The Gospel is GOOD NEWS no matter what Evangelical Christianity preaches. The true gospel fosters mental and emotional stability. The pressure to be spiritual which is the climate of modern-day Christianity leads to mental and emotional breakdown.

In the Christian religion it is often the belief systems that hold the groups together not love, joy and peace. The doctrines become the glue. If you question the doctrines you threaten the group itself. This does not foster healthy freethinking and according to Mike makes Evangelical Christianity deadly! That comment cannot be taken lightly from someone who spent 25 YEARS OF HIS LIFE in that religious system as Mike has. On this tape we get a good understanding of why he makes such a strong statement.

Mike lays this foundation: The stability of the gospel is not what I think or believe about God, but what God thinks and believes about me. God loves me. God finds NO FAULT in me. God is love. If that is true for me then it IS TRUE FOR ALL. Armed with this understanding we have the opportunity to nurture an entire generation in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Redemption can produce a believer – but believing can NEVER produce redemption. It is interesting to note that the prophets who foretold of redemption say NOTHING about man’s belief being a requisite of such. If you recall, it was God who said He would do nothing without first telling his prophets about it. If God intended to make BELIEIVING such an essential ingredient in the process you would think they would’ve wrote about it. But no – not a word. In contrast, the Christian religion makes our belief and confession of such the KEY POINT in redemption and Christian experience. This can be very de-stabilizing. What if you don’t really believe, or if you belief the wrong things, or don’t believe deeply enough or long enough? Or worse, what if you believe things that just ain’t so (a definition of mental illness I read somewhere).

I like Mike’s perspective better. I repeat: The stability of the gospel is not what I think or believe about God, but what God thinks and believes about me.

Evangelical Christianity thrives on sin being held against you. But Mike teaches us that two things define sin. Sin is the transgression of the law. And sin is the condition of unbelief. Jesus bore the sin of the world. Did he bear the first kind and not the second? Hmm? According to Mike, Jesus also bore the sin of man’s unbelief. So if you don’t happen to be with the perfect group that teaches you the perfect way to believe and the exact things to believe in, well – no worries mate. That is emotionally and mentally stabilizing. You are FREE to think about what you believe.

In the Christian religion having to believe is critical. But think about it – even the idea "I have to believe" is strange. True belief should be the RESULT of truth and honest thinking. If believing is the thing that validates truth than truth can be anything. Perhaps that’s why there are ten thousand Christian groups and belief systems. It is TRUTH that validates belief – not the other way around. No, no, no – I do not have to believe I get to believe. I enjoy the honor and privilege of believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ - what a difference to the heart and mind. Don’t you think?

Think about it – something is true whether you or I believe it or not. Gravity, being real and true, does not wait for our believing in it to effect us. Go on the roof of your house. State your emphatic disbelief in gravity. Now jump. Gravity wins – not your belief. The gospel of truth works the same way. It effects me whether I believe it or not. And I like it’s effect – it declares me righteous in the eyes of God! WOW! It does the same for you. And it does it even if you don’t believe it.

Read Romans 1:17. "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed . . .(NIV)" Just like the law revealed the condition of sin the gospel reveals another condition. That condition is righteousness, righteousness from God. Revealed righteousness produces belief! Tell that to the next person who asks the shallow question, "If everyone is going to heaven why preach the gospel?" This type of believing in the true gospel is emotionally and mentally stabilizing. I love this gospel. It is not a DEMAND for righteousness toward God but a REVELATION of righteousness from God. Thank you God! Do you see the contrast between religion and truth?

Talking from experience, Mike makes the results of such belief practical. For him this true understanding of the Gospel allowed him to view himself differently and also to view everyone else differently – ALL EQUAL. Suddenly he saw a level playing field for all. ALL redeemed by the faith of Jesus – not even their own faith – but HIS. He is the author and finisher of faith. The gospel really is the power of God for the salvation (not redemption) of everyone who believes. This salvation is a process. Redemption happened in the twinkling of an eye 2000 years ago. The salvation process is the saving of the soul – the mind, will and emotions (maybe especially the emotions for those of us who have been steeped in Christianity). According to Mike, believe this gospel long enough and it WILL SAVE the mind, will and emotions. It is very encouraging news.

Mike’s teaching on Romans 5 could not be clearer. By one man’s disobedience death passed to ALL – the Christian religion has no problem preaching and teaching this one. They are talking about Adam. You remember Sunday school. We are sinners because of Adam’s sin – and you didn’t even HAVE to believe in Adam to receive this condition of sin. "All have sinned and come short" right? Mike shows us just what Adam’s sin was – unbelief. He fell for the deceivers’ trap and tried to become what he already was – LIKE GOD. And Christians have been falling for the same emotionally unstable trap ever since.

Read Romans 5 very carefully. Adam was a pattern of Jesus. By ONE MAN’s OBEDIENCE (and belief I might add) ALL are made righteous. Which ALL? The same "all" that Adam made UN-RIGHTEOUSNESS. Whose obedience? Yours? Mine? Mike William’s? I hope not! No, it was the ONE-MAN JESUS. His OBEDIENCE made ALL righteous. Now strangely enough, the Christian religion would make it your work to MAKE this Jesus Lord of ALL. GOOD NEWS – just like you didn't have to make ADAM LORD all ALL SINNERS, you don’t have to make this LAST ADAM – this JESUS – LORD OF ALL. GOD made Him Lord of All! Amen!? Amen.

This ONE MAN totally undid and reversed the work of the first Adam and MORE! He rolled back the curse entirely – not just for some but for ALL. Man’s fall began with a tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and ended on a tree – the cross of Jesus the Christ. On THAT DAY God was going to kill ALL or ONE. Thank God, the cross was raised. Mike calls it the "lightning rod of the ages."

You and I GET to believe in Jesus – we don’t HAVE to. We get to REIGN IN LIFE never having to feel guilty again. The peace of mind this gospel of grace and peace brings is priceless. The freedom from judging others because we know God does NOT judge us can CHANGE THE WORLD! You cannot give away what you yourself do not have. Guilty people pass judgment. If you are guilt-ridden you cannot give away acceptance – only judgment. The world is full of people dying for acceptance. The false gospels of the nations produce guilt and shame.