"Man is justified by works, not solely by faith."
The apostle James - James 2:24
"Man is justified apart from works, by faith alone."
The apostle Paul - Romans 4:5
So are we justified by faith plus works, or simply by faith alone?
There is no consensus. Answers to this and a multitude of other doctrinal questions have divided churches, rendering them unable to present a unified front for a world of skeptical unbelievers.
Why? If God is all-powerful, is He not able to present His Word in a way that all can understand?
This book answers the question with a resounding "Yes!" He has done just that. But unfortunately, those to whom God has entrusted the care of His people have unintentionally neglected His Word in favor of their own. Having borrowed their core beliefs from mainstream thought, today's church leaders in general are forced to disregard the often plain meaning of Scripture in order to rationalize their unwavering doctrinal positions.
Modern Church: Where Tradition Trumps Truth exposes the doctrinal error of today's church and, more importantly, the basis for the confusion that has produced an innumerable variety of churches and denominations. This book tackles the most complex doctrinal issues, but not by dealing exhaustively with their details. Debating the details while overlooking the big picture - the foundation - has been the cause of a crumbling house where carefully formed patches of love and acceptance completely hide the cracks. This author works to undo the traditional line of Christian thinking by rebuilding the house, beginning with the foundation. And in the construction process, the reader who accepts the premise will begin to have his doctrinal questions answered as he realizes that he can actually take the Bible for what It says. Instead of working tirelessly to reconcile Paul and James, the bible student will secure a firm grasp on each of the epistle-writers' commissions and purposes. And as a result, he will see something amazing... both Paul and James meant EXACTLY what they said.
