Read This First

Mark, why go to the trouble of having a Supplements section?

It is my hope that as you read Rude Awakening, you will use the Supplements section to browse the additional resources for each chapter. First, at the beginning of each chapter’s page is a link to the Scriptures referenced during that particular chapter. The main purpose for this was to provide full context for Scriptures that I referenced but did not fully quote (context is extremely important). However, another benefit is that if the King James Version becomes a distraction to you, with just a couple of mouse clicks you can change the translation to whatever happens to be your favorite (see the “why King James” question below). Second, you will find questions on each chapter’s resource. These are provided for your own prayerful consideration or for small group discussion. Third, you will find any additional resources that I felt were applicable to the subject matter. These may be videos, book recommendations, links to other sites, and so forth. These chapter pages will be evolving as time goes on, so if you’d like, you can subscribe to the newsletter using the form on the right side of this page.

Mark, why didst thou usest King James? That’s so 16th century!

I know, I know, I can already hear that question. Indeed, it was not an easy decision. I chose King James for the majority of the Scripture references for two reasons. First, it is the most accurate version. Agreed, it may not be as readable, but there is a danger in sacrificing accuracy for readability. Second, I have to admit I have a hard time with the principle of having to place a “used with permission” blurb at the beginning of the book when using a translation other than King James. It is God’s Word, not that of humans, and while I do appreciate the enormous human effort that goes into creating a new translation, it is just something that doesn’t seem right. Yes, I made exceptions in some places (quoting New King James Version, The Message Bible, and The Amplified Bible), but I wanted to stick with KJV for the majority of Scriptures due to the two reasons above. As noted above, I have placed links on each chapter’s page which will enable you to switch to the translation of your choice.

Mark, I see you mentioned so-and-so, you must believe such-and-such.

I will proactively offer this disclaimer: In the book and on this website, I mention various ministers, authors, artists, and so forth. Just because I mention someone’s name, link to his or her website, or recommend his or her book does not necessarily mean that I buy into everything those people have ever said or agree with everything they have ever done. This should go without saying, but it is amazing how quickly some charge a person with guilt-by-association. There are some people who I mention with whom I would be proud to be associated, while others I just do not know much about and was only quoting in the context of the information being presented.

Mark, did you get permission to use this or that?

There were several quotes that I removed from the manuscript because I could not find a legitimate source to cite. I would rather error on the side of being too conservative. On the chapter pages, however, I do link to some videos on YouTube. Every effort has been made to confirm that these videos are not in violation of any copyright, but if you are the rightful owner of the content presented in a video and a copyright has been infringed upon, please contact me and I will promptly remove the link from this site.