DONALD TRUMP, THE BIBLE, AND CHRISTIAN NATONALISM

President Donald Trump’s endorsement of the “God Bless the USA Bible” has been met with a storm of criticism. Some are calling it “sacrilege” and “heresy” and others claiming he is taking advantage of people’s faith for the sake of money. Others claim that by associating America with the Bible he is promoting Christian Nationalism, which they insist is a danger and a threat to American democracy. 

I am not writing here to speculate about Trump’s motives in partnering in the promotion of this Bible. My concern is the widespread ignorance concerning the major role of the Bible in the founding of America. A 1982 article in Newsweek magazine, entitled “How the Bible Made America,” showed the Bible’s impact on the founding of America in vivid fashion. The authors wrote,

For centuries, the Bible has exerted an unrivaled influence on American culture, politics, and social life. Now historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our founding document: the source of the powerful myth of the United States as a special, sacred nation, a people called by God to establish a model of society, a beacon to the world (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 7).

The Continental Congress Opens with Bible Reading

The earliest immigrants to America were children of the Reformation, which means they held to the principle of sola Scriptura, or “Scripture alone.” This meant that they saw the Bible, not the pope or bishop, as their primary guide for faith and morality. The Bible was the book, more than any other, to be read and applied to all of life.

The Great Awakening (1726-70), which had a profound impact on the 13 colonies, produced an even greater love and respect for the Bible. The Bible was, in fact, the most popular book in America at the time of its founding. Even her most nonreligious Founders regularly quoted from the Bible.

It is, therefore, not surprising that when the First Continental Congress met on September 5, 1774, they opened with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer. Rev. Jacob Dusche, who became their chaplain, began by reading the entire 35^th Psalm to the assembled delegates, which included George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and others.

The reading of that Psalm had a powerful impact on all those present. John Adams described their heart-felt response in a letter to his wife Abigail. In describing the reading of that Psalm, he wrote,

It was enough to melt a heart of stone. I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

Dusche became their chaplain, and every subsequent session of this Congress was opened with Bible reading and prayer.

Congress Endorses the First English Bible Printed in America

The Founders’ respect for the Bible was also highlighted by their endorsement of the first English Bible printed in America in 1782. The producer of the Bible, Robert Aitken, had written a letter to Congress in which he asked for that government body’s sanction of his work. In the letter, Aitken called this Bible, “a neat Edition of the Scriptures for the use in schools.”

Congress enthusiastically responded to his request and offered the following recommendation to be included in this first English Bible printed in America.

Resolved: That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the interest of religion as well as an instance of the progress of the arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work they recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.

Washington Takes the Oath of Office with His Hand on a Bible

George Washington’s great respect for the Bible was affirmed by his nephew, Robert Lewis, who served as his secretary and lived with him while he was president. Lewis said that he had accidentally witnessed Washington’s private devotions in his library and that on those occasions he had seen him in a kneeling posture with a Bible open before him, and that he believed such to have been his daily practice.

It is, therefore, not surprising that when it came time for Washington to be sworn in as America’s first president, he insisted on taking the oath of office with his hand on a Bible. There was no precedent that he should do this. It was a declaration on his part that the Bible would be the ultimate source of wisdom and guidance for his administration.

Shortly thereafter Washington delivered his first inaugural address. It was no surprise to his audience that his speech was filled with references to God and the Bible. At the close of the ceremony in New York City, he and Congress proceeded to St. Paul’s Chapel where they participated in a worship service with more quotes and readings from the Bible.

The Bible Helped Shape America

The founders respect for the Bible was verified in a ten-year project to discover where they got their ideas for America’s founding documents. This exhaustive study found that although they quoted ancient writers of Greece and Rome and contemporary writers of the Enlightenment, the single most cited authority in their writings was, by far, the Bible (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition, 69).

The Bible was the lens through which they interpreted everything they read and studied. The well-known Catholic scholar, William Novak, has said,

Everywhere that reason led, Americans found the Bible. If they read Francis Bacon, they found the Bible. If they read Isaac Newton or John Milton, they found the Bible. In Shakespeare, they found the Bible. In the world of the founders, the Bible was an unavoidable and useful rod of measurement, a stimulus to intellectual innovation (Hyatt, 5 Pillars of the American Republic, 16).

Andrew Jackson, America’s 7^th president, understood this. He once gestured toward a Bible and declared, “That book, sir, is the rock on which our Republic rests.” Teddy Roosevelt, America’s 27^th president, said, “No other book of any kind ever written in English has ever so affected the whole life of a people.”

This is not to say that they lived up to the Biblical standard. Far from it! However, they all agreed that the Bible, particularly the teachings of Jesus, was the moral standard and goal toward which all should strive. This was a major contribution to American exceptionalism. Yes, it was the Bible that made America great!

A Bible Awakening

So, my concern is not that Donald Trump is promoting the “God Bless the USA Bible.” It is the traditional King James Version, and the publisher has added historical documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, to merely highlight the impact of the Bible on those documents.

My concern is that so many in Washington D.C. no longer respect the Bible as a source of moral wisdom and guidance. For example, in 2019, the Democrat National Committee (DNC) unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and declaring that neither Christianity nor any religion is necessary for morality. In other words, “We don’t need the Bible.”

This rejection of Biblical truth has left the nation adrift on a sea of moral uncertainty where decisions are made based on personal feelings and subjective reasoning. With no transcendent moral guide or authority, the nation is plummeting into a chasm of political and moral chaos.

Our only salvation is a national spiritual awakening that will restore reason, common sense, and a respect for God’s word. Such an awakening will restore a respect for the Bible as held by the Founders and expressed by Abraham Lincoln who in 1864 commented on the Bible, saying,

In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.

The claim by many that associating the Bible with America is dangerous is ludicrous and divorced from history. It is the opposite that is true. This generation’s rejection of the Bible as a source of wisdom for life and guidance for morality is the very thing that is destroying her.

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s books, 1726: The Year that Defined America, and America’s Revival Heritage, Second Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WHY JESUS APPEARED FIRST TO A WOMAN AFTER HIS RESURRECTION

 

During the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus appeared to different disciples at various times, and on one occasion appeared to over five hundred of His followers at once (I Cor. 15:3-8). The gospel writers, however, are very clear in noting that it was Mary Magdalene to whom He appeared first after His resurrection.

The importance which the Gospel writers attach to this fact indicate that it was no accidental occurrence, but that Jesus purposely appeared first to Mary. Jesus knew that actions speak louder than words and He appeared first to Mary in order to make a clear statement about His estimation of women and their involvement in His kingdom.

We must remember that neither Jewish nor Roman courts of law in the 1^st century would allow the testimony of a woman as evidence. The ingrained cultural prejudice toward women was also expressed in a prayer that Jewish men prayed that included thanks to God that he was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman.

By appearing first to Mary Magdalene, Jesus was cutting through all the disdain and prejudice of his male disciples toward his female disciples. He thereby declared His equal acceptance of women and confirmed their ministry by sending her forth as the first witness and preacher of the most important event in all of human history.

The Apostle to the Apostles

When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, He gave her certain, specific instructions. Matthew 28:10 records His words to Mary: Go and tell my brethren.... In other words, He sent her on a specific mission defined by the words, Go and tell.

Interestingly, the New Testament word apostle literally means "one who is sent" or "a sent one." Mary, therefore, was a "sent one" and as such received the first apostolic commission from the Lord after His resurrection.

Mary’s apostolic commission was to go and tell the male disciples—the Twelve--that Jesus had risen. This raises the question as to why Jesus did not tell them Himself. Although He later appeared to the Twelve, He required that they first hear the news of His resurrection from the mouth of a woman. This is why that throughout history Mary has been called “the apostle to the apostles.”

By appearing first to Mary and sending her on an apostolic commission to announce His resurrection to the male disciples, Jesus was making certain truths stunningly clear.

1.    1) God values the testimony of women as much as men.
 2)  Women are not to be confined to the nursery and the kitchen.
 3) God-called women will teach men as well as other women and children. 
 4) Men need to be willing to hear the word of God from the mouth of a woman.

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

"But," some will ask, "what about Paul's admonition in I Corinthians 14:34 and I Timothy 2:12 for women to be silent?" First of all, anything that Paul said must be interpreted and understood in the light of what Jesus said and did in relation to women, which was always positive and affirming. We must remember that Jesus is Lord, not Paul!

Secondly, a doctrine should not be formulated without giving equal consideration to the many Scriptures that show women functioning in leadership roles. From Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah in the Old Testament, to Mary, Lydia, Phoebe, Priscilla, and a host of other women in the New Testament, there is overwhelming Biblical evidence of women functioning on every level of leadership that cannot be ignored.

Finally, it is more than likely that the restrictions of these two verses are related to local, cultural situations and are not universal edicts pertaining to the whole Church. These restrictions are, rather, on the same level as Paul's instructions concerning the wearing of veils (head coverings) in I Corinthians chapter 11 and his admonitions for believers to greet one another with a holy kiss (a handshake or hug will do just fine in most cases).

To See True Revival, We Must Acknowledge the Gifts of Our Sisters

We must remember that it is the risen Lord, not the church, that calls and assigns gifts and ministries. The authority to minister is rooted in one's possession of a divine call or gift. Ordination is simply the Church's recognition of that gift.

When John Wesley was challenged as to why he gave recognition to uneducated men and women preachers, he replied, "Because God owns them in the conversion of sinners, and who am I that I should withstand God."

Much of the Church has refused to recognize the gifts of its female members and has, thereby, violated Paul's command in I Thessalonians 5:19 not to quench the Spirit. As a result of this disobedience, many gifts have lain dormant while millions have perished without Christ and the Church has languished in defeat.

It is Time for Action

It is time for action! It is time for the church to obey God and recognize the gifts and callings in its female members. It is time for women to rise up and be obedient to the call of the risen Lord to “Go and tell.”

For more information about the role of women in Christianity get Dr. Susan Hyatt's groundbreaking book, In the Spirit We're Equal 2nd Edition, available from Amazon and at the Hyatt's website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

DON'T QUIT: HOW A LITTLE NUT BECOMES A GIANT OAK

Someone has said that the giant oak is a little nut that held its ground. From a little acorn to a sapling to a giant tree, it held its ground through heat, cold, wind, rain and storm. You may feel like a little nut today surrounded by insurmountable challenges, but if you will hold your ground, you will see God do incredible things in you and through you.

Getting knocked down in life is no disgrace, but refusing to get up and try again is. Consider the string of defeats suffered by one of the greatest individuals of all times; yet he refused to quit and became one of the giants of human history.

·                          In 1832 he lost his job.

·                          In 1832 he ran for the state legislature and lost.

·                          In 1833 he failed in a business venture.

·                          In 1835 his fiancé died.

·                          In 1836 he suffered a nervous breakdown.

·                          In 1838 he ran for speaker of the state legislature and lost.

·                          In 1843 he ran for Congress and lost.

·                          In 1849 he applied for the post of land officer but was rejected.

·                          In 1854 he ran for the Senate and lost.

·                          In 1856 he ran for vice-president and lost.

HOWEVER, IN 1860 ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. HE REFUSED TO QUIT - HE HELD HIS GROUND - AND BECAME A GIANT OAK!

Hebrews 6:12 tells us that it is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God. The word patience in this verse is a translation of the Greek word makrothumia and it means to “persevere” or to “continue in the face of trouble and adversity.” To put is simply and succinctly, it means you “don’t quit.”

Promise, Praise & Perseverance

During a tremendous battle of faith in 1989, God gave me three words which he said were keys to answered prayer. The three words were promise, praise, and perseverance. As pointed out above, perseverance is the same as the biblical word patience. It means that you don’t quit. It means that if you get knocked down, you get up again.

Hebrews 6:13-15 presents Abraham as an example of one who refused to quit and obtained the promise of God. In Genesis 13:16; 15:5, God promised Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and as the stars of heaven. However, the years passed without any fulfillment of this promise and finally Sarai and Abram were childless and too old to bear children. What does one do when faced with such adversity? You keep your eye on the promise and you don’t quit.

It was about 14 years from the time God gave the promise to Abram to the time the promise was fulfilled in the birth of Isaac. At one time the faith of both Abram and Sarai wavered. They decided to help and hurry the fulfillment of the promise and Abram took Sarah’s maid, Hagar, and bore a son, Ishmael, through her.

God, however, revealed to them that this was not His way for the promise to be fulfilled. Abram and Sarai recovered and determined that they would trust God to fulfill that which He had promised. As a result, God changed their names: Sarai to Sarah which means “Mother of Nations;” and Abram to Abraham which means “Father of a Multitude.” 

Of Sarah, Hebrews 11:11 says that, at the age of 99, she received strength to conceive because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Of Abraham, Hebrews 6:15 says, And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. They were knocked down but they got up, kept going and obtained the promise.

The Little Nut Becomes a Giant Oak

Christians often mistakenly think that if the answer to their prayer has not manifested within a few days or weeks, that God has denied their request. NOT SO! Delay does not mean denial. Delay often means that we need to persevere in the face of adversity until we obtain the answer we desire. In other words, it means that we DON’T QUIT. Through faith and not quitting we obtain the promise.

Yes, the little nut--the acorn--has the inherent potential to become a giant oak. And as a child of God, you have incredible, inherent potential in you. To realize that potential you must hold your ground. If you will hold your ground and refuse to quit, you will see God do amazing things in you, through you and on your behalf.

This article was written by Dr. Eddie Hyatt who is an author, Bible teacher, and revivalist. Check out his books on Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.

5 MODERN DECEPTIONS CONCERNING JESUS - PART 2

Continued from Part 1

The Malleable Jesus of Modern Liberalism

Liberal theology begins with skepticism and an a priori commitment against the possibility of miracles. They, therefore, deny the inspiration of Scripture, the deity of Jesus, His miracles, and His resurrection. In their attempts to explain away the miraculous character of Jesus and the Gospel record, they have created a false dichotomy between what they call “the Jesus of history” and “the Christ of Faith.”

Liberal theologians insist that the Gospels were written, not by the traditional authors, but by later writers who embellished the original historical account of Jesus with mythical stories of miracles and His claims to being the Messiah and Son of God. This they claim is the “Christ of faith” of a later generation. This is the position of the Jesus Seminar, a group of liberal scholars, some of whom are atheists, who have decided that only 20% of the sayings of Jesus in the Gospels are really from Him.

This, of course, is a modern and novel theory rooted in skepticism and a pronounced anti-supernatural bias. Because they have never seen a miracle, they insist that miracles do not happen. This is neither science nor good scholarship. The well-known New Testament scholar, Dr. Gregory Boyd, who is known for debating atheists and liberal theologians, has been devastating in his critique of the Jesus Seminar, saying,

The Jesus Seminar represents an extremely small number of radical-fringe scholars who are on the far, far left wing of New Testament scholarship. It does not represent mainstream scholarship.[1]

Sadly, this distorted, liberal thinking about Jesus has filtered down into the culture and even the Church. Bill O’Reilly wrote a book entitled Killing Jesus. I heard him emphasize that in the book they do not talk about the miracles of Jesus because, he said, “the book is about history, not about faith.” I immediately realized that he had naively accepted this false dichotomy between the “Jesus of history” and the “Christ of faith,” created by modern liberal theologians.

With no moorings of faith in Scripture, the Jesus of post-modern, liberal theology is like a malleable piece of material that can be twisted and shaped into an endless variety of shapes and forms. Lee Strobel was right when he said that the liberal Jesus is a “symbolic Jesus who is impotent to offer the world anything except the illusion of hope.”[2]

The “Nice” Jesus of Popular Culture

Thousands of pastors and directors of Christian education were trained in liberal colleges and seminaries during the 20^th century. Liberal professors and theologians taught an entire generation of Christian leaders that the Bible is unreliable and that they must “demythologize” the New Testament in order to discover what may remain of the Jesus of history.

As this malleable Jesus of liberal professors and theologians was adopted by pastors and communicated to their congregations, what has emerged is a milquetoast Jesus who is “nice” and accepting of everyone and neither challenges or judges anyone. This is the “nice” Jesus of popular culture that we encounter in daily conversations on the internet and on radio and TV.

For example, I recall listening to a discussion concerning same-sex marriage on Fox News. The person being interviewed brought Jesus into the conversation and it was soon obvious that she had embraced the “nice” Jesus of popular culture. She insisted that Jesus would never judge or confront anyone. Her mantra that she repeated over and over, was, “He was all about love.”

This, of course, reflects a misunderstanding of both Biblical love and the person of Jesus Himself. If you asked the temple money changers and merchants about their perception of Jesus, they would not describe him as “nice.” He walked into their midst with a whip in his hand, a somber and fierce look on His face, and began turning over their tables. He shouted that they had turned His Father’s house into a “den of thieves” as He drove them from the temple area (Matthew 21:12-13).

Neither would the religious leaders in Israel describe Jesus as “nice,” for He was continually rebuking them for their pride and misuse of Scripture and people. His language sounded particularly harsh when he called them “hypocrites” and compared them to whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead people’s bones. He rebuked them, calling them snakes, and saying, Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the damnation of hell (Matthew 23:33)? 

On the other hand, Jesus was very tender and compassionate toward the desperate who came to Him in faith. The compassion of Jesus toward the distressed is illustrated in the story of the woman brought to Him by the Pharisees whom they said had been caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:3-11). They set her in front of Jesus, reminded Him that the Old Testament law said that such should be stoned, and then asked, “But what do you say?”

This was, of course, an attempt by the Pharisees to entrap Jesus. They knew that He was very compassionate toward women and the oppressed. Would He defend her from being stoned according to the Old Testament law?  If so, they could then accuse him of being a lawbreaker. They thought they had Him in a corner.

 Jesus did not immediately answer but stooped down and wrote in the sand. He then stood and said, Let he who is without sin among you cast the first stone (John 8:7). Now, they were the ones entrapped by their own words. They too were sinners; only their sins were hidden from the public but would be known by their closest friends. There must have been an uncomfortable silence as no one moved forward to pick up a stone. Then they began to quietly leave the scene until every accuser was gone.

Jesus, left alone with woman, then said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?  She replied, No one Lord. Jesus then spoke words that must have been music to her ears. He said, Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.

Jesus did not condone her sin, for His final words were, Go, and sin no more. (John 8:11). What He did was give her a new beginning, free from the guilt and pain of her past. Only Jesus can do this, for as is demonstrated in the book, Discovering the Real Jesus, forgiving sins was a sign of His Deity, for only God can forgive sin and give a new beginning.

Jesus loves everyone in the sense that His intentions toward everyone is for their good. He does not, however, fawn over everyone with sugary sweet accolades and affirmations. Because He desires the best for us, He is willing to point out the attitudes and sins that are destroying us. To the members of the lukewarm church in Laodicea, He said, As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent (Revelation 3:19).

The Distorted Jesus of Religious Cults

In her excellent book, Another Gospel, Ruth A. Tucker, defines a “cult” as a religious group that has a “prophet”-founder who claims to have a special message from God, not found in the Bible. The leadership style of the leader is authoritarian, and they tend to see themselves as the only ones possessing the truth. They also inevitably distort the person of Jesus.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jehovah’s Witnesses was founded in 1884 by Charles T. Russel under the name, Zion’s Watch Tower and Tract Society. The movement arose in a milieu of great emphasis on the second advent of Jesus and speculation as to when it would occur. Russel accepted a widespread teaching that Jesus would return in 1874. He and others were very disappointed when the year came and went, and nothing happened. However, in 1875, Russel claimed that it had been revealed to him that Jesus did return in 1874, but “invisibly.”

Russel later predicted that Jesus would return in 1914, based on his study and interpretation of the Old Testament Book of Daniel. When Jesus did not return in 1914, another explanation was necessary. It was decided that this was the time when Christ’s kingdom began on earth and the Jehovah’s Witnesses were chosen as His official organization. According to one writer,

What expressly distinguishes their teachings from any other denomination is the keystone doctrine centered on 1914. This is the date when Christ’s rulership began, his commencing judgment then and, above all, his selecting the Watchtower organization as his official channel (Hyatt, Discovering the Real Jesus,

Jehovah’s Witnesses deny both the deity of Jesus and salvation through faith in Him. I once confronted two Jehovah’s Witnesses on these two issues. It happened while Sue and I were visiting family in Ontario, Canada. It occurred one Saturday when we visited a massive outdoor market attended by thousands of people.

As we entered, we noticed that two Jehovah's Witness women had stationed themselves near the entrance with a small tent and racks of books and pamphlets. When we passed them for the second time on the way out, I sensed a compassionate drawing toward them and so retraced my steps and politely opened a conversation with them.

I began by asking them how, according to their beliefs, a person can know they are saved and will go to heaven. The one who was obviously the leader answered that we cannot know if we are saved until we die. She then quoted Jesus’ words, He who endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13).

I responded with the question, "Does that mean that at the end of our life, if our good works outweigh our bad works, we will be OK?" She replied, "Yes." I then asked, "So what was the need for Jesus to come and die for our sins?" They did not have an answer.

The conversation then turned to who Jesus is when they mentioned the name "Jehovah." I asked, "Do you believe Jesus is Jehovah?" She answered with an emphatic "No!" When I pointed out Scripture that clearly point to the deity of Jesus, the leader politely brought the conversation to a close. Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus was Michael the Archangel before His birth in Bethlehem. Their doctrine is very similar to the Arian doctrine of the 4^th century that was condemned by the Council of Nicaea.

Realizing the leader did not want to hear anymore from me, I kindly exhorted them to follow Jesus and went on my way with a sense of knowing I had obeyed the Lord and borne witness to His name.

Mormons

Mormons are another group founded by a self-proclaimed prophet by the name of Joseph Smith. I have a chapter on the origins of Mormonism in my book, Prophets and Prophecy, which shows how the early Mormons naively accepted everything Joseph Smith said, including his claim to finding the golden plates on which were written The Book of Moroni in an ancient hieroglyphic text. Smith also claimed that John the Baptist, as well as Peter, James, and John, appeared to him and a colleague and ordained them to the Priesthood of Melchizedek (Hyatt, Prophets and Prophecy, 92).

Mormons teach that God was once a man and that men can become gods through adhering to Mormon doctrine and ritual, particularly “celestial marriage.” With their wives they will populate the various planets in the universe. This teaching is summed up in the Mormon eternal law of progression: “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.”

Although Mormons claim to be orthodox Christians and use Christian terminology, the words obviously have a different meaning for them. They also balk at the exaltation and preeminence of Jesus that is so clear in Scripture. For example, in the 1980s, there was a movement on the campus of Brigham Young University encouraging students to develop a “personal relationship” with Jesus. Mormon leadership, however, opposed this movement.

Bruce McConkie, one of their Twelve Apostles at the time, spoke against the movement and condemned the creeds of Christendom, particularly the Apostles and Nicene creeds, which clarify the deity and preeminence of Jesus. He went so far as the say that these creeds are what Lucifer wants so-called Christians to believe so they will be damned. As far as Jesus is concerned, McConkie insisted, “We worship the Father and him only and no one else.”[3]

Where to Find the Real Jesus

It is obvious that we will never discover the real Jesus in New Age seminars, fictional novels, liberal theology, popular culture, or religious cults. Neither will the real Jesus be found in many Christian churches and seminaries that have been affected by these teachings.  If we want to know the real Jesus, there is only one reliable source, and that is in God’s word, approached with a prayerful heart and teachable spirit.

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s new book, Discovering the Real Jesus, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

---

[1] Strobel, The Case for Christ, 152.

[2] Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 167.

[3] Tucker, Another Gospel, 88.

5 MODERN DECEPTIONS CONCERNING JESUS - PART 1

A headline in the Dallas Morning News seemed to jump off the page at me. It read, “New spirituality: one part Jesus, two parts Buddha . . ..” The author described the growing trend in modern America wherein people are concocting their own personal religion by borrowing what they like from various religious traditions. This combining of different belief systems is known as “syncretism.”

In this subjective, self-centered approach to faith, people view the religions of the world, and the Bible itself, as a great smorgasbord of religious ideas from which they are free to choose what suits their feelings and desires. If something does not appeal to their tastes, they consider themselves free to discard it.

This approach is based in post-modernism, which is the prevailing philosophy being taught in America’s educational systems. They are called post-modernists because they deny the existence of any objective truth. The modernists, who emerged out of the Enlightenment, rejected the Bible and religious dogma as sources of objective truth but insisted that objective truth could be discovered by human reason.

For the post-modernists, however, objective truth does not exist. Truth, therefore, is not something to be discovered, but something to be created. For the post-modernists, truth is very “I” or ego centered. It is all about me and what feels good and right to me.  This was clearly expressed by one couple that was interviewed in the above article. They said,

We discovered the God within. That’s why we need God. Because we are God. God gives me the ability to create my own godliness.

This, of course, is the lie of the serpent to Adam and Eve that if they would ignore what God had said and follow their own desires, you will be like God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). In other words, they did not need God to know good and evil.  They could become like God and create their own moral and religious system. 

Sadly, this kind of thinking has become mainstream in American culture as is indicated by the following examples of spiritual counterfeits that Jesus predicted would come. In Matthew 24:4-5, He warned his disciples, saying, Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many.

Here are 5 deceptive views of Jesus that have emerged in the modern world: (1) the New Age Jesus of Oprah Winfrey, (2) the Fictitious Jesus of the DaVinci Code, (3) the Malleable Jesus of Liberal Theology, (4) the “Nice” Jesus of Popular Culture, and (5) the Distorted Jesus of Religious Cults.

Deception #1
The New Age Jesus of Oprah Winfrey

This post-modern way of thinking has opened the door for a spiritual, New Age Jesus to emerge that has its roots in Eastern mysticism and ancient Gnosticism. This concept of Jesus, which has been popularized by Oprah Winfrey, is not the real historical Jesus of Scripture but a mystical Jesus, waiting to be discovered within every person’s consciousness.

Winfrey has helped popularize the New Age author, Eckhart Tolle, and his book, New Earth, in which he presents Jesus as a Spiritual Master, along with Buddha and others, who have helped humanity discover the “Christ consciousness” that he says is already residing within every person.

Tolle has also promoted an ancient heresy about Jesus called Gnosticism. Somewhat like the modern New Age movement, ancient Gnosticism emphasized the “spiritual” over the material and went so far as to even deny the reality of the material, physical world. Gnostic “Christians” denied that Jesus had a real physical body and claimed He only appeared to have such a body. John the apostle confronted this false teaching in I John 3:2-3, saying,

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.

In this same vein of post-modern, New Age thinking, Deepak Chopra, the well-known Indian medical doctor and purveyor of Eastern mysticism, published a book entitled Jesus. Chopra admits that the Jesus of his book cannot be found in the Bible. Where did he get information for his Jesus? He says that he researched the cultural, political, and religious contexts of Jesus’ time, “Then I went into incubation, meditation, and I allowed this story to unfold.” His Jesus is a product of his own mind, thoughts, and imaginations.

This New Age Jesus is completely divorced from the Jesus of Scripture and any rational thought. This New Age Jesus is based in feelings, emotions, and over-active imaginations. This New Age Jesus is just one of the many counterfeits that Jesus warned would appear and deceive many. 

Deception #2
The Fictitious Jesus of The Davinci Code

The very popular novel, The Davinci Code, made fantastic and false claims about Jesus that impacted many people. We must remember, however, that the author does not claim his work to be “history.” On the title page are the words, “A Novel.” The Davinci Code is a genre of literature known as “historical fiction.”

The author of “historical fiction” sets their story in a real historical setting with real people and events. He then inserts his own fictional characters and creates his own fictional but intriguing story. This is exactly what Dan Brown did with The Davinci Code. His story includes Leonardo Da Vinci, his painting of the Last Supper, Jesus, the Bible, the Council of Nicaea, and more. For the naïve, it comes across as very believable. It is, however, a novel. It is “historical fiction.”

The Davinci Code presents fictional accounts of Jesus and of how the Bible came into existence. Concerning Jesus, Brown has one of his fictional characters saying that His followers considered Him a mortal prophet, and not the Son of God. This fictional character goes on to say that Jesus was given Divine status by Constantine for political purposes and by the vote of the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325.

This is blatantly false as is demonstrated on the pages of my latest book, Discovering the Real Jesus. The truth is that the Council of Nicaea merely affirmed what the Church had always believed about Jesus. The Council of Nicaea was convened because a Christian leader, named Arius, was teaching that Jesus was a created being and not fully God. This was contrary to what the Church had always believed and preached.

Because Arius was causing so much confusion and leading many astray, this Council met together, deliberated, and issued the Nicene Creed by which they affirmed what the Church had believed from the beginning. Concerning Jesus, the Creed says,

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

The Da Vinci Code is an intriguing novel, but it does not convey historical facts. More than anything, it conveys the liberal, agnostic worldview of the author who is a gifted storyteller. To be continued . . .

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s new book, Discovering the Real Jesus, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.