Hey everybody and welcome back to I Just Want to talk about the Bible.

If this is your first time joining us today, then let me just welcome you and say that I am so glad that you're here.

My name is Christian Keeter and I live in the southeast of the United States of America with my amazing, beautiful godly wife Lacey and our two

wonderful daughters, Felicity and Serenity. All right, guys, well, today I want to begin by

sharing with you an excerpt from a book called Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, written by

Jack Deere. Now, this is a book I read years years ago and just to be completely honest with you guys,

I don't remember the vast majority of what the book even says. However, there is something,

there is, and this is what I want to share with you guys, but there's something that has just

stuck with me over the past few years because I think it is such an incredible point, such a

true observation, and such a

powerful illustration of that point. So let me just go ahead and share this and it will

launch us into our conversation for today. So, and I'm quoting here, he says, over the years,

I have observed that the majority of what Christians believe is not derived from their own patient and careful study of the scriptures.

The majority of Christians believe what they believe because godly and respected teachers told them it was correct.

I have seen this illustrated in hundreds of ways, but the following is one I shall never forget.

Seminary graduates who want to enter into the doctoral program are required to pass both written

and oral examinations before they can be admitted.

As a professor, one of my tasks was to help administer these exams

along with some of my colleagues. On this particular day, we were examining three young,

hopeful prospective doctoral students. We were giving them the oral exam, the most nerve-wracking

part of the entrance requirements. In this exam, four to five professors

ask the prospective student questions about the Hebrew language, archaeology, other technical

...