In the Beginning Was the Logos

I've devoted a lot of effort to being honest and to verifying my sources. I don't just throw my opinion around lightly. I hope that more than anything, you have picked that up on this site.

So I want to tell you about my book on the Council of Nicea, especially if you've read the nonsense Dan Brown tried to pawn off on the public in The Da Vinci Code. He made it look like the Council of Nicea created Christianity as we know it, and he was so effective that Glenn Beck actually repeated the junk history on his show.

Dan Brown got off easier than Glenn Beck. Dan Brown is an entertainer and few people hate him. Glenn Beck, on the other hand, was roasted as an idiot for repeating the same claims made in The Da Vinci Code.

All Dan Brown had to do in the way of research was to read a couple books from the 60's and 70's, Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Passover Plot, both long since rejected by historians. I read both books as a young Christian in the 80's, so I immediately recognized the theories.

There are real sources from which to do history. There are a couple eyewitness accounts of the Council of Nicea and dozens of letters passed between bishops before and after the council. We know what the council was about.

My book tells the story, explains the issues, and not only cites the right sources, but puts them in your hand. Seventy-four pages of this 440-page book are appendices which include things like the emperor Constantine's opening speech at the council, his letter explaining to the churches why he called the council, and a letter from the bishop Eusebius of Caesarea explaining to the church of Caesarea why the council made the decisions it did and what the Nicene Creed really expresses.

If that's not interesting for a Christian, then he's not much interested in the faith he's a part of. The Nicene Creed, or a version of it called the Apostles Creed, is recited in millions of churches every week, and it is still the official creed of both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Teaser: Worse, almost no one but the Eastern Orthodox churches even know the main point of the Nicene Creed and agree with what it says! Most western Christians recite it every week while confidently disagreeing with the main issue about which it was written!!!

Weird, huh?

It's all in the book; it's all written so anyone can understand it; and yet the book both thoroughly cites the proper historical sources and puts them in your hand so you can verify them. What ancient writings that I don't add to the book are available on the internet for free. Christians already collect these writings, disguising them under the large generic term of "early church fathers."

How boring. My book sorts though the large, boring stuff to give you the distilled, pertinent, interesting stuff.

I like the scientific method. You know, the one that Jesus advocated when he said "you'll know them by their fruits." I tell you about what was working for the Christians, how the Council of Nicea affected that, and then how their new practices worked.

The story's awesome.

Okay, that's the best shameless sales pitch I could make for my own book.

I got it reviewed by some people who have some history experience. Here's a couple of my favorite responses:

You did it! This is one of the best Early Church History books I have read. I could not stop reading. I have read many books on the subject, and none are better or clearer to read. (Rev. Steven R. Eubanks)

I am so loving this book! Where on earth did you find all this information! I'm so hooked. This book is good!!! (Audrey Griffith, B.A. in Theology)

Finally, I wrote the whole first half in story form so you could enjoy and understand the story before wrestling with its issue. A lot of that story is in the words of the early Christians themselves and the fifth-century historians who wrote about the council and its decades-long controversy.

I published this myself, with the help of Lulu.com, in confidence that this web site reaches more people interested in Christian history (about 200,000 people per year at current rates) than any publisher could.

Don't think, however, that I skipped important publishing steps to do so. It is thoroughly researched (the research was both exhausting and exhaustive) and reviewed by every knowledgeable person (experienced in church history) I could reach, which was quite a few. I've compared my research with what other historians have written, and there is nothing fanciful or with the feel of a "conspiracy theory" about it. My book is "mainstream" history.

There are more reviews below. I'm confident you can see the quality of the reviews.

Here's where you can get it. Note that there's a list of chapters at the bottom of the page. You can download the first three as a sample.

Paperback: $19.96 from Lulu.com (That's 20% off Amazon's price) Until Dec. 14, use BUYMYBOOK305 to get an additional 25% off from Lulu. Ebook in .pdf form: $2.99 from lulu.com 367 pages plus appendices Over 700 footnotes Original council letters and speeches in the appendices

If you just can't afford the book, I will send you the ebook for free. Just write me and tell me why. Use the "Contact Me" button in the NavBar to the left.

Oh, and it will be avaliable on Amazon sometime in November, 2011, though it will probably continue to be cheaper at Lulu (as linked above).

This next review is about Christian History for Everyman (this web site), not the book.

A friend who is a secular history teacher and has begun studying church history did a video review for his blog.

This next person is not particularly interested in history, though she is a Christian. She is a consultant I met who works with web sites, ebooks, and internet marketing.

The next is from a missionary who took me and one of the elders of my church around Kenya with for a few days. This is a review of me, not the book.

Paperback: $19.96 from Lulu.com (That's 20% off retail!) Ebook in .pdf form: $14.95 from Clickbank.com 367 pages plus appendices Over 700 footnotes Original council letters and speeches in the appendices

If you just can't afford the book, I will send you the ebook for free. Just write me and tell me why. Use the "Contact Me" button in the NavBar to the left.