Is religion the cause of all wars and conflict?

Certainly there have been wars fought over religion, just like there have been wars fought over land and just about everything else. However wars fought over religion have been blown out of proportion compared to secular or non-religious wars. According to Philip and Axlerod's three-volume Encyclopedia of Wars, of the 1,763 wars that have been waged over human history only 123 (6.98%) have been religious in nature.

The 20th century was the bloodiest century in human history. It's estimated 160 million were killed from wars and despotism. World War 1, World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, The gulags, the holocaust. The thing all these have in common is they were non-religious conflicts. The truth is governments have killed more people than any religion.

When it comes down to it the source of human conflict is not religion. People go to war for all kinds of reasons. The source of conflict is human nature, or more specifically the fallen sinful nature of man.

Why I believe

Ultimately at some point in our lives will ask ourselves does God exist? There is really only two possibilities to this question, either were here though natural means or were here through super-natural means. That's it. It's either one or the other.

If we are here through natural means then that leaves us with evolution as the only viable theory. There are however problems with evolution. For one things never move from disorder to order, this would violate the law of entropy. Everything moves from order to disorder... for example people get old and die, lawns will become over-grown if not mowed, your house will move from order to disorder if it is not cleaned, etc. Second the fossil record does not show all the transitional forms that should exist if evolution were true. Darwin admitted that the state of the fossil evidence was "the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory,". Third it remains a "theory" that has never been observed in nature or duplicated in the lab. Other problems exists however the point is there are flaws to evolution which are rarely discussed. It is always presented as fact. Even if it were possible to definitively prove evolution it still would not disprove the existence of a creator.

The second possibility is that God does exist. The question may arise Can you “prove” the existence of God? No. Can you establish strong reasons for believing in the existence of God? Yes. Can an atheist “prove” that God does not exist? No. Can they establish strong reasons for not believing in the existence of God? No. A bible verse comes to mind "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Rom 1:20). When one actually observes nature, the human body, DNA we see complexity and more importantly we see organization. Two things that require intelligence. DNA is very much like a program and every program requires a programmer. When it comes to the human body things like the immune system and blood coagulation have to be there from the start or we would die. When we look at the universe and our planet, we discover we are in the best possible place in the universe for life to exist. We have the right type of sun, we are the right distance from it, there are so many minute variables that must exist in order to support complex life that the odds of everything being an accident are astronomical. When one really begins to look at these things and ponder them it then requires more faith to believe in evolution than to believe in God. And there are just some things that atheism just can't offer. It doesn't explain why were here or what happens when we die, it can't give us hope or meaning to our life. Ultimately this is why I choose to believe in God, and yes it comes down to a choice just as Atheism comes down to a choice.

That brings us to the last part. If God is real which religion is right? How could we possibly know? There is so many religions out there it's easy to become confused. What I can tell you is that I am a Christian because it works. I can think of no other "religion" where a person listens to a 30 minute sermon, gets saved, and his life becomes so radically changed afterwards. It's not an outward change but more importantly an inward change. They may have been some of the worst people before, but like the apostle Paul they were changed in an instant. It's the name of Jesus that has saved and changed lives, it's also the name of Jesus that have healed people. There is power in that name. Not only does Christianity transform lives, it transforms society as well. Christianity has had the biggest impact on the world than any religion. In his book "How Christianity Changed The World" by Alvin J. Schmidt, he documents the contributions Christianity has brought to Morality, Education, Science, Health Care and many others that has benefited the world. These contributions came out of the Christian world and never the post-Christian pagan world. It did so because it works, and it changes attitudes and ways of thinking that lay the foundation for such change. But what did it for me was bible prophecy. It is said that one third of the bible is prophecy that has either happened or will happen. Not generalized prophecy like that of Nostradamus but specific prophecies. I will not go into all of that here but the rebirth of Israel is but one example of a modern day prophecy come true. I'm aware I have just scratched the surface here, however this was not meant to be a thorough dissertation on why I believe but a brief overview.

God and suffering

Why is there suffering? How could a loving God allow suffering? I will offer my supposition, as such it will contain speculation and conjecture. So I do not present it as the gospel truth only as a plausible answer to a difficult question.

Everyday we see pain and suffering and it becomes difficult to understand why God would allow it when he has the power to stop it. But our perspectives here on earth are very limited. In many ways we are like a fly on the Mona Lisa. All the fly see's is a big blotch of paint. Only when we step back do we see the complete picture, and the master piece that it is. In order to see the big picture we have to start at the very beginning.

In heaven everything is perfect, there is no sickness or death or suffering. How then did Satan convince one third of the angels to rebel against God? They already had paradise what more could he offer? I imagine he began to ask them questions we also ask ourselves, questions such as why is sin bad?  Does God really know what's best for us? Do we really need God at all? Ultimately one third of the angels rebelled against God and followed Satan. As a result they were banished from heaven. For the first time they began to understand the consequences of having freewill and turning against God. Another example was soon to follow.

Sometime later God created earth and mankind and it was also perfect. There was no suffering, sickness, or poverty. Adam and eve had everything, the only stipulation was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God was giving them a choice, they could follow Him or they could follow themselves. Once again Satan deceived Eve and she ate from the tree, and later Adam also. In doing so they rebelled against God and were cut off from Him. Once God is rejected then you lose everything good that comes from God also. At this point sin, sickness, death, and suffering entered into the whole world. We have seen there have been rebellions against God from Satan to Adam and Eve, and even up until the final rebellion in Revelation and the problems it creates. Notice after the final Revelation 20 there are no more rebellions.

My supposition is this, God is permitting evil and suffering, for a limited time, for a greater good and as a object lesson to answer those age old questions. The analogy I would use is child birth, it precedes great suffering but once the baby is born there is only joy. So in the end we will understand why sin is bad, that God knows best and we really do need Him. And finally it will put an end to rebellions and the suffering that it brings and we can live in peace and harmony with Him for eternity.

 In the beginning everything was perfect and we are promised it will be perfect again. We are currently living in the intern period while it is being perfected.  And as difficult as life is sometimes it's only a spec in eternity, but those lessons we learn in this life will last forever.

50 arguments for pre-tribulationism

50 arguments for pre-tribulationism, from the book "The Rapture Question" by John F. Walvoord.

1)Historically speaking while post-tribulationism appeared as early as 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, many in the church believed in the eminency of the Lord's return.

2)The detailed development of pre-tribulational truth during the last few centuries does not prove that the doctrine is new or novel.

3)Pre-tribulation is the only view that allows literal interpretation of all old and new passages on the great tribulation.

4)Pre-tribulationism distinguishes clearly between Israel and the church

5)Pre-tribulationism maintains a scriptural distinction between the great tribulation and tribulation in general.

6)The great tribulation is properly interpreted by Pre-tribulationist as a time for the preparation of Israel's restoration.

7)None of the Old Testament passages on the tribulation mention the church.

8)None of the New Testament passages on the tribulation mention the church.

9)In contrast to mid-tribulationism, the Pre-tribulational view provides an adequate explanation for the beginning of the great-tribulation in Revelation 6.

10)The proper distinction is maintained between the prophetic trumpets in scripture by Pre-tribulationism.

11)The unity of Daniel's 70th week is maintained by Pre-tribulationism.

12)The translation of the church is never mentioned in any passages dealing with the second coming of Christ after the tribulation.

13)The Church is not appointed to wrath.

14)The Church will not be overtaken by the Day of the Lord.

15)The possibility of a believer escaping the tribulation is mentioned in Luke 21:36 (Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.)

16)The Church of Philadelphia was promised deliverance from the hour of trial that's to come upon the whole Earth.

17)It is characteristic of divine dealing to deliver believers before divine judgment is inflicted on the world.

18)At the time of the translation of the church all believers go to Father's house in heaven.

19)Pre-tribulationism does not divide the body of Christ on a rapture by works.

20)The scriptures teach that all, not part of the church, will be raptured.

21)As opposed to the view of a partial rapture, pre-tribulationism is founded on the definite teaching of scripture that the death of Christ frees from all condemnation.

22)The Godly remnant of the tribulation are pictured as Israelites, not members of the church as maintained by post-tribulationism.

23)The Pre-tribulational view as opposed to post-tribulationism does not confuse general terms like "elect" and "saints".

24)The Pre-tribulational interpretation teaches that the coming of Christ is actually imminent.

25)The exhortation to be comforted by the coming of the Lord is very significant in the Pre-tribulational view.

26)The exhortation to look for the glorious appearing of Christ to his own loses it's significance if the tribulation must intervene first.

27)The exhortation to purify ourselves in view of the Lord's return has most significance if his coming is imminent.

28)The church is uniformly exhorted to look for the coming of the Lord while believers in the tribulation are directed to look for signs.

29)The Holy Spirit as the restrainer of evil cannot be taken out of the world unless the church which the spirit indwells is translated at the same time.

30)The Holy Spirit as the restrainer must be taken out of the world before the Lawless one is revealed.

31)If the expression "except there coming a falling away first" is translated literally it says "except the departure comes first". That plainly shows the necessity of the rapture taking place before the tribulation.

32)According to 2nd Corinthians 5:10 all believers of this age must appear before the judgment seat of Christ in Heaven.

33)If the 24 Elders of Revelation are represented in the Church as many expositors believe, it would necessitate the rapture and reward of the church before the tribulation.

34)The coming of Christ for his bride must take place before the second coming to the Earth for a wedding feast.

35)Tribulation Saints are not translated at the second coming of Christ.

36)The judgment of the gentiles following the second coming indicates that both saved and unsaved are still in there natural bodies.

37)If the translation took place in connection with the second coming to earth there would be no need for separation of the sheep and goats at a subsequent judgment (Matthew 25:31).

38)The judgment of Israel which occurs subsequent from the second coming indicates the necessity of regathering Israel.

39)Contrasts between the rapture and the second coming: At the time of the rapture the saints meet Christ in the air, at the second coming Christ returns to the Mount of Olives to meet the saints on the earth.

40)At the time of the rapture the Mount of Olives is unchanged, at the second coming it divides in a valleys form East of Jerusalem.

41)At the rapture living saints are translated while no saints are translated in connection with the coming of Christ to the Earth.

42)At the rapture the saints go to Heaven while at the second coming to earth the saints remain on earth.

43)At the time of the rapture the world is un-judged and continues in sin, at the second coming the world is judged and righteousness is establish on Earth.

44)The translation of the church is pictured as a deliverance before the Day of Wrath, the second coming is followed by the deliverance by those who have believed in Christ during the tribulation.

45)The rapture is described as imminent while the second coming is preceded by definite signs.

46)The translation of the living believers is a truth revealed only in the New Testament while the second coming, with it's intended events, is a prominent doctrine in both testaments.

47)The raptures concerns only the saved while the second coming deals with both the saved and unsaved.

48)At the rapture Satan is not bound, at the second coming Satan is bound and cast into the Abyss.

49)No unfulfilled prophecies stand between the Church and the rapture, while many signs must be fulfilled prior to the second coming.

50)No passage dealing with the resurrection of the saints at the second coming ever mentions translation of the living saints at the same time.

Additional reasons:
The church is never emphatically named as going through the tribulation. The church is specifically named in the first three chapters of Revelation, but after Chapter 4 where John hears the words "Come up here!" the church is never mentioned again. Instead general terms like "saint" and "elect" are used which can have various meanings.

The purpose of the tribulation is to judge a Christ rejecting world and to bring Israel to repentance and acceptance of the messiah. Once the church age ends the church has no further role. The church was never meant to replace Israel and once the church is gone the focus moves back to Israel.

The two-witness and 144,000 sealed are preaching the gospel, even angels, but no mention of the church whose job it is to preach the gospel.

God has not appointed us to wrath (1Th 5:9). We see examples of God protecting his own during times of judgement: Noah, Lot, The Hebrews living in Egypt during the plagues, etc. Aside from the two-witnesses and the sealed 144,000 there is no protection mentioned for gentile believers during the tribulation.

Jesus said pray that we are worthy to escape the things coming to pass (Luke 21:36). The word used for escape means "to seek safety in flight" (i.e. rapture). What are we escaping? Jesus said we will have tribulation in this life (Jhn 16:33) so it can't be an escape from tribulation in general. No, Luke 21 is specifically dealing with the great-tribulation. Jesus was an escapist and so am I.

The church is considered God's bride. How much of the church would be left if it is permitted to go through the tribulation? Between persecution, wars, natural disasters, pestilence, famine there won't be many people left in general let alone believers. Some have compared the church going through the tribulation to spousal abuse.

Pre-trib is based upon eminency. Jesus said we would not now the hour of his coming (Mat 24:42). If Jesus was talking about his Second Coming we would know because it is exactly 3-1/2 years after the Abomination of Desolation. The only way we will not know is if he was talking about the rapture. Eminency is not new, the early church was expecting him in there generation.

The story of Boaz and Ruth is a picture of the rapture. Boaz is Jewish, Ruth is gentile, symbolic of Messiah and his bride. Before the wheat harvest Ruth is suddenly at the feet of Boaz. During the wheat harvest a farm tool called the tribulum is used, which is where we get our word for tribulation. The picture is of Messiah gathering his bride before the tribulation.

Pre-tribulation is the only view that allows for literal interpretation. Other views have to allegorize or spiritualize scripture to make it fit.

Jesus told Peter he will build his Church and the gates of Hades would not prevail (Mat 16:18). During the tribulation we see the Anti-Christ prevailing over the saints. If the tribulation satins are the church then what Jesus said would not be true.

Unless we see a seven year covenant confirmed by the Anti-Chirst or the Abomination of Desolation then the pre-trib position remains valid and relevant.

Why I believe in the Pretribulation rapture

What is the Pretribulation rapture?
The Pretribulation rapture is the belief that Jesus returns for the church before the tribulation (Also known as Daniel's 70th week). It's based upon the "catching up" in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Where does the word "rapture" come from?
 The word "rapture" comes from Latin word "rapturo", which is the translation for the Greek word "harpazo" which means "Caught up" (1Th 4:17)

The premise of the Pretribulation rapture can be summed up in one verse, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 5:9). It is demonstrated in scriptures that the righteous are always exempt from God's judgment:

-Noah, who called God just (Gen 6:9), is preserved in the Ark from God's judgment upon the earth. (Gen 6:7).

-The Lord tells Abraham that He would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if just 10 righteous were found. (Gen 18:32). Lot and those of his family that heeded the warnings were saved.

-The people of God living in the land of Goshen are spared the plagues of God's judgment upon Egypt. (Exd 8:22, Exd 9:26)

-Nineveh is sparred judgment when the people turned from their evil ways (Jon 3:10).

- “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. “Even if  these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD. (Eze 14:13-14)

Judgment is always reserved for the wicked never the righteous, therefore the church is sparred from the tribulation whose purpose is to judge a Christ rejecting world. A distinction is made from tribulation that comes from the world and tribulation that comes from God.

When does judgement begin?
The tribulation consists of 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, and 7 Bowls. Judgement begins at the first seal. We know this because Jesus open's the first seal (Rev 5:4-5,9) and John 5:22 states "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son". So it is only Jesus who has the the authority to initiate judgement.

Now let's look at the first 4 seals:
Seal 1:Rider on the White Horse. (The Antichrist, Rev 6:2, Mat 24:4-5)
Seal 2:Rider on the Red Horse. (War, Rev 6:4, Mat 24:6-7)
Seal 3:Rider on the Black Horse. (Famine, Rev 6:5-6, Mat 24:7)
Seal 4:Rider on the Pale Horse. (Pestilence, Rev 6:8, Mat 24:8)

Another clue that these are judgments is found in Ezekiel 14:21 “For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?” Notice the similarities?  Again in Jeremiah 29:17 it says, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten." God often used war, natural disasters, pestilence, famine as forms of judgements. For example:

God using men\war as judgement:Assyria against Israel, Babylon against Judah, The Israelite against the Canaanites, etc.
God using famine:Seven years of famine was an option for judgement for David for taking a census. (2Sa 24:13)
God using pestilence: The fifth plague of Egypt, the plagues upon the philistines for stealing the Ark of the Covenant, etc.


Following the 7 seals are the 7 trumpets and 7 bowls, both initiated by angels. One of the roles of angels is to carry out God's judgment. A prime example of this can be found in 2 Samuel 24:15-6 where an angel kills 70,000 men because David disobeyed God. Other examples of angels executing judgment can be found in Chronicles 32:21, Isaiah 37:36, Psalms 35:5&6, Acts 12:22-23, and the angels that brought judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen 19).

Regardless some interpret the seals as either the wrath of man or the wrath of Satan. However God has also used others to carry out His judgment. This was the case when God used to Assyrians against Israel and the Babylonians against Judah for their idolatry. The conquest of Canaan by Joshua can also be seen as a from of judgement against the Canaanites for their wickedness. During the fifth trumpet an angel is given a key to open the bottomless pit (Rev 9:1). Only Christ can give this key to the angel as only Christ has the keys of hell and of death (Rev 1:18). In allowing the angel to open the bottomless pit God is using demons as a form of judgment to bring torment for 5 months.

Pre-trib vs Pre-wrath vs Post-trib:
Pre-Wrath doesn't view the 7 Seals as judgments. However if the 7 Seals are in fact judgments, as previously demonstrated, then the Pre-wrath theory falls apart since it does not precede God's wrath.

Post-trib totally disregards that the righteous are always sparred from God's judgment. Post-trib see's Christ coming for His bride at the end of the tribulation. However when Jesus returns he is not dressed for a wedding feast but for war. His robes are dipped in blood, He returns with the “armies” in heaven to strike the nations (Rev 19:13-15). He's not coming for the church, who have already been raptured, but for the Anti-Christ, False Prophet, all those who took his mark, removing them from the earth in order to set up His Kingdom.

Conclusion:
The function of the church is to spread the gospel and to stand in, but not to replace, the role of Israel which is to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). The role of preaching the gospel during the tribulation  shifts from the church to two-witnesses, the sealed 144000, and even angels. The Church had a definite beginning (at Pentecost) and it will have a definite end (at the rapture) at which time the Lord will return his attention back to Israel and restore them to their proper role. Therefore the Pretribulation  rapture of the church is just a necessary component of God's plan.

The following chart highlights which scriptures are, and are not, compatible with the different rapture viewpoints:

Is the Bible the word of God?

Liberal Christian theologian John Shelby Spong wrote a scathing opinion piece entitled "The 3 biggest biblical misconception" on why he believes the Bible is not the word of God. You can read his article here. The following is my response to that article. His words are in quoted in red.

First, people assume the Bible accurately reflects history. That is absolutely not so, and every biblical scholar recognizes it.

Archeology has repeatedly confirmed the validity of the bible from an historical perspective. For instance, there was a time when King David was thought to be a legend like King Arthur. Then in 1994 a fragment was excavated by the ancient city of Dan that gave the first reference to the "House of David" outside of biblical text. The higher critical thinkers also doubted the existence of the Hittites mentioned in the Old Testament, however in 1876 the ruins of the Hittite empire was discovered at Boghaz-Koy with more than 10,000 clay tablets chronicling their history. The list goes on and on.

The facts are that Abraham, the biblically acknowledged founding father of the Jewish people, whose story forms the earliest content of the Bible, died about 900 years before the first story of Abraham was written in the Old Testament.

The first five books of the Bible, also called the Torah, are widely believed to be written by Moses. The Jewish people were very meticulous about record keeping, as can be seen by the extensive genealogies in the bible. If a scribe made one mistake he would destroy the copy and ceremoniously wash himself, that's how serious they took it. And if there was any doubt, Mosses talked to God directly to get the facts straight.

Can a defining tribal narrative that is passed on orally for 45 generations ever be regarded as history, at least as history is understood today?

Do stories of heroic figures not grow, experience magnifying tendencies and become surrounded by interpretive mythology as the years roll by?

The fact that the scriptures have not changed for the last 2000+ years, as confirmed by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, show that scriptures has indeed been "divinely" persevered down though the ages.

Jesus of Nazareth, according to our best research, lived between the years 4 B.C. and A.D. 30. Yet all of the gospels were written between the years 70 to 100 A.D., or 40 to 70 years after his crucifixion, and they were written in Greek, a language that neither Jesus nor any of his disciples spoke or were able to write.

Business transactions and governmental activities took place almost certainly in Greek. Being multi-lingual was a necessity and many Jews knew the Septuagint (The Greek translation of the OT). In any case it's a good thing the NT is written in Greek, Koine Greek was the common language spoken all over the known world which made it easier to spread the gospel. Also it's a precise language, having more verb tenses than English. Concerning the former does it matter when it was written? The important thing is that it was written by first and second hand accounts of people who knew Jesus.

Are the gospels then capable of being effective guides to history? If we line up the gospels in the time sequence in which they were written - that is, with Mark first, followed by Matthew, then by Luke and ending with John - we can see exactly how the story expanded between the years 70 and 100.

The four gospels are written from four different perspectives and accounts so it's expected there will be details in one book that wont be in another. It's not that the story is being expanded, it's that it's being expounded.

For example, miracles do not get attached to the memory of Jesus story until the eighth decade. The miraculous birth of Jesus is a ninth-decade addition; the story of Jesus ascending into heaven is a 10th-decade narrative.

In the first gospel, Mark, the risen Christ appears physically to no one, but by the time we come to the last gospel, John, Thomas is invited to feel the nail prints in Christ’s hands and feet and the spear wound in his side.

Perhaps the most telling witness against the claim of accurate history for the Bible comes when we read the earliest narrative of the crucifixion found in Mark’s gospel and discover that it is not based on eyewitness testimony at all.

The four gospels were written to different audiences so the focus is different in each book. Matthew was written for the Jews, so it's focus is on Messianic prophecies. Mark was written to a Roman audience. Luke was written to the Greeks\gentiles. And John is written for the doubting Thomas to prove the divinity of Jesus.

The Bible portrays God as hating the Egyptians, stopping the sun in the sky to allow more daylight to enable Joshua to kill more Amorites and ordering King Saul to commit genocide against the Amalekites.

 All nations that were hostile to the Israelites and did not heed Genesis 12:3 "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you." Those nations were destroyed because of there many sins, among of which were child sacrifice. "[it is] because of the wickedness of these nations [that] the LORD is driving them out from before you. Deu 9:4". More on this topic

Can these acts of immorality ever be called “the word of God”? The book of Psalms promises happiness to the defeated and exiled Jews only when they can dash the heads of Babylonian children against the rocks! Is this “the word of God? What kind of God would that be?

 Babylon's siege of Jerusalem was so serve that the Jews had to resort to eating there own babies out of starvation, this can be found in the book of Lamentations. The Jews were wanting recompense to what happened to there own babies.

The Bible, when read literally, calls for the execution of children who are willfully disobedient to their parents

 A couple of points when read carefully:
*One of the charges is drunkenness so he's an adult, NOT a child
*Daughters seem to be excluded
*He's a repeat offender\trouble maker
*He's brought to the elders which suggests a trial first, only then would sentence be passed
*The law was intended as a deterrent to keep society in order
More on this topic

for those who worship false gods, for those who commit adultery, for homosexual persons and for any man who has sex with his mother-in-law, just to name a few.

God does not tolerate sin and for those living under the law there was no grace. Luckily today we don't live under the old law.

The Bible exhorts slaves to be obedient to their masters and wives to be obedient to their husbands.

 Slavery in the Bible was more like indentured servitude and some even became slaves willingly. The Bible specifically condemns the kind of slavery that happened to the African Americans. "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death. (Exd 21:16)" More on this topic:More on this topic

The third major misconception is that biblical truth is somehow static and thus unchanging. Instead, the Bible presents us with an evolutionary story, and in those evolving patterns, the permanent value of the Bible is ultimately revealed.

Truth is absolute and does not change. Once you try to make truth relative you are taking the place of God by deciding what is right and what is wrong.

That is why I treasure this book and why I struggle to reclaim its essential message for our increasingly non-religious world.

John Shelby Spong uses speculation and old tired arguments as his "proof" the Bible is not the word of God. Ultimately the bible validates itself historically and prophetically, but most of all because it works. Religion may change a man on the outside, but only the world of God can change him on the inside.