Holy Crap: Why Christians Stay Stuck

What if the Bible isn't the problem, but the way you've been taught to read it?For generations, well-meaning Christians have been told to forgive no matter what, turn the other cheek, stay in destructive relationships, fear a Rapture, wait for supernatural intervention, and accept religious doctrines they were never encouraged to question.But what if some of those beliefs aren't actually what the Bible teaches?In Holy Crap, Dr. Tom Joseph challenges traditional religious doctrine by returning Scripture to what he believes is its original historical, cultural, linguistic, and biblical context. His conclusion is provocative: the Bible does not teach Christians to remain unhealthy, powerless, fearful, or trapped in destructive patterns. Rather, misguided interpretations can distort Scripture in ways that keep people stuck.Drawing on decades of pastoral and counseling experience, Dr. Joseph examines deeply ingrained Christian beliefs surrounding forgiveness, unconditional love, submission, salvation, the Rapture, heaven and hell, demons, spiritual gifts, divorce, codependency, and more. The book's table of contents makes that challenge explicit, moving through many of Christianity's most familiar and controversial teachings.As Dr. Joseph explains, the deeper he studied Scripture in its original context, the less interested he became in religion for religion's sake. He came to believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, points toward righteousness, truth, common sense, personal responsibility, and healthy behavioral change, not abuse or dysfunction.A former pastor, Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor, and PhD in biblical behavior studies, Joseph brings both theological study and years of counseling experience to his examination of why Christians become trapped in unhealthy religious thinking.If you've ever questioned whether what you were taught in church actually matches what Scripture says, Holy Crap invites you to question the doctrine, examine the context, and discover a faith grounded in truth rather than fear.Read Holy Crap and find out whether some of what you've always believed may have been, well... holy crap.