Hey Couch...I agree with Brian about your understanding and reasoning and balanced expression ...you have been holding out smile

FWIW I believe any faith that builds fences around itself trying to monopolize their version of the truth has an inherent problem.

I've read but not studied The Bible but I do know Christianity did not start with Jesus and his followers but with Paul and from there it was marginalized until adopted by Constantine as the state religion. The orthodoxy or story of Christianity and Jesus was not written in stone so to speak until the Council of Nicea and they had gospels that were not written until after the death of their authors AND gospels and teachings they tried to bring together 325 years of early Christian belief that had various viewpoints of Jesus and God. But history has gifted this world a number of other important faiths and belief systems ...all worthy of respect and all form an important part in the lives of their followers

Still, faith in Jesus as the Son of God is strong in many here and I respect that.

To the heart of this....judged against the major prophets and messengers, this Hal Lindsey is a blip and reflection of a time and place where freedom of expression and religion and commercial activities can all be rolled into one for an opportunist to gain some mindshare and dollars for himself. Far too many rich evangelists to mention. And the fallen from grace for sexual impropriety is legion. As the wise Will Durant said in The History of Civilization...A man's virtues are his own, his vices a reflection of his time

If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop