- Terri Wrigle. Eufaula, Oklahoma
"The Miracle Free Gospel" is a refreshing read. The author captures Jesus' true nature in a way that can be understood and identified with. It truly expresses the true nature of Christ, which is love, kindness, tolerance and intelligence. (The Miracle Free Gospel) removes the religious dogma, which allows the true nature of Christ to shine through.
- Terri Wrigle. Eufaula, Oklahoma Read the book excerpts, starting half-way down the page. (The Miracle Free Gospel is) atrocious to the point of being funny. - Ian Firestone. Richmond, Virginia All cult leaders have as their main objective to cast doubt on the Bible. Without the Bible, man is without way to know the mind and will of God. By taking it out of the hearts of man, the enemy and his minions can sew into that empty space all manner of filth. Here is how the author says we should view his book; "Consider The Miracle Free Gospel as a parable. William P Young posed the question, "What happens when the people start looking for the prodigal son?" Obviously, they don't find him, because he is fictional. Jesus made him up. Yet, in the search, a person might find something else. It is the same with TMFG. Writing it was not about making the Gospel more palatable. I wrote it because I was inspired to do so. And when it was done, it simply WAS more palatable." He says he was "inspired" of which I fully believe to be true. His inspiration comes from the enemy, of who he is following with all his might. And is this book "palatable" as he claims? NO! What (the author) calls "palatable," I call damnable heresy. (The author) is not doing anything new, but is following thousands of years of his father's plans to destroy the work of God. The Body must be given notice when a wolf has come into the fold! On April 19, 2014 Leonard Curtis founded the Facebook 'fan page', The Miracle Free Gospel - Exposed! The Page's mission statement reads "Exposing the dangers of a new book calling into question the miracles of Christ in a most callous manner." Leonard Curtis lives in Taylorsville, Utah. Visit Leonard Curtis on Facebook. "A creative and irreverent re-imagining of the Gospel of John that is sure to contribute to the conversation of what the gospels are actually all about. The author's goal here is for less dogma and more whimsy, which is refreshing." - Ryan McCormick. Surrey, British Columbia To begin with, (The Miracle Free Gospel) was claimed to be a response written at the end of the first century against the myriad of miracles supposedly wrought by Jesus in traditions that were circulating at the time. I had previously wondered about this, since Paul never mentioned any miracles, and many skeptics have questioned this aspect of Jesus’ ministry. I love skeptics when it comes to the Bible, but to claim this was recently discovered, well salt and pinch came to mind. The meat: As I began to read I was taken by the author's attitude which, as I progressed, began to make sense and, the more I read, the more plausible his Jesus came to be. By the end, I knew this was one of Paul’s “another gospel, another Jesus”, but you know what? I found this Jesus more believable and approachable and human than any before. More than that, he was FUNNY! Yes, a very witty and funny Jesus! Who would have believed it? If for no other reason, you must read (The Miracle Free Gospel) for the creative style and reasoned provocation to the average Christian who, although I’m sure wont love it, will increase their thinking about how the gospels came to be and how the earthly Jesus was promoted by the authors (for religious-political reasons) from man, to son of man, son of God, and ultimately God himself. You just have to read it to realize he was a man and probably a funny man. Poking fun at Peter playing with less than a full deck strikes me as quite close to the truth, plausible even. The removal of miracles and some very neat explanations of what ‘really’ happened mean you can apply this stuff to your life! Okay some miracles are ‘explained away’ or left with a different ending, eg John 4:46, but hey, life is about understanding right? And this certainly provokes that, in my opinion. I could go on a lot more, but if you want to go out on a limb, get a copy and read it and make your own mind up. - Paul Pells. London, UK Scholars have long speculated about the existence of an early, miracle-free version of the Gospel of John. It wasn’t until recently that a Palestinian discovery proved this speculation to be true. The miracles of Jesus were added to the text of the Gospel of John around 130 CE. What you’ll read in Geick’s book is the original Gospel, translated from Aramaic into English. In this early rendition of Jesus’ life, everything remotely fantabulous no longer exists. No shocking miracles, no birth stories, no resurrection body. The real Jesus is so grey that one wonders how he could have possibly affected history the way he did. Jesus is merely a next-door-neighbor type, friendly, a little crude, quite powerless but likeable. He dies because rumors of miracles got out of hand. It’s a parody, of course, or perhaps a wild guess. Why...? Why did you do this to my Jesus? Disturbed, I read past the end of the book into the bonus material, where I found excerpts from prior books. (The author) likes to call himself a Hopeful Theist, by which he implies that he rejects history’s various attempts to describe God, yet hopes there is more to life than meaningless grief. This is the Jesus he identifies with … one who tried to teach folks but wound up crucified for no good reason. A cute read, but it probably reveals more about the author than the subject. Read it with a grain of salt to get to know (the author), because it’s a long way from anything any Jesus scholar I know would confirm! :) Lee Harmon lives in Lino Lakes, Minnesota, and blogs at The Dubious Disciple. He grew up in Oregon, in a strict Christian home surrounded by fundamental Bible beliefs. He is the author of Revelation: The Way It Happened and John’s Gospel: The Way It Happened I think (The Miracle Free Gospel) is exactly what's needed for the times. I believe it will help many relate to the Bible... Due to the concretized language the Bible is written in, and some of the allegories/myths/miracles it uses to point with, many resist it and cannot relate to it. We need a true friend first, one we can talk to without fear, as we would talk to our self or a good friend, today. As I see it, (The Miracle Free Gospel) is the true friend many are seeking. - Ken Leisering. Crystal Lake, Illinois I dare anyone out there with a brain to read this book. Believer or non-believer, you will find yourself challenged. Believers will see a side of Jesus that is more human, non-believers will see a side that is more humane. The author is not asking you to change what you think or believe about the matter. Pick what works for you and discard the rest, by all means. But stretch your comfort zone a bit. You may laugh and you may cry, you might get mad, who knows. You may walk away with a more well-rounded view, even if you don't agree. I enjoyed it, and I truly think any thinking man or woman will too! - Daniel W Drake. Huntington, West Virginia The Jesus represented in The Miracle Free Gospel is about the best we can hope for in ourselves.3/27/2014
(The Author) reminds us what people see from us; our humanity and immaturity... through it all, Christ finds a way to be noticed in us but, for the most part, we are not much of a representation. The Jesus represented in (The Miracle Free Gospel is) about the best we can hope for in ourselves... - Steve Duncan. Edmonton, Alberta There have always been prophetic voices; those who speak to their generation, their culture, their contemporaries in this ever changing world. As I read The Miracle Free Gospel, I couldn’t help being reminded of Clarence Jordan, founder of Koinonia Community, and his “Cotton Patch Gospels”. The Gospel reality is intact, yet it is a message spoken to and about a people who would understand what he was saying because it relate(s/d) to those who Clarence Jordan served, and those who have a heart for universal application of the message of truth. In this generation and time, I see this book as being yet another prophetic voice, speaking on more than one level to contemporaries of all ages who are willing to break out of the narrow, rigid box of man made tradition and (as The Rule of St. Benedict instructs) “listen with the ear of the heart.” I am in the company of many who are saying that we are living in a moment of “A New Reformation”; “A New Awakening”. I feel confident that in this writer there lives the heart of one who continues to reach out for real truth and that seeking continues to be met with a prophetic gifting that is expressed in multiple ways. This book is one of those ways!! By the way, there is some great bonus material at the end of the book that includes excerpts from other books. Just a brief comment here on the excerpt included, from the book “Returning Home”. (The writer's) encounter with the LDS missionaries is a stunning image of walls that are dissolving so that dialogue; honest from the heart dialogue, can take place in this world that has all too often identified it’s enemies by dogma and fashion. - Will Byrd. San Francisco, California A hilarious expose of a nonsensical view of the universe. Everyone should read it. Ten out of ten! - Matthew Moore. Leicester, UK The Miracle Free Gospel is a message of hope in an unusual format. The author has chosen to translate the book... into today’s vernacular. This comes across as refreshing and highly readable - however, at times the language tends to lean towards being coarse and slightly flippant. Being of a conservative nature, it’s hard for me to picture Jesus that way. But I do realize that Jesus was temperamental enough to wreak havoc in the temple because he was angry that it was being used as a market place and annoyed enough at a fruitless tree to curse it to death. That being said, The Miracle Free Gospel is insightful and thought provoking. It challenges the reader to rethink previous assumptions and take a closer look at the real message of Jesus – a message of hope, compassion, love and common sense - without the trappings of tradition and religion. I would recommend this book. - Beate Oster. Lorbach, Nordrhein-Westfalen What I read at first was not enough. I had to read more. The Miracle Free Gospel allowed me to see what once was, in a new way. At times I smiled and chuckled, and needed to ponder what I had just read... "Yeah for Jesus" was one section that left me thinking. How wonderful this would be, if we all had such opportunities to do. Oh yes...we do! but you will need to read The Miracle Free Gospel to find out why! In the end, yes, I can see how this would be miss construed as heresy, but sometimes a salt shaker needs a good shaken to loosen the solid mass that has been formed over time. Great insight and imagination, with reality. Once I finished reading, I was wishing for more! -Delores Nataway. Edmonton, Alberta Yaaaaa!!! I've finished reading (The Miracle Free Gospel) & to my thoughts it looks great; kinda like a layman's way of talking about Jesus. I'm not too up on the context but, from a purely entertainment perspective....it's uber kool!! - Gary Morris. Ontario, Canada I've read about half of it so far. It is an interesting new look at the Gospel, from a very pragmatic and realistic standpoint. Somewhat irreverent, somewhat humorous; it will be considered heretical by some, blasphemous by others. A good read! :D - Jerry E. Smith. Claxton, Georgia Might as well just get a Book of Mormon from my neighbor. Both are as equally incorrect... God is not mocked in this way. This is pure filth and blasphemy... Oh, and Jesus just talked people into sharing their food? He didn't multiply anything? Pure trash... Disgusting. This book should be boycotted by all. - Leonard Curtis. Taylorsville, Utah At three Gerhard (Editor of The Miracle Free Gospel) was a cute and happy child. I lost touch with him shortly after the birth of his brother, when his family went into hiding... My parents took great risk by smuggling his family to a new city. They were to have a fresh start and a new life. Our family followed a few years later. This is proof that where we were was not good for us, and where we went was much better. We connected again when, by coincidence, we both enrolled in (the same) Aramaic class. This retelling of John is well written. John was believed to have been very old when he composed his account of Jesus. He obviously glamorized the good old days with his friends, when they had the run of the town. It's about time someone told the story like it really happened. Thanks for keeping it real. - Terra Huff. Detroit Lakes, Minnesota (The Miracle Free Gospel) brings the gospel to life using wit, logic, reasoning, and common sense - along with humor. (The writer) provides an innovative alternative to the often unseemly likelihood regarding the miracles of Jesus, as well as a twist on what Jesus might have said that resonates truth and wisdom such as ~ "See, I did not come to shame anyone into submission but to offer an alternative view of God, free of ritual and pomp" Humor ~ "After this Jesus returned to Capernaum with his family and friends to recover from a hard night of drinking" We can never know what Jesus said however, inserting ourselves in the story as a participant or observer, we can deduce, with reasoning, a likely scenario which I believe... has (been) accomplished. No matter how you deem Jesus; fact, fiction, myth or truth, (the writer) poses a challenge to view the gospel from another perspective. The Miracle Free Gospel made my heart smile. - Kim Harvey. Florida, USA I thought (The Miracle Free Gospel) was a fun book to read. You have to know about the bible stories to get some jokes (which I am not well versed enough) and you have to not take the bible too seriously, so you wont be offended. I did enjoy the read though, and it was an interesting format. - Eric Lande. Tofield, Alberta All should read this book, because all will enjoy it. It is, simply, a most readable book! For all who care about virtue, this is also a book on the side of virtue. It is a power for good, for the triumph of the living heart. The drama is this: that the Bible of Jesus is a treasury of untold wealth, but the way this Bible has been polluted and distorted by those who claim to follow Jesus puts the credibility of the Bible in serious jeopardy. It is definitely in need of a purgation. This book is an important step in that direction. - Gurth Bruins. Cape Town, Western Cape I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, despite disagreeing with it theologically and being startled by the first few paragraphs. The writer depicted Jesus much the way that I imagine Jesus to be. Jesus said a lot of things that offended a lot of people. He stood against their religiosity, broke their Sabbath laws, talked to forbidden people such as prostitutes. He shocked people with his words at every turn. Some people really hated him because he was so different from them. Other people loved him because he was so uniquely mysterious and kind-hearted. Virtually no one understood the things he said until after he died. I cracked up laughing every time the writer had Jesus swearing and giving the finger. I don’t know that he wouldn’t have done the equivalent of saying forbidden/taboo words and using symbols that people find offensive for no logical reason! I don’t have a problem with the idea that Jesus pointed to things considered “unholy” and called them “holy”. He was constantly criticizing the ridiculous religious standards of the day. Perhaps Jesus was offensive and that’s exactly why the Pharisees killed him! How do we know that the expression “Brood of vipers” wasn’t the equivalent of cussing? I do however completely disagree with the theology (or re-write thereof) used in this book. I believe Jesus knew he was God and claimed to be God. I don’t believe he pointed to common sense, evolution and science as humanities common “cause” in an attempt to bring down religion. However, I’m glad (the writer) wrote the book. It is thought provoking and very funny. I laughed throughout the vast majority of the book! I think it would do a lot of uptight-religious people good to read this book. I also think that Atheists would probably love it. Being a Restorative-Universalist-Christian myself, I too want to tear down detrimental religious beliefs (especially the doctrine of hell) and I admire any person who challenges the status quo. - Allisa Anne Dempsey. Sydney, Australia I'm on page 72.... So far I love the (The Miracle Free gospel). It actually sounds way more real, then all the other versions I have read... it's rather refreshing too! Here's two of my favorite parts so far: “This is the truth; I tell you that no one can know that which they have no way of knowing until they have become comfortable with the unknown. 6 The mind gives credence to many thoughts and yet the heart conceives of things that the mind cannot. You should not be surprised when I say, ‘No one can know that which they have no way of knowing.’ “My teaching is not my own. It is drawn forth out of common sense. Anyone who chooses to think for themselves will come to a similar conclusion. These days, anyone who claims to be speaking their mind, is actually speaking the mind of another." It's anyone's best guess what really happened in the life of Jesus, or anyone else, as far as being able to remember correctly! I like the way you put it out there, and it made me LOVE THINKING FOR MYSELF!!!!! - Lisa Williams. USA (The Miracle Free Gospel) is a grievous thing. Stripping away the supernatural from part of God's Word, is perhaps especially egregious because it is the Gospel of John, since one of its main purposes is to clearly present the divinity of Jesus. To hollow it out, and gut it, leaves but a relatively empty shell. - Greg Thurston. Burlington, Ontario It is easy to imagine how the early Christian writers injected the supernatural into their work in order to give their message a kind of authority. In this modern age nobody genuinely believes in miracles anymore. When we are sick, we visit our doctor. Seldom today, do people pray expecting external results. Instead, modern man looks to control their emotions and find peace of mind through meditation and centered breathing. In this way, the previously accepted Gospels tend to render the message of Jesus unbelievable. This is particularly true for people who are not predisposed to believe in something for no reason. Through The Miracle Free Gospel I have finally found a Jesus in whom I can actually believe; a good man - one that was willing to die for the things that he believed! - Gerhard Geick. Edmonton, Alberta |
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