Outrageous Truth...: Seven Absolutes You Can Still Believe

What puts Jeffress on the top of my list of Christian authors is his drive to tell the truth of God's word. He doesn't beat around the bush, avoid the issue, or try to evade a question in any way. Is Jesus the only to God? Is homosexuality a sin? Yes and yes. No squirming just direct and immediate answers to the questions plus a great wealth of Bible knowledge to back up his answers with scripture. Christians, and especially pastors, must stop giving in to the demands of sin and political correctness and stand up to the truth.

Dr Jeffress really did a wonderful job on this book. The truth from each chapter has life words that the Western church has for far to long ignored. I didn't know what I was getting when I started this book, but I do see it is for ALL true followers of Christ, not meant for a particular denomination. We are all joined together in one accord when we accept and follow Christ Jesus our Lord. Is Hell real, Absolutly. Is Evolution a fable people believe because accepting the Creator means they are sinneres in need of a Savior, Yes. Is homosexuality a sin, Yes.I recommend this book to all those who have or are planning on starting a library.

I am reading this as part of a summer Bible study for my men's group in my Sunday School. It's a very interesting read. The author works through some of the things with logical arguments and some things with facts, so it's a nice mix. The questions in the back are nice as well for spurring on discussion on some of the topics.

One of the first things I do whenever I pick up a book is to look at the front and back covers and read what's on them. Afterwards, I open the book and read the inside of the dust jacket, it the book has one. Later on, I read the Table of Contents and other pertinent information to have a general idea of the subject and the author. When I first read this book, one of the things I first noticed is the people my Brother-in-Christ Dr. Jeffress used to have his book recommended or endorsed. We live in a time in age when we, Christians, are in need to recommend each other so our merchandise can be successfully sold. If I write a book and I have it endorsed by Bishop T. D. Jakes and Billy Graham, many may fall on the false assumption or misleading notion that the book must be good because of the Jakes/Graham endorsements. It is like Michael Jordan advertising "Ball Park" hot dogs. What does he know about hot dogs, anyway? Do you see my point? I will try not to use the Bible just to proof my point but I will cite some verses that I think are worth mentioning. In 2nd Corinthians 3, verse 1, the Bible ("The Message" version, emphasis mine) reads, "Does it sound like we're patting ourselves on the back, insisting on our credentials, asserting our authority? Well, we're not. Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you." In this case, Dr. Jeffress seems he needed many endorsements to sell his book and promote his theology. This could be a downfall for the readers if they take what Dr. Jeffress stated in his book at face value without second thoughts. Let's press on.For all of us humans, including us, Christians, perception, if not checked, could become reality for us. For example, my own perception of God, no matter how many times I read the Bible, will determine how big or small God truly is for me. Before I continue, let me make a statement that it is very dear and near to me, "God is a mystery." There are things I don't understand about God which are mind bending. The Scriptures say in Isaiah 40:38 (NKJV, emphasis mine), "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable." The word "unsearchable" means "inscrutable" or "difficult to fathom or understand". One more Scripture, (Romans 11:33 & 34) portraying God higher than we think states the following ("The Message", emphasis mine), "Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?" Most of us, if not all of us, Christians, have a particular perception of God and if He gets out of the "box" we think we put Him in, then our whole world - or a great part of it - will collapse and we either accept that God is a mystery and that we don't know everything or we will try to explain Him away so we can be at ease. Let's move on.In his book, "Hell? Yes!", Dr. Jeffress took a few verses, put them into a spiritual blender, turn the power on, and voila, he got himself a spiritual milkshake. We Christians are guilty of that, too, not just him. We do that because we have this vicious tendency of trying to bring God to our level so we can understand Him. We also do this to believe certain things that we know they are wrong or the Bible does not endorse them but we want to believe them to be true nonetheless. At times, it seems that the less we try to understand and explain God, the happier we are. In contrast, it seems that the more we try to understand and explain God, the sadder we are. Let's just accept that there are things too deep for us to comprehend and that we are better off just living what we do understand. One of my favorites Scriptures is Deuteronomy 29:29 (NLT) which states, "There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law." The more I study God's Word, the more I know how little I am and that there are things that are revealed to us for our spiritual growth and others are still secret because God, for some logical reasons, doesn't want us to know them. I will do a review on Dr. Jeffress' book chapter by chapter. By no means will I try to ridicule Dr. Jeffress since he is my Brother-in-Christ, too. I am just agreeing and disagreeing with some things he states in his book. I think as Dr. James Kennedy said about this book (emphasis mine), "Whether or not a person agrees with each statement, the book contains many profound truths that should be read by every Christian today."Wimp-Free ChristianityThe title of this section before Chapter 1 is one that deserves close attention because we do live in a society where Christianity is not what it should and must be. Dr. Jeffress makes some assertions that are true: Relativism encourages immorality (i.e., homosexuality is no longer wrong), discourages evangelism (i.e., Jesus being the only way to Heaven being questioned), and promotes persecution (i.e., being intolerant about tolerance that is contrary to God's standards and laws).Chapter 1 - Every Other Religion is WrongThis section, I believe, was well-written. Dr. Jeffress hit the nail right on the head. Though I do not see believing Jesus as the ONLY WAY to heaven as a religion, I believe that not all religions lead to heaven. I have worked in two of the most sophisticated military aircraft ever made: the B-1B Bomber and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. In order to perform maintenance on these two aircrafts, one MUST follow Technical Orders to the letter or they will face the possibility of death/injury to themselves or others, equipment damage or destruction, and a letter of reprimand or Article 15 for violation of orders given by the Secretary of the Air Force. There are steps one MUST follow to keep these aircrafts mission-capable; any other way, and one will be inviting trouble into their lives. In like manner, the Bible is clear that God made ONE WAY to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ; there is none other way. Let's think it logically, why would I want to have many other options, which could confuse me, about a cure for an illness of mine when one is already available? Why re-invent the wheel since it has proven to be efficient and effective? Jesus has proved Himself to be sufficient; none other will do.Chapter 2 - God is Ultimately Responsible for SufferingThe statement that "God is Ultimately Responsible for Suffering" is a bold statement that I myself would not dare to make since I hardly understand God. The more I try to understand and figure God out, the more I know how infinite God is and how finite and minute I am. But Dr. Jeffress found out that he got God figured out, or so it seems. He stated on page 59, "But if God is not the direct cause of suffering and yet He has the power to prevent it, isn't He at the very least guilty of negligence?" Let me reverse the question and turn it into a statement so we can see it much more clearly. "God is the direct cause of suffering and He has the power to prevent suffering, therefore any suffering that happens is because God is the direct cause of it." He sounded like a philosopher called Epicurus who, concerning God, stated, "Is he [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then is he impotent. Is he able but not willing? Then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?" I am not going to ask you whether the above statement makes sense or not since I believe that at times God does things that make no sense to us, but let's try to see this in Dr. Jeffress' terms and see it if stands against the Bible's sound doctrine the best we understand it. Romans 8:28 (NKJV, emphasis mine) states, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This verse does not state that God causes all things but that He will make all things to work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to God's purposes. September 11, 2001, is a date that the whole world will never forget. But, as Dr. Jeffress put in page 54, "You can't have it both ways! Either God is in control or He isn't." So what Dr. Jeffress is stating is that God controlled the hearts and minds of the terrorists; He caused them to desire to learn how to fly commercial airliners so they can fly them and eventually crash them into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. In other words, God directed their paths and plans. I am not making this up. On page 59, Dr. Jeffress stated, "What about wars, famines, or tragedies like September 11? If God is completely in control, then He must be responsible for those events as well." James 4:1 & 2 (The Message) states, "Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it." The word "you" is mentioned 6 times, the word "your" twice, the word "yourselves" and "yours" once, too. Famines are usually caused by mankind because of the carelessness it has for the Earth God gave them.Before the fall of mankind, everything God created was good in His sight. Because of sin, mankind was disconnected (separated) from the Creator and the results are what we see today; death, destruction, disease, and disintegration of families, among other things. In Deuteronomy 28, God through His servant Moses laid out the blessings and curses that would come upon His people as they would either obey His commands or not. These commands are like the Law of Gravity; if you break it, you will suffer the consequences. Like Dr. Jeffress stated "that much of our adversity that enters our lives can be traced to our own disobedience or to the disobedience of others." The Bible supports his statement but Dr. Jeffress states in page 63 "that some of the evil that invades our lives is not directly attributable to sin" but this fact "causes us to wonder why a sovereign and loving God would allow it (emphasis mine)." In page 59, Dr. Jeffress slams "some theologians" because they "attempt to let God off the hook for tragedies in the world" by making "the distinction between God's causing and God's allowing suffering." In one page he disagrees with the allowing suffering approach and then he acknowledges that we wonder because a loving God, as he put it, would allow suffering. He goes on to say that "God uses short-term suffering to accomplish long-term Good". Though that is true, Dr. Jeffress' point of view that God is responsible for the sufferings that happen in our world is not supported by the Scriptures. For example, a pregnant woman is told by her physician that she must quit smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol because her baby could be born sick. Let's say she neglects to follow through with the warning given and continues to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol. Later on, the baby is born and just as the physician said, he is born sick and may not survive long. Who is responsible for the suffering, God or the woman who failed to follow the warning? I really do not know why some bad things happen to good people and some good things happen to bad people as if God is much more favorable to the wicked than to His own children. Even the Psalmist David asked many questions to God as to why things happened that he did not understand. I don't know how a black cow eats green grass and gives white milk, but it happens every week. God causes and allows things to happen and most of the time we don't understand why. If God causes all suffering and He is the cause of it, is He causing some people to go to Hell and others to go to Heaven, as well? Isn't the freedom to choose between good and evil and between God and Satan in the hands of the people God made in His own image and likeness?Because the crucifixion of Jesus by His own people was "part of the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God", Dr. Jeffress made an assumption that "the torture of children, the genocide of entire races, and the starvation of millions around the globe" were also predetermined by God. Now, to close this chapter, let me say a few things more. I have a hard time believing that according to Dr. Jeffress, God is responsible for the sufferings in the world. If that is true, did God cause Andrea Yates to drown her own five children? At the moment I started to write this, the father of those children she killed is weeping for his children and he has no explanation as to why. Go ahead and tell him that God caused the killing and see what happens. Ezekiel 33:11 states, "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!" If God has no pleasure in the death of wicked humanity, but desires of them to turn to God and live, how can God at the same time be the cause (according to Dr. Jeffress) of this type of suffering (Yates family). If God Himself caused it and is responsible for it, what kind of God is He who delights in the sufferings He Himself inflicts on His own creation?Chapter 3 - God sends Good People to HellThe title of this chapter comes from no other doctrine than the one from Southern Baptist Churches. I came to know the Lord Jesus through the Assemblies of God churches, but God has brought me through Pentecostal, Non-denominational, and Southern Baptist Churches. Usually, in my experience, a Southern Baptist believer in California will be very much a clone of a Southern Baptist believer in North Carolina. In other words, they are very consistent with their beliefs, whether there are in accordance with Scriptures or not that is irrelevant. Many followers of the Southern Baptist doctrine believe that Hell is a place that they would avoid going because they have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior through a decision they made years ago. Put it in other words, they are trusting the decision they made and not the Savior. Because they accepted Christ as Lord and Savior then, no matter what sins they may be committing in the present or may commit in the future, their way to Heaven is guaranteed. In other words, their past, present, and future sins have been blotted out. But Titus 3:8 (NKJV, emphasis mine) states, "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men."The main reason, in my opinion, Dr. Jeffress is so open about Hell is because he got his ticket for Heaven and believes his place in Heaven is guaranteed regardless whether he, if he will ever, departs from the faith or not. Read the book of Hebrews and ask yourself; Why are the warnings directed to believers? On page 75, Dr. Jeffress on the topic of Hell states, "But according to Jesus, such a place will be the eternal destination of the unrighteous." Now, who is the unrighteous? According to [...] the word `unrighteous' means "Not righteous; wicked. Not right or fair; unjust." A person that is unrighteous is usually one that is "agnostic, atheistic, depraved, evil, graceless, heathen, impious, infidel, irreligious, nonreligious, profane, unclean, undevout, ungodly, unholy, unprincipled, unreligious, unrighteous, wicked[...] Let's take the word "unholy". Unholy means a person that is not separated from the world and, at the same, is separated from God. That definition describes a lot of Christians, today. An unholy person is not just a sinner that has never heard or has never accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, but an unholy person could be one that has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, and at the end turn his/her back on Him who has saved them. Salvation is just a gift in the present tense as it is in the future tense. Romans 13:11 (NKJV) states, "for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed." A great number of Christians have no concept of what holy means much less how to live holy lives or in "holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14, NKJV)". A Southern Baptist believer usually believes that not pursuing holiness will have no bearing on his/her past decision of Jesus as Lord and Savior. But the Scripture states the "no one will see the Lord" without it.No Southern Baptist believer believes they can ever depart from the faith because according to their doctrine, Jesus paid for all sins; past, present, and future. This belief is kind of a permit to sin. Now, NO UNRIGHTEOUS person will ever see the Lord. One has to be, or made, righteous by God if he/she wants to make it to Heaven. Though no one is righteous by their own efforts, one can become righteous by obedient faith. Hebrews 11:4 (NKJV, emphasis mine) states, "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." Abel obtained righteousness with God through his sacrifice. Southern Baptist believers usually repeat, and often without explaining it, the Scripture in Romans 3:10 that states, "There is none righteous, no, not one." They also quote Psalm 14:3 (NKJV, emphasis mine) in like manner, "They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one." If there is none righteous, why God called Noah "righteous before Me in this generation" and why does Psalm 118:15 (NKJV, emphasis mine) states, "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly?"Let me be clear on this; I believe Hell to be a place of torment, whether Hell has a literal fire or not, or whether Hell is the absence of the One who gives good and perfect gifts to humanity. What I think Hell is like has no bearing of its real existence. Hell exists no matter the many speculations we make about it. But the Good People that, according to Dr. Jeffress, God sends to Hell are those who many times over "bear fruits worthy of repentance". In other words, these people are better examples of what Christians lives must be. Jesus, in Lucas 16:8 said, "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light." They put Christians to shame by how they treat each other. These Good People are the ones who may never step into a Church or join a denomination, yet somehow they have emulated the respect, honor, truthfulness, kindness, and gentleness they have seen in those who are righteous before God. I am not stating that works will get you to Heaven any more than faith alone will, but like Cornelius, these Good People do have a chance to come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior because in essence, and to the best of their abilities and little knowledge they have about God, they are complying with 2 very important commands Jesus gave to His followers; "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and `your neighbor as yourself.'" They may have not received Jesus through Romans 10:9 & 10, but they may have received Him like the Ethiopian did by believing "that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37)". When Jesus was asked what must a person do to have eternal life, Jesus answered, "But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17)." Jesus did not say, "You must join the Church, or "Just believe and it's a done deal", but He said, "Keep the commandments." God does not, to the best of my understanding of the Scriptures, send good people to Hell, but only those who refuse to believe in the only begotten Son of God. In John 5:28 & 29 (emphasis mine), Jesus speaking, said, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." Sounds to me like good people are going to have everlasting life. Matthew 7:18 states, "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." Dr. Jeffress did not elaborate his point. He made a point and had no convincing support.Most of my Southern Baptists brothers believe that "Once Saved, Always Saved" and that the author of the Book of Hebrews does not refer to believers when he states in Hebrews 10:29 the following (emphasis mine); "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" Commenting on this Scripture, Dr. Jeffress made the following statement on page 83, "Similarly, the person who rejects, or even neglects, the gospel is rendering Christ's horrific death on the cross meaningless." Have in mind that Southern Baptists believe in the Security of the Believer but the author of Hebrews states that the person who has "counted the blood of the covenant" "a common thing" is such a person who "was sanctified" by such blood. This is not, ladies and gentlemen, just a sinner rejecting the Good News of Jesus Christ; this is one who has accepted, believed, and therefore, gave fruits worthy of repentance and who was sanctified for the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This person is not Joe Somebody; this person was the real thing. Dr. Jeffress, and others who believe alike, take the book of Hebrews, especially Hebrews 6:4-6, and other Scriptures that warn against departing from the Truth and re-interpret them in such a way that the logical step is to believe "Once Saved, Always Saved" or "Once in Grace, Always in Grace". Tragically many are probably in Hell because they have believed such doctrine. Scriptures like Philippians 1:6; "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" are often quoted out of context to prove that God will have His way in the life of a believer. But Paul states in verses 3-5 the following; "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." Look at verse 5; "for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." These are not ordinary people doing their own thing but are in "fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now". They are the ones who are standing in God's grace through obedient faith. Works are following them; they are doing the works of their Heavenly Father.Let me wrap this up. The analogy of the little ten-year-old girl and the steak story were very poor analogies. Also, the Bible is not very clear about levels of Hell and levels of Heaven. This is just mere speculation. That the Bible mentions rewards given based on deeds while on Earth is very different than stating that "the Bible clearly teaches that there will be degrees of hell just as there will be degrees of heaven" (Page 88). The Bible is not very clear either whether we will remember what we did on this side of heaven or not. But, how would you be rewarded for something you did on Earth and have no memory of it? Think about it. We may indeed remember but that is not important. In reference to Hell and with those who have not yet believed, "we can trust God to do the right thing" (Page 88). Can God say the same thing concerning us? Can He trust us with sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who are lost and spiritually dying? May the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help and strengthen us as we rescue lost souls from the eternal damnation that awaits those who reject Him.Chapter 4 - Homosexuality is a PerversionThere is no doubt in my mind that homosexuality is a perversion of the purity found in sex between a man and a woman. Since the beginning of times, man, because of his sinful nature, has been constantly perverting and distorting the ways of the Lord which, by the way, are in the best interests for mankind. No matter what we may think or believe, God has made Himself clear on this issue; homosexuality was a sin in ancient times, still is a sin in modern times, and will always be a sin in future times in the eyes of a holy God. A Christian who may fall into this type of sin, and continues in it, will inherit eternal damnation just as the liar will.The Bible in Matthew 24:13 states, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." Notice that it does not state that those who are saved will endure as the Teaching of the Perseverance of the Saints claim as Scriptural. Accepting Christ as our Redeemer 5-20 years ago was not an event, we must continue the run all the way to the end; "receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls." This is the Golden Rule of Hermeneutics: "If the plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense."For those in homosexuality, "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.(Isaiah 1:18)" And again (Isaiah 55:6, 7), "Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon."Chapter 5 - Husbands are to be the Leaders of their FamiliesLet's start from the beginning of time at Genesis 1:22 & 28, God commanded Adam and Eve to "Be fruitful and multiply". Notice that God blessed them both. Adam could not have done it without Eve and vice versa. Because of the fall, women became subjected to man (see Genesis 3:16). Now, thousands of years passed and we see Jesus restoring mankind to the first state where man and woman are co-equals in accomplishing God's plan. Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10)". Not only do I believe Jesus came to restore the relationship before mankind and God, but also the position the first man and woman had before the fall. Look now at Ephesians 5:22-24. It states in verse 23, "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body." Notice the word "as".If husbands are to be the leaders of their families, they MUST care for their families as Christ cares for His Church; it is not merely being a male but a provider. Dr. Jeffress, I think made a good case for this to be true. He addressed very well the issue of women being abused by their husbands; it can be summarized like this, "ladies, call the cops." I still believe that women are not given the proper place in today's churches, especially in Southern Baptist Churches. Women that are not allowed as pastors or deacons are usually treated as second-class citizens. Who says God is limited to use males as pastors or deacons?Chapter 6 - Evolution is a MythAccording to[...], the word "evolution" means "change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift." To my understanding, there is no support for macro evolution. Dr. Jeffress addressed the issue of evolution head on. I applaud him for it. The complexity of a cell's structure cannot, in my opinion, be part of a random process. In order for the cell to exists and properly function, it must have all of its parts present and working in accord or it will die. Let's look at evolution from another perspective; if evolution is true and everything around us came into existence by chance, then how does nature selected the perfect living conditions for life to exist? There must be a program that will somehow tell nature to stop trying to find the right conditions for life to exist as we know it today. Who told part-A to join with part-B to form part-C? When people see the B-2 Stealth Bomber or the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, one usually wonders what were the engineers thinking when they came up with such awesome ideas. The human body is much more complex than any other machine, how could random chances brought about such a machine into existence with its awesome systems (digestive, respiratory and circulatory, muscular, skeletal, excretory, reproductive, and nervous) working as they were programmed to work? If there is a design, there must be a designer; if there is paint, there must be a painter.Chapter 7 - America is a Christian NationWhen I read the table of contents of this book and saw the title for chapter 7, I thought to myself, "Yeah, right!" But I have come to the conclusion that the United States of America is Christian Nation though, at the present moment, it seems that the people from Sodom and Gomorrah have pitched their tents in our land. The USA has lost its compass (The Bible) and at the present moment its survival and, much less, its success are hanging in the balance because she has forgotten the God who made her great. The USA has exchange its precious treasures (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) for sin. It has devalued the unalienable rights which come from God. The USA has forgotten the God WHO brought her out of bondage into a land of milk and honey. Choosing to disobey God, this great nation the world has ever known and, in my opinion, will ever know this side of eternity, is rotting at the core because of idolatry, gluttony, greed, lasciviousness, adultery, fornication, etc.American history confirms that our founding fathers were people who believed in God; not any god but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When reading the first amendment ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.") into historical content, one must ask to themselves if the Founding Fathers had in mind Satanism, Islam, Wicca, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, or any other religions. It is assumed that, in my opinion, the exercise of religion here refers to Christianity. The USA is paying highly for choosing death instead of life; it is reaping curses instead of blessings. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD". Forgive us LORD for forgetting You by abandoning Your commandments, laws, precepts, and statues, which You gave to all people of all generations that they might live and enjoy abundant life.Becoming a Velvet-Covered BrickThe last part of the book covers some interesting principles which are, of course, aim atChristians: 1) Engaging with those who hold opposing points of view; 2) Listening to other people's stories; 3) Distinguishing between major and minor issues; & 4) Reflecting the love of Christ.The four principles mentioned above must, in my personal opinion, be observed if Christians are to have success in proclaiming the Good News of Salvation in Jesus Christ. These principles are not all exhaustive but those who practice them will do well in portraying Christ to the nations and cause others to turn to God and forsake their sinful ways.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Closing CommentsI thank God that Dr. Jeffress wrote this book though I do not share some of his views (especially the view that God is Ultimately Responsible for Suffering). I don't buy that because my expectation of God's intervention in a given situation doesn't necessarily mean that God has not intervened. God gave His written Word to the world, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, He left us His Holy Spirit to guide us. What else do we want from Him? Do we want God to take us by the hand? He has done great things for us and we have failed Him. The fact that God uses suffering doesn't necessarily mean that God caused it.

Great book and fast shipping.

This book took me through all the challenges I have regularly. I learned through this book how to recognize the enemy but more importantly give knowledge to share the word oh Christ

Excellent read.......Very well done!. All folks should read this!

Great book!

Awesome support material for the challenges we are facing in today's world. The Bible warns us "what's right will be wrong and wrong will be right" and this book explains how we have been 'brainwashed' into accepting the wrongs and supports the rights based on scriptural reference/support. This supplies us with an understanding how in one generation - the devil & his followers can divide and conquer a Christian nation. Buy this book, read it, and pass it on to anyone & everyone who is challenged with the World's so called "truth"!