Prepared to Answer

From Bruce Williams "Answers. Do they exist? Is it really possible to have them? In an age when the very idea of absolute truth is quickly labeled as audacious and intolerant, do we dare look for "the"answers? Or is it better just to shrink back and decide not to "go there."But if answers do exist, where do we go? Isn't that what Oprah's show is for? And in an age when every question can be "googled" and answers are flashed by the thousands in a nanosecond, do we really need a Book like this? I believe, yes, even now more than ever." Bruce Williams From Gordon Ferguson Doctrine is important to anyone intent on pleasing God and helping others to please God. Religion without doctrine is like a human body without a skeletal system. A coherent body of belief that reflects the thinking of God must be the starting point if our lives are to be lived differently and have impact. See how Paul put it in 1 Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."It is clear that life and doctrine go hand in hand. Both must receive careful attention. Whoever first said they are like the two wings of an airplane was on the right track. Try to have the right life without doctrine and you will end up with some sort of "mushy moralism"that will neither help people nor please God. On the other hand, become a doctrinal expert and give no attention to your own inner person your heart and your attitudes and you will do more harm than good. Prepared to Answer is designed to help us be confident and knowledgeable without being arrogant. Gordon Ferguson   TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Life and Doctrine SECTION ONE Catholic Religion Chapter One: The Falling Away Was Foretold by God Chapter Two: Authority in Religion: From God or from Men? Chapter Three: The Exaltation of Men Chapter Four: Ritualism vs. Faith: Coming to Christ Chapter Five: Ritualism vs. Faith: Living in Christ SECTION TWO PROTESTANT Religion Chapter Six: A Long History of Reactions Chapter Seven: Calvinism: The Doctrinal Basis of Protestantism Chapter Eight: Protestant Doctrines of Salvation Chapter Nine: Restoration Churches Chapter Ten: Pentecostalism Chapter Eleven: Evangelicalism in the 21st Century SECTION THREE THREE SECTS Chapter Twelve: The Jehovah's Witnesses Chapter Thirteen: The Sabbath-Keepers Chapter Fourteen: The Mormons Epilogue: Final Considerations and Cautions Appendix I What about the Apocrypha?   Appendix II The Doctrine of Original Sin   Appendix III New Testament Teaching on Women's Role   Appendix IV The New Age Movement by Thomas Jones   Appendix V Watchman Nee's Teaching on Soul And Spirit: A Form of Neo-Gnosticism   Appendix VI Matters of Conscience: A Deeper Look