5 HIGHEST - 1 LOWEST STARS: 4 Stars
READ IT OR SKIP IT? READ IT
WHO MIGHT LIKE/HATE THIS BOOK?
Universalists will not like this book unless they are open-minded and able to accept a critique of their beliefs. Non-universalists and those who want to know exactly what the Bible says about hell will enjoy this book. The book is not a theology book, so the masses will be able to understand and comprehend the author's ideas about hell.
BOOK REVIEW:
Hell, Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway is a book that refutes the book "Life Wins" by Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, a 10,000+ megachurch in Michigan. Conway explains in an easy-to-understand, non-theological way, exactly what the bible really does say about hell. Conway defends the historical Christian position that some go to heaven and some go to hell, while Bell's book presents a Universalism teaching that all people go to heaven.
You don't have to read "Life Wins" before you read this book because Conway does an excellent job pointing out what parts of Bell's book he agrees with and disagrees with. While many Christian authors get into name-calling and bashing of other Christian authors who they disagree with (like Hank Hanegraaff does in his new book Has God Spoken), Conway surprisingly keeps an open mind and this book is SOOO much the better for it! While Hanegraaff's bashing made him lose credibility and look like a biased fool, Conway's calmness demonstrated his professionalism. And instead of coming across like a raving madman like Hanegraaff, Conway comes across calm and logical.
Conway shows that he understands the human need to "wish all people went to heaven" but even though we might wish it, he tells us that we must still go by what the Bible teaches. He explains that Bell's Universalism is a watered down version of the gospel and although it may be easier for the masses to accept, we must cling to the truth.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for this unbiased review. I am giving my honest review, as positive reviews are not required.
SKIP IT: Has God Spoken? by Hank Haneraaff
5 HIGHEST - 1 LOWEST STARS: 1 Stars
READ IT OR SKIP IT? SKIP IT
WHO MIGHT LIKE/HATE THIS BOOK?
Well-read Christians will not like this book because it provides no solid answers but mostly assertations without sources to back them up. This book is highly slanderous of other authors and doesn't make Christians look good, so Christians concerned for Jesus' image won't like this book. Christians who just want some basic ideas or to hear some some additional information on the subject may enjoy this book because they aren't needing solid arguments and can sift through the mud. Pentecostals may enjoy this book as Hanegraaff declares "Greg Laurie one of the best evangelists on the planet".
BOOK REVIEW:
The first thing I noticed about this book was Hanegraaff's childish name-calling of other authors, especially Bart Erham, who he calls "a spiritual terrorist", a "seduce[r] of audiences" and a "professor gone wild" on Pg 3. Who else sees a really gross dig/reference to the pornographic "Girls Gone Wild" videos widely available today?
This book tries to proof the Bible is infallible but falls completely short. None of the chapters have solid strong arguments with good sources. Most of the "arguments" are actually personal declarations or arguments that are easily disproven and picked apart by any well-read Christian, agnostic or athiest. As a well-read Christian girl, I can easily see 100s of holes in Hanegraaff's arguments. So if you plan to use this book for Apologetics or defending your faith, you'll come across as a baby Christian with weak arguments.
See how you feel about the below sections of this book and judge for yourself if this book is worth reading. If you pass on this book, instead get a book by RC Sproul, Josh McDowell "More Than A Carpenter" or "Evidence Demands a Verdict", or Lee Strobel "A Case for Christ" on the same subject matter.
Pg x: "The Qur'an is a hopelessly flawed document full of faulty ethics and factual errors." [Hanegraaff backs this declaration but with Sura 4:3 where men are allowed to take multiple wives as proof the Qur'an isn't from God. While you may agree the Qur'an isn't from God, the fact that it has polygamy isn't PROOF that the book isn't from God. After all, how many 100s of wives did David and Solomon have in the Bible?]
Pg xii: "Nowhere does the Bible suggest that slavery is okay." [The Bible was one of the strongest sources used to defend slavery. "If the Bible people had slaves, why can't we?" they argued. Didn't Paul's friend Philemon have slaves in the NT and the OT is full of the forefathers like Abraham owning slaves?]
Pg 11: Hanegraaff quotes Dr Kenneth Barker's website, where Barker makes a completely inaccurate claim that is easily proven false: "These carefully copied Hebrew texts have remained virtually unchanged since about 600 to 700 AD. In 1947 the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls yielded copies from all the major sections of the Old Testament...... When compared to these ancient copies, the Masoretic texts were found to be virtually identical" [FALSE. Per Wikipedia and other sources, Exodus & Samuel differ significantly and other scholars have listed many other significant differences. The more you honestly research this topic, the more differences you'll come up with. Many church fathers during the years right after the Apostles also declared the scriptures were being corrupted. Jer 8:8 also declares this. Church father Tertullian, Origen and others also believed there were many many corruptions]
Pg 12: "New Testament [copyists] were rather like you and me. They likely loved the Lord and thus willingly sacrificed themselves to the tedious practice of copying" [No proof here! Where is evidence? This is just a personal declaration. If this is true, why does Jerome who wrote the Latin Vulgate Bbile write that the NT scriptures were changed in uncountable verses and the KJV 1611 (in the first introduction pages) also declared the scriptures of its times were completely corrupted with changes?
I ran out of room in my review, but I hope this gives you an idea that this author makes declarations that are incorrect and also rarely gives you credible sources to back up his claims.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson for this review. I am giving my honest review, as positive reviews are not required
READ IT OR SKIP IT? SKIP IT
WHO MIGHT LIKE/HATE THIS BOOK?
Well-read Christians will not like this book because it provides no solid answers but mostly assertations without sources to back them up. This book is highly slanderous of other authors and doesn't make Christians look good, so Christians concerned for Jesus' image won't like this book. Christians who just want some basic ideas or to hear some some additional information on the subject may enjoy this book because they aren't needing solid arguments and can sift through the mud. Pentecostals may enjoy this book as Hanegraaff declares "Greg Laurie one of the best evangelists on the planet".
BOOK REVIEW:
The first thing I noticed about this book was Hanegraaff's childish name-calling of other authors, especially Bart Erham, who he calls "a spiritual terrorist", a "seduce[r] of audiences" and a "professor gone wild" on Pg 3. Who else sees a really gross dig/reference to the pornographic "Girls Gone Wild" videos widely available today?
This book tries to proof the Bible is infallible but falls completely short. None of the chapters have solid strong arguments with good sources. Most of the "arguments" are actually personal declarations or arguments that are easily disproven and picked apart by any well-read Christian, agnostic or athiest. As a well-read Christian girl, I can easily see 100s of holes in Hanegraaff's arguments. So if you plan to use this book for Apologetics or defending your faith, you'll come across as a baby Christian with weak arguments.
See how you feel about the below sections of this book and judge for yourself if this book is worth reading. If you pass on this book, instead get a book by RC Sproul, Josh McDowell "More Than A Carpenter" or "Evidence Demands a Verdict", or Lee Strobel "A Case for Christ" on the same subject matter.
Pg x: "The Qur'an is a hopelessly flawed document full of faulty ethics and factual errors." [Hanegraaff backs this declaration but with Sura 4:3 where men are allowed to take multiple wives as proof the Qur'an isn't from God. While you may agree the Qur'an isn't from God, the fact that it has polygamy isn't PROOF that the book isn't from God. After all, how many 100s of wives did David and Solomon have in the Bible?]
Pg xii: "Nowhere does the Bible suggest that slavery is okay." [The Bible was one of the strongest sources used to defend slavery. "If the Bible people had slaves, why can't we?" they argued. Didn't Paul's friend Philemon have slaves in the NT and the OT is full of the forefathers like Abraham owning slaves?]
Pg 11: Hanegraaff quotes Dr Kenneth Barker's website, where Barker makes a completely inaccurate claim that is easily proven false: "These carefully copied Hebrew texts have remained virtually unchanged since about 600 to 700 AD. In 1947 the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls yielded copies from all the major sections of the Old Testament...... When compared to these ancient copies, the Masoretic texts were found to be virtually identical" [FALSE. Per Wikipedia and other sources, Exodus & Samuel differ significantly and other scholars have listed many other significant differences. The more you honestly research this topic, the more differences you'll come up with. Many church fathers during the years right after the Apostles also declared the scriptures were being corrupted. Jer 8:8 also declares this. Church father Tertullian, Origen and others also believed there were many many corruptions]
Pg 12: "New Testament [copyists] were rather like you and me. They likely loved the Lord and thus willingly sacrificed themselves to the tedious practice of copying" [No proof here! Where is evidence? This is just a personal declaration. If this is true, why does Jerome who wrote the Latin Vulgate Bbile write that the NT scriptures were changed in uncountable verses and the KJV 1611 (in the first introduction pages) also declared the scriptures of its times were completely corrupted with changes?
I ran out of room in my review, but I hope this gives you an idea that this author makes declarations that are incorrect and also rarely gives you credible sources to back up his claims.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher Thomas Nelson for this review. I am giving my honest review, as positive reviews are not required
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)