Objective Biblical Research
One of the lost arts of Christianity and Judaism, has been Objective Bible Study and research. It has become taboo that any individual Christian should study and read the Bible on their own. The search the scriptures admonishments have been replaced by a new "search my favorite theologian" doctrine. Every since the second century, people have arisen teaching that the common Christian cannot read and understand the Bible. Since "spoon-fed" education has always been easier for most people, they were quite willing to accept what their "anointed leaders" have told them. It never occurs to most people that the foundation which supports their church may be defective.
The Loss of Academic Integrity
What most people do not realize is that the Academic Foundation of most colleges and Universities has collapsed. We have republished Montana State University emeritus professor Dr. Paul Trout's excellent article on the Lack of Academic Integrity in our Educational System. Our experience is that most Bible Colleges and Seminaries have fallen into this level of academic decay. The latest evidence of academic decay has been the lack of real evidence that Barak H. Obama ever attended a class a Columbia University, even though he allegedly got his degree there. However, there are other evidences of decay that go back years. Many years after Martin Luther King, Jr., died, it was discovered that he plagiarized (copied and used the works of others without giving them credit for their work) over 60% of his doctoral dissertation. Normally, that would be grounds for the University administration to revoke your degree, but in the case of Martin Luther King, Jr., they did not feel they needed to be so harsh. So much for academic integrity. There are many people who have been dismissed from an institution of higher learning because they plagiarized (stole) the words of other people without giving them credit.
When it comes to the church community, the loss of academic integrity affects the quality of a church's leaders. If the pastor could get though Bible College or Seminary by stealing the work of others, what kind of ethical backgound would they bring to their pulpit? What kind of role model would they be for our children? If you study the backgrounds of many big-time preachers, you will find they have less than stellar academic backgrounds. For example, Joel Osteen never went to a seminary, and his college record (reports have him attending just two years) at Oral Roberts University is less than stellar. His pastoral experience prior to his current job was working on a crew for his dad: John Osteen, the former pastor of Lakewood Church. It is clear he gets by on good looks, ghostwriters, and glamor.
The Nicolaitane Model
What most people don't discover until it is too late is that most church organizations are locked into the Nicolaitane doctrine. This doctrine teaches that the church should be broken into two parts: the divinely ordained leaders and the rest of the people, which are called laity. Under this doctrine, the divinely-ordained clergy provide all the leadership for the church body, while the common people are left to sit in the pew, empty their wallets, and be quiet. Bible study becomes nothing more than sitting in a pew and listening to what the preacher teaches.
The only thing wrong with this church model is that it is not what Jesus ordained or wanted. Twice He stated (Rev. 2:6, 15) that He HATED the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. To begin with, Jesus never advocated any kind of departure from Judaism. He was a reformer who insisted that the Pharisee theory of an "Oral Law" that takes the place of the Torah, the Prophets, and the rest of the Tenach, is totally wrong.
Jesus instead taught that YHWH wants to have a relationship with all of humanity. The He wants to lead every person into a full life. But to do that, He said people needed to know the scriptures and the power of YHWH. He also told the disciples that after He died and rose from the dead, He would send the Holy Spirit to guide their lives and the lives of those who would choose to follow Him. The Nicolaitane doctrine works to dispose of the scriptures and the power of YHWH.
Searching for the Truth
At the Foundation, we are studying the learning the scriptures to learn the truth of YHWH and how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We hope to have up our Basic Principles Bible Study very soon so that people can learn the Bible on their own and not be dependent upon their preacher. We put up our slide show and interview on the Infinity Code so people can see that the Bible is true and will believe it with all their heart. We have also embarked upon Bible Code Studies, which we feel will fill in the gaps of understanding in the Scriptures.
To deal with the Bible Version Issue, we have published our own study on the subject.
We have other projects going all the time.
