Author’s Preface

I was born in Columbus, Ohio, in the fall of 1955. My family attended a large Methodist church. To me, it was like being raised nothing. The joke I tell about that church is that Jesus Christ was only mentioned when the janitor fell down the stairs. By the time I was 15, I had enough. I told my father that I didn’t want to go back.

That started my spiraling out of control into drugs, girlfriends, and general rebellion. My friends and I tried our hands at stealing a television and stereo from an RV dealer and selling them, not because we needed the money, but for me, it was for the same reason I tried to see how much LSD I could take and still ride my motorcycle. It was for the adrenaline rush. Just before my 17th birthday, I managed to get arrested for “possession of hallucinogens,” otherwise known as pot. As you may imagine, my parents were not pleased.

The one love of my life was the art classes offered at my high school. I had taken biology in summer school to allow me to take two periods of art back-to-back, and those were the only classes I excelled in. It was a sanctuary for me. Yet, even then, I didn’t push myself. I drew cartoons for the high school newspaper; that was all I did. But then, one of the art teachers laid down a challenge.

Bob McLinn ruled over the 2D art room. He was a hard-boiled character in his 30s and had no trouble speaking his mind. One day, he was making his rounds in the classroom when he hovered over my shoulder as I drew yet another goofy character. “Always cartoons!” he spat with a touch of disgust, and then he strolled off, grasping his hands behind his back in search of another student to critique.

That felt like a slap; no one had ever said anything like that to me, and I took it as a challenge. I would show him that I could paint and draw more realistic pieces that would be worthy of his respect, and I started immediately.

I found that I was going to have to quit the drugs and concentrate if I was going to pull this off. And I did. Somehow, I delved into my art studies with such zeal and purpose that I still wonder where it came from. However, the summer days after high school were filled with drawing for hours a day in preparation for the Cleveland Institute of Art that fall.

The Art Institute is next door to Case Western University, and then there was to be found about every imaginable group, religion, and activity on God’s green earth. There, shaved-headed Hari Krishnas in orange saffron robes forced sticks of incense on unsuspecting passersby while beating on drums. Students for a Democratic Society, Buddhists, Christian groups, and those peddling whatever new trend had recently come from India manned tables in the Student Center, vying for attention.

For me, a 17-year-old freshman who had spent countless hours roaming the quiet woods near my home with my dog or cloistered in my bedroom drawing, this experience was an assault. Even as you drove toward Cleveland back then, you didn’t need a mileage sign to tell you how close you were to the city—you could smell it. The steel mills filled the air with noxious fumes that colored the sunsets an eerie green, orange and purple. It was bizarre. A morning DJ on the radio once quipped, “Today, the pollution count is (so high), if you go outside, hold your breath.”

But here I was, bound and determined to become a great artist. I plunged into my studies with a fervor that earned the admiration of my life drawing professor, but I still felt my goals and potential were eluding me. I grasped for whatever I could, like a drowning man looking for something to hold onto. I read I Ching, Plato’s Republic, and Michelangelo's Theory of Art, not to mention the book we read for the Literary Survey class that covered literature from the book of Genesis to Cervantes. I went to a Buddhist meeting and Christian Science lecture, studied Kundalini yoga, and started Transcendental Meditation. Nothing worked. I was no closer to my goal.

Then, one night in March of 1974, sitting alone in my basement apartment and listening to the howling wind rattle the windows, I was trying to do Transcendental Meditation after mesmerizing myself with Kundalini yoga. I was suddenly overcome by fear, and I shook so badly I could hardly maintain my lotus position. It was overwhelming. I had hit rock bottom and cried out to the One I knew was there. In my desperation, I called out, “God! God!” I heard a soft voice say, “Wait one more day,” and just then, a peace came over me that I had never known.

I fell asleep like a baby, and when I awoke, I forgot all about the previous night’s experience. You see, I had been accustomed to strange visions from the yoga and hallucinations from the drugs, so this was not out of the ordinary.

Heading to class, I walked past two large Medieval-looking churches, listening to their bells call out the hour. Not a peep, no sign of life, or any indication of what I was to wait one more day for.

It wasn’t until that afternoon, after my last class, that I was sitting alone in the breakroom having a snack when a girl from my classes appeared. Mary Martha Koos told me that she had been wanting to talk with me for a while. And talk we did. I told her about my search for answers and how nothing was working. She told me about a Bible class that would teach me what I wanted to know. One thing she said was that the class would help me overcome worry and fear. Overcome fear? I was in, and there was no looking back.

A few weeks later, I was sitting in Peter Jay’s living room, finishing the final Power for Abundant Living session. I wondered, “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me this before?” You see, I had wanted to know.

Eventually, I left the art school, having completed only two years. I couldn’t reconcile wanting to be a great artist and staying in fellowship with God. At one time, I was so depressed, I attempted suicide by sticking my head in the gas oven in my apartment, but I was interrupted by a phone call from the owner of Lick's Ice Cream Parlor (my employer). It didn’t matter that people would tell me to “seek first the kingdom of God…” I couldn’t do it; I was trying to serve two masters, so I decided to leave art behind. If God ever wanted me to do anything with art, He would have to hit me over the head with it.

My biblical studies led me to many years of study in non-accredited institutions, and one that is now defunct. So, my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theology may leave you skeptical. I understand that. My accredited degrees are in art and education. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Media, a Master of Fine Arts Painting, and an EdD in Higher Education Leadership. Because I didn’t attend a known seminary, my approach to the Bible may seem off the beaten track. Here it is, in a nutshell.

That’s it. I don’t want to add to, subtract from, or change what God said. I honed this idea after my daughter was born because, in 2010, I returned to art school to finish my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I was glad to hear about a Christian fellowship on the campus, and I asked one of the group leaders what day the group met, and he promptly sent me a list of their beliefs, along with a question: "Do you believe these things?"It was a litmus test. He demanded to know if my beliefs aligned with his group's doctrine. From previous experience,I knew there was only one correct way to answer: his way.

I decided to pray and ask God how I should respond. I sensed God saying I should reply, "It is against my conscience to describe my beliefs outside the scriptures." The verse I used is the following one.

John 10:36

36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

I did not quote a famous theologian, a Christian creed, or a church doctrine. Irepeated what Jesus said. My response was obviously not what he was looking for because later, word got back to me that mybeliefs were the topic of discussion in that group, and they were even warning their members about me! How anyone reacts is not up to me. Since that day, I have decided not to use anything other than scripture to describe my beliefs. The Lord Jesus Christ is my example. After his baptism, when Jesus heard his Father say, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased," he went into the wilderness for 40 days. He was then confronted by the Devil, who said, "If you are the son of God..."God had said to Jesus, "This is..." and Satan said, "If you are..."

How would you respond? What did Jesus use for his response? Did he quote a Jewish creed? How about what a famous rabbi said? Or did he citea Jewish tradition? The Right Reverend Dr. Bigshot? His opinion? No, none of the above. Here is what he said.

ASV Matthew 4:4

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Look at his first three words. Jesus said to the Devil, "It is written..."Where was it written? It was written in the scriptures. And why not quote a creed, a theologian, or a church doctrine...aren't they "safe"? If they were somehow better than scripture or equal to scripture, or if they help to explain scripture, then why didn't the Lord Jesus use something like that here, especially while face to face with the Devil, the most cunning and evil of all enemies? The Lord Jesus Christ quoted what is written, and he said that we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Theologians, Bible teachers, and Church councils have often contradicted each other. Countless believers have been persecuted, tortured, and killed over various shades of doctrine. I have decided to choose scripture onlyto define my beliefs. Whether you express your viewswith the tradition of your church, the "Church Fathers," your favorite preacher, or your cousin is entirelyup to you. What I would like to do in this book is to make the distinction clear: There are things that God said and things God never said. This way, our selections can be based on a conscious decision and not merelybecause we habitually go a certain way. As the Lord Jesus said, “Narrow is the way.”

Matthew 7:14

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Why write this book? I wanted to put down what I have learned over my life as a Christian. I wrote this mainly with my children in mind, but hopefully, others will benefit. My prayer is that it will make an impact by getting believers to see if what they believe is in the scripture or not.

Books like this can make their authors infamous, especially among those who consider themselves guardians of what is known as “Historic Christianity.” Historic Christianity is what was settled on as orthodox (or the right way to believe) beginning around 325 AD, several hundreds of years after the New Testament books were written. Nancy Percy wrote this regarding what is known as classic Protestantism.

“Classic Protestantism stemming from the Reformation defines the Christian life largely in terms of participation in the church’s corporate worship and liturgy. A church expressed its identity through creeds and confessions, maintained by the authority of clerical office.”[1]

However, Historic Christianity differs from what believers practiced from after the resurrection of Jesus Christ until the later years of the first century. This difference accounts for why what we read in the Bible makes us believers today look like kindergarteners by comparison. What we read in the Bible could be called “biblical Christianity.” Biblical Christianity contains no formal creeds or man-made confessions. There is no clergy or laity. And there are many other differences we’ll examine in this book.

What is our worldview supposed to be?

A worldview can be understood as the way in which we view and interpret things in our world. This may shock some of you, but I do not support having a Christian worldview. Why not, you may ask? Are you not a Christian? Absolutely! I am a Christian.

However, today there are about 40,000 Christian denominations.[2]Which one will we pick for our worldview? Baptist? Roman Catholic? Christadelphian? Adventist? Mormon? Methodist? The Church of What’s Happening Now? I can find points of agreement with almost every one of those 40,000 denominations, but I can find things I don’t believe line up with scripture. That’s why I don’t support having a Christian worldview.

I also don’t support a biblical worldview. Again, you may ask, why not? Don’t you believe in the Bible? I do! There are thousands of different Bible translations. Which one do we choose? For example, here is the same verse from two versions of the Bible—the New International Version and the King James version.

NIV Ephesians 3:9-11

9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

Ephesians 3:9

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

One version says that God created all things; the other says He created all things by Jesus Christ. Which Bible should we choose for our worldview?

I also don’t support having Christian values. Why? Because values are not universal. I may have Christian values, but others can have values that directly oppose mine. What if their values include things like outlawing Christianity, promoting degeneracy, or legalizing behaviors that God calls sin?

A Universal Worldview—The Scriptures

What I do support is a scriptural worldview. There is only one of those, and scripture—God’s Word—has universal application. And in this book, I will be promoting that worldview.

I believe that most of the things that divide Christians are not our denomination, our choice of Bible, or whether we promote Christian values. The things that most often divide us are when we cling to things God never said. Christians are famous for coming up with words and phrases that are not in the scripture.

Martin Luther was one of the main sparks of the Protestant Reformation. He was attacked as a heretic for challenging the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and, at that time, heretics were burned at the stake. When Luther was put on trial to defend his writings, he said, "Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen." [3]

Luther was also known for saying, "My conscience is held captive by the Word of God." So, too, is my conscience. And I pray to God that I would exhibit the same courage should I ever face a trial as Luther did.

From 2006 to 2010, as a volunteer, for fouryears, I taught Bible classes in three prisons in Michigan, and one of those is the foundation for this book. I used to tell the men, "I am not here to try to change you. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to. That is God's job, not mine." Why would I try if God is unwilling to force anyone to change? Only God can convince you of the wisdom to agree with Him. Now you know my point of view, and it is this perspective that colors the remainder of this book.

Our Christian lives all began with a confession. That confession wasn't a statement of faith from a church or council but comes straight from Romans 10: 9, 10.

NIV Romans 10:9

9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

What is it to confess? It is not to admit to wrongdoing, and here it is not confessing sin. This word, translated as confess, is the Greek word homologeo, Meaning: to say the same thing as another, i.e., to agree with.[4] We all got our start by agreeing with God. God said, "Jesus is Lord," and we responded by saying, "Jesus is Lord."Our disagreeing with God doesn't change anything (except for the worse), but when we agree with Him, it changes everything (for the better). Our agreement with God wasn't supposed to stop when we became Christians. We continue agreeing with Him every day of our lives.

ASV Hebrews 4:14

14 Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (homologeo).

Where do we look to find what He has said so we may agree with Him? Of course, we go to the scriptures because we will see the truth there.

ASV John 17:17

17 Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth.

There are 97,921 words in the ancient Greek language used by the Classical Greek writers, but God inspired them to use only 5,857 of these words in the Greek New Testament. So, there are 92,064 Greek words that God never used even once.[5]Out of all the Greek words that were available for God to use, He only chose about 6% of them!

So then, in our pursuit to agree with God, or to say what He says, let’s look for one of those words He chose to describe Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12:2

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The English word finisher is translated from the Greek word teleiotes, Meaning: 1) a perfector, 2) one who has raised faith to its perfection and so set before us the highest example of faith.[6]

This word is also unique in the fact that it appears only once in the New Testament. It does, however, appear in scripture, so this is a word that I will choose in describing my beliefs about the Lord Jesus. He is the perfector of my faith.

Another example of one of the 5,857 Greek words that God chose to use in the New Testament is the word prouparchon, which means to exist previously[7]. This word appears two times in scripture (Luke 23:12 and Acts 8:9), but God never used it to describe Jesus Christ. In that case, I will not use it to explain what I believe about the Lord Jesus. Does that mean I do not believe in the preexistence of Christ? If not one verse of scripture describes Jesus with the word, prouparchon, or the phrase "the preexistence of Christ" never appears in God's Word, it is something God never said. It must go.

If God never describes Jesus this way in scripture, how did this teaching make its way into the Christian dialogue about Jesus? The phrase "the preexistence of Christ" does not appear in the Bible but in early Christian writers' works. One writer was a man named Eusebius in his book called Against Marcellus.[8]

For centuries, Christian writers, theologians, and Christian Councils have described our Christian beliefs in other words and phrases that do not appear once in scripture. If we, as Christians, say the Word of God is our standard for truth, then do we need anything extra? Is scripture good enough, or is it not? The words that God chose are as it says in Psalm 12:6.

NIV Psalm 12:6

6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silverrefined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

The words of the Lord are flawless because they are the words He chose to use to describe the ideas that He wants to communicate to us. And as God is perfect, His Word is also, and the words He chose to use are perfect too. They are not words that a man thought better explained God's ideas to us. They are God's ideas.

You see, that is what words do. They describe ideas. If we don't have a word for something, we cannot explain it. For instance, I could ask you, "What does a banana taste like?"Without the words to describe the idea, all you could say is, "It tastes like a banana." Words are not just random collections of letters or sounds but a means of communicating thoughts. And the words God used to communicateHis thoughts will set us free.

NIV John 8: 31, 32

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

How do we get to know the truth? To know something in this manner is not what we gain by merely being exposed to teachings. It comes from hearing the truth and practicing it. This word for know in John 8:32 is the Greek word, ginosko, Meaning: 1) to learn to know, come to know.[9] It is the knowledgeyou get by reading a book about baseball and then getting out and playing the game. After studying the rules, putting on a baseball glove, feeling a baseball bat in your hands, and running the bases, you ginosko, you know baseball by experience. And we can see the truth this way, too.

Many Christian clichés have made inroads into our vocabulary, but since they are things that God never said, they cannot set us free. They will have the opposite effect on us. If we are to be truly free,we must come back to what God said. Where in scripture do we find these?

· I'm just a saved sinner

· God can heal you if He wants to

· That died with the Apostles

You might argue that these sayings express the meaning of a verse or a passage of scripture, but I contend that if it is not in God's Word, it has no business coming out of my mouth.

Sometimes people think I’m being too picky about this; however, have you ever missed one number in a lock combination? How about a phone number? What happens if you put an @ symbol in the wrong place in an email address or misspell a word in a search bar? Should we not be at least as precise when it comes to rightly dividing the Word of truth? [10]How did we get to the place where it is controversial, blasphemous, or heretical to describe our beliefs with scripture only?

Before we get into the actual study, I want to warn you. The things you are about to read in this book may anger you. They may anger you because you see how well-meaning but ill-informed teachers have misled you. You may find that some teachers even misled you, knowing full well that what they were teaching you was not the truth, but they are so deeply invested in it that they “cannot afford” to change. You may also become angry because what I teach cuts across your deeply held religious beliefs.

Let me say that my purpose in writing this book is not to upset anyone. My aim is, however, to strip away all the man-made doctrines and practices that have come to be known as “Christianity.” As I start peeling away the things man has added to what God has said, many people become unsettled, even angry, and sometimes very angry. If you have sat through my live teachings, you will be familiar with the duct tape. I have a roll of duct tape handy, and I tell the classes that if what I am teaching causes them to become so upset that they think their heads will explode, they can grab the tape and put some around their heads before it does.

Life is a journey, and if you are ready to come along with me and leave much of what is familiar aside, then you are prepared for this book.

Matthew 15:13

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

Jesus said that. I have come to understand that this is a good thing. I do not want anything planted in me that is not from God. This rooting-out process is going to take courage, effort, and, most of all, a coachable heart. If that description fits you, then, by all means, let’s continue our journey.

Sincerely yours,

M. Taylor Overbey, MFA, EdD

[1] Percy, Nancy. Total Truth-Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. Crossway, 2008. Pages 256-257.

[2] Fairchild, M. (2020, April 16). Essential stats and facts about Christianity Today. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/christianity-statistics-700533

[3]www.greatsite.com. English Bible History, Martin Luther. Accessed December 21, 2011

[4] James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.#3670, as referenced in BibleWorks software.

[5] E.W. Bullinger. How to Enjoy the Bible, the Word and Words; How to Study Them. American Christian Press, New Knoxville, OH, 45871. Page 228.

[6] James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.#5051, as referenced in BibleWorks software.

[7] Ibid #4391.

[8] G.C. Hansen and E. Klostermann, Eusebius Werke, Band 4: Gegen Marcell. Über die kirchliche Theologie. Die Fragmente Marcells [Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller 14, 2nd edn. Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1972]: 1-58.

[9] James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. #1097, as referenced in BibleWorks software.

[10] 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.