Book Report

    Sales of my book, "Pelagius Was Right" are leading the pack, with more copies sold worldwide than any of my other works.

   That's especially satisfying, since so few people know who Pelagius was.

   As background, he was a theologian in the Fourth Century who taught that people have a free will, and do bad things because they choose to do so. That's in contrast to his contemporary Augustine, bishop of Hippo, who maintained that people are sinners at root, and do bad things because they are heavily influenced by the spirit of evil.

   Augustine was supported by his friends at the Vatican, who threatened to label Pelagius a heretic. Even today, the church endorses Augustine, and few practitioners even know who Pelagius was. Nonetheless, his teaching of free will gained support by the people, and remains popular today.

   By definition, a heretic is someone who disagrees with established wisdom. But sometimes, the alleged heretic is right.

   Another example: Galileo taught that the sun was the center of the universe and the earth revolved around the sun. This brought allegations of heresy from Vatican leaders, who pointed to the proof that the sun could be seen rising and setting as it crossed the skies. In addition, the earth was God's greatest creation. Therefore, the earth was the center.

   Galileo was threatened with heresy for teaching otherwise, and since he did not have absolute proof, he recanted under pressure.

   Nevertheless, he was right. Copies of my work are available through Amazon, or they can be ordered through your local bookstore.