For twenty centuries millions of people
have believed a wonderful story
- of a god come down to earth,
- of a life of service and miracle,
- of a cruel redemptive death,
- and a resurrection that followed:
they have believed in Jesus Christ . . .
But during the past two or three centuries
men and women have begun to question . . .
Now, at last, a book has been written
that will explain how the simple life of
a Jewish holy man, or nabi,
was seized upon by a group of religious zealots,
chief among them Saul of Tarsus,
and transformed
into a major world religion, Christianity.
Trouble is, were Jesus to see
the body that came to bear his name
he would surely not recognize it!
Chapters:
Introduction AND - Chapter 1 - in the beginning
2 - The origins of the GOD idea
3 - The experience of conversion
4 - A potted history of Christianity (Part 1)
5 - A potted history of Christianity (Part 2)
6 - A potted history of Christianity (Part 3)
7 - A potted history of Christianity (Part 4)
8 - Like a mighty army, marching every which-way
9 - Perfidy and persecution
10 - If the light be darkness
11 - Wonders real and imaginary
12 - The dark heart of religion
13 - Divisions abound
14 - Rome strikes back
15 - The sexual underground of religion
16 - Armageddon and the ever-receding End Time
17 - The hydra-headed monster
18 - The clash of science with faith
19 - Religious imaginations run riot
20 - Into all the world
21 - The twentieth century
22 - The modern teen traps
23 - The cycle of belief
24 - The counterfeit life
25 - A new paradigm AND Afterword
Appendix: The Resurrection - World's Greatest Fraud?
Written by Mark Owen, editor of Piper Post, an online journal. Mark was a radio technician in his early life and while working in that field was attracted to the ministry of Gospel Recording Inc. Mark and his wife, who had also experienced a 'calling' to this mission, joined the organization and worked at the Australian headquarters. Eventually a further 'call' - that of the Christian ministry - saw the couple leave the organization, while Mark began studies at the Anglican theological college in Sydney. He was also at this time engaged in lay preaching and teaching and was editing a small fortnightly Anglican journal. The years passed and Mark abandoned the idea of the ministry and rejoined the secular work force. The rest of his story will be found in the pages of this book.