I’ve been working my way through these 2 science-y sounding books.  One is an inspiring scientific examination of the physical properties of the heavens and the other is a New Age fairytale.  Both claim the church needs to take something back from the world.  One claims that thing is the arts and sciences.  The other claims that thing is sorcery.   I want to talk about the former first. 

“The Story of the Cosmos” is a fantastic compilation of beautifully written essays on astronomy and the glories of God as declared by the heavens.  The editor is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, “Good Heavens,” Daniel Ray, and the book reads much like their show (which I reviewed here).  Both the book and the show are casually conversational, scientifically informed, theologically sound, witty, eclectic, awe-inspiring, nerdy, and poetic all at the same time.  Each chapter is stand-alone and they cover a variety of topics such as how the glory of God is revealed in the cosmos, how that creative glory is also expressed through art and literature, and how the intricacies of the created cosmos point to the existence of a Creator. 

You don’t have to be a Phd to enjoy this book.  It’s completely digestible for the laymen interested in astronomy.  If a non-scientifically minded philosophy major like myself can grasp its key concepts, anyone can.  And if you’re still not convinced that it wouldn’t be over your head, just get it for the pictures.  The photos are numerous and stunning and will keep you thumbing through the book just to gaze at the glossies.  “The Story of The Cosmos” is definitely a book to be savored and shared.  Check out the fantastic youtube trailer by clicking here!

Share it!

And then there’s the latter: an heretical New Age fairy tale called “The Physics of Heaven” put out by a number of influential leaders of Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church in Redding California, with contributions by “Apostle” Bill himself, his wife Pastor Beni, “Prophet” Kris Valletton and infamous guests like Bob Jones.  Folks, if you’ve heard about any of the questionable practices attributed to this signs and wonders movement, and wondered if they could possibly true, this book will not only confirm your worst fears, it will magnify them a thousand-fold.  And if you’re wondering how or why so many people can possibly buy into these lies just look at the kinds of things they are promised if they do.  Here’s just a sampling of what I’ve learned from this book so far:

1. If you are a seer, you can join a Holy Spirit think tank and emerge with new perspectives never before pondered (from the forward by Kris Valletton, Prophet of Bethel Church)
2. You can be transformed by the new sound which will be released from heaven.  If you receive and embrace the new insights and revelations about sound you can finally become the child of God creation has been waiting for (pgs 2,3).
3. You can literally move mountains because you have the zero-point field within you and around you which is sustained by an underlying sea of quantum light (pgs 5-7).
4. You can do even greater works than Jesus including living longer.  You should live to at least 70 or 80.  If a child gets cancer you can tell that cancer to leave because children are not meant to die early (p8).
5. According to Bob Jones, some people are given special shields or badges with the number 341 on them which authorizes them to do healings, holy confiscations, prayer, petitioning, teaching and ushering in prosperity —which will be transferred from one group to another (pgs 21,22).
6. You can smell God’s breathe.  And it smells like apples (p23).
7. Vibrations are open portals to heaven.  You can find 300 in the Old Testament and 28 in the New Testament (p24). 
8. Your genetics are the same as God’s were and you can change your DNA through the new sound that is coming in our praise (p25).
9. You can reclaim or recover realms of anointing, mantles, revelation, mysteries, insights and realms of God that were left by the dead (pgs 30,31).
10. You can reclaim the following practices which have been stolen from the church by the New Age movement:  spirit guides, trances, meditation, auras, power objects, clairvoyances, and clairaudience and more (p 49).
11. Through the mysteries of sound, color, light, vibrations, and energy, you can carry energy that has the force or power to empower others to do things like move deeper into God or take trips to heaven (p 53).
12. You can sense the unseen and unheard through vibrational frequencies found in nature such as crystals and essential oils (p 62).

Oh dear, I really wanted to get in one more but that would be number 13 and I’ve heard that’s an unlucky number. It produces all kinds of bad vibrations (whatever those are), so I better stop and pick up with number 14 next time.  That’s right folks.  There’s more.  I’m only a third of the way through the book 😦  But just in case you’ve heard enough and have no interest in reading another post on the subject you can just take my advice regarding “The Physics of Heaven” and shred it.

Shred it.