The Math of
Christ
by Stephen M. Bauer
Bible Belt Publishing, 2010, 184
pages, $14.95 (paperback),
ISBN-13: 978-1-933641-39-3
This book is subtitled “The Science of
Math Reveals Bible Truths.” Stephen Bauer is a retired Army Colonel
with 28 years of service. He is known as a lecturer about social life
in the White House. He has an MBA from George Washington
University. He is not an expert in mathematics nor is he a person
with theological training. This has a big impact on this book and its
usefulness.
What Bauer does is to take 40 prophecies in the Bible and assign a
probability to each of them. The prophecy that the Messiah would be
preceded by a messenger is assigned a probability of 1 in 100. The
prophecy that there would be another prophet like Moses is assigned a
probability of 1 in a billion. The prophecy that the Messiah would come
from the tribe of Judah is assigned a probability of 1 in 10. The
probability that the Messiah would be born of a virgin is assigned a
probability of 1 in a billion. Bauer explains his rationale for these
prophecies, gives some historical background of when they were made and
when they came true.
When you calculate a total probability of a variety of events you
multiply the individual probabilities of each of these events together.
The odds of drawing an ace of spades out of a desk of cards is 1 in 52.
The odds of doing it twice in a row back to back are 1 in 52 times 1 in
52 or 1 in 2,704. Bauer does this with his 40 prophecies and gets a
total probability of 1 in 10136 or a 1 with 136 zeros after it. After
reviewing some other prophecies Bauer jumps into “Future Events in
Bible Prophecy” in which he presents a totally dispensational
millennial approach including a weak and misleading presentation of the
plan of salvation.
If Bauer had stuck to his basic premise, the book would have some
value, because all that can be argued about is the value of his
assigned probabilities to each prophesied event. By promoting his
denominational views the basic premise is weakened. The book is a
different approach and is something many people have been looking for,
but unfortunately the audience that will be most receptive to the
message is bypassed by the needless and erroneous journey into
dispensational millennial theology.
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Does God Exist?, MayJun11.