Against the Flow: The inspiration of Daniel in an age of relativism
Daniel's story is one of extraordinary faith in God lived out at the pinnacle of executive power.
It tells of four teenage friends, born in the tiny state of Judah about twenty-six centuries ago, but captured by Nebuchadnezzar, emperor of Babylon. Daniel describes how they eventually rose to the top echelons of administration. Daniel and his friends did not simply maintain their private devotion to God; they maintained a high-profile witness in a pluralistic society antagonistic to their faith. That is why their story has such a powerful message for us. Society tolerates the practice of Christianity in private and in church services, but it increasingly deprecates public witness. If Daniel and his compatriots were with us today they would be in the vanguard of the public debate.
What was it that gave that ancient foursome, Daniel and his three friends, the strength and conviction to be prepared, often at great risk, to swim against the flow?
Uses the book of Daniel as a starting point for a wide-ranging critique of current Western thinking.
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Why We Should Read Daniel 1
Daniel 1
1. A Matter of History 4
2. City of Idols 25
3. A Question of Values 33
4. A Question of Identity 40
5. The Resolution and the Protest 57
6. The World-View of Babylon 64
7. The Manner of the Protest 76
8. The Logical Structure of Daniel 83
Daniel 2
9. Dreams and Revelations 88
10. A Succession of Empires 104
Daniel 3
11. When the State Becomes God 136
Daniel 4
12. The Testimony of Nebuchadnezzar 152
Daniel 5
13. The Writing on the Wall 172
Daniel 6
14. The Law of the Medes and Persians 194
15. The Law of the Jungle 213
Daniel 7
16. The Four Beasts and the Son of Man 224
Daniel 8
17. The Vision of the Ram and the Goat 254
Daniel 9
18. Jerusalem and the Future 279
19. The Seventy Weeks 294
20. The Seventieth Week 301
Daniel 10
21. The Man above the River 311
Daniel 11
22. The Book of Truth 324
Daniel 12
23. The Time of the End 339
Appendix A: The Nature of the Kingdom of God 356
Appendix B: Translation of the Text on the Cyrus Cylinder 371
Appendix C: The Structure of the Book of Daniel 376
Appendix D: Daniel 11 and History 378
Appendix E: The Dating of the Book of Daniel 399
Questions for Reflection or Discussion 401
Bibliography 409
Notes 413
Index 417
Text Acknowledgments 432
Picture Acknowledgments 434
Product Details
- Title : Against the Flow: The inspiration of Daniel in an age of relativism
- Author: Lennox, John C
- Publisher: Monarch Books
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9780857216229