Thanks!

I got similar advice about “Knowing God” to that from your youth pastor when I was a kid, but I foolishly heeded that advice. I wasted a lot of years recovering from that mistake and re-discovering that following Jesus doesn’t have to mean shutting off your brain. Coming from a fundamentalist Plymouth Brethren upbringing and going through my education as a scientist, I buried my head in the sand for stagnant, unhappy decades regarding issues that created an unbearable cognitive dissonance for me (biblical literalism, Y.E.C. are obviously big ones, but there definitely others.)

A couple of years ago I began lurking here and reading lots of stuff from the archives, identifying and usually agreeing with nearly everything you write. You have helped me develop an intellectual honesty that has allowed me to make sense of being a Christian and greatly deepened my urge to follow Jesus with my mind heart, strength. I can honestly say that you have been one of the biggest influences in my development as a Christian. Outstanding posts like this one are why. Thank you so much for your willingness to open your heart and mind on this blog and thank God for giving you your obvious writing talent. I join those waiting impatiently for your book. Meanwhile, I still have that 30-year old (unread) copy of Knowing God on my bookshelf. I believe I’ll dig in to it tonight after I get the kids to bed.

One thing I really like about iMonk’s blog is the helpfulness and generosity of the commenters.

For myself, I’m trying to get J.N.Darby and dispensationalism out of my bloodstream. His teachings (and their progeny) are worse than swine flu.

Two more books that might help you in breaking away from the idea of the Rapture are from the Catholic perspective. “The Rapture Trap” by Paul Thigpe and “Will Catholics be Left Behind” by Carl Olsen.

I’ve read both and they helped me put into words what I was instinctively bothered by.

Bob3, I’ve not seen where Michael is against either Conservative Christians (unless they confuse the gospel with American culture) or contemporary churches (In fact, he considers himself a post-evangelical)

So you are for Joel Osteen?

I can appreciate his journey because mine is similar. When I first became Catholic is was very wary and very anti certain authors because they weren’t orthodox Catholics. Now, I am being nourished by some of them. I know what I believe and I trust the Holy Spirit will lead and encourage me in what I read and think and pray.

Some writers, I don’t think that I will ever get up the nerve to read, though.