Monday, October 10, 2011

Has God Spoken? Proof of the Bible’s Divine Inspiration


Has God Spoken? Proof of the Bible’s Divine Inspiration by the Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff started out very promising. I loved diving into the book and seeing from the start that this man knew what he was talking about. He knew other religions and seemed to know his bible. He did a fantastic job describing the different archeological, anthropological, and sociological evidences that prove the Bible’s validity. Anyone who question’s the validity or authenticity of the bible will really have only their lack of faith to blame if they choose not to believe the evidence in front of them.
The problem I ran into was maintaining my interest to finish the book. Usually I have no problem, but this was a rare exception. Although the book started out fantastic and I was thoroughly impressed with Hanegraaff’s knowledge I got bored really quick. I love historical and archeological books (I’ve even gone on a few archeological digs in the Middle East) but this book lost it’s luster the more I read it. By the time the archeological evidence ended I was breathing a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t fresh for long.
Although I respect other’s interpretation of the Bible I disagree with how Hanegraaff almost bullies his ideas to the reader. I personally disagree on much of his interpretation of certain scripture, and being a theology major I have ample reason and proof to show where Hanegraaff is wrong with his interpretation. The bigger issue to me is that the way he presents his interpretations is “his way or the highway” and I don’t respect how he bash’s other religious groups who think differently then he does.
Overall the evidence is virtually spotless and I would say the validity is proven but the book has it’s downfalls. It all depends on why the reader is picking up this book: to find proof for the Bibles authenticity or gain a deeper theological/ spiritual understanding of God and religion – that you (at least I) did not get.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through their bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”