Books Descriptions

Popular Beliefs: Are They Biblical? was born out of the frequent discussions with Christians of different denominations about their beliefs. Participants at my weekend seminars as well as subscribers to my Endtime Issues Newsletter often ask me: Why are some of my beliefs biblically wrong? How can some of my beliefs be unbiblical, when they are held in common by the vast majority of Christians?

"To rock or not to rock," this is the critical question rocking many Christian churches today, including an increasing number of Seventh-day Adventist churches. A generation ago there was almost universal agreement that rock music, in whatever version, was inappropriate for personal and church use. At that time, young people who wanted to listen to the "worldly music" had to look for a hiding place, away from the hearing of their parents, teachers, and even some of their friends. Today, if a Christian teenager wants to listen to the same "worldly music"–and in many cases much worse–he can do so with the encouragement of his family, church, Christian school, and friends. It is not uncommon to hear rock music blaring out of dormitory rooms in Adventist academies and colleges.

Few Biblical doctrines have been under a constant crossfire of controversy during Christian history as has the Sabbath. A bibliographic survey indicates that since the sixteenth-century Reformation, over 2000 books, besides countless articles, have been published on this subject.

What Christians believe about the make-up of their human nature largely determines what they believe about their ultimate destiny. Historically, most Christians have believed that human nature consists of a material, mortal body and a spiritual, immortal soul. This belief, known as dualism, is largely derived from Greek philosophers who regarded the body as temporary and evil but the soul as eternal and good. Dualism has led Christians to envision a destiny where immortal souls survive the death of the body and spend eternity either in the bliss of paradise or in the torment of a fiery hell.

How did the change come about from Saturday to Sunday in early Christianity? To find an answer to this question Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi spent five years at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, examining the most ancient documents available.

The results of this investigation are presented in From Sabbath to Sunday, which is a translation and an adaptation of his Italian doctoral dissertation, presented at and published by the Pontifical Gregorian University Press.

How can one find inner peace and rest in our tension-filled, restless society? In Divine Rest for Human Restlessness Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi shows how the values of the Biblical Sabbath provide a divine remedy to such contemporary problems as stress, restlessness, ecological crisis, marital tensions, human rights and competitive pressures.

Many sincere Christians believe that the New Testament teaches that Christ brought to an end the principle and practice of Sabbath keeping, and instituted Sunday keeping instead. To test the validity of this popular view, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi has devoted many years of painstaking research in Vatican libraries in Rome, examining the earliest Christian documents. The results of his investigation are found in his dissertation first published in 1977 by the Pontifical Gregorian University Press, in Rome, Italy.

Most evangelical churches no longer observe the annual Biblical Festivals today, partly as a result of the radical anti-feasts attitude of the Puritans, who swept away all religious holy days except the Lord’s Day. The Puritans viewed the church calendar, which was filled with saints’ days and Marian feasts instituted by the Roman Catholic Church, as indicative of the apostasy into which the church had fallen. To rid the church of all the pagan superstitions which had become part of the popular piety, the Puritans in Colonial America did away with all the annual holy days. In doing so, however, they left Christians without a religious calendar to commemorate the great saving acts of God.

In the second volume of God’s Festivals Dr. Bacchiocchi examines the typical nature and the antitypical fulfillment of the feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. The study shows how the Fall Feasts of Israel reveal the unfolding of the events leading to the consummation of redemption. Bible students interested in End-time prophecies will find this book of great value, because it offers valuable insights into the prophetic message of the Book of Revelation.

The procedure followed throughout the book is first to establish the typical nature and meaning of the feasts in the Old Testament and then to trace their antitypical fulfillment in the New Testament. The study traces the historical, Christological, ecclesiological, and eschatological fulfillment of the Fall Feasts through Biblical and Christian history.

Alcoholic beverages have become America’s number one public health problem, costing over $117 billion a year and claiming at least 100,000 lives per year, 25 times as many as all illegal drugs combined.

Christian churches are partly responsible for the alcohol epidemic raging in America today, because since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, most of them have abandoned their stand for total abstinence, encouraging instead moderation in drinking. Moderation has led millions to become immoderate drinkers.

There is a boom today in Christian literature dealing with Biblical prophecies on the end of the world. Much of this literature treats the prophecies with either skepticism or sensationalism. The result is that many ordinary Christians are either abandoning their hope in the return of Christ, or becoming excessively preoccupied with watching for imminent events which are supposed to bring about Armageddon.

In the book The Advent Hope for Human Hopelessness, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi endeavors to meet the dual challenge of skepticism and sensationalism, by presenting a balanced Biblical analysis of many vital topics related to the Second Advent.

Few subjects have stirred up as much controversy in recent years as that of the role of women in the church. Much of the controversy centers on the interpretation of crucial Biblical passages.

In the book Women in the Church Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi provides a much needed balanced interpretation and application of the overall Biblical teachings on the role of women in the church. With compelling research he shows that while Scripture excludes women from serving in the representative role of priests, elders or pastors, it does include them in the supportive ministries of the church and in participation in public worship. The reason for this Biblical distinction derives not from the cultural conventions of the times, but from the distinct and yet complementary roles for men and women established by God at creation.

In every age men and women have bedecked and bejeweled their bodies with colorful cosmetics, costly jewelry, and eye-catching clothes. This is especially true today when the sexual revolution has given rise to a fashion industry that markets clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics especially designed to feed pride, vanity, and sex.

In Christian Dress and Adornment Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi reminds us that while clothes do not make a Christian, Christians do reveal their identity through their clothes and appearance. The Bible does not prescribe a standardized dress for Christian men and women, but it calls us to follow the simplicity and unpretentiousness of Jesus’ lifestyle, even in our clothes and appearance. The Christian priority is not the external decoration of the body with costly clothes and ornaments, but the internal beautification of the soul with the love of Christ.

Hal Lindsey’s books on end-time prophecies are selling by the millions at a rate usually associated with hamburgers. His jigsaw puzzle approach turns Biblical prophecies into a crystal ball through which he predicts with astonishing boldness the precise pattern of events which were supposed to occur by the end of the 1980s—the time when the present history of this world was supposed to end.

In Hal Lindsey’s Prophetic Jigsaw Puzzle, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi analyzes five of the predictions which Lindsey made in 1970, showing how they failed to come to pass. The purpose of the book, however, is not merely to show the senselessness of Lindsey’s sensational end-time scenario, but primarily to help Christians understand the true nature and purpose of Biblical prophecies. The author encourages the reader to look forward, not to the occurrence of impersonal events, but rather to the coming of our personal Savior Jesus Christ, our "blessed hope."

Some Christian churches teach that Christ was entombed on a Wednesday afternoon and that He resurrected exactly 72 hours later on a Saturday afternoon. These churches view a full three days and three nights entombment of Christ as the messianic sign par excellence given by Jesus.

In The Time of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi thoroughly examines the crucial texts used in support of the Wednesday crucifixion dating. The book offers compelling Biblical and historical evidences which clearly refute the Wednesday-crucifixion and Saturday-resurrection dating.

There is hardly a Christian family that directly or indirectly has not known the pain of divorce. An important factor contributing to the alarming escalation of divorce among Christians is the growing acceptance of the societal view of marriage as a social contract governed by the laws of the land rather than as a sacred covenant regulated by the higher moral law of God.

In The Marriage Covenant Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi challenges Christians to reject the secularization and easy-dissolution of marriage by accepting instead the Biblical view of marriage as a sacred, life-long covenant. This important book is designed to strengthen your Christian home through a recovery of those Biblical principles established by God to ensure happy and lasting marital relationships.

The book has two objectives. The first is to expose the unbiblical teachings found in Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ. The movie is largely drawn from Catholic legends and mystical literature that grossly distort the biblical view of the nature and meaning of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Gibson has produced a strict Catholic film with a distinctive Catholic message derived from Catholic legends and superstitious beliefs. For example, throughout the movie Mary is portrayed as a co-sufferer with her Son at the 14 Stations of the Cross in order to function as a co-redeemer.

More than a Prophet was born out of the raging controversy over the credibility of Ellen White as an inspired writer. To respond to the many attacks against Ellen White, Prof. Graeme Bradford spent twenty years of his life examining and digesting the writing of Ellen White in the light of the manifestation of the gift of prophecy in biblical prophets.

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Books Descriptions Article Count: 18

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