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The Great Pyramid of Giza - The Origin
The Great Pyramid of Giza is a phenomenal site! One of the ancient wonders of the world, the Great Pyramid still produces awe and wonder! Because of its immense size, chambered design and perfect dimensions, many scholars have developed remarkable theories about its true origin and purpose.

The most popular theory is that the Great Pyramid served as a huge tomb for an ancient pharaoh of Egypt. In fact, most pyramids throughout Egypt were constructed for that purpose. However, there is now plenty of evidence to show that the Great Pyramid was a unique structure, not intended to be a traditional tomb.

The Great Pyramid of Giza - The Dimensions
The dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza reveal incredible mathematical insights! The architect possessed knowledge way ahead of his time! In fact, we now know that the Great Pyramid solves one of humanity’s most difficult mathematical challenges -- the squaring of the circle. When the radius of a circle equals the height of the pyramid, then the circumference of that circle equals the perimeter of the pyramid's base. Indeed, twice the height of the Great Pyramid, divided into the distance around its base, equals nearly perfect pi. Mankind has only recently been able to calculate pi to this level of mathematical accuracy.

The length of each side of the Great Pyramid’s base is 365.2422 Royal Egyptian cubits (“pyramid cubits”). Amazingly, our astronomical year has a mean length of 365.2422454 solar days. Also, the perimeter of the base of the Great Pyramid is 36524.22 “pyramid inches,” the length of 100 years expressed in days. Calculations of such accuracy weren’t known in mainstream mathematics until the 20th century. Many additional proportional phenomena and mathematical mysteries related to the Great Pyramid have been identified, proposed and/or studied. Clearly, this is a remarkable ancient structure!

The Great Pyramid of Giza - Purpose for God?
Just as instructions were given to Moses for assembling the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant, is it possible that God delivered perfect instructions for erecting the Great Pyramid of Giza? The biblical texts reveal perfect dimensions delivered to Noah for the ark and ideal proportions delivered to David for the Jewish Temple -- Like other symbols throughout the ancient scriptures, is it possible that the Great Pyramid might serve some testimonial purpose for God?

In the 8th century BC, the prophet Isaiah was speaking of the “end times” when he declared:

“In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border” (Isaiah 19:19).
Indeed, two Egypts are mentioned in the Bible -- Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. When the text is focused on the one unified Egypt, the Hebrew word Mazor is used. However, when Upper and Lower Egypt are referenced, as in Isaiah’s scripture, the text uses the Hebrew word Mizraim – “two Egypts.”

Remarkably, geographic studies have been done, including hydrographs and satellite imagery, confirming that the Great Pyramid of Giza is located in the direct middle of Egypt, on the “boundary” between the two ancient Egypts. In fact, Giza is Arabic for “border.” Amazingly, the Great Pyramid is a pillar on the border between these two Egypts, while also “in their midst” (the Hebrew word is betoch, meaning “between” or “within”).

The prophecy of Isaiah continues:
“And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them” (Isaiah 19:20).

The Great Pyramid of Giza - The Cornerstone
Throughout the ancient scriptures, Christ Jesus is compared to the chief cornerstone of a structure. Usually, the cornerstone is at the foundation of a building; however, with a pyramid, the cornerstone is at the top -- the “capstone.”

Isaiah 28:16 refers to Christ as the “precious cornerstone.” Zechariah 4:7 refers to God’s future placement of a stone at the top of his completed structure -- “Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it! God bless it!'"

David also refers to the Lord in connection with a future “capstone” --

“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:22-23).
Remarkably, Jesus Christ applied this same prophecy to Himself, showing that He was the “rejected stone.” Israel rejected Him as Messiah under the leadership of the Pharisees and religious teachers, so Jesus used David’s Psalm to make His dramatic point before the crowds (Matthew 21:42-44). Later, in one of Peter’s great sermons to the Jewish people, He returns to this same prophecy when speaking about the truth of Jesus Christ:
“He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).
Today, it’s very interesting to note that the Great Pyramid of Giza has no capstone. In fact, there’s no historical record of any capstone ever being seen on the Great Pyramid. Something to think about as we enter “that day…”

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Word Origin - A View of World History
Word origin study is a fascinating way to discover the history of language and of a people. Learning where words in a language originated can tell us a lot about early influences on a society. Word origin in the English language, for example, indicates that this culture originated from many others. Many of our most commonly used words are Latin based, but come from countries as distinct as Italy, Spain and France. Their incorporation into our language is indicative of the exploration, invasion and emigration, reflecting world history on a large scale.

Word Origin - A View of Cultural Diversity
Word origin knowledge, according to Joseph T. Shipley, author of Dictionary of Word Origins (Littlefield, Adams & Co., 1967), is "to know how men think, how they have fashioned their civilization. Word history traces the path of human fellowship, the bridges from mend to mind, from nation to nation." Word origin can be inspired by influences as diverse as conquerors, commerce and cliques. Since the beginning of time, people have longed to search out unknown territories. Unfortunately, human nature and its lust for power caused many of those discoveries to lead to war in the desire for conquest and superiority.

Word Origin - A View of the Times
Word origin in America today shares its base with England, but has developed its own personality through its multicultural heritage. It's a topic that can fascinate students of history and students of language. Writers, in particular, find their skills enhanced by understanding the roots and national origins of words. Such knowledge enriches our ability to comprehend meaning, especially in reading classic literature from times past.

Because we are a people in flux, new words are being added to our menu choices almost daily. Some turn out to be "slang" that is temporary in nature, so it fades in time. Other terms become part of a culture's vernacular based on frequency of use as well as a change in that culture's way of life, such as many of the words and phrases connected to our current computer-based lifestyle. These words, such as "multi-tasking," "interfacing," and "online/offline," were either unknown or have enhanced their meanings in the last 20-30 years.

Word Origin - Phrases From the Bible
Like word origin, phrase origin presents another fascinating opportunity to learn about our cultural roots. For example, many commonly used phrases in the English language find their origin in the Bible, offering a clear indicator that the Judeo-christian faith has played a critical role in the roots of both English and American history. Here are a few examples:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - this phrase originates from the same sentiment found in Ecclesiastes 9 - "a living dog is better than a dead lion." A man after his own heart - is from Samuel 13:14 - "the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart…" Bite the dust - even this "cowboy" slang phrase finds its roots in the Bible, originating in Psalm 72:9 - "They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust." To everything there is a season - did not begin with the popular '60's song, but is found in Ecclesiastes 3. The handwriting's on the wall and your number's up - both phrases find their origin in Daniel 5, when Belshazzar, King of Babylon, is confronted by God's supernatural decree that the time of his kingdom was finished. Good Samaritan - used in reference to someone who compassionately helps another with no thought of reward, this phrase and concept is found in the parable told by Jesus in Luke 10:30-33.

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Holy Bible: A General Overview
The Holy Bible is a phenomenal account of history, comprised of 66 books, written over approximately 1600 years, by at least 40 distinct authors. The Old Testament (Old Covenant) contains 39 books written from approximately 1500 to 400 BC, and the New Testament (New Covenant) contains 27 books written from approximately 40 to 90 AD. The Jewish Bible (Tenach) is the same as the Christian Old Testament, except for its book arrangement. The original Old Testament was written mainly in Hebrew, with some Aramaic, while the original New Testament was written in Greek.

Holy Bible: The Old Testament
The Holy Bible begins with the Jewish Scriptures. The historical record of the Jews was written down in leather scrolls and tablets over centuries, and the authors included kings, shepherds, prophets and other leaders inspired by God. In Exodus, God tells Moses to write the Law (Torah) in a book. About 450 BC, all of the Jewish scriptures were collected and arranged by councils of rabbis, who then recognized the complete set as the inspired and sacred authority of God. Beginning as early as 250 BC, the Hebrew Bible (Tenach) was translated into Greek by Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt. The translation became known as the Septuagint, meaning 70, and referring to the tradition that 70 or 72 men comprised the translation team. At this point, the books of the Hebrew Bible were arranged by topic, including history, poetry, and prophecy. In 90 AD, at the Council of Jamnia, the Jewish elders established the final Hebrew Bible canon. Although the Jewish Scriptures were copied by hand, they were extremely accurate copy to copy. The Jews had a phenomenal system of scribes, who developed intricate and ritualistic methods for counting letters, words and paragraphs to insure that no copying errors were made. In fact, scribal tradition was maintained until the invention of the printing press in 1455. As far as manuscript accuracy, the recent discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has confirmed the remarkable reliability of the Old Testament texts over the years.

Holy Bible: The New Testament
After approximately 400 years of scriptural silence, Jesus arrived on the scene in about 4 BC. Throughout His teaching, Jesus often quotes the Old Testament, declaring that He did not come to destroy the Jewish Scriptures, but to fulfill them. In Luke 24:44-45, Jesus proclaims to his disciples, “All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Starting in about 40 AD and continuing to about 90 AD, the eye-witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ, including Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter and Jude write the Gospels, letters and books that later become the New Testament. These authors quote from 31 books of the Old Testament, and widely circulate their material so that by about 150 AD, early Christians were referring to the set of writings as the New Covenant. During the 200s AD, the writings were translated into Latin, Coptic (Egypt) and Syriac (Syria) and widely disseminated. At this time, at least 21 of the writings were considered canonical. Thereafter, in 397 AD, the current 27 books of the New Testament were formally confirmed and canonized in the Synod of Carthage.

Like the Old Testament, we now have significant evidence that the New Testament we read today is remarkably accurate as compared to the original manuscripts. Of the thousands of copies made by hand before the printing press, we have approximately 24,000 manuscripts, including more than 5,300 Greek manuscripts from the New Testament alone. The Bible is better preserved, by far, than accepted writings of Homer, Plato and Aristotle. Of course, as the Bible was carried from country to country, it was translated into languages that don’t necessarily mirror the original languages of Greek and Hebrew. However, other than grammatical and cultural differences, God’s Word has been remarkably preserved and translated over the years. The Bible now gives inspiration to hundreds of millions throughout the world – that’s because the Bible is truly the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21).

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Book of Revelation - What Does the American Public Think?
What does the Book of Revelation mean to the average American? A TIME/CNN poll in 2002 found that 35% of Americans say they are paying more attention now to how the news might relate to the end of the world, and have talked about what the Bible has to say on the subject. Fully 59% say they believe the events in Revelation are going to come true. ("Apocalypse Now," Time Magazine, June 23, 2002)

Book of Revelation - What Does the World Think?
The Book of Revelation tells us, "When Christ returns, every eye shall see Him." Until CNN and the Internet, it was impossible to imagine the fulfillment of such an event. Walter Russell Mead, Council on Foreign Relations, predicts that our century will be remembered as the Age of Apocalypse. "The word apocalypse," he observes, "comes from a Greek word that literally means 'lifting of the veil.' In an apocalyptic age, people feel that the veil of normal, secular reality is lifting, and we can see behind the scenes, see where God and the devil, good and evil are fighting to control the future." To the extent that more people in the U.S. and around the world believe history is accelerating, that ancient prophecies are being fulfilled in real time, "it changes the way people feel about their circumstances, and the way they act. The grays are beginning to leak out of the way people view the world, and they're seeing things in more black-and-white terms." ("Apocalypse Now," Time Magazine, June 23, 2002)

The Book of Revelation speaks of the coming world leader known as the "Antichrist." Revelations of the Antichrist seem to be coming frequently. When U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan tells the World Economic Forum that globalization is the best hope to solve the world's problems, when the forum floats the idea of a "united nations of major religions," when privacy is sacrificed to security, the news headlines are listed on the prophecy websites as signs that the Antichrist is busy about his business.

Book of Revelation - What Do the Theologians Think?
The Book of Revelation declares, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near." (Revelation 1:3) "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen." (Revelation 1:7)

Time Magazine looked at apocalyptic theology, and declared that religious "scholars" tend to treat this area as a sociological tradition. "They see End Times interest rising and falling on waves of cataclysm and calm. Masses of people became convinced the end was nigh when Rome was sacked in 410, when the Black Death wiped out one-third of the population of 14th century Europe, when the tectonic shudders of the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 caused church bells to ring as far away as England, and certainly after 1945, when for the first time human beings harnessed the power to bring about their total destruction, not an act of God, but an act of mankind." ("Apocalypse Now," Time Magazine, June 23, 2002)

Book of Revelation - God's Word on the End Times
The Book of Revelation is not grounded in religious, social or mythological tradition. The Book of Revelation is God's Word to us, packed with prophecy that will be fulfilled in the End Times. Many declare that the End Times have already begun. A significant prophecy was fulfilled when the Jews reestablished their homeland in 1948. Thereafter, another tick on the End Times "prophecy clock" occurred when the Jews retook Jerusalem in 1967. Do we know when the end will come? No. However, we do know that the clock is ticking a little bit faster these days. "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." (Jesus Christ; Revelation 22:7)

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The Rapture: What Is It?
The Rapture is an "end times" event ("eschatological" event) where Jesus Christ returns for His Church and believers who are "alive and remain shall be caught up together…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is the time of the resurrection, where each Christian receives his or her resurrected body. First to receive their new bodies are those who have died as Christians, and then, those who are "alive and remain."

Take notice, I am telling you a secret. We shall not all die but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet call. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed"
(I Corinthians 15:51-52).

The Rapture: When Will It Happen?
The timing of the Rapture sparks a great debate within Christianity. Does it occur before, during, or after the tribulation period? The tribulation is a seven-year period that immediately precedes the return of Christ and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, which lasts for 1,000 years. The first 3 ½ years of the tribulation will be a time of peace and cooperation, and the second 3 ½ years of the tribulation will be a time of war and catastrophe. At the midpoint of the tribulation, the Antichrist will proclaim himself god and require worship from all people of the world. Many will bow down and worship the Antichrist, including taking his mark of worldwide registration. Some will refuse to worship the Antichrist and receive his mark, and many will be killed for this act of disobedience. The second half of the tribulation is referred to as the "Great Tribulation." There will be extraordinary catastrophes all over the world during this period. (For scriptural support, see Revelation 3:10, Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 17).

So, the main debate on the Rapture is not what it is, but when it will occur in relation to the tribulation. In summary, the pre-tribulation view is that the rapture will happen before the tribulation period; the mid-tribulation view is that the rapture will occur half-way through the tribulation period; and the post-tribulation view is that the rapture will occur at the end of the tribulation period.

The Rapture: Does the Timing Matter for Believers in Jesus Christ?
The pre-tribulation rapture is a wonderful hope for believers in Jesus Christ. However, whether we live to see a pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture, or whether we die prior to any type of rapture at all, the key to eternal salvation is, in all cases, our belief and faith in Jesus Christ alone. Be secure in your relationship with Christ, and nothing else really matters.

"...For I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when I have gone and have prepared a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself so that where I am, you also will be"
(John 14:2-3).

"For with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven, and those who died in Christ will rise first. Afterward we, the living who remain, will be cauht up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall forever be with the Lord"
(I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

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Jesus Christ: Many Things to Many People
Jesus Christ has been called many things by many people, including a great man, a great teacher, and a great prophet. There is no legitimate scholar today that denies that Jesus is a historic figure that walked on this earth about 2,000 years ago, that he did remarkable wonders and acts of charity, and that he died a horrible death on a Roman cross just outside Jerusalem. The only dispute is whether Jesus was God incarnate who rose from the dead three days after His crucifixion. These are all matters of historical record that can be earnestly discovered and tested. Jesus told us who He was – He didn’t mince words. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6).

Jesus Christ: He is the Way
Jesus Christ declared “I am the Way,” but clearly, not everyone believes Him. What are we all afraid of? The evidence for Jesus and His great works are well documented both in and out of the Bible. The evidence for His crucifixion on the cross, the empty tomb three days later, and His appearances to over 500 eye-witnesses after his resurrection is very compelling. Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament scriptures. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the reliability of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, both of which have been proven to exist prior to the time Jesus walked on the earth, you can be assured that these prophecies were not “conspired” after-the-fact. They were truly fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Actually, if you look at the polls, most people aren’t afraid of Jesus at all. They’re afraid of Christians. Look at the way many Christians act, and who can deny this fear. Arcane rituals, flamboyant preachers, money, power, hypocrisy – Do these present a real picture of who Jesus is, and who He wants us to be? No. However, Jesus did not ask us to follow men and religion, He asked us to follow Him.

Jesus Christ: He is the Truth
Jesus Christ declared “I am the Truth,” but clearly, many of us have created our own concepts of truth. Moral relativism and religious pluralism pervade our culture. Truth is redefined daily. However, Jesus, through His Word -- the Bible -- gave us absolute truth. With today’s archaeological, historical and manuscript evidence, there’s far less reason to deny the origin of the Bible and its divine authenticity than to deny the legitimacy of works by Homer, Plato and Aristotle. What about your own pursuit of the truth? Is it even a priority in your life? How do you discover Christ’s truth, you might ask? He tells us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

Jesus Christ: He is the Life
In Philippians 3:8, Paul said it all when he claimed that everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ: He is Who He Said He Was
Jesus Christ said that He was the only way. Jesus is unique. He was either telling the truth, He was crazy, or He was a liar. But since everyone agrees that Jesus was a “good man,” how then could He be both good and crazy, or good and a liar? There is only one logically consistent alternative - He must have been telling the truth. Jesus is who He said He was - He is the only way to God!

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Christianity: Simple Truth
Christianity rises to the top when you earnestly investigate the other theories, philosophies, movements and religions of the world. Yes, as hard as it is to hear in our pluralistic world community, Christianity is different than all the others.

Christianity: Why Believe It’s the Way
Christianity is not based upon evidence...but it is backed by evidence. Obviously anyone could “claim” to be God. The difference with Jesus is that His life completely backed those claims. Check out the history, check out the claims – it’s an absolutely phenomenal study.

A primary focus for your study is that Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies written in the Old Testament scriptures. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the reliability of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, both of which have been proven to exist prior to the time Jesus walked on the earth, you can be assured that these prophecies were not “conspired” after-the-fact. They were truly fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Examine the probability of one man fulfilling just a handful of the most specific prophecies, and you’ll be amazed. “And He [Jesus] said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.” Luke 24:44

Another focus for your study is to understand what Jesus said and did as a historical figure. No legitimate scholars today will deny that Jesus lived about 2,000 years ago, was a great teacher and doer of good works, and that he was crucified on a Roman cross for the crime of blasphemy among the Jews. The only dispute is whether Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion and that He was, in fact, the Son of God incarnate. This is where everyone must test the evidence for the resurrection, examine their hearts, and make a decision about who Jesus really was.

Jesus said that He alone was the way to the Father (John 14:6), that He alone revealed the Father (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22). Christians do not go around saying Christianity is the only way because they are arrogant, stupid or judgmental. They do so because, based on the evidence, they believe what Jesus said. Christians believe in Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God (John 8:58; Exodus 3:14), who forgave sins (Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; 7:48), and who rose from the dead (Luke 24:24-29; John 2:19f). Jesus said that He was the only way. Jesus is unique. He was either telling the truth, He was crazy, or He was a liar. But since everyone agrees that Jesus was a “good man,” how then could He be both good and crazy, or good and a liar? He must have been telling the truth. He is the only way.

Buddha didn't rise from the dead, nor did Confucius or Zoroaster. Muhammad didn't fulfill detailed prophecy. Alexander the Great didn't raise the dead or heal the sick. And though there is far less reliable information written about these “religious” leaders, they are believed in and followed by millions.

Christianity: Not Religion – A Relationship
Christianity is not really a religion; it is a relationship with God. It is trusting in Jesus and what He did on the cross for you (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), not on what you can do for yourself (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christianity is not about ornate buildings, flamboyant preachers, or traditional rituals. Christianity is about truly accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

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Paul’s words in his first letter to the church he helped establish in Corinth, summarize so much of what I have tried to elucidate in this book. The evidence for the veridicality of the Resurrection of Christ is growing. In William Lane Craig’s The Son Rises he masterfully summarizes the historical and philosophical evidence for the Resurrection. N.T. Wright’s voluminous work entitled The Resurrection of the Son of God offers an in-depth evaluation of these same arguments and more.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. - 1 Corinthians 15:3-22

You probably consider the hope of a life beyond this mortal coil as nothing more than a mere pipe dream. However, millions of Americans see it as a present reality. The atheist has nothing to offer the dying man or woman who struggles with end of life concerns other than the legacy that may continue from the contributions made during his or her lifetime. The atheist offers no solution to the problem of apparent gratuitous evil. If we are all mere products of a Godless form of natural selection, many of us will have little more to look forward to than a life without hope, filled with unexplained suffering and ending in personal extinction. God provides the ultimate solution to the problems of evil and death, for He has offered to every one of us a means of living a life that counts forever and entering into the incommensurable joy of an eternity with Him.

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Letter to a Christian Nation – A Counter Point for Sam Harris
Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris merits an intelligent response that offers the reader a rationale for the credibility and rectitude of orthodox Christianity. Not all individuals who claim to be Christians fully exemplify the moral teachings of Jesus. In fact, many by their words and actions cast a shadow on the name of Christ. Nevertheless, millions of intelligent Christians in America have thoughtfully compared their Christian faith with atheism and found the latter consistently lacking in both evidence and any real foundational warrant for moral integrity. This does not suggest that atheists cannot be moral people or live moral lives, only that they have nothing on which to ground their morality. Atheism provides society with no inherent basis upon which to distinguish between right and wrong other than by popular consensus, and few would suggest that the majority is always correct.

As one “transformed by Christ’s love”1 but not “deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism,”2 this treatise will prove useful to all readers as a presentation of a reasoned defense of protestant, orthodox, evangelical Christianity. Please understand at the outset that terms like “orthodox,” “protestant,” and “catholic”3 have specific meanings in their own right, prior to their adoption by certain religious sects. By “orthodox” I simply mean, that which adheres to essential doctrines of the Christian church as they have been defined and defended since the time of Christ. By “protestant” I am referring to those branches of Christianity that arose as a result of the 16th-century Reformation, initiated by Martin Luther in 1517 and perpetuated by men such as Calvin, Zwingli, and Knox. The Reformation was a protest against the corruption of the established Roman Catholic Church at the time. Since the Reformation, protestant believers have united in their rejection of the authority of the Pope, but have disaffiliated due to doctrinal nuances considered non-essential when compared with the core teachings of orthodox Christianity. The teachings of Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and virtually all other faiths differ markedly from orthodox Christianity. A consistent error in Harris’ writing, as well as in the writing of Richard Dawkins,4 is the tendency to categorize all faiths under the rubric of “religion,” thereby blurring the doctrinal distinctions between them.

For most of the 500 years that preceded the Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church was the majority representative of Christianity. The 11th century saw the Great Schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, in which the Eastern Church denounced the Pope’s alteration of the Nicene Creed without the consent of an ecumenical council. The Roman papacy sanctioned the horrors of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition that Harris places on the shoulders of generic “Christianity.” The Spanish Inquisition, although initially focused on false converts to the Roman Church from Judaism and Islam in the late 1400s, eventually turned its focus toward Protestant Christians subsequent to the Reformation.

Protestants like John Calvin and Martin Luther seem to adopt different personalities that vary according to the point of view of the biographer. Harris claims that “John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches,”5 which he presumably discovered from William Manchester’s book A World Lit Only by Fire.6 Contrary to this view, the historian Kenneth Scott Latourette states that “in spite of Calvin’s plea [to the civil authorities] for a more merciful form of execution, Servetus was burned at the stake. . .”7 In fact, Michael Servetus was the only individual executed in Geneva during Calvin’s lifetime, during an era when such executions were commonplace elsewhere.8 Regardless of the difference of opinion between these two historians, the vast majority of the brutality perpetrated historically, in the name of Christ, has resulted from the turpitudes of the early Roman Catholic Church, not protestant Christianity. In mid-sixteenth century England, Mary I, of the Tudor dynasty, also known as “Bloody Mary,” executed Protestants in an effort to return England to Roman Catholicism. During her brief five year reign, she ordered the deaths of over 280 Protestant Christians, many more than those executed in any five year period during the Spanish Inquisition. Mary I was responsible for the executions of many notable reformers, such as Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and John Bradford.

Letter to a Christian Nation – A Look at Modern Religion
In America today, there are approximately twice the number of evangelical Protestant Christians as there are Roman Catholic adherents.9 Worldwide, the Roman Catholic Church has made great strides to repair some of the rifts that previously existed. In 1964, Pope Paul VI met with the Eastern Orthodox leader, Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, and rescinded the anathemas of the Great Schism of 1054. A similar attempt at ecumenism occurred with the 1994 release of the document Evangelicals and Catholics Together, drafted by Charles Colson and Fr. John Neuhaus. Both of these attempts at reconciliation met with some legitimate dissent, due to distinct doctrinal differences, yet neither event yielded acts of violence such as those perpetrated historically or by extremist adherents of Islam today.

In the final analysis, true Christian believers are found in the Roman Catholic Church as well as protestant churches today. Conversely, many from both churches claim the name of Christ but do not truly represent Him, as both Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins found from letters they received. Jesus amplifies this truth in Matthew 13:24-30, commonly known as the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. In three of the four gospels Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say I am?” This question cries out for a response from everyone alive today, because the correct answer results in a life forever changed, in a very positive direction, by the grace of God.

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Sam Harris – Secularist Agenda
In Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris is clear about his secularist agenda. As such, Sam Harris claims to address Christians in a very narrow sense, as persons who believe, “at a minimum, that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that only those who accept the divinity of Jesus Christ will experience salvation after death.” Yet as one reads his book, it becomes patently obvious that these are not the only two doctrines of Christianity under attack. In Letter to a Christian Nation, Sam Harris sets out “to demolish the intellectual and moral pretensions of Christianity in its most committed forms.” In response, I will be directing my comments to Mr. Harris and to any readers who may find his arguments persuasive. A “pretension” is an unsupportable claim. Yet, is Christianity truly unsupportable? Or does good, cogent, intellectual, historical, philosophical, and even scientific evidence exist to support Christianity?

Sam Harris points out that a recent Gallup poll “revealed that 53 percent of Americans are actually creationists.” He then goes on to say that “this means that despite a full century of scientific insights attesting to the antiquity of life and the greater antiquity of the earth, more than half our neighbors believe that the entire cosmos was created six thousand years ago.” He fails to mention that among those Christians who believe that God created the earth, there exist at least two camps, young earth creationists and old earth creationists. While hotly disputed among Christians, one’s opinion regarding the age of the earth is classified as a non-essential concept that falls outside the realm of foundational Christian doctrine. While both camps believe that God “created” the cosmos, and hence would consider themselves creationists, they do not both adhere to a six thousand year age for the cosmos. By reading the poll in such a way as to equate creationists with specifically young earth creationists, Harris commits the logical fallacy of equivocation. Many of the Americans who took the survey probably did not perceive the term creationist to mean young earth creationist.

Remember also that Americans of other faiths may well believe in some form of creation. Granted, most other faiths comprise a smaller portion of the American population than Christians, but their participation would skew the statistics slightly. For example, most Sunni Muslims would generally classify themselves as creationists, but adhere to an Islamic form of evolutionary creationism. Therefore, most Sunni Muslims would not believe that the entire cosmos was created six thousand years ago. Sunni Muslims represent the majority of Muslims in America, just as in the rest of the world.

Sam Harris – Statistical Invalidity
Statistics have long been intentionally misused to interpret data in ways that make the results appear favorable to the presenter. Harris either intentionally allies himself with this dubious tradition of statistical invalidity or simply fails to see the impact of the unstated factors that skew the results in his favor. Claiming to understand clearly what “we believe” Harris proceeds to pronounce judgment upon us for those beliefs. Unfortunately, his understanding of our beliefs seems just as skewed as his statistics.

Sam Harris claims that “the primary purpose of [his] book is to arm secularists in our society, who believe that religion should be kept out of public policy, against their opponents on the Christian Right.” Conversely, I propose to offer Christians a response to secularists who have been so armed. However, regardless of its effect on public policy, it remains my sincere desire that this book will provide the reader, along with Mr. Harris, a clearer picture of the reasonableness of the classical, orthodox, protestant, evangelical Christian faith. It is just such a “reasonable faith” that has the power to change lives and in turn, impact our society for the better.