About the Author
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Please let me take a moment to tell you about myself. But first, and more importantly, let me tell you how What is Christianity? came into existence.
Eleven of my books have been published, along with hundreds of articles and numerous pamphlets. But What is Christianity? is different from my other publications in some ways. While on a mission trip to Thailand and India, I observed the work of a veteran missionary, J. C. Choate, and his efforts in religious publication for the preachers, Christians and churches, not only of India, but also in many other places around the world. Before leaving Delhi on that trip in 1985, I formed a plan for a book which would be a simple primer or introduction to Christianity. I wanted it to be simple enough for a teenager to read and understand, and for an adult in the third world for whom English was his or her second language.
This book was to be aimed at the non-Christian, the recent convert or a teenager. My hope was for the book to be Christ-centered, rather than a book of dogmatics or church disputes. Other than a few references to a Greek dictionary, the only source I would quote would be the Bible. Knowing that for some readers this might be the only Christian book they would possess other than a Bible, my hope was to be as exhaustive as possible. I wanted to cover all of the major Christian doctrines (God, Christ, sin, salvation, the church, worship, the last things, the Christian life, etc.).
Extensive references needed to be given to guide the reader to appropriate scriptures on a wide variety of topics. If I have counted correctly, there are 1555 scripture references in this handy sized seventy page book. That is an average of about twenty-two Bible references per page. There are duplicate references, of course, but if someone would study all of the scriptures referenced, one would gain a fairly broad knowledge of the Bible. Additionally, there is a four-page section near the end which lists the books of the Bible and gives a brief description of each one. I knew that for some readers, my book would be the only commentary they would have.
The response to What is Christianity? has been very gratifying. Copies have gone to the following countries, and possibly to many others: Canada, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Cuba, Peru, Brazil, Belize, Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Moldavia, Switzerland, South Africa, Ghana, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, China, Philippines, and Korea.
Translations, and in some instances printings, have been made in Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Tamil, Telugu, Tagalog, and Ukranian, with others in the works such as Chinese. The total number in print is now somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000 after seven years.
What is Christianity? has been used in prison ministry, youth ministry, new converts classes, by native preachers around the world, in television ministries, in radio ministries, in home Bible studies, at county fairs, in "Welcome Wagon" packets, in visitor packets, as a Bible correspondence course, as an adult or teen Bible class book, and in many other ways.
My initial goal was to create a book which would thoroughly introduce people to Christianity, tell them what they needed to do in order to be saved and to become a Christian, and to give them enough guidance to live the Christian life and to worship God acceptably. I almost always keep at least one copy with me in my truck, so that I can give one away to people I meet--at the grocery store, at the gas station, or wherever. I may never see these people again, so I wanted to have something which, if they would read it and study their Bibles with it, would tell them all they needed to know in order to get to heaven.
Who am I? I have been a minister of the gospel for over thirty years and a college professor for almost a decade. My undergraduate education came from the University of Alabama and Harding University (B.S. in chemistry). My graduate education was from Harding University Graduate School of Religion (M.Th. in Bible), Lexington Theological Seminary, and Baylor University (Ph.D. in theology and ethics). Presently I teach ethics, history of doctrine, world religions, and spirituality at Southern Christian University in Montgomery, Alabama. Prior to that I taught as an adjunct professor for St. Leo College in Gainesville, Florida. And prior to that I was an instructor at International Bible College in Florence, Alabama. I am also a preacher deeply involved in church ministry in a university town.
Since I am asked about it so often, let me tell about the picture on the cover of What is Christianity? The photo was taken by me on a trip to Scotland in 1991 or 1992 when I visited the little island of Iona. The building in the picture is the restored chapel for the abbey which is associated with Columba. The stone Celtic cross is actually a reproduction, I believe, of an ancient one which is in the museum on the back side of the abbey. If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend a visit there very highly. Go to western Scotland to the seaport town of Oban. Take the Cal-Mac ferry to the island of Mull. A bus will take you across Mull. You will then need to take a small ferry about a mile across the water to Iona.
I hope you will get a copy of my book and examine it carefully. If you think it would be a useful tool for you in your efforts to teach others, then you can purchase my book very inexpensively in quantities. For the cost of one copy of a typical book on the market today, you can purchase a dozen of my books, keep one to read, and give the other eleven away to help others. Thank you for visiting my web site and giving What is Christianity? your consideration.
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