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    This, I Believe
    This, I Believe
    This, I Believe
    Ebook62 pages1 hour

    This, I Believe

    By Matt Sorensen

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    About this ebook

    "This, I believe" is a tiptoe through the major books of the Old and New Testaments. The author, trained in scientific discipline and raised by parents with radically opposing views of Jesus concludes, after many years of study, that many of the incredible stories contained in the Holy Bible are alegorical and must be read not as fact but for the important teachings they contain. His struggle to reconcile the differences between Creationists and Evolutionists over the origin of life has produced what he believes to be a workable "truce" between the opponents. His somewhat unorthodox approach reduces the argument to a squabble over semantics and frees the reader to explore more important issues.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMatt Sorensen
    Release dateDec 17, 2014
    ISBN9781310838101
    This, I Believe
    Author

    Matt Sorensen

    Matt Sorensen is a pseudonym. It's taken from my Danish grandfather's first name (Matthias) and my grandmother's maiden name (Sorensen). They were proud, hardworking immigrants like the ones talked about in chapter 5 of my book "In the Bowl of Night." I was born in 1933 and served in the Navy during the Korean War. I write technical articles under my real name, Paul Honore', and fiction under my pseudonym. People ask me. "Why?" It's explained in my Smashwords interview.

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      Book preview

      This, I Believe - Matt Sorensen

      Foreword

      The interpretation of Christian scripture has been debated endlessly with little agreement. Each sect or denomination insists that it is right and that others are wrong. Moreover, some denominations are burdened with extra-scriptural baggage that has been arbitrarily decreed, and handed down for generations as if it were part and parcel of scripture and must be accepted without question in order to be saved. No wonder so many people are confused and shy away from Christianity rather than investigating for themselves the scriptural claim that Jesus is God-on-earth; personal savior of every individual from the bondage of sin and death. Notice I said is, rather than was. This is an important point, and one among many that contributes to the controversy and the confusion. Another is the account in the book of Genesis of the speaking into existence everything we have come to take for granted. No less a sticking point with the rational mind is the book of Revelation with its fantastic descriptions of deadly plagues, wars, horrible beasts and angelic retribution. To my mind it would be better if the books of Genesis and Revelation were left out of scripture altogether or at least left unopened until the new-weaned Christian has been allowed to study and understand Jesus' role as the personal savior of each and every one of us, whether we believe we are descended from a single family unit as Genesis describes or if we believe that we spontaneously came into being by a fusion of chemicals and evolved to be the wondrously complex creatures we have become. Much energy has also been expended in directing one's attention away from the Gospel message of salvation by taking scripture passages out of context and sensationalizing them in popular works such as The DaVinci Code and the Left Behind series of books and movies. Entertaining as these stories are, they have no basis in fact and only serve to muddy the waters. The same can be said for hidden and suppressed books that the church would have you ignorant of. These so called discoveries are brought up in the popular press, time and again, usually at Christmas and Easter, in an attempt to debunk and trivialize Christianity. Some of these books are legitimate, debated by the early church fathers, accepted by some, rejected by others and finally voted out of the canon of literature that have become accepted as the Holy Bible. Others are simply poppycock -- outright lies or forgeries. Either way, they have been omitted because they do not bear on the essential message of salvation.

      Let me be clear about this: I am not a minister or in any way qualified to interpret scripture other than with the good sense the Lord has given me. I am a layman. trained in scientific discipline to trust only what can be proved in the laboratory. So why am I writing this? Because two years ago I was diagnosed with an inoperable condition and told that I will die, suddenly without warning. Nothing clarifies the mind like knowing one is going to die soon. I have arranged my personal affairs so that my wife and children will be left without burden of surprises. there is nothing more to do but wait. So why am I still here? The only answer that comes to mind is that there is more for me to do, more that I feel compelled to do. That is to state, as simply as I can, my belief in Jesus as your savior and mine, and why I believe it to be so. I have been remiss in carrying out my share of the great commission. That is, in obeying Jesus' command to His followers to spread the good news of salvation to my neighbor. I am not very good at knocking on doors and greeting people with the salutation Are you saved? Frankly, that approach turns me off. I don't like people to do it to me and I refuse to insult the intelligence of others by doing it to them. This book is my way of propagating the Good News. The first edition of this book was written rather hurriedly as I wanted to get it published before what I believed to be my imminent death. I find I have been given more time. How much I don't know but it gives me the opportunity to fine tune some of my explanations and to expand on others. In the time allowed to me I have revised the text several times in an effort to make it clearer. Perhaps this is the last revision. Perhaps not. I'll continue to work at it as long as I am able because I think it important that you have the opportunity to read what I have to say. My views might seem radical to you or they might make perfect sense. It's up to you to decide. As it was once explained to me, if I am wrong I have lost nothing. If I am right I stand to gain everything. And so do you my Christian brothers and sisters. Whether you agree or disagree, please don't accept my word for it. Investigate for yourself and then decide. Christianity is not something to be taken lightly. It will take a lot of soul-searching -- perhaps years of questioning before you're convinced that it's the right and only path. Trust me on this. Many scholars have undertaken an exhaustive study of Christian scripture with the intent of debunking it, only

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