Another Jesus, a Different Spirit, a Different Gospel: A Novel About Christian Sects

ANOTHER

JESUS,

a Different Spirit,

a Different Gospel

A Novel about Christian Sects

Steven H. Propp

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

ANOTHER JESUS, a Different Spirit, a Different Gospel

A Novel about Christian Sects

Copyright © 2011 by Steven H. Propp

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-5992-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-5993-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-5994-2 (e)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 10/11/2011

Contents

Acknowledgements

PART ONE – THE WITNESSES

Chapter One

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

PART TWO – THE MISSIONARIES

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

PART THREE – THE BATTLEFIELD

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PART FOUR – THE HOLIDAY

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

(Second Corinthians 11:4, New American Standard Bible)

Respectfully dedicated to all varieties of Christians—though particularly to the hard-working and committed members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints (Mormons);

As well as to members of the Community of Christ; Seventh-day Adventism, the Church of Christ, and Oneness (Jesus Only) Pentecostalism;

And to all the people who still think that religious and/or spiritual doctrines and beliefs are worth holding passionately enough to be willing to discuss intelligently—and even to honestly and respectfully disagree about;

And finally, to all those who (like myself) still believe in the Spirit of Christmas—but also with best wishes to those who, in good conscience, feel otherwise.

Acknowledgements

As always, this book is offered with love and gratitude for the help and support of:

My beautiful wife and soul mate Nancy;

The loving Nana of our six grandkids;

And the light and love of my life,

Forever, and for always.

Our wonderful grandkids: Devonte, Joseph, Dominic, Kayla, Mariah, and Brea.

My brother-in-law Darrel Buzynski;

My wonderful big sister Susan;

My niece Jennifer and her husband Brade;

My favorite nephew (and fellow state worker!) Jason.

All the rest of Nancy’s and my diverse, evolving, and always loving family.

To all of my friends and readers at work, and to my other readers everywhere.

PART ONE – THE WITNESSES

Chapter One

(Saturday morning, first week in December)

It was a clear, brisk morning. The car pulled over to the curb, and stopped. The front doors of the vehicle opened, and two men emerged: from the driver’s side came a tall black man in his mid-40s, and from the passenger’s side came a shorter white man in his mid-20s. They were both nicely-dressed in dark, conservative suits, and each carried a full-sized leather briefcase in his right hand.

We’ll start out going east on this street today, the older man said. Then if we finish this side, we can start going west on the opposite side.

Sounds good, the younger man replied. He shifted his briefcase into his opposite hand, and asked, What should I have ready? Just Awake?

We’ll start out with that; but have the ‘public’ edition of The Watchtower ready, as well, the older man replied, as he removed several magazines from his own briefcase, and held them in his hand.

Got it, the younger man said, as he followed the example.

The older man pointed to the house they were standing in front of—which had a very elaborate display of lights all over the house, the windows, and along the walkway, as well as a 3-foot high plastic model on the lawn of Santa in his sleigh, being pulled by four reindeer—and he said, When you see a house with lots of holiday lights, plastic figures, and so on, they often aren’t receptive to an article like the cover story of this month’s edition of Awake—because they’ve invested a lot of money in the holiday season, and they don’t appreciate you showing them that it’s contrary to Jehovah’s will.

Makes sense, the younger man said, as they walked up to the front door.

The older man pressed the doorbell; the bell chimed the melody to, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way… as the two men waited.

After waiting thirty seconds and hearing nothing inside the house, the older man pressed the doorbell again. They waited for another minute, listening carefully.

No one home, the younger man concluded, and they turned and walked back to the sidewalk.

But you should never avoid a house just because it has lights and decorations, the older man said, continuing his earlier instruction, as they headed to the next house. Sometimes, even people who are very heavily invested in terms of time and money spent on this ‘holiday,’ just get fed up with the whole thing, and suddenly become very receptive to our message. Looking at the younger man as they stood on the sidewalk in front of the next house, he asked, You know Brother Taylor in our congregation?

Sure, the younger man replied.

He first became interested in the Truth when another brother and I came to his door on December 24th; that was the last year he ever observed Christmas.

Really? the younger man said, as they approached the front door. They didn’t see a doorbell, so the younger man rapped firmly three times on the door, and they waited.

The door opened, and they could dimly see a woman looking at them from behind a darkened security screen. No solicitors! she barked, and began to close the door.

Good morning, the older man began pleasantly. We’re here in the neighborhood to share…

Didn’t you hear me? I said no solicitors!—and especially no religious phonies! the woman raged, and slammed the door in their faces. Undaunted, the two men simply turned around, and walked back out toward the sidewalk.

The older man went on calmly instructing the younger man, saying, One home you should be cautious of is one where they have a lot of ‘religious’ materials on their lawn, or in their windows: such as a nativity scene, of pictures of Mary and a baby, and so on. Those are the kind of people who will often want to argue with you, and waste your time. Sometimes, it’s best to just skip such houses.

I get it, the younger man said, as they approached the third house, which had no visible decorations. The younger man rang the doorbell.

After about ten seconds, they heard muted sounds of voices from within the house, but no one responded to the doorbell. The young man rang the doorbell again.

This time, they heard what sounded like two voices whispering urgently near the front door; still, no one opened the door.

The young man was about the press the doorbell a third time, when the older man shook his head, saying, That’s enough; just leave a copy of Awake in their mail slot. Obediently, the younger man took a copy of the magazine, lifted the mail slot, and slid it in; the mail slot door made a metallic clank! as it closed.

As they walked back down the walkway, the younger man said with a slight smile, Don’t they realize we can hear them, even if they don’t open the door?

Some people simply refuse to talk with us, the older man replied. A lot of times, they’ve been told by the priests or ministers of their churches to avoid all contact with us. But you can sometimes catch such people when they’re outside—taking groceries from the car into the house, or raking the leaves, for example—and they might end up being very receptive to our message.

That’s good to hear, the younger man replied, nodding. Looking at the street numbers on the house they were approaching, he said eagerly, This is the house that Sister Beatrice told us to pay close attention to; she said the young wife who lived here seemed very receptive to the message, and accepted a copy of What Does the Bible Really Teach?

We should try to set up a Bible Study, then, the older man said, as he knocked politely on the door. They stepped back, and waited. There was no response, so the older man knocked again, and they continued to wait.

The younger man looked over at the kitchen window, and said, It looks dark inside.

Probably no one’s home, the older man said, opening the screen door and placing a copy of both Awake and The Watchtower inside; then he carefully closed the screen door.

That’s too bad, the younger man said, disappointment in his voice, as they walked away from the house. I was hoping to get to talk with someone who’s receptive to the message.

You’ll get a chance; just be patient, the older man counseled, as they turned down the walkway of the next house.

They don’t have any lights on their house, or in the window, the younger man said softly, as they approached the front door. "That’s a good sign.’

We’ll see, The older man said, as he rang the doorbell. They both took a polite step back, and waited.

The door opened, to reveal a barefoot man in his early 30s, wearing a t-shirt and faded blue jeans, who looked at the two men suspiciously.

Good morning, sir, Lawrence said brightly. We’re in the neighborhood this morning sharing this article with people. It talks about the so-called ‘Christmas Spirit,’ and what the Bible has to say about this. He showed the man the front cover of his Awake magazine.

The man frowned, and asked, Aren’t you those ‘Jehovah’ people?

We are both part of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, yes, the older man replied calmly.

We’d like to leave a copy of this magazine with you, the younger man said, holding a copy of the magazine out to him, and adding, It discusses this season, when so many people are caught up in celebrating what they consider to be a ‘holy day’—but these activities really aren’t honoring to Jehovah, at all.

Oh. Okay, uhh, sure, the man replied, accepting the magazine, and staring at it blankly. Apologetically, he said, Look, I’m down with Jesus, and all; but I’m not really a ‘church’ kind of guy; I’m into Metal and hardcore Rap, and…

Our organization isn’t a ‘church,’ the older man explained.

It’s not? the man asked, and the other two shook their heads. That’s cool, he said. He looked at the magazine in his hands again, and then asked hesitantly, Umm… am I supposed to pay you, or something?

We accept donations to help cover the costs of printing, the younger Witness replied. But please don’t feel obligated, if you don’t…

No, it’s no problem; I’ve got some cash, the man said, stepping back from the door. Do you … uhh, want to come in, while I get my wallet? He stepped back from the door, to allow them to enter.

Yes, thank you, the older Witness replied, stepping through the open doorway, and the younger man followed closely behind.

Hold on, it’s in the next room, the barefoot man said, as he walked into an adjoining room. The two Witnesses looked around the living room as they waited.

When the barefoot man returned, he handed a couple of dollar bills to the older Witness, and said, Here you are.

Thank you, the older man said, quietly slipping the money into his pocket.

You’re obviously a football fan, the younger Witness said, nodding at all of the football posters and memorabilia in the room.

Yeah, I am, the barefoot man said, breaking into a smile. I’m a lifelong resident of Northern California, so I’m a Niners fan, all the way—I hate the Raiders! With quickened interest, he asked, So are you into football?

No, not really, the younger Witness admitted. I don’t really have time, these days.

The man nodded, disappointed. Tentatively, he said, Can I ask you guys a question?

Absolutely, the younger Witness said eagerly.

Who is this ‘Jehovah’? the barefoot man wondered. Do you mean God? Or do you mean Jesus?

‘Jehovah’ is the unique name of God, given to us in the Hebrew Scriptures, the older Witness replied instantly. It consists of four consonants, represented in English as ‘J-H-V-H’ or as ‘Y-H-W-H’; when you add in vowels, the divine name is most commonly pronounced as ‘Jehovah.’ This name is used in passages of the Bible such as Exodus 6:3, which says, ‘And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but as respects my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them.’ ‘Jehovah’ is God’s own divine name, as given to us by the Creator himself, and it appears almost 7,000 times in the Bible.

It’s used eight times in the first five of the Ten Commandments alone, the younger Witness added eagerly. And the entire nation of Israel heard it pronounced by God himself.

By God himself, huh? the barefoot man said. That’s kind of interesting.

And that’s why our organization so strongly believes that it’s important to use the divine name of ‘Jehovah,’ rather than titles such as ‘Lord,’ when referring to Him, the older Witness said. And that’s why we proudly call ourselves ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses.’

The barefoot man nodded, and said, Yeah; I guess that makes sense.

The younger Witness said helpfully, And that magazine we shared with you backs up everything it says by the Bible.

Rather than by the words of men, the older man added. He then asked quietly, Do you happen to have a copy of the Bible?

The barefoot man looked embarrassed, and said sheepishly, Uhh … well, probably somewhere around here. But I haven’t read it since I went to Catechism class as a kid, which was a long time ago. With pretended boastfulness, he added, I guess I figured that I was headed for Hell, so I didn’t think there was much point in finding out too much about it until I actually got there!

You make an interesting point, the older Witness said calmly. There are many people who believe that if a person lives a ‘bad’ life, after he dies he will go to a fiery place of eternal torment called ‘Hell’; but a teaching like that is completely contrary to what’s taught in the Bible, not to mention being unreasonable! The barefoot man looked surprised.

The younger Witness nodded his agreement, and added, Jehovah is a God of love, and would never torture people for countless billions of years! What would be the point of that?

The barefoot man frowned, and then said, Well, that’s what I always kind of thought, myself; but I’m … well, surprised to hear you guys say it! I mean, you obviously believe in the Bible, and everything.

The doctrine of a fiery Hell of eternal torment is actually taught by Satan—the chief adversary of Jehovah God—and not by the Bible, the older Witness explained patiently. Satan actually uses such false doctrines to make people hate and distrust Jehovah, and frighten them away from studying the Bible.

Really? That’s interesting, the barefoot man observed. A puzzled look came over his face, and he asked hopefully, Well, then, if we don’t go to Hell when we die, do we all go to Heaven?

The older witness replied with assurance, Again, many people these days believe unbiblical doctrines; for example, they may claim that we all have this mysterious, shadowy thing called the ‘soul’ that continues to exist, even after the breath of life is separated from the body. He shook his head, and said firmly, But that’s a concept that came from ancient Greek philosophy, and not from the Bible.

The barefoot man looked confused, and asked, So you’re saying that we don’t have a soul? I don’t think I agree with…

Look at this passage from the Bible, the older man said, holding out his Bible for the other man to read. He pointed to a place on the page, and said, Let’s look at the account of the creation of Adam by Jehovah God. In Genesis 2:7 it tells us, ‘And Jehovah God proceeded to form man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.’ Looking up from the Bible, the older man said emphatically, In other words, Adam didn’t have a soul—Adam was a soul!

Huh, the barefoot man said, looking puzzled. But I still don’t get…

The older man pointed to another passage, and continued, Let’s keep reading over here. In Genesis 3:19 Jehovah told Adam, ‘For dust you are and to dust you will return.’ So this means that at death, Adam would simply cease to exist! Jehovah didn’t mean that only Adam’s body would die, while some inner ‘soul’ continued living in either a Heaven, or a Hell—Adam had no ‘soul’ that was distinct from his human body; so when the person dies, the soul dies.

Is that what it means? the barefoot man said, looking at the Bible with puzzlement. I’ve never really read the Bible myself, so…

That’s why we must prove everything from the Bible, and not by the theories of men, the younger Witness added.

The barefoot man shrugged his shoulders and said, Well, most of my Metalhead friends think that when we die, that’s it. With a look of confusion on his face, he asked, But I always thought you Christians believed in life after death, and…

Look at this passage from Ecclesiastes 9:5, the older man said, flipping to this passage. Indicating the passage with his finger, he suggested to the man, Why don’t you read it aloud?

Uhh, okay, the man said, sheepishly, as he focused his eyes on a passage that had been marked previously with a yellow highlighter. He read, For the living are conscious that they will die, but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all. He looked surprised, and said, Wow; I’d never heard that before—but it’s right there in the Bible. With a serious expression on his face, he asked, So you believe like my friends—that when we die, that’s it? And in the meantime, we should go ahead and live it up, because…

The older man shook his head, and said with a slight smile, What we believe is what the Bible teaches: that after death, the dead go to Sheol, which is a Hebrew word meaning ‘the grave’; it’s equivalent to the word Hades in the Christian Greek Scriptures.

The barefoot man looked bewildered, and said, Look, man; I only took two years of Spanish in high school, so I don’t know anything about Greek or…

The older man held up his hand, and said reassuringly, Don’t worry; I’ll explain everything as we go. You see, Sheol or Hades is simply the common grave of mankind. In fact, Acts 2:27 tells us that Jesus himself went to Hades after his death—so obviously, Hades is not a place of ‘eternal torment.’ He shook his head sadly, then added, Unfortunately, many versions of the Bible translate both Sheol and Hades as ‘Hell,’ which misleads some people into thinking that after death some go to a fiery place of torment, which is completely contrary to what the Bible says—but in fact, there is no ‘fire’ in Sheol, and there are no tormenting ‘worms’ that could consume one’s body.

The younger Witness nodded his agreement, and added, Psalm 146:4 also says, ‘he goes back to his ground; In that day his thoughts do perish.’ The barefoot man was looking at him with genuine interest, and the younger Witness added enthusiastically, The dead don’t know anything that’s happening—they don’t feel anything, they don’t remember anything, and they don’t do anything. It’s like being in a very deep sleep; you don’t know what’s going on around you while you sleep, do you? Well, that’s what it’s like for dead people; they enter into a state of complete unconsciousness.

The barefoot man knotted his brow, and asked, But if that’s what the Bible says, how come everybody seems to think that we have an eternal soul that either goes to Heaven or Hell when we die?

Because they don’t base their teachings on the Bible, but on the ideas of men, the older man replied. Neither the Jews nor the earliest Christians taught that we have an ‘immortal soul.’ That doctrine was first taught by the Greeks—such as the philosopher Plato—and it influenced early churchmen, who blindly accepted the ‘immortal soul’ teaching, even though it had no Biblical basis. Tapping the cover of his Bible with his fingertips, he said confidently, The Bible says in Ezekiel 18:4 that ‘The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.’ And Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 in the King James Version of the Bible that we should ‘fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ Looking directly into the eyes of the barefoot man, he asked pointedly, Now, how could our souls ‘die’ or be ‘destroyed,’ if they were eternal?

Huh; that’s an interesting point, the barefoot man conceded. I’d never thought of that.

Do you want to know who first taught the doctrine of an ‘immortal soul’? the younger Witness said with enthusiasm, as he flipped open his Bible to a highlighted passage. Jehovah taught Adam in Genesis 2:17 that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die; and Genesis 3:3 shows us that Eve also knew this. But in Genesis 3:4, the serpent said to Eve, ‘You positively will not die.’ Closing his Bible, he concluded solemnly, So it was Satan, the serpent, and not Jehovah, who invented the lie of the ‘immortal soul.’ The barefoot man just stared at the younger Witness, looking confused.

Are you familiar with the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11? the older Witness asked politely

The man looked embarrassed, and replied, Uhh, no… you see, I’ve never really read the Bible, except for one of the gospels I had to read for…

That’s all right, the older Witness said with a sympathetic smile. Opening his Bible to the passage, he held his Bible out to the man, indicating the passage with his finger, and then said, You see, a friend of Jesus named Lazarus had died, and Jesus arrived with his disciples at Lazarus’ tomb four days later. Now, if Lazarus had an ‘immortal soul,’ wouldn’t he have been in Heaven for those four days after he died? But that’s not what Jesus said: Jesus said in John 11:11, ‘Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.’ So Jesus called the state that Lazarus was in after his death ‘sleep’—and then, Jesus raised him from the dead.

The younger Witness said with a slight smile, Wouldn’t it have been, well, unkind for Jesus to have raised Lazarus and brought him back to earth, if he had been in Heaven?

The barefoot man chuckled, and said, That’s a good point; I’d never thought of that. A thoughtful look came over his face, and he asked, But what about the rest of us? Do we just ‘sleep’ forever, or…?

The older Witness replied with assurance, The dead sleep in the grave, awaiting the resurrection of the dead.

Oh, yeah, that’s right: the resurrection of the dead! the barefoot man said, nodding his head. I’d always wondered about that; I guess I never really understood why there would need to be a resurrection of the dead, if we all went to Heaven when we died.

That’s correct! the younger Witness complimented. What would be the point of a resurrection from the dead, if the ‘immortal souls’ of the dead were all still living?

The older Witness added, Jesus himself said in John 3:13, ‘no man has ascended into heaven.’ So that tells us that no man had gone to heaven during all of human history, right down to Jesus’ day.

So you don’t believe in Heaven? the barefoot man asked, a look of bewilderment returning to his face.

We all have the potential to live endlessly! the older Witness said with energy (gently deflecting the man’s question), adding, And the Bible clearly states the possibility of our receiving everlasting life from Jehovah in the resurrection of the dead—which will take place after the worldwide battle of Armageddon.

Armageddon, the barefoot man said, frowning. Uhh, yeah; I think I’ve heard of that, too. He exhaled and said, Whew! Look, you guys are obviously used to going through all this Bible stuff; but for me, this is kind of a lot to try and digest all at one time.

We understand, the older Witness said immediately, adding warmly, But you’ve done very well; in just a short time you’ve already learned some important Bible truths that many people in Christendom have failed to grasp after many years of sitting in their churches. The barefoot man looked pleased, and the older man said quietly, In fact, we’d like to come back at another time, and begin a Bible Study with you.

The study is completely free, the younger Witness added quickly. And there’s no obligation whatsoever.

You do this for free? the barefoot man asked, still somewhat suspicious. But what do you get out of…

We are Witnesses of Jehovah, the older man said proudly. We proclaim the coming of Jehovah’s Kingdom out of gratitude to Him, our Creator.

The barefoot man nodded, and said, Okay, sure, I get it. Apologetically, he said, But, uhh… this day and time really isn’t the best time for me. Usually I’m watching … uhh, I mean…

We’d be glad to come by in the evening, the younger Witness said agreeably. Or at any other day and time that’s convenient for you.

Oh. Okay; yeah, sure, the barefoot man replied, thinking. He said, Tuesday and Wednesday evening I’m free; I get home from work at about 5:30, and…

How would 7:00 Wednesday suit you? the older man asked.

The barefoot man hesitated, and then said, Uhh… how long does the study take? I mean, in the evening, I usually watch ESPN or some other sports show at seven…

Not more than an hour, the younger Witness replied. Or less. Forty-five minutes, maybe.

And, uhh… could we start a little earlier? the barefoot man asked hesitantly. Maybe by six?

The older Witness looked at the younger one doubtfully, and asked him, Would that give you enough time to…

The younger man nodded and said quickly, Sure; 6:00 on Wednesday would be fine with me.

The older Witness smiled at the barefoot man, and then said, So we’ll be back to see you each Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., starting this next Wednesday.

Oh; you mean each… the barefoot man began, but then he just shrugged, and replied, Sure; that would be fine.

The older Witness held out his hand to the young man, and said warmly, And by the way, my name is Lawrence. They shook hands.

And I’m Brad, the younger Witness replied, as they also shook hands.

The barefoot man said, I’m Trent.

Well, Trent, Lawrence said, reaching into his briefcase. He pulled out a small green hardcover book, and said, Since you said you don’t know where your copy of the Bible is, let me leave this with you. He handed the book to Trent, who stammered, Oh; but I don’t have any more cash, to…

Don’t worry about that, Lawrence said, dismissing this with a wave of his hand. It’s our gift to you.

That Bible is the New World Translation, Brad said with enthusiasm. It’s the very best translation available! It uses the divine name of ‘Jehovah’ throughout.

Lawrence motioned for Trent to open the book, and he stepped forward to help him locate a particular page, then said, This section is called ‘Names and Order of the Books’; it shows you where each of the books in the Bible is located. If you wish, as you’re reading the magazine we left with you, you can look up all of the Bible passages that are quoted.

With a serious expression, Brad added, That way, you can see that what’s being said in the magazine is coming straight out of the Bible, and isn’t just the words of men.

Uhh, okay, sure, Trent said, adding sheepishly, But I’ll never be like you guys; like how you can go from one place in the Bible to another so fast.

You’ll be surprised at how quickly you pick it up, during our Bible Studies, Lawrence said, encouragingly.

I’ve only been a Witness for a few years, Brad added, with a sympathetic smile. So believe me, I know exactly how you feel. But by regularly studying our publications, you’ll start to understand the Bible and its message—better even than people who have spent years being trained in so-called ‘seminaries’ or ‘universities’!

That would be a trip, Trent admitted. I never went to college, myself. But my ex-girlfriend always told me that I needed to get interested in something besides work and football; so who knows: maybe something like this is just what I need? It’s been pretty interesting so far.

Brad said, And make sure that you read that magazine that we left with you; it has several articles that give the Bible’s perspective on this ‘Christmas’ celebration that so many people engage in at this time of year, and…

Trent snorted, and said, Look around this room, man—do you see any Christmas trees in here? Lawrence and Brad smiled, and he added, Ever since my girlfriend moved out, Christmas doesn’t mean anything to me; it’s just another day, as far as I’m concerned.

We’re glad to hear that, Lawrence said, opening his briefcase again and handing Trent a small book called, What Does the Bible Really Teach?, which the barefooted man looked at with interest. Lawrence explained, Just to help us keep from getting sidetracked and make sure that we make the best use of your time, we like to follow the outline of this book during our studies.

But you’ll see that everything in it is based 100% on the Bible, Brad volunteered.

Yeah; that’s what it says in the title, Trent said, nodding. That’s cool.