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Summary: From the Beginning: The God of the Whole Earth
Review: According to the Tower of Babel account in the Bible, all of the disparate people groups which now inhabit the four corners of the world were once one people. As such they had the same story of the beginnings. Eternity in their Hearts shows the remnants of that knowledge still existent in the lore of our cousins around the world. It shows that He is not just the God of the Hebrews; He is the God of the whole earth!
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Summary: I bought this book because of the reviews. . . .
Review: and I wasn't disappointed. This book is a truly fascinating read
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Summary: World Religions Seek to Know Jesus
Review: Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious Son, the Most Merciful Holy Spirit.
"Eternity In Their Hearts" has helped me to see God's top level vision. The Bible tells us that God promised Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and the Tribe that through their seed, who is Jesus, all nations on earth will be blessed. Richarson's book tells us how God has put eternity in the hearts of people around the world, from the American Indians to the Chinese to the East Indians. God has prepared the world. Religions all around the world prophesied of the coming of God to the world in the flesh as Jesus. For instance, the Koreans know Jesus as the Son of Hananim because of the similar naratives in their native religion to the Jesus' history. Missionaries used the knowledge of the native God equal to Jesus to establish the church, similar to Apostle Paul using the knowledge of the Greek Unknown God equal to Jesus to bring the Greeks to God. In the Great Commission, God is implementing His promise to Abraham to bless all nations on earth.
This is a must-read book to understand God's business, even though it does not cover Ar-Rahman as Jesus. In the past few years, many other authors have also published their research that Jesus is indeed Dao whom Confucius worshipped, the Crucified God Purusa of the Hindu, the Dhamma whom Buddha worshipped, and the Ar-Rahman of Islam. Through Jesus, world religions are indeed in the process of being reconciled to God. God as the Prince of Peace is building up His kingdom of peace to establish peace on earth through goodwill in people.
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Summary: HE DID NOT LEAVE HIMSELF WITHOUT WITNESS
Review: Considering the ongoing talk about culture and its influence in shaping our values, beliefs, and lives, this book is relevant and contemporary. It offers a distinct vantage point and cultural background to evaluate current events and the emerging prevailing personal morality and corporate ethics. It pierces what others have chosen to neglect or keep obscure about God, truth, and morals from ancient to more recent times. The content of Eternity in Their Hearts should also help unravel some of the current "process" and similar teachings. These ideologies maintain that human culture is a human spiritual (moral) creation that has been evolving since the big-bang. They also affirm that each person is influenced by their culture, and can influence that culture in return. That is, culture is the product of a human spiritual (moral) "creation," while culture influences the creative potential of humans involved in the creative process. In other words, the "creators" of the thing being created are influenced by their own creation. Unfortunately, this circular type of reasoning is inadequate to explain what initially "influenced" the creators of culture before culture ever existed. Since they maintain that culture is evolving, beliefs and values are also evolving (in continual flux). Thus, what is held to be true today may not be the case tomorrow. Here again is a difficult dilemma. Without presuppositional absolutes (truth, right and wrong...), we end with relative presuppositions. That is, fluctuating or relative "truth, right and wrong." This is similar to trying to aim and hit a nonexisting target. As part of the evolving logic, the deification of "man" - "man becoming divine [gods, God]" is advocated. The problem with this is similar to the culture issue - the need to explain self-creation. While some uphold that "culture" has been evolving (moving) from the simple to the complex with little to no support of becoming, Eternity in Their Hearts offers an alternative with credible and substantiating evidence to consider. In the aftermath of the recent company corruptions, dissolutions, and the demise of employee retirement programs...Eternity in Their Hearts emphasizes the vital role that finite and infinite (eternal) presuppositions play in formulating and maintaining a vibrant culture. The book is not dogmatic. Richardson presents his findings as he discovered them, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions.
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Summary: Think Acts 17:23
Review: Demonstrates conclusively that God, Himself, is actively involved in preparing the hearts of people in all cultures of the world. Paul was our first example of adapting the gospel. This book cites many other examples throught the world, past and present. This will prove to be insightful in reaching an America once dominated by a Christian culture. Think post-modern America.
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Summary: A Missionary Must-Read!! Helpful for all Christians.
Review: Eternity in their hearts gave me insights into my own Bible and answered questions I dared not ask in college for fear of breaching topics my professors never tapped into - namely, what about those who have "never heard." This book lends incredible weight to the reasons why those people are "without excuse." I work in China, and so I found those passages in the book especially interesting that dealt with Chinese history and culture, but even more interesting was the fact that just such evidence of God that exists in all cultures was the hammer-stroke that confirmed that all peoples do have access to God, and that He has not left Himself without witness. Overall, it is very compelling evidence. In talking with a skeptic of the reality of God, I came across this book, devoured it in a day and a half, and felt empowered to answer his questions like: "Why would a loving God send people to hell if they have never heard?" "How do you know God is not just an invention of the mind?" "How can you discount the validity of all the other religions of the world?" Dr. Richardson explores these issues, though lightly, and sent me on my own path of research for more information and discovery of how God was working with Chinese people since the beginning of time. Eternity in their hearts, may not answer every hard question, but it certainly gave me a direction to begin to look for answers. If truth is what you are really seeking, it will do the same for you.
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Summary: Interesting customs from tribal people around the world
Review: Excellent study of tribal and ethnic traditions and myths that point to the true God of Creation and His Son the Messiah of Israel. Don Richardson shows stories of people who said that they once knew the true God, but somehow either lost the Book, or lost contact with Him. One tribe said that they were sure that a light-skinned messenger would come someday to tell about the Son of God. So sure were they that they had appointed people to watch for these messengers. This paved the way for the actual missionaries to share Christ with them, which was accepted eagerly. Other examples are people who had lost a Book, and were waiting for someone to restore it to them. One example was recorded in the Bible where Paul preached on Mars Hill to the Greeks about the unknown God. Richardson goes back further to tell about the story of Epimenides and the sacrificing of "dedicated" sheep to ask the "unknown God" to cure the city of a deadly plague, after they had offered atoning sacrifices to all of the gods that they had to no avail. Very interesting reading. One disappointment is that in the last chapter he promises a book showing the spreading of Christianity in the last 2000 years, and the missionary fervor of the "World's First Bible Belt" (a 7,000-mile one completely encircling the Mediterranean Sea), but I can't find that this book has ever been published. This book leaves you wanting to find out more, so I recommend the author's "Peace Child" and "Lords of the Earth" talking about the people and customers of Dutch New Guinea (Irian Jaya), and how these people came to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Summary: Interesting customs from tribal people around the world
Review: Excellent study of tribal and ethnic traditions and myths that point to the true God of Creation and His Son the Messiah of Israel. Don Richardson shows stories of people who said that they once knew the true God, but somehow either lost the Book, or lost contact with Him. One tribe said that they were sure that a light-skinned messenger would come someday to tell about the Son of God. So sure were they that they had appointed people to watch for these messengers. This paved the way for the actual missionaries to share Christ with them, which was accepted eagerly. Other examples are people who had lost a Book, and were waiting for someone to restore it to them. One example was recorded in the Bible where Paul preached on Mars Hill to the Greeks about the unknown God. Richardson goes back further to tell about the story of Epimenides and the sacrificing of "dedicated" sheep to ask the "unknown God" to cure the city of a deadly plague, after they had offered atoning sacrifices to all of the gods that they had to no avail. Very interesting reading. One disappointment is that in the last chapter he promises a book showing the spreading of Christianity in the last 2000 years, and the missionary fervor of the "World's First Bible Belt" (a 7,000-mile one completely encircling the Mediterranean Sea), but I can't find that this book has ever been published. This book leaves you wanting to find out more, so I recommend the author's "Peace Child" and "Lords of the Earth" talking about the people and customers of Dutch New Guinea (Irian Jaya), and how these people came to know the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Summary: Thoughtful and well argued
Review: Former Papua New Guinea missionary Don Richardson believes that as God has prepared the gospel for all peoples, so he has prepared all peoples for the gospel. This book examines the examples Richardson has found around the globe of people whose cultural background had prepared them to openly receive the gospel, and suggests that all people have a sense of God's existence. The title of the book comes from Ecclesiastes 3:11 which suggests the same thing, that God has 'placed eternity' in people's hearts, so that they will seek Him. While I accept some of Richardson's conclusions with a grain of salt, I think he has done a fine job of researching the matter and providing a catalyst for discussion of this intriguing proposition.
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Summary: Thought provoking.
Review: Great book. This book pulls the rug out from under atheist college professors who falsely teach unsuspecting students that Christianity sprang from ancient pagan religions. Excellent and well written.
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