191-Contradictions, Commentary, Letters

Biblical Errancy Issue #191

Issue #191 November 1998, Editor: Dennis McKinsey

COMMENTARY

BE has often been described as a publication devoted to exposing biblical contradictions and, although we have noted several times that more than just contradictions are emphasized, the impression endures. For that reason we can think of no more appropriate manner in which to conclude our 16 years than by returning to the notebooks from which it all began and devoting the last two issues to a book-by-book, verse-by-verse sequential litany entailing some of the most obvious biblical conflicts in the KJV. In so far as my memory serves me well, we will try to avoid repeating problems previously discussed, although an occasional repetition is not only unavoidable but desirable. Although by no means exhaustive, the following list should be reasonably overwhelming and act as an excellent reference source when short and sweet is needed.

Genesis

Genesis 6:4 RSV ("The Nephilim were on the earth in those days") and Gen. 7:21 ("And all flesh died that moved upon the earth....) say there were Nephilim BEFORE the Flood and all life died in the Flood; yet Genesis 13:33 RSV ("And there we saw the Nephilim") says there were Nephilim AFTER the Flood.

Genesis 8:22 ("While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease")
versus
Genesis 41:56 ("And the famine was over all the face of the earth and Joseph opened all the storehouses")

Genesis 9:21 (Noah "drank of the wine, and was drunken")
versus
Genesis 6:9 ("Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations").

Genesis 10:5, "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their land; every one after his tongue ....,"
versus
Genesis 11:1 ("And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech") and Genesis 11:6 ("And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they all have one language").

According to Genesis 14:12 ("And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son") Lot is Abraham's nephew; yet, Genesis 14:16 ("And Abraham brought back all the goods, and also brought his brother Lot....") says he is his brother.

Lot said to a crowd in Genesis 19:8, "Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes...," even though 2 Peter 2:8 says Lot was a righteous man.

Genesis 22:1 ("And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham....")
versus
James 1:13 ("For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man")

God said to Abraham in Genesis 22:2, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac...." when he had another son, Ishmael, according to Genesis 16:16 ("And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram"), and Gal. 4:22 ("For it is written, that Abraham had two sons .... 11)

Genesis 25:1 ("Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah")
versus
I Chron. 1:32 ("Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine")

Exodus

Moses' father-in-law was Reuel in Ex. 2:18 & 2:21),
Jethro in Ex. 4:18 ("now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law"),
Raguel in Num. 10:29 ("...the son of Raguel, the Midianite, Moses' father in law"), and
Hobab in Judges 4:11 ("Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses")

Ex. 20:15 ("Thou shalt not steal")
versus
Ex. 3:22 ("...and ye shall spoil the Egyptians")

Ex. 15:3 ("The Lord is a man of war")
versus
Rom. 15:33 ("Now the God of peace be with you all"),
1 Cor. 14:33 ("For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace") and
2 Cor. 13:11 ("...and the God of peace and love shall be with you")

Ex. 16:31 ("...and the taste of manna was like wafers made with honey")
versus
Num. 11:8 ("...and the taste of it<manna>was as the taste of fresh oil")

Ex. 22:21 ("Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt") and Ex. 23:9
versus
Ex. 23:31 ("And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines...for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee")

Ex. 25:8 ("And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them")
versus
Acts 7:48 ("Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands....")

Isa. 40:28 ("Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God...fainteth not, neither is weary?")
versus
Ex. 31:17 ("...for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed")

Ex. 32:27 ("Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor")
versus
Matt. 26:52 ("...for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword") and
Ex. 20:13 ("Thou shalt not kill")

Leviticus

Leviticus 24:21 ("...he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death")
versus
Ex. 20:13 ("Thou shalt not kill")

Numbers

Numbers 3:39 ("All that were numbered of the Levites...were twenty and two thousand")
versus
Number 3:17 ("And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari"), combined with Numbers 3:21-22 ("Of Gershon...were seven thousand and five hundred"), Numbers 3:27-28 ("Of Kohath...were eight thousand and six hundred"), and Numbers 3:33-34 ("Of Merari...were six thousand and two hundred") which total 22,300, not 22,000.

Numbers 14:25 RSV ("Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys....")
versus
Numbers 14:45 RSV ("Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill country came down...")

Numbers 18:23-24 ("But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.... Levites...among the children of Israel shall have no inheritance")
versus
Joshua 21:3 ("And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs")

Numbers 23:21 ("He<God>hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen perverseness in Israel")
versus
Deut. 9:24 ("Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you"), Neh. 9:16 ("But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments"), Num. 14:10-12, 11:1, 21:5-6, Ex. 32:7-12, and many other verses.

Numbes 16:32-33 ("And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation")
versus
Numbers 26:11 ("Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not")

Numbers 26:38 ("The sons of Benjamin according to their respective clans were: Bela, Ashbek, Ahiram, Shephupham and Hupham")
versus
Gen. 46:21 ("And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard")

Numbers 30:2 ("If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth") versus
Matt. 5:34-36 ("But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven...nor by the earth...neither shalt thou swear by thy head")

Deuteronomy

2:7 ("For the Lord hath blessed thee...he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness these forty years the Lord hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing") versus Ex. 16:2-3 ("And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said...Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in Egypt...when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger") and Num. 11:5-6 ("We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing...but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at")

6:16 ("Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God") versus Isa. 7:10-12 ("Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 'Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God'....But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.')

10:19 ("Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt") versus ("Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger...that he may eat of it") and 23:20 ("Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury")

Was Moses excluded from Canaan because of: un-belief (Num. 20:12), rebellion (Num 27:14), or trespass (Deut. 32:51)?

Joshua

1 Cor. 3:8 ("...and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour") versus 24:13 "And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them....")

Judges

2 Kings 6:22 ("...wouldest thou smite those whom thou has taken captive with the sword...") versus 8:21 ("And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna"--two prisoners--Ed.)

Judges 14:19 ("And the spirit of the Lord came upon him and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew 30 men of them and took their spoil...") versus Gal. 5:22 ("But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness...")

20:35 ("And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjaminites that day 25,100: all these drew the sword") versus 20:46 ("So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men that drew the sword....")

1 Sam.

8:1-2 ("And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his first-born was Joel....") versus 1 Chron. 6:28 ("And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni....")

9:1 ("Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel....") versus I Chron. 8:33 ("And Ner begat Kish....")

9:1 ("...the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, who name was Saul....") versus I Chron. 9:39 ("And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul....")

17:50 ("So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; there was no sword in the hand of David") versus 17:51 ("Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it")

According to 16:19 ("Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, 'Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep"') Saul knew David; yet, 17:58 ("And Saul said unto him, 'Whose son art thou'...And David answered, 'I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite"') later shows he did not know David.

According to 15:35 RSV ("And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul...") Samuel and Saul did not meet until the day the latter died; yet, 19:24 ("And Saul stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel....") shows they did meet prior to Saul's death.

14:49 ("Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchishua...") versus 31:2 ("...and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons")

17:12-14 ("...whose name was Jesse; and he had 8 sons...And David was the youngest") versus 1 Chron-2:13-15 ("And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab...David the 7th...")

2 Sam

1 Sam. 18:27 ("David arose...and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law") versus 3:14 ("And David sent messengers to Saul's son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines")

6:6 ("And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand...") versus 1 Chron. 13:9 ("And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand....")

14:27 ("And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar....") versus 2 Chron. 11:20 ("And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom....")

17:25 ("Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite....") versus I Chron. 2:17 ("...and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite")

17:25 ("...that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash...") versus 2 Chron. 2:13, 16 ("And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab...and Abigail")

18:18 ("Now Absalom said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance...") versus 14:27 ("And unto Absalom there were born three sons...")

24:13 ("So Gad came to David, and told him...Shall 7 years of famine come unto thee in land? or wilt thou flee 3 months before thine enemies") versus 2 Chron 21:11-12 ("So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee. Either 3 years of famine; or 3 months to be destroyed before thy foes...")

5:5 ("In Hebron David reigned over Judah 7 years and 6 months...") versus 1 Kings 2:11 ("...7 years reigned David in Hebron...")

1 Kings

4:2 ("Azariah the son of Zadok the priest") versus I Chron 6:8-9 ("Zadok begat Ahimaaz, And Ahimaaz begat Azariah...")

9:28 ("And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, 420 talents, and brought them to king Solomon") versus 2 Chron 8:18 ("and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took thence 450 talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon")

14:30 ("And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days") versus 2 Chron. 11:1-4 ("And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 men..to fight against Israel.... But the word of the Lord came...saying...Speak to Rehoboam...Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren.... And they obeyed the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam")

15:14 ("But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect....") versus 2 Chron 14:2-3 ("And Asa did that which was good and right...For he took away the high places....")

15:16 ("And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days") versus 2 Chron. 14:1 ("...and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet 10 years")

9:16 ("And Jehu the son of Nimshi...") versus 2 Kings 9:2 ("Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi....")

2 KINGS

8:25 ("In the 12th year of Joram the son of Ahab ... did Ahaziah...begin to reign") versus 9:29 ("And in the 11th year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign")

1 Chron.

2:19 ("...Caleb took unto him Ephrath, which bare him Hur") versus 2:50 ("These were the sons of Caleb the son of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah..."). Who's the father: Caleb or Hur?

2 Chron.

20:35 ("And after this did Jehoshaphat King of Judah") versus 21:2 ("...all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel")

Psalms

Psalms 46:1 ("God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble") versus Psalms 22:1 ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?")

Psalms 51:16 ("For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offerings") versus Isa. 56:7 ("...their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar ) and Ezek.43:27 ("...the priests shall make your burnt offerings upon the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you saith the Lord God")

Psalms 72:17("His name shall endure forever ... all nations shall call him blessed") versus Gal. 3:13 ("Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangeth on a tree")

In Psalms 86:2 ("Preserve my soul; for I am holy....") a man says he is holy; yet, Rev. 15:4 ("Who shall not fear thee, 0 Lord...for thou only are holy....") says only God is holy.

Psalms 121:4 ("Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep") versus Psalms 44:23 ("Awake, why sleepest thou, 0 Lord? arise, cast us...") and Psalms 73:20 ("O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image')

(TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT MONTH)




LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter #799 from DS of Tiffin, Ohio

I have had this sinking feeling for sometime, that you, for what ever reason, were headed in a different direction.... Your decision must be a difficult one. I will miss BE, but you seemed to have moved on. Allow me to extend my thoughts on why some have "fallen, short of the glory."

I'm not sure if you are aware of local media (cable) and it's effects. Possibly in a larger market more leeway would be allowed, but I have tried to have both your tapes, and before that American Atheist programs, put on local cable. I did manage to get AA's on for three episodes till Continental Cable pulled the plug. They gave various excuses, but I knew the problem came from those who control the communities various social groups. Elk, Rotary, and Kiwanis, all of which the local manager belonged to, were "suggesting" that they (the shows) not be aired. So it was and still is tough sledding. I have managed over time to have eyes and ears, so I could see if and how anyone responded.... I know the opposition. I have felt it as have you. Recently, Media One has taken over, you know one of those mergers that would provide competition and lower rates. I thought I would ask again. After being phone tagged around and having meetings canceled, I got the message. I even offered to pay to have them on. No dice. Granted, there is nothing to fear, but there is also no place to which one can get the message out.

Others have this problem too. Lately, I have had none of my letters to the editor printed. I'm about ready to stand on the street corner and start wearing a sign that says: "The End is not coming!" The media, you know the...media, that controls our lives, is in the hands of very large and powerful organizations.... We, as a nation and as a world, will be divided up into two major classes, those who are useful and compliant to their wishes and those who are not. Religion really will be the opiate of the masses.... Religion will be given to the rest as a control device. Rome did it, why not do it again, but on a global scale?.... There is no reward in being right if no one cares about the truth. Talk about a voice crying in the wilderness. You have done great work and have pursued the path which few would follow. For your efforts I will always be grateful. Sometimes after an e-mail debate in which the person with whom one is discussing makes a contradiction in one paragraph which he can not even see, one starts to wonder what we are coming to. Then there's the ...fundamentalist preacher.... His tactic has been to identify and then get in or out, depending on whether or not you are a good candidate for contributing to his coffers. Every good salesman knows when to close or get out and find the next mark....

Another important point is that there is no central clearing house where freethinkers can exchange ideas.... I suggested a central clearing house over a decade ago. I still think a major problem is the lack of commitment and determination on the part of the anti-religious crowd. The fire in the belly is just not there among a sufficient number of people. Granted, obstacles are everywhere. But still, a lot more could be done by a whole lot of people that is not being accomplished.... I don't mean that we should have a "club" but at least a "phone book" or "directory" to which one can turn for information. Even an e-mail address book would be nice. But there is no such animal and as far as I can detect none in the making. There are directories, but, again, that does no good when our numbers remain small and uncommitted. We are hither and nigh. We have no direction....

You know this better than anyone; there is no emotional need to have the truth. "My husband is in heaven with God," is a hard thing to contradict, and that is where we are the weakest. Truth has no emotional importance when a myth makes one feel good. Last year's addict is this year's born again. That's hard to compete with.... But when you combine that with almost total lack of media support, what is one to do? I can't afford a national broadcast.... How do you compete when they control the microphone and the off-button. Ever since 1987 when the "Fairness Doctrine" was removed, conservative owners and "celebs" don't have to offer equal time to any dissenting opinions. Ten years later we are seeing the effects of this policy. ABC has a Religion Editor, CBS has its Angels....all exclaiming the good news. The trend is clear. I will miss your good news every month.... I fear that the electronic highway will soon be cut down to size and only messages of an accepted "value" will get through. ...I was recently told by a radio "personality" that not believing in God just proves there is a God. Thousands of people listen to this drivel and nod yes. The best to you and yours and keep in touch.

Editor's Response to Letter #799

Thanks for your compliments. I sympathize with your observations and 1, too, am very saddened by the end of BE and our opposition's control of the media.

Letter #800 from ERB of Illinois

I'm writing to thank you for the enormous research effort and scholarship that you put into your book, "The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy!" I read the work from cover to cover, more like I would a novel, than the way I usually utilize books that I purchase as reference materials.... It was that captivating to me! You are to be congratulated on creating such a well-organized and useful tool for us free-thinkers to use in our discussions with the zealots who confront us at work and play to spread their narrow and one-dimensional views! Thank you so very much. Your book made me aware of other valuable resources, such as Gerald Sigal's "The Jew and the Christian Missionary," which I also studied and enjoyed.... Are you still available to do radio talk shows as a telephone guest? If so, I would like to arrange for you to be heard on the radio station that I work for! WJBC-AM is the top-rated station here in our community and, while I am not personally on the air much anymore, I am quite sure that our 9 a.m. to Noon host, on weekdays....or our 6 a.m. to Noon host on Sunday mornings would be happy to interview you on-the-air in whatever style you might prefer.... At the very least, I could deliver you a huge radio audience for the promotion of your book and the information it contains.... It is something few of us in this very conservative Judeo-Christian fundamentalist Midwestern community have ever had the chance to hear! I was raised in the Church of Christ, but was never the blindly accepting child my parents wanted me to be! Every time I questioned anything about "God" or "the Bible," I was immediately chastised and instructed to accept everything as truth or face eternal damnation in

"Hell"! Don't misunderstand me. My parents were wonderful people and I had a good childhood for the most part,but their religious views created a horrible fear of death in me that spoiled many years of my being able to just enjoy all the wonders and pleasures of life! I am 51 and only in the past several years have I been able to separate myself from their indoctrination, develop my own beliefs, and begin to live life as I wanted. Your book helped me do that!... I can't accept the masculine Jewish God of the Old Testament who supposedly fathered the "messiah," Jesus, with his earthly bride...nor can I accept the trinity, or any of that. I see "Mother Nature" in the beauty of a flower, for instance, but I also appreciate the abilities and talents of mortal men in their designs for automobiles and buildings, and all they have been able to accomplish in medicine, computers, communications, and science, using only the raw materials that have existed since whatever caused this universe to come into existence....

As for the afterlife, I am simply not going to worry about it any more! I really enjoyed your thoughts in this regard.... Would it really be "heaven" if I had to spend it with a bunch of people I couldn't spend 5 minutes with, let alone eternity? Do we escape death and enjoy eternal life by faith, grace, works, a combination of the three, or none of the above? I don't know and no longer care! All I really know for certain, is that my (expletive deleted--Ed.) detector has been buzzing at full volume for many years in regard to the "bible," and now I have a better understanding of "why." The "God" of the "bible" is a creation of man, not vice versa.... I would gladly work to further disseminate information of the type I discovered through your efforts. Too many have been, and continue to be, misled for too long.

Editor's Response to Letter #800

Dear ERB. Thanks for your support and willingness to spread the word, and we are always available for radio and TV talk shows. I would, however, recommend reconsideration of your belief that the universe came into existence and was caused" by something.

Letter #801 from LL Via the Internet

I was raised a Roman Catholic - very Catholic, was married in a church, and so on. We had a bible on ourcoffee table at all times. One day, while visiting my in-laws, I discovered that my father-in-law was an atheist. How could that be? I found a copy of BE in the magazine rack! I devoured it! Then, I devoured all of his back issues of BE! I then tore into whatever other publications he had on hand (I was pretty anti-social for the remainder of that visit!). When I got home, I did something that I, like so many other Christians, had never done - I cracked that book on the coffee table and actually began to READ it. My wife and I read the bible aloud EVERY NIGHT, and marveled with shock and dismay at the atrocities in the so-called "good" book. We didn't even make it through Judges before I knew that something was terribly wrong but not with my faith. I lost that near Ex. 4:24 (Zipporah was pretty quick with that stone, eh?...). There was something wrong with the millions of people who believed that (Expletive Deleted--Ed.)! So, I subscribed to BE and a few other publications. I started looking into other sources as well. I read Paine and Jefferson.... I watched "Inherit the Wind!" I picked up "The Layman's Parallel Bible," in Nashville, Tennessee, wearing a Charles Darwin tee-shirt and drew wicked stares from the cashier who was obligated to give me a free coffee mug for making such a large purchase! I, too, began the long task of combing the book and writing down all of my questions, problems, and objections. But even more importantly, I began TALKING ABOUT IT to others. I talked to my uncles, two born- again Christians who once believed that the world would end in the year 2000. 1 talked to my mother, who was still scarred from the humiliation of excommunication. I talked to a friend who was writing his final term paper for a religion class. The priest teaching the class filled the back of each page (and had to add two more) with his rebuttals! I talked to another friend, who was getting ready to send a letter to a TV network to protest a show he had never seen, just be. cause of what Dobson said on "Focus on the Family." One person I talked to formed a bible study group just to answer my persistent challenges! All of these people have been exposed to BE. Did any of these people become atheists? No. Will they? Perhaps, because now, with literature like BE, they are now doing the things that so many Christians don't do - and the things that made me an atheist - they are READING the book that they hold in such high esteem and are THINKING while doing it! For me, BE is a tool. A very, very useful tool that I would use even if you doubled the subscription price!

Put me in the "keep the change" category. And be sure to expect some orders for back issues. If BE won't be published in the future, I'll just have to work my way through its history to get my monthly "fix!"

Letter #802 from SS Via Email

You'll recall perhaps that I wrote you earlier. Got your book. WONDERFUL. Not only is it chocked full of information, it is EXTREMELY well written. What in the heck do you do for a living? I wish half the college textbooks I used as an undergrad had been that well drafted. Tight prose, good arguments. Given all the interest in Biblical controversies generated by The Jesus Seminar and Spong's book, I would think Prometheus would try to market your book in a more mainstream fashion (zippy dust cover, etc.). Maybe it's too controversial? If you ever come out with a briefer, cheaper, paperback version, let me know. I'd like to buy copies for my friends. If I hit the lottery, I'll buy a hundred copies. Again, great job.

Editor's Note: We would like to thank all those subscribers who have sent us "Keep the Change" letters because, among other considerations, that will reduce the amount of paperwork required to close all accounts. Those who chose otherwise will receive a refund check attached to next month's final issue.