BOOK SUMMARY:
If you’ve ever wondered why The Bible is full of so many apparent contradictions, you’re not alone. If you’re afraid you might betray the God of The Bible if you question centuries-old traditions, you won’t, as long as you let Scripture speak for itself. To that end, Fish Tales (From the Belly of the Whale) plunges you headlong into an unrelenting search for biblical truth that will forever change how you think about the word of God. Along the way, you’ll find that Fish Tales not only exposes the origins of biblical misconceptions, but it also restores The Bible’s original message of hope and inspiration, which once made it humanity’s brightest light in a darkened world.
BOOK PREVIEW:
Although The Bible has inspired many of the finest contributions to human culture, like the universal brotherhood of mankind, the existence of the human soul, and the equality of every individual on this planet, it’s also inspired some of the most damaging, such as slavery, genocide, and warfare.
How and why can such contradictory energies be fueled by the same source of inspiration? And more importantly, how is this paradoxical nature of Scripture exploited by the enemies of truth who seek to confound our understanding of it at every turn?
These questions are precisely what this book, Fish Tales (From the Belly of the Whale), will seek to answer, so that by better understanding the numerous factors that contribute to this dilemma, we’ll be that much closer to disarming their effect in our lives.
Counting down one misconception after the other, we’ll analyze how these biblical concepts have become so misconstrued over time, revealing the three-step principle involved in this process. Step One: To create a great misconception, latch onto any idea that forms a legitimate basis of biblical truth. Step Two: Isolate that truth from its context and then discourage any reference to other verses that might contradict it. Step Three: Repeat this new version of the so-called “truth,” in zealous opposition to all that’s contained in the initial version of said truth.
While this process might seem at first too simple to be of any real effectiveness, any doubt as to its power is eliminated upon seeing this three-step principle in action.
For example, if you ask a hundred people, you’ll find that practically everyone believes The Bible says, “Money is the root of all evil.” Here we have a classic case of a great misconception. That’s because, one, it presents us with a solid slice of scripturally-based truth; two, it’s examined entirely in isolation from its original context; and, three, it’s quoted so often and with such conviction that it’s actually entered the lexicon of human ideology.
Such simple steps, yes; but consider how effective these three simple steps are, after all. Consider how often you, too, have been tempted to believe that money is the root of all evil—that is, if you consider yourself a true believer of The Bible.
Of course, you’d only be tempted to believe it should you resist the urge to check Scripture for yourself, because then you’d discover the Apostle Paul really said that the “love of ” money is the root of all evil, and not as most people assume, that money, in and of itself, is the offending root.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to know why The Bible presents such a contradictory reality, then it’s time to take your own plunge into the belly of the whale. There, you’ll discover that just because the sacred truths of Scripture have often been distorted by those who wish to turn light into darkness, this isn’t the final chapter of the tale. And in the end, you’ll find that when God sets forth His intention in Scripture, He actually means what He says and says what He means, regardless of centuries of disinformation that contribute to the greatest misconceptions ever blamed on The Bible.