Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation.

The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here.


Book Reviews
Dr. Robert L. Sumner

GENESIS OF A LEGACY by Ken & Steve Ham; Master Books, Green Forest, AR; 3 Parts, 12 Chapters, 236 Pages; $16.99

The subtitle says it all: Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World. It opens with a discussion of ‘legacy’ and offers three samples: John Bunyan, Martin Luther and Charles Darwin – and the diverse legacies they left behind them – Bunyan through Pilgrim’s Progress, Luther through the reformation, and Darwin with his evolutionary ideas that Hitler promoted in his anarchy. Then it proceeds to discuss the legacy the Hams received from their godly dad and mum (as they say down under).

The three parts are: The Foundation of a Legacy (1 chapter by Ken, 1 by Steve and 1 co-written); The Components of a Legacy (3 chapters by Ken, 1 by Steve); and Building a Legacy (3 chapters by Steve, 2 by Ken). There is also a Prologue and an Epilogue, both written by Ken. The authors base much of what they say in illustration on the legacy they received from their parents – a philosophy that the Word of God is sufficient for raising kids right even if there are no other tools available.

At the end of each chapter are “Key thoughts from this chapter” and “Questions to consider,” with most also offering “Resources and tools,” and, when needed of course, the Endnotes.

Do you know how to raise children according to God’s Word? If you don’t, Ham bluntly questions: Then why are you having them? A good question, indeed. The Ham answers are not opinions or theories, but biblical facts! And you had better not count on the public schools – alas, some Christian schools are not much better – to teach your children. As Ken notes: “When secular schools in the United States eliminated creation, the Bible, and prayer from the classroom, they didn’t eliminate religion; they eliminated Christianity and replaced it with the religion of naturalism. Such a religion is not ‘neutral,’ it is anti-God.”

In one reference to his father he told of his response when their pastor explained the feeding of the 5,000 by saying when the lad took his lunch and shared it, it was example for the crowd and they did the same. (I could have told him where that idea originated: with Edgar J. Goodspeed, one of the Revised Standard Bible translators – with whom we had a “letter debate” wherein he called me a “murderer” for defending the long ending in Mark 16 – in his A Life of Jesus, page 105. Nothing supernatural took place; the whole crowd just shared lunches!)

Throughout the book is the biblical emphasis that a right relationship with God is more important for our children than everything and anything else. As Ken put it: “I would rather my children be ditch diggers and go to heaven than a famous scientist or sports star and go to hell.” The three essentials for building a proper legacy in any family are listed as compelling conviction, personal relationship with Christ, and understanding your roles and responsibilities as parents.

I urge every parent, grandparent and teacher – both public and church related – to get this book and study it well. You’ll thank me later!

*     *     *     *     *

REBEL-IN-CHIEF by Fred Barnes; Crown Forum, New York, NY; 10 Chapters, 220 Pages; $23.95

This review is an exception to our ‘review rule’ of only reviewing books sent to us by publishers. This one was a birthday present from Mrs. Sumner and so impressed me I wanted to mention it here and invite readers to obtain it. Barnes, of course, is executive editor of The Weekly Standard. Our impression of George W. Bush’s character went way up in reading it. That he is a born-again Christian we don’t doubt; neither do we doubt his ecumenism – and that may be based on what he feels is political necessity, although he doesn’t bow to other political protocol.

We liked, for one thing, his “town square test.” Formulated by Natan Sharansky, an ex-Russian dissident who is now an Israeli – a man Bush greatly admires – it may be summed up “if a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear or arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society, not a free” one. Bush want folks all over the world, not just Americans, to live in that free society.

Of special interest to Christians is the chapter simply titled “Faith-Based,” which deals with Bush’s personal religion and how he sees faith as a necessary part of democracy. While he prays often throughout the day (including the Oval Office) and reads both a daily devotional and the Bible, Barnes says, “He is not a Bible literalist. He doesn’t have a problem with evolution. He has little interest in theology or eschatology.” We hope one of his first jaunts after he retires will be to Hebron (KY) and a tour of AiG’s creation museum – that would be an eye-opener for him.

You will also learn that, in spite of cartoonists and late night jokers who like to refer to him as Dubya, he is anything but dumb. This is especially true when it comes to sizing up any issue, but especially those of foreign policy.

Permit this quote, from chapter 8: “Bush has been more powerfully affected by his faith than any other president, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter, a born-again Christian. And his faith has had an enormous impact on his policies, certainly more than Carter’s faith had on his policies … Bush knew how faith had changed his life and saw faith-based organizations, most of them Christian, achieving extraordinary results that exceeded those of government social service agencies.”

*     *     *     *     *

THE TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESS: A Portrait of Christ, by Frank Leon Barnes and Tonya Holmes Shook; Publish America, Baltimore, MD; 10 Sections, 52 Pages; $12.95, Paper

When it comes to the Old Testament tabernacle, this work is multum in parvo, which is Latin for “much in little.” There is an amazing wealth of information in this modest volume, the co-venture of a couple of Oklahoma natives. The doctrinal/teaching part is basically the work of Barnes and the penmanship that of Shook. Barnes, a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has made scale models of every part of the tabernacle and lectured on the Tabernacle all over the United States. After you read this, you may want him in your church.

Every teacher – minister or layperson – will find this Portrait of Christ an invaluable addition to his library. It is a study you can depend upon. Incidentally, the authors do not make the mistake of Seventh-day Adventists in thinking Satan is the one who takes our sins away, but properly identify our Scapegoat-Redeemer as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do yourself a favor and get this book!

*     *     *     *     *

MY GREAT BIG GOD by Andy Holmes, Illustrated by Caron Turk; Integrity Publishers, Franklin, TN; 20 Stories, 41 Pages; $9.99, Hardcover

This is really a fantastic book for young children and it is bound with cover and pages that are slick and washable (which mothers will love). Everything is “great” and “big” with chapter titles like “A Great Big World” (creation), “A Great Big Lion” (Daniel), “A Great Big Friend” (good Samaritan), “A Great Big Love” (Jesus’ death and resurrection), and “A Great Big Job” (the Great Commission).

The stories are in verse introduced by “My great big God’ wrote, or told, or gave, etc., and each story ends with a cliché. By way of example, the story of Jericho is titled “A Great Big Crash,” the Scripture reference is Joshua 5:13-6:20, the opening is “My great big God  told,” and the cliché at the end says, “My great big God makes big things happen.”

Both kids and parents should love it!

It would make a nice Christmas gift. Copies are available through our granddaughter: Erika Sumner, 5110 Wightman Court, Houston, TX 77069. And since she is kin, the editor will personally give a “money back guarantee” if you are not satisfied.

*     *     *     *     *

THE CHRIST OF CHRISTMAS by Calvin Miller; Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN; 32 Chapters, 144 Pages; $9.99

Subtitled Readings for Advent, it opens with an Introductory Story, “Gathering of Angels” (which we liked least of the book, perhaps because we are not into calling archangels “Mike” and “Gabe”), followed by the 31 brief devotionals. The later are dated before and after Christmas (December 1 through December 31) and each has a brief Scripture (written out, not just the reference), a brief devotional of two pages, an additional reading (reference) and comments, then a brief prayer.

They exalt Christ!

*     *     *     *     *

DADDY, WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME? By Sandra Schoger Foster; J.Countryman, Nashville, TN; 65 Pages; $10.99

Subtitled, Celebrating Special Moments Between Fathers and Daughters, there is no doubt but what it features a strong bond between girls and their dads. Alas, it also features a dance as the celebration of every important event in the girl’s life: being a flower girl in her aunt’s wedding, her 10th birthday, when some mean kids stuck bubble gum in her hair, when her best friend moved away, on her wedding day, when she and her husband moved away to a distant city, the birth of her first baby, and the final dance when she returned home for her elderly father’s birthday party – and their promise to dance together in Heaven. The book ends with her daughter dancing with her husband and the final words are, “And the dance goes on.”

Frankly, we are old-fashioned enough to be disappointed with this emphasis, even if the story does have a text: Psalm 149:3, NIV, “Let us praise his name with dancing.” We don’t think that type of dancing is intended in this passage.

*     *     *     *     *

REMEMBER JESUS CHRIST by Marvin E. Faile; Evangel Publications, Huntsville, AL; 8 Chapters, 171 Pages; $12

This volume is based on the command of Paul to his son in the faith, Timothy, to “Remember … Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 2:8). In 8 biblically-based chapters, Faile remembers the Pre-Existent Christ, the Virgin-Born Christ, the Perfect Christ, the Crucified Christ, the Resurrected Christ, the Ascended Christ, and the Coming Christ (two chapters, one on His coming for His church and one on His coming with His church, the rapture and the revelation).

The author, who has been married to Virginia for over a half-century, graduated from Tennessee Temple University (as it is known now) in the Class of 1955. He has a strong inerrancy position that includes a premillennial position and a deep love for prophecy – as indicated by two chapters on His coming.

Without concurring with every detail – for example, I do not believe Melchizedec was Christ – I think it is a very helpful book, well researched and thought-out. It will help any reader.

The book is dedicated to John Edmund Haggai, whose father, Waddy, has had several articles in The Biblical Evangelist in days gone by. The Foreword is written by Bobby Welch, the recently retired president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the endorsement of six other preachers – including his home church pastor – are given in the front of the book. We are happy to add our endorsement. In fact, we’ll give information for ordering: 13 Poinsettia Drive, Rome, GA 30161; Phone: (706) 295-2510; E-mail: mvfaile@aol.com. The price above includes shipping and handling.

*     *     *     *     *

HOPE FOR A NEW DAY by Todd & Susan Cook; Published by the Authors, 4822 18th Avenue, Kenosha, WI 53140; 366 Entries, 165 Pages; $12.00, Paper

To quote the authors, “This devotional book is designed for those who have gone through traumatic experiences and suffered lingering effects.” We previously reviewed their book, Hope for the Brokenhearted  (November-December 2004). This is a follow-up to that and has very brief devotionals for each day of the year, including Leap Year.

Here is a sample: For June 21 the title is “Moving Mountains,” the Scripture is Matthew 17:20, and the comment is as follows: “As fears and problems mount during the day, it is easy to be overcome by them. This verse says that all you need is the faith of a mustard seed to move the mountains in your life. Use that small amount of faith to go to God in prayer and give all your problems and fears one by one to Him. Let Him move the mountains in your life.”

*     *     *     *     *

THE TEXAS BAPTIST CRUCIBLE by James Spurgeon; Publish America, Baltimore, MD; 68 Tales, 284 Pages; $19.95, Paper

The author, who had just graduated from high school, and his father both left the safety, sanctity (and sanity) of their west Tennessee home and journeyed to Longview Texas to join the Longview Baptist Temple and enroll in Longview Baptist College, both controlled and run by Robert Glenn Gray, who goes by “Bob Gray.” [This reviewer was Managing Editor of The Sword of the Lord at the time his school was launched and part of my duties was to okay advertising – and Gray wanted to advertise in it big time. Although a few Sunday school rooms in his church were all he had, Gray wanted to call his school a “university” and himself “chancellor”! In the name of academic sanity I nixed that.] I also held meetings at the LBT more than a third of a century ago, long before Gray’s “reign.”

This book started after Spurgeon shook Longview’s dust from his feet and started amusing himself by telling some of his experiences there on the internet. He called them “Tales from the Temple” and they proved so popular he eventually decided to release them in this permanent format, using the “Tales” line as its subtitle. We are glad he did!

Gray, of course, is a Hyles clone (some say he out-Hyles’ Hyles!) and those in his church and school find themselves in a highly cultic atmosphere. Members of the church are in an Ayatollah Khomeini-like environment and students at the college are trained on an academic Sunday school level, for the most part. The author describes it “we were blind sheep” who “were treated like infants.”

By way of example, Spurgeon, in one tale, tells of a class on the Pentateuch both he and his dad were taking, taught by a fellow named Travis (for the most part, real names are used in the volume). This ‘scholarly professor’ offered his take on the forbidden fruit in Eden, telling the class it was “a grape” Eve ate, a conclusion he had reached because grapes often speak in Scripture of God’s wrath. His dad took his life in his hands (because you don’t question authority in that ‘college’) and interrupted the professor to point out, “Grapes don’t grow on trees!” Admittedly, such foolishness wouldn’t be teaching even on a Sunday school level; it would be sub-Sunday school! He also described his dormitory as “the most unChristian place I have ever lived.”

Why did he and the others put up with it? Spurgeon says, “… we were under the false notion that Longview Baptist Temple’s brand of Christianity was the faith once delivered to the saints. LBT was the remnant. We were the only ones left in a world gone liberal. If LBT and what she stood for died, Christianity died. If we ever wanted to be used of God at all, we had to finish TBC and leave with Gray’s approval … If Gray didn’t approve of us, our ministry was doomed to failure.” Tell me that is not cultic!

Read these two paragraphs and weep:

The number of lives that were wrecked, the number of people who were cast aside in our reckless, pillaging quest for fundamentalist immortality as Longview Baptist Temple members and Texas Baptist College students was a sad, pathetic, astounding number. I’ve lost track of most of them – just vague recollections, blurred faces, nobodies because they left – but every one of them somebody to God.

But they were nothing to the machinery that was LBT – just temporary means to be used to the fullest extent possible and then cast aside like yesterday’s garbage never to be remembered again. I am ashamed of how little I cared about other people while I was there.

And his conclusion at the end of the book:

The sad part is that the Longview Baptist Temple is still there and people are still being damaged, lives are still being ruined, and, worst of all, the name of Christ is still being dragged through the mud.

There are a host of other things I have in my notes I wanted to reference, but decided not to give it the space – like how little children are baptized over and over (it helps the numbers, the “bragging rights”), one kid boasted he’d been dunked 17 times; how Gray told his flock God’s will for their lives; how the best bus ministry ‘soul winners’ did it with “a thirty second … presentation, a worded prayer, and a show of hands”; and his conclusion about Gray: “This was a man of God? No. This was a liar, a manipulator, a tyrant …This is no man of God – not at all.” If this review will keep even one person from attending any of Longview’s ministries, we will consider the space well spent.

The author, Spurgeon, has the same name (he came by it naturally) as the son of “the Great Charlie” and he holds to the same strong Calvinism – and the Foreword was penned by an even more radical Calvinist. Fortunately, this theology does not come through in the book.

*     *     *     *     *

AGAINST ALL ODDS by Chuck Norris with Ken Abraham; Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, TN; 29 Chapters, 246 Pages; $14.99, Paper

Chuck Norris is, of course, “Walker, Texas Ranger,” and his easily recognizable face is on the front cover. I was interested in reading his biography because of the apparent contradiction I hoped would be solved. On the one hand, I heard he was a born-again Christian with a deep, abiding personal faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, I knew there were sometimes scenes in Ranger that involved the occult, especially when the program featured Indians. I was curious about the explanation.

I still don’t know because there was nothing said about the latter in the book. I did come to the conclusion that Norris does know the Lord – he made two professions of faith, one as a 12-year-old boy in a Baptist Church at Gardena (CA), a strong Bible-preaching church that not only helped the family spiritually, but materially as well – and later at a Billy Graham Los Angeles crusade when he was a high school senior. I also concluded he has a way to go in his sanctification. In fact, he repeatedly emphasizes that he is not perfect – a matter easy to see from the book (in which he seems very honest).

Carlos (his real name) was born in poverty, partly because he had drunken father who spent almost every penny he could lay his hands on for booze. His Christian mother kept the little family (Norris was the eldest of 3 boys) together and alive by what meager money she was able to earn. She eventually divorced him when Chuck was 16 and his siblings were 12 and 4, later remarrying.

His turning point came when he got out of high school and joined the Air Force. Sent to Korea, he got into Judo and then into a Korean karate called tang soo do, where he began to shine. After his military stint he started teaching and opened some Chuck Norris Karate schools. To make a long story short, he eventually became the undefeated 6-time World Professional Middle Weight Karate Champion and the only man in the Western Hemisphere to hold an 8th degree Black Belt Grand Master in Tae Kwon Do. His friendship with martial art screen star Bruce Lee got him into movies and television – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Norris’ spiritual life wasn’t always so hot. He married Dianne Holecheck fresh out of high school (she was 17) and she proved to be a big help to him. Their marriage had some stormy spots and one time they even separated, but got back together and once again she was a big help. After 30 years of marriage, however, they had “grown apart” to where they agreed to a ‘friendly’ divorce in 1989. Neither had scriptural ground.

Not too long after his divorce he received a letter from a Dianna DeCioli who informed him, “I am your daughter.” It seemed that 29 years before, when he was in Riverside (CA) waiting for his military discharge, he and his brother were in a nightclub where they met a couple of sisters and spent the evening drinking and dancing with them (evangelicals call it “picking-up strangers”).

Norris started dating one of them without telling her he was married (evangelicals call it “sneaking around”) while his wife was a few miles away in Los Angeles fixing up an apartment for them to enjoy in wedded bliss. He and Johanna had sex in the back seat of his car at a drive-in movie (evangelicals call it fornicating or adultery, a breach of the marriage vows) and Dianna was the result, although he doesn’t like calling her illegitimate (the biblical word, used by almost all modern translations, but he would like the KJV word even less). He eventually married his current wife, Gena, also a divorcée with children, although they lived together for a year first (evangelicals call it “shacking up”).

In all of this, Norris is very clear that his actions were wrong, that God does not and will not condone them. Yet he seems to very lightly dismiss them by saying how “good” came out of the “evil” every time. In fact, he titled his chapter about his illegitimate (oops!) daughter, “A Sin That Became a Blessing!” But, then, this is true to his personal worldview of positive thinking, which he promotes throughout the book.

Norris, with all his faults, has done a lot of good. His youth program, KickStart, has turned a lot of lives around among kids in hopeless environment/situations. He and Gena want to be short-term missionaries, perhaps by providing “food, clothing, and medicine for children in troubled spots around the world.” In politics he is a strong conservative, saying, “I believe in less government interference in our daily lives and each person taking more responsibility for his or her own actions. He was heavily involved in the Bush campaigns (in the younger one’s Texas and national both).

The book has 16 pages of excellent full-color photos and, as is becoming more and more popular, the first chapter of his next book, The Justice Riders in the back, obviously to perk interest and future sales. The hero is Captain Ezra Justice, a soldier in the Confederate Army, during the Civil War.

*     *     *     *     *

THROUGH THE BIBLE THROUGH THE YEAR by John R. W. Stott; Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI; 3 Parts, 52 Weeks, 432 Pages; $24.99

Stott’s full name, in case anyone is interested, is John Robert Walmsey Stott and he is an Anglican theologian who long pastored Church of All Souls at Langham Place, London – first as curate and then as rector – and also served as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II for about a third of a century. He has authored over 40 books, chief among which was Basic Christianity and The Cross of Christ. Considered evangelical, he adopted the doctrine of annihilation late in his ministry. We did not note any of the latter in this work, but it is a devotional book and we wouldn’t expect any.

Subtitled Daily Reflections from Genesis to Revelation, the three parts are: From Creation to Christ: An Overview of the Old Testament (The Life of Israel) September to December (17 weeks); From Christmas to Pentecost: An Over view of the Gospels (The Life of Christ) January to April (17 weeks); and From Pentecost to the Parousia: An Overview of the Acts, the Letters, and the Revelation (Life in the Spirit) May to August (18 weeks).

Stott is a gifted writer and while not agreeing with everything – he is Anglican and I am a Fundamental Baptist – most will gain considerable profit from these readings.

*     *     *     *     *

THIS LITTLE CHURCH STAYED HOME BY Gary E. Gilley; Evangelical Press, Webster, NY; 4 Sections, 15 Chapters, 190 Pages; $14.95, Paper

In our May-June issue we reviewed this author’s This Little Church Went to Market and this could (and should) be considered a follow-up volume, subtitled, A Faithful Church in Deceptive Times. He zeros in on what he calls evangelical “fads (from Promise Keepers to the ‘Prayer of Jabez’ to ‘Forty Days of Purpose’ to ‘The Passion of the Christ’) each promising to reform the church.”

But, after quoting figures released by Barna in his Preface titled “Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?” he laments, “Now, after two decades of church leaders buying and implementing everything that the market-driven gurus have offered, we find far fewer people attending church services (of any kind). Their methodologies have failed, yet Barna encourages us to keep it up.” The result? “Ministers are being trained, not to be shepherds of the flock, but presidents of a corporation.”

This book is divided into 4 sections: A Postmodern World (5 chapters), The Church’s Mandate (3 chapters), The Scriptures (3 chapters), and Pressing Challenges (4 chapters).

In a postmodern world where the only absolute is that there are no absolutes, where does man go for truth? The answer, of course, is to God and His Word and Gilley makes that very clear. He also makes clear that the same answer should hold for the church, not the experience orientated ideals of the seeker friendly church of the 21st century that believes “the purpose of life is enjoyment and personal fulfillment!”

Gilley’s answer, in his mandate for the church, is building up the body through teaching (doctrine), a return to church discipline (something forgotten by those obsessed with church growth), and what he calls “love for an offensive gospel” (which is biblical evangelism in daily action, admittedly something the world doesn’t want to hear).

While he does not object to modern translations, he does argue strongly against paraphrases and for literalness – and well he should. He laments the lack of Bibles in the congregations of modern churches (even those who preach some of it) and notes the average individual in those assemblies would have a hard time finding Genesis, say nothing of Ezekiel. In short, they are biblically illiterate. One chapter in this section is devoted to Rick Warren’s best-seller, The Purpose-Driven Life and he is clear that while much he says is good, “every third page (on average) … presents either an unbiblical, or at least a biblically unsupportable idea …” And he quotes “favorably from a wide variety of dubious authors,” along with “unqualified acceptance and promotion” of Roman Catholicism. And he gives ten examples of his “torturing Scripture” by distorting them, although he says he found 40 such cases.

Gilley’s book is one of the most disturbing books we perused in some time, primarily because of what it portrays about the 21st century church. About today’s evangelicals he notes, “Few have bothered to deny the Bible itself, they just misquote it, abuse its meaning, force their opinion on it, and if necessary mistranslate it to give the appearance that the Scriptures are backing their claims.” That is why his best chapter just might be, “The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture.” He also has two helpful chapters examining the “mysticism” (including “labyrinths”) so prevalent in today’s seeker-friendly churches and two chapters on the “Emergent Church.”

There is also an Appendix in which he evaluates Barna, arguing some of the things that concern us about this researcher. We have long been reluctant to accept Barna’s conclusions unless we could find the same in Gallop!

We urge you to get this book!

*     *     *     *     *

THE BAKER POCKET GUIDE TO NEW RELIGIONS by Nigel Scotland, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI; 40 Chapters, 255 Pages; $9.99, Paper

Scotland, who is British (surprise!) teaches at the University of Gloucestershire where he chairs the School of Theology and Religious Studies. In fact, this volume was first published in Oxford in 2005 as A Pocket Guide to Sects and New Religions. Both titles strain at the “new” since several go back about 200 years and some hundreds of years – in fact, if you accept Masonry’s claims for itself, back to Old Testament time. Many of the older ones are featured by their modern counterparts and offshoots, however.

Altogether there are nearly 50 “religions” discussed (even UFO religions, which should embarrass some evangelicals), sometimes several in the same study – which explains only 40 chapters. Some of them we had never even heard of before, which speaks well of Scotland’s research. Because of that factor, we had to place our trust in the book’s reliability by those we were familiar with and, in those cases, we found him basically reliable.

There are some misstatements, however. In dealing with Masonry, he says, “Freemasons believe in the importance of the Bible, which is referred to as The Volume of the Sacred Law and is always open at very Masonic meeting.” Not true! At a Mormon temple in Salt Lake City it might be The Book of Mormon in the honored place; Freemasonry is not particular which sacred book is featured.

In his chapter on Masonry we were interested in his Norman Vincent Peale quote, “I consider Masonry to be the purest religion on earth,” which doesn’t say much for Peale’s smarts or his discernment. God to the Mason is “the Great Architect” and he can be about anyone you choose (some places forbid naming him as Jesus Christ and the highest degree in Craft Masonry he is revealed as Jah-Bul-On – the Ja being Yahweh, Bul being Baal, and On being the Egyptian god of the underworld, Osiris. What a trinity!

Our biggest criticism is the book’s lack of documentation. In effect, the author is saying “trust me” with the charges he makes. Those trying to use it as a reference guide will be handicapped. At the same time, it is a handy “pocket” guide and we expect to refer to it repeatedly.