Who the Devil is the Devil, is the sub-title of a rather controversial book, Come up Higher II, by two co-authors which was launched on Wednesday. Controversial in the sense that the authors challenge many of the popular beliefs and stories that are preached from pulpits and which Christians accept without question.
Pastor Christo Nel and Advocate Lisa Cremer have been doing research on the Bible together for more than eight years but individually they have been involved in researching and translating the Bible for more than 20 years.
They are part of Bread of Life ministries and published their first book, Come up Higher last year. The third member of the team who was part of the book is the psychologist, Thea Smith, who did the editing and proof reading of the book. All three are well known in Oudtshoorn. Nel is a pastor and runs the radio station, Heartbeat FM. Lisa Cremer is the The District Court Control Prosecutor in Oudtshoorn and Thea Smith is a practicing psychologist.
At the launch of the book at the Oudtshoorn Inn on Wednesday night, Nel, Cremer and Smith gave the background on the methodology of their research and the writing process, the challenges of Bible translation from the original Hebrew as well as the biology of beliefs which play an enormous role in how people interpret the Bible, what is preached and how it shapes their lives as Christians.
Nel says that the main purpose of the book is not to confuse people or to try and change their beliefs or to prove that the Bible after centuries of translation is not valid.
“The Bible is the Word of God, and even though we constantly change and the world changes, the Word of God remains firm and true. What we would like to achieve with this book is to encourage believers to really investigate the Bible, to read much deeper and to experience and live their faith at a level much deeper than simply attending church on Sundays,” says Nel.
The launch was concluded with a panel discussion during which Nel, Cremer and Smith cast more light on the content and purpose of the book. The consensus was that Come up Higher II – Who the Devil is the Devil? is not light or casual reading material. The years and years of research that went into it is evident in the large number of references to Bible-texts and other sources.
The book is a source to guide people to a better understanding of the Bible and to allow them the opportunity to look at the Bible and some of the myths and stories which we accept at face value. For more information about the book as well as the previous one and to order copies, contact Pastor Christo Nel at 072 316 5414. (HANNES VISSER)
New book challenges believers to investigate the Bible
Christo Nel, Lisa Cremer and Thea Smith during the launch of Come Up Higher II. Photo: Hannes Visser