Transparent: How to See Through the Powerful Assumptions That Control You

by David W. Richardson Jr.

Assumptions are the most potent of ideas, but also the least understood.

Transparent reveals what assumptions we make, how they control us, and how they are all inherently religious. Even atheists are religious at the level of their assumptions. Some assumptions are true and most are not. How can you tell without being an intellectual?

Transparent introduces the Transparent App, an innovative and creative tool that helps people quickly see through the messages they encounter daily in the things they read, watch, and hear using the power of assumptions. The Transparent App is simple enough for a student to use, but powerful enough for adults to find God and engage with Him in their areas of interest, expertise, and leadership.

How can someone bring God with them to work or school? How does God give us knowledge and guidance in the things that matter in real life? At the level of assumptions God is everywhere.

Transparent is not just a theoretical theological exercise for intellectuals. It “translates” the complex ideologies of the intellectuals into everyday language for everyday people. Written more like an adventure than a textbook, Transparent is a refreshing departure from the usual books about apologetics, theology, and culture.

Students, parents, pastors, and professionals will all love Transparent .

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2016

About the author

You need to know that while I may be above average in the intellectual department, I am just a regular guy. My dad was a truck driver. I lived in a single wide trailer house. I'm from a little farm town in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. I worked in mundane jobs until I finished college. I have picked strawberries, bucked hay bales, caught chickens, power washed moss off of roofs, washed dishes, washed and fueled airplanes, and I was even a disc jockey at a small market radio station. I'm nobody special. I have just been given a gift and an opportunity to use it.

That gift has given me the ability to work with some of the brightest people in the world - university professors. I have been in ministry for over 30 years. Most of my work has been with professors from all over the world. I know the university and how it works because I know the people who are the university. I also happen to have a couple of postgraduate degrees, including one from the University of Oxford that helps me as I consult with professors. My work with professors eventually led me to found the Assumptions Institute to expand the influence of my pioneering discovery of the power of assumptions.

While I can carry on a conversation with most anyone with a Ph.D., I have a unique talent for "translating" the complex, powerful ideas of the academy into everyday language for everyday people. I am not trying to be a scholar so much as I am trying to help regular people understand the ideas that scholars and pseudo-scholars purvey and what difference it makes in everyday life.

I have been married for 30 years. My wife's devotion, strength, and love keeps my feet on the ground. We have three daughters and a son in their teens and twenties. We live outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

When I have free time, I enjoy games, reading, walking my dog, Frisbee golf, and conversations with friends. I have been a member of Dogwood Church in Tyrone, Georgia for over 25 years.

Reviews

[Mary Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a key book. It clarifies the assumptions people make about people, the creation, and God. There are so many treasures in this book that I have never thought about or read about before. Why do people think and act the way they do? How should we respond when we disagree with someone about the most vital issues in life? Do you want to have wisdom and be able to answer questions others have struggled with for centuries? Our creator, who made everything, has the answers. God is the one we need to go to when we don't understand something about His creation. He can illuminate our understanding and show us marvelous things in any and every aspect of life. What is the difference between a virtue and a value? Why are slight differences in words so important? You will find out this, and much more, when you read this book.

[David Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transparent challenges many things you thought you knew. Practical, entertaining, and thought provoking. It is a must read!