Dear Friends in Faith,
    In a book that I have entitled: Tony’s Scrap Book, no it is not written by me, is an interesting thought condensed into some questions. I imagine the writer is unknown as no author is given. It is entitled Static and goes thus:
    One learned professor says “yea,” another learned professor says “nay”; what can the student say?
    One politician says “it is thus,” and another politician says “it’s not so”; how can the voter vote?
    One Priest says “this road to Heaven,” another preacher says “detour this way”; where can the sinner go?
    There are many specialists in our day. One can go to the doctors for an ailment and get many differing opinions on the best way to attack the problem. This is no less so when it comes to the professional religious leaders. People’s mental equilibrium is thrown off kilter by bad advice from religious doctors sometimes to the untimely death of the person who is mercilessly at their hands. A friend of mine who lost her husband about a year ago was talking with me and I told her that the minister of the church she attends does not agree with me on some very key issues. To which she replied that everyone has their own opinion of what the Bible says. So my questions are: just what is one to do? Where is one to go? Who is one to listen to for further enlightenment?
    To begin with, having a pattern of sound words, which the Concordant Literal New Testamant has, is a great place to start! Then if God gives the grace to have one meet up with a teacher who has “a pattern of sound words which you hear from me” (Paul) (1 Tim.1:13) and that this person will be “matching spiritual blessings with spiritual words” (1 Cor.2:13), this would be a great boon to the seeker of truth.
    One of the problems is that there are so many translations and that these often have no pattern of sound words. One of the most harmful words in my opinion would be the word “eternal.” This one word has caused untold anguish among the millions of earths inhabitants. Yet ministers the world over continue (often innocently) to spread the horrible idea of eternal torment as found in these translations. Is it any wonder that the majority of people laugh at the God Who is portrayed in such diabolical light? (or should I rather say “darkness”?). May we continue to be given the grace to be faithful in such an unfaithful world. And when we do not live perfectly in accord with the evangel (who does?) may we recognize that “Christ died for our sins,” be sorry for our shortcomings but get on with life. Let us be like Paul who wrote: “toward the goal am I pursuing for the prize of God’s calling above in Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:14).

Yours in God’s Grace,
Tony Nungesser