in-hand with her favorite character, the torturer).

    - In the first 3 hours of listening, there is not a single reference to faith or to the Lord, even though the actors experienced several near- death situations, where even a pagan would have called out to the Lord. Then the first spiritual reference is the mention of Jesus's name in vain. After 3.5 hours, they sing some unspecified church hymns on the sea, and Luis later starts to pray. But we do not even know to whom he is praying, and he has not even in his time on the sea a significant spiritual experience with Jesus.

    - The author describes the cloud of Hiroshima in disturbing terms:

    "A fantastically huge, roiling cloud, glowing bluish gray, swaggered over the city. It was more than three miles tall. Below it Hiroshima was boiling."

    "A few trains slipped past Hiroshima. Virtually every POW believed that the destruction of this city had saved them from execution. John Falconer, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, looked out as Hiroshima neared. 'First there were trees,' he told historian Donald Knox. 'Then the leaves were missing. As you got closer, branches were missing. Closer still, the trunks were gone and then, as you got in the middle, there was nothing. Nothing! It was beautiful. I realized this was what had ended the war. It meant we didn't have to go hungry any longer, or go without medical treatment. I was so insensitive to anyone else's human needs and suffering. I know it's not right to say it was beautiful, because it really wasn't. But I believed the end probably justified the means."

    It is also not credible that this train had passed several days after the event the death zone, or close enough to see individual trees as described in the book.

    - Massive promotion (10 mentions) of the highly problematic (Catholic) Billy Graham (who had a strong tendency towards universalism; key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained female pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    - The first (and only) Bible passage in the entire book comes out of the mouth of Graham and is an interpolated text, the story of the woman caught in adultery.

    - Zamperini's conversion story is spurious at best. He is on his way to run out of the evangelism tent of Graham during his second visit, has a flashback to the promise he made years earlier to God to serve Him forever if he should survive, then goes home, throws away his alcohol and dirty magazines and is a new man. No baptism, no prayer, no repentance, not even a single word of anything. Just a flashback and his wife not even knowing what is going on when they come home together.

    - Zamperini was then a member of a Mason fraternity (Kappa Sigma) and of the Presbyterian church.

    Unquestioned Answers: Rethinking Ten Christian Clichés to Rediscover Biblical Truths, by Jeff Myers (4*)

    Reviewed 02/05/2023 〣 100% read

    Overall a great book.

    But (as so often) with a lack of discernment. Names such as Evans, Timothy Keller (Calvinist, Marxist), C.S. Lewis (Witchcraft) or Eric Metaxas (Fascist) should never be recommended by any believer who is in the Spirit.

    It also lacks much more Bible references, especially in the chapter related to judging others. Not even the differentiation between outsiders and insiders (1Cor 5:12-13) is made, which is one of the key verses of biblical judgment of others. Do not judge outsiders. Judge insiders when absolutely necessary.

    The comment "Jesus is our Sabbath" probably points to an abolishment of the Weekly Sabbath in the eyes of the author, which is clearly wrong, the Weekly Sabbath being part of the Moral Law which preceded Sinai by thousands of years.

    Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way out of the Mormon Church, by Lynn K. Wilder (4*)

    Reviewed 15/09/2023 〣 100% read

    Tremendous book - tremendous story.

    It is hardly possible to write any better story (the honour for this goes to THEOS) or to write a better book on such a journey. It is very objective, not with slander nor with a bad mouth. A huge compliment to its author(s).

    One small issue: the author does not know the difference between Past-, Present- and Future Salvation, and some of the generally good theology suffers with that.

    Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help for a Common Problem, by Robert D. Jones (3*)

    Reviewed 18/03/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Overall good teaching on a topic much needed to be covered. But he minimizes sometimes the pain and suffering that the characters in his book have experienced.

    + Theologically sound, one of the few followers of Luther / Calvin who does not silently boycott the book of James.

    + Good description of righteous anger (against sin, under self-control, kingdom issues).

    CONS

    - It is a scandal to endorse repeatedly Augustine as a saint and to read extensive passages from his writings which are explicitly promoted in the book (former Manichaean who 'converted' only under enormous pressure and fear of death; responsible for -most- of Catholicism's doctrines and practices; patriarch of Calvinism; father of amillennialism; key figure in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; baptized through Ambrose - 2nd doctor of the RCC; preeminent doctor of the Catholic church and the patron of the Augustinians; father of the doctrine of persecution; heretical teaching that even marital sex involving lust is sinful, Ransom-Theorist ... in short spirit of Antichrist).

    The passage where Augustine supposingly quotes what he thought in certain situations as an infant, is horrible. It is obvious to the listener that Augustine is plainly inventing and lying about something he impossibly can remember of his infancy, and it is sad that the author of this book (who is a professional in psychology!!) blindly believed those lies and spreads those even further. No human being in their 40s can remember what he thought as an infant ... Augustine then goes on to say that infants are evil from birth.

    - The book is repetitive, e.g. the story of the prodigal son is repeated over and over.

    - The book mentions a lot of material which is not being offered or linked to those who listen to the audiobook.

    - Bible verses are usually not read, but only referenced, which is a very low standard for publishing an audiobook. It cannot be expected that someone who does listen at work to the book, drops dozens of times everything.

    - The speaker is not adequate for such a book, his arrogant voice does hinder the message to penetrate. ChristianAudio has much better speakers.

    - Endorsement of  Calvin (known as 'The Protestant Pope' and as brutal tyrant; "Augustine is so wholly within me, that if I wished to write a confession of my faith, I could do so with all fullness and satisfaction to myself out of his writings"; claimed that Genesis and Matthew contain errors of its authors; promotion of Apocrypha; Christ died only for the elect; burning of his theological opponent Servetus directly instigated by him).

    - He divides the body of Christ by (almost) exclusively quoting Calvinist / Presbyterian / Puritan figures such as John Owen (Calvinist theologian), Frederick Buechner (Presbyterian minister, preacher, and theologian), Jay Adams (Calvinist / Presbyterian), Jerry Bridges (Calvinist), Paul David Tripp (Calvinist), Richard Baxter (Puritan).

    - The author advertises himself as 'Master of Divinity', which is probably plain blasphemy, no matter how often this title is assigned today in America. There is only one Master of Divinity! Where have we gone ...

    A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers (4*)

    Reviewed 17/10/2022 〣 100% read

    Excellent book.

    The only downside is not the not-happy-end which is rather realistic, but the unrealistic fact that the main actor did not lead any of the other characters to Christ. THEOS still might use such a story to lead one person to Christ as she experienced it, but He would rather use all those circumstances to lead at least one person to Christ and to advance the Kingdom in the midst of this pure evil.

    The Watchmen, by Mark Cahill (3*)

    Reviewed 05/11/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Great teachings on true evangelism. He employs many personal stories and anecdotes in order to motivate us to go out of the door and have an entirely different mindset than most Christians have today, who would rather go on a mission trip than speaking to our neighbors.

    "After famous comedian George Carlin died, I got on YouTube to watch a few clips of his acts. I could not get through one ten-minute clip without him blaspheming the name of G-d and the name of Jesus. If George Carlin could come back for five seconds to planet earth, it wouldn't be to go on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or The Late Show with David Letterman. He wouldn't come back and collect a paycheck for doing a stand-up routine at some arena. He would come back for five simple seconds, repent of his sins, become born again, take his last breath and go be with Jesus for eternity. But it is too late for him. But my real question is, who warned him of the judgment to come? What Christian picked up the trumpet and blew it and warned him that he was going to stand in front of the G-d that he was mocking?"

    + Great defense of the Genesis account (Creationism opposing Evolutionism).

    + Rich in Scripture quotations.

    + Almost no questionable endorsements.

    NEUTRAL

    O Astute discernment on Calvinism and great summary of Dave Hunt's book 'What Love is This'. This is especially remarkable given the fact that he endorsed 12 years earlier Calvinism in his book 'One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven'. But it is strictly incoherent that he still prominently promotes this highly problematic book on his website instead of giving preference to this book.

    o The references to Freemasonry in his book 'One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven' have disappeared from this book.

    CONS

    - Analogous to his book 'One Thing You Can't Do in Heaven' (which does repeat some of the stories found in this book), he also praises himself and his generousity.

    - While he correctly opposes Calvinism in the book, he repeatedly endorses Hudson Taylor, a Presbyterian who was (one of) the key figure(s) in introducing Calvinism to China. 8 out of 11 direct family members died and he was made a cripple for many months, things which are rather indicators that something was fundamentally wrong with Taylor no matter all the great things we read about him.

    - He teaches the Old Covenant tithing, while explicitly referring to the passage speaking to the priests in Malachi. There are other more suitable passages for the concept of giving / free will offering, which is a fundamentally different concept than giving under compulsion.

    - Endorsement of William Booth (founder Salvation Army; strong feminism of his wife; concept of Aggressive Christianity which inspired Deborah Green to commit horrendous crimes)

    QUOTES

    "In all four Gospels and in the book of Acts, more than 80% of the witnessing encounters occurred between total strangers!"

    "As one guy said to me, "If you are not fishing, you are not following!"

    "Did you notice what JESUS doesn't say? He doesn't say: 'Come follow me, and I will make you a great athlete / student / millionaire / your kids healthy. He says nothing of the sort. [...] We fish for men. We fish for souls. That is what a Christian does."

    "Sharing your faith is not a presentation, but a conversation."

    The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise (1*)

    Reviewed 20/08/2024 〣 100% read

    A good book when it comes to systematic teaching, but utterly insufficient as Christian book; barely including any reasonable substance on Christianity. The name 'Shakespeare' alone is mentioned more often (36x) than the name 'JESUS' and 'CHRIST' combined, which says very much about the book. This book definitely does not help to bring up a Christian, it rather creates a pagan bookworm with the potential of becoming an heretical author and / or teacher. The authors seriously want our little ones to read books of Adolf H**ler, and of the outmost evil Teresa de Avila who was demon-possessed and levitated. Avoid this book at all costs.

    PROS

    + Streamlined and well organized instructional for the education of our loved ones. They certainly have a lot of experience in their field of -secular- home-schooling.

    + They include some good hands-on / practical approaches such as the calculation of business ideas or the budget for the next family vacation in math classes, training in tax returns and the opening of bank accounts, the lookout for veterans who can teach informal 1:1 history lessons ...

    + It is great to see that they adapted the correct 5500 / 5000 BC timeline of the Greek Old Testament, but this certainly left a lot of question marks for the uneducated reader and it would have been beneficial to explain this with a few words, especially when we hear that number so often throughout the book.

    NEUTRAL

    + Good focus on reading and writing, away from videos. But I would have appreciated more openness from their side, and to teach how to use such important media in a responsible way. To say in their conclusion that videos can be watched in the evening, is poor advice. They rather reject software, while knowing that the Bible student can hardly avoid the use of software, especially when it comes to the original languages. But the shocking truth is that 24 hours of this book do not include any Bible study tools at all. This is utterly inconceivable.

    Update: halfway through the book they took up again the topic and opened themselves a bit more to the use of software, but they do not go much further than 'approving' the use of software for finger-typing and later for programming.

    CONS

    - Their concept is highly inconsistent. They list the key motivations for homeschooling at the very end of the book, which is clearly expected at its very beginning. Although those motivations are very reasonable, the book rather demotivates the reader from homeschooling. Speaking for myself, I was clearly leaning towards homeschooling before reading this book, but this perception changed dramatically. The book clearly shows that the concept is barely affordable for the average American family (it would have been interesting if they would have given some rough total estimates for their listed books, external teachers, tests, test kits et al) and that an independence from the school system is not conceivable in the least. In their conclusion of the book they suggest private teachers which is in my opinion also the only real option, if this teacher would work 3/4 to full-time for the family of ideally 2 or 3 children at the same time, and does all the coordination with external authorities and helpers. But their concept fails widely, because it suggests external teachers for Latin, science and math; sometimes requires external help; requires certainly expensive test kits for chemics and special equipment for other topics; requires a laborious search for sports groups, depends on external testing and detailed internal records and so on. It might be easier in countries different from the US, but the principle issues remain (the book should have also included some homeschooling statistics for other countries -generally it does a poor job in speaking about its background, history, distribution et al).

    - The book is partly repetitive and not very well structured.

    - Although they do not teach a worship of heavenly bodies, they definitely suggest to teach our children the adornment of the fables and gods behind those, which is biblically speaking heretical:

    Quote: "We also recommend using a wonderful book called 'Glow-In-The-Dark Constellations' ..., which offers briefs retellings of the legends behind the constellations [quote-in-quote from that book: The story of Ursa Minor (the Small Bear): Callisto's son Arcas was out hunting one day when he saw a small bear. The bear was really Callisto. Ze** (the god) didn't want Arcas to shoot his own mother, so he changed Arcas into a small bear ...]. If the student shows interest, you can spend several weeks [!!!] on the constellations and do notebook pages on the legends behind his favorite constellations."

    Now we come to the question: If the authors want to make a difference and supposedly safeguard children from a worldly education, why do they want children to learn about idols and gods if this is not even historically relevant? What they propose here is not better, but possibly worse than what the world teaches. Surely a parent could add some discerning remarks if he or she has the time to read the book along, but why to start teaching such nonsense in the first instance and create curiosity in other gods?

    - They do not reflect on how individual education influences the Chistian testimony to the world. Does THEOS want us to put the protection of our loved ones over the testimony to the world? Are we allowed to sacrifice to a great measure the Great Commission for such a purpose? Are we creating parallel societies if not only a few-, but a significant portion of the people would adapt their teaching principles?

    - The book does not include any training on spiritual and non-spiritual discernment, which is in today's world the essential key to survive out there. The chapter on religious education (which is opened by a quote of the Anglican Edmund Burke) is less than 5 minutes long, which is ridiculous in a 'Christian' book on education that takes 24 hours in total.

    They categorically avoid teaching the creation account and offer no orientation on how to read and interpret the Bible. Later in the book they add another 7 minutes on religion, but they use this time to defend the Catholic Church not having done wrong to Galileo, further to say that we should read about different religions, to go through the timeline and read the Old and New Testament without drawing logical fallacies. This last part of the sentence is -ALL- they suggest to teach about Christianity which is utterly insufficient. We should not expect to train some Pharisees who repeat the Bible from memory, but a Christian homeschooling should include at least 15% of Christianity, which amounts to ~1 hour a day. At least.

    - Christianity is a secondary-, sometimes even a tertiary topic in the book. This is apparent in nearly every core subject. They e.g. ask to memorize many texts, but not once do they ask to memorize the Lord's Prayer or other important biblical texts. Yes, a few names of biblical characters are included in their mainly secular timelines, but they do not even give preference to Christian books in their recommendations, and the few authors some of us would associate as being Christian, are -very often, if not usually- highly problematic:

    - The authors are literally obsessed with the works of C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, J. K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien et al. This book feels like a big operation trying to infuse white witchcraft into Christianity. It is truly concerning with which frequency they speak throughout the book of specific works such as 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' and so on. Such works should not even be read by a mature and well discerning Christian, and much less by those growing up. Paul would have burned every single of their books.

    - The very first spelling exercise in the book includes the word 'sorcerer', making clear part of the agenda of their book.

    - They love to speak about ancient myths and legends, and have our little ones read about that stuff. Not sure what JESUS would have had to say about such an undertaking, to mislead our little ones into the worlds of the Iliad of a Homer who did most probably not even exist.

    Some of their proposed teachings to our children (I would have been in horror if I would have read half of their recommendations in my school days, and German education was certainly open-minded in the 90's):

    • Aesop's Fables, Plato
    • Animal Farm, George Orwell
    • Atalanta's Race: A Greek Myth
    • Chinese and Japanese Folk Tales
    • Divine Meditations, John Donne (Anglican priest)
    • Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
    • Frankenstein
    • Greek and Roman myths, The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus
    • Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greekmyths (retellings of the Greatest Hits of Greek Myths)
    • Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë (the first major feminist novel; the authors have also a strong leaning towards feminism)
    • Mein Ka**f, Adolf H**ler (inconceivable that they include this)
    • On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
    • Paradise Lost, John Milton
    • Pensées, Blaise Pascal (Catholic writer)
    • The Birds, Aristophanes (which they endorsed very often)
    • The Communist Manifesto, Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx
    • The Story of the Iliad, Homer
    • Why We Can't Wait, Martin Luther King Jr.

    This list speaks for itself. Without going into too much detail, most of this is stuff Paul would have burned right away. He would have harshly judged those who teach such stuff to their little ones. So should we (The authors still have time to avoid that judgment).

    - Recommended book: "Kathleen Krall Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes and what the Neighbors Thought ... A fun biography resource full of interesting and obscure snippets. You may want to pre-read since the lives of some of these artists were to say the least colorful".

    Why do they recommend such a book, knowing well of the problematic and deeply anti-Christian content of it? A Goodreads review affirms the evil nature of this book: "... Note to parents, grandparents , and educators: Although this book is categorized as a "J" book, due to the author's choice to include many of the more unsavory details of the artists' personal lives, it is not appropriate for young children."

    - The worst endorsement for learning materials comes probably here: "- Henry VIII and His Wives Coloring Book. New York: Bellerophon, 1989. Paper dolls to color; includes all six wives, with several outfits for Henry."

    This is one of the most shocking and distasteful endorsements I have seen in more than 150 book reviews. It is scandalous and deeply ignorant. King Henry VIII, founder of the Anglican Church, devout Catholic, declared Defender of the Faith by Pope Leo X, executed approx. 2.6% of the population of England. He had 6 marriages and executed two of his wives. He ordered an expert swordsman from France to come kill his second wife Anne Boleyn. Within 24 hours of her death, he was betrothed to his third wife.

    And now our children ought to color him and his wives? Seriously???

    - They often recommend Reformed / Calvinist lectures such as John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and endorse Augustine as a 'saint' (one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, he was also the father of the doctrine of persecution). They go as far as to suggest the reading of Augustine's 'Confessions' and the 'City of God'.

    - Repeated inclusion of materials and writings from Edith Nesbit (Catholic), John Milton (highly problematic; Paradise Lost), Madeleine L'Engle (Episcopalian, de facto Catholic) and even of the very evil Teresa de Avila as mentioned (Key figure of Catholic and Christian Mysticism, First female Doctor of the Catholic church, levitated on a number of occasions; clearly diabolical learnings). To quote the latter and to even direct hundreds of thousands of parents and children to read her book, is to essentially quote- and lead straight to Satan. The authors could very well write an excellent book without religious references for pagans, but such an endorsement alone disqualifies them from teaching in Christian context.

    - They recommend an endless list of problematic books, such as:

    • Beowulf
    • City of God & Confessions, Augustine
    • Don Quixote (Catholic & Jesuit propaganda)
    • Epic of Gilgamesh (right after reading the Genesis account; repeatedly endorsed effectively replacing the Genesis account)
    • Institutes, Calvin
    • It Is Halloween
    • Quran, Selection
    • The Life of St. Teresa de Avila ...

    - They want us to teach our children Latin, with the disguised reasoning that the grammatical structure is beneficial for the brain. Next they recommend Spanish, but Greek is only recommended much later and rather to understand their Greek fables, not the Bible.

    Greek is the language in which we received the Old and New Testament, and it has all the benefits of the particular Latin word endings they praised as precise reason. It is with deep sadness that they miss such an important opportunity to make the important statement that the first second language of every Christian child should be Greek. We can only guess what their motivation behind the Latin agenda is, but their heavy leaning towards Catholicism does not require us to guess too much (it is indeed strange that Susan defines herself as Protestant / Evangelical) ... The materials they recommend (Latina Christiana; Memoria Press; Founder Cheryl Lowe who was a Catholic, followed by her daughter-in law Leigh Lowe) underline once again their support of Catholic agenda and it is surely noteworthy that Susan's father attended a Jesuit high school, and that their family counts itself as Baptist, meaning being very close to Catholicism. Furthermore, we find in the book the repeated endorsement of Ignatius of Loyola and Francis of Assisi in their hall-of-fame of 'Great Men and Women' and in the highly selective timelines of important people. Dozens of their resources come from Ignatius Press (Jesuits) and from Loyola Press (Jesuits)!

    - Susan Wise Bauer is probably a Jesuit, as numerous now mentioned references to Jesuits and the very heavy endorsement of Catholic personalities in this book hint at.

    She is employed at the Anglican and Episcopalian College 'William & Mary' in Virginia. The authors mention numerous Catholic institutions throughout the book and go as far as to specifically point out the respective Catholic association (It is troubling how many Protestants nevertheless endorse this book with 5 stars, and even more troubling but telling that those references are still included in this 3rd edition printed decades after the 1st edition).

    In CNN's series 'Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History' (4th episode) Bauer made the very telling point: "Ignatius [of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits] was a man who believed that a direct communication with God was not only possible but was absolutely essential for the soul to prosper," she stated. "Too often, I think, we tend to breakdown the Catholic and the Protestant, especially during the Reformation, into 'Catholics thought people needed a mediator between God and man," and Protestants say 'No, you can speak directly to God.' Ignatius was a Catholic who said that the direct experience of God was one of the most important experiences that the church could steer you towards."

    In her book 'Story of the World', she goes as far as to declare both Catholics and even Jesuits as Christians (!!!): "The shoguns, like most of the Japanese people, were Buddhists. Catholic missionaries called Jesuits had come to Japan years before the Thirty Year's War began; although some Japanese listened, others were suspicious. The Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier wrote to his companions that one daimyo had driven him away, afraid "that if he allowed his people to embrace the Christian religion, his whole dominion would be destroyed, and the ancestral gods of the country ... would come to be despised by the natives." But other daimyo accepted Christianity. More missionaries came to Japan, and more Japanese became Christians."

    She knows more about history than many of us, yet makes such astonishing claims about Jesuits who are deeply anti-Christian. Either she has a strong affinity for Jesuits and / or she is a Jesuit like some others who pretend to be Evangelical, yet are active as Jesuits. We know very well that probably the majority of Jesuits operates undercover.

    - It is surely important that children learn about certain historical figures, but to mention JESUS, Moses and Paul in one breath with the outmost evil of this world, is highly problematic. Just a glance at their hall-of-fame of 'great men' reveals a spiritually problematic mindset:

    [uncorrected transcript] "List of great men and women to cover. Cheops, Pharaoh of Egypt 2700-2675 BC. Abraham. ~2100 BC. Hammurabi, ~1750 BC. Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt, ~1480 BC. Moses ~1450 BC, Tutankhamun ~1355 BC. [...] King David ~1000 BC. Homer ~800 BC. Romulus 753-716, BCarib 705 to 681 BC. Chinese philosopher. Born, 604 BC. The sagarus 581 to 497 BC. Confucius. 551-479 BC. Buddha said, Arthur Gautama. 5, 52 480, BC. Socrates 4, 70-399 BC. Plato, 427-347 BC. Aristotle, 384-322 BC. Alexander the Great 356-323 BC. Hannibal fought with Rome~to 18 to 207 BC. Cicero 106 to 43 BC. Julius Caesar 100 to 444 BC, Virgil 72, 19 BC, Caesar, Augustus ~45, BC to ad14. Jesus Christ, ~4 BC to ad33. Saint Paul ~ad45 Nero died 868, Constantine. The Great ruled ad306-337 ...'

    Avoid this book at all costs. Applied in its fullness, it would surely ruin our children.

    What the Early Christians Believed About the Head Covering, by David W. Bercot (4*)

    Reviewed 20/12/2024 〣 100% read

    A great short booklet on a very important topic.

    PROS

    + The author comes to the correct conclusions:

    "1. We've seen that the Scriptures teach that a man should pray with his head uncovered and that a woman should pray with her head covered.

    2. We've seen that Paul was talking about a veil as a covering, not simply long hair.

    3. We've read the written testimony of the early Christians, and I've told you about the paintings on the walls of the catacombs—all of which make it clear that the early Christians understood Paul to be talking about a veil, and that they took his instructions very seriously.

    4. We've seen that even the early Christians weren't sure what Paul meant when he said "because of the angels."

    5. We've seen that historically, Christian women have generally worn some type of veil or covering in public—even when they weren't praying.

    6. Finally, we've seen how all of these things have been thrown out in the past few decades as both men and women have chosen to forsake God's order in a belief that they can invent something better. Which leaves us with a choice: Will we follow the world (and the worldly church)? Or will we follow God's order, even if it puts us out of step with modern society?"

    + Good reflection whether or not the head covering commandment applies to all women or only to married women.

    + Great differentiation between 'uncovered' (akataluptos) and 'covering' (peribolaion).

    CONS

    - Endorsement of 'The Jerusalem Bible'.

    - Although he says "so it certainly seems that the safest course to follow would be to apply it any time we are praying or prophesying", he leaves room to wear it all the time and to have even the face covered. Such an addition would be legalism.

    HISTORICAL REFERENCES

    Clement (Alexandria, Egypt, 2-3c. AD): It is becoming for her to pray veiled.

    Hippolytus (Rome, Italy, 2-3c. AD): Covering with opaque cloth, not just a veil of thin linen.

    Tertullian (Carthage, modern Tunisia, 2-3c. AD): All women, not just wives. Paul did not differentiate between the married and unmarried.

    What the Early Christians Believed About Salvation, by David W. Bercot (2*)

    Reviewed 19/11/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + He comes to the right conclusions when it comes to the correct teachings about Salvation and specifically Free Will.

    NEUTRAL

    o It would have been interesting to see what ordinary Christians in that time thought, and I am sure that some leaders mentioned the general consensus, and not only their personal opinions.

    CONS

    - The book has sadly the strong potential of leading us down a slippery road of Church Fathers, Apostolic Fathers ... effectively away from the Bible in a certain sense. It is generally speaking not a problem to quote those, but this book does employ zero discernment and simply throws out quotes, no matter how heretical and problematic the sources are.

    Origen was a Universalist; he taught Purgatory; taught the pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology; he included Aquila's text in his Hexapla and contributed therefore directly to the manipulation of the Proto- Masoretic text.

    Should we trust such a source? Rather not.

    Next we come to the Letters of Ignatius, being most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (masterminds of the later Catholic Church). Those letters were actually decisive in itself for the creation of the office of the pope and are one of the most evil works ever written and so to say the foundational document of the RCC.

    Paul would warn us with an urgent appeal not to refer to such works of darkness and to rather burn such letters.

    The referenced letter of Clement of Rome is also heretical and teaches the rule of succession and a number of heresies such as capital punishment, a continuation of sacrifices and the Apocrypha.

    This does not mean that Ignatius or Clement had been problematic teachers, but it means that their writing had been manipulated and should -NEVER- be used by any serious Bible teacher.

    Bercot employs some good resources, but it is problematic to not first elaborate on Scripture and then to employ so many heretical resources. Yes, everyone does it, but that does not make it better.

    - While he correctly differentiates between Past and Present Salvation, he misses to elaborate on Future Salvation. We have not two stages of salvation, but three stages.

    What Love is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God, by Dave Hunt (4*)

    Reviewed 10/10/2024 〣 100% read

    I wish I would have read this book much earlier. On the one hand, it would have saved quite some work on discernment. But on the other hand I am grateful to have done the tedious homework and to now see my previous investigation confirmed here.

    I have to say that the dimension and ugliness of Calvin's life and practices supersedes what I imagined and previously investigated. Much of the information which David Hunt collected in this book is hard to find anymore, and I deeply respect his very deep investigation which is one of a kind.

    Quote of the book (I): "Calvinism, if it were true, would make a joke of the Bible's warnings about Satan. God's withholding Irresistible Grace does a better job of damning souls than Satan ever could. That enemy of souls could go on a long vacation. Yet the Bible declares, "Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1Pet 5:8); "The great dragon ... that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan ... deceiveth the whole world" (Rev 12:9)."

    Quote of the book (II): "Calvinism turns most of the Bible into a pretense, a mere charade."

    PROS

    + Extremely well researched and well-structured book.

    + Respectful, and not sensationalist tone.

    + Rich in quotations of Scripture.

    + No questionable endorsements noted.

    CONS

    - He is a bit too dependent on his critics. He is sovereign, but could have been more so. JESUS overcame Satan by quoting 3 verses and not by answering every objection he might have to the truth.

    - Sadly the book does not reflect at any given point on the role of the Holy Spirit in helping to convict a Calvinist from his error and most importantly to take away the veil of spiritual deception.

    This is sadly a tragic and common error in the vast majority of apologetic books out there which come with dozens, sometimes hundreds of good arguments, but very rarely speak on the vastly more important matter - how to break through the mental and spiritual barriers with the help of the Holy Spirit and prayer!

    - The book is repetitive and is somewhat inflated. It seems to a (although minor) degree as if the author wanted to impress the enemy through book length and overproportional reliance on references. But to beat the enemy with his own academic weapons should not be the aim of such a book. It should be as compact as possible. If 200 pages do not convince the enemy, neither will nearly 600 pages. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts, not arguments in the first instance.

    - His theology comes mostly to the right conclusions, but is sometimes 'bumpy' and confusing on the path leading to the truth.

    He e.g. implies throughout the book a Single-Tense-Salvation, although the Bible clearly differentiates by its use of Past-, Present- and Future Tense different times and phases of Salvation. He speaks a couple of times of Sanctification, but repeatedly confuses Future Salvation with Present Salvation.

    Another problem is that he rather speaks critically of Works, without properly differentiating 'Works of Faith' and 'Works of the Law' (Atonement, the 7 Ceremonial Sabbaths, Clean Food, Sacrifices, Tithing, et al = Works to get right with THEOS). We should never condemn 'Works of the Law' without at the same time endorsing 'Works of Faith' and motivating the reader to do those. Works of Faith are rather irrelevant for Present Salvation (being born again), but are absolutely essential for Future Salvation, because a Faith without Works is dead.

    He also separates Faith from Works, while not understanding that the very definition of Faith is Belief + Works. Overall it seems that he seeks too much diplomacy at this point, while being intimidated by Calvinists who bash everyone who does not clearly oppose their other side of the Augustinian coin, the Catholic's over-emphasis on works.

    But what if the truth is found somewhere in between? What if Works of Faith are vastly important, not for Past Salvation or for getting right with THEOS, but for the expression of spiritual fruits and even for Future Salvation?

    - He endorses the highly problematic doctrine of 'Once-Saved-Always-Saved' (under the partly correct assumption that such person had never been saved in first instance, but here he assumes the viewpoint of THEOS, while we have a limited human understanding if someone would have experienced Future Salvation or not):

    "If the prodigal does not represent the unregenerate lost sinner dead in sin whom God welcomes in love, then the Calvinist must admit that salvation can be lost—which neither side believes."

    - When he discusses Pharaoh and Double Predestination, he misses the most important and obvious point:

    The hardening of his heart was not a product of random selection, it was a product of the pre-existence of professional witchcraft already at the time of Joseph (Gen 41:8). Only after Pharaoh responded to the first miracle with witchcraft (he directly commanded it!), his heart was instantly hardened (Exo 7:13, foreseen in Exo 4:21, 7:3). He then successfully repeated the first 3 miracles through witchcraft (Exo 7:11-12, 7:22, 8:7). While the magicians had already surrendered ('It is the finger of THEOS', Exo 8:18-19), Pharaoh's heart became harder and harder while clinging to witchcraft. Though Pharaoh was predestined for the role of the oppressor and to go to hell, he did not come into condemnation without deserving it. He had the choice before his heart initially hardened. THEOS foresaw this from the beginning of the world and predestined him accordingly. He did not predestine him to witchcraft, but to condemnation after actively committing witchcraft.

    QUOTES

    "Christ's last recorded words in Scripture are, "And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:16–17). There is nothing in these passages or in any other context to suggest that Christ ever offers salvation to anyone less than 'whosoever'."

    "Not once in its 183 occurrences [incorrect number, the term occurs 5154x in the Greek OT and 1245x in the NT!] in the Bible could the word 'whosoever' mean anything except 'whosoever' [not entirely correct, it means 'all, any, every, the whole: - all (manner of, means) alway (-s), any (one), every (one, way), as many as, whole, whosoever]! But wherever salvation is offered to whosoever will believe and receive Christ, the Calvinist changes the same Hebrew or Greek word to mean the 'elect'."

    "Beck declares, "He [man] is free to turn to Christ but not able." That is like saying that man is free to go to Mars any time he pleases."

    "A statement by I. Howard Marshall seemed to go right through his heart, because it was so true of his own situation: "Whoever said, 'the Calvinist knows that he cannot fall from salvation but does not know whether he has got it,' had it summed up nicely."10 Was Calvinism itself, then, the root of his doubts?"

    When Crickets Cry, by Charles Martin (2*)

    Reviewed 06/03/2024 〣 100% read

    A book which delights in parts, but overall a book which greatly disappoints.

    PROS

    + Incredible writing skills of the author.

    + Perfect narrative.

    + Captivating story.

    + Superb narrator (Adam Verner).

    CONS

    - Quote 1: "... with every wail I paid penance for the guilt of my soul" (Catholic doctrine, he is speaking of guilt from 5+ years ago).

    - Quote 2: "It was there that I realized there were some sins I would never quit paying" (a Christian would never say this).

    - The story is declared as Christian, but there is no general theme which THEOS could have made. This story can only serve to create doubts in a Christian, as it paints THEOS as utterly capricious and unjust, stringing together an endless line of suffering:

    - His wife died.

    - He went into a medical profession and quit it, while not being able to save both lives of the women in this story.

    - Years of depression and suppression without any sign of healing from THEOS, or him asking THEOS for help.

    - His brother in-law became blind.

    - A girl who lost both parents (missionaries), had a heart disease and endured poverty, prayed for years for her healer, only to die in his arms after a hurricane struck his house. A few months earlier, her aunt lost her house, she who had sacrificed herself during 8 years for Amy.

    Can anyone paint a worse picture of THEOS than this? Hardly. I cannot remember having read such a story, loaded with so many negative elements. I do not need any happy end, and understand well the concept of suffering, but this is not a story of the Christian THEOS. It is misrepresenting THEOS (at best), and reflects an author who has probably a highly problematic relationship with Him.

    - The end of the book is very confusing. First the dead Emma appears to him in the hospital. It is described as real appearance; without any indication of a vision. Then the dead Amy also appears to him. There is no account in the Bible suggesting that we can speak with our dead relatives, neither face-to-face nor in a vision.

    - The author endorses Augustine as 'Saint', him being the creator of most Catholic doctrines and the patriarch of Calvinism. To quote him is to essentially quote the devil.

    - He heavily endorses the highly problematic teachers John Milton (Paradise Lost) and Mozart (Freemason).

    - He endorses Hellen Keller who advocates the teaching that the Second Coming of JESUS CHRIST had already taken place. Quote of her: "His Providence must be universal ... He has provided religion of some kind everywhere, and it does not matter to what race or creed anyone belongs if he is faithful to his ideals of right living."

    When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence, by Squire Rushnell (1*)

    Reviewed 19/09/2024 〣 100% read

    2 Timothy 4:3-4

    For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

    This book is a perfect illustration for this Bible verse. Serving itching ears who are impressed by reconstructed or emailed fables and feel-good stories by a teacher akin to Freemasonry who twists doctrine for his purposes.

    CONS

    - The book centers around stories of the rich and famous, which is in stark contrast to the Bible.

    - Most anecdotes are either 'reconstructed' from TV and newspaper accounts, or sent per email without any mention of personal verification and interviews (see addendum where the author reveals this).

    - Indirect promotion of Freemasonry, with a heavy endorsement of Norman Vincent Peale (Pastor of Marble Collegiate Church; Founder of Guideposts a flagship magazine of Freemasonry; publically known to be a lifelong Mason (33°) ranging all common grades and innumerable accolades; appointed as Grand Prelate by the Knights Templar; author of 'The Power of Positive Thinking'; established a Jungian clinic with Freudian psychiatrist Dr. Smiley Blanton in the basement of his church; New Age and / or occult teachings; Universalism; he ridiculed salvation through JESUS CHRIST: "It's not necessary to be born again. You have your way to God, I have mine. I found eternal peace in a Shinto shrine"; he maintained that Jews, Muslims, and other non-Christians worship the true God; he received a blessing from Mormon prophet Kimball; he endorsed occultic automatic writing through the 'The Jesus Letters' ...).

    - Specific endorsement of Norman Vincent Peale's Marble Collegiate Church (church of the Trump family):

    "Arthur Caliandro unfurled an impressive career in the ministry, and for more than two decades, he has been a powerful communicator from the pulpit of the famed Marble Collegiate Church in New York City as the handpicked successor of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale".

    - The very first anecdotal account in this book is "given by Crystal Cathedral Sr. Pastor Robert Schuller". Schuller is one of of Norman Vincent Peale's most 'successful' protégés and teaches that there is no need for one to recognize his own personal sin, no need for repentance, and no need for the crucifixion of self, but that self is to be exalted.

    - One entire chapter is dedicated to the history of the 'Red Hat Society', an organization officially run outside religious context, but clearly related to Freemasonry.

    - Poor theology. Bible passages such as Jer 29:11 are totally taken out of context. Everything in his theology is positive and he tickles the ears of the reader.

    - Strange teachings: "So must you. Leave your baggage behind and get onto your life's path, on a quest for your destiny. Your destiny will not come to you. You need to go to it. And this I promise: the godwinks will be there to guide you."

    - Endorsement of the Old Covenant tithing, which is an heretical teaching:

    "Mary felt gratitude and euphoria the following Sunday when she wrote a check for $5000, fulfilling her 10 percent promise. She slipped it into the offering basket at church, laughing to herself as she wrote at the bottom, 'tithing of unexpected income'."

    - Strong emphasis on extrabiblical forms of numerologies, and repeated occurrences e.g. of Friday 13th:

    "... Terry awoke on another Friday the thirteenth ... nineteen years after he had been silenced on that so-called unlucky day. God winked, and Terry Wallis started speaking again on Friday June 13 ..."

    - Endorsement of gambling for a white crucifix cross at carnival:

    "... the biggest parade of the year and the arrival of the carnival. Down by the river, a magical mini-village sprang up [...] Then he saw it! A white plastic crucifix that glowed in the dark, hanging on a green ribbon. For some reason, its lure was powerful. [...] Third dime, last try. [...] Tim began walking back home [...] he spotted the treasure ... a shiny dime ... lying on the sidewalk ... he dipped the hook ... and snatched the number-one duck from the odds of the impossible-awarding him the glow-in-the-dark white crucifix on a green ribbon!"

    - The false teacher Billy Graham is being honored through an entire chapter lifting up his life (it is no coincidence that he was a great admirer of Norman Vincent Peale; also strong tendency towards universalism, key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained women pastors; trained Rick Warren; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    - Specific endorsement of the book 'The Celestine Prophecy', which is packed with New Age teachings.

    - Repeated endorsement of the 700 Club (Pat Robertson, friends with Norman Vincent Peale and Harald Bredesen).

    - Repeated endorsement of Oprah Winfrey, who is spiritually misleading millions.

    - The author is most probably also a Freemason. In addition to his vast endorsements seen in this book, he also wrote an article for Guideposts, one of the flagship magazines of Freemasonry.

    When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances, by Carol J. Kent (2*)

    Reviewed 03/10/2023 〣 100% read

    A partly encouraging, but still deeply troubling book. It is a book full of self-pity, entitlement, pride covered up with tears, melodrama, striving for prestige, striving for recuperating of her reputation in order to be able to continue her ministry.

    Don't get me wrong, I was deeply moved by her grief. She must have gone through a very, very hard time. But the book leads to a spiritual dead end, apart from her being a good example in perseverance. There is hardly any other positive take-away from it.

    It is rather a testimony to how we should not handle things.

    • She stayed relatively strong in her faith what is quite impressive, but did not really trust THEOS for the outcome of her situation and instead employed a very controlling attitude, spending apparently tens or rather hundreds of thousands of dollars for lawyers, in order to save her son from a penalty or to have him get away with a little condemnation ("I believe my son was mentally incapacitated at the time of the crime, and that he needs treatment and counseling in a controlled environment").

    • She showed no biblical humility. Even David accepted his penalty after his murder, and it is unthinkable to accommodate a behavior like hers within a biblical story. Just imagine David would have been arrested after his murder and his mother would have called together hundreds of friends for prayer and to do multiple Jericho-style prayer walks around and inside the court while manipulating THEOS in a selfish way to spare her son from the law. What happened instead? He deeply repented and faced the consequences like a man, including the death of his son.
    • She repeatedly showed to have not been in the Spirit, when praying for her own desires.
    • She never in the book elaborated on the feelings of the victim's family, but went as far as to have thought 'why can't she not understand what is at stake for me (when she faced the victim's mother in the court). There is (close to) no mention of asking the family for forgiveness, of her driving to the victim's family, of her followers or rather her sending any of the many gifts & cards she received.

    - She repeatedly depicted the victim as a potential abuser of his very own children who now lived with the mother, and not even once reflected on her own responsibility in approving the marriage of her son to a divorced woman, who must have significantly contributed to a deep hate of her second husband towards her first husband.

    It is more, the author herself later also divorced and even admitted this in the book. She apparently did not learn anything from this one significant sin and the devastating consequences, namely adultery, which his son did not repent of (at least until his murder) and then even led to a bigger sin, to murder. The Bible is so very clear on the effect and escalation of unrepented sins, but neither the murderer nor his family nor apparently many of their supporters ever realized why THEOS was absent in his favor. Instead, she willingly approves of remarriage and underlined this through the other stories in her book.

    Quote: "We each brought our own baggage to a new marriage and learned to "lay it down," slowly at first, and then more quickly as trust grew. Joy returned to my soul—but it's a different kind of joy than I experienced as a young newlywed. It's a bittersweet joy seasoned with pain, betrayal, grief, and rejection; but it's also a deeper joy, based on faith and trust in a resurrected Jesus, the one who understands good friday experiences better than anyone else."

    THEOS absolutely hates adultery, He absolutely hates remarriage and He even more hates murder. Everything can be forgiven, but in this case there was not even the awareness of those horrible sins. Probably there is not even today.

    • She constantly praised the achievements of her family and of her son, and even emphasized that he taught Christ to inmates. Now I don't think it is fitting in any way that a Christian teaches within weeks after such a horrible act. Would a pastor who has just murdered someone be allowed to preach in a church? Certainly not. Then why do we think it is ok in a prison? THEOS is certainly very glad to have people coming to Christ and people preaching Christ inside a prison. But I would be very surprised if THEOS would approve a man who recently killed and is most probably possessed by unclean spirits if not demons, to immediately teach. Moses waited for 40 years until THEOS restored him to leadership!

    • It is not fitting that she is teaching in this book repeatedly exercises for the reader. She should show humility and not manipulate people to still picture her in authority.
    • She went as far as to compare the toe-tag sentence of her son to the death penalty of Christ. Absolutely disgusting and totally inadequate.
    • I do not think that she is a born-again believer and many signs are pointing to her being a Roman Catholic or at least being very close to Catholic Mysticism ( /Contemplative Prayer / Spiritual Formation). She uses as standard Bible for the entire book the heretical Message Bible from Eugene Peterson! She repeatedly quotes Henri Nouwen (Universalist, mantra meditation, embraces Buddhism, taught Kenosis, characterized Thomas Merton the Buddhist - Catholic monk as "the greatest spiritual writer of the twentieth century")!

    - Endorsement of several leaders very close to Roman Catholicism, such as Eugene Peterson, Henri Nouwen, Max Lucado, Michael W. Smith, Rick Warren ...

    Endorsement on her Twitter account of: Andy Stanley (7x), Augustine (2x), Beth Moore (8x), Charles Spurgeon (5x), Christine Caine (18x), C.S. Lewis (30x), Eugene Peterson (3x), Henri Nouwen (10x), John Ortberg (11x), Max Lucado (37x), Mother Teresa (17x), Richard Foster (3x), Richard Rohr (1x, very popular promoter of New Age), Rick Warren (27x) et al.

    Who Made God? Searching for a Theory of Everything, by Edgar Andrews (2*)

    Reviewed 17/10/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Good stance against Theistic Evolution and against Darwinism.

    + Great explanation of the 'Low Entropy' principle.

    + Great humor.

    + Perfect length of a book of such a category.

    CONS

    - He repeatedly expresses his desire to write this book to the layman, but fails spectacularly through his overly eloquent and academic / scientific language. Very few people will be able to fully understand this book, but at least everyone will feel a bit smarter after reading this book ...

    - Although he opposes Theistic Evolution, he has his own (of course heretical) theory on how to combine the big bang with the Genesis account. Quote:

    "Unlike some, I have never had any problem reconciling a historical view of Genesis with the big bang theory, and I set out just such a scenario in my 1978 book 'From Nothing to Nature. Briefly rehearsed, this scenario is that the ex nihilo creation of the universe is reported in verse one of Genesis 1 — 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth' — with no reference to how long ago that happened. I also regard the order as significant, the heavens being mentioned (and thus created) before the earth. [I fully agree up to that point] From verse 2 onwards [...] Understood in this way, the Genesis account of creation is fully compatible with the big bang theory and, indeed, predicts some such creation scenario."

    What he describes here is very similar to what I agree with. A creation of the universe without the stars, and of the earth without any life prior to the creation week, and the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters. Then the creation week starts with the 'furnishing' of the universe and the earth, and the very first human and animal life.

    But this view has nothing to do with the big bang and it is unintelligent that he tries to justify it in this way. No matter if we ascribe to a gap before the creation week or not, in both cases it is crystal clear that JESUS created everything at any given moment, excluding at the same time a big bang which would have made Him and His FATHER a bystander. Andrews employs a double tongue when he repeatedly points out in the book that JESUS created everything, but at the same time implies a big bang.

    You cannot have it both ways, but he plays ping-pong within his own book - and ultimately with the Bible.

    - He shows a lack of understanding that the following passage in Isaiah is meant literally.

    Quote from his book: "...the God who sits above the 'vault' of the earth also 'stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in'. You're reading poetical phenomenology, Victor, not early Greek science!"

    The stretching out of the heavens is described in Psa 104:2, Isa 40:22-23 and Isa 42:5, while the rolling up of the heavens is described in Isa 34:4, Psa 102:25-26, Heb 1:10-12 and Rev 6:12-14. It should be apparent, especially through the passage in Hebrews, that this event is not 'poetical phenomenology' but something that happened and will happen indeed!

    - He ends his book with the de-facto abolition of the 10 commandments, while badly confusing those with the 600+ Old Covenant Laws which CHRIST abolished:

    "Dawkins misses the central message of the Old Testament — men cannot be reformed simply by giving them moral laws and instructions to obey. The covenant that God established with Israel at Mount Sinai (the 'old covenant', also called 'the law') epitomized the principle of loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is the entire thrust of the last six of the Ten Commandments handed down to Moses on the Mount (the first four exhort us to love God). Israel was thus the perfect (and intentional) test-bed for the idea that you can make people good by teaching them to be good. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now. Much of the Old Testament was written to demonstrate this fact. The test failed miserably and the New Testament concludes: '…whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in [God's] sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.' St Paul, who wrote these words, was speaking out of personal experience. As a Pharisee he had striven with all his might to obey the moral rules he had been taught under the old covenant, but it didn't work because mere teaching couldn't change his selfish heart. [this entire passage would be great if he had replaced here the Moral Law with the 600+ Old Covenant Laws]

    CHRIST never abolished the 10 commandments, but affirmed every single one repeatedly (I-Mat 22:37; II-1Joh 5:21; III-Mar 3:29; IV-Luk 14:3; V- Mat 19:19; VI-Luk 18:20; VII-Mat 5:27-28; VIII-Mat 15:19; IX-Mat 15:19; X-Rom 13:9) and even added dozens of Laws (of CHRIST).

    - He employs through the book a 'Saint Paul', 'Saint John' et al language, which is not problematic, but strange because such terminology is usually used by Catholics.

    QUESTIONABLE ENDORSEMENTS

    - He employs a double-tongue when it comes to Francis Collins. He rightly criticizes him at the beginning of the book for his evolutionist views, but then endorses him more often than any other figure in the book and even describes how he found ~salvation~ through C.S. Lewis 'Mere Christianity' ... This is a sad testimony for the academic world, where discernment is generally absent. But showing some discernment, while approving a clearly false teacher, is hypocrisy at its finest.

    - Repeated endorsement of C.S. Lewis (believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).

    - Allister McWrath (Anglican, highly problematic teacher)

    - He quotes a speech from the false Christian Martin Luther King.

    - He endorses repeatedly Augustine, one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil as she pointed out, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism, and father of the doctrine of persecution.

    - Endorsement of Thomas Aquinas, who is 'worshiped' in the Augustinian church (in its Catholic and Reformed expression) - he was a Catholic doctor and taught Calvinistic doctrine.

    - Endorsement of Lewis Carroll (Anglican).

    - The author is a 'Reformed Baptist' (Calvinist).

    GREAT QUOTES

    "The concept of revelation is fundamental to the Bible's definition of God — which is why it comes under such withering fire from atheists. Sadly, Christian apologists often duck their heads below the parapet when this happens, fearing that to appeal to revelation is somehow sub-intellectual and exposes them to the charge of superstition. Accordingly, they fall back upon philosophical, scientific and pragmatic arguments, often falling over in the process."

    "Consistent atheism must deny the very existence of morality and reduce all human behavior, of whatever kind, to the machinations of selfish genes. Yet atheists continually lay claim to the moral high-ground not realizing that the moral landscape of atheism is as flat as a pancake."

    "I know that some people worship their TV sets, but by LCD I don't mean 'liquid crystal display' but 'lowest common denominator' [...] this is a malleable deity who can be beaten into any shape you please. He is at one and the same time the God of all religions, of Buddhists, Moslems and Sikhs, of Jews and Christians, of Unitarians and Trinitarians, of theists, deists, pantheists and animists (oops! I almost added 'atheists'). [...] Different civilizations, different eras, different races and different cultures have all formulated their own individualistic perceptions of this singular God, but these cultural accretions have no real substance and are unimportant. [...] Never mind that the different traditions are profoundly contradictory as soon as you get down to the detail. The devil is in the detail so it's best not to join him there. Stick to generalities — be good; God loves you; he's not totally in control but he's doing his best. It's OK to be optimistic, pessimistic, paternalistic, fatalistic or whatever else you fancy; there is, after all, a better life to come (isn't there?). That's about all the theology you need if you worship the LCD God. And since one size fits all, there's no need to get out the assorted tape measures of theology, historicity, rationality or self-consistency. We live in a post-modern world — just believe what you like and be happy."

    Why I Trust the Bible: Answers to Real Questions and Doubts People Have about the Bible, by William D. Mounce (3*)

    Reviewed 27/07/2023 〣 100% read

    Generally speaking a well written book, with a lot of very useful teachings for believers and unbelievers alike. A good defense of the Bible. But a very mixed bag, with some great and with some rather heretical teachings.

    CONS

    - He sees Genesis rather as a myth and says that nowhere in Scripture can we read that humanity is a few thousand years old. Kind of true. But the full truth is that this can be easily calculated based on the 77 generations in Luke. Nobody has the exact number, but +/- 400 years is sufficient. Interestingly, he later in the book criticizes those who see Genesis as a myth.

    - He presents only the erroneous 4004 BC reference (he singles it out as an Ussher thing), and entirely neglects the more generous age presented in the Greek Old Testament. It is a scandal that a Greek scholar entirely ignores the Greek Old Testament, while knowing that this text dominated the Christian and Jewish world for ~650 years in Christ's time on earth. The only mention the Greek Old Testament gets in all the book is when it comes to the Apocrypha. He seems to have a serious issue with the Septuagint.

    - Although pretending to offer some faithful options for the enormous lifespans of OT figures, he concludes "the numbers are not meant to be understood precisely, but are meant to draw a picture".

    - He says that Scripture has generally to be read in the respective cultural context, which has a rather liberal connotation. But he is even contradicting himself, when he interprets the exception clause and precisely denies seeing it in its cultural context, namely the refusal to insert the word 'unchastity' (a concept mentioned all over the OT) for the oxymoron 'except on the basis of adultery causeth her to commit adultery'. (Mat 5:32 and Mat 19:9). It then becomes even heretical and dangerous teaching when he states without any differentiation, that (practically anyone) can divorce, if he or she is abandoned.

    - Origen is mentioned several times without any discernment. He can be a secondary reference, but the reader has to be informed that he was a false teacher for several reasons. To present him as a credible source, is not worthy of somebody with a theological title. Discernment is also lacking when it comes to the approval of the false teacher C.S. Lewis, whom his brother even read on the deathbed of his mother. It is also a bit disturbing that he calls the death of his mother 'a story'. What words.

    SECONDARY CONCERNS

    - He erroneously states that Origen and Athanasius did reject the Apocrypha, which is clearly wrong. While Athanasius considered 2 books of it as canonical, Origen considered at least 7 (!!!) books as canonical (probably all) and was absolutely decisive in bring the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles - long before Augustine and Pope Damasus made it official. He used those apocryphal books indiscriminately with those of Scripture as sources for dogmatic proof texts, and cited as inspired / Scripture: Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah, Judith, Maccabees (plural), Tobith, Wisdom (of Solomon). He also defended Bel and the Dragon, Sirach and Susanna. He only discriminated against the Pseudepigrapha, which he called in fact 'Apocrypha' in the sense of being hidden / secret.

    - He states regarding the Apocrypha: "... our 3 most important manuscripts from the Bible, dating from 4th and 5th c., Sinaiticus, Vaticanus and Alexandrinus include some of these books, in other words the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT, did contain some of the of apocryphal books ..." This is an outlandish statement. The Septuagint (=5 Pentateuch books) was written in 250 BC, when not even one book of the Apocrypha had been written (his 4c BC statement is clearly wrong, it was written 2-1c. BC and finalized latest in 4c. AD!). Even if we very generously apply the term 'Septuagint' to the remaining 17 OT books written until 140 BC by others than the 70 translators, we still do not have the Apocrypha finished. But he even goes one step further, to say, just because some codices that were compiled 600 years (!) after the writing of the Septuagint included the Apocrypha, now the Septuagint written 600 years earlier consequently included the Apocrypha. This is desperately looking for a scapegoat. Might Bill as a translator never get such an accusation 600 years after his death, after someone thought it good to add some books to the ESV or NIV.

    - He also makes the erroneous claim that the reformers agreed that these books should not be part of the canon. "Luther put them in a separate section and eventually they dropped out". Nothing could be further from the truth. Until the reformation never more than 7 apocryphal books had been used in a Bible. -ALL- reformers strongly increased the books printed in the Bibles to 11-15 books and the books remained for more than 400 years in our Bibles! THEOS does most probably not care if disguised as a separate section. He will judge all those who included, promoted and even those who did not speak against the inclusion of those books between the 2 covers of His Word. Woe!

    - Mar 13:30 'Truly I say to you that this [set of] generation[s] will never pass away until all these things take place'). In his book 'Basics of Biblical Greek' he first intended to resolve this verse by translating it 'until all these things begin to come to pass'. Now in this book he ignores the word 'all' and isolates 'these things' to a partial event among all the events in the context. While the first intent has certainly some value, the second intent is simply bad exegesis. If he would read the Greek OT only once, he would have understood the meaning of this verse through the biblical definition of the concept of 'generations' found in Deu 32:6-9 (ΓΕΝΕAC ΓΕΝΕⲰΝ; generation of generations). Its meaning in this context is similar to that of 'this age' and of 'the last days'. We do not need to become dispensationalists in order to understand this wider concept of 'generation'.

    - A death of Christ on Friday is contradicting Scripture on several levels, as we are all aware of. If I am not absolutely certain of an interpretation, I better remain passive and do not write a book about it. Christ died at the end of the Passover week as clearly proven.

    - The book is a showcase for Mounce, and Christ often takes the backseat. He repeatedly praises his own references and inserts as often as possible references to people of academic rank, by presenting rather their titles than their spiritual fruits.

    ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

    - When referring to the differing angels after the resurrection, he missed the differentiation between 1 sitting (Mat 28:2-4), 1 sitting (Mar 16:5-7), 2 standing (Luk 24:2-10) and 2 sitting (Joh 20:11-18) angels. And he did not consider the probability that CHRIST had been the very first messenger, the One lighting and white as snow.

    It often feels as if he would have simply summarized what others said about a topic and rather have not read Scripture for himself. We have today more than enough books written in the same manner. What we need is not people repeating over and over again the human wisdom showcased in other books, but authors who dig deep and who are on their knees asking the Spirit for HIS wisdom.

    Why Not Women : A Biblical Study of Women in Missions, Ministry, and Leadership, by Loren Cunningham (2*)

    Reviewed 05/2020 〣 Superficial reading

    The book does a good job of lifting up women and questioning men, who feel a superiority over women, based only on their different responsibility of being the head of the household, what does NOT generate a different significance or value of women.

    But the book does a very bad job - especially in the first 4 chapters written by Cunningham - when it twists THEOS' word many times to such an extent that it lies to the reader, provides misinterpretations, does cherry picking, dramatization, provides several times unreliable sources, etc.. It claims e.g. that 1 in 3 women is abused and women possess only 1% of the world's wealth, dramatized claims that had been refuted hundreds of times in the last decades.

    The first 4 chapters are one of the worst professional texts I have ever read. The quality becomes significantly better in the chapters written by Hamilton, but there are still many misinterpretations compared to the Bible and to common sense, and they both entirely miss the differentiation of the roles in church and family according to THEOS' purpose.

    Both their intentions are to take away from THEOS' word that a man is the principal leader of a church and head of a household (Hamilton spends 11 pages exclusively on trying to give the word 'head' a new meaning; either 'leader' or 'source' =provider; pretty much the same at the end ... and ignoring such clear passages as Mark 6:24 where Herod's family demanded John's -head-). This intent is not only unbiblical, but highly dangerous for our society, to actively work on destroying THEOS' master plan for us. The book repeatedly goes as far as questioning and discrediting Paul, putting him even words of a daily prayer against women in his mouth while being Saul. Your image of Paul will definitely suffer through this book.

    There is a lot of wisdom in the book and it is nice to see where some prejudices originated in non-Christian (and not really relevant Roman and Jewish) history, but it is not wise to dilute THEOS' Word and to practically suggest that a woman should solely lead a church.

    It is countercultural, but so is the true Gospel.

    Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up: A New Look at Today's Evangelical Church in the Light of Early Christianity, by David Bercot (3*)

    Reviewed 29/08/2024 〣 100% read

    PROS

    + Mostly great and much needed work, great investigation.

    + Great defense of Works of Faith and great quotations from the Early Christians. But his argumentation is not conclusive and could be easily attacked, because he does not differentiate between 'Works of the Law' and 'Works of Faith', and between Present Salvation and Future Salvation. Works of the Law are always useless. Works of Faith are rather irrelevant for Present Salvation (being born again), but are essential for Future Salvation.

    CONS

    - The book has sadly also the potential of leading us down a slippery road of Church Fathers, Apostolic Fathers ... effectively away from the Bible in a certain sense. Yes, David does some basic discernment on those sources, but the discernment is half-hearted as we see by the example of Origen below, who is a highly problematic teacher he quotes most frequently throughout the book.

    I e.g. started reading after this book some works from what I perceive the probably most reliable early thinker of that time, of Justin Martyr. But just one passage in chapter 67 occupied me suddenly a whole day, only to realize the next day that there is a significant chance of a complete interpolation of this chapter. Now in this book, there is not even a hint of such interpolations, a guidance of what parts can be read and which to be considered with precaution. This is laissez-faire, because it would not require many lines to specify this. If specific authors are recommended, then this requires adding some remarks on what to read and what not. In the case of Martyr, there are whole books / letters which do not come from him, but we are left on our own to figure that eventually out.

    - Although he mentions in his introduction to be cautious with Origen, he heavily quotes from him and calls him a 'genius' (he was a Universalist; taught Purgatory; taught pre-existence of souls, decisive in bringing the OT Apocrypha into our Bibles; excluded James, 2 Peter, and 2&3 John from his canon; pioneer of the monastic practice of Lectio Divina; speculated that heavenly bodies are living creatures; Ransom-Theorist; first hints of Catholic Mariology occurred precisely his writings; Pope Dionysius of Alexandria became one of the foremost proponents of Origen's theology; he included Aquila's text in his Hexapla and contributed therefore directly to the manipulation of the Proto- Masoretic text).

    - He quotes from the Letters of Ignatius, being most probably a post-mortem impersonation by the Romans (masterminds of the later Catholic Church). Those letters were actually decisive in itself for the creation of the office of the pope and are one of the most evil works ever written and so to say the foundational document of the RCC.

    Ignatius is displayed as the super-spiritual, super-humble and super-martyr, I quote: "Bring on the fire and the cross. Bring on the packs of wild beasts. Let there be the breaking and dislocating of my bones and the severings of my limbs. Bring on the mutilation of my whole body. In fact, bring on all the diabolical tortures of Satan. Only let me attain to Jesus Christ! ... I would rather die for Jesus Christ than to reign over the ends of the entire earth."

    - I quote from the book: "Paul had told the Corinthians, "Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church." (1 Cor. 14:34,35)"

    >> Those verses are possibly interpolated and are not original to the biblical text, as researched through scholars such as Gordon D. Fee, Philip B. Payne, Straatman, Fitzer, Barrett, and Rueft. The entire context of the paragraph is about prophecy, and we know well that women are not only allowed, but actually instructed to prophecy (whenever the Lord truly speaks through one of them; but no women as elders / overseers / shepherds / pastors!). Possibly some of the early church fathers found it useful to insert this into the Bible, in order to have order in their churches and to silence those women who would audibly argue with their husbands, or even interrupt the teaching elder.

    - He erroneously sees adultery as justification for divorce and states that remarriage is possibly allowed.

    - He endorses the highly problematic book 'Evidence That Demands a Verdict Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World', by Josh McDowell.

    - Although I have no problem at all with Anabaptists, I see it with sadness that he endorsed them in this book. The conclusion of this book should be to avoid -ANY- denomination and to simply have a pre-denominational church without any agenda. To conclude the book with the endorsement of yet another denomination does not make sense.

    A Woman After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George (3*) 

    Reviewed 16/04/2024 〣 100% read

    It is a good book, which sadly discredits itself through the endorsement of Augustine and Ruth Graham.

    PROS

    + Good teachings and guidelines for women.

    + Good choice of the author to read the audiobook.

    CONS

    + One 'of her heroes is Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham'. She 'read every book she could find of her'. (Billy Graham: strong tendency towards universalism, key figure in the ecumenical movement; close collaboration with the Vatican and the Pope; unfriendly takeover of Halley's Bible Handbook and deletion of Jesuit references; advised his friend Nixon to end the Vietnam conflict in a blaze of glory; trained women pastors; great admirer of the 33° Mason Norman Vincent Peale; trained Rick Warren; taught theistic evolution; promoted the Alpha Course).

    + Endorsement of one of the most problematic figures in Christian history, Augustine, being the doctor of the RCC and the patriarch of Calvinism, and of countless heresies that came into the church through and shortly after him, only to mention the Apocrypha, infant baptism, financial tithing, sex being evil, perpetual virginity of Mary, prayers to saints, the 7 Catholic sacraments, amillennialism .... he was also the father of the doctrine of persecution.

    + She endorses the Lord's Day (Sunday worship).

    Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, by Bob Kauflin (2*)

    Reviewed 11/07/2024 〣 100% read

    A book with many very valuable teachings, but sadly with a very heavy promotion of Calvinism, although not noticeable through its doctrine. 

    It is a scandal that this book heavily endorses C.J. Mahaney, who was involved in a major sexual abuse scandal where several perpetrators were convicted to up to 40 years of prison. Bob Kaufflin "is a central figure. Few have done more to cover up for C.J. or carry out his machinations from 2004 to the present."

    PROS

    + Good motivation to read theology books, the study of THEOS.

    + High calling for purity and excellence within ministry.

    + He surprisingly defends Continuationism which is at odds with his background.

    + Close to no theological errors.

    NEUTRAL

    o While he employs some discernment on problematic music, it is overall very shallow. We do not even read about the Hillsong / Elevation debate, nor of any other band to be avoided.

    CONS

    - His theology is not specific enough, lacking Bible passages regarding types and attitudes of worship, including the respective Greek words. Which Bible passages motivate us to lift our hands or to kneel down? In what places and settings did worship occur in church history? A book of such a topic must also include some words against men with very long hair and wearing caps for times of prayer, a problem we see all around us but which is never addressed. Is it appropriate that musicians very often wear black clothing in a church?

    - He accepts musicians who are not part of the respective church. Such a strategy is unthinkable in biblical history and generates all kinds of problems, to begin with the lack of accountability.

    - The book is oversaturated with quotes of famous people, but there is not one song of the Bible quoted in its full text. There is also no list with the instruments found in the Bible.

    - He toured with his former band through Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian ... churches and promotes this fact in the book without any sign of repentance or word of caution.

    - He is almost exclusively promoting Augustinians. This definitely fulfills the sign of exclusivity, which is a cult-like behavior:

    • A.W. Tozer (Anglican)
    • C.H. Suprgeon (Calvinist)
    • C.J. Mahaney (Calvinist)
    • C.S. Lewis (Anglican; Believed in purgatory; Tao is the highest morality; rejected biblical inerrancy; theistic evolutionist; considered Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims as brothers in Christ).
    • D.A. Carson (Calvinist)
    • David G. Peterson (Anglican)
    • Donald Whitney (Calvinist)
    • Frederick Leahy (Calvinist; several times endorsed)
    • J.I. Packer (Calvinist and author of Evangelicals and Catholics Together; Ecumenism)
    • John Piper (Calvinist; several times endorsed including several specific books)
    • Mark Dever (Calvinist)
    • P.T. Forsyth (His writings anticipated the ideas of highly problematic teacher Karl Barth).
    • Sovereign Grace (officially Evangelical, Reformed, and Continuationist)
    • Wayne Grudem (Calvinist; several times endorsed including a specific book; A highly problematic teacher who rejects the Genesis account including Noah's flood; Former Steering Council member and elder at the Vineyard Movement)

    He several times points out the Puritan character of some historical figures. He is most probably Presbyterian, although he states that his church is non-denominational (which is a questionable claim because the lead pastor is Calvinist and Sovereign Grace Ministries was formed through that church).

    - He supports Old Covenant tithing, but in another part of the book speaks correctly about giving.

    You Carried Me, by Melissa Ohden (2*)

    Reviewed 14/01/2024 〣 100% read

    Tremendous story.

    But the book is not only written by one who converted to Catholicism, but this fact is also promoted throughout the book. It closes with the sentence that Mary is our intermediator.

    I can therefore sadly not recommend the book, especially considering the fact that the Catholic church has still not apologized for the fraud of Mother Teresa. I believe this author's story, but am still cautious.

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