Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

In this podcast I am reading the original (pre-edit) draft of chapter 5 of A Quick Overview of the Bible: How All the Pieces Fit Together. The book was released in February 2012. Harvest House allows me to read aloud one chapter of any book I have written. Since what I read is not the final version, there may be some small differences between it and the published version.

You can also read the first 10 pages or so at this link.  (Of course we're hoping you'll decide to get a copy of the whole book!)

The lesson answers the following 10 questions:

1. The OT God seems unfair, unpredictable, capricious. Is he really just?
2. Does God show favoritism? Wasn't anyone on the planet saved before he chose the Jews?
3. Wasn't Yahweh hot-tempered?
4. But still, didn't the Hebrew God play rough?
5. Why isn't the OT God "nice" like God in the NT?
6. It almost seems as if God is just waiting for us to trip up. Isn't he a bit of a sadist?
7. Why was the Lord concerned only with the outward behavior? The NT God looks at the heart.
8. Wasn't the old covenant a covenant of works? Since no one could measure up, they were always "in the doghouse."
9. Was the Lord just experimenting in the OT? Why didn't he get it right the first time?
10. How could God approve of so many inhumane institutions? Why didn't he overthrow them, instead of endorsing them?

In connection with Q.10, please click here for the podcast on Slavery.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

12 questions are covered in this podcast. (The chapter has 27 questions and answers in all.)

• When was the earth created? Does the Bible tell us how old the world is?
• Is the Big Bang Theory compatible with the Bible?
• Was the world made in seven literal days?
• Are evolution and the Bible compatible?
• Did Adam have a belly button?
• Was Eve made from Adam's rib? If so, does this support make chauvinism?
• Who was Cain afraid of? Who was his wife?
• Did ancient humans really live for hundreds of years?
• Who were the Nephilim?
• Is there geological evidence for a global flood?
• Where is Noah's Ark? Did it survive?
• Is there archaeological evidence for the Tower of Babel?

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Life of Nietzsche

• Born, 1844 in Röcken, Prussia.
• Father and both grandfathers clergymen.
• Father dies, after suffering mental illness, 1848.
• Leaves theology school, 1865.
• Physical and mental collapse, 1879.
• Writes The Antichrist (vitriolic anti-Christian polemic), 1888.
• Enters state of vegetative insanity, 1889.
• Dies, probably of syphilis, 1900.

Nietzsche's better-known writings:

• The Birth of Tragedy (1872)      
• Meditations (1873-76)
• Thus Spake Zarathustra (1878)                                 
• Beyond Good and Evil (1886)
   
• The Antichrist (1888, pub. 1895)
   
• The Will to Power (1901, posthumously)

"God is Dead"

• Nietzsche was brought up with/around a certain degree of faith -- which he rejected.
• No God, no morality.
• [Note 1: Classical Buddhism correctly understands that moral distinctions are false: there is no God, and category distinctions are empty.]
• [Note 2:  Without God, there can be no ultimate meaning, since nothing transcends this life, this world.]    

Beyond Good and Evil (excerpts, unless otherwise noted)

• Morality:
  • IV.108. "There is no such thing as a moral phenomenon, but only a moral interpretation of phenomena.”
  • 291. "The whole of morality is a long, audacious falsification."
• Insight:
  • 146. "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.”
  • 156. "Insanity in individuals is something rare—but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule."
  • 175. "One loves ultimately one's desires, not the thing desired.”
• Selfishness: 
  • IX.259. "Exploitation is not immoral; it's the will to power, which is life."
  • 273. "A man who strives after great things, looks upon every one whom he encounters on his way either as a means of advance, or a delay and hindrance—or as a temporary resting-place. His peculiar lofty BOUNTY to his fellow-men is only possible when he attains his elevation and dominates..."
  • 242. “... the democratising of Europe is at the same time an involuntary arrangement for the rearing of TYRANTS..."
  • 287. "The noble soul has reverence for itself."
  • 265. "At the risk of displeasing innocent ears, I submit that egoism belongs to the essence of a noble soul, I mean the unalterable belief that to a being such as "we," other beings must naturally be in subjection, and have to sacrifice themselves. The noble soul accepts the fact of his egoism without question..."
• Christ and his teaching:
  • 269. "It is possible that under the holy fable and travesty of the life of Jesus there is hidden one of the most painful cases of the love of martyrdom: the martyrdom of the most innocent and most craving heart, that never had enough of any human love, that DEMANDED love, that demanded inexorably and frantically to be loved and nothing else, with terrible outbursts against those who refused him their love; a poor soul... who had to invent hell to send it there those who WOULD NOT love him--and that at last had to invent a God who was entirely love... He who has such sentiments... SEEKS FOR death!..."
  • "It is inhuman to bless when one is being cursed.” (See Matt 5:44 and Rom 12:17-21).
  • “Jesus died too soon. He would have repudiated his doctrine if he had lived to my age" (Thus Spake Zarathustra, 1885).
  • “I call Christianity the one great curse, the one great intrinsic depravity, and the one great instinct of revenge, for which no means are venomous enough, or secret, or subterranean and small enough—I call it the one immortal blemish on the human race.” (The Antichrist, 1888)

Nietzsche on women:

• “Man shall be trained for war, and woman for the recreation of man: all else is folly.”
• “The happiness of man is I will. The happiness of woman is He will.”
• “Thou goest to women? Do not forget thy whip!”
• “Woman is by nature a snake…”
• Advocated active sexual lifestyle, though seems to have lived a more or less chaste life.

Nietzsche's predictions about the coming century: 

• It will be the bloodiest century yet.
• A pall of insanity will fall over the human race.
• His own life seems to embody this second prediction.
  • See Matt 7:20 -- by their fruit we will know them.
  • When considering any philosophy, religion, or viewpoint, ask whether its proponents live by -- or are even able to live by -- its basic tenets.
• Some tyrants inspired by Nietzsche:
  • Adolf Hitler (Germany): “Nobody can doubt that this world will one day be the scene of dreadful struggles for existence on the part of mankind. In the end the instinct of self-preservation alone will triumph. Before its consuming fire this so-called humanitarianism, which connotes only a mixture of fatuous timidity and self-conceit, will melt away as under the March sunshine. Man has become great through perpetual struggle. In perpetual peace his greatness must decline.” -- Mein Kampf
    • Hitler sought a philosopher to back up his program
    • Preferably a German
    • Nietzsche's "will to power" was a perfect fit with the National Socialist program
  • Benito Mussolini (Italy)
    • The fascist despot longed for a return to power and the glory of ancient Rome
    • Hitler presented Mussolini with a personal copy of one of Nietzsche's books
  • Ho Chi Minh (Viet Nam)
  • Fidel Castro (Cuba)
  • Idi Amin (Uganda)

Conclusion

• Clarity of thought: No morality if there's no God. Nietzsche may be the most consistent atheist.
• Christians, fight for the truth! The atheist system doesn't work.
• Authenticity: “Promise me that when I die only my friends shall stand about my coffin, and no inquisitive crowd. See that no priest or anyone else utter falsehoods at my graveside, when I can no longer protect myself; and let me descend into my tomb as an honest pagan.” (1879).
• Unfortunately, few pagans have the courage to follow their convictions to their logical conclusions. If they did, Christianity would be even more the obvious and only choice for our world.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

If you liked chapter 2, consider reading the previous chapter. The publisher has made chapter 1, "Clearing Away the Debris: Arguments Against the Reality of God," available to read at no charge: CHAPTER 1.

To order the whole book, click ENTIRE BOOK. This includes 13 chapters, 3 appendixes, and further resources. (Since Compelling Evidence doubles as an evangelistic tool, why not order several copies?)

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

PERSECUTION

• Passages: 2 Tim 3:12; John 15:18-21; Matt 5:10-12; 1 Pet 4:3-4; Luke 6:22-23, 26; Heb 10:32-39
• Examples: Verbal opposition (slander, mockery, abuse, misrepresentation, false accusation), confiscation, social
• exclusion, exile, being sent to the mines, torture, execution.

MARTYRDOM
 

• Scripture: Rev 12:11
• Martyr < martus, witness
• Confessors were willing to die for their faith (refused to back down), whereas martyrs confessed and were killed. One example is Nicholas of Myra.
• 1st & 2nd century martyrs: Jesus, Stephen, 7 (or more) of the apostles, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Polycarp, the martyrs of Lyon—and many more!
• Martyrs who lived mainly in the 3rd century: Lawrence (225-258), Sebastian (255-288), Lucy (283-304), Catherine (287-305)

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Beware exaggeration and sentimentality.
• Pray for fellow believers: in approximately 80 countries (out of the world total of 195) it is dangerous or extremely inconvenient to be a Christian.
• Sign up for weekly updates from persecution.org.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Most of us have heard of the Inquisition, but may be sketchy on the details. Yet this is important stuff - an aspect of history that we definitely don't want repeating itself.

Definition
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Inquisition is "An ecclesiastical tribunal established by Pope Gregory IX c.1232 for the suppression of heresy. It was active chiefly in northern Italy and southern France, becoming notorious for the use of torture. In 1542 the papal Inquisition was re-established to combat Protestantism, eventually becoming an organ of papal government."

• Inquisition < Lat. inquirere, to inquire, and inquisitio (noun form).
• The inquisitor is the one making the inquiry.
• Ecclesiastical: pertaining to the church (ecclesia).
• Tribunal: Each session was more or less a session of court. The ecclesiastical authority, after examining the alleged heretic, hand the him (or her) over to the civil authorities, knowing full well what punishment would be inflicted.
• Heresy: not primarily about false teaching, but about division (Gk. haeresis). A threat to the community at least as much as a threat to doctrinal purity of the church.
• Combating Protestant teaching, as well as in the suppression of Muslims and Jews (esp. in the 1400s).

Origins
It is theoretically possible that some early Christians took severe measures to ensure doctrinal conformity, yet there is no evidence of this in church history until the early Middle Ages.

• In 385 AD Priscilla and six of her followers were beheaded at Trèves (France).
• Yet this event postdates the great apostasy.
  • The church had been sliding into worldliness and biblical error for several generations.
  • The church state was a monstrous hybrid, a creature that ought not to have existed.
• Before 1100 AD, local clergy maintained doctrinal discipline. At times erring members were imprisoned (without torture). Execution was rare.

France and Italy
It is arguable that the First Inquisition at Languedoc, in Southern France, in 1184, although the Inquisition had not been established as a permanent institution until the 1230s, under Pope Gregory IX. Life in prison was offered to those who recanted, execution for those who did not.

The Inquisition was strong not only in France, but also in Northern Italy. Inquisitors were typically drawn from the order of Dominican monks, although Franciscans also served. These men were natural choice, given their grasp of church doctrine. (It could also have been unwise to have the parish priest put the members of his own church on the rack!)

Spain, Portugal, and the New World
Many have heard of the Spanish Inquisition, "An ecclesiastical court established in Roman Catholic Spain in 1478 and directed originally against converts from Judaism and Islam but later also against Protestants. It operated with great severity until suppressed in the early 19th century." (OED)

Isabella and Ferdinand are better known for their interactions with Christopher Columbus, beginning in 1492, as well as for their expulsion of the Jews from Spain (also in 1492) along with resumption of the Reconquista (Reconquest), the effort to reclaim land and loyalty from the Muslims, dwelling in Spain since the 8th century.

Many Jews and som

e Muslims pretended to be Christian, in order not to be captured. The last execution of the Spanish Inquisition took place in 1826, of a schoolteacher who was a deist (one who denies the God of the Bible, miracles, the incarnation, etc -- more or less than worldview of many of the founding fathers of the fledgling American republic.

The Inquisition was established in Portugal in 1536. From there is reached Goa (southwest India) in 1560. The Spanish Inquisition was taken to the New World, especially notorious in Peru and Mexico.

Galileo Galilei
Galileo ran afoul of the Inquisition in 1633. It is not true that he was executed for promoting his idea that the earth orbited the sun, although he was censured (and censored) and placed under house arrest. Many intellectuals -- all intellectuals were Catholic in Italy and other European countries, so this was hardly a case of the Church vs. Science! -- probably agreed with Galileo, yet preferred the public not be informed of the latest scientific discoveries. They feared that a crisis of confidence might be triggered, particularly as the ignorant were unable to understand the science or theology. The church, in other words, was protecting the power structure.

Persecution of Witches
Pope John II opened the Vatican archives to external historians, which resulted in the confirmation of a number of executions of witches during the Inquisition. Perhaps the totals are higher, but the official count is 59 witches killed in Spain, 36 in Italy, and 4 in Portugal -- 99 all together. (Protestants killed a small number of witches, perhaps fewer than 40, in the America during the colonial period.)

Torture and Execution
Although mutilation was technically forbidden, in 1256 Pope Alexander V created a loophole for the inquisitor. There were many methods of torture:

• Forcing liquids (sometimes scalding) down the throat
• The rack
• Thumbscrews
• Metal pincers (red hot)
• Strappado
• Burning

As for execution, heretics were often burned at the stake. In the past I had heard that 100,000s had been executed -- and unfortunately repeated this figure -- yet the true total appears to be in the 1000s. (An exaggeration by opponents of the Catholic Church?) To see what the Bible says about execution, listen to my podcast on Capital Punishment (website membership and login required).

The Inquisition in the 21st century
The Inquisition still exists today, though without the torture and death. Its current name (since 1542) is the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

Lessons for today

• Uniformity must not be mistaken for unity.
• Church and state were separate in the early Christian period, and that separation was (and is) for the good of all. Jesus specifically forbade us to lead by authority and power as worldly leaders do: no lording it over others!
• Where there is a high degree of social solidarity (tribal regions, chiefdoms, traditional societies), leaders will need to wrestle with these issues. Don’t just surrender; history need not be repeated. Foster a spirit of tolerance and respect.
• We ought to represent others fairly -- individuals as well as groups. Demonizing of Jews, Muslims and heterodox Christians still takes place, both without and within the church.
• Let's take teaching ministry seriously, but leave final judgment to God. Let's strive for an atmosphere of openness, welcoming questions and dialogue.

Conclusion
 

It is easy to condemn the Catholic Church for its extreme measures. While shock is merited, we in the modern age are likely to underestimate the seriousness (and fear) with which dissent was viewed by secular and ecclesiastical leaders, from the Middle Ages until relatively modern times.

• Since dissent constituted sedition, heresy was taken with the utmost seriousness.
• This was not an age of freedom of speech or equity in law, but an age of social solidarity.
• Inquisitorial measures were adopted not so much for the good of the heretic as for the good of society, by instilling fear in order to maintain conformity.
• Such practices are forbidden to followers of Christ.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

• Definition:
  • Simplified historical overview:
    • 300s-600s -- Most of the Holy Land is part of the Eastern (Byzantine) Roman Empire.
    • 600s -- this territory becomes part of the Caliphate (Islamic).
    • 1000s-1100s -- Christian warriors and peasants (all strata of society participated) strive to take back the land, establishing Crusader States, along with multiple fortifications.
    • 1200s -- Christians for the most part give up the dream of reconquering the Holy Land, instead targeting their crusades on fellow Christians and other perceived enemies.
  • Massive military attempts to recapture "Christian" territory, especially in the Holy Land, from the Muslims.
  • Pilgrimage meets (Old Testament) holy war.
    • The journey of faith is a biblical pilgrimage (Hebrews 11).
    • Even so, traditionally pilgrims were supposed to travel unarmed.
  • Up to 100,000 Europeans took part in these efforts.
  • Source of word: Latin crux, cross.
• How many?
  • There were four major crusades, though many more took place even after these concluded in the 13th century.
    • First Crusade, 1095-1099
    • Second Crusade, 1147-1149 -- Crusader States established
    • Third Crusade, 1189-1192 -- setting of the film The Kingdom of Heaven
    • Fourth Crusade, 1198-1204 -- focused on Constantinople (capital of the [Eastern] Roman Empire), and Orthodox Christians, more than the Muslims
  • Subsequent crusades
    • E.g. Northern Europe and Spain
    • Last Crusade (Venice vs. Ottoman Turks), 1684-1699
• Motivation?
  • Various: plunder, glory, peer pressure, family honor, wanderlust, etc.
  • Motivation must have been strong, esp. for those who spent a fortune in provisioning. (Imagine having to spend $100,000, or $300,000, to fund (and arm) yourself and your servants for the journey -- which could take many months! This isn't like shopping for a last-minute travel deal!)
  • Forgiveness.
    • "Plenary indulgences" promised by the pope.
    • As Douglas Groothuis remarks, "Claims made by popes that the soldiers dying in a crusade would be guaranteed heaven are entirely unbiblical and, in fact, resemble Islamic claims more than anything found in Holy Scripture" (Christian Apologetics, IVP Academic, 2011), 112.
    • If there had been no crusades, would indulgences have been the flashpoint of the Protestant Reformation? It's interesting to ponder...
• Analysis
  • The crusades were a radical departure from basic Christian values.
    • Pilgrimage / holy war hybrid
    • Uncritical use of scripture -- combining OT holy war with Christianity.
    • Precedents?
      • Augustine (354-430): "Just War" theory.
      • Byzantine conquest of southern and central Italy in 6th century.
  • Attitudes
    • Before 13th century, crusaders could not believe that Muslims would want to become like the Christians, since the Muslims were so much more advanced culturally and economically. Easier to rationalize warfare over persuasion.
    • "The Franciscans and Dominicans saw no contradiction or opposition between crusade and mission" (Daileader, 158).
    • King Louis IX of France: Christians should let attempt to defend the faith, "except with his sword, and that he should thrust it into the scoundrel's belly, as far as it will enter."
    • French theologian Peter Comestor (d.1179), when asked by the Patriarch of Jerusalem whether crusading was really permissible in light of biblical teaching. In response, Peter told the patriarch to "act in a manly way, be composed, and shed the blood of Christ's enemies."
  • Example and teaching of Christ?
    • Jesus did not teach or exemplify violence towards those who rejected his message.
    • In contrast, Muhammad both preached and engaged in violence.
      • Muslim tolerance only if paid jizha (tribute money).
      • Otherwise, jihad!
      • Below: The scimitar is the curved sword historically wielded by Islamic warriors (as opposed to the more conventional swords of the Crusaders).
  • Ends & means?
    • Crusaders claimed to be doing God's will. So why after 1291 did the crusaders fail to hold on to Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land?
    • The Crusades were ultimately unsuccessful. These were a colossal failure, not "blessed" by God!

• Conclusion:
  • Let's be informed.
    • Make it a goal to become generally familiar with key developments in church history.
    • Remember that the 4 major crusades spanned the years from the late 11th to the 13th centuries.
  • Let's be sensitive.
    • Be careful about language. "Crusade" is an unpleasant and even scary word for some people, especially Jews and Muslims.
    • Understand the bitter root that has taken hold among many Muslims -- the violence response on their part is not justified but it isn't irrational. It makes sense.
  • Let's be humble.
    • We need to "own" the evil of believers -- false and true -- through the history of the church, for instance the Inquisition and the Crusades.
    • Let's not act all "holier than thou."
    • We don't know for sure what we may or may not have condoned -- whether living in Spain during the worst 3 centuries of the Spanish Inquisition, or in Nazi Germany, or the century plus after the year 1000.
  • Let's be convicted.
    • While remaining humble, we should take a stand on the issue of treatment of one's enemies, since Jesus so emphasized this (Matt 5).
    • When the church on the whole embraced the way of violence, beginning in the 4th century, they were abandoning the call of Christ.
    • The Crusades are a disgraceful blotch on the history and the memory of the church of Christ.
• Further study:
  • Basic:
    • Wikipedia article
    • History Channel Program
  • Intermediate: "How the Crusades Changed History" (24 half-hour lessons by Philip Daileader), published by The Teaching Company.
  • Note: While it is true that many been killed in religious wars, far more have perished in the 20th century alone at the hands of atheistic regimes: some 39 million in war, plus 169 million more in state-sponsored execution, genocide, or persecution (total 210m).

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.