Busted Day on Just A Thought!

FYI: This contest is now closed. Winners are being contacted as I write this.

Christmas is coming and what a better time to share your faith with those around you. However, apologetics has never been my strong suit. I can share the Gospel but when I am confronted by someone who has a huge myth or pre-conception about the faith I am sometimes momentarily taken aback.

I have tried a few apologetic books but frankly I find most of them to be dry and uninteresting. Which brings me to this book, just in time for Christmas - Busted by Fred von Kamecke.

Fred Von Kamecke is assistant pastor at The Chapel in Graslake, Illinois and an adjunct professor at Bethel College. He has also served as an adjunct at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) where he also received his PhD in New Testament theology and exegesis. He teaches in the area of New Testament studies.

Fred wrote an awesome book called Busted which researches misconceptions of the Christian faith. This is from the back cover:

Following a brief summary of a recurring myth or misconception about the Christian faith, Fred explains why the myth is false and provides biblical and historical evidence in his response. He masterfully weaves together serious discussion with a touch of humor in his responses, all the while keeping the focus on the Scriptures. He avoids making fun of the people who hold views which differ from his own, but the views themselves are fair game.

Fred and Zondervan Publishing generously provided me with 20 copies to give away to Just A Thought readers which has now happened. Winners were contacted via email.

Please feel free to leave a comment with a question, myth or pre-conception someone has thrown at you when you share the faith or share a question about the Christian faith you’ve always wondered about.

5 Questions with Fred von Kamecke

Welcome to 5 Questions With.....

Today's Guests is Fred von Kamecke. Fred is an assistant pastor at The Chapel of Lake County, Illinois. He served as assistant professor at North Park Seminary as well as adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he received his PhD (New Testament) He is the author of Busted which is published by Zondervan.

And now without further delay, on to the questions:

Hi Fred,

Question 1: What one word would describe your current relationship with God?

Growing.

Question 2: Your book, Busted, tackles the myths surrounding Christianity. Where did the idea for the book come from?

The idea came while I was watching Mythbusters. I recalled someone mentioning that you can't trust the Bible since it's been translated so many times (which wound up being chapter 2). I literally got up and started typing that very moment.

Question 3: Was there a particularly hard myth to tackle?

Two chapters wound up being very difficult to write: 4, concerning science (since I'm not a scientist), and 5, since the topic of the canon is extremely complicated. They were the last chapters written.

Question 4: In your opinion, why are there so many myths surrounding Christianity?

There are many factors: competing religious claims, incomplete knowledge of the issues involved, a willingness to believe everything’s OK (there really is no intrusive God actually calling me to live differently), intentional deception, malevolent people and spiritual forces opposed to the truth, just to name a few.

Question 5: What do you hope people take away from your book?

My prayer is that Christians will be encouraged to seek out answers to the relentless attacks against the faith (and become better equipped), and that seekers of Christianity will find the Lord who inspires all truth. I also hope that all of the above will see that apologetics need not be mean and edgy to be effective.

Thanks you Fred for taking the time to answer these questions!

Thank you so much for your interest in Busted.

So there you go. I would HIGHLY recommend you go out and buy a copy of Busted today. For more info on this awesome book check out the Zondervan site today!

To see past 5 Question guests, check out the rotating interview links on the sidebar.

Busted

I have never been a huge fan of apologetics books. The material is usually over the head of the average Christian (and therefore useless IMHO) or comes off as very confrontational. I don't think you should need a PhD to understand the Gospel and how to answer the challenges people present against God and His Word!

Enter Busted by Fred Von Kamecke and published by Zondervan.

This book had me jumping for joy as it seeks to expose popular myths about Christianity! If you have ever seen an episode of Mythbusters you will love this book! The style is breezy, informative, enlightening and entertaining. I found myself taking notes and looking forward to the next time someone wanted to challenge my faith.

I cannot say enough about this book. It has qualified as one of my favorite books of 2009! As much reading as I do, 36+ books a year, that is saying a lot!

No longer do you need to feel intimidated by those who challenge your faith. You don't have to wade through a dissertation on dispensationalism. Pick up Busted, grab a cup of coffee, relax and prepare to find your own faith deepened!

Busted is published by Zondervan and available on their website or at your local Christian bookstore!