Long ago, when I was first introduced to the tenets of Calvinism, I immediately recognized that it was not of Yahweh. It was repulsive to my spirit. Even when they pointed to the “proof text,” I thought something was wrong here. It mischaracterized my Lord. I thought it was so absurd that surely my fellow Christians could see the issues. The proof text did not align with the entirety of Scripture. I thought the translation of these few verses was either being misread or was unclear without the context of the rest of the Bible. When compared to the vast majority of other verses, Calvinism’s central teachings were way off. I was shocked to discover that many believed in Calvinism. And some didn’t even know they believed. They thought it was Biblical Christianity. I was stunned. I accepted Jesus when I was 12 years old, not Calvinism.

But later in life, I discovered that the entailments of Calvinism had crept into my beliefs, shocking me. I believed in some of the false doctrines of Calvinism without realizing it. Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) was one of them. I thought it was Biblical. I was looking through the goggles handed to me by sincere teachers I trusted. I accepted it as a mystery because I could not understand why God would punish His innocent Son for my sins. “Oh well,” I thought, “It’s one of those things I can’t understand. God’s thoughts are not my thoughts.”

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Over the years, I grew more suspicious of PSA. Finally, I turned my full attention to exploring this unusual doctrine. I had been reading books and listening to numerous podcasts debunking Calvinism—even writing about it on my Substack. Will Hess’s The Church Split was one of them. I had also been searching for books on the topic of PSA. But all I saw, at the time, were pro-PSA books. I had already concluded for myself that PSA was wrong. The pastor of the church I was attending at the time was clearly teaching PSA, and it was unbearable to listen. Great apologists for the Faith believed in it, i.e., William Lane Craig. In my daily life and on Facebook, I couldn’t find any friendly place to discuss my “heretical” beliefs about PSA. I agreed with Will’s take on PSA, but I wanted a detailed dismantling of it to ponder in the quiet hours of the morning. Then I heard he was going to write a book about it. I bought it soon after it was published. However, I was committed at the time to read the Bible in historical order. That was taking up all my reading time. So, Crushing the Great Serpent was on hold. When I finally got to it…

This book hit the spot. Having just completed reading the entire Bible, with all its themes weaving seamlessly when read in historical order —i.e., blending the prophets and Psalms with Chronicles and Kings, etc. —I was ready.

Maybe some of you can relate. That’s how I got to Will’s book. I won’t spoil it for you by doing a breakdown of every chapter. Rest assured, he could have written a book twice as long. But he covers all the major themes of PSA and thoroughly debunks them. And, he offers many of the pre-PSA doctrines that existed long before PSA’s corruption. I would not have been as charitable as he was. At times, I was infuriated by the results of the PSA’s influence on the Church and the corruption of theology. I wrote in the margins and highlighted many passages in the book so I could return to it later.

On a technical note, I was glad to see the footnotes at the bottom of the pages. I don’t like flipping back and forth when footnotes are at the end of the book. Yuck!

As I mentioned, I was already there, but I needed more in-depth information to reinforce my thoughts in conversations or when writing essays on my Substack (which I hope to return to soon). However, this book is ideal for those who need to explore the subject for the first time. I can’t recommend it enough.

Lastly, being an independently published author myself, I urge you to spread the word on your social media. I cannot stress enough how important and meaningful this is to a new author. Will has spent countless hours researching and, with the cursor on his computer, heroically trying to bring these thoughts to life, making them not only informative but also enjoyable and readable. And then there’s the editing. The painstaking line-by-line reading over and over to infinity and beyond, and still, things are missed. Even my professional editor and proofreader missed things in my book. It’s agonizing! It’s a labor of love.

Please don’t simply send him pics of you reading his book. Although those are lovely sentiments, what Will needs from you is to post about this book on your social media accounts and recommend it to your followers. It’s an essential book for the body of believers. Trust me, someone is out there questioning their faith because of PSA. Please help them.

Check out Will’s content here:

The Church Split

Thank you for reading my Substack. Remember, it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

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