Papa's Last Words
They Lied About God
By R. H. Ben-Shalom
Who God is? Have you wondered why God changes so much between the Old and the New Testament. Did He change, or are we missing something? How thick are the lenses of tradition?
Ever find unexplainable inconsistencies within mainstream Christianity?
If you are a Christian and you are completely comfortable in your walk with God, then this book might be a stumbling block or a waste of your time.
However...
If you are a Christian and you feel that something is missing in mainstream Christianity...
If you have questions to which your congregational leaders have not been able to provide satisfactory answers...
If you know that there is more to Christianity than meets the eye, but haven't been able to put your finger on it...
Then this book is for you!
Boundaries protect and nurture growth, but boxes inhibit it.
Boxes are the ideas handed down by well-meaning parents and mainstream culture that do not withstand honest and true examination. It is the elephant’s rope that illogically constrains.
Break boxes.
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This book tackles the inconsistencies of mainstream concepts in order to encourage accuracy in one’s walk and divine relationship.
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It will rouse you to reassess the origin of the Trinity and the validity of orthodoxy.
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It reveals why people have forgotten the Name of God.
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It reveals God’s identity within the rift between Judaism and Christianity.
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It will shift paradigms and lionize the ancient path of God.
An incendiary undertaking, Papa’s Last Words: They Lied About God mercilessly removes cultural biases, the lingering effects of archaic politics, and the seductions of human pride in order to present the unadulterated truth. It takes a raw look at mainstream Christianity and investigates the questions that most avoid or answer with misaligned clichés. It aims to open the eyes upon the timeless beauty of God. The intent is not to offend. The intent is to make God known.
Reviews
Jack:
In Papa’s Last Words: They Lied About God, R. H. Ben-Shalom allows us to peer into a love letter to his children concerning what he considers the most dire matter in his life: his relationship with the Creator of the universe. This book takes a hard look at who God is and challenges many assumptions, misconceptions, and distortions of truth that have crept into mainstream Christianity throughout the millennia. I highly encourage you to push through parts that initially offend you and weigh the conclusions honestly for yourself. Ben-Shalom intentionally upsets the religious status quo by examining a well-sourced history of evolving ideology in Christianity and Judaism and brings the reader back to the primary truth that God is who He says He is. Ultimately, the author sets out to equip his children with the tools to know who God is, understand His Scriptures, and begin to build a personal relationship with Him. As readers, you and I are able to reap the benefits of diligent research and a sincere desire to live in close relationship with God. They Lied About God is the first of three messages, and I am looking forward to the next installment.
AvidReader:
The author says, 'Go find the word Christmas in the Bible, or Trinity or Easter. Go on, find it. The word Easter can be found once but Christmas nor the Trinity are spoken about in the Bible. The author's faith is deep and his sincerity in his search for the truth is admirable. His love for our Creator jumps at you from the pages. His offspring is blessed to have the author as their example on how to live and love according to the instructions of our wonderful God Yahweh. This book made me laugh because of the passion, the love, the sincerity, the amazing research and the integrity of the author.
whyonedr:
An excellent book and my only complaint is that it is not published in paperback-I like to have the book in my hands, I even mark stuff I find interesting and I'd like to be able to get copies to give friends who study as I do. Is there a possibility it will come out in paperback? I seldom find a book as well researched outside of academic books.
Dr. Phil:
I was interested in the book because of my Jewish heritage (my grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants). I was surprised to find such depth in understanding Christianity based on a better understanding of the Hebrew scriptures. There were many new, deep, and challenging insights that came at me through this book. I gained some new perspectives about what the scriptures mean that are helpful and refreshing. I enjoyed the easy-to-read style of the book. The author came across to me as caring and authentic. This book was a pleasant surprise to me.
Jarrett:
Ben-Shalom starts this book with an excellent dissection of common "Christian-ese" vernacular that sometimes is contrary to the truth. Continuing, a delve into a deeper understanding and of the progression of modern day religious sects, and denominations juxtaposed to the original Torah, Prophets, Gospels, etc. is detailed.
Ben-Shalom's level of detail and meticulous references of not only scripture, but other authors, and scholars does well in aiding the reader in progressing through what I am sure had been years of study.
This book will challenge what you thought you knew (which, I guess can be surmised from the title).
It is obvious BenShalom seeks the truth, regardless of modern day religious views, or even historically adopted traditions. The concluding chapter, though the entire work is a letter to his children, is a call to seek the truth, the true one, YHWH.
Thank you Ben-Shalom for sharing your journey. Sincerely glad this is now part of my collection.
JL:
The strong point of this book is that it's unbiased. The author offers a lot of helpful guidance on the history of various religions and Scripture. There is even a family tree of Christian denominations and one of the best descriptions of love.
There is a lot of beneficial observations about organized religion, the positive aspects and those that the author rightly questions. On the Names I believe he has them correctly.
I really like the messages in the book and found it educational.
Gian:
I truly enjoyed this book on many dimensions of appreciation. From the moment I started reading, I couldn’t put the book away. I had to capture all the wisdom that enveloped each page. I appreciate all the details and reference scriptures. I felt the love and pure intention of the author to share Bible history of Christians and Jews. Very carefully written and shared with divine elegance. Thank you for this precious gem!
Rivkah:
Mr. Ben-Shalom writes this profound book to his children, desiring to leave a legacy with them. This book was very deep and really resonated with me. The author backs up everything he says with Scripture. It was very helpful to me theologically, answering some questions I had. It's obvious from his writing that he has a very deep, close personal relationship with HaShem. I rarely reread books, but this is one I think I may reread. There was so much meat that I feel I may need to read it again to catch more of what he is saying. I look forward to reading his future books.
MC:
This book truly is a gem. It clarified my faith with such beauty and helped me understand things I was struggling with my whole life.
Magic:
This was recommended to me from a friend -- describe this book in two words? Just. Right. Easy to follow, but not pedantic. Informative, but not preachy. Challenging but not legalistic. It's the Goldilocks in Christian narrative. I'd really like to see what else this author comes up with. What a... perspective.
Joe:
I have several books on theology and commentaries and this book stands out as a favorite. I love how the author takes you on a historical, cultural, biblical journey recovering what causal biblical readers look over. I will be using this book as a continual reference for study!
Laura:
This book was a challenge to my long held beliefs from my upbringing in Western Christianity. Things I thought were right were brought into perspective. I highly recommend this to anyone who has cognitive dissonance regarding what you’ve been taught in church.