BLUE VIEWPOINT
Old book, same complaints
Israel and the New Covenant by Roderick Campbell intrigued me. My surprise was actually twofold - first, reading from the beginning was almost like reading from the pages of this site. The author wanted to express his thoughts so badly, the book was started in 1941, interrupted by the war, and was finally published in 1954.
The second surprise, however, was not so pleasant. After expressing his disapproval of how people treat the word of God, he then goes on to describe a totally different concept that I have described below under WARNING. The WARNING is not intended to discourage you, but more to let you know that I do not hold with those concepts. However, again, the first part of the book is right on target.
If you know anything about my personality from reading these pages, you know why this first part surprised me - pleasantly so. Reviews of this book can be found at GoodReads, so you don't have to take my word for it. The ton of notes made while reading it would be hard to include on this page. However, to summarize, this book is a layman's approach to the analysis of "today's" Christianty and the misinformation being delivered by many modern pastors in order to soften the true message of Christianity to make it more palatable to the skittish modern Christian.
In short, the author clearly and accurately makes the point that modern pastors, and church leaders in general, have "dumbed down" Christianity to the point where God has been effectively removed from today's faith and an invented Jesus inserted in His place. Christians no longer feel the need to obey God's laws because they feel that Jesus obeys them all for everyone.
As Mr. Campbell said on page 42:
The absence of the basic Moral Law would bring chaos, anarchy, or death, into every realm of rational being. On the other hand, if there were no Law, there would be no sin, hence no sinners, and no room for Grace.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a realistic summary of the way that modern churches make Christianity a way for "everyone to get to Heaven" regardless of their actions and beliefs. The Bible tells us exactly how to be included in the New Jerusalem if one just reads what it actually says instead of what they want it to say.
WARNING about this book
Just be aware that his concept of the future of the earth and his interpretation of prophecy is likely very different from any you have heard before. In fact, the way it reads, he feels that there is no New Jerusalem (the one described in Rev 21:9-10
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
) that comes down from Heaven in the future because we are living in it right now with Jesus as King.
So, I guess he feels that, if you look around you should see (or imagine) the 1500-mile-high walls and be living in your mansion that Jesus built for you. Also, if you are married, you are violating the conditions Jesus described in Matthew 22:30
At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
. Of course, that would be a spiritual resurrection, I guess, since we havent't yet died. Those are two of the places where he loses me. You can get more details on my page called Prophecy Interpretation on this site.
END WARNING
Disagree? Find an error? Contact us at glenjjr@gmail.com and give us your view.
