What If The Bible Had Never Been Written?

Rating:
Summary: An insightful look at the Bible's incredible impact!
Review: Following its predecessor, "What If Jesus Had Never Been Born," "What If The Bible Had Never Been Written" is a veritable compendium of the major accomplishments of the western world. D. James Kennedy demonstrates quite capably that many of the most fundamental stages of advancement for mankind over the last 2000 years began with the impetus of people whose lives were influenced by the holy scriptures. The book reads easily and keeps the attention of the reader as the author moves from one aspect of human development to another. He also explodes some myths along the way with clear and concise excerpts from personal letters, writings and biographies of the individuals about whom he writes. All in all, I would recommend this book to those who question the validity and potency of the Bible and to those who need to bolster their faith and resolve in the the Book of books.

Rating:
Summary: The authors don't know when to stop.
Review: This is the kind of book that deserves five stars and one star at the same time, so you compromise and give it something in between. The authors have a good idea, to show the difference the Gospel has had on human society. And they've done a good amount of homework, at least from the point of view they want to propound. And I agree that the Gospel has influenced the world for the better more than anything else. But they flog their point to death. They overgeneralize and show a lack of generosity and understanding towards other cultures and religions.

The authors appear to be of the "total depravity" school of thought. They seem to feel that the best way to argue for Christianity is to persuade us that no good thing exists in the darkness outside. They do not find it difficult to maintain this position, because, frankly, they don't really seem to know much about other cultures. They argue that: without the Bible there "would likely be no hospitals." (Have they never heard of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka, who built hospitals across India hundreds of years before Christ?) There would be no universities. (Have they never heard of the great monastic schools of Tibet, or the academies of ancient Greece and China?) There would be no capitalism! (Was it Jesus' face on that coin, after all?) Millions would die of v.d. "without any inhibition against sexual promiscuity." (Do the people in India, China, the Muslim world, really show fewer inhibitions than in the West?) The Bible is the source of great literature! (Have the authors ever read the Journey to the West? Wondered over a Song landscape or been touched by a Tang poem about the moon and one's loved one?)

Is it really fair to represent the Chinese culture with a story about human beings being body lice on the god's skin? The authors have apparently never read the ancient Chinese philosopher Mo Zi, who wrote, hundreds of years before St. John, that God is love,and that we should pattern our character after the universal love of God. They apparently don't know that the Chinese said God is the "parent" of humankind.

The Bible led to the invention of basketball! The Bible added new phrases to the English language! All right, already!

There is a lot of useful information in this book. The overall tone of the book would be vastly improved though if the authors (1) Learned to appreciate the good in other civilizations and belief systems. (As Augustine did in City of God and C.S.Lewis did in everything he wrote -- the authors praise these men so highly -- well read them and learn from them! And study Paul's tactful approach in Acts 17!) (2) Learned the difference between a good argument and a bad argument, and got rid of the bad arguments that choke this book. (3) Try harder to be fair to people of other religions. (4) Read the works of non-Christians and quoted them more often. That makes any argument stronger. (5) Take a closer look at evils committed in the European "age of faith" such as the inquisition, witchhunts and pogroms. They did this briefly in the companion volume, but if they developed such subjects more fully it would give the books more balance, and give us a less triumphalistic and more challenging work that would perhaps also be a more persuasive argument for the Gospel.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man (July 4, 2000) [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: The authors don't know when to stop.
Review: This is the kind of book that deserves five stars and one star at the same time, so you compromise and give it something in between. The authors have a good idea, to show the difference the Gospel has had on human society. And they've done a good amount of homework, at least from the point of view they want to propound. And I agree that the Gospel has influenced the world for the better more than anything else. But they flog their point to death. They overgeneralize and show a lack of generosity and understanding towards other cultures and religions.

The authors appear to be of the "total depravity" school of thought. They seem to feel that the best way to argue for Christianity is to persuade us that no good thing exists in the darkness outside. They do not find it difficult to maintain this position, because, frankly, they don't really seem to know much about other cultures. They argue that: without the Bible there "would likely be no hospitals." (Have they never heard of the Buddhist emperor Ashoka, who built hospitals across India hundreds of years before Christ?) There would be no universities. (Have they never heard of the great monastic schools of Tibet, or the academies of ancient Greece and China?) There would be no capitalism! (Was it Jesus' face on that coin, after all?) Millions would die of v.d. "without any inhibition against sexual promiscuity." (Do the people in India, China, the Muslim world, really show fewer inhibitions than in the West?) The Bible is the source of great literature! (Have the authors ever read the Journey to the West? Wondered over a Song landscape or been touched by a Tang poem about the moon and one's loved one?)

Is it really fair to represent the Chinese culture with a story about human beings being body lice on the god's skin? The authors have apparently never read the ancient Chinese philosopher Mo Zi, who wrote, hundreds of years before St. John, that God is love,and that we should pattern our character after the universal love of God. They apparently don't know that the Chinese said God is the "parent" of humankind.

The Bible led to the invention of basketball! The Bible added new phrases to the English language! All right, already!

There is a lot of useful information in this book. The overall tone of the book would be vastly improved though if the authors (1) Learned to appreciate the good in other civilizations and belief systems. (As Augustine did in City of God and C.S.Lewis did in everything he wrote -- the authors praise these men so highly -- well read them and learn from them! And study Paul's tactful approach in Acts 17!) (2) Learned the difference between a good argument and a bad argument, and got rid of the bad arguments that choke this book. (3) Try harder to be fair to people of other religions. (4) Read the works of non-Christians and quoted them more often. That makes any argument stronger. (5) Take a closer look at evils committed in the European "age of faith" such as the inquisition, witchhunts and pogroms. They did this briefly in the companion volume, but if they developed such subjects more fully it would give the books more balance, and give us a less triumphalistic and more challenging work that would perhaps also be a more persuasive argument for the Gospel.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man (July 4, 2000) [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: A Great Defense
Review: While other cultures have certainly made significant contributions toward the betterment of humankind, overall it is fair to say that the Bible and the Christian faith have been extremely influential in either directly establishing and/or greatly influencing many and various beneficial and lasting movements, trends, etc. Nonetheless, today it remains fashionable to malign and disparage the Bible and the Christian faith while simultaneously singing the praises of other, non-Christian, cultures.

Personal, committed faith in Jesus Christ and a sincere, committed effort to live according to the teachings of the Bible can, will, and does greatly improve both individuals and entire societies. That, in my estimation, is the primary point of "What If The Bible Had Never Been Written?"

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