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Seventy Five Bible Questions Your Instructors Pray You Won't Ask (80079)

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If someone will read the questions and answers presented in this book, AND examine the Scripture references provided for each, at the very least, thoughts will be provoked.

North does an excellent job presenting the bases for Calvinistic Soteriology, Theonomic Theology, and Postmillennial Eschatology in a very easy to read format.

This book was my introduction to the thought patterns of a school of thought that took seriously the idea that the Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Christ's first Advent, would, and more importantly, should grow and permeate the world, and not, as my teachers had told me, be relegated to a "ghetto" mentality or a merely spiritual "pie in the sky by and by" type of religion. Simple, easy to read, and chock full of thought-provoking problems your Bible College Religion Profs wish would go away, but won

This is a great book, kind of cheezy but it will really help you to answer some questions that you might have, and will help you to find out some good questions that you would have never thought of before. You really should get it, it will help you be more aware of what the Bible really says.

Once you're done struggling through this ostensibly simple book with the college or seminary student in question, really do send it with him/her to his religion classes. His/her instructors really will go bananas. <grin>

Excellent. Truly unique.

It seems fit to deal with the above review. Our reviewer, having read North's book, hasn't apparently read the Reconstructionist mantra of postmillennialism, Kenneth Gentry's "He Shall Have Dominion." Reconstructionism give Jesus a high five and whole heartedly agrees the His kingdom is not of this world. As Christians, we make up the Lord's kingdom, as is evident when Christ says, "If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight." Luke 16:16 tells us that since John the Baptizer, the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. A chapter later, Jesus says "the kingdom of God is within you." Notice the present tense "is." The kingdom -is- within us.

Now, I'm not a sharp guy, but I know that Reconstructionism does not seek to establish an earthly political kingdom. No, we believe the good Lord is going to Christianize the world as such that His servants are multiplied and societies seek to mimick His righteousness in an "all the Bible for all of life" sort of way. Whereas we are not pietistic, we are also not carnal in our imaginations. We look to the day of salvation, but do not let that engulf our eyes where we seek monastaries for study and prayer rather than being godly where we are.

Godly living and desiring to see others to live a godly living, does not constitute that Christ's kingdom is of the world.

75 Bible Questions have opened my eyes to the many Bible passages that plainly established God's sovereignty and the continuing validity of Old Testament Laws and how the modern church have supplanted the intent and meaning of those passages with man-made doctrines such as "free will" and the refusal to accept the truth that God predestines everything. It is a sad situation that the modern church has departed from the clear teachings about God's sovereignty and God's Law. She has created a god who is not in total control of his creation and has promoted the heresy that man has a say in his own salvation. Dr. Gary North did a fine job in this little book. It provides a real challenge to our faith. Read it.

Author Gary North chose to strike an in-your-face attitude. (The only time I was within earshot of him I heard him ask someone how an unwell person was doing.)

Questions 1-25, starting with "Didn't God hate the unborn infant Esau?" try to point the reader toward Calvinism, the doctrine that God decides in advance what is going to happen. Is this Biblical? asks North insistently. If so, and if we claim to believe the Bible, are we believing this? (Value of this doctrine: since it's true, there is hope for the worst sinner, since God can give him repentance, and humbling for the best saint, since not himself but God has saved him.)

Questions 26-50 deal with God's law. If God is always perfectly right, then what can possibly be wrong with the laws He gave Moses? Can we improve USA laws by looking into Moses? (This position, at least in its stricter forms, is sometimes called "Theonomy," title of a relevant book by Greg Bahnsen. The hardcore form says that since Moses says not to let witches remain alive, rulers who allow witches to remain alive are ruling in sin. The softcore form, with which I agree, says US laws are a mess and we can learn from the Bible, e.g. to punish crimes quickly, Ecclesiastes 8:11).

Questions 51-75 form a less neat package. All deal with eschatology, some trying to show that postmillennialism is Biblical (I agree; search my article "Postmillennialism helps prayer"), some that hardcore dispensationalism is not Biblical, e.g. North asks "Didn't Joel foresee the Church age?," perhaps some with other topics within eschatology.

Each question comes on one page, with a questionable answer on the reverse, with a fair number of Bible references and brief discussion of each.

North wrote this especially for students at Christian colleges, with the idea that students would form groups to study these matters. (He said if you can get a pretty girl with a B or better average to ask the questions, marry her :) He offered (when first published, sometime around A.D. 1980) to help secure the academic freedom to ask these questions in accredited schools.

Subtitle "How to spot humanism in the classroom or pulpit," "humanism" meaning giving man too much credit and God too little. Section one subtitled "Sovereignty: God's or man's," section two "Law: God's or man's," and three "Victory: God's or man's" (as I recall, my copy not being handy.)

Around 200 small pages; 150 for the questions plus some appendices.

This is an excellent book, although as the Lord acknowledges, His truth is a stumbling block and foolishness to those who are perishing in their willful ignorance.

North's exegesis is spot on, orthodox and consistent with biblical understanding dating back to Calvin, Luther, Agustine and need we add, Paul and Jesus.

One critic snidely asked, "what part of My Kindom is not of this world do you not understand."

Apparently that critic doesn't know the difference between being "of" and being "in."

God's Kingdom is not "of" - which is to say not from - this world. But God's Kingdom is very much "in" this world. That verse is commonly misunderstood - or purposely distorted - to argue against the very point the Bible and Mr. North make.

But the Bible is a consistent work of God that does not contradict itself. That's why the "not of this world" when read correctly perfectly comports with Jesus' other words: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

There is no escaping His Kingdom, here and now and in Heaven then.

At your service in Christ . . .

Mark Landsbaum

I was very curious to read this Book. I am a Christian but I still have so many unanswered questions about Jesus and God. This book doesn't even come close to erase interesting questions. This book targets mainly to people who never studied the New Testament carefully. The writer, in his struggle to be biased, misses crucial points that are truly unanswered through the bible.

For instance lets look at Question 51. "Aren't Those Who Obey God's Law the "Salt of the Earth"? The writer says that "Jesus was using the metaphor of flavor tasteless foods" How on earth does the writer come to this conclusion? The English bible says "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored" but the authentic Greek manuscript says "if salt is corrupted" instead of "lost its taste". It's not about being "tasty" or favorable to other people, it's about fighting corruption like salt fights bugs and preserves the food. Jesus suggested that believers who obey God's law are like salt that prevents the corruption of the food. If we were all sinners, drinkers, gamblers, etc. the planet should have been already destroyed. The minority of people who always stand up for their principles and fight the evil are making the earth a better place for the rest of us. That's not an unanswered biblical question; it's a basic philosophical principle.

Before you buy this book take a look at the contents and see the list of all the questions. This book is totally missing the point of making really interesting questions. For instance most people don't know that Jesus questioned the Old Testament himself. Jesus said "Because of your hardness of heart Moses wrote you this commandment" (about the divorce). So the real question here is what exactly is written by the spirit of God and what is written by the spirit of people (like Moses and other prophets)? Jesus, in his time, was the first one who questioned the traditional interpretation of the bible and this is the reason he was finally crucified.

Let's open our eyes and see what Jesus really said and check out the real unanswered questions about his sayings. If you really want to find interesting points read the Bible. The New Testimony is not a large book, it's easy to read and it's the best source available!

I saw this book sitting around in the classroom of one of my teachers and didn't get a chance to read the whole thing, but what I did read disturbed me. Gary North claims that God chooses some people to unconditionally hate and send to hell to show his power. This interpretation ignores other parts of the Bible such as II Peter 3:9b and Ezekiel 33:11. He talks about "vessels fitted for destruction," but what potter makes a piece of pottery merely to destroy it? It becomes fitted for destruction when it goes bad, like us when we sin. Gary North also says that God must destroy people to satisfy his wrath. It is true that our sins are disgusting and inexcusable and God's wrath for them must be satisfied, but in His infinite and wonderful mercy and love, God poured out his wrath on Jesus Christ His Son in our place, so it is not necessary for anyone to perish unless they reject God's generous offer and refuse to repent.

It seems that Gary North and his fans like to brag about how they can stump their professors or pastors with these questions. But, in my opinion, it is better to admit what you do not know than to assume you do know, especially if that assumption disagrees with other parts of scripture.

Gary North calls those who disagree with him "humanists." Humanism is the belief that man, not God, is the ultimate authority, not that God loves all people, or that man has the ability to make decisions that make a difference. He also misrepresents the arguments against his point of view. For example, he keeps claiming that an opposing argument is that God is fair. I do not argue that God is fair, but rather that God is love.