Don't Check Your Brains at the Door

158 Pages·2010·0.87 MB·English

by  Josh McDowell

DON’T
CHECK
YOUR BRAINS
AT THE DOOR
Other Books by Josh McDowell
Evidence That Demands a Verdict
The Teenage Q&A Book (with Bill Jones)
How to Be a Hero to Your Kids (with Dick Day)
How to Help Your Child Say “No” to Sexual Pressure
It Can Happen to You
Love, Dad
Unlocking the Secrets of Being Loved, Accepted,
and Secure (with Dale Bellis)
Friend of the Lonely Heart (with Norm Wakefield)
DON’T
CHECK
YOUR BRAINS
AT THE DOOR
JOSH McDOWELL
& BOB HOSTETLER
DON’T CHECK YOUR BRAINS AT THE DOOR
© 1992 by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for
brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas
Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales
promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected] Unless noted
otherwise, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). © 1973, 1978,
1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Those identified as
KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McDowell, Josh.
Don’t check your brains at the door / Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler.
p. cm.
Summary: Examines common myths about God, religion, and life that contradict God’s Word.
ISBN 978-0–8499–3234–2
1. Youth—Religious life. 2. Witness bearing (Christianity) [1. Christian life. 2. Conduct of life.]
I. Hostetler, Bob, 1958–. II. Title. III. Title: Do not check your brains at the door.
BV4531.M217 1992
239—dc20
91–44765
CIP
AC
Printed in the United States of America 08 09 10 11 12 RRD 53 52 51 50 49
Contents
Acknowledgments
“We” Versus “I”
Introduction
Myths About God
1 The Cosmic Cop
Exposing the Killjoy Myth
2 The Luke Skywalker God
Exposing the Impersonal Force Myth
3 The Vending Machine God
Exposing the Father Christmas Myth
Myths About Jesus
4 Prophet Jesus
Exposing the Good Teacher Myth
5 Partial Jesus
Exposing the Superstar Myth
6 Pansy Jesus
Exposing the Meek and Mild Myth
7 Plastic Jesus
Exposing the Gumby Myth
8 Pink Jesus
Exposing the Racist Myth
Myths About the Bible
9 The One, The Only
Exposing the Just Another Great Book Myth
10 The Bible and Swiss Cheese
Exposing the Holey Bible Myth
11 The Bible and the Telephone Game
Exposing the Variant Readings Myth
12 Changing Fact to Fiction
Exposing the Myths and Legends Myth
13 Dr. Luke and the Case of the
Disappearing Politarch
Exposing the Archaeological Myth
14 Truth or Coincidences?
Exposing the Coincidence Myth
Myths About the Resurrection
15 Playing Dead?
Exposing the Swoon Myth
16 Blind Man’s Bluff?
Exposing the Wrong Tomb Myth
17 Hide ’n’ Seek?
Exposing the Stolen Body Myth
Myths About Religion and Christianity
18 One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor
Exposing the Relativity Myth
19 If You’re OK, Then I Must Be OK
Exposing the God-Will-Grade-on-a-Curve Myth
20 When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,
Everybody’ll Be There
Exposing the Universalist Myth
21 It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know
Exposing the Ideology Myth
22 Check Your Brains at the Door
Exposing the Intellectual Myth
23 Jeff and the Professor
Exposing the Blind Faith Myth
24 Abe Lincoln and the Ten O’Clock Class
Exposing the Unscientific Myth
25 Stewed Tomatoes and Tennis Shoes
Exposing the Brainwash Myth
26 No Doubt About It
Exposing the Thomas Myth
27 Potted Plants Don’t Answer Prayer
Exposing the Subjective Faith Myth
28 Sin, Sham, and Billy Graham
Exposing the Elmer Gantry Myth
29 The Serpent’s Promise
Exposing the New Age Myth
30 Hey, I Don’t Deserve This!
Exposing the Rose Garden Myth
Myths About Life and Happiness
31 Lifestyles of Rich and Amos
Exposing the Consumer Myth
32 “The Lip” and the Artful Dodger